Pina Grancia was confused.
When she came to, Licht was taking off his top.
Matching this was the removed helmet and the masterpiece.
‘…… What on earth happened while I was passed out…?’
No matter how much Licht was, he couldn’t have removed that helmet by himself.
How on earth did this happen?
She stared blankly at Licht.
His well-defined muscles looked like they were sculpted by a master artisan.
The veins visible on his forearms felt scandalous.
Gulp, Pina’s imagination took a dark turn.
Could it be that he tried to mate with her while she was drowning?
As she indulged in this fantasy, her breathing suddenly halted.
Her fingertips trembled, and her mouth kept twitching uncontrollably.
“Li…cht…?”
In reality, Pina’s wish came true.
If he really was trying to lay hands on the imperial princess of the Grancia Empire…
She now had a reason to prevent him from returning to his original world.
Why was she feeling so embarrassed?
She definitely had no such thoughts back in the North.
In fact, this kind of seduction technique appeared quite often in the books on imperial studies she had read.
Using anything—money, power—to monopolize for oneself.
That was the principle of Pina Grancia, the princess.
A reversal of the food chain.
Now the hunter and the hunted had switched places.
“….”
All this time, she thought the wolf was her.
Yet she felt the sensation of a snake coiling tightly around her.
Pina’s heart raced faster than usual, and she felt a ticklish sensation.
Thump, thump.
Her heartbeat accelerated, and her gaze wandered aimlessly, tormenting her.
Even if she closed her eyes tight, memories of the nakedness she saw in the North surfaced.
‘No way.. Could it be..?’
When she opened her eyes again, Licht was approaching to check on Pina’s well-being.
At this moment, she held a contradictory wish for him to come closer, while also wanting him to stay away.
No matter how much she bit her innocent lips, her judgment became clouded.
The most she could resist was scratching the ground with her hands.
But something grabbed her hand.
A white dress shirt.
One that managed to keep only the clean parts facing upward.
‘..Did Licht save my life?’
Only then did she snap to her senses and start organizing the situation.
She remembered feeling her body weighed down like a boulder after taking a blow from someone.
And how she moved to help Licht, who was rushing to save the students…
Only to get swept away by the swollen valley. Sadly, she couldn’t remember anything after that.
After spitting out all the water, embarrassment overwhelmed her.
The fact that she’d misunderstood her savior made her want to hide in a mouse hole.
Hiccup.
Even when Pina tried to hold her breath, the ongoing hiccups annoyed her.
The waterfall was calm after the torrential rain.
He suddenly grabbed Pina’s hand and used healing magic.
“Don’t move yet. Pina.”
Warm and gentle light swirled around and settled.
She was saved once again. But instead of relief, discomfort nagged at her heart.
‘..Huh?’
Licht’s reaction seemed odd.
He bowed his head to the ground, avoiding Pina’s gaze.
He was desperately trying to avoid noticing Pina’s bikini attire.
There was no reason for the man who had boldly approached her just moments ago to act so strange…
“What… on earth did you do..?”
The outfit she was wearing was precarious.
The scant material and straps seemed to scream for mercy.
The black bikini, soaked with water, clung to her skin uncomfortably.
Hic, Pervert.. Dog.. Hic.
She struggled to adjust it whenever she moved.
But her arms barely covered it.
Water droplets kept sliding down Pina’s delicate curves.
Already lacking sizes that fit her body, the chosen outfit had hit its limit.
An ordinary bikini that was neither flashy nor cute.
Because of that, she hadn’t been able to show it to Licht easily.
The contrast between her fierce body and the primness of the outfit looked like a feral beast concealing its claws.
It stirred a man’s heart rather easily.
“Licht.. Did you touch my body?”
Only now did she catch on to the crucial part and asked Licht.
“I had no choice but to do that to save you! Your heart stopped and there was nothing else I could do..!”
Licht was shouting, his face and neck bright red.
He seemed even more flustered than when they had been in the bathhouse in the North.
*
Pina’s bikini attire was extremely daring.
