Chapter 126: You’re All Bottled Up (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 126: You’re All Bottled Up (6)
“Mmmph…! Ahhh…!”
The moment I placed my hands on her shoulders, a suggestive moan escaped Irene’s lips.
Ah, well, that’s just a figure of speech.
All I had done was lightly knead her shoulders to release some unnecessary tension.
It was just that Irene found even that level of stimulation difficult to endure.
‘She might just be sensitive… but it looks like she’s got a lot built up.’
I applied a bit of pressure to my fingers and tossed out a casual remark, as if prodding her.
“Hm? Did that hurt?”
“Ah, no, it’s not that… Haa… Ngh… It’s just… been so… so long… Mmm…!”
She meant it had been a long time since someone else’s hands had touched her body.
Thanks to that, regardless of how Irene felt mentally, her body seemed to cling to my hands even more. It was as if she were starved for the warmth of another person after being alone for so long.
As I slowly and gently massaged those slender shoulders, another thick sigh leaked from Irene’s mouth.
“Haah… Mmm… Ahhh…!”
As if she had never been hesitant or wary, Irene let out heated cries of pleasure without any restraint. Moreover, she had her eyes closed, savoring my touch as if relishing every sensation.
‘By the way… this is pretty bad.’
Of course, Irene’s skin was much softer than I had imagined. Just imagining embracing this fragile body I felt beneath my fingertips made the blood rush to my lower half.
However, even while I was mentally licking my lips, the state of her rounded shoulders was concerning enough to give me pause.
And so… I decided to demonstrate the skills befitting my alias as the ‘Mysterious Healer.’
“Ahhh… Mmmgh… Haah…”
“Lady Irene, if I may… your shoulders are rolled forward quite severely.”
“What…? My shoulders…? Mmm…!”
“Yes. And… seeing you from this close, your back is quite hunched as well… Do you happen to suffer from frequent headaches?”
“Oh, how did you…? You’re right. My shoulders and back ache, but the headaches are the worst.”
I knew it.
Irene spends every spare moment sitting at a desk, reading books, writing papers, and conducting research. To put it simply, her lifestyle pattern is very similar to that of a 21st-century modern human.
Since the topic had come up, I stopped the shoulder massage for a moment and had Irene stand up.
And looking at her from the side, it was just as I thought.
“My goodness, your turtle neck is quite severe as well.”
“Turtle… neck…?”
“Could you stay right there for a moment? I’ll bring that mirror over.”
“Huh? That’s quite heavy—”
“Pardon?”
“Ah, no, never mind. My goodness… to lift that large mirror with one hand so easily…”
Regardless, I brought the mirror over and set it up beside Irene. Then, I had her turn her head slightly to look into it, and Irene’s eyes widened.
“Aha, so that’s why you called it a turtle neck. Is it… a serious illness?”
“It’s not a life-threatening illness right now, but if you think about the future, you need to start treatment and correction immediately. In fact, your condition is quite advanced.”
Rounded shoulders and a turtle neck might be fine for now, but if left neglected, they become a significant problem. Besides the pain, the mechanics of the neck bones can break down, leading to arthritis, and it can even cause respiratory issues.
As I explained the numerous other harms one by one, a deep shadow fell over Irene’s face.
“Umm… It’s a much more serious illness than I thought…”
“Haha, there’s no need to worry too much. While it’s not a trivial ailment, it is definitely treatable.”
“Ah…! What should I do? Is there a healing magic for it?”
Where would such a magic exist in this world? No matter how great an Archmage she was, relying on magic for everything wasn’t the right attitude.
Therefore, I stood behind Irene and gripped her shoulders again.
“First, could you try to completely relax your shoulders?”
“Yes, alright… Ngh…”
Thanks to the shoulder massage I’d given her earlier, it seemed the pain from her stiff neck was flaring up. Taking advantage of the momentum, I pressed Irene flat against the wall.
Then, I lifted her slumped shoulders and gently pulled them back.
At that, Irene let out another pained groan.
“Ngh… This… this is quite difficult…”
“This is the normal position for shoulders. They are twisted back as much as the pain you’re feeling right now.”
“Haah… Kgh… I see…”
“It’s not over yet. In this position, pull your chin back and open your chest wide.”
“Ugh… My neck…!”
“If it feels like your neck is being pulled, you’re doing it right. Now, can you try to hold that position on your own for about three minutes?”
“Whew, whew… Haah…!”
Had it even been thirty seconds?
Irene’s posture, which she had been struggling to maintain, collapsed helplessly. Her neck, which she had been straining to hold up, slumped forward like a turtle’s again, and the shoulders she had tried so hard to spread rolled inward along with her chest.
Breathing heavily from just that much effort, Irene looked at me with exhausted eyes.
“Haah, haah… This is… quite hard… Is this really the treatment…?”
“Yes. It’s the most effective way to correct rounded shoulders and a turtle neck. You need to hold this posture for five minutes every day from now on.”
“My goodness…”
In an instant, Irene’s face turned pale.
Yeah… the pain of correction is serious… I felt like I was going to die when I tried it at home in my past life, too…
Anyway.
Perhaps because she was quite exhausted from the sudden correction, Irene was soon slumped in her chair. I naturally placed my hands on her shoulders and subtly stroked her slender neck.
“Mmm… Lord Leon… Ngh…”
“How was the shoulder massage?”
