Chapter 140
Chapter 140
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 140
Chapter Title: Sun, Moon, and Sword #5
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“...”
“...”
Hippolyte and I clamped our mouths shut as if we’d made a promise to do so. Then we strained our ears, listening for any signs of movement from upstairs.
My heart was pounding so hard in this tense situation that it felt deafeningly loud.
When in my life had I ever been this nervous?
Back in elementary school, when I’d skipped cram school to sneak off to a PC bang and got caught by my dad?
In middle school, when I’d secretly racked up microtransactions on the home phone, causing the next month’s bill to skyrocket?
Who knows.
I’d been nervous then, sure, but not like this.
It felt like all the blood was draining from my body.
“...”
We stayed frozen like statues for several minutes, forgetting to even breathe. Fortunately, there were no sounds or movements from above.
“Phew.”
I finally exhaled the breath I’d been holding. Just trying to do something bad had my heart racing and cold sweat breaking out all over.
“...How dare you, how dare you scream like that. I told you I’d bite.”
After that, my anger toward Hippolyte—for trying to drag me into this trap—shot up to the heavens. This woman was trying to ruin the life I’d barely managed to build.
She was trying to destroy the dam that Beaver had worked so hard to build.
No beaver trainer would ever smash one so blatantly.
“Th-that wasn’t on purpose... Y-you hit me first, didn’t you? Th-that...”
“Quiet. Be quiet.”
I raised a hand to silence Hippolyte’s stammering excuses.
Bounce.
Her ample breasts, compressed and hidden under the stretchy fabric, sprang forth like they were about to burst free. Even lying on the floor, they defied gravity with their firmness.
“Ugh, hnnng...”
“...I’ll bite.”
I draped myself over her body and buried my face between those soft mounds.
A slightly tangy sweat scent flooded my nose, and intoxicated by the lewd, feminine aroma, I latched my lips onto her surprisingly pink nipple.
“Ahh, ang...! Mmph-.”
Hippolyte’s mouth gaped wide at the unfamiliar sensation, as if she were about to cry out, but she quickly clamped it shut, probably thinking of Luna upstairs.
“Mmph, mmph-.”
Even someone as bold as Hippolyte knew that a scandalous rumor could tarnish her reputation and cost her dearly.
That’s why she was holding back her voice.
I continued teasing her breasts with my lips, gently nibbling with my teeth.
Her nipples were slightly inverted, so rolling them with my tongue and lips was strangely fun as they hardened bit by bit.
“Nn, hnn, aaah, ha, haang, ah....”
Every flick of my tongue over those stiff peaks made her twitch raw and unfiltered, driving me wild with excitement.
Breasts.
Such huge breasts.
Luna didn’t have breasts this outrageously big.
Why weren’t these impudent tits attached to Luna instead of this wicked Hippolyte? That bitch Kanf had pretty big ones too.
Maybe good personality and breast size were inversely proportional?
Wicked breasts.
These, these man-tempting breasts.
To vent my anger, I grabbed one massive breast in my palm and squeezed hard. Women’s breasts are packed with nerves, making them incredibly sensitive. Treating such a spot this roughly.
Something I’d never do to Luna.
But right now, I was punishing this insolent Hippolyte, and since she was a sturdy warrior woman, I figured she could take it.
“Grk, mmph-!”
Hippolyte stifled a cry as her hips bucked into the air. Her thighs and ass trembled in spasms.
“Lady Hippolyte, did you just... cum?”
“Wh-who, who cums from, hnn, y-your touch. It doesn’t affect me at all....”
“...For a chronic masturbator, you sure pick weird hills to die on. Do you act like this with other men too?”
“Wh-what do you take me for...? Never happened. I’d swear it on the River Styx.”
She bristled at the mention of other men, looking genuinely pissed. I’d thought I had the upper hand just a second ago.
Her growl reminded me this woman wasn’t a cat—she was a tiger. Shit, I really thought I was dead for a moment there.
“Ahem, uhum, I see. So you only act this way with me. Then why, why do you keep tormenting me?”
“Me, torment you...?”
“You keep groping me. You’re cracking the bond between Luna and me, aren’t you?”
“Men’s heads are full of nothing but thoughts of ravishing women, right...? The more women, the better...”
Hippolyte’s idea of men was a bit skewed. Had she only learned about us from rumors?
As leader of a virgin brigade, hanging out only with women, she’d clearly picked up some warped stereotypes.
Not every man is just thinking about fucking women.
...Or are we?
On second thought, most of us probably are. But not always.
Men are living beings too; we have preferences and rights to choose who we bond with.
Because a relationship between man and woman isn’t just about venting sexual urges—it’s where two lives intersect.
That’s why we call it a “relationship.”
Sure, some guys don’t think that way. But I did. Once you connect with someone, you can’t go back to how things were before.
“Not every man likes just any woman.”
“Th-that...”
Hippolyte gasped as if I’d shocked her. Then she scrunched up her face like she was furious, puffing out her cheeks.
A grown woman puffing her cheeks.
I’d never seen anything like it.
What the hell? Was she Star Fairy Kirby or something?
I was so flustered that random nonsense flooded my brain.
Drip.
Tears began rolling down from Hippolyte’s scrunched-up eyes. She was crying.
“...Why not me? Why?”
“What, what do you mean?”
