Ep.8 - Reconciliation Sister Threesome, and a Compromise (4)

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Late at night.

In the dark hours when no campfire had been lit and only faint moonlight seeped in, Neva quietly woke Delin.

"Delin. Wake up."

At her call, Delin soon rubbed his eyes and got up. Being abruptly roused from sleep is never pleasant, so a hint of discomfort lingered on his face.

But even that discomfort faded as he faced Neva in the darkness. Neva, standing before him with an extremely serious expression, spoke again.

"Follow me quietly. I have something to say."

Neva and Delin held a private conversation in the cold forest.

Specifically, it was about the presence of her former liege that Neva had sensed.

"I sense the aura of Her Majesty the Queen. It is unlikely that she would journey personally, but it seems knights under her command are pursuing us."

Delin was startled by Neva's words and asked if they should flee immediately,

But Neva quietly shook her head.

"We cannot. Even if we erase our tracks as we go, the pursuit will only intensify. And besides, once the pursuit begins, you can no longer build affinity with Eva, can you."

It ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was impossible to be intimate while on the run.

In other words, leaving the cave meant abandoning everything and running away,

And in a situation where it was already difficult to shake them off, they would also incur the penalty of being unable to build affinity further.

"Y-Yeah, you're right. Then what do we do?"

Delin, unable to hide his growing anxiety, asked Neva.

But Neva couldn't easily answer. She, too, had no suitable solution.

"..."

Instead, Neva took his hands and carefully knelt.

Delin tilted his head at the incomprehensible act, but Neva's expression was more serious than ever, so he said nothing and simply gazed at her.

"Delin."

Neva spoke. Deep in the forest, where not even the sound of night insects could be heard, she spoke while kneeling before a man.

"There is no other way. Please, take Eva into your embrace."

"But what if the subordinates sent by the Queen... arrive before we fill her affinity?"

"In that case."

Bitterness lingered on Neva's face, but her voice was full of kindness.

"...We can just go back, can't we. It's okay."

"Go back? Then Eva forgets everything...!"

Delin spilled out his worries and concerns. He knew well how deeply Neva treasured Eva, so he couldn't bring himself to accept Neva's suggestion to return everything to nothing.

"No. That's not it."

Even so, Neva said, holding Delin's hands. Her hands, without gloves on, were always so very soft.

"You've already worked so hard for me. I know. It's fine. It's simply unavoidable."

Neva didn't say anything for a moment, just looked at Delin.

On her beautiful face, whether from the moonlight or not, a faint smile seemed to have settled.

And when she spoke again.

"The most important thing is safety. Of course I treasure Eva, and it's true I love her more than anything in the world, but."

A smile was definitely there.

Since it had been a long time since he'd seen her smile, Delin couldn't help but be quite flustered.

She was beautiful, but on that cold, aloof appearance, the gentle smile held an incomparable beauty.

Because in her words of regret, uttered having accepted all her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠own sorrow and solitude, the resolution of a knight that no one could ever imitate was hardened.

"I love you, too. You can't hold everything, can you. Even if all the reconciliation with Eva vanishes. And even if we have to start over from the beginning..."

Neva was beautiful. There wasn't a single piece of armor on her body, but to Delin, she looked like a truer knight than ever.

"Everything is fine. As long as you stay by my side, I am certain I can reconcile with Eva again. I can endure until then... So, when I tell you to Load, Load without hesitation."

Without straightening her kneeling posture, Neva quietly drew her sword.

The hilt of her sword bore an ornament signifying the Knight Commander of the Albator Kingdom,

But Neva soon grabbed it with her hand and tore it from the sword.

The gaze of both was drawn to the ornament as it clattered to the ground.

"This is the ornament I received when I swore to become a knight of Her Majesty the Queen."

Neva said, holding out the ornament.

Her voice was upright and clear. But even while hearing that clear voice, Delin couldn't dare express what emotion she held within.

Because, as far as Delin knew, it was the heart of a struggling knight.

"I will need it no longer."

Neva set down that splendid ornament and held up the sword, which had taken on a rather rough shape, above her head.

"Delin, please, accept my sword."

Though Delin knew nothing of knights,

Even he could faintly sense the meaning contained in Neva's sword and gesture.

"This sword was personally forged by Edal, praised as the greatest craftsman, and upon this sword I pledge loyalty to my new liege."

"A liege...! Why are you suddenly doing this?"

Delin couldn't accept the sword, and instead placed his hand on top of it, pleading for her to put it away, but Neva spoke in a trembling voice.

"Delin. I love you. And, even while loving... I still cannot fully express this feeling. Even so, sometimes I come to hate you, and at times I wish you would look only at me, yet right now I feel nothing but sorry toward you."

"Being sorry has nothing to do with this."

"No. I... haah..."

Neva briefly lowered her arm.

She seemed to be searching for what she wanted to say.

"I, I'm... actually, I don't really understand myself, either. The only things I've done my whole life are stuffing knowledge into my head and wielding a sword and shield, and the only things I've always thought about were cutting down enemies, my family, and what justice or chivalry is, but."

As the clouds that had wrapped around the moon cleared, brighter moonlight illuminated the world.

Delin could see that moonlight. The moonlight that shone from behind Neva, as if embracing her.

