Chapter 166: Dragon's Eye, Human Heart (30)
Chapter 166: Dragon's Eye, Human Heart (30)
"……Do you want to touch them?"
"Yes."
My answer was instantaneous.
It was the natural reaction for any man. No, regardless of gender, anyone would feel the same.
With flesh possessing such elastic volume, it was worth touching out of pure curiosity alone. Therefore, I wasn't the bad one; it was the Saintess.
When someone whispers in such a seductive, honeyed voice, who wouldn't fall for it?
The sin lay with the Saintess for possessing such an indecent body. It wasn't just the curve falling from her nape to her chest; even the line sweeping from her waist through her hips to her thighs was perfect.
And so, I mentally traced the sign of the cross and offered a prayer of atonement to God Arus.
Forgive that sinful flesh, Immanuel.
However, the Saintess didn't seem to notice my inner turmoil, merely letting out a clear, giggling laugh.
"Well, it's not like I can't let you touch them as a special favor, but……"
Her voice was suggestive.
Even though I knew it was a trap, I asked back like a spinal reflex.
"……Really?"
"I don't let just anyone touch them. Only you."
The Saintess's tone as she said this was hot and damp, making my heart throb despite myself.
Her narrowly slit, pale pink eyes were exceptionally alluring. The woman continued to whisper in my ear.
"I-In exchange… how about c-coming to the Holy Kingdom during the break? You can s-sightsee in the Holy City… and there are s-so many things to see!"
The Saintess's previously fluid speech began to stumble as she made the proposal.
My gaze drifted blankly toward her. A flush had settled on her cheeks, and combined with her sweet scent, she was truly captivating.
An invitation from such a beautiful woman.
And in return, I could touch her 'Pouches of Divine Power.'
It was an opportunity any man would dream of. I felt my heart pounding violently.
My response came faster than thought.
"……I cannot."
Now it was the Saintess's turn to look dazed.
Her face looked as if she had misheard me. Her eyes were like those of a fisherman who had accidentally let a fish slip out of his net.
But my stance was firm.
"If I don't return home immediately during the break, my younger sister will be angry."
Maintaining a harmonious household was a matter of grave importance.
The Saintess could only gape like a fish for a long while.
With a dull thud, a scream erupted.
A male student, struck in the solar plexus with a scabbard, stumbled backward. He seemed determined to hold his ground, if only for the sake of his pride.
But that was a mistake.
With a sharper crack, the scabbard slammed into the side of the man's head.
To the one being hit, it was a shock that felt as if the world had momentarily tilted.
Unable to even scream, the student collapsed on the spot.
That was the last one. It was time to end this moonlit sword dance.
It was a deserted clearing. Already, four or five people were rolling on the ground.
Though they weren't bleeding, their groaning forms suggested something serious. At the very least, they each seemed to have suffered a fracture or two.
Only one being stood tall upon this earth.
Gray hair flowed down, riding the darkness of the moonlit night. Blue eyes resembling aquamarine floated in the air.
As always, the woman wore an indifferent and cold expression.
Her actions—striking, toppling, and subduing like a machine—seemed devoid of emotion. This only plunged her victims deeper into terror.
Sometimes, excessive fear triggered a desperate struggle.
The fact that one of the fallen men raised his voice could only be understood as such a phenomenon.
"……Y-You!"
The woman's cold eyes turned toward the shouting man.
His face paled for a moment, but he had already crossed the line. He began to scream at the top of his lungs.
"D-Do you think you'll get away with touching us just because you're a Yurdina?! We were doing this for Her Highness the Princess……"
"You put food waste in Senior Ian's mailbox, didn't you?"
The man's outburst was cut short instantly.
It was because the woman took a step forward as she muttered those words.
It was a disciplined stride. It was a movement only those who had mastered orthodox swordsmanship could display.
Like a ghost, she closed the distance before one could even realize it.
The sound of her clothes rustling reached his ears.
"Furthermore, you insulted Senior Ian within his earshot… and you went around threatening everyone who spoke to him. You've done so many other things. Why is it that people like you are always so cowardly?"
"……Y-You were watching all of that?"
The male student looked bewildered now, but the girl said nothing.
She simply glided forward until she stood right next to him.
And in the next moment.
"A-Aaaaargh!"
Slowly and deliberately, the girl's foot crushed the wrist of the man as he braced himself on the ground. Though her body looked frail, a physique reinforced by mana could not be judged by appearances alone.
As proof, with the sound of joints grinding, muscle and skin tore, and blood began to pour out.
It all happened in a matter of seconds.
It was a cruel sight. The image of a human body being crushed and mangled was more than enough to evoke vivid horror.
But the girl merely murmured as if lamenting.
"I've endured a lot until now. Even when you called me 'The Rude Brat of Yurdina,' or even when you insulted my mother, I didn't react."
It was around then that the man's wrist was released with a sharp kick.
The man clutched his bleeding wrist, gritting his teeth to endure the pain. His bloodshot eyes turned toward the gray-haired girl.
"K-Kh… You crazy bitch……"
With jaw muscles trembling from pain and fear, the man spat out the harshest insult he could muster.