“Why do I have to feel this defeat? I’m a Gold Tier adventurer. I can do whatever I want.”
“Wh-why bring that up all of a sudden...”
“But why do I lose to that ridiculous pink-haired girl—as a warrior and as a woman? I don’t get it. I really don’t.”
Her voice was laced with emotion, nothing like her usual stiff, dignified tone. Her speech even seemed a bit softer.
“Ha, seriously. This is so unfair. I’ve never fought a battle this unjust. And against a barbarian like you, of all people... To feel this way...”
“Um...”
I couldn’t believe Hippolyte was saying this to me. Hell, I still couldn’t believe I was in this world, but lately it’d been one shock after another.
So even though it sounded absurd, I asked anyway, just in case.
“By any chance... do you, uh, like me...?”
Ugh, shit. What the hell was I asking?
Innocent guys often make this mistake. When a woman talks to them or their bodies brush, they fantasize, “Does she like me?”
I used to be like that.
But in college, after realizing a girl I thought liked me was dating someone else, I learned the hard way: talking to you doesn’t mean she’s into you. After that, I prided myself on not jumping to conclusions.
But Hippolyte wasn’t just talking to me—she was over the top.
Didn’t that warrant a little suspicion?
Gathering my courage, I asked again.
“D-do you have feelings for me...?”
Swish.
Hippolyte looked at me with tear-streaked eyes.
“...Just moments ago, you were a barbarian with no citizenship. A Bronze Tier flailing at rock bottom. I’m the hero Hippolyte. Me, like you? Does that even make sense?”
“...Huh, yeah, when you put it that way.”
It really didn’t make sense.
As Hippolyte said, there was an enormous gap between us—call it status, class, whatever.
I was an alley cat rummaging through trash.
She was a tiger ruling the jungle.
Something like that. Different species entirely.
My misunderstanding again, huh.
That’s what I was thinking when—
“But, but why do I turn so pathetic only around you? We’ve known each other less than a month. What is this? Why do you torment me?”
Now she was turning the question on me.
“I’m tormenting you?”
“Yeah, apologize to me right now.”
“For wha—...”
What was I supposed to apologize for? But with this busty beauty in front of me, tears streaming down her face, I suddenly felt like I’d committed some huge sin.
“Uh, sorry...”
“...Forget it. You hurt my feelings. ...I’ll just go. Don’t act like you know me anymore. I’ll erase you from my memory too, so pretend you don’t know me.”
Hippolyte started getting up. She even reached slowly for the first-floor door handle. But she was practically naked—pants and top both gone.
If she went out like that, wouldn’t it cause an even bigger mess? She was strong, so no thugs would overpower her.
But rumors would spread uncontrollably.
Should I say something? I hesitated, staring at her seriously.
Swish.
Hippolyte pulled her hand from the handle.
She turned her head toward me, face hardened like she was furious.
What? Had she suddenly snapped? Was I about to get slapped?
Slink.
Suddenly, she dropped to her knees in front of me.
Then she clasped her palms together politely in front of her and bowed her head in a full prostration. Shit, what the hell!? I was genuinely freaking out.
Hippolyte spoke.
“...Forget what I just said. I can’t do it.... My mistake. Keep acting like you know me....”
This back-and-forth from Hippolyte—I had no idea which tune to dance to.
“You Samaritans prostrate like this when begging, right? Me too, I’m begging...”
Was this that naked dogeza from manga? Facing it in real life was insane. Majestic in every way.
Tense about what this pride-shattered woman would beg for next, I asked.
“What’s the favor...?”
“I know you and Noxdoty are close. I get that it’s hard for me to wedge in. So I won’t ask for much. Just one night—even one night, make me the victor....”
“One night...?”
“Y-yeah. Noxdoty swore a vow of chastity. She hasn’t done anything sexual with you yet, right? If I go first, before her.... Wouldn’t that be my win...?”
Even by that logic, she seemed destined to lose big time. But she looked so earnest, I held my tongue.
“Uh, that’s...”
“Just tonight.... If you need money, I’ll give you everything I have.”
Hippolyte offering her entire fortune? A Gold Tier adventurer’s wealth. My eyes went wide at the absurd amount.
“Your entire fortune?”
“Y-yeah. I blew most of it on stocks, so not much left. 5 gold—5 gold’s a lot.... Gotta pay debts, so nothing more...”
“Stocks...? Debts...?”
I’d just learned a bunch of shocking facts.
Suddenly it made sense why her place was so cramped for a high-tier adventurer, and why she never carried a wallet.
“C-can’t be done...? If I get collateral and a guarantor, maybe up to 10 gold...”
“Phew.”
“M-money’s no good? You’re not some illegal brothel whore. Th-then something else. I’ll train your swordsmanship.... Guide you to use aura personally...”
Hippolyte’s rambling grew more frantic.
Was she always like this?
No, today’s Hippolyte seemed a bit more unhinged than usual.
On a hunch, I approached her and grabbed her wrist. A ding sounded, and text floated up.
It showed even more details than before.
『Name: Hippolyte Heavensinger Lv. 44 -> 3
Strength: 15 -> ↑1
Agility: 15 -> 1
Vitality: 14 -> 1
Quirks: Unlucky with Money』Two-faced』Unlucky in Love』
Status: Blood Curse』Moonlight Allergy』Sensitive Skin』Panic Disorder』』