"When I stay by your side and think of you, I..."

She couldn't continue her words and lowered her head. Even upon her lowered head, the moonlight descended.

"...I'm sorry. Truly. I've committed irreversible things, so even if you hate me, I have nothing to say."

"..."

"Even so, I want you. Watching you stay with Eva, I realized. I want to become family with you. No, beyond family..."

When she raised her head again, a red blush had bloomed on Neva's face.

It was love.

"I want to stay by your side. I was... thinking about why I had wandered until now, sitting alone in front of that cave and thinking continuously... No matter how much I think about it, I want to stay by your side and Eva's. Until the day my body gives out..."

The knight spoke ramblingly while on her knees. She, who had always pursued perfection, regretted that she couldn't speak better even as she uttered the words, yet she couldn't express her sincerity any better than this.

"A knight serves their liege. Always serving their liege, following at their side, living for their liege. However, I..."

"You idiot."

What stopped the disjointed words spilling from her mouth were Delin's lips.

His small lips, kissed by moonlight, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠were pressed upon Neva who shone exceptionally beautifully,

And even though her words were interrupted, Neva accepted Delin's kiss and embraced him.

"...You don't have to say all that so long, you know..."

"I'm sorry. I've made a mistake again."

Having gained her courage, Neva concluded her words.

"I will stake my everything to protect and follow you, so please, allow me. I will become a knight for you alone."

"Betraying the Queen, and now saying you'll become my knight."

"My mother once told me. That if I ever became a knight, I would serve two lieges. One, she could not be sure of, but the other, she said, was surely love."

Having cast away her past, Neva chose her present love and swore upon it.

Delin didn't know any cool words befitting this situation,

Nor did he know how to tie it up with romantic words,

"All the love left in me, I give to you. So please, will you accept both my sword and my heart."

But he could at least nod while held in the arms of the silver-haired knight,

"...Fine, so take care of the sister bowl for me. Because right now, I'd rather do it with you than her anyway."

Was it because the Chakjeong debuff had stacked up,

Or was it because he had now acknowledged his feelings toward these women,

Shamefully, Delin whispered to Neva, asking her to resolve his growing lower half.

Neva's body, which he held after a long while, was filled with her heat that had been stored, blazing all the while.

Unlike the sensitive and petite Eva,

Neva embraced Delin with indescribable physical beauty and a well-trained body.

She, who rarely shed sweat even through grueling training, let fall droplets of satisfaction in the midst of lovemaking where love was whispered,

And she steadily whispered love to the man in her arms while they shared intimacy.

"Haah, huu..."

When they finished with a deep white load of thick semen along with a final kiss,

In a way, it was only natural that a message congratulating her on her pregnancy appeared before her eyes.

"This is..."

Neva panted before the blessing granted only to women whose affinity had already been filled. While her gaze lingered in the air, Delin also looked at her while letting out rough breaths.

"Is this also your ability, Delin."

"Yes... but, I don't know what it says either. Please tell me, too."

Kaede, who had faced the message before Neva, couldn't even remember the fact that she had seen such a message, and Riko had deliberately not told him.

So Delin waited to hear the answer from Neva.

"Shall I read it as it is?"

"Yes, yes! Just as it is!"

"Congratulations. You have filled the affinity with your lover to completion, and now carry his child. From now on, as you have borne the fruit of love, a blessing is given to you as well. You can use your lover's ability, Soul Bond, to train yourself, and apart from the ability to turn back time, the child will grow... Ah! One more sentence is written here. The Soul ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Bond can be strengthened through union with your lover... and..."

"..."

Neva lightly swiped the air with her index finger.

"If you agree, press Yes; if you do not agree, press No."

"W-wait! Did you already press it?"

"Is there any reason not to press it."

"Ah..."

Having already impregnated two, Delin nodded as if resigned.

"And, I can also see a list of others currently pregnant. Philmark and Kaede-ssi..."

Neva's face darkened a little, but even so, her joy in carrying a child herself seemed greater, as she soon regained a faint smile.

"So that's why. Now it explains why those two suddenly became stronger."

"I-I'm sorry for keeping it a secret. I had no choice..."

"It's okay. Kaede-ssi seemed to have no idea why, so she probably didn't properly understand the message, and Philmark would have understood it on her own and used that to blackmail you."

She grasped quite a lot from a single message and carefully stroked her lower abdomen. Although she couldn't understand why this message didn't appear to Delin himself, she could now make convincing sense of the events she had encountered on the journey so far.

"If we go back, it would be better to tell everyone. With this ability, wouldn't we reach the Demon Continent faster and more safely."

"Still, that's a bit..."

Delin was startled by Neva's words and hesitated,

"The choice is yours. But I think it would be best to make use of this ability. Is there any reason to reject your own ability?"

He couldn't particularly refute Neva's question of why he wouldn't use his ability. She was right. If you possess an ability, using it would be beneficial.

"...So tonight, please, with me..."

So that Delin could better use his ability, Neva embraced him with her own body. He did not refuse the night with Neva, either.

On a night where even the stars embroidering the night sky were buried by her beauty,

The two shared a long, deep love, beginning with sweet kisses and ending with heated kisses...