【 Side Story – An Incident in Veloto 】

“…Lionel?”

Ariel called Lionel in a slightly trembling voice. Outside the warehouse where they were hiding, they could hear the loud, drunken chatter of people passing by.

— Haha. This is quite amusing.

— A holy knight coming all the way to Veloto.

The cheerful voice soon twisted into a shriek.

— H-how dare they. How dare they.

— S-searching for a holy knight…

Screech, screech… Woof! Woof!

Amidst the bizarre, distorted voices—whether they were human or monster, it was hard to tell—there was a loud barking sound. It was the unmistakable sound of a wolf demonic beast. Ariel sighed quietly, trying to suppress the noise.

‘Wolves again.’

And monsters mingling with people. Even in the inn where they had come to rest!

‘To think we’d encounter such a situation here.’

The air inside the closet in the warehouse where they had taken refuge was slightly tense. If there was any consolation, it was that she wasn’t as scared of wolves or dogs as before.

“Are you alright, Ariel?”

After all, there was a man gently holding her, just like that day.

“Lionel, are you alright?”

Ariel looked at Lionel with a worried expression.

Having quit being a holy knight and discarded his armor, today he was dressed in a neat uniform, his hair naturally combed back. He looked so beautiful, like a prince in an artwork, that Ariel couldn’t take her eyes off him, but…

“Lionel, you don’t have armor or holy power now.”

She couldn’t stop worrying. Who would have thought monsters would appear in a place they were just passing through?

‘Especially on a day like this.’

This was practically their honeymoon.

Being so close to him reminded her of the first time they had been intimate, making her heart flutter a bit, but the fear that Lionel might get hurt was much stronger. While she worried, they could still hear the voices outside.

— H-holy knight, holy knight! P-please, help us!

— Aah! I-I’m dying!

— S-shut up! You lowly humans!

Even though Lionel had told her beforehand that these were all sounds made up by the monsters, it still felt unsettling. Maybe it was because the voices sounded much more human-like than the previous monsters. Of course, the occasional wolf howls helped Ariel keep her sanity.

Woof! Woof woof!

Every time Ariel frowned at the wolf sounds, a kind and firm arm held her a bit tighter. At first, it felt hard enough to hurt her cheeks, but as she stayed in his arms, it gradually felt soft and warm. There was a strange addictive quality to his embrace.

Ariel unconsciously tried to place her hand on Lionel’s chest but then clenched her fist, feeling it was inappropriate to indulge her desires when she should be worrying about Lionel and others getting hurt.

Right, other people!

‘There must be actual people left outside.’

Ariel thought of the people who were left outside while they took refuge. The last she saw, they were too drunk and asleep.

“Shouldn’t we go out and help… Hic!”

“Shh… Ariel.”

The moment his chest pressed against hers, Ariel hiccuped. She was also slightly tipsy, her usually pale chest now flushed. Her round, soft br*asts were pressed against his uniform.

Lionel looked at her as if he wanted to bite into her soft flesh immediately, gently stroking her jawline.

“I’ve already called for reinforcements. There are people who escaped during the commotion.”

“That’s what I expected from you, Lionel, but…”

“You asked earlier if I was alright without my armor or holy power.”

Lionel whispered as he kissed Ariel’s forehead.

“If we go out now, both you and I will get hurt.”

“Ah!”

Lionel’s eyelashes fluttered, and he subtly pressed his knee between her legs. Ariel barely suppressed another hiccup.

“Lionel?”

Lionel’s knee, pressing between her legs, started to tremble slightly. The stimulation on her mound rose to an unbearable point. Outside, the monsters continued to shout loudly in human voices.

— Aah, that monster is touching my body! Aah!

— P-please, help us, holy knight! Ah! Save us, aah!

The voices turned lewd and sticky, as if mocking their opponent. The atmosphere quickly grew thick and tense. Ariel, her face flushed red, thought,

‘At this rate…’

The atmosphere was dangerously charged in many ways. It felt eerily similar to the first time she had been intimate with Lionel. Meanwhile, Lionel’s body pressed closer to Ariel.

