Trust Through Touch
"Um, well..." Yoo Eun-chae hesitated, her face flushed with embarrassment. Even though she had come right up to me, she couldn't bring herself to sit on my lap.
"Are you too embarrassed to go through with it?" I asked bluntly. She nodded after a moment's pause.
"Got it. Then we'll cancel the training." My tone was casual, as if it didn't matter to me in the slightest. And truthfully, it didn't. This training was a favor on my part—the one receiving it stood to gain far more than I did.
"N-no, wait. Just give me a second. I was just steadying myself." Yoo Eun-chae quickly stopped me, clearly aware that skipping this would only hurt her. She knew it was my goodwill, and more importantly, she had a reason she desperately needed to grow stronger.
It's embarrassing, but I have to endure it. I can't let go of this chance just because I'm shy.
Even someone as introverted as her could push through when her resolve was firm. Gathering her courage, she finally lowered herself onto my lap. The soft, full sensation of her hips pressed against me.
"Alright, focus."
"Okay..."
I placed my hands on her pale thighs. The moment I touched her, her entire body trembled. Before me swayed her brilliant silver hair, and the sweet, intoxicating scent she carried—like Arian Liberin and Yee Eun-chae—made my mouth water. Slowly, I stroked her smooth thighs, my hand gradually sliding beneath the hem of her academy uniform skirt.
Hoo... The feel of this skin. It's dangerously tempting.
The urge to take her right here and now kept rising, but I suppressed it by thinking of Seo Moon-min-hye, who would finally become mine tonight. Yee Eun-chae comes first. Then it'll be your turn, Yoo Eun-chae.
Once Yee Eun-chae's episode ended, Yoo Eun-chae's would follow. By then, she would be close enough to me that she could ask for help directly. When she did, I would give her the chance to reclaim her mother and avenge her father. I would become the hope that pulled her out of the cruel reality waiting for her.
Her thighs are incredible, though.
The sensation was so pleasant that I deliberately took my time stroking her while slowly channeling my magic power into her body. Sensing the flow, Yoo Eun-chae gradually stopped trembling and calmed down. Her shyness had only made her self-conscious about the position—she had never doubted me. If anything, having lived without anyone to rely on, she seemed to want to trust and depend on me now.
So this is what it feels like to resist something delicious right in front of you.
If I moved my hand just a little deeper, I could have stripped away her underwear. But thinking it and actually doing it were worlds apart. My goal right now was simply to show her kindness and make her grateful to me. Focusing only on that, I concentrated on controlling my magic.
Yoo Eun-chae's attributes are ice and darkness.
Unlike Arian Liberin and Yee Eun-chae, whose combat styles emphasized overwhelming destructive power, Yoo Eun-chae's approach was different. She could freeze enemies with ice and use darkness to conceal her presence for surprise attacks, creating all sorts of variables.
She can already use something like Ice Arrow.
She could generate a barrage of arrows infused with powerful cold and launch them at enemies, instantly freezing whatever they struck.
I should teach her Wave of Frost.
Wave of Frost was one of the ice-attribute techniques effective against groups. It slowly froze multiple targets, prioritizing suppression over outright slaughter. A low hum filled the air as frost spread outward from us, lightly coating the surroundings in ice. Simply teaching her the method of circulating magic power was enough to produce this effect. Yet neither of us suffered any harm from it.
"Remember this technique. It's called Wave of Frost. Anything it touches will gradually freeze over."
Freezing on contact made it useful for both offense and defense. Enemies would hesitate to approach, knowing they might be encased in ice.
She's absorbing it well.
Yoo Eun-chae was so focused that her earlier embarrassment seemed forgotten. She was committing the power I had shown her to memory with intense concentration. While she trained so earnestly, I offered additional advice.
"Wave of Frost is just the beginning. Once you master it, you'll be able to handle ice far more freely and creatively. The applications in combat will be endless. I can also teach you how to use your darkness attribute, but we'll save that for later."
"Okay. Thank you."
Yoo Eun-chae looked as though she had completely forgotten her shyness. This kind of focus was her hidden side. Normally she's shy and introverted, but once training starts, she shows remarkable concentration and diligence.
Throughout her practice, I kept my hands on her thighs, steadily assisting her magic flow. When she finished, I spoke.
"That's enough. You can get up now."
"Yeah! Thanks, Moon-jin."
She stood, sounding genuinely grateful for what she had gained. The warmth of her body left my lap, and I felt a faint pang of regret, but I pushed it aside. Soon enough, I would be able to enjoy their warmth whenever I wanted.
I wasn't planning on showing you this.
I had sensed someone watching us from outside the training room's barrier. They had been there for a while, hidden by stealth magic, so Arian Liberin, Yee Eun-chae, and Yoo Eun-chae hadn't noticed. But I had already identified Seo Moon-hyun perfectly. No matter how much he suppressed his presence, he couldn't fool me.
* * *
Seo Moon-hyun had witnessed Arian Liberin, Yee Eun-chae, and Yoo Eun-chae sitting so casually on Seo Moon-jin's lap. He had come to see what kind of training the man who had overwhelmingly defeated him was conducting, only to find the four of them engaging in such intimate physical contact without hesitation.
Arian, Eun-chae, Hyun-ah... Why?
They drew such a clear line with him, their friend, yet sat so willingly on Seo Moon-jin's lap. When Seo Moon-hyun arrived, Arian Liberin had just been about to stand up from Seo Moon-jin's knees. Thus, he had seen all three of them take turns sitting there.
I came to find out how he got so strong, but...
What he saw was shocking.
Maybe...
Perhaps Arian Liberin, Yee Eun-chae, and Yoo Eun-chae had been forced or manipulated somehow. The thought refused to leave him. The idea that they could like another man instead of him was unthinkable. No—such a thing simply shouldn't be allowed to happen. Somehow, that was how he felt.
Seo Moon-jin... I'll definitely save them.
* * *
Seo Moon-hyun left on his own. From the look of it, he had once again convinced himself that I had brainwashed the girls or blackmailed them into compliance. He wanted to believe I was that kind of villain so his own actions could feel justified. But since it wasn't true and he had no evidence, he simply departed.
I hope you keep hiding that side of yourself well. It'll come out eventually anyway, and Lee Se-na will become mine too.
The original Seo Moon-hyun's twisted nature had been clearly depicted in how he treated the heroines. He never intended to treat them as wives. He wanted them to remain devoted to him alone, living as single women for the rest of their lives. That ending had come about because he was intoxicated by the sight of these beautiful, talented women loving him madly while he proudly chose only one to love with single-minded devotion. Seo Moon-min-hye, having such an outstanding older brother, was naturally expected to love and respect him as well. His choice of that trashy woman, Kang Mi-hyun, was also tied to his distorted essence.
Seo Moon-hyun, you won't be able to break the trust I've built no matter what.
And I would continue to deepen that trust even further. No matter what delusions he harbored or what schemes he attempted, the five women he desired would all become mine.