Ch.258-15. Reina (4)

# Chapter 15. Reina (4)

“Ta-take… off my clothes…?”

Even considering the current situation, being told to undress…

Reina’s mind was racing with all sorts of imaginings.

‘If I undress, will something happen to me…? But with Albert, that would be quite nice… Ah, what should I do?!’

Albert had meant it sincerely, and he had completely turned his body and head away.

Reina, harboring mixed feelings of worry and anticipation, slowly began removing her outer garments.

-Rustle… Swish!-

The sounds were unmistakably explicit, but Albert didn’t make any suspicious moves.

However, he was certainly thinking about it.

‘Isn’t she being too defenseless? What if I pounce on her while she’s undressing right in front of me?’

He had hoped she would undress with her back against the large rock behind them, but Reina was much more confident than he expected.

Eventually, she removed everything, including her underwear, and called to him with just a blanket covering her.

“I’m done.”

After a moment’s pause, he slightly turned his head.

At that moment, her clothes came into view… including the underwear that had been visible through her wet clothes earlier.

Albert blushed and turned his head away again.

“….”

“What’s wrong?”

Reina, oblivious to why he was acting that way, tactlessly asked him.

He replied in a low voice.

“Could you please put those away…?”

“Those? Oh…”

Realizing what Albert meant, she placed her clothes next to where he had put his earlier.

Only then did he turn to face her.

“…”

“….”

The silence stretched on for quite some time.

Both of them kept stealing glances at each other without making proper eye contact.

The silence was finally broken by Albert’s cough.

“Achoo!!”

Though they were beside a campfire, the cave was still cold.

Yet he was wearing only his underwear… his priorities were clearly misplaced.

Seeing him shivering in the cold while she had the blanket, she carefully suggested:

“Would you… like to share?”

“That’s meant for one person.”

“I think we could share it if we tried…?”

Even if they shared, their position would be awkward.

But Reina knew this and suggested it anyway.

He was conflicted.

‘Ah… she really…’

He was about to refuse.

But…

“Let’s share…”

With those words, his weak resolve crumbled.

“Alright.”

“Come here…”

For some reason, Reina covered his eyes with her hands.

“Sit down, and keep your eyes closed…”

He followed her instructions.

She draped the blanket over Albert, who was sitting on the ground near the campfire with his eyes closed.

Then she simply slipped into his arms.

“This way we can share it…”

“…”

He was quite surprised by her defenseless behavior.

It was especially surprising given that Reina normally wouldn’t even have private conversations with men, let alone have a boyfriend.

This led him to one conclusion.

‘Does she… like me?’

He couldn’t help but think so.

She wasn’t the type to act this way with someone she didn’t like.

If it were the old Reina, she would have chosen to catch a cold instead.

Yet here she was…

“Reina.”

“Yes?”

“Do you perhaps like me?”

“Huh…?”

At that moment, thousands of thoughts raced through her mind.

‘How did he know? How… did he figure it out? Did Bellian tell him? But she wouldn’t do that… Is it because of this situation? But this is unavoidable, isn’t it? Still, we are quite close… Something keeps touching my back…’

As her thoughts multiplied, her already racing heart began to beat even faster.

Suddenly, she started writhing and moaning.

“Haa… Haa… I feel strange…”

She turned her body to face him directly.

As she did, the blanket he was holding came loose, causing a catastrophe.

Yet she didn’t seem to care that her body was completely exposed.

“I’m telling you, I feel strange!?”

Her eyes were bloodshot and seemed almost entranced.

Her body was burning hot, and most notably…

“A womb mark…?”

The symbol of a succubus, a womb tattoo… somehow, a mark similar to Lilith’s was on her lower abdomen.

She pointed to it with her finger.

“Yes… I like you, I’ve liked you for a really long time. Not since the first time we met… but since you helped me awaken… So…!!”

She grabbed his lower body and pleaded.

“Put it in…”

***

The vast army of dark elves was completely annihilated by the Chronos Party, specifically by Elizabeth.

They struggled a bit at first, but Elizabeth’s [Absolute Zero] completely turned the tide.