“Huff.”

As his knee dug deeper, the stimulation grew stronger. Ariel, her cheeks, neck, and ears flushed red, looked up at Lionel carefully. Unlike usual, Lionel was clinging to her, pushing his body against hers, which worried her.

“Lionel? Are you alright?”

“It’s nothing. Just…”

“Just?”

Lionel sighed and buried his head in her chest, startling Ariel.

“Hmph…”

His hot breath made her already flushed chest feel even hotter. His prominent nose gently pressed against her chest.

‘Was Lionel drunk too?’

Come to think of it, Lionel had drunk quite a lot earlier. He had even drunk many of her glasses.

Ariel, feeling tipsy, looked at Lionel with hazy eyes. He rubbed against her with a vulnerable gesture completely different from his usual self.

“Without my holy power, I feel a bit scared.”

“Scared?”

Ariel’s eyes widened, her drunkenness fading. Lionel could feel fear too. Well, he had been uncomfortable with dogs.

‘But for him, to be scared of monsters?’

Although his eyes, seen through her clearer mind, showed nothing but deep passion, the moment they met her gaze, his eyes softened again.

“I’m scared, Ariel.”

“Ah, ah!”

“So, my body keeps trembling.”

“W-wait… Lionel!”

Words she never expected to hear from Lionel poured out, his voice now soft instead of rough and passionate like before.

“I can’t control my body…”

With that, Lionel slowly buried his face in her chest.

Watching Lionel push his trembling knee deeper into her mound, Ariel swallowed a moan. The spot that had been stimulated repeatedly was unbearably itchy.

“I can’t help it.”

“R-really?”

Lionel, usually holy and strong-faced, now had his eyes drooping as he curled up, pushing his body against hers. Even curled up, his solid body, twice the size of hers, almost crushed her as he embraced her.

“So, please hold me.”

“Huh?”

“I think I’ll feel better if you hold me, Ariel.”

Unexpected words poured out again. Ariel felt dazed, lost in déjà vu.

While one part of her rational mind said there was no way Lionel would be scared over something like this, another emotional part, knowing he was no longer a holy knight and couldn’t use holy power, whispered that it was possible.

‘But still…’

As he asked her to hold him, Lionel rubbed against her chest, subtly slipping his hand behind her back to untie the ribbon of her dress…

“L-Lionel.”

“Yes.”

“You said reinforcements were coming, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then those people could arrive at any moment…”

“But I’m scared, Ariel.”

“Hmph!”

With those words, Lionel finally stuck out his tongue and licked her soft chest. Even after doing such a thing, his face remained holy and glowing, making it hard to believe what had just happened.

“Help me, Ariel.”

“Ah, ah!”

“You even joined the subjugation team to protect me before.”

Lionel’s hand slid under her dress without hesitation. His whispers continued.

“You can at least hold me.”

“Ah!”

Before she realized it, his hand was already inside her underwear. Despite the urgent situation with monsters outside, Ariel, her mind heating up, blushed as she looked at the unusually vulnerable Lionel.

Even when he’s acting so weakly, Lionel is beautiful.

Was it okay to give in to this temptation? As she thought that, she heard the magic words.

“You promised to take responsibility for me.”

His hand touched the sticky wetness between her legs. Ariel, feeling resigned, closed her eyes tightly. As she opened her legs in surrender, she thought,

‘How did it come to this?’

To explain this situation, we need to go back to when they had just arrived at the midpoint of their journey.

* * *

“Whoa, whoa!”

The coachman urgently halted the horses exactly two days after they had left the Holy Kingdom following their wedding.

The Holy Kingdom of Robel and the Republic of Veloto were not far apart. Traveling along the main road in the northern part of the Holy Kingdom, one could cross the border into Veloto within a day.

Thus, not long after departing, they had already entered Veloto.

However, it would take a few more days of travel to reach the capital of Veloto, where Ariel was headed. The coachman drove the horses diligently, as his employer, Caelo, had earnestly requested that Ariel be brought to the Republic of Veloto as quickly as possible.