Ch.83Honest Body (3)

# For a Fox Shapeshifter in Mating Season, a Naked Man She Likes is Too Much to Handle

Riyo’s pupils dilated.

“Whoooo!”

Her two tails, which had been swaying gently, stiffened, and her nose flared as she inhaled his heated scent. Her shoulders twitched and her lower abdomen felt heavy.

Right now.

She wanted to throw herself into that man’s arms.

How wonderful would it be to rub her head and tails against him, marking him with her scent? And how thrilling would it be to bite his shoulder and have him bite her nape in return?

Thoughts she would normally suppress flashed through her mind like a kaleidoscope.

Major Rachel had broken the rules first. Only slight flirting was allowed, but she shouldn’t have pounced on Erich so blatantly.

At this point, was there any reason to hold back?

“Just a moment, I can explain.”

Erich wiped his lips, which glistened with saliva, as he tried to clarify.

Riyo couldn’t immediately understand what Erich was saying. Tiria, who had finished speaking with him, nodded with a more serious expression.

“…So that’s what happened.”

To summarize, the bee venom contained an aphrodisiac component.

After examining Rachel, who was still panting, Tiria spoke with pale eyes.

“Sergeant, I think we should make an exception for what just happened.”

“What?”

“The mana in the poison sting seems to cause sexual arousal. Major Brokenheart acted on desires she didn’t actually want. We should consider this an exception and be understanding.”

“But if that’s the case, my heat cycle is…”

“You can control that, can’t you?”

I can’t control it at all.

Those words rose to her throat, but she managed to swallow them back.

“…I understand.”

Survival comes first. Comrades shouldn’t fight among themselves.

Since Captain Kasten also seemed displeased with the situation, Riyo had no choice but to agree. She thought to herself:

Ah, if I had known this would happen, I should have been the one stung by the bee.

***

The Holy Maiden shared her diagnosis.

“The poison is quite ordinary. Just some swelling and a rash, that’s all. What’s causing the arousal isn’t so much the poison as it is a curse.”

“A curse, you say?”

“Yes, a curse with exquisite mana manipulation. It’s essentially a forbidden spell that affects the mind, similar to illusion magic.”

Simply put, it was a heat-inducing spell. It was created by structuring mana like a chemical compound to affect the central nervous system. This leader apparently had knowledge of magical medicine, similar to our country’s chief sorcerer.

“Can you heal it?”

“With my divine power, yes.”

Fortunately, it was something that could be quickly recovered with the Holy Maiden’s power.

The Holy Maiden infused the Valkyrie with divine power. The Valkyrie’s complexion was gradually improving. Having exhausted her strength, the Valkyrie began nodding off as soon as she received healing.

“…I’m sorry.”

The Valkyrie’s earlobes were bright red. Her cheeks were also peach-colored, perhaps from the fever. Just moments ago, she had lunged at me as if to devour me, but now she couldn’t even meet my eyes.

“Here, the medicine is ready. Drink this and get some rest.”

“Thank you.”

“This time it couldn’t be helped, so we’ll let it slide. The Mage seemed willing to understand too. So don’t worry too much about it.”

“But… I showed you all such a disgraceful side of myself. I made a complete nuisance of myself, behaving so shamefully in front of the three of you. I’ll probably never be able to marry now.”

The Valkyrie, having chewed the herbs, lay down. She looked the most vulnerable among us.

“Mage, you must be tired from fighting alone while we were gone. You should rest too.”

“What about you, Ms. Kasten? Aren’t you tired?”

“I am tired. But I have something I need to do. I’ll go to sleep right after that.”

The Holy Maiden’s head gradually lowered.

“Ah…”

“If you stare so openly, it’s embarrassing for me too.”

“Ugh, I’m sorry. You don’t have anything to wear, so you must be cold, right?”

“The fur and leaves are sufficient.”

“Still. Your clothes are all wet, wouldn’t you need something warmer to cover yourself with?”

“That would be nice, but where would we find something to cover up with right now?”

“Here.”

The Holy Maiden pointed to herself. I couldn’t believe my eyes.

“My clothes… they’re thick.”

“Ah.”

“You don’t want them?”

After what had just happened with the Valkyrie, I momentarily had inappropriate thoughts.

Of course, even if that wasn’t the case, it was still quite surprising.

“You’re going to take off your clothes for me?”

“…Please don’t make me say it twice.”

“Won’t you be cold?”

“I’ll be fine. This weather isn’t that bad.”

“Didn’t you say when we first met on the island that because of church doctrine, holy maidens who guard the purification fire shouldn’t show their bare legs to strange men?”

“Are you a strange man?”

“Excuse me?”

“What I mean is, survival comes first. Such minor doctrines can be overlooked depending on the circumstances.”

In any case, it wasn’t something one would expect to hear from a Holy Maiden.

When we first met, the Holy Maiden was a principlist who tried to interpret everything according to doctrine. Is it a good thing that such a person has developed some flexibility?

“Well then, I’ll take it off.”

