Ch.289289. Shipwrecked (3)

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“…So that’s what happened.”

“…Indeed.”

Elia replied with a voice that suggested a headache.

In front of her stood Faynol Leiphec, who appeared to have just arrived, still carrying his heavily packed bag.

‘Professor, it hasn’t even been a day since you arrived at the territory…?’

Of course, she had just heard from a servant that people were gathering within the border command, but this was fast—too fast.

“By the way.”

While she was thinking this, Faynol swept back his hair and continued.

“You say Darwood Campbell had a slip and fall accident.”

“…Yes. We’ll find him soon, so please don’t worry too much—”

“Does it make sense that you haven’t found him even as it’s getting dark?”

“…”

“Especially when a Tristan duchess, a hero, and a border count are all gathered here?”

“…”

Elia, who had nothing to say about that point, pressed her lips tightly together.

She had been planning to go out searching herself, or have Elnore do so, since the search was becoming increasingly stagnant.

“…We’ll find him soon, so please don’t worry too much about that—”

“I’m not worried. I never thought something serious would happen from such a minor accident in the first place.”

Faynol swept back his hair as he responded to Elia’s words.

“Then why are you questioning so insistently—”

“No, it’s just that I thought of a better method than searching.”

Faynol said this while looking at the forest below the castle wall where Darwood had fallen.

“That.”

“Pardon?”

“Is it really necessary to keep it?”

“…”

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The sound of snow softly piling up, along with the footsteps of a man walking on it, accompanied the swaying of her body.

Covered under a coat, Beatrix Elfin Kilgore was being carried on Darwood Campbell’s back.

“…”

“…”

Not a single word was exchanged between them.

Perhaps due to the heat, or maybe because she lacked the strength to speak.

‘I’m really indebted to this guy—’

Such thoughts drifted hazily through Beatrix’s mind.

She felt drunk.

In the broader context, her mental state was clearly not much different—extraordinarily hazy.

“…”

So.

The strange warmth surging through her lower abdomen since earlier must surely be related to that.

‘…This guy is incredibly well-trained.’

Even while being carried, the firm back and the finely toned muscles throughout his body were clearly felt through her body.

The heat rising from his body as he walked while carrying her made him sweat, making the texture even more distinctly perceptible.

Being pressed against him with just a single layer of underwear between them, well.

There was a feeling of something repeatedly surging from below.

“…!”

Of course, Beatrix, who suddenly opened her eyes, mentally exclaimed in shock.

Good heavens.

What was she feeling toward her best friend’s fiancé? Get a grip, Beatrix!

Next, with her spinning vision, she blurted out completely disorganized sentences.

“…Well done. It’s impressive that you managed to find a place with a ceiling even in a situation with no visibility.”

“…”

“If we can maintain warmth inside, I should be able to recover quite quickly.”

“…”

“…Why don’t you say something in response?”

“…Yes.”

After just uttering that word, Darwood entered the cave and took a deep breath.

Only then did Beatrix, suddenly coming to her senses, carefully open her mouth while reading the atmosphere.

“…Was it difficult?”

“No. Not particularly.”

While clearing the space and preparing a place for Beatrix to lie down, arranging the firewood he had somehow managed to bring, Darwood spoke.

“…Just, yes. It was a physiological reaction. It was difficult to suppress that.”

“What?”

“I’m saying anyone would have a similar reaction if they kept pressing bodies with you, senior.”

“…”

After saying this, Darwood fidgeted with his legs.

As if trying to hide something between them from her view.

“…”

“…”

An extremely awkward silence stretched between them.

‘Uh, s-so…’

That’s it, right?

That thing where blood rushes to a certain part of men’s bodies?

Beatrix thought with a blank expression.

Well, she was just an ordinary woman’s body.

With so many beautiful women around him, she never thought she was attractive enough for him to say such things—

“…You’re beautiful too, senior.”

“What?”

“Ordinary girls would get really angry if they heard you talk like that.”

Indeed, Beatrix was undeniably a beauty who would attract attention anywhere.

While anyone might develop a complex when compared to Elnore, she had a sufficiently mature and intellectual charm.

“Um…”

Hearing those words, Beatrix’s head spun again.

However, unlike before, it wasn’t due to physical exhaustion.

It was a physical phenomenon accompanying the intense emotions surging through her, emotions she couldn’t even identify.

“…Thank you.”

It was a sincere statement.

Standing next to Elnore always meant the spotlight went to her, so she had always thought of herself as someone who didn’t receive much attention, hidden in Elnore’s shadow.

