Chap 30-The Master’s Teachings

 

“…Is this okay?”

Bella maintained a composed expression, but inside, she felt a whirlwind of complex emotions at Yeon’s reluctant agreement.

‘Let’s shower together.’

Bella herself was confused as to why those words had come out so naturally, and why she felt awkward at Yeon’s flustered reaction.

It was a common occurrence on the battlefield.

In urgent situations, the distinction between men and women often became meaningless.

After days and nights of continuous fighting, a brief respite would be granted.

During those times, it was not uncommon for soldiers to wash together in makeshift barracks, regardless of gender.

Of course, minimal etiquette was observed.

Crude partitions were erected, or soldiers would simply dust off the dirt from their arms, legs, and faces while still clothed.

Back then, it didn’t feel like anything.

Bella wouldn’t have cared if a fellow knight was scrubbing their back naked next to her.

They were comrades who had faced life and death together, and there was no room to perceive each other as anything other than that.

In those extreme environments, the distinction of gender faded, leaving only camaraderie and the instinct for survival.

Yeon Bennet.

She was a girl like her, and even a junior and student she had to protect.

Therefore, the suggestion to ‘shower together’ should have stemmed from a pure intention to wash away sweat, just like on the battlefield, without any ulterior motives.

But…

Bella couldn’t deceive herself.

Her suggestion just now clearly contained a different kind of desire.

A simple and primal curiosity to see her naked body.

Or a desire to know more about her.

Perhaps even a twisted feeling of wanting to possess her.

She couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was.

But it was certain that the suggestion was not innocent.

Was that why?

The thought of showering with Yeon, a woman, suddenly made her body feel hot and filled her with embarrassment.

She had pretended to be calm at Yeon’s reaction, but in reality, Bella herself was flustered.

Yeon’s sweat-soaked appearance, the delicate lines of her body glimpsed during sparring,

And above all, the subtle emotions that had intensified after learning her secret.

All of these things stirred Bella’s heart.

‘Get a grip, Bella Staren.’

Bella scolded herself inwardly.

They were both adults, but she was a professor, and Yeon was a student.

She shouldn’t harbor such impure feelings.

But once the emotional turmoil had begun, it was not easily quelled.

Just imagining being in the bath with Yeon made her heart race uncontrollably.

Bella tried to maintain a blank expression, concealing her confused inner thoughts as she followed Yeon towards the bathroom.

She didn’t yet know how to handle this awkward and dangerous feeling.

The shower room attached to the private training room was more spacious and cleaner than she had expected.

In the space where warm steam faintly rose, only the sound of their breathing and the rustling of clothes echoed quietly.

As if by agreement, Bella and Yeon turned their backs to each other and began to undress in silence.

Bella tried not to be conscious of Yeon, but her ears were keenly open.

Swish- Ssh-

The soft sound of fabric rubbing against each other seemed unusually loud.

Would the next sound be the unbuttoning of a blouse?

Or the lowering of a skirt zipper?

Bella felt as if her throat was parched just from imagining it.

A quick glance.

‘Just for a moment.’

Unable to resist, Bella surreptitiously stole glances at Yeon’s figure through the reflection in the mirror, or by slightly turning her head.

The first thing that caught her eye was the white line of her shoulders and her slender back.

Her skin, slightly glistening with sweat, looked as smooth as porcelain.

Unlike her own body, hardened by the battlefield, Yeon’s lines were soft and delicate.

Bella swallowed hard without realizing it.

Her gaze drifted a little lower.

Although she wasn’t completely undressed, the outline of her breasts revealed beneath her underwear did not deviate from Bella’s expectations.

They weren’t large, but they weren’t small either, just the right size, nicely rounded and shapely.

There wasn’t an ounce of excess fat to be found anywhere on her body.

Just as Bella’s gaze was unconsciously drifting further down…

She almost made eye contact with Yeon in the mirror.

Startled, Bella quickly turned her head back to face forward.

Her heart was pounding like crazy.

Did she get caught?

‘Get a grip!’

Scolding herself, she finished taking off her remaining clothes.

Trying to act as nonchalantly as possible, she walked towards the shower.

“…It’s a little embarrassing.”

Yeon’s small voice came from behind her.

Even without turning around, she could tell that her face was slightly flushed.

As she imagined that image, Bella once again felt a tingling in her heart.

Unlike the prickly facade she usually had to wear, that honest and shy appearance was strangely… cute and pretty.

Bella tried to clear her throat and replied, pretending to be nonchalant.

“What’s embarrassing about it? We’re both women anyway.”

She spoke in a deliberately brusque tone, but she could feel her own voice trembling slightly.

The two began to rinse their bodies briefly under the shower.

They tried not to look at each other’s bodies, but they couldn’t help but steal glances.

Finally, after rinsing their bodies, the two entered the warm bath filled with water next to them.

Splash-

The warm water enveloping her body seemed to ease the tension a little.

But at the same time, the fact that they were alone in a small space, and the sensation of each other’s naked bodies faintly felt in the water, created a strange tension that still lingered.

Bella tried to look straight ahead, trying to control the rising awkwardness and unknown emotions.

“…Thank you for the training today, Senior.”

