Chapter 36
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Traits
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Adella's face was flushed red like a ripe apple. She kept her eyes fixed on the floor, her hands not stopping for a moment. Her fingertips trembled with shame.
The fourth button.
The shirt fell open wide on both sides.
It was a breathtaking sight.
Pure white skin, with no leather armor or shirt in the way.
I'd caught a brief glimpse in the darkness before, but seeing it again—and in the light this time—was mind-blowing.
Unlike her muscular build, her breasts looked soft and plush. Faint blue veins showed through her sweat-slicked, glistening skin. Her nipples were already hardened, standing stiff and erect.
I reached out as if entranced.
"Pretty."
A sigh of admiration slipped from my lips.
Adella flinched and hunched her shoulders.
"D-don't look. Not like that."
"How could I not? It's so beautiful."
I activated the Delicate Touch (Lv.1) skill. My fingertips tingled with heightened sensitivity. My hand moved toward her breast.
"Can I touch?"
I asked for permission once more.
Adella squeezed her eyes shut. Instead of nodding, she thrust her chest forward. Silent consent.
My palm covered her left breast.
It was warm. No, hot. The slick feel of her sweat-dampened skin and the pounding heartbeat beneath transmitted straight through my palm.
I curled my fingers to cup her breast fully. The way the soft, waterlogged flesh yielded and bounced back was incredible.
"Hngh."
A muffled moan escaped Adella's lips. She clenched her fists, enduring it.
I gently rubbed the tip with my thumb.
"Ah!"
Her body jolted upward.
"Sensitive here, huh."
I whispered teasingly as I kneaded her breast with more force. My hand slipped on the sweat, making wet, squelching sounds. The raw noise of damp flesh rubbing echoed in the cramped room.
"Feels good?"
Adella couldn't answer. She just panted roughly, surrendering to my touch. Her wet eyelashes fluttered.
The fullness filling my palm never lost its presence.
Even without the Delicate Touch skill, the soft resilience and throbbing heartbeat would have come through vividly.
I slowly flexed and released my fingers, massaging her breast. Softly at first, then gripping harder—each time, I felt her body twitch.
Adella pressed her lips tight. Fine wrinkles formed at the corners of her closed eyes, and sweat-matted bangs clung to her forehead.
Her breathing was ragged, her chest swelling with each exhale and pushing against my palm.
Her cleavage was flushed red, and a bead of sweat trickled from her collarbone down into the deep valley between her breasts.
"Captain, my heart's gonna burst."
Even to my words, she couldn't respond. Only stifled moans leaked through her gritted teeth.
I rubbed the hardened tip with my thumb. The protrusion caught on my fingerprint ridges, stark and vivid.
"Hnnngh."
Adella threw her head back, swallowing a short scream.
Desire writhed inside me. I wanted to touch deeper. To run my hands over every inch of her bare skin from head to toe, lick it all.
To slide my hand lower, past her slim waist, grab her ass tight—and go further, to check that slick, wet spot between her legs.
Her reactions were honest. Outwardly trembling with shame, but her body was heating up under my touch.
'Touch me. Go ahead.'
Should I hold back?
I want to touch. I want more.
But...
'A promise is a promise.'
I bit my lip hard. I couldn't cross the line here. Snapping that fragile thread of trust could unravel everything I'd built.
She was my guard knight. The one meant to protect me. If she stopped trusting me, I'd be isolated in this dangerous Black Forest.
And beyond those rational reasons... I didn't want to betray her trust.
"Hoo."
I exhaled deeply and relaxed my grip. Regret clung stickily to my fingertips, but I forced my hand away.
As my palm lifted, her breast returned to its original shape. Only the crumpled marks on her shirt proved my touch had been there.
"All done."
I stood casually, as if nothing had happened. The chair scraped loudly against the floor as it slid back.
"Gonna hit the bathroom."
I bolted from the spot. My groin felt heavy and insistent.
Only silence remained in the rundown watchpost.
Adella stayed seated, unable to move. She slowly opened her eyes. Her blurred vision took in the empty chair.
The man who had just been gripping her breast so hotly was gone.
The lingering heat on her chest burned. Her whole body was damp with sweat, and her breasts remained sensitive, sending jolts with every brush of fabric.
She raised a trembling hand to cover her chest. Her heart raced wildly.
'He really kept his promise.'
She thought dazedly.
I'd expected more. I'd half-resigned myself to it. His eyes had been hungry, his touch relentless.
But he stopped. Just touched my breasts and pulled away, as promised.
Relief should have washed over her, but oddly, a corner of her heart felt empty. Disappointment? Regret?
She shook her head, trying to shake off the thoughts.
But the sensation was undeniable.
'It felt... good. Refreshing.'
A languid looseness, like knotted chest muscles unwinding. And the faint afterglow of strange pleasure. His touch had been rough, yet warm.
Adella began buttoning her shirt again. Her fingers still shook. She fumbled the holes several times.
"This is driving me crazy."
She muttered lowly, cupping her flushed face with both hands.
"Need some fresh air."
The forest wind cut like a blade, ice-cold against her skin, but the heat flushing her cheeks wouldn't cool. Still, I let out a deep sigh.
The dry leaves underfoot rustled mockingly with every step.
The lukewarm body heat lingering on my hands and the faint scent of Adella's skin mingled with the bitter aftertaste of wise-man time, stirring odd emotions.
"Kinda embarrassing."
My mumbling voice lacked strength. A former emperor, reduced to groping my guard knight's breasts, getting all worked up, then fleeing to the bathroom to handle it alone.
Could it get any more pathetic? But behind that patheticness was an undeniable sense of release.
Peeling off even a tiny fragment of my pent-up desire had cleared my head a bit.
That was when it happened. A blue glow burst in the air with a pop.
[System Alert: Touched only the guard knight's breasts.]
[Description: Most people either don't touch at all or go all the way. But you tightrope-walked between desire, restraint, and deception to forge a perverse agreement to touch 'only the breasts.']
[Reward: For forging a new path in fate, select a skill.]
The system's mocking tone drew a hollow laugh from me. Perverse agreement, huh. Couldn't argue, so it just irritated me a bit.
A list appeared before my eyes.
[Awareness (Lv.1)]: Gain deeper knowledge of yourself. Discover hidden traits or assess your condition more clearly.
[Dust Off (Lv.1)]: Brush dust off your clothes in one go. Helps maintain a neat appearance.
[Subtle Sigh (Lv.1)]: Sigh without drawing attention. Might help reduce stress?
The choices were clear. 2 and 3 were useless gimmicks. But 1 was different.
Until now, my status screen only showed name, class, and save points.
No clue what potential or curses lurked in this body.
Yeah. Gotta pick Awareness.
'Need to know more about my own body.'
This body was imperial blood. The key to maintaining the Abyss Seal. It couldn't just be a shiny shell.
And no matter what, even as the prologue sacrificial lamb, I seemed important—no way I lacked innate talents.
Yeah, hidden abilities.
I selected 1: [Awareness].
[Skill Acquired: Awareness (Lv.1)]
[Your inner eye awakens. 'Traits' tab added to status screen.]
My mind cleared as new information flooded in. I blinked, and the status interface had expanded.
A cold gust swept over my body.
"..."