Chapter 136: Responsibility

“Nngh!”

As I stretched and reached out, my hand touched the soft skin I’d caressed countless times the night before.

Squish. The sound was so adorable, just like its owner, that I was a bit surprised such a noise could come from a human body.

This sound and sensation seemed like they’d never get old, no matter how many times I felt them. As I continued touching, Jessica, who had been sound asleep, frowned and began to stir.

“Ugh…”

As Jessica slowly raised her body, the blanket I’d draped over her after our lovemaking last night slipped, revealing her fair skin beneath.

Somehow, seeing just a part of her exposed like this was more enticing than if she’d been completely naked, stimulating the imagination.

“Sleep well?”

Jessica blinked her eyes open. Upon seeing my face, she seemed to recall our night together and blushed furiously. She quickly covered herself with the blanket and moved away from me.

“Y-you beast of a man!”

“All humans are beasts.”

“Shut up! How many times did you finish inside last night…?!”

Jessica lifted the blanket to check the evidence of our encounter and let out a deep sigh.

“I begged you not to do that, but you didn’t listen at all… What if I really end up pregnant?!”

“So what? You could still raise a child while attending the academy.”

This wasn’t explicitly described in the novel, but from my own experience at the academy, I knew that quite a few female students got pregnant during their studies.

In a way, it made sense. Young couples officially paired up by their parents, spending three years together – it would be stranger if nothing happened.

While contraceptive magic existed in this world, students often failed when trying to cast it discreetly, slightly increasing the academy’s birth rate.

“Or do you not want to have my baby?”

“Th-that’s not it… I just want to enjoy academy life a bit more…”

“That’s fair.”

I suppose it was understandable for her to be reluctant, given how inconvenient it would be to use Baldo techniques with a swollen belly.

If I were a woman, I’d rather gut my uterus along with the baby than lose my sword skills.

“Isn’t there a wizard in the castle? Should we ask them to cast a post-coital contraceptive spell?”

At my question, Jessica gently caressed her lower abdomen where I had visited last night, her expression somewhat wistful.

“I-I’ll take care of that… More importantly, please leave now. I need to change clothes.”

I left as she asked, but honestly, it was a bit amusing.

Last night, I’d seen not only Jessica’s private parts but even her more indecent orifice below. What was so embarrassing about changing clothes now?

I stepped out of the room, but with nowhere else to go, I returned to the room where I’d first woken up.

“Zzz…”

Upon entering, I found Hori sound asleep on the bed I’d been lying in earlier, drooling away. She had been sitting in the chair beside the bed before.

I didn’t mind her sleeping elsewhere, but to brazenly take over a patient’s bed?

What kind of thought process led to this behavior?

“Hori, wake up.”

I slapped her cheek, which was still swollen from Jessica’s hit. Hori jolted awake reflexively and cried out with a pained expression.

“Ow ow ow!! Ian! What are you doing?!”

“Your face annoyed me, sleeping so peacefully in someone else’s bed. So I slapped you.”

“Even so… That really hurts! When Lady Jessica hit me, I thought my teeth were going to fall out!”

Considering how small Hori’s face was, I could imagine how painful it must have been, given that the bruise had almost reached her eye.

“Alright, I’m sorry. By the way, do you know where the dining hall is? I haven’t eaten in a week, so I’m starving.”

“Oh, it’s in the hall on the first floor. When those barbarians occupied the castle, they didn’t touch the food storage, so the meals have been really delicious!”

“Is that so?”

Encouraged by Hori’s words, I strapped Wolffang to my waist and left the room with her.

As we headed towards the dining hall, Wolffang suddenly rattled, as if the jostling had woken it up.

“Wolffang, you awake?”

[Yeah… Master, you reek of female and male scents… What exactly did you do last night?]

The unexpected comment caught me off guard for a moment. Come to think of it, I hadn’t washed up after last night’s activities.

“…Just something that happened.”

“What is it? What did you just say?”

“It’s nothing.”

I had no particular reason to hide it from Hori, but talking about last night’s encounter in front of a woman felt somewhat embarrassing, so I brushed it off.

As we entered the dining hall, we saw Count von Grund and Jessica’s brother having breakfast, fully dressed in formal attire despite the early hour.

