Chapter 334: Bread and Dagger (32)
Chapter 334: Bread and Dagger (32)
There was no longer any reason to hesitate.
I pulled myself up and walked straight toward the Saintess. My actions, emboldened by the alcohol, were reckless. After all, wasn't there a delicious feast laid out right before my eyes?
Reto’s words echoed in my mind once more.
Hadn't he said it was rude to flip over a table that had already been set?
He was absolutely right.
However, even in her intoxicated state, the Saintess was still the Saintess.
It was she who was taken aback by my sudden change in attitude. Every time I took a step to close the distance, her body gave a little shiver.
The Saintess stole glances at me, gauging my mood, before asking cautiously.
"Are, are you really... hngh?!"
It was a question that didn't even need to be asked.
My hand didn't hesitate as it cupped the Saintess’s breasts. A feverish moan escaped her lips immediately.
I had always been sincere. I had simply been barely suppressing my desires with the strength of my reason.
The Saintess was beautiful.
And beyond that, she possessed a body that was incredibly alluring.
Any man would have felt desire for her.
Of course, I felt guilty at first.
Back then, there was nothing between us. To harbor lust for the Saintess of the Heavenly God was a grave sin, one for which I couldn't complain even if I were struck by divine punishment.
Since then, a bond had formed between us.
Even so, I had to compose myself time and time again. In fact, the closer we became, the more pathetic I felt for being unable to reciprocate her faith with a pure heart.
I told myself I shouldn't dare, denying it countless times.
But I couldn't completely erase the traces of the emotions that boiled over every time she clung to me. And oh, how she had teased me for it all this time.
Yet now, it was the Saintess who was pleading.
Begging me to toy with her pure body, to molest her to my heart's content.
As a man, how could I possibly endure this?
I savored the sensation of the luscious flesh I hadn't tasted in a long while. Its soft elasticity was as surprising as ever.
Senior Delphine’s breasts were magnificent, but the Saintess was on another level.
Truly, she was worthy of being the source of divine power.
Muttering such drunken nonsense, I squeezed and kneaded her breasts. Each time I did, the Saintess let out a heated breath.
"Haa, ah... ngh, mmph..."
The only downside was that her head was bowed.
Because of that, I couldn't read the expression on her face.
I could only guess from the sweet nasal sounds beginning to mix into her moans that she didn't entirely hate it.
It was ridiculous.
To think I was already analyzing another woman's reactions just because I’d spent a single night with Senior Delphine.
Men really were creatures driven by vanity.
Suddenly curious, I asked the Saintess.
"So, are you serious?"
"Ah, hngh... wh-what... nnngh?!"
When I applied a bit more forceful pressure, her reaction grew even more intense.
Since it was an important question, I had to ask her again.
"You said I could do whatever I wanted, by force."
The Saintess flinched, her body trembling as if she had only just remembered her own words.
Her head snapped up in surprise. Her lovely, pale pink eyes were fixed entirely on me.
She was so flustered that she couldn't even focus her gaze properly.
"Th-that! I mean... hngh?!"
The Saintess tried to stammer out an excuse, but I already had her where I wanted her.
I finally realized the perfect way to suppress this prickly Saintess.
I just had to grab her breasts whenever she acted up.
It was highly efficient, and above all, it felt great.
It was a brilliant alternative.
For the first time, I dropped the formalities with her.
"Is it true or not?"
As I spoke, I squeezed her breasts firmly, and the Saintess finally declared her surrender.
It was just before my fingers were about to pinch the protruding peaks.
"I-it's true!"
The words were forced out through her moans.
Panting, the Saintess looked at me with pleading eyes.
In truth, she wasn't in her right mind either.
It was only natural, considering how much she had drunk and the fact that her breasts were suddenly being fondled by a man.
"It's true, you really can do it, so..."
I was overwhelmed by that desperate gaze.
Hesitating for a moment on what to do next, my hand moved toward her cheek.
There were still traces of her earlier tears. Without thinking, I wiped the tear stains away.
That was when my gaze lingered on her face.
I stared blankly at the Saintess’s enchanting lips.
Come to think of it, was it like this during that night with Senior Delphine?
Drinking, getting excited somehow, giving in to temptation, and then the kiss.
The tangling of tongues—that was when everything truly began.
Would I be spending the night with someone today as well?
And not with Senior Delphine, but with another woman.
The Saintess watched me in silence before suddenly taking my finger into her mouth.
It was an unexpected reaction.
Startled, I tried to pull my finger away, but she began to suck on my index finger with great care.
Slurp, suck.
She nibbled and sucked on my finger, her lips meeting mine as she passionately entwined her tongue with it.
The fact that it was an act driven by instinct made it even more provocative.
The Saintess’s pale pink eyes shimmered with desire as she looked at me.
After cleaning my index finger with her tongue for a long while, she finally spat it out with a hot breath.
The cold air hit my wet finger.
It felt as if the time it had been encased in that warm membrane was already a dream.
"...Do as you wish, Ian."
My hands hurriedly gripped her shoulders. I struggled to overcome the surging urge, barely managing to steady my breathing.
