“This is a temple.”

“Yes, it is.”

“Didn’t we come out to go shopping?”

“Oh my. Did I say that?”

Rael and Vivien stood in front of the temple. Though Rael had given up on sleeping in when Vivien pestered her to get up early on their day off, she hadn’t fully believed Vivien’s promise: “I’ll treat you to delicious food and give you a fun experience today!”

She had expected to be dragged along as a shopping companion, but their destination turned out to be a temple instead.

“Actually, I need volunteer service points. You like volunteering anyway, so that’s why I brought you!”

“What about the delicious food?”

“This temple’s dining hall serves the best food among all temples.”

“And the fun experience?”

“Isn’t the experience of giving the most valuable experience of all?”

She certainly had a way with words. Rael sighed. It wasn’t that she disliked volunteering—she just wished Vivien had been honest from the start so she could have dressed more comfortably.

“Let’s go.”

There was no stopping Vivien once she set her mind to something. Rael quickly gave up and entered the temple.

“Is this the academy?”

Strangely, the temple was filled with academy students. They all seemed to have caught some kind of volunteering fever.

“There’s a new teacher who volunteers here every weekend. Apparently, he’s generous with points for volunteers. Thanks to him, the temple is packed. Though I doubt these lazy bums will last long.”

Rael thought Vivien was probably the laziest of them all.

“Such materialistic people,” Vivien remarked.

And the most materialistic of them all was also Vivien…

“Welcome. Are you here to volunteer?”

A temple priest approached Rael and Vivien.

“Yes! We’re here to volunteer. Unlike those fair-weather students, we come regularly. You remember us, right?”

“Yes, I remember your face, devotee.”

Vivien must have caused quite a bit of trouble while volunteering for the priest to remember her so well.

“Please wear this over your clothes.”

The priest handed them white aprons with practiced ease.

“Is there anything for us to do? There seem to be so many volunteers,” Rael asked while tying the apron strings behind her back.

“Actually, we just built a new shelter for the temple and need many hands for the post-construction cleanup. We need to clear away piles of timber and stones.”

“That’s good to hear.”

Rael had worried they might end up just eating the temple’s food without doing any actual work.

Rael and Vivien followed the priest to the newly constructed shelter. This temple, located in the capital, was relatively well-funded thanks to generous donations from devotees.

“Today we should start by clearing away those timber pieces. The stones are heavy, so I’d like you devotees to focus on the wood. Other volunteers will empty the carts when they’re full.”

“Where should we move them to?”

“Please load them onto the carts. Oh, and some of the stones have sharp edges, so make sure to wear gloves and be careful. There are stone piles here and over there as well.”

“Alright.”

The mountain of construction debris promised a productive day ahead.

“Wow. I think we picked the wrong day. With so many students here, we won’t even catch the teacher’s eye.”

“I thought you didn’t come for the points?”

“Well, that’s just a figure of speech. Come on.”

Vivien laughed, patting Rael’s arm. Rael shook her head while putting on the gloves the priest had given them. Vivien should have just admitted she came for the points.

“Rael, you take this side. I’ll handle that side. Let’s clean this all up today!”

No one could match Vivien’s enthusiasm.

“Sure. Be careful with your hands.”

Vivien left for the opposite side with a hearty laugh, telling Rael not to worry.

“Hmm… this will take quite a while.”

With stones and wood mixed together, Rael began by sorting them. Once she started classifying each piece, she found herself becoming surprisingly focused on the task.

“How could they mix garbage in here?” she grumbled, collecting trash the workers had left behind. As she worked, she noticed a pile of wood trapped beneath a large stone.

“This looks heavy.”

While considering whether to ask someone for help, the stone suddenly moved. Startled, Rael looked to the side and saw Rubellan standing there.

‘What’s going on?’

Rael was bewildered by Rubellan’s sudden appearance. Was she dreaming?

“Senior, we meet again.”

She couldn’t understand why she had to see this unsettling person even on weekends. She had been carefully avoiding him all this time.

“Why are you here?” Rael’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.

“Aren’t all the academy students gathered here?”

She had hoped Rubellan wouldn’t be among those gathered students.

“I came to this pleasant place for once, and here you are, Senior.”

Rubellan showed no signs of strain after moving the heavy stone. He dusted off his hands with a smile.

“The apron looks cute on you.”

Why did that comment make her feel so uncomfortable? Rael unconsciously turned her body sideways, brushing off dust from her apron.

“If you came to pray, you should get going.”

Assuming from his comment about visiting a “pleasant place” that he hadn’t come to volunteer, Rael tried to dismiss him.

“I’ll help you.”

“No, I’m fine on my own.”

“That one looks too heavy for those slender arms of yours.”

His gaze fell on another large stone.

“…Fine, just move that one and then go.”

It felt awkward to refuse his offer of help.

True to his word, Rubellan diligently moved several stones that would have been difficult for Rael to handle. Feeling a bit guilty for her cold attitude toward his kindness, Rael felt compelled to make conversation.

“Do you usually visit temples?”

She wouldn’t normally have asked such a question.

“It’s not that I visit regularly, but I have deep connections here.”

“Connections?”

“They might be unfortunate connections.”

Rael didn’t understand what he meant.

“Are you a devotee, Senior?”

“Ah, well, I come occasionally.”

Rael wasn’t particularly religious. She only visited temples when feeling down.

“I thought so.”