One would think they’d dress more casually for breakfast, but perhaps this was the difference between high nobility and newly elevated nobles?

While I stood there lost in thought, Count von Grund pointed to the seat across from him with a somewhat disgruntled expression.

“…Please, have a seat.”

Whether he was still holding a grudge from when I punched him in the stomach or if he’d heard about the circumstances of our fight, he didn’t seem particularly pleased.

However, he couldn’t be cold to someone who had helped him, so his gesture of offering a seat reminded me of how Jessica used to act.

Maybe that’s why I called out to him, half-jokingly and half-seriously:

“Yes, father-in-law.”

At my words, Count von Grund dropped his utensils dramatically, staring at me blankly, just like in a TV drama.

“How dare…! Ahem, Sir Ian. While I’m grateful that you defeated Koraea and reclaimed the castle on my behalf, that doesn’t mean I can simply give you my daughter. This isn’t some children’s fairy tale. Please refrain from making such frivolous statements. It’s unbecoming of a nobleman.”

Even when angry to the point of bursting, he struggled to maintain his dignity – just like Jessica.

I had always thought Jessica took after her mother the most, but perhaps she was more like her father.

“I say this because I’ve already received Jessica, so there’s no need to worry about my conduct.”

“…What?”

This time, Jessica’s brother also dropped his utensils, his expression suggesting he couldn’t believe what he’d just heard.

“You bastard, what nonsense are you spouting…?!”

“Why would I lie about something so easily discovered? I took Jessica’s virginity last night. It’s the truth.”

“I-Ian?!”

[Master, is that true?!!]

As everyone looked at me as if I were insane, I calmly nodded.

This wasn’t just to tease Count von Grund; it was something I needed to confess directly, taking responsibility for my actions.

Seeing my serious expression and realizing this wasn’t a lie, Count von Grund overturned the expensive-looking dining table and lunged at me.

Amidst the plates and food floating in the air, I saw the Count charging towards me with bloodshot eyes and clenched fists.

As his fist came within reach, I closed my eyes, prepared to face the consequences of deflowering a virgin.

A moment later, intense pain spread across my face, and my body went flying.

“Tch…”

As expected of a trained warrior, even without using his energy and despite having just recovered from illness, the impact of his punch was considerable.

As I wiped the blood from my lips and tried to stand up, Count von Grund grabbed me by the collar and threw another punch.

“You son of a bitch!!!”

“F-Father!!”

As Count von Grund rained blows on me indiscriminately, Jessica’s brother, who had finally grasped the situation, moved to intervene.

“Please calm down!! Sir Ian has just recovered from illness! How can you use violence against someone in his condition?!”

“Shut up!! How can you say that when your sister has been violated?!!”

“Would someone who truly violated her come to confess so boldly?! Jessica’s an adult, so it was probably consensual!! Sir Ian is trying to take responsibility in his own way, so please calm down…!!!”

“What do you mean, an adult?! Jessica is still a child who needs protection!! And this bastard…!!”

Just as Count von Grund shook off his son and was about to strike me again, the door burst open with a bang.

Jessica, her hair slightly damp as if she’d just finished bathing, rushed in with a startled expression and shouted.

“F-Fath…!! Papa!! What on earth are you…!!”

“Jessica!! Wait just a moment!! I’m about to crush the head of this insolent fool who violated you…!!”

“Violated…? What are you talking about…?!”

Having spent considerable time together, Jessica seemed to understand the situation immediately upon meeting my eyes. She let out a deep sigh.

“I don’t know the details, but you’re misunderstanding!! I wasn’t violated or anything like that!!”

“Wh-what…?!! Then when this scoundrel said he took your virginity…”

“Th-that’s…!”

Unable to admit losing her virginity in front of her father and brother, Jessica could only express herself indirectly.

“W-whatever happened last night, I wasn’t forced into anything!! So please, stop using violence against him!!”

“Wh-what?!!”

Count von Grund’s eyes darted between me and Jessica, his raised fist trembling.

“Urgh…!!”

With his fist shaking as he glared at me, the Count finally couldn’t bring himself to strike. In a scene reminiscent of a morning soap opera, he dramatically lost consciousness.

“P-Papa!!!”

“Father!!!”

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