Her curvy figure and attire stole glances more than anyone else’s.
The combination of flesh tone and black felt provocative in the most stimulating way.
It was just an ordinary swimsuit.
But she didn’t understand why it looked so unattractive.
She hadn’t seen anything like that in the game either.
If shown, it would have instantly been categorized as explicit and banned.
She could have handled it before, but now her face was burning up to the limit.
“..Pina, could you come here, please?”
I have to endure this. Lee Soo-hyun.
I took a deep breath and tried to regain my composure.
There were still things that needed to be done.
Even if healing magic had fixed her damaged organs, a lowered body temperature was dangerous.
Now that I saw Pina’s face, her lips were turning blue.
The cave was closed off, so there was no way to start a fire.
“I… don’t want to… I’m embarrassed.. Hic…”
Her body began to tremble like a reed, and her red face turned pale as if the blood had drained from it.
Pina Grancia, who could hardly speak now, was in a dangerous situation.
I tried to grab her hand to use magic, but I failed.
The magic circuitry faded away due to her waning consciousness.
There was no time to waste.
“Please wait like this for a moment. We need to raise your body temperature, Pina.”
I hugged her from behind and embraced her with my body.
She fit snugly into my arms due to her small frame compared to my larger body.
Her tail, now soaked, felt surprisingly delicate.
Rather than the slippery sensation, it felt like it was sticking together.
The touch felt soft through the black cloth,
And the water from the valley made our skin cling even closer.
How did we end up in this situation?
Pina squirmed slightly before surrendering her body to my touch.
Even when I tried to hold her waist, I feared touching her in the wrong place, so I wrapped my arms around her belly.
In that moment, her chest pressed against me, her size not matching.
A handful of water, now lukewarm from her body, spilled over.
Drip, warm water trickled down my arm.
Heat Warm.
With my mind snapping back to focus, I immediately cast a spell.
In an instant, warmth spread around, creating a comforting sensation.
Thinking I could no longer put Pina in an awkward position, I released her as soon as her body regained its warmth.
“Licht, are you… okay?”
Even now, Pina leaned against me.
Surely, her body temperature must have returned to normal. She was deliberately pressing against me.
“I’m fine. Just a few scratches don’t matter…”
I had tried to save her even while being swept away by the rapids.
I was covered in scratches from sharp objects like branches.
“You’re lying. You’re hurt all over.”
Pina weakly slapped my arm, the sound of her wet touch echoing softly.
Looks like I shouldn’t lie. Honestly, it stung from the water entering my wounds.
But this is a pretty fair trade-off, right?
“Think about the one watching us..”
“But others come second to my body.”
Pina also used healing magic on me.
With her hands clasped together as if praying, an unseen magic circle appeared.
At times like this, there were many similarities between us.
Why couldn’t I catch on sooner? My terrible perception was lamentable.
“..What did you think of my swimsuit?”
She playfully danced her fingers up my arm and asked.
It tickled. Now she looked bright and lively, which was great.
“It’s very pretty.”
“..That’s it? Is that all you think?”
How should I say it?
I jumped up and sat down in front of Pina.
“At first, I was just disappointed seeing you not fitting in with the valley.”
I spoke calmly while looking into her eyes.
Pina’s eyes widened, and hot breaths escaped her slightly parted lips.
What more compliments did she want?
“…!”
With one hand pressed against the wall, Pina’s back naturally touched the cave wall.
She stumbled back, failing to escape.
“Honestly, I couldn’t understand what you were wearing inside..”
Pina hung her head low.
She couldn’t meet my gaze and her tail drooped down.
“……Right now, I feel like having bad thoughts.”
I couldn’t tell what kind of response she was looking for, but I was honest.
I couldn’t say I didn’t have impure thoughts.
A kind wolf was always better than a lying shepherd.
Just as Pina was about to get up and shake off the awkwardness,
Crash──.
The part of the wall I had touched crumbled away, revealing something.
There, hidden in the cave wall, was a gleaming red potion shining like a ruby.