Even so, I asked in a voice that still carried a tremor.
"This is going to be a problem."
It was my last shred of self-control.
Suppressing the urge to pin her down right then and there, I spoke to her with a serious expression.
"You're the Saintess of the Heavenly God... once we start, I won't be able to stop."
Moreover, I had no intention of stopping.
I didn't even know what would happen to our relationship after this.
The Saintess of the Heavenly God losing her purity?
This wasn't a simple matter. Even if her love wasn't a sin since she was a woman, it was a foregone conclusion that she would be stripped of her position.
The 'Saintess' was a symbol. If that value was tarnished, they would naturally seek a replacement.
If that happened, her dream would be as good as dead.
Hadn't she said she wanted to create a world for the weak, including orphans?
That wasn't a dream that could be achieved through individual service alone. Without mobilizing the state and society, it was impossible to realize such a common fantasy.
Did I dare to crush that dream?
This was a decision to take a woman's chastity, her purity, and her entire future. The reason I hesitated until the very end was because of that weight.
Embracing the Saintess required such complex calculations.
It was a decision on a completely different level from a mere fling with Senior Delphine.
If I were sane, I should have stopped.
And yet, why were the two of us doing this?
It was truly the magic of the alcohol and the night.
And it seemed the magic hadn't ended yet.
The Saintess gave a sad smile.
"I... I'm okay."
I'm okay.
Those words carried two meanings.
First, it meant that she had literally already made up her mind.
Second, it was a counter-question.
The unspoken question—I'm okay, but what about you?—pierced my heart.
What about me?
Instead of answering, I reached out for her. Pulling her waist firmly toward me, I savored the feel of her hips and her fragrant scent.
My remaining hand gripped her chin. As I admired her slowly closing pale pink eyes, just before our lips met—
A loud shout erupted from outside the tent.
"Intruder!"
At the sudden warning, my body snapped into a defensive posture as if spring-loaded.
The Saintess seemed to feel the same; though she looked dazed, she hurriedly adjusted her clothes. I immediately scanned the surroundings.
It was a brief commotion.
I could hear the sound of soldiers swarming out and searching everywhere. Then, a shadow flickered past my tent.
It was a suspicious presence by any measure.
I didn't hesitate to dash out of the tent. My hand axe was already gripped in my palm.
Where is it? Where?
I closed my eyes and focused my senses. Following the lingering presence, just a bit more to the side.
My strike was like a bolt of lightning.
Thwack! The hand axe slammed into the ground. The frozen earth shattered ruthlessly, sending clods of dirt flying.
Then, a faint scream rang out.
"Kya, kyaaaaaak!"
I placed my hand on the hilt of my sword and lunged forward, only to come to a sudden halt.
There, in the darkness between the tents where it had been hard to see.
A girl with dark blue hair was huddled on the ground.
It was a face I knew well.
Cien, the 5th Princess of the Empire.
She was looking up at me with eyes full of terror.
"...Your Highness?"
My shock lasted only a moment.
I immediately ran to the Princess and checked her condition. No matter how lacking she might seem, she was of the Imperial bloodline; if she were injured, the repercussions would be immense.
Fortunately, the Princess seemed to have no injuries other than having fallen on her backside.
The girl began to whimper and complain to me.
"S-Sir Ian... there was a suspicious shadow near the tent... I was so scared, I came to find Sir Ian. Ugh, hic..."
So she had come looking for me.
And then she had almost been hit by my hand axe after being mistaken for an intruder. It was understandable that she felt wronged.
I let out a sigh of relief and quietly patted her shoulder.
"It's alright, Your Highness. It will be settled soon. It was likely just the elves scouting the camp..."
After comforting her for a long while, the situation was resolved, and the Princess finally stopped crying.
By then, the lights in my tent had been extinguished, leaving it dark.
The Saintess must have gone back; it would be troublesome in many ways if she were caught in my tent.
I let out a sigh and scratched my head in frustration.
Ah, the mood was so good.
Then again, looking back, I felt it might be a relief that I could retract such an overly impulsive decision.
I might be fine, but the Saintess had far too much to lose.
Besides, there would be plenty of opportunities to talk with her in the future.
Just as I was about to turn away, having settled my thoughts.
Something unexpected caught my eye.
Not far from where the Princess had been sitting, a handkerchief was lying on the ground.
I tilted my head and reached for it.
On closer inspection, it was a familiar item.
"...This is my handkerchief?"
I always carried a handkerchief in my pocket. One could call it a basic requirement for a noble.
The puzzling part was that I always kept my spare handkerchiefs in my quarters.
Even today, I should have left it inside the tent.
Had I dropped it while carrying it around in my drunken state?
I quietly tucked the handkerchief into my pocket and looked up at the moon.
Just before I was about to kiss the Saintess, an intruder appeared.
The commotion was suppressed shortly after, and the handkerchief that should have been inside the tent was found outside.
Still slightly buzzed, I muttered to myself—something I rarely did.
"This is suspicious..."
This was a moment when I really needed Senior Neris.
In more ways than one.