Chapter 29: The Female Knight's Counterattack (2)
Chapter 29: The Female Knight's Counterattack (2)
Han Shin was utterly exhausted.
Since becoming the Proxy of Tiamat, he had never been this out of breath, nor had his muscles ever screamed in such agony.
Grace had mentioned she would increase the training intensity slightly, but it was far beyond what Han Shin had imagined.
She had him swinging his sword relentlessly, and the moment he caught his breath, she threw him into high-intensity sparring sessions one after another.
Having given his word, Han Shin pushed his body to follow Grace’s every command.
He had just finished the final spar with Grace and was currently lying spread-eagled on the floor.
His clothes were drenched in sweat, a testament to just how grueling the training had been.
"You worked hard, Han Shin."
While Han Shin lay there spent, Grace brought him some water.
She had brought a bottle from Han Shin’s house in her subspace. Since Followers no longer needed to eat or drink, she had prepared it specifically for him.
Grace knelt on one knee beside him and handed him a towel and the water bottle.
"Whew... Thanks, Grace."
Han Shin pushed himself up and took the bottle, gulping the water down greedily.
Watching him, Grace felt a secret pang of guilt.
She had intended to increase the intensity of Han Shin’s training starting today, but...
She hadn't planned on pushing him this hard.
I still have much to learn in the way of discipline.
Grace, who had secretly watched Han Shin and Kang Yujin having sex, had quietly closed the door and returned to Yujin’s room when the two reached their sixth climax.
Lying on her bed, she had closed her eyes and pretended to sleep while agonizing over how she should approach Han Shin.
During that time, she felt Kang Yujin wash up and creep back into the room to lie down.
Thinking of Kang Yujin, Grace felt a mixture of envy and a sliver of jealousy.
Not only had Yujin shared her body with Han Shin before her, but seeing the two of them engage in such affectionate sex made it impossible not to feel that way.
Phew... I must endure...
Grace was a knight, after all. Her duty was to support and be of use to Han Shin, so she was wary of being swept away by her emotions.
She tried to steady her heart and suppress her irritation.
By the time she had regained some composure, it was time for her and Han Shin to head out for training.
Grace quickly gathered what they needed and...
Knocked on Han Shin’s door.
When Han Shin greeted her with a smile as if nothing had happened, Grace loved his warmth, yet at the same time, she felt a pang of resentment at how he could act so nonchalant.
She had personally witnessed him having passionate sex with Kang Yujin in that very room just moments ago.
Yet, the room had been cleaned so thoroughly that it was hard to believe such a thing had even occurred.
Grace thought that if she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she never would have suspected a thing.
Was that why?
After moving to the Sanctuary to train with Han Shin, Grace had lost control slightly.
She pushed Han Shin even harder than the increased intensity she had originally planned.
Without even realizing it, Grace had been acting out of lingering anger.
It was only just now that she had begun to slightly regret her actions.
Looking at Han Shin, who was sprawled on the floor gasping for air, she felt a wave of pity.
Naturally, she began to reproach herself.
How foolish... To be a knight and yet unable to control my own emotions...
Grace was prepared to accept any complaints Han Shin might throw at her and offer a sincere apology.
However...
"Ha... That was refreshing. Grace, thanks for working so hard to train someone as lacking as me. I'm trying to do everything you tell me, but I'm not quite there yet. I'll work harder."
Han Shin thought his current state was only natural, knowing nothing of the truth.
In fact, until recently, Han Shin had been an ordinary person, and he was unfamiliar with the culture of Nippur where Grace came from.
Thus, he assumed it was normal for Grace to push him to his absolute limits like this.
He felt sorry toward her, thinking he simply couldn't keep up with the pace she was setting.
Faced with this reaction, Grace felt ashamed of herself.
"No, Han Shin. You did very well."
Seeing Grace hurriedly deny his words and praise him, Han Shin cracked a smile.
Wiping the sweat from his face with the towel, he asked her, "Well, since we're done for now, shall we head back?"
"Yes, let's do that."
Since Han Shin had suggested it, Grace agreed.
Though she didn't show it on the outside, she felt a lingering sense of regret.
The Sanctuary was a space where only she and Han Shin existed.
In a corner of her mind, she had been considering having a physical relationship with him here.
Not yet... Not now. We have to eat breakfast first...
Deciding that the time wasn't right, she pushed the thought aside.
The two of them immediately returned home.
Flash!
With a burst of light and a shift in space, they were back in the original world.
The two reappeared in Han Shin’s house, in the same seated positions they had left in.
Upon returning, Han Shin reflexively checked the clock on the wall and realized they had been training for a little over three hours.
Kang Yujin, who had been waiting for their return, had finished preparing breakfast long ago.
She had been waiting on the sofa, and fortunately, Han Shin and Grace had finally returned.
Even though she was an S-Rank Awakener and a powerful Psychokinetic, she, like Han Shin, knew little of the supernatural powers from Grace’s world, including Tiamat.
Because of that, seeing them teleport through space like this always felt miraculous.
Though he had wiped himself down somewhat, Han Shin’s clothes were still damp with sweat.
"You must have trained really hard. Go and wash up, Shin-a."
"Yeah, okay. I'll be out in a bit. Oh, wait. Should Grace wash up first?"
Han Shin suddenly remembered they only had one bathroom.
When he had been a paraplegic, he couldn't use the bathroom alone, so he hadn't felt any inconvenience.
But now that he was fully healed, it had become a practical issue in their daily lives.
Grace quickly declined, sensing Han Shin was trying to yield to her.
"No, Han Shin. I didn't sweat much, so I will wash up later. It is better if you go first."
"Hmm... Okay. I'll do as you say."
Han Shin realized Grace was right, and realistically, it seemed better to just wash up quickly rather than waste time arguing over who went first.
He grabbed a change of clothes and headed into the bathroom.
Once Kang Yujin and Grace were the only ones left in the living room, a strange atmosphere settled between them.
The two had engaged in a war of nerves and a heated argument the night before.
Relatively speaking, Kang Yujin was overflowing with composure.
She had already confirmed her feelings with Han Shin... and above all, she had already had sex with him, putting her significantly ahead of Grace.
Remembering the humiliation of losing the argument the previous night, Yujin had thought about how to pay her back...
But when it came down to it, she couldn't bring herself to openly mock Grace and stood there awkwardly.
Given what had happened before, Yujin felt she should say something, but she couldn't find the heart to do it.
Still... I can see how much she cares for Shin-a...
Because of Grace’s genuine feelings and her loyal actions toward Han Shin, it was difficult to be malicious.
Even now, they had returned from over three hours of training, and seeing how intense it had been for Han Shin, Yujin figured Grace must have worked hard as well.
"Thanks for working so hard to train Shin-a."
"It is my duty, so it was nothing."
"Hehe, right. Once Shin-a is out, wash up and come to the kitchen."
Instead of teasing her, Yujin simply offered a brief word of thanks and headed toward the kitchen.
This was the "winner's composure" that Yujin could afford because she felt mentally superior to Grace.
Yujin had already confirmed her mutual feelings with Han Shin; they were no longer restricted to a family-like "Noona and Dongsaeng" relationship.
Their relationship had progressed significantly into one of mutual affection, and having clearly crossed the line into physical intimacy, she had enough leeway to be considerate of Grace, who seemingly hadn't reached that stage yet.
Grace, of course, felt this change in Yujin’s attitude...
And she knew exactly why she had changed.
Grace felt provoked by Yujin’s transformation.
Once again, she began to contemplate how she would spend her time with Han Shin today.