【 Prologue 】

“So… what will you do?”

Ariel thought after hearing that question. What was she supposed to do?

‘There aren’t any other options right now….’

— Smell! I smell it!

— I’ll tear you apart!

The sounds of monsters searching for them echoed outside. The wreckage of carriages scattered around and bloodstains of unknown origin brought back memories of the recent chaotic attack. Ariel trembled involuntarily and squeezed her eyes shut.

‘There were definitely wolves earlier.’

She remembered the monsters riding giant wolf demonic beasts.

‘Of all things, wolves.’

There were lizard demonic beasts and eagle demonic beasts too. But it had to be wolves. For Ariel, who feared dogs, their appearance was particularly deadly.

What saved her from being completely overwhelmed by the sharp teeth of the wolf demonic beasts was…

“Ariel.”

“Ugh.”

…this man who had been urging her and covering her body since earlier.

The man’s thick thigh brushed against her legs, causing an unintended tingle in her sensitive spot. As Ariel’s black hair spilled onto the ground, their legs intertwined. Her body was too aware to worry about the demonic beasts’ teeth.

“Hmph.”

Ariel unconsciously swallowed her groan and stifled a hiccup. The ornate silver armor pressing against her chest was cold.

‘Cold.’

Her white clothes, torn from escaping the attack, were originally meant to cover and bind her body tightly, as was customary for saintess candidates. But now, they barely served their purpose.

Everywhere she looked, her clothes were shredded by the demonic beasts’ claws, barely holding together. Her pale skin peeked through the torn fabric, presenting an overly suggestive sight even to Ariel herself.

“You need to decide quickly…”

The man covering her urged again.

Clang!

“Ugh!”

A powerful strike hit the holy barrier protecting them. It was the last barrier the man created with his remaining holy power.

“Ugh.”

The man, shaken by the strong impact, tried to support himself on the ground and ended up touching her body. Unfortunately, his hand landed…

“Hmph!”

On her chest, the soft flesh squished under his gloved hand. With her clothes nearly torn, her rosy n*pple peeked between his fingers.

Startled by the sensation, the man tightened his grip, causing her n*pple to press between his index and middle fingers.

“Ah! Lionel!”

“…Ariel.”

Lionel, the man responsible, quickly masked his embarrassment with a calm facade, though the excitement in his eyes was hard to hide. Ariel was surprised to read the emotions in his eyes.

‘I thought he didn’t like me.’

Given what had happened…

But her surprise was brief. Ariel looked at Lionel’s shoulder and shouted with a flushed face.

“Don’t get excited! Your wound will reopen!”

Her shout coincided with blood dripping from his shoulder onto her exposed chest.

‘How did he even stop that!’

Their desperate efforts to stop the bleeding were in vain. Lionel’s large hand still gripped her chest, likely frozen in shock. Meanwhile, the screeching outside continued.

— I’ll cut you to pieces!

— Hahaha!

Unfortunately, no help was in sight. The monster subjugation team had scattered during the earlier attack.

The only consolation was that Lionel’s efforts had bought time for others to escape. Ariel could only hope they reached the main camp safely. At least no one could see this embarrassing situation.

‘If I knew, I would have resigned at any cost.’

This was Ariel’s first and last monster subjugation. She had been worried, but not about the monsters. She thought it would end quickly and she’d return easily.

‘I underestimated it.’

The Holy Kingdom of Robel, where the emperor also served as the pope, had become a formidable nation due to the monster hordes that appeared decades ago. Only the Holy Knight Order, priests, and saintesses of Robel could properly combat the monsters.

Without holy power, one needed to be at least a sword master or archmage to fight monsters, and such individuals were rare.

Thus, the Holy Kingdom, possessing holy power, began receiving numerous requests for aid and monster subjugation proposals. The emperor-pontiff of Robel saw this as an opportunity and actively dispatched subjugation teams.

Ariel’s group was one of those teams, composed of a few saintesses, holy knights, and novice saintess candidates.

They headed south, where monsters had recently appeared, to capture the new threats. And…

‘We completed the mission safely.’

‘Let’s inform His Majesty of our victory!’

They finished the subjugation with minimal casualties, an impressive feat for a team with many novices.

The group, triumphant, was heading back to the capital when they were suddenly attacked by more monsters.

‘Save me!’

‘Everyone, run!’

In the chaos, the group scattered.

‘Come here immediately, Ariel!’

Ariel, in shock, was grabbed by their team leader, Holy Knight Lionel. The others had fled, leaving the two alone.

As time passed, the situation grew dire. Ariel chewed her nails nervously.

‘If I had known, I wouldn’t have said that.’

After this subjugation, she was supposed to meet a foreign noble for a potential marriage. In a moment of resolve, she had told Lionel, ‘I plan to propose to him after this fight.’

‘Without even knowing what he looks like.’

She should have realized that those who talk about proposals after a fight are the first to die. She had dug her own grave with that remark.

‘Really… what should I do?’

She was merely a saintess candidate with almost no holy power. The only one capable of fighting monsters was…

Ariel looked at Lionel’s bleeding shoulder and spoke.

“Can’t you heal it with holy power?”

“If I use holy power for healing, the barrier will collapse.”

Lionel frowned as if she had said something absurd. Ariel felt her mouth dry.

‘Right. It was nonsense.’

Lionel’s frown didn’t ease. Despite his scowl, his face, often praised as a living statue of the male god of the Holy City, still looked impressive.

His short silver hair, shining as though it was blessed even when covered in monster blood. His purple eyes, showing slight irritation and excitement beneath long lashes. His perfectly sculpted nose, firm jaw, and lips.

The face that always made Ariel’s heart flutter now stared at her with a hardened expression. The pressure on her chest increased slightly. Ariel barely suppressed another hiccup. Lionel spoke in a calm voice.

“I told you, we don’t have time. You need to decide quickly.”

“I know, but…”

“What’s holding you back?”

Lionel’s holy power was nearly depleted from the prolonged battle. His shoulder injury was severe, and the thin barrier was on the verge of breaking. Moreover…

— Sacrifice the virgin!

— We’ll bathe in her pure blood!

The monsters outside shouted. Lionel frowned and whispered.

“They’ll soon find the virgin.”

“I know.”

“And that’s you, Ariel.”

“I know…!”

She knew there were perverted monsters that targeted virgins. Even unicorns only followed virgins.

‘I thought it was just an old myth when I read about it.’

It seemed like a story made up by some perverted scholar who had never met a woman. But the monsters they encountered were those, and with the saintesses and candidates gone…

Who would have imagined she’d be the only virgin in this situation?

‘The heavens are cruel.’

In this critical moment, the story had come to this.

“Tell me to put it in.”

Lionel’s eyes, shining strangely in the barrier’s light, looked down at Ariel. His body, covering hers, felt even hotter.

His lower armor had been destroyed in the battle, leaving only a few layers of fabric between her and his gr*in. She could feel his weighty presence twitching against her.

The strong pressure on her chest and the excitement of the situation made Ariel’s lower body start to feel sticky. Their breaths mingled, and heat rose from Lionel’s armor.