The Holy Maiden’s eyes turned a light pink as she undressed. This left her essentially wearing just a white tee, stockings, and a nun’s cap. It looked quite inappropriate to others.

As I received her ceremonial robe, I could feel its warmth. It was indeed wide and made of thick fabric. The material was so soft that it felt truly like a blanket.

It would be warm to sleep under, but…

The embarrassment was the problem.

“Ms. Kasten.”

“Yes?”

“I appreciate your kindness, but I really can’t use this to cover myself.”

“Huh? Why not?”

“Because the Valkyrie is the patient.”

I’m just wet, but the Valkyrie is not only wet but also poisoned and sick. If I say I’m prioritizing the sick person, I can naturally decline the Holy Maiden’s kindness without rejecting it outright.

The Holy Maiden, as a medical professional, would surely think that caring for the patient comes first.

“Aah…”

Why does she sigh as if disappointed?

“Mage.”

“Yes?”

“How are you feeling right now?”

“I feel a bit hot, perhaps from inhaling the pollen earlier. But I can manage well enough. I plan to sleep briefly and then get up.”

“Then let’s do that thing we always do.”

I gulped, swallowing dry saliva.

“You mean receiving purification divine power?”

“That’s right.”

“I’m naked right now.”

“Yes.”

“And my body isn’t even completely dry yet.”

“That’s right.”

“And you’ve taken off your thickest clothes, so you’re also thinly dressed, aren’t you?”

“I know.”

The Holy Maiden spread her arms and moved her lips.

“Still, we have to do what needs to be done… right?”

Yes, we don’t know what adverse reactions might occur if the pollen accumulates in the body long-term. It’s better to listen to the Holy Maiden, who is the only medical professional here. I endured my embarrassment and embraced her.

And then.

For some reason, instead of calming down, my heart beat even more fiercely.

As soon as I finished embracing the Holy Maiden, I lay down next to the Valkyrie. Since there was only one bed to begin with, there was nowhere else to lie down.

“…”

“…”

My eyes met the Valkyrie’s. She immediately closed her eyes but didn’t turn away. Given where she was stung, it would be difficult for her to lie on the other side.

“Cover yourself.”

I placed the Holy Maiden’s clothes over the Valkyrie. Now I had somewhere to direct my gaze. Just as I was inwardly relieved about this, I suddenly felt a presence behind me.

[“Aren’t you cold?”]

It was Miyo, the older of the fox sisters.

[“You’ll catch a cold sleeping like this. Wait. I’ll be your blanket.”]

Miyo lay down with her back against mine. Her fluffy tail climbed up my back, then came over to the front and settled there.

[“There, warm, right?”]

[“Y-yes. Thank you.”]

Miyo turned her head and blew warm breath into my ear. It gave me goosebumps.

[“Today I’m covering you like this, but later, you’ll have to cover me. Got it?”]

***

After receiving treatment from the Holy Maiden and being freed from the aphrodisiac effect, all Rachel felt was shame so intense she wanted to die.

She had done it.

She had actually done it.

Just because she got stung by a bee and felt aroused, she had ended up French kissing Erich.

Guilt toward her friends.

Bewilderment at having kissed a mage from an enemy country.

And self-loathing for thinking it wasn’t disgusting but rather enjoyable.

“…”

If by any chance Erich had found it unpleasant, it would undoubtedly be considered sexual harassment. She would have committed a sex crime during wartime.

What should I do now?

What can I do? All I can do is pray. I can only hope that when I open my eyes and face Erich, he won’t be looking at me with contempt.

Rachel slowly opened her eyes.

Erich was frowning as he looked at her.

“…Ah.”

Rachel immediately closed her eyes again.

Despite seeing his face for just a moment, that expression was firmly fixed in her mind.

The Mage despised her.

No matter that it was due to the poison sting’s effect, she had suddenly stolen a kiss from an enemy. She understood why he would make such an expression.

But beyond that understanding, her heart ached even more.

You’re trash, Rachel.

She had betrayed her friends’ trust and made things awkward with the Mage.

She couldn’t even bring herself to apologize. Rachel inwardly groaned and surrendered to the approaching drowsiness.

The guilt was too much to bear right now.

***

“So, how is it?”

[“Doesn’t this make you feel soft and sleepy?”]

Riyo and Miyo whispered alternately. Their tails were stroking my body up and down. The tails also served as towels, quickly drying off the moisture and warming my body. This was nice.

But still.

The stimulation was too strong.

Until now, when touching or coming into contact with their tails, it had been over clothes, so I could exercise some restraint.

But having my bare skin against fur that was softer than usual yet subtly firm made me feel like I might lose my mind.

“Ugh.”

Without realizing it, I frowned and clenched my teeth.

The Valkyrie briefly opened her eyes and then closed them.

“…”

Ah, she saw after all.

How pathetic must she think I am, moaning while being toyed with by fox shapeshifters’ tails? She acted the way she did because of poison, but I’m perfectly fine and still behaving this way. She might be looking down on me.

In any case, I felt self-loathing. All I could do was try to fall asleep quickly.

[“Ah, it got hard.”]

Please, just stop.