EP.170 On a Stormy Night (5)
Human senses are truly mysterious.
When something strange happens in one area, other normal senses gather together and try to compensate for the absence somehow.
It had been a saying passed down through word of mouth until now, but Beltein was experiencing its meaning in full with her entire body.
“Please! Sister!”
The tickle of a thin strand of hair by her ear. The warm weight pressing against her shoulder.
For a man, it would be a situation difficult to resist rising lust, but for Beltein, who was both female and a sister, all of it was merely irritating.
However, at this moment, there was one particular thing that was disturbing Beltein’s thoughts the most.
“Hero… if you would kindly remove your hand…”
“No way! What if the Sister’s ample bosom touches the body of the Priest?! What do you plan to do then?!”
“How could you say such a rude thing! It’s not that big!”
“No! It is big! At least among everything I’ve seen, heard, and touched, it’s unparalleled! My eyes and hands are accurate!”
“Ugh…!”
The situation was already awkward enough knowing that the hero was teasing her own body.
Now, with her long-held complex being stabbed like a knife, the embarrassment Beltein felt was beyond words.
The only comfort was that the Saint was not here.
Perhaps due to the huge amount of Holy Power used, the Saint had unexpectedly fallen asleep soundly in the room.
“Don’t worry! I’ll take care of everything here! Please take care of the Priest, Sister!”
Leave it to me, you go ahead!
Even though it was a line right out of the fairy tales she had long admired in her childhood, instead of excitement, her heart only grew heavier.
Beltein decided not to bother explaining the reason.
Zing.
Shooting a glance filled with disdain towards the hero who was casually cradling his chest like some unholy chalice, Beltein felt a bit of relief that the blindfold covering her eyes meant that her emotions would not reach him.
How could he be so small!
Holding back a groan that came from deep within her chest, the embarrassment showing on Beltein’s face just kept getting redder each time the hero’s hand roamed her breast.
Huff…
How long had that awkward silence lasted?
With a gloomy sigh, Beltein managed to lessen the heavy thoughts weighing on her heart and declared firmly, “Well, let’s get started…”
“Sure! Oh! By the way, don’t touch the area around the Priest’s chest! Collarbone! Nape! Butt! Groin! Earlobes! Ankles! And between the armpits and thighs! Absolutely don’t touch those!”
Then how exactly am I supposed to wash him?
The grey regret swirling around in her heart reared its ugly head again.
Usually, such an outrageous comment would have earned a scathing remark, but…
“I’ll try my best…”
Well, since the one I’m dealing with is a hero, those ridiculous remarks went unspoken, and Beltein managed a hesitant smile.
◈◈◈
“Good job! Sister!”
Huff… Huff…
Such a saying about suffering through life must have been about moments like this.
Beltein was feeling far too much fatigue for having just washed one child.
Kneeling weakly, with her hands pressed to the ground, she felt utterly drained of energy.
This was inevitable, after all.
Washing the reduced body of Regis while holding tightly onto the flesh around his heart was as good as telling Beltein to navigate a minefield while strapped with a bomb.
Each time her sponge crossed over his body, the heavy breaths settling beside her and the rough flesh touching her skin were enough to bring an incomprehensible number of deaths to her mind.
Her consciousness had only remained intact until halfway.
With the powerful pressure tightening around her body and mind, Beltein clenched her eyes shut and struggled for a while; by the time she gathered herself, the sun had already set, and the footbath had come to an end.
Could it all have just been a dream?
Caught in the momentary sense of relief, Beltein was briefly overtaken by an absurd delusion, but the faint sensation from the palm of her hand repeatedly reassured her that it was all very much real.
Fluffy, white hair like cotton candy.
Just touching the tips of her fingers prompted an overwhelming urge to wrap her up tightly in a hug.
From the warm temperature flowing through her veins to the very heat radiating from his body.
With sight blocked, her senses had become dozens of times more sensitive than usual.
Even in the heavy pressure weighing down on her mind and body, Beltein was able to hold onto her consciousness because of the interaction of those sensations.
“I’ve put on the clothes! You can take off the blindfold now! Sister!”
As the hero’s proud declaration echoed, Beltein slowly opened her eyes.
From that moment on.
The grateful light began to shine in her eyes, which had completely lost their luster due to a series of calamities.
Held in the hero’s arms like a doll, a small being was softly letting out a pale breath.
Beltein could not help but think that the figure resembled the Saint’s for more than just the similarity in hair color.
