Episode 69
After eating dragon meat, which was high in calories and rich in mana for the first time in a while, my body recovered quickly.
I could now clearly feel the difference that I hadn't noticed when I first ate it.
Dragon meat is beneficial to the body just by consuming it.
"Dragon meat really is good."
As I muttered with my mouth full of meat, Aron chuckled.
"You're only realizing that now? Back then, you couldn't even tell the difference and just ate it without a thought."
"Well, it was my first time trying it back then."
It's completely different from regular meat.
The difference in effect, beyond just taste.
The moment you eat dragon meat, mana spreads through your body, aiding recovery, and any excess accumulates.
It truly enables "getting stronger just by eating."
"When will unni wake up? She seemed to have finished recovering, so why is she still asleep?"
"It hasn't been long since she came out of the ice."
"If she used magic, doesn't that mean it's over? Do we have to wait again?"
"To put it simply, what just happened was like treatment. Even if you get cut by a knife and apply medicine, you still need recovery time."
"How long will it take?"
Aron stabbed the meat repeatedly while thinking, then answered.
"In my opinion, maybe a week at most? Or as little as about three days."
"I guess we'll have to wait here during that time."
"Or do you want to visit the ruins? You said there were many things you wanted to see there. After reading all the books over there, you can go investigate further."
"You're right. I should go there and do some research."
Thinking about it, there was still much to learn at the ruins.
Dimensional travel, divine power, ancient technology.
Each one is a technique too precious to give up on, and truths that must be uncovered.
Especially in the case of dimensional travel, I must uncover it by any means necessary.
'Since the Dragon Emperor said she would help, it should work out somehow, but it would be better if I could help even a little.'
My mood improved slightly at the thought that I might be able to return.
Noticing my mood, Aron immediately asked.
"Should I take you there tomorrow morning? I need to go out and come back anyway."
"Where are you going?"
"I need to check on the elves and beastkin. I did set up a barrier before leaving, but since I'm in the forest, I should check on them and do some reinforcement."
At the mention of elves and beastkin, I glanced sideways at Aron.
"...You're not, are you?"
Reading my expression, Aron shook his head vigorously.
"Noooooo way. Originally, doing it with other elves or beastkin was for population reasons. It was something Eri and Ryeong-i requested."
"For something like that, both of them didn't seem too happy about it?"
"That's..."
Aron's gaze drifted into the distance.
"Maybe it's because I got ten of them pregnant when they asked for just one? Well, no, when I went, they all wanted it. So I did it with everyone who wanted it."
I understood Aron's words to some extent.
When I first went to meet the beastkin, all of them gathered and demanded mating with Aron.
Even by elf standards, Aron seems to be a handsome man.
'Then shouldn't I not let him go alone even more?'
If he goes, he might come back having gotten dozens more pregnant, saying he had no choice.
After thinking for a moment, I held up three fingers.
"Once in the forest, and twice in the northern region."
"Huh? What is?"
"The times you went off to play with your lower parts with other women while leaving me behind. Since you did it in the northern region after we first met, that makes two times total."
"Uh, uh. That's right."
"I won't let there be a third time."
At my firm warning, Aron asked back.
"What happens if I do it one more time?"
"I'll seriously get pissed. Not just a day or two of being mad like now, but I'll be pissed for about a week and won't talk to you."
"Hmm..."
Aron seemed to fall into thought.
Seeing that, I also briefly recalled the past.
It was during the time when I had just become close with Aron.
It was before leaving the forest, when I was still awkward with my beastkin instincts.
Back then, Aron had gotten so into teasing me that he teased me nonstop all day long.
"Mia, are you really eating again? Didn't you say you were trying to lose weight recently? But you're eating again? Wow, you don't actually think eating makes you lose weight, do you?"
"Whoa, you're not eating fruit, are you? Fruit really makes you gain weight. Even Eri avoids eating that as much as possible because it makes you fat. You ate three of them?"
"Is that cheese from Ryeong-i? You're spreading that cheese on bread? And you're going to eat it with jam too? You have talent. Just keep eating like that."
The unfortunate thing was that I was in the middle of adapting to female hormones.
It was a sensitive time when multiple bad factors overlapped.
"...I'm not talking to you."
That one sentence ended it.
"Mia, eating again? Is it good? If you eat alone, you'll gain weight. Should I eat with you?"
"..."
"Mia, are you really mad? I'm sorry. Or should I give you something delicious? I'll give you the new jam I just received."
"..."
"Mia? You can hear me, right?"
"..."
"Mia?"
When my characteristic stubbornness mixed with female hormones, it created an unstoppable sulk.
It was on a completely different level from playfully sulking for a day or two.
