The pajamas were, as usual, designed to be easy to put on and take off.
After all, the whole point was to easily slip them on before sleep, so they shouldn’t be uncomfortable.
– Tuck, tuck.
Thanks to that, with just a few gestures, the little buttons popped open one after another.
Even as her pajamas slowly came undone, Baek Ahrin breathed weakly as if she were dead.
– Tuck, tuck…
From top to bottom.
As the buttons on the pajamas were resolved one by one, they gradually loosened.
Baek Ahrin was wearing a sky-blue pajama that suited her well.
Like most pajamas, it was loose-fitting and had wide sleeves to avoid hindering sleep.
– Tuck…
All the buttons came undone.
Finally, when I grabbed the collar and pulled it apart, the hidden white skin was revealed.
Numerous pieces of information flooded through my observations.
A delicate neck and collarbone.
Above the blanket, the fullness was clearly displayed, wrapped in black lingerie.
Smooth abdomen that dropped with curves.
All of this was a body that defied my previous understanding.
On the outside, it looked soft and thin.
The neck seemed like it could break with just a little pressure.
I couldn’t help but wonder if the waist could support that heavy body.
But this body was definitely superhuman.
With just a squeeze of my hand, I could easily crush a regular person’s skull.
Unlike the surface appearance, the muscles and bones inside were vastly beyond normal.
As if to prove this, those large breasts posed no problem when I squeezed them with strength.
I moved my hand.
I gently placed my palm on Baek Ahrin’s belly.
It was my natural right arm, not a prosthetic.
I felt the distinct coldness seeping into my palm, along with the soft, smooth skin.
I glanced at Baek Ahrin’s condition, but she still only breathed weakly and lightly.
I placed my palm over her belly and opened my senses.
The power of observation was a tremendous ability, but my inherent affinity for magic was nothing to scoff at either.
In fact, in the realm of energy, my magical affinity was superior.
‘…It’s definitely not a trial.’
The unique abilities of the three great houses sometimes present phenomena called trials.
These annoyingly troublesome abilities handed down challenges, which people experienced about once in a lifetime.
If one were to falter during a trial, the bearer could suffer injuries like a damaged core or broken circuits.
In the past, when there were few materials and guides to help with trials, there had been quite a number of deaths.
Considering that, I focused more on the uniqueness, but the Changhae remained silent.
Nevertheless, Baek Ahrin’s body was filled with coldness.
The magic in her core had been replaced by frigid frost, and cold air flowed throughout the circuits stretched evenly across her body.
As a result, Baek Ahrin’s body was literally like a block of ice.
If her skin hadn’t been smooth and had felt hard instead, I might have mistaken it for an actual block of ice.
I didn’t much like it.
I had always hated the cold and chilly things.
I disliked the cold even more after I nearly froze to death buried in snow.
[Cold]
[Baek Ahrin]
[Coolness]
Right now, it wasn’t completely unpleasant.
Of course, if you asked me whether I preferred it over warmth, I would shake my head.
I wasn’t cringing as much as I used to.
Just like I learned to appreciate various colors, I could now substitute coolness for freshness.
I could accept Baek Ahrin’s coldness.
But I still hated the rest of the coldness.
– Flaaargh…
Flames flickered in my palm.
Gop-hwa, which had turned orange rather than red, was being squeezed.
Gop-hwa can melt Changhae.
The opposite also applies. Usually, it depends on the output.
Gop-hwa can melt Changhae, and Changhae can freeze and suppress Gop-hwa.
Since Baek Ahrin’s Changhae wasn’t ordinary, it would require quite a strong Gop-hwa to be melted.
The problem was that generating that much output would naturally distance me from precise control.
Especially since Gop-hwa was notoriously difficult to control, a misstep could cause harm rather than help.
Hong Yeon-hwa wouldn’t easily melt such a vigorous cold either.
It could be melted by output, but the process would likely cause damage.
– Flaaargh…
I was different.
More precisely, my manipulation power was unlike ordinary Gop-hwa, which would obediently follow my control.
‘Syncretism, Changhae.’
At the same time, I activated Changhae. I raised my awareness of the coldness of Changhae.
I understood the structure of Changhae’s cold and observed it, carefully injecting Gop-hwa into Baek Ahrin’s body.
With the cold air permeating her body, Gop-hwa began to mingle within.
I had to manage the manipulation well from here.
If I shoved indiscriminately, a backlash would occur, causing a disaster that would injure Baek Ahrin’s body.
– Chiiick…
“Uhm…”
Wary of bouncing back, I gently rubbed Gop-hwa. The icy surface slowly began to melt.
A faint mist rose from Baek Ahrin’s belly where my palm rested.