He wanted to say something even worse, but he couldn't find the courage.
The girl showed no change in expression upon hearing the insult. She simply maintained her icy look and bent her knees slightly to meet the man's eye level.
The moment their eyes met, the man began to shake with even greater terror.
There were no shadows in her eyes.
Without even a hint of a reflection, her pupils, which had lost their light to an unknowable depth, testified to the fact that she was not sane.
It meant she was someone who should never have been provoked.
"That's right, I am a crazy bitch… So, don't touch Senior Ian. Because I'm a crazy bitch, I follow him around and watch him all day."
The things the woman had said earlier flashed through the student's mind.
They were details one couldn't know without literally following and watching someone all day. She was serious.
"Who dares to bully Senior Ian, is there anyone insulting poor Senior Ian for no reason, and how can I be of help to Senior Ian……"
Each word she uttered was incredibly calm.
She didn't seem excited or angry in the slightest. That made it even scarier.
The girl before him was as beautiful as a work of art. Her aquamarine eyes and shimmering gray hair were painted upon her snow-white skin like a canvas.
It was a beauty that would make anyone's heart flutter if they met her face-to-face.
In fact, the student's heart was racing madly right now.
It was just that the emotion causing it was different.
Gasping for breath, droplets of moisture formed at the corners of the man's eyes.
"I don't care if you mess with me. I'm lowborn, a pathetic woman who knows nothing but the sword, and I have plenty of other things to be criticized for. But……"
The girl's face leaned in close to the man's ear.
A cold yet clear whisper followed.
"……Don't you dare touch Senior Ian, unless you want to die."
Then, a lightning-fast sword strike pierced the man's thigh.
It was a speed so great that one couldn't even tell when the blade had been drawn from its scabbard. In the blink of an eye, a burst of light appeared in the air, and the sword's point was already digging into his thigh.
The man had no choice but to scream again at the sudden agony.
"Agh, A-Aaaaaargh!"
Watching the man struggle and flail on the ground, the girl stood up without a word.
Seeing the man get stabbed in the thigh, the few students who were still conscious chose to close their eyes.
Their slightly twitching bodies spoke volumes of their state of mind.
The gray-haired woman—Seria—looked around with emotionless eyes.
Witnesses: none.
Self-defense: she had intentionally let herself be hit a few times, so she could argue it if she pushed.
The fact that she used a real sword at the end was a bit concerning, but if worst came to worst, she could ask her sister for a favor.
She would say a minor dispute led her to draw her blade.
Her sister would handle the rest. Whether through inter-family negotiations or monetary compensation.
Seria thought as she walked away soundlessly.
It was worth learning those things from Senior Elsie just in case.
It was the next morning when Seria ran into Ian.
Discovering Ian walking from a distance, Seria's body froze stiff.
Then, she began to fidget restlessly, hurriedly smoothing her hair and adjusting her clothes, worried she might look unkempt.
With a somewhat nervous expression, she let out a few cute, feigned coughs.
It was right after that when Ian spotted Seria.
"Hi, Seria. It's been a while."
"Y-Yehep! Ugh… Yes, I've been a bit busy lately……"
Answering while biting her tongue as usual, Seria modestly avoided Ian's gaze. She didn't know why her face flushed so much whenever she ran into him.
Ian studied Seria's face intently for a moment, then let out a bitter smile.
"It looks like it. You look very tired. Have you been having trouble sleeping lately?"
"Ah, y-yes!"
To be precise, it was because she had been up all night punishing those who dared to mess with Senior Ian, but she couldn't bring herself to say that, so she just agreed.
Ian seemed to interpret her words differently.
His bitter smile deepened as he patted Seria on the shoulder.
"……I'm sorry for making you worry, Seria. But I'll resolve it soon."
As she faced Ian, Seria's aquamarine eyes soon became dreamy.
It was a sweet gaze. With the face of a girl clearly in love, Seria thought to herself without realizing it.
Senior Ian is so kind.
That's why I have no choice but to step up and chase away the pests that bother him.
Until now, the person Seria had respected most was Delphine. Because that feeling of looking up to her was so great, feelings of love-hate naturally grew as well.
But the man who had defeated the seemingly untouchable Delphine was Ian.
Now, the person deep in Seria's heart whom she respected was Ian. Next was Delphine. Seria was confident she would follow any instruction from either of them.
That was why Seria still hadn't noticed.
That her dearly respected sister had become a woman who claimed to be her beloved senior's slave and begged for punishment.
That Senior Elsie, who had given her useful teachings, and her sister were bickering.
And Seria didn't even know that those two were currently waiting on the path Ian was about to take.
Seria merely murmured dreamily to herself.
As expected, Senior Ian is so kind.
*
"Master, please, give this impious slave a punishment……"
"W-What are you talking about, you bitch! Are you subtly squeezing your thighs and sticking your ass out?! You woman with nothing but a uselessly big ass… Master! Leave that pervert alone and please don't abandon Elsie… okay?"
Facing the two seniors, I wiped my face with both hands in silence.
What are they both even saying, seriously?