“A bit on the psychological side…… Um, it’s hard to explain. Anyway, Saya and Rud probably didn’t intend to do bad things. It was just that they seemed excessively bewitched.”

Murat’s face, looked up at from below his straight jaw, was subtly different from theirs.

“But is Murat really okay? When the scent of milk started spreading, they were almost frenzied…… Is the guess that you’re used to my fragrance all along true?”

It seemed curious that only Murat could endure the impulse. Since so many strange experiences overlapped, she wondered if his exceptional endurance wasn’t simply due to being accustomed to her scent but had some special reason.

He shrugged as if he wasn’t sure.

“Well. Perhaps it’s because restraining myself as the expedition commander has become ingrained in my body.”

“I suppose commanders have to endure a lot?”

“The burden is quite heavy after all. Since my comrades’ lives depend on my hands, I always keep my mind sharp.”

Riena looked up with puzzling feelings while wrapping her arms around his nape.

Both had left their clothes behind, and the night had deepened, making the surroundings dark. Instead of the moon not yet having risen, fireflies circled around them without wariness.

Even while wandering around looking for a safe place, Murat was concentrating his attention on Riena. Their gazes frequently crossed. He also adjusted his hold, worried she might be uncomfortable.

Though he boasted about enduring well, whenever her chest pressed against his rock-like chest, he drew in breath as if troubled. When his breathing carelessly deepened and her seductive body scent shook him, his sharp jawline hardened.

The changes in the man’s body were clearly felt by her, who was fully embraced in his broad arms. When she stared at him, he squeezed his eyes shut then opened them.

“I’m sorry.”

Whether he had put strength into the hands holding her, finger marks appeared on the tender flesh of her back and thighs.

“For what?”

“You rely on me the most, but I can’t fulfill that role properly.”

His golden eyes, covered by darkness, shone clearly. His tightly closed lips and sharp nose bridge were also fierce. He showed signs of making steady efforts not to be bewitched.

Murat was different from the other warriors who seemed to have gone mad, bewitched by her fragrance and femininity. He was a steadfast man to the extent that one might think he was trying to maintain his reason by stabbing his own flesh with an awl. Since he was holding Riena with both arms, he wouldn’t have hands free for self-harm anyway, but seeing his golden eyes brighter than fireflies gave that illusion.

“Murat is doing well.”

Actually, the problem was that this place was too bewildering for her.

She couldn’t judge whether it was right to receive apologies or be grateful that he protected her.

Perhaps the warriors of this place were using her. Conversely, they might be trying their best to help her, who had been drawn by strange power.

Occasionally, wariness and fear flared up like wildfire then suddenly died down. The flow of emotions surged greatly, rising and falling unevenly. Sometimes they felt like enemies, and other times she thought it was like fate.

But the priority was to extract information from them and return home. For that, it seemed she should first look around and grasp the situation. Riena was still bewildered by this world where everything was rough and unfamiliar.

Murat walked through the bushes at the village edge while holding her for a while.

“You seem to fear mating, so I’m being careful. You also startle when contacted by others.”

“You noticed.”

His lips relaxed with plump thickness. He looked somewhat better than when he had been gritting his teeth as if enduring pain.

“That’s why I find myself increasingly concerned with making you comfortable. I’m trying not to be intoxicated by your fragrance.”

He gently curved his lips as if he would play the role of a reliable father.

But Riena felt the man’s chest clinging to her br*asts racing violently. The nape she held with her hands also had fierce throbbing pulsations.

He was enduring.

In fact, he held on so hard that every muscle in his body bulged harshly.

To make her comfortable, while showing a caring face outwardly, he’s struggling inside.

“Mm…… Thank you.”

Even while feeling the blood vessel behind the man’s ear beating against her fingertips, Riena pretended not to know.

She somehow felt concerned for Murat, who held his breath whenever fragrance arose.

***

Even at night, the air wasn’t very cold. With proper clothing, it would have been perfect weather for a walk. The only problem was being completely bare.

“I wonder if Saya and Rud have come to their senses now. Considering safety, it would be better to wait a bit more before entering the village.”

He held Riena and strolled along the peaceful forest path near the village.

She also had no desire to hurry back home. If there was anything uncomfortable, it was only that her chest felt unpleasant where their mouths had touched. Once she started being bothered by it, the scent of strange men gradually became more disagreeable. The saliva stuck to her flesh drying stickily wasn’t a very pleasant feeling either.

“Is there somewhere I could wash briefly?”

Murat’s steps slowed.

“Didn’t you wash at the hot spring this morning? Do you need to clean your body again?”

It hadn’t been long since she washed her body, which had been covered in s*men, at the hot spring after waking up in the cave.

“Just…… a little.”

It wasn’t a cleanliness issue but because of the feeling of being touched by others’ hands, but since it was awkward to talk about her chest, she only lowered her gaze. Murat followed her and stared at her milk-scented br*asts.

“Is it because of the scent of milk? I can endure it.”

“Rather than that, the parts that Saya and Rud touched are a bit……”

When she mumbled embarrassedly, Murat either didn’t understand or kept his mouth shut for a long time. She had no choice but to overcome her shyness and be honest.

“The sensation of being touched by those people wasn’t very pleasant. I want to wipe it off.”

He finally stretched his lips and smiled.

“That could be the case. The stream isn’t far from here. I’ll take you there.”

As he quickened his pace, her hair flew in the wind. Fireflies sporadically glowed on the path through the forest.

He constantly watched Riena, worried she might stumble and fall. Occasionally when he put strength in his arms to lift her up, their contact area widened. It felt like he was holding her obsessively.

It seemed the atmosphere hadn’t been like this until this afternoon, so she guessed that some change had occurred in him at some point.

After walking briefly, the sound of trickling water was soon heard. It was incomparably clearer water than the river that ran through Harriton City. When moonlight poured down at night, it clearly reflected to the bottom.

Murat sat on a large rock and seated her on his knees. His careful manner of helping her stand resembled a father anxiously watching his child’s first steps. While exuding wildness, only his attitude of caring for Riena was exceptional.

The pebbles laid in the stream were smoother than straw sandals, so stepping wasn’t difficult. The water that reached her knees was extremely cold.

“Ugh.”

Her shoulders naturally hunched. Feeling like her feet would freeze, she couldn’t endure even for a moment and retreated to the streamside. This time too, Murat looked at her intently with eyes asking why she was acting that way again.

“It’s cold.”

“Ah…… It is a bit.”

She absolutely couldn’t stand it, but Murat said it was just “a bit.” The physical difference between him and herself was as vast as heaven and earth.

She crouched by the shallow streamside where only her toes could splash and lightly moistened her hands with water. She gradually washed off the body odor of various men remaining on her chest. When she cupped her hands and brought them up to her br*asts, the clear stream water at night was so cold that she couldn’t help but shudder.

Murat observed each of her actions with curiosity.

“Is there anything I can help with?”

It would be nice to have a towel or soap, but since it was obvious she was n*ked, she couldn’t ask for anything.

“It’s fine.”

“Shall I wipe it for you instead?”

“I’m going slowly because it’s cold.”

“Hmm……”

While Riena carefully moistened herself with water and wiped her body, Murat unhesitatingly entered the middle of the stream. Since it wasn’t deep enough to swim, he sat down on the bottom of the stream and submerged his entire body from head to toe. Then he scrubbed himself refreshingly. Indeed, he and she were too different.