Chapter 331
Chapter 331
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 331
Chapter Title: Carrot and Stick #5
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I boldly shouted at Elfriede.
“Then I can massage your feet all night long, right?”
“Huh-? What-?”
Elfriede let out a fairly loud yelp from her prone position, questioning me back. I couldn’t see her face from my angle, but her brows were probably furrowed in shock and disbelief.
I ignored that and casually drove the wedge home.
“You said showing me your feet is no big deal. So massaging them shouldn’t be either. Besides, pressing just your back all night until dawn sounds boring anyway, doesn’t it?”
In truth, foot massages were basic among basics in massage therapy.
As I’d said many times before, the nerve endings in the hands and feet were like a miniature map of the body, packed with crucial acupoints.
They were also parts that suffered all day trapped in shoes or socks, making fatigue hard to shake off.
If you wanted to relieve the exhaustion from grueling labor, occasional foot baths or massages could revitalize your whole body and transform your quality of life.
Of course, Elfriede wasn’t the type to bother with that.
Ssslk-.
At that moment, her pale sole, which had been sticking out from under the cheap inn’s thin blanket, slipped back inside.
It was like a snail retreating its head into its cozy shell—an oddly amusing sight.
“What’s that? Why hide it? You said it was fine to show.”
I teased, though I understood.
In this world, a woman showing her feet to a man was on par with—or even more significant than—baring her chest.
Even if Elfriede was puffing up her pride with needless bravado, she was still a girl. Exposing her soles to a guy like me must be mortifying.
“You let me massage them just fine when you were my slave. What, embarrassed now?”
“That’s not it. Back then or now, go ahead and massage my damn soles.”
Ssslk-.
My words must have hit her pride trigger just right. Finally, her short blanket shifted again, and those pale, soft-looking soles poked back out.
“I’m going to sleep now, so do whatever. If you talk to me, I’ll kick you.”
She didn’t forget to throw in that threatening warning. I didn’t need to reply out loud.
I just slowly reached out and touched her pale sole.
Ssslk-.
Her foot was small enough to fit in my palm. I always marveled at it—how did such tiny feet carry her everywhere?
Of course, Elfriede was a total homebody who rarely left the room.
Hating to walk and preferring to hole up lying down, her skin was impossibly soft compared to anywhere else.
But it was cold, as usual.
Well, her hands and feet being chilly wasn’t new, so I pressed my thumb firmly into the center of her sole first.
I’d teased her playfully, but massages deserved seriousness.
Kuuuk-.
As I applied a bit of pressure, I felt her toes to her whole body tremble faintly.
“...”
It must hurt like hell, yet unlike the weird “Gyaah-” groans from her back earlier, she stayed dead silent on purpose.
According to my dual-core brain—now awakened to divinity, running left and right hemispheres in parallel—
She was probably protesting wordlessly: ‘Touching my feet doesn’t faze me. Press all you want; I won’t make a sound.’
My brain’s guess, but spot on. Her thoughts were as clear as day now.
Kuuk, kuuuk-.
I kept pushing from her toes to her heel, kneading her cold sole upward. As I’d said, feet were the body’s microcosm.
Elfriede was surely savoring the delicious relief as fatigue melted from her head to her hips.
“...”
Of course, not a peep from her mouth—pure stubbornness.
Plop, twitch-.
But her waist and hips kept flinching subtly, the blanket quivering. My divinity-sharpened ears caught every bit vividly.
Her mouth stayed shut, but her body was honest. If she’d just tell me where it felt good, I’d make it even better—
With such degenerate protagonist thoughts, I spoke up.
“How is it?”
“What-.”
“My improved massage skills. Totally different from when you were my slave, right?”
Now, I had the blessing of 《Shining Hands》 on top of my acupoint and pressure knowledge.
It boosted my dexterity and fine finger control overall, so the acupressure would be on another level.
“Not really. Same as always, just, whatever.”
But Elfriede’s pride was tougher than expected. Her soles were as pillowy soft as Luna’s or Hippolyte’s, yet her ego was harder than Hippolyte in armor.
That sparked a weird stubbornness in me too.
So I focused inward, channeling my surging life force—call it energy—pooling it from my lower abdomen into my palm.
Zing, zing-.
My palm tingled like poor circulation, sweat vaporizing into red steam.
This was my red fist, aura drawn up.
Like secretly practicing Armament Haki, wrapped around my hand.
No official name yet, but it’d be one hell of a finisher. Downside: lasts about a minute?
Enough for now.
Take this, you brat—taste my aura!
I slammed the aura I’d honed under Hippolyte and through countless comebacks—not into a hydra’s trunk or Regulus or Gigath’s skull—but into this brat’s sole.
Swoosh-.
Finally, my thumb jabbed the center of her sole.
Ssslk-.
Her waist, calmly settled under the blanket, suddenly twitched, angling up.
“...”
No sound from Elfriede’s mouth, of course.
But whether from my fingers threading her soft toes or constant skin stimulation, her cold body soon flushed red, warm as fresh rice cake.
Blood rushing to circulation-dead extremities.
That’d make every touch hypersensitive. I experimentally stroked her sole with aura-laced fingers.
