Chapter 79: You’ve Fallen For That Man
“Where?” Ekaterina asked eagerly, her eyes gleaming with excitement.
The Hero Squad’s plan hinged on resurrecting the First Hero. Surely, their master would be interested in any information regarding his whereabouts.
She wanted to earn his favor, to bask in his love!
Loseweisse, her suspicions unaroused, responded readily. “Ronald doesn’t know the exact location yet, but it’s somewhere within the territory of Nagath’s third daughter, the Third Demon Princess…”
She paused, then continued, her voice soothing, reassuring. “So don’t worry, Ekaterina. We’re making progress. Just be patient, endure a little longer. When Jie Luo is resurrected, you’ll be the one who made it all possible.”
Ekaterina didn’t care about recognition or accolades. She just needed to relay this information to her master.
“I understand. I’ll be patient,” she said, her voice subdued.
She shook her head, adding, “And don’t worry about me losing control. I’ll… restrain myself.”
That’s precisely what I’m worried about! You almost killed me just now!
Loseweisse thought, but she kept her concerns to herself.
“I suggested bringing Qin Chu along not to kill him, but to… facilitate Jie Luo’s resurrection,” Ekaterina said, remembering her master’s instructions. She had to maintain her facade, to deceive the perceptive Loseweisse.
Loseweisse frowned, her curiosity piqued.
“We can’t leave him alone in the capital…” Ekaterina continued, her voice urgent. “There are too many people trying to get close to him.”
“Wadsworth’s people, Saint Monique’s people, Augustus’s people… Even Carlos from the Adventurer’s Guild…”
Carlos, the Guild Master, was a powerful figure, only slightly weaker than Wadsworth, Augustus, and Saint Monique. His signature move, the Sword of Damocles, was said to be capable of severing anything.
“And countless nobles, members of the royal family…”
“Their intentions are obvious, aren’t they?”
Loseweisse fell silent, understanding dawning. They were all vying for the Hero’s favor.
If they left him alone, those vultures would descend upon him, their honeyed words and seductive smiles tempting him away.
And knowing Qin Chu, he wouldn’t be able to resist.
“But what excuse can we use? The guards at the gate…” Loseweisse pondered their options.
“It’s simple,” Ekaterina scoffed. “We’ll say we’re taking him on a training exercise, to give him some… practical experience… with the Demons. And besides, do those guards dare to question us?”
…
Meanwhile, Qin Chu strolled leisurely through the streets of the noble district.
As he passed a bakery, a familiar figure caught his eye.
She was petite, barely reaching 1.5 meters, but her figure was… voluptuous… not plump, but pleasantly rounded, her curves alluring.
Her sky-blue hair, as long as she was tall, cascaded down her back, framing a face that was attractive, though not conventionally beautiful. Her eyes, the same shade as her hair, sparkled like gemstones.
It was Natia, the youngest of the Thirteen Sages.
He hadn’t seen her since the banquet.
Speaking of which, those old geezers had tricked him, summoning him to this world under false pretenses. Zimmerman had promised that he could return to Earth once the Demons were defeated. But after he had eradicated them, the Sage had simply shrugged, admitting that he had lied.
Damn that old bastard.
And Loseweisse’s scroll, the one containing the resurrection ritual… he suspected that the Sages might have provided it. After all, those thirteen old men were obsessed with arcane and forbidden knowledge.
He entered the bakery, walking towards Natia, who was seated at a table by the window.
Nikles remained outside, discreetly giving them privacy.
The bakery was crowded, but no one dared to approach her. Her presence, aloof and intimidating, kept them at bay.
Hearing his approach, Natia looked up. Qin Chu thought he saw a faint blush on her cheeks, but perhaps it was just the lighting.
“Hero-sama…”
“Lady Natia, may I join you?” he asked, his voice polite.
Without waiting for her response, he sat down opposite her.
She frowned slightly but said nothing, maintaining her composure.
“A White Silk Angel, please…” he called out to a waiter.
It wasn’t a… suggestive… request.
White Silk Angel was the name of a pastry, its white cream piped into delicate swirls. It was quite delicious.
Natia looked at him, surprise flickering in her blue eyes. “Have you been here before?”
“No…”
“Then you’re in luck. It’s their signature dish.”
