Strange Training (3)
The group had grown so accustomed to camping that cleanup after the meal went much faster. They broke down the tents with practiced speed and set off once more toward Hargon.
The entire day was spent walking. Having already brushed against death during the first encounter with a demon, Dain kept a sharper watch than ever from the front of the party. Yet not a single monster appeared—not even a particularly scenic view. At one point, Ceres even spoke up from behind, telling him to ease his tension a little.
“Just in case.”
“Dolan said there wouldn’t be any major threats.”
“That’s true, but…”
The path wasn’t the vague forest trail they had taken toward Siko Village. This road showed clear signs of regular human traffic. Perhaps because rumors about the Demon King’s army and the demons had spread, they saw no people at all. While Dain verbally agreed with the others, he never let his guard down.
He fell back a little to walk beside Ceres and began making small talk. The topics were nothing special—mostly war stories from the underground cemetery. Dain deliberately chose subjects all three of them could share, yet Ceres’s words would strangely falter whenever it came to Zarco’s turn.
He wondered if she disliked him, but that didn’t match her personality, and there had been no such signs. Moreover, the expression that occasionally crossed her face wasn’t one of anger or disgust. It looked more like flustered confusion, as if she didn’t know how to react.
He grew curious whether something had happened between them last night while he had fallen asleep early. Ceres could be oddly clumsy sometimes; maybe she had made some kind of mistake.
Even as those thoughts ran through his mind, Dain’s eyes kept drifting not to Ceres’s face, but to Zarco—who would occasionally lick his lips and wear a subtle smile. Dain told himself it was only his imagination that Zarco seemed to be standing just a little closer to Ceres than he had the day before.
“Whew, that was good.”
As the sun began to set, the party pitched their tents again in a suitable spot and finished eating. After walking all day while pretending not to be on edge, Dain’s eyelids felt heavy.
‘I’m supposed to be on watch tonight.’
Zarco had taken his place last night, so today was his turn. He slapped his own cheeks to wake himself up, and Zarco glanced over.
“Sleepy?”
“Ah, no. You go ahead and rest. I’ll take tonight.”
“You saw the road on the way here. Dolan said so too, and we confirmed it ourselves today. It’s safe. We’ll arrive tomorrow, and there’s no telling what might happen then. It’s better not to carry over any fatigue.”
He wasn’t wrong. The Kingdom Army was already in position, facing off against the demons. They might have to jump straight into battle the moment they arrived. Thinking back on the fierce fight with Rufeus, they needed to be in perfect condition.
“That’s true, but…”
“Get a good night’s sleep tonight. We’ll assess the situation when we get there tomorrow.”
There was something oddly coercive in his tone. Yet there were no holes in his logic. Considering the purpose of their party, it was a reasonable argument. After thinking it over, Dain nodded to avoid repeating the desperate battle with Rufeus and slipped into the tent. As he imagined the upcoming fight in his head, his eyes soon grew heavy and closed.
“Ceres.”
When Zarco’s voice drifted in from outside the tent, her body trembled. She had known he would come. Recalling what had happened yesterday, Ceres let out a deep sigh, yet her voice sounded strangely relieved.
“…Come in.”
Even as she glared at the tent flap, her hand fumbled for the Lumirod and gripped it tightly. Today she would make it absolutely clear that this was nothing more than training. To prevent the same situation as yesterday, she needed to seize control of the session. But the moment Zarco lifted the flap, he spoke first.
“Dain’s asleep.”
“I—I didn’t ask!”
Her voice came out louder than she had expected. In that instant, a single thought flashed through her mind.
‘Did I just wake Dain up by shouting?’
Her head was a mess. Still startled by her own reaction, she watched as Zarco approached with a faint smile.
“Here. Take off your clothes.”
It was probably because she didn’t want to have to explain the situation if Dain saw. She told herself that. Did Dain realize how much she liked him? Did he know he was the most precious person in the world to her? If so, standing here in nothing but her underwear in front of another man felt almost like—
Like she was cheating.
‘That’s… that must be why. Because I like Dain. I just don’t want him to see this.’
Was she distracted by those thoughts? Before she knew it, Ceres was already down to her underwear. She stared blankly at Zarco for a moment, then hurriedly covered her chest.
“W-what are you looking at…!”
“Even though I’ve seen it before, you really are beautiful.”
“W-what… what is…”
Her words failed her. She whipped her head away. What had she just heard? In the meantime, she caught the sound of Zarco’s soft chuckle.
“Alright. Let’s start the same way as yesterday—on your stomach.”
She had completely missed her chance to speak. Next time. Next time she would definitely say something. Promising herself that, Ceres let out a small sigh and slowly lay down. For some reason, today the pressure against her breasts as they touched the ground felt especially noticeable.
The lantern light flickered across her slightly damp back and hips. While she tried to steady her breathing, she heard the rustle of clothing behind her. She quickly looked back and saw that Zarco had already pulled off his top and was sliding his pants down.
“W-what are you doing! Why are you taking your clothes off!”
