༺ Eyes of a Dragon and the Human Heart (30) ༻
“….Do you want to touch it?”
“Yes.”
My response was immediate.
It was a natural reaction for a man. No, it would have been the same for anyone, regardless of the gender, anyone would be curious to touch something so firm and voluminous. Thus, it wasn’t my fault, it was the Saintess’s.
Who wouldn’t be tempted by her sweet, seductive whispers??
The Saintess’s biggest sin was having such a lascivious body. Her curves were not only perfect from her neck to her breasts, but from her waist down to her hips and thighs as well.
So, I mentally drew the cross sign and offered a prayer of atonement to the Heavenly God Arus.
Please forgive that sinful body, Immanuel.
However, the Saintess, seemingly oblivious to my inner turmoil, merely giggled and bursted into clear laughter.
“Well, I suppose there’s no harm in letting you touch them…”
Her voice was coy.
Despite knowing it could be a trap, I instinctively asked back.
“…Really?”
“I don’t just let anyone touch me, only you.”
Her voice was warm and enticing as she spoke, making my heart unintentionally race.
Her slightly narrowed pale pink eyes were particularly captivating as she continued to whisper in my ear.
“I-In exchange, how about visiting the Holy Nation during the vacation? We can go sightseeing in the Holy City… th-there are so many things to see!”
The Saintess who spoke smoothly until then, stuttered as she was making this suggestion.
My blank stare turned to the Saintess. Her cheeks were flushed with a rosy hue, which, when mingled with her sweet body scent, was truly charming.
It was an invitation from such a beautiful woman.
And as a reward, I could touch those ‘Holy Power Pouches’.
It was the dream opportunity of any man. I felt my heart beating intensely.
My answer came faster than my thoughts.
“…It’s not possible.”
It was now the Saintess’s turn to be taken aback.
She looked as if she might have misheard me. She looked like a fisherman that let a prized catch slip away by accident.
However, my tone was firm.
“If I don’t immediately return on vacation, my sister will get angry.”
Maintaining my family’s peace was a matter of great importance.
The Saintess remained with her mouth agape for a while.
**
Along with a ‘whack’ sound, a scream erupted.
A male student, struck in the solar plexus with the sheath of a sword, staggered backward. He seemed to be trying to hold on out of pride.
However, that proved to be a mistake.
With a ‘thwack’, the scabbard landed more forcefully on the side of the man’s head.
To the one who was hit, it felt like the world itself was shaking.
He couldn’t even scream before collapsing to the ground.
With that, it was time to end the dance of swords under the moonlight.
The clearing was deserted, except for the four or five men who were rolling on the ground.
Though none were bleeding, the sight of them all groaning suggested serious injuries, it was likely that each had at least a couple of broken bones.
Standing alone on this land was just one figure.
Her gray hair flowed in the darkness of the moonlit night. Her eyes, reminiscent of aquamarine, seemed to float ethereally.
The woman’s expression was as indifferent and cold as always.
Her actions of seemingly emotionlessly striking, knocking down, and subduing like a machine, made those who were attacked become even more engulfed in fear.
Sometimes, excessive fear provoked a desperate struggle.
The shout from one of the men on the ground seemed to be exactly that.
“…You, you!”
The woman’s icy gaze shifted towards the man who had yelled.
His face momentarily turned pale, but it was already too late to back down. He began to shout vehemently.
“E-Even if you are a Yurdina, do you think you’ll get away with messing with us! Moreover, we were doing this for Her Highness the Princess…”
“It was you who stuffed that garbage in Senior Ian’s mailbox, wasn’t it?”
The man’s defiant outburst was instantly stifled.
It was because the woman, murmuring this, had deliberately taken a step forward.
Her gait was restrained. A movement that only those who had mastered standard swordsmanship could perform.
Like a ghost, she closed the distance almost unnoticeably.
The rustling of her garment was audible.
“Moreover, you openly cursed Senior Ian as if you wanted him to hear it… you even went around intimidating those who had spoken to Senior Ian. Not to mention all the other things you’ve done. Why are people like you, always so cowardly in their actions?”
“…Y-You saw all that?”
The male student was now clearly bewildered, but the girl remained silent.
She merely floated closer, as if sliding on the ground, before stopping right beside him.
Then, in the next instant.
“Ahh, arghhhhh!”
The girl’s foot firmly pressed down on the wrist of the man lying on the ground. While her body seemed frail, the mana-enhanced strength defied her appearance.
The crunching sound of joints breaking, followed by the ripping of muscle and skin as the blood began to flow served as proof of it.
This brutal act unfolded in just a few seconds.
It was a ghastly sight. The sight of a human body being crushed and crumbling was enough to evoke a stark terror.
Yet, the girl simply murmured as if in lament.
“I’ve held back so much. Even when called ‘Yurdina’s Bastard’, even when my mother was insulted, I didn’t retaliate.”
It was around that time that the man’s wrist, as if discarded, was released with a thud
The man tightly gripped his bloodied wrist, grinding his teeth to endure the pain. His bloodshot eyes glared at the gray-haired girl.
“Kughh, keuk… C-crazy bitch…”
With his jaw quivering from pain and fear, he spat out the best insult he could muster.
He wanted to say something even worse, but he lacked the courage to do so.