“Is that so? It seems the Goddess of Fortune smiles upon me.” He chuckled, then lowered his head slightly. “I apologize…”
She tilted her head. “For what?”
“Well…”
He hesitated, feeling a twinge of embarrassment. “You remember… at the banquet… when I… well… I never apologized for my… behavior…”
“That…” She delicately lifted a bite of cake to her lips with a small fork. “I’ve forgotten about it.”
Her words were calm, but her ears twitched slightly, the memory of that night flashing through her mind. What embarrassed her even more was her body’s… reaction… It had lingered for days.
She was a gifted mage, her talent undeniable. She had dedicated her life to magic, her pursuit of knowledge absolute, her desires… nonexistent.
There were even rumors that she was… barren…
She dismissed those rumors with a laugh. The pleasures of the flesh held no appeal for her. Unraveling the mysteries of magic was far more fulfilling.
She was confident that she would reach the pinnacle of magical mastery before she turned forty.
Magic, it was said, hadn’t existed in this world originally. It was knowledge brought from the stars, a gift from the heavens, that had allowed humans to harness elemental energy.
She had already planned her future. Once she had mastered magic, she would explore the stars, seeking the secrets hidden within the endless void.
That had been her plan. But after meeting Qin Chu, her heart… her mind… had been thrown into disarray.
When he had placed his finger in her mouth, her body had reacted, a strange, unfamiliar sensation that both frightened and intrigued her. She didn’t understand it, this yearning, this desire, but it filled her with shame.
She had thought that avoiding him would be enough, but even in his absence, the memory of that night haunted her.
She tried to focus on her studies, but her mind was restless, her concentration shattered.
She wanted to ask the other Sages for advice, but those twelve old men, their combined age exceeding a thousand years, had never experienced… romance…
Fortunately, she had a friend.
Just one, a noblewoman named Louisa.
Louisa’s reputation among the nobility wasn’t stellar. She was a novelist, but her books were considered… scandalous… even banned by the Empire, deemed heretical by the Church, and denounced as immoral by the aristocracy…
But despite the criticism, her books were incredibly popular, her sales records unmatched.
This noblewoman, while venturing outside the city to… gather inspiration… from goblins, had almost been killed. Natia, who had been collecting ingredients for potions, had rescued her. And thus, an unlikely friendship had blossomed.
Louisa, it seemed, was knowledgeable in matters of the heart.
So Natia had asked her, “Louisa, tell me, when a man touches my mouth, and my body temperature rises, my heart races, and I feel… a strange longing… and even after he’s gone, I can’t stop thinking about him… what does it mean?”
She hadn’t thought her question was unusual, but Louisa, upon hearing it, had frozen, then grabbed her shoulders, shaking her violently. Who was this man who had stolen her Natia?
She wasn’t Louisa’s!
After a long, tense silence, Louisa had calmed down, then looked at her with a strange expression, a mixture of pride and… sadness… like a mother watching her daughter grow up, a father watching his daughter prepare for marriage…
But she was older than Louisa, wasn’t she?
Then Louisa had asked, “Do you dislike him?”
Natia had shook her head.
“Do you dislike his touch?”
She had considered the question carefully. The sensation had been… strange…
But she didn’t dislike it. In fact, his touch had been… pleasant…
“Pleasant…” Upon hearing that word, Louisa had looked at her with… disapproval… then delivered a bombshell. “I understand, Natia. You’ve fallen for him.”
“That yearning you feel… it’s your desire to… to do… certain things… with the man you love.”
What were those… certain things…?
She didn’t understand…
“If you’re unsure, test it again. If you react the same way, it means you’re in love. If you feel nothing, it was just a… fluke…”
…
Qin Chu, unaware of her inner turmoil, noticed a smudge of cream on her cheek. He instinctively reached out, wiping it away with his thumb.
Then he realized his action might have been… inappropriate…
They weren’t close. This was too intimate.
“Sorry…” he mumbled, his cheeks flushing slightly.
Natia, startled, blinked at him, her blue eyes unfocused. Then, without warning, she opened her mouth, taking his finger between her lips.
She had to confirm her feelings. Was she truly in love with this man?
Damn it! He hadn’t deactivated Lust’s power…
…
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