Ssslk-.
Twitch.
Her prone waist and hips slowly rose to match my finger’s path.
Blanket hid it, but that was definitely her ass lifting toward the ceiling. What the hell? Did her feet have an ass-lifting button? What algorithm was this?
I probed for the button, kneading her foot every which way with aura fingers.
No need—any spot on her flushed sole made her hips rise higher.
“...”
Stubbornly silent, not a word from Elfriede. Should I touch more? As I brushed that soft skin again—
Burble-.
The blanket trembled small but distinctly.
Ssslk-.
Her sole vanished back under the blanket. Rustling sounds followed from inside.
“Enough. You can stop now. You really suck-.”
Elfriede curled up tight, hiding her whole body.
Tsss-.
The red aura in my hand timed out perfectly.
*
*
Next day.
I opened my eyes to Elfriede glaring coldly down at me. Sunlight streamed through the window, birds chirped outside—morning already.
What the, damn. When did I fall asleep?
My body felt drained. Aura use guzzled stamina; I must’ve crashed on the floor unknowingly.
Elfriede said to me,
“Today, meditate until sunset too. But hold this cup—don’t spill a drop.”
Swoosh.
She handed me a cup filled to the brink by surface tension. Meditate till sunset without spilling? Not a drop?
Total bullshit.
“Hey, is that even possible?”
For a second, I wondered if she was revenge-plotting for toying with her soles yesterday.
But surprisingly, her face was serene, unbothered by last night. She said,
“Don’t you want to handle mana? To do the impossible, challenge the impossible. With impossible effort.”
Spot on, classic Elfriede logic.
“What second-year elf ascetics do. But you need mana awakening in a week, right? Fail this, no mana for you.”
“Fine, damn it, let’s try.”
I took the cup from her.
Slosh-.
Just grabbing it made the water wobble perilously. I steadied it barely, closed my eyes, and blanked everything out.
My mind plunged into black void.
Is this emptying thoughts?
Yeah, no thoughts at all.
But thinking ‘no thoughts’ is a thought? Then I shouldn’t think that either? How do I stop?
Splat-.
Something smacked my shoulder.
“Ow, why?”
“You spilled it all. Can’t just close your eyes.”
Opened my eyes: water clearly less than before. Glug-. Elfriede refilled it.
“Still, you lasted an hour. Effort acknowledged.”
“Oh, a whole hour passed?”
Shocked at the unexpected meditation progress.
Felt like I could sense mana now, so I shut my eyes again.
....
Lord Hassan, behold my new talent...! Sticking out my tongue like this reaches my nose...!
Damn, paranoia crept in. In my imagination, I hurriedly balled a fist at it.
Chestnut before it acts, begone, paranoia!
The imaginary paranoia scattered like clouds, scared of the imaginary chestnut.
Satisfying result.
As I aimed for no-mind again—
Pssht, check this! Hassan! Look! I’m in Hassan’s dream!
This time, Luna—pink twin-tails neatly tied—invaded my mind, disrupting meditation.
Tried napping, but Hassan entered my dream? Or did I enter his?
Luna, I’m training.
Lady Nox’s daughters use dream-walking voodoo! This must be similar! Amazing! Am I a night daughter, a dream demon now?
Imaginary Luna chattered nonstop like paranoia.
Couldn’t chestnut her head, even imaginary. Pondering, I raised a hand and lightly grabbed one imaginary ass cheek.
Eeeeek-!
Imaginary Luna startled like real, vanishing in a puff.
Since that intimate night, real Luna feared my touches or brushes there. Dream Luna too, apparently. Hurt that much?
Sss-.
My consciousness sank deeper into darkness. Then I saw Hippolyte under a tree, legs crossed in meditation like me.
Even trusty Hippolyte disrupting?
Ssslk-.
One of her closed eyes slyly opened.
Intrusive thoughts during meditation—rare lately. Samarian, what heart demon form to mess with me this time?
That’s my line. Get out of my head.
Now, no temptation fazes me. Karma at 43—won’t tolerate disruptors, even in your form.
Sring-.
Suddenly, I felt my body bisected from head to crotch. What the, damn—did imaginary Hippolyte just halve me?
Mind crumbling fast—
Ughhh....
Severed consciousness dragged deeper into blackness. Where’s imagination end, fantasy begin?
Tried opening eyes, but body frozen like scissors-locked. Only mind plummeting endlessly.
Finally colliding with something.
I realized I’d fallen into pitch darkness, unable to see an inch. Ahead, a massive unseen gate loomed, locked.
Above it, huge fiery letters blazed.
Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.
A grand voice whispered the words in my ear, then a horrific gooo- groan as the gate slowly creaked inward.
Flash, flash-.
Inside the dark maw, six blue glows shone. Took no time to realize: eyes of some colossal horror.
Clank, clank-.
With deafening chains, that immense presence lumbered toward me. I had to flee—now.
Too late. Giant clawed forepaw burst out, swiping wildly to grab me.
Dodged quick, but long talons slashed precisely at my torso.
Shit!
As panic swore—
Whoosh-.
Something yanked my waist hard.
『Hey-, that was close. Not ready for this place yet.』