“Well… Haah… I don’t know if I should say this, but… Mmm… it feels… incredibly good…”
“Haha, I’m glad. Well… actually, stretching is the most important thing for correcting rounded shoulders and a turtle neck, but massages like this are also a huge help.”
“I see… Ahhh… I see…”
Since I’d worked on her shoulders enough, I moved my hands entirely to her neck. Of course, Irene flinched and resisted at first, but as I worked to soothe and release the rock-hard muscles…
“Ha… ah…!”
She was once again at a loss for words from the pleasure.
Savoring the soft skin of her slender nape with my fingertips, I whispered the real magic into her flushed, long ear.
“How is it, Lady Irene?”
“Haah… What are you… Mmm…! Talking about…?”
“As you mentioned, I am the mysterious healer who corrected the postures and treated Lady Natalia and Lady Valeria.”
“Ngh… That’s… right… Haah…”
“That is why I am asking—would you also like to receive treatment from me, Lady Irene?”
At that point, I withdrew my hands from her neck. Irene caressed her neck where my hands had been and looked at me with a somewhat yearning gaze.
“Treatment… from Lord Leon…?”
“Yes. Correcting rounded shoulders and a turtle neck alone is a very lonely and arduous task. I am the mysterious healer, and your knight. I want to help you and make you happy in any way I can, Lady Irene.”
“…I, I see.”
Perhaps feeling a bit pressured by me suddenly kneeling on one knee, Irene turned her head away. Of course, I remained right there in front of her.
Eventually, unable to bear it any longer, Irene looked at me and asked a question.
“Why… are you doing this for me…?”
“Pardon?”
“I-it’s exactly as I said. Why are you trying to help me, Lord Leon…?”
Irene was looking straight at me, but her large, amethyst-like eyes were trembling with uncertainty.
Why does this man keep approaching me, and why does he try to show me such favor and kindness?
Her gaze was filled with all sorts of questions like that.
Accepting that gaze naturally, I took her hands in both of mine.
“Um… L-Lord Leon…”
“I’ve said it several times since the Great Forest, but I simply want to make you happy, Lady Irene. Are we not comrades who risked our lives together against a dragon? Haha.”
“T-that’s… I didn’t do anything…”
“Regardless of what you might think, Lady Irene, I consider you a comrade-in-arms who made it through a life-or-death situation with me. Of course, I fully understand if you doubt or fear me.”
“What?! I-I don’t doubt you! I’m not afraid of you either! I was just… I was just curious.”
“Haha, is that so? That’s a relief. I simply hope for the day when you can smile with a light heart, Lady Irene. I wish to see you free from everything that pains your body and mind, smiling like a flower in full bloom. If I can see you like that, I am willing to do my absolute best in anything.”
So please, stop playing hard to get.
You’re all bottled up.
As I looked at her with eyes that said as much, Irene’s large eyes began to tremble faintly.
“Lord… Leon…”
“Hahaha, I want to see you smiling, Lady Irene, not crying. I’ve already seen you cry plenty of times.”
“Ngh… You really… have a mischievous side to you…”
A small smile that she couldn’t hide played on the lips of the blushing Irene.
Whew, finally, I can make some progress.
As if to prove my feelings, Irene looked at me with a brightly smiling face.
“When someone who claims to be my knight speaks like this, to refuse would be… quite rude, wouldn’t it?”
“Hmm~ I wouldn’t go that far… but it would be a bit disappointing, haha.”
“Pfft… Actually… I also want to continue a good relationship with you, Lord Leon… so…”
I waited patiently for the hesitating Irene. A gentleman always walks; he never runs. Even a perverted gentleman who is obsessed with older, married elven widows with grown daughters is no exception.
Eventually, the words I had wanted to hear so badly flowed from Irene’s stammering lips.
“I-I will… accept the treatment you mentioned. You seem to have learned the correct knowledge properly, and besides, there is Lady Natalia’s case as well…”
“Thank you, Lady Irene. For giving me the chance to help you.”
“R-really… Lord Leon… how can you be such a warm person…?”
“I am an infinitely warm man to a beautiful and lovely lady.”
“Pfft… You’re probably the only one who would call an old woman like me beautiful and lovely, Lord Leon.”
“I am simply stating the facts as they are, hahaha.”
And so, today’s meeting ended amidst harmonious laughter. Not forgetting the promise to meet at my mansion next time.
“Ah, but how did I end up getting a massage from you, Lord Leon…?”
“It was supposed to be about improving the flow of magic power and making it easier for ordinary people to feel it… perhaps…?”
“Ah… A-ah, yes! T-that’s right!”
“…You didn’t happen to forget, did you?”
“H-how could that be? Yes… there’s no way… I would…”
No way, my foot. She completely forgot.
Of course, it worked out well. It meant that Irene had been so distracted by my touch that she couldn’t think straight.
‘As expected, the first step is always the hardest… Heh heh…’
For the first time in a while, I felt my heart fluttering. The sound of my heartbeat, clearer than ever, this fluttering feeling… Every time I feel this sensation, it’s so addictive that it makes me realize I’m truly alive.
‘Fufu, you really haven’t changed. Ahh~ there was a time when Lord Leon’s heart fluttered for me, too~ This humble Great Demon can only wait~’
‘Don’t worry, Sitri. I feel the same way when I hold you.’
‘Mmm… really?’
‘Of course. Hmm… you’re making me horny today.’
‘Wh-what? Th-that wasn’t my intention…?’
It’s decided.
Tonight is the pathetic little pussy Great Demon’s infinite climax course.
“N-no…!”