Aron realized this too late.
After that, Aron had to apologize to me every day for almost three days.
'Thinking back, that was probably when Aron was most flustered.'
I thought it might be good to use that tactic once in a while.
Eventually, on the third day, I forgave him because I felt sorry for Aron, who spent the whole day watching my mood.
Aron seemed to recall the past too, as he trembled.
"I won't do it. I absolutely won't do it. So please don't get mad."
"That's up to you to handle well. I don't even meet other men in the first place. I don't even glance at them. Unlike you, who looks whenever big breasts appear while passing by."
"...Sorry."
"It's fine. I guess it can't be helped since you're a man."
Having once been a man myself, I understand.
I've also glanced at pretty women with good figures on the street, so I can understand that much.
But I can't understand if it goes beyond that.
"But no more than that. If you want to look that much... rather ask me. Or if you're dissatisfied because mine are small, ask Seoryeong unni."
There's nothing more foolish than forcing someone to suppress it.
If I let him relieve it periodically, Aron won't look at other women.
'I need to act strategically.'
Objectively speaking, excluding the Saintess whose size I haven't yet determined, Seoryeong unni has the largest breasts.
Her head is small too, so the mass of fat on her chest is larger than her head.
It's kind of like a pseudo-Cerberus feeling.
'No more women can be added. I already have enough rivals as it is.'
The older sister type Eri, the friend-like Seoryeong, the obsessive Saintess, and then me - mature, kind, and perfect.
I wish he would be satisfied with just me, but I know that's not possible.
So I'm allowing up to those three.
"Then what about hugging now? I feel stressed because I can't touch your breasts."
Aron said to me with a playful expression.
"No! You pervert! Your face is full of mischief, what are you... I said to ask when you really can't hold back!"
I hugged my chest with both arms, turned my head away sharply, and muttered quietly.
"If you really want to... you can hug me when we sleep later. The bed is narrow then, so it can't be helped... whatever..."
I muttered as if whispering, but it was enough for Aron to hear.
He nodded with a smile reaching his ears.
"You're definitely a female."
"Die!"
Once again today, he chose to do something that would get him hit.
*
After finishing the dishes and eating fruit for dessert, Mia and Aron lay down on the bed.
Although the bed was wide, they lay clinging to each other, exchanging playful banter.
"Mia, if I press here, it tickles."
Mia tried to resist Aron's skilled hands massaging her sides, but of course failed.
She giggled and playfully hit Aron's arm.
"You really... are you going to keep touching only my weak spots?"
"I have to attack the weak points. Like this."
"Kyarureuk!"
From her sides to her armpits.
Aron's large hands roamed over Mia's body, but there was no sign of discomfort.
It was purely enjoyable.
In fact, Mia felt somewhat happy in one corner of her heart.
The fact that he knew these weak points meant that Aron knew her body well.
"Counterattack!"
Taking advantage of his moment of carelessness, Mia tried to tickle Aron's neck with her hands, but it had no effect.
Instead, she received an even stronger counterattack.
"Daring to attempt a counterattack? I should properly educate you while I have the chance."
"S, sto, ahahat! Uuuhut!"
Unable to properly control her body due to the tickling, she just held onto Aron's arms and laughed, eventually playing her trump card.
"No, no more! Uuhut! I surrender! I surrender! Huhut! Ahahahat!"
At Mia's coquettish words of surrender, Aron stopped tickling.
"If you surrendered, you have to pay compensation. How will you pay the compensation?"
"You should be grateful just to have a cute, kind, and pretty girl like me by your side. Actually, I should be receiving compensation from you."
At her bold nonsense, Aron replied with a serious expression.
"Your education is still lacking."
"Wai, wai... ahahat! S, maahahat!"
The price of arrogance was five minutes of tickling.
"I'll ask again. How do you plan to pay the compensation? If you talk nonsense again, it'll be 10 minutes."
"Uuhut, uuhuhut. I get it. I get it, so. Um, um."
After finally slowly inhaling and exhaling to compose herself, she thought for a moment before spreading her arms.
Even though her clothes were loose, Mia's chest was accentuated.
"How about hugging my chest? You said you wanted to hug earlier."
"Hmm, what about a kiss?"
Mia blushed and avoided his gaze.
She wasn't confident enough to voluntarily kiss him while in her right mind yet.
"A k-kiss is for later! Just hug me already. Don't weirdly demand more things."
At Mia's vehement reaction, Aron decided to be satisfied.
"Then I guess I should be satisfied with this much today."
He buried his face in Mia's chest, which had become quite cushiony by now, and Mia tightly hugged his head.
"Sleep well."
"Yeah, you sleep well too."
It wasn't a bad ending, in its own way.