Is religious devotion something that shows on one’s face? Rael didn’t respond and picked up a wooden board from the ground.

“Ah!”

She cried out as something from the board pierced her finger through the thin glove. The white glove quickly turned red. When she hastily removed the glove, she saw a small but deep cut.

“Ah…”

Drops of blood welled up and fell to the ground. As Rael stared blankly at her finger, uncertain what to do, Rubellan strode over.

His large hand seized her wrist. Rael was still considering how to treat her finger—whether to disinfect it first or go to the temple’s infirmary.

But those thoughts came to an abrupt halt when Rubellan did something shocking: he brought her bleeding thumb to his mouth.

Her first thought was “hot.” The wound felt like it was burning. She couldn’t process what was happening.

As she stared dumbly at the top of Rubellan’s head, he suddenly looked up and their eyes met. His red eyes glowed mysteriously. Rael could only stare back, entranced.

A strange sensation swept through her. Heat from her fingertip spread throughout her body. This was truly… bizarre. She couldn’t move easily.

‘What’s happening? Why does my body feel…’

So tingly.

This sensation was completely foreign to Rael. She felt dizzy. Then, when Rubellan’s tongue brushed against her wound, she felt a sharp pain that snapped her back to reality.

“W-what are you doing!”

She tried to pull her hand away, but her wrist was firmly held in Rubellan’s grip.

Rael finally managed to pry him off using her free hand. Rubellan’s gaze remained intensely fixed on her.

“You, why, why did you suck on it?”

Her finger felt cool now that his lips had released it. The welling blood had disappeared, but new blood quickly pooled in its place.

“Ah.”

Unlike Rael, who stammered in shock, Rubellan’s expression remained calm. But in truth, he too was surprised by the situation.

It had been instinctual. When he saw the tempting red drops of blood forming on Rael’s hand, Rubellan unconsciously thought, “I want to taste it.” Before that thought had even finished forming, his mouth was already on her hand.

“Are you a vampire? Why would you put just anything in your mouth?”

Rubellan watched Rael as she jumped back, her face flushed red. He rather liked her reaction.

“Were you surprised?”

“How could I not be?”

“Isn’t this how you stop bleeding?”

“No, it’s not!”

Such a dramatic reaction just from putting one finger in his mouth.

“Actually, I lose control when I see blood.”

He wondered how much wider those round eyes could get if she tasted something else.

“Please try to understand, Senior.”

He was curious.

“What nonsense…”

“So don’t show me blood in the future.”

That was genuinely sincere. The taste of Rael’s blood he had just sampled was intensely sweet—a flavor that stimulated demonic appetites.

Occasionally there were humans of this particular type. Unfortunately, this cute senior belonged to that category.

“Because I want to taste more.”

And of all demons, she had revealed this to him. Could anything be more unfortunate?

Rubellan took a step toward Rael, who had contorted her expression. She hesitantly stepped back.

“Shall I suck it more?”

Rubellan’s gaze returned to Rael’s blood-stained hand. Feeling his stare, Rael quickly hid her hand behind her back. Yet she couldn’t find words to counter Rubellan’s persistent gaze. Ultimately, she chose to flee.

“I’ll go to the infirmary and apply some medicine. You can finish your temple business and leave.”

She tried to sound unaffected, but Rubellan could easily tell her voice was more agitated than usual.

“Alright then.”

A satisfied smile spread across Rubellan’s face.

“Clean it well.”

Rael turned and ran away, while Rubellan waved at her retreating figure.

Once Rael had disappeared from view, the smile vanished from Rubellan’s face. His cold eyes swept over the path she had taken.

* * *

Rael’s breathing grew ragged as she headed for the infirmary. It wasn’t because the path was long.

Her body felt strange.

Her steps toward the infirmary were unsteady and precarious.

“Ugh…”

She finally reached the infirmary, but no one was inside. That was actually fortunate. Rael made her way to a bed in the corner and sat down. Her legs kept giving out as she tried to stand.

Strangely, she felt feverish and her mouth was dry. Most concerning was the tingling, throbbing sensation below her stomach.

“Hnngh.”

That wasn’t all. Her skin had become hypersensitive. Even the slight touch of the bed sheets against her calves made her shiver.

‘What’s happening? Why is my body reacting like this?’

It was almost like she was in heat. Why so suddenly, out of nowhere?

Rael made a distressed face, unable to do anything about her condition. Her breathing became heated, her stomach tingled, and her body burned. She felt like she was going crazy. Her consciousness grew increasingly hazy.

She wished someone would touch her. She wanted something firm to fill her.

Without realizing it, Rael’s hand moved downward.

“Ah!”

Just brushing her fingers over her underwear caused warm fluid to seep out abundantly. Her underwear was already so soaked it couldn’t absorb any more.

“Hic…”

Tears welled in Rael’s eyes at this maddening situation. Yet her fingers, seeming to have a will of their own, parted her flesh and dug in to scratch the itching spot. She couldn’t stop.

“Haa… uh.”

What was she doing in a temple right now?

It was absurd, but she couldn’t stop. Her priority was to cool this raging heat.

“Ah…”

Her head tilted back. Her hand moved quickly—clumsy but honest movements seeking pleasure. Her body gradually slumped to the side.

More. More. I want to insert it deeper.

Slick, lewd wet sounds reached Rael’s ears. The thought ‘What if someone hears?’ quickly vanished.

No matter what anyone might say, stopping now felt like it would kill her.