Chapter 38
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Patrol
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Lilia von Argent's private training hall, located in the eastern annex of Argent Castle, was surrounded by double-layered walls and soundproof magic circles to block out external noise.
Crystal stone lamps hanging from the high ceiling poured down cold white light, providing a clear view without a single shadow on the smooth wooden floor below.
The air was dry and cool, faintly laced with the scent of iron and aged wood.
Lilia von Argent stood in the center of the training hall.
Her fingertips brushed her lips. Her short-cropped nails pressed lightly into her lower lip, leaving faint teeth marks.
The letter stamped with Roselia's red seal had already left her hands and lay crumpled in a corner of the floor.
'Visitation denied.'
It was a firm, arrogant refusal. The words reeked of Queen Helena's pride, but to Lilia, something hidden behind that rejection loomed larger in her mind.
Batanias.
The deposed emperor. An incompetent, lustful man. But also someone who might be negotiating with Roselia's queen and connected to the '00 Army' hidden in the ancient texts of the Argent family.
Lilia reached for her beloved sword at her waist and drew it. The clear, sharp metallic ring as the blade slid from its sheath cut through the silence of the training hall.
The blade, tinged with blue, resembled the color of her eyes.
'The '00 Army.'
She swung the sword through the air. Whoosh. The sound of it slicing the wind rang out briefly.
Her swordsmanship was refined. Unlike Duke Karls' destructive style infused with powerful aura, hers was swift and precise, specialized in slipping through gaps with subtle aura.
Her talent as a magic swordsman, wielding both magic and sword simultaneously, was among the best on the continent. Yet the world remembered her only as Duke Karls' beautiful younger sister.
She had no complaints about that. In fact, she thought hiding her true abilities was advantageous. But now, the situation had changed.
'Even Brother doesn't know.'
Duke Karls was an honest man. If he said he didn't know, then he truly didn't.
Asking someone else? That would be tantamount to Lilia herself spreading the fact that the deposed emperor might possess great power.
A secret force funded directly by the emperor, unknown even to the head of the Argent family.
It was hidden somewhere in the Black Forest. And Batanias had gone there.
Simply to survive? Or to awaken that army?
Lilia lowered the sword tip to the floor.
What if Batanias seized that army and aimed for restoration?
Argent Territory would be the first engulfed in flames. Her brother was tied up in the capital.
Most of the family's elite forces had been conscripted to secure the capital and guard the new emperor.
The remaining forces in the territory were nominally the Imperial Central Army's border guards and a handful of Argent retainers.
Moreover, the Central Army was the kind of group that might turn their swords on Argent if they believed the emperor could reclaim power with great force.
'I have to check it myself.'
She hardened her resolve. Waiting passively made her anxiety too overwhelming. Roselia's permission was irrelevant.
This was Argent territory, and the Black Forest was right next door.
She sheathed her sword with a click.
The watchpost where Batanias was staying was on the forest's outskirts, they said. If she didn't venture deep, the risk would be low.
Lilia picked up her outer cloak from the corner of the training hall. Instead of her usual ornate dress or uniform, she grabbed practical leather armor and a deep navy mantle.
Pulling the hood low would hide her striking golden hair and face.
"I need to prepare."
She murmured softly as she left the training hall.
Her steps were light, but a heavy stone weighed on one corner of her heart.
Batanias.
That man's gaze flashed in her mind. The sticky, desire-filled look that had raked over her in the palace reception room. Could she stomach facing it again?
But she had to confirm. Whether he was truly an incompetent lecher or an actor fooling the world.
As she passed through the corridor, she left a brief message via magic communicator to the aged knight commander.
'I'm going on a territory patrol. Might take a few days.'
It wasn't a lie. The Black Forest's outskirts were part of Argent Territory.
Behind her as she passed through the castle gates, Argent's banner fluttered.
The cramped watchpost was filled only with ragged breathing.
The creak of the old wooden floor mixed with the sticky rub of leather armor, creating a bizarre discord.
Adella sat in the chair with her head turned to the side, eyes squeezed shut. Sweat-dampened bangs clung trembling to her forehead.
Her linen shirt's buttons were all undone, flaps spread wide, and the sweat- and moisture-soaked fabric had turned translucent, exposing her upper body more lewdly than concealing it.