Simultaneously, her shoulders trembled slightly.
Noticing this first significant reaction, I nodded.
But the cold was so intense and abundant that it would soon freeze again.
Before that could happen, I quickly pushed more Gop-hwa in.
I pressed down hard on her belly.
– Kuuuuck.
“Ah, yes…”
From Baek Ahrin’s tightly closed mouth came a faint moan.
I continued to press down on her belly, suppressing it while injecting more Gop-hwa.
Even in Baek Ahrin’s body, Gop-hwa remained under my control, slowly melting the cold.
Chiiick… Gop-hwa gradually expanded its area of effect as more mist rose from her body.
– Hoo…
A while later.
I wiped the droplets of sweat off my forehead with the feathers of the sky.
While concentrating on generating Gop-hwa, heat was building up in my body, and emotions were rising too.
“Hah, ha…”
Before I knew it, Baek Ahrin’s breathing had become quite human-like.
I gently rubbed around her belly button with my palm, and along with the smooth texture, I could feel her body temperature warming up too.
Of course, that was only part of her belly.
Other parts were still like ice.
If I left it like this, her belly would soon grow cold and harden again.
To prevent that, I quickly took action.
Swoosh… I casually took off the upper garment that was slightly open… um… and removed the lower garment as well.
I made proper use of my hands and the feathers of the sky.
Without causing inconvenience to Baek Ahrin, I quickly undressed her and neatly draped her folded clothes onto a nearby table.
Thus, Baek Ahrin, now in just her underwear, lay on the bed.
I took a moment to shake off fatigue by twisting my neck here and there, then once again summoned Gop-hwa in my right hand.
With that, I started to gently press down on Baek Ahrin’s entire body, slowly melting the cold from the outside in.
– Kuuuck… Kuuuck…
“Ugh, ha… ah…”
– Kuuuck…
“Mmm, haah…”
– Squeeze…
“Uh-huh, haah…”
‘……’
From her toes to her fingertips.
I aimed to touch and massage almost every accessible area.
Gradually, as her neck started to melt and regain some sensations, she let out strange sounds and kept shifting her body.
Thus, while injecting Gop-hwa to melt the cold, I also relaxed her muscles.
After all, isn’t massage a technique for loosening muscles?
Thanks to the power of observation, I could penetrate through her body to measure each and every bundle of muscles.
As long as I acted accordingly to what the Jack of All Trades measured, it was a straightforward task.
Working hard to give her a massage, the already soft body seemed to become even more pliable, driving my enthusiasm higher.
[Hmm…]
While I was at it, I suddenly realized that I might have been appearing rather lewd.
“Hah, haa…”
With the influence of Gop-hwa or perhaps just from her body relaxing, Baek Ahrin’s breath was becoming ragged.
Her formerly pale skin was now flushed with a tinge of red.
The melted moisture and sweat adorned her skin, showcasing its smoothness.
On top of that, my position, perched atop her belly, squeezing and kneading her body in various ways, was undoubtedly suggestive.
‘…Not really.’
Nevertheless, I soon realized that there wasn’t really a problem.
I hadn’t done this for that kind of purpose. It was still a healing endeavor, after all.
Besides, even if there were some such intentions, what would be wrong with it?
As I thought about that, a certain feeling brushed against my hand.
Though it was currently covered by her underwear, that wasn’t the case when she had worn a pure white dress.
Underwear was a surprisingly large barrier, making quite a difference from fully grasping her soft flesh.
– Flaaargh…
Feeling the flame from inside subtly prompting a choice, I wasn’t displeased.
It felt as if the flames were gently nudging my back to summon courage.
Thus, I reached out with my hand, infused with Gop-hwa, towards the last remaining part.
– Squeeze!
“Aah…”
Then, I grasped the large breasts that rose and fell with her breath.
– Squeeze, squeeze…
“Uuuh… mmm…”
The fullness was almost too much to handle in my palm.
Even squeezing through the lingerie, I could feel the softness as I melted the remaining cold within her flesh.
[Soft]
[Dissatisfaction]
In that brief moment, perhaps due to getting accustomed, almost all of the cold remaining in her chest melted away.
I tightened my grip in annoyance.
– Squeeze…!
“Hng… ah.”
After pulling my fingers to the point of nearly squeezing her flesh out, I finally let go.
With that last touch, most of the cold melted away.
As the relentless touch ceased, Baek Ahrin’s body slumped back.
“Uagh, ha… huff, ha…”
With her soft tongue peeking out, light breaths escaped from her slightly parted lips.
Perhaps due to her body melting away from the cold, moisture and sweat glistened on her skin.
– Swoosh…
After checking on Baek Ahrin’s state, I too took off my clothes.
