85. Training Assistant

85. Training Assistant

Rena and Irina had known each other since they were very young, childhood friends.

Their fathers, who had a deep friendship, started their meeting by abandoning their estate duties one day and having a huge drinking party. The daughters, who were closer to their fathers than their mothers, met each other naturally by accompanying them to the drinking party, and they became friends simply because their names sounded similar.

The two were soulmates. As if they were born to meet each other, Rena and Irina’s hearts were so in sync, and they were always happy and joyful when playing together.

After their first meeting, Rena and Irina always stuck together wherever they went. When they couldn’t meet due to physical distance, they wrote letters every day, causing their mothers to worry about the cost of ink and quills, and when they finally reunited, they embraced each other tightly to express their joy.

The closest friends, eternal life companions. It was only natural that they would enroll in the same lectures without a single deviation when they came to the Academy.

As long as they were together, they thought that only happy and enjoyable things would happen here, just as they had before.

“Come on, hurry.”

“”….””

And the two of them were now in a crisis where they had to kiss each other.

——

It happened about ten minutes ago.

“Have you waited long, everyone?”

The white wolf beastman, Skadi, after laying the nameless student she had received from Princess Ossen on the ground, looked around at the female students and said. Her white tail, wagging back and forth behind her, looked like the beckoning hand of a white grim reaper to the students.

“Alright, shall we start one by one?”

Skadi looked around at the students. Whenever her blue gaze fell upon them, the students flinched, and Skadi let out a thoughtful hum.

Rena and Irina were among that group of students.

“Rena, I’m scared….”

“It’s okay, I’ll… protect you somehow.”

Irina, a girl with ivory-colored hair tied in low pigtails on both sides, like a low ponytail. Holding the hand of the small-statured girl was her childhood friend Rena, who had a larger build.

Rena, with her long black hair cascading down to her waist, idly fiddled with her hair with her free hand, the one not holding Irina. Although she had bravely said she would protect her, honestly, she lacked confidence.

She was up against that crazy Grand Duchess, wasn’t she? She didn’t know if she could even protect herself, let alone protect someone else. Her palms felt sweaty with immense tension.

After that moment of silence-filled tension passed.

A moment later, Skadi shouted.

“Alright, first, you with the black hair, come out.”

“Yes, yes?”

The unfortunate target chosen by Skadi… was Rena.

Irina, who had been holding Rena’s hand tightly, was startled and shouted at Rena.

“Re, Rena…!”

“It’s okay, Irina. You know I’m strong. It’ll be… fine.”

Rena patted Irina’s head, who was worried about her, and walked towards Skadi. She tried to act strong for the weak-hearted Irina, but inwardly, she was terrified of what might happen to her.

Taking a deep breath that filled her lungs, Rena stood on both feet in front of Skadi.

White hair and wolf ears. And emotionless blue eyes. Her build was similar to mine, but just standing there gave me an overwhelming feeling. It was like looking up at an immeasurably large mountain.

I might not even win if I fought that wagging tail.

‘… Ugh.’

Rena swallowed her breath inwardly. Even if you’re dragged into a tiger’s den, you can survive if you keep your wits about you, so I needed to maintain my composure. Even though the opponent was a wolf.

Meanwhile, Skadi picked up a seemingly useful wooden sword from the ground, threw it to Rena, and said.

“First, let’s see how you swing a sword. I have to spar with you… but thinking about it, I don’t have my sword.”

Skadi patted her empty waist, pondered for a moment, and then opened her mouth.

“It’s fine if I fight with my fists, so just swing it.”

Rena doubted her own ears. Even with a wooden sword, if it were in the hands of a properly trained person, it would cut steel as easily as tofu, but she was going to fight with her bare hands?

… By the time I thought that far, I remembered who the person in front of me was, and dismissed my doubts. I was too weak to dare worry about her.

“Attack.”

“Yes….”

Rena weakly raised her sword. Skadi’s white hair, which swayed naturally unlike my own steady stance, looked terrifyingly frightening.

“Are you awake?”

“Yes…?”

Rena regained consciousness exactly 15 seconds later.

‘Wh-what happened…?’

The memory of just moments ago flashed through Rena’s mind. Her own self swinging the sword with all her might, and then immediately being counterattacked and knocked unconscious by a single punch.

Realizing she had fainted in such a short time, Rena trembled with fear. It wasn’t just because she knew of the Grand Duchess’s abnormal strength.

Since I lost so pathetically, surely-

“I think you lack a lot of muscle strength. I believe you need to train more diligently. I… will help you.”

It’s coming. The Grand Duchess’s indiscriminate rape is coming.

Rena closed her eyes tightly, anticipating a future she couldn’t bear to speak of. In the pitch-black darkness, the face of her precious friend Irina flickered. The small, cute Irina, who resembled a hamster.

‘Ah, no, it’s better if I’m the one who suffers…!’

It was better for her to sacrifice herself than for her weak-hearted friend to suffer a terrible fate. The thought that Irina might have been in this spot if she hadn’t been there made Rena steel her resolve and look at Skadi.