My left hand gripped her right breast. Each time I kneaded the plump mound with curved fingers, it yielded softly like a waterlogged sponge, stimulating my fingertips.
Delicate Touch
Heightened fingertip sensitivity
The Delicate Touch skill sharpened the sensations at my fingertips, transmitting the slipperiness of her sweat-slick skin and the irregular pounding of her heart beneath vividly through my palm.
My right hand moved ceaselessly inside her pants waistband. Each stroke gripping and shaking my shaft up and down sent waves of pleasure crashing over me.
"Hngh."
Adella bit her lip, letting out a muffled moan. Each time my fingers flicked the hardened tip with my thumb, her body twitched.
'I have to handle it by touching. I can't do it alone anymore. Help me, Adella.'
It was the absurd excuse I'd made up.
She had grown accustomed to the touching now.
But at first, she had recoiled in horror and refused. When I pleaded with hollow, deathly eyes like a man with a fatal illness, she finally crumbled.
Now, she didn't reject my touch. Instead, she pushed her breast a little more into my palm, accepting the pleasure.
Her body trembled with shame, but it reacted honestly. Her sweat-flushed cleavage heaved violently with each breath.
I gripped her breast harder and sped up my right hand. Heat surged from deep in my lower abdomen.
"Ugh, sorry, Captain."
A groan burst from my lips as my body tensed.
"Ahk!"
My hips bucked, hot fluid spilling out. The sticky wetness soaked inside my pants.
The afterglow of climax spread through my thighs' muscles to my whole body. I panted, releasing Adella's breast.
Adella slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze lingered on my pants crotch before darting up. Her brown eyes wavered.
"Are you... finished?"
She asked cautiously. Her voice was low and husky.
I nodded, straightening my pants and quickly changing them. Post-nut clarity's bitterness washed over me, but my mind cleared too.
'Shit...'
Adella was fastening her shirt flaps and buttoning up. Her fingertips trembled faintly, fumbling several times. Her ears burned red.
"Sorry every time. For making you see me like this."
She murmured, bowing her head. She was the one who should be apologized to, yet she felt sorry. Probably self-loathing for enduring the humiliation to safeguard her charge's health(?).
"No. You saved my life by helping. Thanks, Captain."
I replied with feigned seriousness.
Adella straightened her clothes and stood. The chair scraped back with a screech.
She cleared her throat and approached the window. The forest outside remained serene.
"I scouted the surroundings."
She changed the subject, as if to divert attention.
"No signs of beasts within 500 meters of the outpost. No toxic plants either. It's almost suspiciously safe."
She leaned on the windowsill, gazing out. Sunlight illuminated her profile. Sweat-dampened strands stuck to her cheek.
"How about getting some fresh air?"
She turned to me with the suggestion.
"Pardon?"
"You've been cooped up inside, and your complexion looks worse. Doing only this will ruin your health more. You need fresh air and some movement."
She glanced at my pants crotch. Emphasis laced her 'this'.
I must've looked pitiful, holed up jerking off daily.
'Yes! Perfect!'
She was right. I couldn't stay holed up forever. This was a good excuse just when I had none.
Maybe Adella didn't want her charge groping her breasts here either.
Either way, to find the dimensional stone, I had to move. Scout the forest terrain, hunt for clues.
"Yeah! Let's go out."
I jumped up from my seat.
"I feel like getting some air, like you said, Captain. Smell the forest too."
Adella's face lit up brightly.
"I'll prepare."
She donned her leather armor again. Her hands moved familiarly and swiftly, tightening the straps.
The breastplate compressed, hiding the soft breast I'd just kneaded beneath hard leather. Regret lingered, but going out took priority.
We opened the rickety watchpost door and stepped outside. The forest air was cool but refreshing.
Amid the scent of rotting leaves, unnamed wildflower fragrance mingled. Sunlight filtering through trees dappled the ground with shadow patterns.
"Where to?"
Adella asked, following behind me.
"Hmm. How about that stream first? I hear running water."
I pretended to listen, pointing toward the forest's heart.
"Understood. I'll take point."
Adella drew her sword and stepped ahead. Her back looked reliable.
The soil felt soft underfoot. I inhaled the forest scent deeply, stepping forward.
Good. Here we go.