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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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It’s been two days since coming to Linchester.
As I slid open the door, I saw the hot spring with steam rising gently.
Nia had said to use the hot spring from seven to eight, right?
The western region of Linchester Territory has demon territory and volcanoes. Thanks to that, the city is also famous for its hot springs.
Today’s training with Master was normal. There wasn’t even any indiscriminate striking with the Rod of Discipline like before.
‘Indeed, I must properly punish you for those improper thoughts.’
When I heard those words, I was on edge during afternoon training.
Not knowing how Master would torment me.
I dunked my head in the hot spring water. Only then did I feel my mind clearing a bit.
Nothing beats a hot spring when you’re tired.
I soaked my body up to my shoulders in the hot spring. My whole body felt languid, as if all the accumulated fatigue would just float away.
A hot spring inside a castle.
This must be heaven.
Looking up at the sky, clusters of stars stretched across the summer night.
Right now, I’m thinking about nothing. But I wanted to think about nothing even more intensely.
While I was completely zoned out in the hot, steamy spring, I heard the sound of a door sliding open.
Reflexively, I opened my eyes and reached for my sword.
On high alert, I watched the steamy area ahead. Through the white mist, I saw a smooth, firm nude figure.
“Who’s there?”
Master?
Her elegant voice snapped me to attention.
Through the white mist, Master emerged. Covering her chest area with a white towel, she had let down her silver hair.
“Is that Ethan?”
“Master, why at this hour…?”
“This hour? I’m sure I told you to use the hot spring until eight.”
Countless question marks were floating in my head.
Isn’t that exactly why I’m using the hot spring now?
“Pft, how brazen and cute. Did you want to peek at your master’s naked body that badly?”
I heard the sound of water splashing.
Sylvia leisurely lowered herself into the hot spring.
“Th-that’s not it…!”
I panicked, not knowing where to look. Why is Master coming in when she knows I’m here?
“Then why are you still in the hot spring?”
“I-I must have confused the time!”
I hurriedly tried to get up while covering myself with a towel.
“Ethan, stop. If you haven’t finished bathing, then finish. What’s there to be embarrassed about?”
The smooth skin revealed through the white steam was honestly more erotic than if it had been openly displayed. This is driving me crazy.
There’s a reason they call it “silver seduction.”
I couldn’t move either way and just rolled my eyes around.
Master’s blue eyes watched me with amusement.
Seeing that attitude of having absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about made me feel like I was the strange one.
“By the way, Ethan. Why do you look so troubled?”
As if oblivious, Master looked up at the distant sky. The white towel still covered her beautiful form.
The white moonlight of the full moon settled on her beautiful silver hair.
“Hmm? Now you won’t even answer your master’s questions?”
Sylvia stood up and slowly approached me.
The hot spring water rippled with her movements.
“Master! I was wrong!”
Finally sitting beside me, Sylvia whispered. Her gentle voice tickled my ear from a distance close enough to touch.
“Fufu, my disciple. Why don’t you tell me what exactly you did wrong?”
My lower half was starting to feel uncomfortably tight.
Right, this is my sadistic master’s scheme.
Getting caught up in Master’s pace here is exactly what she wants.
“Could it be you had improper thoughts about your master? How cute?”
“Oh my, how dare you have such vulgar thoughts with such pathetic skills?”
“Fufu, where’s the man who boldly claimed he was a man before being a disciple?”
Aaargh―!
The breath touching my ear and that gentle voice felt like they would cause my brain to overload.
“Could it be you want to touch your master’s body?”
I submerged myself up to my ears and stared straight ahead. My head was spinning and my face felt hot. As I rolled my eyes around, they met Master’s.
“Of course not. You shameless disciple.”
Master whispered in a seductive voice.
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I ended up getting thoroughly tormented.
I dragged myself back to my room and collapsed on the bed.
‘I nearly died of embarrassment.’
In the end, I fled from the hot spring.
At least I seemed to have avoided the ending where I died from exhaustion in the hot spring.
I glanced at the wall clock.
The clock must have been broken, as it was set an hour earlier.
No way…
No, it couldn’t be.
All sorts of conspiracy theories floated through my head about Master manipulating the clock to mess with me.
I’m sure I checked the time properly before going to the hot spring. I felt thoroughly pranked.
I should have put Master in her place then…. Of course, beating Master with my current strength was nearly impossible.
I lay quietly on the bed and closed my eyes.
Still, I must have been physically and mentally exhausted, as sleep came quickly.
However, I ended up having terrible dreams about the hot spring incident.
When I woke up in the morning, I had dark circles under my eyes.
‘Master, I’ll get proper revenge someday.’