The girl remained expressionless upon hearing his insult. She simply bent her knees slightly to meet the man’s eye level, her expression still cold.
As soon as he met her eyes, the man trembled even more, overwhelmed by a deeper sense of terror.
There was no shadow in her pupils.
Her eyes, shadowless and having lost their luster to the extent that their depth could not be discerned, testified that she was not normal.
It indicated she was someone not to be trifled with.
“That’s right, I am a crazy bitch… so don’t you dare mess with Senior Ian. I am a crazy bitch, so I chase him around and follow him all day long.”
The things the woman had just told flashed through the boy’s mind.
These were details only someone who had followed and observed closely all day would know. She was serious.
“Who dares to harass Senior Ian, who would unwarrantedly insult poor Senior Ian, and how can I be of assistance to Senior Ian…”
Every word she uttered was imbued with calmness.
She wasn’t the least bit excited or angry, which only added to the fear.
The girl in front of him was breathtakingly beautiful, like an exquisite piece of art. Her snow-white skin served as a canvas for her aquamarine eyes and silvery-gray hair that shimmered subtly.
Her beauty was such that it would make anyone’s heart flutter if seen up close.
In fact, the boy’s heart was indeed racing wildly.
It was just that the emotions that caused it were entirely different.
The man, taking in ragged breaths, had tears welling up in his eyes.
“It doesn’t matter if you target me. I’m just a bastard child, a worthless woman who knows nothing but swords, and there are plenty of reasons to criticize me. But…”
The girl’s face slowly moved closer to the man’s ear.
Her voice was cold yet crystal clear.
“…Just don’t touch Senior Ian, unless you wish to die.”
Then, in a flash, her blade pierced the man’s thigh.
It was too swift to see when it had been drawn from its sheath. In the blink of an eye, a burst of light flashed through the air, and suddenly the blade had penetrated his thigh.
The man couldn’t help but scream again from the sudden pain.
“AHH, ARGH, ARGHHHHHHHHHHH!”
As the man writhed and struggled on the ground, the girl silently stood up.
Seeing the male student being stabbed in the thigh, a few other students who were still conscious chose to close their eyes.
Their bodies trembling slightly, expressed their inner turmoil.
The gray-haired woman, Seria, surveyed her surroundings with an emotionless gaze.
There were no witnesses.
And claiming self-defense was a possibility, she thought, since she had deliberately taken a few hits, it could be argued as such.
The fact that she had used a real sword at the end was a bit concerning, but if necessary, she could always seek help from her sister.
A minor dispute led to drawing a real sword.
She was confident her sister would handle the aftermath, whether through negotiation between families or through financial compensation.
Seria moved silently, pondering to herself.
It was worth it to learn from Senior Elsie, just in case.
**
Seria’s encounter with Ian happened the following morning.
Upon seeing Ian approaching from a distance, Seria’s body stiffened.
She then became visibly restless, hurriedly fixing her hair and adjusting her clothes to ensure she looked presentable.
With a somewhat nervous expression, she cleared her throat cutely a few times.
Ian noticed Seria shortly after.
“Hello, Seria. Long time no see?”
“Ye- yep! Uh… Yes, I’ve been quite busy lately…”
As usual, Seria, biting her tongue while responding, shyly avoided Ian’s gaze. She couldn’t understand why her face always heated up so much whenever they met.
Ian observed Seria’s face for a moment, then let out a wry smile.
“Yeah, it seems like it. You look tired. Have you been having trouble sleeping lately?”
“Ah, yes… Yesh!”
In truth, it was because she had been up all night dealing with those who dared to cross Senior Ian, but Seria couldn’t bring herself to reveal that, so she simply agreed.
Ian seemed to interpret her response somewhat differently.
His wry smile deepened and he gently patted Seria’s shoulder.
“….Sorry to worry you, Seria. But I’ll resolve it soon.”
Seria’s aquamarine eyes became dreamy as she faced Ian.
It was a look filled with sweetness, unmistakably that of a girl in love. Without realizing, Seria found herself thinking.
Senior Ian is just so kind.
That’s why I have to step in, to chase away those pests who dare bother him.
Until now, the person Seria admired the most was Delphine. Her admiration was so strong that it naturally developed into a mix of love and hate.
However, the man who defeated Delphine, who seemed so untouchable, was none other than Ian.
Now, the person Seria admired most deeply was Ian, followed by Delphine. Seria was confident that she could follow any order from these two.
That’s why Seria hadn’t realized it until then.
She didn’t know that her older sister, whom she admired so much, had become a woman who longed for punishment, calling herself a slave to her beloved senior.
Nor did she know that Senior Elsie, who had imparted valuable teachings to her, was in conflict with her sister.
And she also didn’t know that soon, at the path Ian would take, those two would be waiting for him.
All Seria could do was mutter dreamily to herself.
Indeed, Senior Ian is so kind.
*
“Master, please punish this insolent slave…”
“Wh-What are you saying, you wench! Subtly squeezing your thighs together and sticking out your butt like that?! You good-for-nothing wench that has nothing but a big-ass. Master! I-Ignore that pervert and please don’t abandon Elsie… Okay?”
In front of these two seniors, I just slid my hands down my face, speechless.
Seriously, what are these two even talking about…