Skadi was lecturing Rena.

“First, it’s natural to increase the intensity of your usual training. That’s something that takes time, so I can’t do anything about it, but what I can do is a method to increase the efficiency of that training. So, my sister taught me….”

Looking at Rena, Skadi slowly recalled her memories. She remembered the ‘acupuncture points helpful for training’ that Freya had told her about when she was studying the human body.

-Freya, what book is that? A point that paralyzes reason and greatly increases sexual desire…? What do you call it?

-Uh, that, this is…. Uh, yes. It’s the word ‘points that promote muscle growth and maximize efficiency’. I was studying something that might be helpful for Sister’s training…!

-Really? Thank you, Freya. You’re the best, my sister.

“… So, in simple terms, you just poke here like this.”

“Eh.”

Skadi poked Rena’s neck with her finger without any warning. Rena touched her slightly numb neck and let out a questioning sound.

“Then I’ll go teach the other kids first. You train in the meantime. If you have any questions, ask.”

“Ah, okay….”

Rena let out a sigh of relief as she watched Skadi leave. Unexpectedly, nothing happened.

“Rena!”

“I, Irina.”

Behind her, who was lying on the ground, trying to regain her senses, the cute ivory-haired girl resembling a hamster, Irina, ran up with quick steps. Rena’s precious friend, Irina.

“Are you okay…?”

“Uh-huh… I don’t think anything happened.”

Rena pushed aside her black hair and massaged her neck where Skadi had poked her. She still didn’t know what had happened.

Irina smiled brightly and hugged Rena.

“Thank goodness…!”

“Yeah. Thank good- Ngh.”

“Rena?”

Irina looked at Rena. For some reason, Rena’s face, which should have been pale, was flushed bright red. Her breathing was unstable, and her eyes began to waver.

“Rena?!”

“W-wait… Don’t touch, Ngh.”

Her body felt numb, her insides ticklish, and she was getting aroused on her own-yes, it felt like she had drunk a powerful aphrodisiac. Her skin felt tens of times more sensitive. Even the slightest brush of breath felt so ticklish that she felt like she would….

Rena struggled to push Irina away.

“Ugh….”

“Re, Rena…!!!”

Seeing her friend trembling and groaning with her legs shaking, Irina looked distressed and fidgeted. Rena, drooling, looked far from normal to anyone who saw her.

“I, Irina. Don’t come near me… Ugh.”

“Wh-what do I do….”

At that moment, another student’s groan was heard from afar.

-Hwaang♡

“Ah….”

Irina turned her head towards the sound and thought. If the Grand Duchess caused this mess, then perhaps she was the one who could fix it.

“Irina…? Irina? Where are you going… Ngh….”

“Wait, Rena, I, I’ll save you…!”

I had always been protected by Rena. It was terrifying to speak to the Grand Duchess, but now was the time to be brave, for the sake of my most precious friend.

“G-Grand Duchess!”

“Yes?”

Irina stood in front of Skadi, who was playing with a female student. The terrifyingly emotionless blue eyes stared at her, making her legs tremble, but Irina forced herself to speak.

“Re, Rena’s condition is strange…! P-please help!”

“Rena?”

Skadi looked at Rena, who was lying on the ground, trembling.

“It’s necessary to build stamina. It’s not difficult to fix, but do you really want to?”

“I don’t want to see Rena suffering…! Please….”

Skadi, placing two female students whose faces were flushed red from being poked in the neck, just like Rena, stood up and said to Irina.

“The method is simple.”

“Yes…!”

“Kiss her deeply.”

“Yes…?”

“I know because I’ve tried it. Then you’ll recover quickly. Really.”

Irina tried to sort out her confused mind. Right now, the Grand Duchess was telling her that she had to kiss Rena.

And deeply at that.

“If you’re going to do it, do it quickly. Here, come on.”

“….”

Skadi urged her on.

“… Ugh.”

Rena was undoubtedly the closest friend in the world, incomparable to anyone else. But kissing… kissing isn’t something friends do, is it?

“Ah, no. I have to.”

Perhaps the kiss meant nothing and was just a trick by the Grand Duchess to tease them. But if there was even a slight possibility of saving her suffering friend-

“Rena!”

“Ngh…? Irina? What are you….”

“Hap!”

-And so, Irina ended up stealing her precious friend’s first kiss.

Their tongues mingled. To ensure this abnormal condition wouldn’t persist, she mingled tongues for as long as she could and shared saliva.

Their breaths, filled with heat, crossed. Their skin touched. Rena’s soft skin, which she had touched countless times since childhood, felt embarrassingly shy for some reason.

After holding Rena, who was squirming, for a moment, Irina pulled her head away.

“Puh… Re, Rena. Are you okay now?”

“….”

“Re… na?”

Rena, with a thin strand of saliva trailing down, lowered her head and said nothing. Worried, Irina moved closer to Rena, and then-

Tatt!

“Re, Rena?”

“I, Irina. I tried my best to resist, but, but… it’s your fault. It’s….”

Rena, with unfocused eyes, knocked Irina down and climbed on top of her.