It was a phenomenon that had repeated almost her entire life, so she had always believed herself to be ordinary.

But now.

That person’s fiancé was telling her she was ‘attractive’ and that he ‘desired’ her.

“…”

Huh.

Wait.

What is this feeling?

Beatrix blinked slowly, confused by the inexplicable sense of ‘triumph’ welling up in her chest.

Meanwhile, Darwood, having finished lighting the fire, came back to her side and embraced her tightly.

“…”

“…”

“…We can’t let your body temperature drop any further.”

“…Okay.”

Beatrix responded in a small voice to Darwood’s stiff tone.

Probably, this guy truly didn’t attach any deeper meaning to this action. Tomorrow, he would act as if nothing had happened.

But right now, she.

Her mind.

“…”

The flames in the cave flickered back and forth. Just like her heart.

“…”

“…”

“—Hey.”

Breaking the silence with a single word, Beatrix murmured in her heart.

She couldn’t understand why she was about to do this.

It must be because her physical condition wasn’t normal.

Though it had lost its meaning at some point, Beatrix kept repeating it like a mantra.

Compromising with oneself is something most people do routinely, but for someone as straightforward as her, it was an action she could hardly remember doing in her entire life.

In other words.

To endure what she was about to do without too much guilt, she needed to do at least that much mental work.

“…Want me to help?”

“Pardon?”

“…You look uncomfortable.”

Darwood’s movements froze completely.

He seemed unsure of what he had just heard.

“…Excuse me?”

“N-no, no, I just, you know, you look uncomfortable being so awkward—”

She was stuttering terribly. It was a stark contrast to her usual composed self.

It showed that even she was aware that what she was doing wasn’t proper.

‘Elnore, this isn’t what it looks like—’

It was an excuse that wouldn’t reach her even if spoken, and if it did, it would only exponentially increase the trouble, but she couldn’t bear the guilt stabbing at her chest without at least thinking it.

Nevertheless.

“I-if it’s because of me, sh-should I take respon-sibility—”

“…”

While Darwood listened to her words with his mouth hanging open,

Beatrix carefully moved to press the back of her head against Darwood’s chest.

“L-like this.”

“…”

As Darwood remained silent, Beatrix took one of his hands that was wrapped around her body and pulled it up with both of her hands.

‘…What are you doing, Beatrix?’

She didn’t know.

If she had been in a state to clearly explain such things, she wouldn’t have started this in the first place.

And then.

“…”

She stuck out her tongue.

Wrapped it around slightly and sucked.

The softness of marshmallow with the sweetness of whipped cream.

At first glance, it seemed like a phrase that would be used in a candy commercial, and most people would probably react quite sourly if told their body was being described this way. What does that even mean—are you saying you want to eat me? That kind of feeling.

So, thinking of such things while sucking someone else’s finger undoubtedly proved that she was seriously out of her mind.

It tasted slightly sweet.

Human skin, especially the skin of someone who had just been working hard, shouldn’t taste like anything, but in this deranged situation, it felt like that level of hallucination was appropriate.

A mini Elnore with angel wings on her shoulders seemed to appear, whining and pulling at her ear, the hallucination swirling hazily in her spinning brain.

Immediately, a mini Beatrix with devil wings, a deformed version of herself, appeared and dragged the mini Elnore away.

“Then I could make you much warmer.”

The response didn’t come from Darwood.

Suddenly, the surroundings were bathed in a red glow.

It was a scene originating from flames that seemed to be boiling so intensely that just looking at them made one’s eyes sting.

“…”

“…”

Darwood and Beatrix both turned toward the source of the voice, at a loss for words.

Lava-like flames that were beyond mere heat, hot enough to instantly evaporate snow upon contact, were pouring down all around.

“…Faynol?”

And in the middle of it all.

Faynol was walking steadily toward them, emanating murderous intent that seemed like condensed flames.

Even the horns that had sprouted on his head as evidence of demonization were surrounded by flames, emanating waves of intense heat.

“Yes, it’s Faynol. I heard it was quite difficult to search for Darwood Campbell because of the forest.”

“…”

“So I heard something about this being an important asset or whatever, but I found it annoying and burned it all down…”

“…”

“And you are?”

Faynol, who had calmly admitted to committing an act of terrorism on someone else’s territory just to see someone’s face quickly, fixed his crimson eyes on Beatrix, who was still clinging tightly to Darwood.

“Who are you to be flirting with Darwood Campbell?”

“…”

Well.

Whatever it was, the atmosphere was clearly not very friendly.

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