This is all because of those unsettling dreams.
When I arrived at the banquet hall, yesterday’s events felt even more dreamlike.
“Good morning, Ethan.”
As if nothing had happened, Master was calmly drinking her tea.
“…Yes, a very good morning.”
“Ethan, today we’re going to the Demon Territory for training.”
“The Demon Territory?”
“Indeed. Linchester borders the Demon Territory. How could we come all this way and not set foot in it?”
The Demon Territory is an area where numerous magical beasts appear.
So we’re going to such a dangerous place for training?
“We’ll leave right after breakfast, so be prepared.”
“I see.”
“Don’t worry too much. Brother Aen is in charge of the Demon Territory guard, so he’ll guide us well.”
As she said, Master and I finished our meal and followed Aen toward the Demon Territory. When we reached the entrance by carriage, we could see dense vegetation in the distance.
“For the Empire!”
Leaving behind the soldier giving the salute, Aen opened the gate leading to the Demon Territory.
Sylvia got out of the carriage first and surveyed the surroundings. Just then, dawn was breaking in the distance.
“The Demon Territory is unusually quiet today.”
“Are we going just the three of us?”
Aen replied coldly, as if mocking my question.
“Are you scared?”
“That’s not it…”
“Ethan, don’t worry too much. You have your master and the captain of the Demon Territory guard here.”
I found myself nodding automatically.
Though it was morning, sunlight was hard to find in the dense primeval forest. After walking along the forest path for a while, we saw a small village.
“This is the Demon Territory’s First Base Camp.”
Though no one lives here yet, someday when they conquer the Demon Territory, people might come to live here. That was Aen’s explanation.
“After lunch, I’ll show you the Second and Third camps.”
You don’t need to show us.
We took a brief rest sitting on some rocks.
How should I put it?
Something felt strange when facing this knight called Aen. And then came lunchtime.
“Ethan, why aren’t you touching your lunch?”
“I’m not feeling very well.”
It wasn’t a lie; I really wasn’t feeling well.
My head was slightly dizzy too, and it might all be due to the demonic energy.
“Must be the effect of the demonic energy.”
“That must be it, right? You two seem fine though?”
“Sylvia and I, who inherit the Linchester blood, are fine.”
True to his words, Sylvia and Aen looked perfectly normal.
If anything, they seemed more energetic than usual.
They both ate bread with dried meat and even drank tea.
I tried to release my mana slightly to expel the demonic energy from my body. They want to build a village in a place like this?
This place needs a prison, not a village. Just setting foot here feels like it’s shaving years off my life.
[My lord, are you alright?]
[Yeah, for now.]
After regulating my breathing, I felt a bit better.
Rustle.
Just then, something like monkeys emerged from the undergrowth. They had black claws on arms so long they dragged on the ground. Though they looked like monkeys, they were the size of gorillas.
“A pack of demon apes.”
There seemed to be at least thirty of them at a glance. Their low growling suggested they might charge at us any moment.
“Ethan, stay back. Your master should show her impressive side once in a while, shouldn’t she?”
Sylvia turned toward me and drew her sword smoothly. Blue mana erupted around Master’s feet, creating wind pressure.
“Exterminate the demons.”
Having finished speaking, Sylvia gripped her sword with both hands and faced the monkey pack.
The sword swept horizontally.
In one strike, the enemies before her were cut down. Like paper being torn, dozens of monkeys were cleanly bisected.
Without any waste, they were cleanly split into upper and lower halves.
The difference in ability was overwhelming. The surviving monkeys swallowed their fear and scrambled to flee. Master sheathed her sword cleanly.
Clap, clap clap.
Aen applauded with admiring eyes.
“Excellent! Truly excellent, Sylvia!”
“Brother, please, it’s nothing special.”
Soon after, we packed up and headed for the Second Base Camp.
The Second Base Camp was similar to the first overall. Just a bit smaller.
“Ethan, this is the Second Base… Huh?”
Sylvia staggered before finishing her sentence. As if she were heavily drunk or experiencing vertigo.
Sylvia stumbled and tried to use her sword as a cane to stand up. But one knee remained touching the ground.
Cough, red blood burst from between her beautiful lips.
Her wavering blue eyes looked up at Aen.
“Sylvie, what’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?”
“What is this…. My mana seems to be reversing.”
Soon Master’s eyes filled with shock. She had reached a conclusion she desperately didn’t want to accept.
“Ah… Brother, you’ve poisoned me.”
Breathing heavily, Sylvia glared at Aen. Cough. Another spurt of blood wet her lips.
“Correct, Sylvie. Even if I can’t have the flower, there’s still pleasure in plucking it.”
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