“Ugh…”
At that moment, the sleeping Regis stretched her body and let out an adorable moan.
Such unexpected actions prompted immediate reactions from both the hero and Beltein.
“Ugh!”
“Eek!”
The hero’s body became erect like a living statue, and Beltein curled up towards the ground, clutching her heart like someone with a heart condition.
The hero worried he might hurt Regis.
Beltein acted instinctively, unable to control the overwhelming feeling of protectiveness and motherhood spreading throughout her body, right in tune with her heart’s wild pace.
So cute—!!!
Yet both parties shared nearly identical thoughts.
“Sister! I understand your feelings, but this is not the time for that! Please, quickly remove the Priest from my grasp! While I am still sane! Hurry!”
“Y-yes! Yes!!”
With the hero unable to move with Regis in his arms, Beltein hurriedly lifted Regis from the hero’s grasp.
Swish.
As the damp skin just out of the bath gently released its moisture, the tense atmosphere around them relaxed visibly.
Haaah…
A mix of regret and relief.
The two conflicting emotions intertwined as the hero let out a sigh, collapsing onto the floor.
Haaah… The town elders often used harsh expressions about wanting to bite a child, but now he felt he could understand why.
“Y-you can’t bite them…”
After seeing the hero panting like a beast before prey, Beltein hugged Regis even tighter.
“Apis was right… I acknowledge that. I’m quite dangerous at this moment. I tried to pounce on the Priest over forty times in that brief moment…”
“F-forty…”
Forty times.
That strangely realistic number heightened Beltein’s unease, but somehow she managed to keep those feelings from showing on her face, thanks to her returning attention.
“Sister. Just for tonight. Just for tonight, I will leave the Priest’s safety in your hands.”
“…!”
Beltein’s eyes went wide.
Though the outward appearance belied primal instincts, the hero’s statement was surprisingly rational.
Of course, there was a considerable amount of petty desire layered within the scattered breath, but the mere fact that the hero was willing to temporarily entrust the Priest’s safety to someone was absolutely incredible.
“Ah, understood. Just leave it to me…”
“But.”
“!?”
At that moment.
A dark presence suddenly seeped into her lungs.
A creepy sensation, as if a swarm of insects was crawling over her skin.
Beltein’s steady breathing and heartbeat momentarily halted.
The dismal melody had seemingly bypassed the eardrums and went directly to her brain.
She couldn’t make out the full meaning of the words, buried as they were in her heartbeat, but she quickly inferred the rest from context, and responded swiftly.
“Trust me. Hero. I swear to the gods, I will not approach Regis with any improper thoughts. I’ll make sure to tell the saint not to come near Regis tonight either.”
“…”
A pure sincerity devoid of any lies.
The hero, who had been quietly observing the determined ring of her voice and unwavering gaze, watched as the warmth of human emotions slowly began to return to her expression with the same gentleness as droplets of water spreading on paper.
“Yes! I trust you! Sister!”
Underneath the dimming sky, her bright smile shone just as brilliantly.
But Beltein would later reflect on how that unadorned smile frightened her more than anything else in the world.
Click.
Returning to the room, Beltein gently laid the sleeping Regis on the bed, finally releasing the breath she had been holding.
Haaah…
As if she had escaped death.
Her pale face seemed ready to utter such a lamentation at any moment.
“Me, laying hands on Regis… how absurd…”
The pale whispers that finally escaped her lips were tinged with deep embarrassment.
While there was no denying her fondness for Regis, if someone asked if it was romantic love, Beltein would firmly say no after much consideration.
Of course, if he desired her, she would be willing to serve him with all her heart as someone who owed him an unpayable debt.
But he was not of such nature, and given how beloved he was by the Saint and the Hero, someone like her would merely be a pebble on the street to him; the very thought of such a possibility was utterly absurd.
Moreover, the current Regis was in a youthful state compared to usual.
The urge to protect, feed, shelter, and embrace him surged like lava, but that feeling could not be called romantic.
However, of all things, that one fact she could confidently assert.
“Well then, now…”
As Beltein prepared to lift her heavy behind from the bed, shaking off the various thoughts lingering like dust, it happened.
Swish.
Suddenly, a pair of white hands wrapped around her neck from behind.
The weight of another person pressed against her back.
Before she could even begin to express her shock towards the unfamiliar presence that had taken complete control of her consciousness, a voice that sounded akin to an angel mimicking a demon whispered sweetly in her ear.
“Brother. Now it’s ours. Sister.”
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