With the feathers of the sky, I gently removed my top and neatly placed it on the table as well.
[Hmm…]
I then softly pressed my body against Baek Ahrin.
Kuuuck… I faced her body and lay atop her, but it felt strange to be softer and more pliable than the bed itself.
Flaaargh! Adjusting my position, I aligned our navel and reignited Gop-hwa.
I began to press it down between our bodies.
Having melted the cold on the surface, it was time to melt the cold within.
If the previous process was about speed, the latter required a slower, more gradual approach.
So I tightly clung to her skin, slowly pouring in Gop-hwa.
‘Hoo…’
As I shifted my body and adjusted Gop-hwa, I felt something tickling my face.
What was it, I wondered? I glanced up to find Baek Ahrin’s chest, slightly steaming, right in front of me.
Every time the steam touched my face, desire surged within me.
– Sniff, sniff…
After a moment’s thought, I leaned down.
I buried my nose between her breasts and took a deep whiff.
[No Scent]
[Disappointment]
There was no smell.
Naturally, that was expected since the curse had yet to be fully lifted.
Even though I had anticipated this, a wave of disappointment swept over me.
Desire bubbled within.
I wanted to smell it. I wanted to see it with my own eyes. I wanted to speak and have a conversation, face to face.
“Ugh… Oh dear, I’m so disappointed there’s no scent?”
[?]
While pouting secretly to myself, a hand was suddenly placed on my head.
The voice, ringing above without any trace of energy yet filled with laughter, was unexpected.
I quickly raised my face from buried in her chest.
[Baek Ahrin?]
[When did you wake up?]
“Since the perverted guy was burying his face in my chest, sniffing for quite some time?”
[…You didn’t do that for a while, right?]
“Right, I was lost in my thoughts while doing that.”
Baek Ahrin, having regained her consciousness, let out a soft laugh.
Though similar to her usual smile, she seemed to lack energy, looking quite weak.
[I haven’t melted completely yet.]
[Stay lying down.]
“Yes, yes, this lady shall calmly offer her breasts for your enjoyment.”
[…You said I could touch freely.]
“Still, I didn’t expect you to sneak into a sleeping maiden’s room, undress her, and violate her. How lewd.”
[Communication Disruption]
[Silence]
I had no words to counter that.
Though my objective was medical, and I was still melting the cold with Gop-hwa, I couldn’t deny that I had ulterior motives behind my touches.
Pouting my lips, I buried my face back into Baek Ahrin’s chest.
“Ooh, so warm… like a furnace.”
Baek Ahrin, giggling, wrapped her arms around me, stretching out on the bed.
She looked weak, lacking spirit, which indicated she still had a ways to go.
‘Hoo…’
How did it come to this? Was this a trial? Why was this happening…
I chose not to ask.
Likewise, Baek Ahrin didn’t explain herself.
Instead, she just made a request indirectly.
– Thud…
I loved the sound of a heartbeat.
Especially the heartbeat of someone I love, someone who loves me, I could listen to it all day without getting bored.
Baek Ahrin’s heartbeat… it was pleasant yet unsettling.
It wasn’t her own; something else interfered, causing its slow and stagnant thumping to be bothersome.
I hated the cold that had attached itself to that heartbeat.
I couldn’t melt it right now.
Even as I melted all the cold from her body.
That cold, pooled within her heart, was of a different caliber.
I could possibly melt it.
My Gop-hwa, the Changhae through syncretism, exceeding magical power through the affinity born from magic.
All of them could be mobilized for this.
But I had no confidence in being able to melt it without causing harm to Baek Ahrin.
I couldn’t guarantee that poking it might not burst out uncontrollably.
‘……’
I felt uneasy.
It bothered me and stirred within me a sense of animosity.
I wanted to yank the roots of what was lodged within Baek Ahrin and expel it.
[Greed]
[Desire?]
– Swoosh…
“Hmm?”
Suddenly, the feathers of the sky twitched.
The feathers of the sky are an artifact connected to me.
Connected to the circuits, if I wanted to feel, I could even sense touch.
So occasionally, it would move on its own when I let go of control.
It was similar to what had happened earlier.
It branched out, wrapping around Baek Ahrin’s body, which blinked awake.
Then, with a strong pull, it drew her towards me.
The movement felt rather forceful, seemingly ignoring her will.
“…Hah-yul?”
The blue eyes filled with question stared down at my crown.
It was as if asking why my hand was on her chest, and I hid my face deeper into Baek Ahrin’s bosom.
“Hmph.”
Baek Ahrin, too, stopped questioning.
She simply giggled and gently stroked my head.
Though I had melted everything but her heart…
For a while, I remained on top of her, gathering my resolve while feeling her heartbeat.
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