It was Yeon who broke the silence first.

Her voice, wet with water, sounded softer than usual.

Bella opened her eyes and looked at Yeon.

“No. I learned even more from you.”

Bella answered honestly.

“And about that eye. If you need training to adapt to the changed vision, I’ll help you anytime.”

“…Thank you.”

Yeon replied softly and then lowered her gaze back into the water.

After that, the two spent their time in silence again.

But even in the silence, a strange current continued to flow.

They repeatedly stole glances at each other’s shoulders, arms, or the silhouettes of their legs submerged in the water, and then startled and averted their eyes when they accidentally made eye contact.

It was awkward, but strangely, the tension wasn’t unpleasant.

How much time had passed?

Bella felt that her body was relaxed enough and stood up.

“I think I’ve relieved most of the fatigue, so let’s finish up and get out.”

“Okay, I understand.”

Yeon nodded and stood up as well.

The sight of water droplets running down her white skin made Bella hesitate again, unsure of where to look.

Just as she was about to step out of the tub to dry herself,

Suddenly, Yeon approached Bella with a shower towel lathered with soap.

‘…Huh?’

Bella looked at Yeon with a puzzled expression.

Swish-swish-

Before Bella could even grasp the situation, Yeon’s small, soft hands touched her back.

With rich lather, Yeon began to scrub Bella’s back with careful but skillful movements.

“…!!”

Bella was so surprised that her body stiffened.

The soft sensation and warm lather felt on her back, and Yeon’s subtle breath.

Her senses seemed to sharpen at the unexpected contact.

Yeon, also flustered by Bella’s reaction, stopped her hands.

She looked at Bella, unsure of what to do.

“That… I learned from Master. It’s polite for close friends to wash each other’s upper bodies when bathing…”

Yeon trailed off and tilted her head.

‘There’s no way such unheard-of etiquette exists!’

Bella was horrified inwardly.

Dorothy Lightshield.

The great Transcendent and the chairman of the academy.

What on earth did she teach her disciple!

For a moment, she felt her respect for Dorothy diminish, just slightly.

She had to tell her that it wasn’t true, that there was no such etiquette.

But…

Thinking about the soft sensation on her back and Yeon’s flustered face, she couldn’t bring herself to tell the truth.

And to be honest…

It didn’t feel bad.

No, rather…

Bella swallowed hard and tried to answer as if nothing was wrong.

Her mouth moved differently from her inner thoughts.

No, perhaps it had read her true feelings.

“You’re right.”

“Huh?”

Yeon’s eyes widened.

“You’re right…”

Bella cleared her throat and added.

“It was just so sudden that I was a little surprised.”

She tried to maintain a calm expression, but she couldn’t stop her ears from getting hot.

“Ah… sorry.”

Yeon seemed relieved and carefully began to scrub her back again.

Bella closed her eyes and entrusted herself to her touch.

The sensation of her hands gently caressing her entire back was pleasant and dizzying.

After a while, Yeon’s touch stopped.

“Um… Senior. I’m done with the back…”

Yeon’s voice seemed to tremble slightly.

Bella waited without saying anything.

“…Now it’s time for the front…”

Yeon said hesitantly.

Bella held her breath.

‘You have to stop now.’ Reason warned.

This isn’t right.

But the desire and curiosity that had already bloomed were beyond Bella’s control.

Imagining Yeon’s touch on the front of her body made her whole body hot again.

In the end, Bella couldn’t overcome her desire and slowly turned her body.

Splash-

Bella’s voluptuous breasts came so close to Yeon’s eyes that they almost touched.

Bella felt her face flush as she felt Yeon’s gaze on her body.

Yeon paused for a moment, but soon began to gently lather Bella’s shoulders, collarbones, and the upper part of her chest with soft, gentle strokes.

Her touch was somewhat clumsy and trembling, unlike when she was scrubbing her back, but this only came as an intense stimulation to Bella.

Bella met Yeon’s eyes as she looked up at her from right in front of her.

Moist, dark eyelashes, slightly parted red lips, and clear eyes that seemed to be mixed with embarrassment and curiosity.

As she looked at that face, she felt unbearably embarrassed, but at the same time, something hot began to surge up from deep within her lower abdomen.

‘No… I have to hold back!’

Bella desperately suppressed the rising desire.

She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists tightly.

But every time Yeon’s touch brushed near her navel, she couldn’t stop the nerves all over her body from standing on end.

“I’m… I’m all done, Senior.”

Finally, Yeon’s touch stopped.

She lowered her head and mumbled in a very embarrassed expression.

Her face was as red as a ripe apple.

“Now… it’s Senior’s turn…”

With those words, Yeon squeezed her eyes shut with a very nervous expression.

Like a criminal waiting for punishment.

That defenseless and innocent appearance was enough to break the last thread of reason that Bella had been barely holding onto.

In an instant, Bella’s eyes changed.

The suppressed desire began to run wild like a runaway horse.

“It’s your fault, Yeon.”

Bella’s voice was low and roughly hoarse.

“Huh…?”

Author’s words:

Um… I was clearly planning to describe it roughly and move on to the next story, but as I was writing, it filled up an entire chapter…

Thank you for reading!

TN: No Yeon!