Bellian watched with sparkling eyes as the dark elves slowly died, trapped in the massive ice.

“What kind of skill is that!?”

“It’s my second unique skill, called [Absolute Zero].”

“Ah~ I’ve heard of it.”

Just as Bellian was curious about the skill, Elizabeth also had something she wanted to know.

So Elizabeth asked Bellian:

“What was that snack you gave to Reina earlier?”

“Oh… that? Would you like some too, White Mom?”

“I’m just genuinely curious.”

Bellian readily explained the nature of the snack, as if it wasn’t a big secret.

However, it was hard to tell if she was telling the truth.

“It was a snack that makes you a bit more honest. It should have taken effect by now…”

“What did you make it with?”

“Oh my…! If you ask that… it’s a bit difficult to answer… Of course, I didn’t make it with my own. Unfortunately, I’m just a 5-year-old child.”

From the way she spoke, it was possible to guess the ingredients.

And also who provided them.

Having obtained the information she wanted, albeit vaguely, Elizabeth asked another question.

This time to someone else.

“Can you detect their location? They’re beyond my detection range.”

The detection-type mage from earlier bowed his head apologetically.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty… I also…”

“Please don’t be so formal. I’m just another party member like you right now.”

“Yes, I couldn’t detect them either. They seem to be at least 100 kilometers away.”

100km meant they had flown quite far.

She had a bad feeling about this from the moment they rushed off like that…

‘Well, does it matter?’

They probably wouldn’t die, and being alone together might make it easier for them to find courage.

It was a better judgment than expected.

As long as Elizabeth was here, they wouldn’t die either.

“Should we split up and search?”

The other party members were thinking of searching, but Elizabeth and Bellian had different ideas.

Especially Bellian, who had the opposite opinion, looked at Elizabeth with pleading eyes.

Though they weren’t related by blood, she was still Albert’s daughter… that fact softened her heart.

“Those two will survive and eventually rejoin us. Besides, splitting up in a dungeon of this difficulty is suicidal. Let’s continue climbing the mountain.”

Everyone had been planning to scatter in all directions to find them, but with a few words from Elizabeth, they stopped what they were doing and continued up the mountain.

Amazed by the scene, Bellian expressed her gratitude.

“I love you, Mom.”

“Just call me Mom from now on. ‘White Mom’ sounds a bit strange.”

“Then what about my mom?”

“You can call her Mother.”

“No, Mom.”

What was she trying to accomplish?

Since she called her “Mom,” it seemed she didn’t mind using the term, which was reassuring.

“But why are you helping?”

“You mean that girl?”

“Yeah.”

“Since I have two moms who live separately… Dad keeps going back and forth. That looks really hard on him.”

Surprisingly, she had a sensible reason.

“So if there are more moms who can live together, Dad won’t have to work so hard, and he can stay in one place longer!!”

“But wouldn’t your mom get lonely?”

“Unlike you, White Mom, my mom is kind, so she doesn’t mind.”

“What did you say?”

Seeing Elizabeth’s unexpectedly scary expression, Bellian immediately backed down.

“I’m sorry… that was a joke… My mom thinks the same way I do, so she agreed to share.”

“Doesn’t your mom need him the most?”

For others, loneliness might be the extent of their problems, but Lilith’s case was different.

After having her womb mark engraved from her first experience, she became a succubus who fed on life energy.

Moreover, Lilith was a picky eater who only consumed Albert’s energy.

“Maybe it’s because he does a lot when he visits, but she seems fine.”

“Really? That’s good then, but tell her not to push herself too hard.”

“Yes, but Mom, why did you allow both my mom and that girl? If it were me, I could never do that!?”

She had asked her dad about these things, but he never told her.

That made her even more curious.

The reason for giving up someone you love so much.

“It’s a bit long, is that okay?”

“Yes! We have plenty of time anyway!”

Elizabeth carefully explained everything she knew and everything she could tell.

It began with those words, and Bellian was fully focused.

“At first, I thought he was… some kind of madman.”