“It’s hot in here. Isn’t it?”
It really was. It had been fine before he came in, but now the inside of the tent was filled with a stifling heat.
“And… this is a little embarrassing to say, but I had a hard time yesterday too. Because of this.”
Without the slightest hesitation, Zarco slid his underwear all the way down. His stiff member sprang free, bobbing up and down.
“Hey! What are you doing! Put it back on right now!”
“When it gets like this, keeping it trapped in pants is really uncomfortable for a guy. I’m embarrassed too, you know.”
“B-but still…”
“We both know this is training, so let’s just endure this much. Okay?”
Even though she covered her eyes with her hands, her gaze kept drifting back. It was the first time she had ever seen a man’s organ—especially in such an enlarged state. No matter how much she thought about it, the reason it had grown so large had to be because of her, standing there in only her underwear.
“It was really tough yesterday. But I held back as much as I could so I wouldn’t burden you.”
“B-because of me…?”
‘That… that thing… it gets that big?’
She slowly lowered her hands. It was red, dark, long, and thick. It looked both soft and hard at the same time. Out of curiosity—or perhaps something else—Ceres kept stealing glances before quickly looking away, her face growing redder each time.
“Come on, we don’t have much time. Lie down.”
Zarco placed his hands on her shoulders. His touch felt strangely natural. More accurately, Ceres’s reaction to his touch felt natural. She should have been confused by the sudden situation, yet she only flinched slightly before obediently lying face-down as he guided her.
“Let’s see how much your prayers get reinforced. Want to try any prayer?”
‘I need to finish this quickly and send him out.’
After thinking for a moment, Ceres slowly began to recite the prayer for enhanced vision. It was a relatively short prayer that improved overall eyesight, making it perfect for their current circumstances.
“Open our eyes… and dispel the darkness…”
As she prayed, Zarco crouched beside her and experimentally placed a hand on her hip. Ceres flinched but didn’t react further. The hero’s hand grew bolder, stroking her hip. Then he paused, moved his hand upward, and traced along her side.
“Eep!”
The Lumirod glowed brightly. When he gently squeezed the soft flesh of her side, Ceres’s leg twitched upward.
“There… I don’t like it…”
“Really? But the light is incredibly strong.”
When Ceres lifted her head, she saw that the Lumirod’s radiance was filling the tent even brighter than the lantern.
“Like this.”
Zarco’s hand slipped past her side and slid beneath her, reaching the soft skin of her lower belly where it pressed against the ground. It felt even softer than her hips or breasts, warmly enveloping his hand. As he slowly kneaded it, the saintess squirmed in embarrassment, kicking her feet.
“I told you… not to…!”
“You can’t stop the prayer.”
Ignoring her small cry, the hero rose and climbed on top of her. From behind, he slid both hands under her torso and began gently caressing her soft, smooth belly.
“Ugh… ah!”
Something hot and hard brushed lightly against her backside.
“Ah, sorry.”
His tone didn’t sound sorry at all. Zarco wrapped his arms completely around her waist and roughly massaged her upper body. Every time he moved, his fingers grazed the underside of her breasts. The feel of his breath against her back finally drew out a moan laced with pleasure that she had been trying so hard to hold back.
“Haah… dwell within our eyes… pierce through all things… ngh…!”
‘Is… is this really my voice…?’
It was a lewd sound she could hardly imagine herself making. Zarco’s member, now settled firmly in the cleft of her ass, throbbed against her. Ceres bit her finger to stifle her voice, but the more she trembled, the hotter Zarco’s cock grew against her rear.
Zarco finally relaxed his knees and lay fully on top of her. With their legs tangled together, his hands naturally drifted upward toward her chest. Ceres could feel the hero’s gaze on the nape of her neck. After teasing the underside of her breasts and gauging her reactions, he slid his hands fully beneath her and pressed his body tight against her back.
“Mmm…”
Her head felt hazy. She was being touched. Where? Her stomach? Her sides? Her breasts? Ceres’s nerves were entirely focused on the hard thing pressed against her ass. As Zarco continued to fondle her roughly, his member slowly, little by little, began to push between the fabric of her panties.
“Light… teach our eyes… hngh!”
Zarco never once touched his own member. Yet every time he stroked her and his shaft bumped against her soft skin, he blatantly wedged it deeper between her cheeks.
Slap. Slap.
After several wet smacks of flesh against flesh, she could feel the burning length fully nestled between her plump ass cheeks. Afraid she might forget the prayer entirely, the saintess parted her trembling lips. She had to finish this. Quickly.
“Grant us… piercing vision…!”
A brilliant light burst forth alongside the Lumirod, flooding the tent. The glowing particles gathered in Zarco’s eyes, radiating overwhelming brilliance. Breathing hard, Ceres steadied her shaking body and glanced back. Through the haze of light, Zarco’s lips seemed to be curved in a smile. She wondered what exactly those eyes of his were looking at right now.
His gaze felt as though it could pierce straight through all her anxiety.