episode_0076

The drinking party was lively and enjoyable.

The Hero continuously pulled out rare wines and appetizers from all over the world onto the table, allowing us to indulge in all sorts of delicacies and drinks, a feast that would rival the Empress’s banquet.

In front of the abundant spread, we grew close enough to comfortably converse with each other.

“Did I tell you about the time I saved the young lady of a fallen kingdom at the Imperial Academy?”

What illuminated the maturing drinking party were none other than the Hero’s diverse and captivating heroic tales.

“She was a child whose kingdom had been ruined by the Empire… but she concealed her anger and hatred, entered the Imperial Academy, and harbored a bold dream of overturning the Empire!”

Fitting his name as the Hero, he had traveled across the continent, intertwining himself with various groups and factions, creating fascinating stories that were enough to make us forget the passage of time.

“A young lady, huh~ Was she pretty?”

“Hmm~ Everyone said she was pretty… but in my opinion, she really wasn’t. She didn’t have Ariel’s unique charm, you see~”

“So she must have been a very docile child?”

“No! She was a child with strong pride and stubbornness… but her bust was incredibly ordinary!”

“Burst out laughing. What are you saying? Was *that* the kind of ‘personality’ you meant?”

Though it was close to vulgar lewd talk, I couldn’t help but smile at the Hero’s words.

Was it because the atmosphere was too buoyed by the fragrant, delicious wine and the feast of all kinds of delicacies?

Or was it purely because of the Hero’s calm yet clear mid-to-low voice, which I could hear distinctly even amidst the boisterous drinking atmosphere?

From his every word and action, a natural sense of goodwill arose, and I couldn’t help but smile.

Thud!

“Oops…”

I, who had been resting my chin on my arm, completely engrossed in his heroic tales, had my arm slip, causing me to spill a little of the wine from the glass in my hand.

“Jazel? Are you alright?”

Ariel was the first to worry about me.

“You look a little drunk, don’t you?”

The Hero then asked, his face full of concern as he scrutinized my features.

I had been drinking for quite a long time and had consumed a significant amount of alcohol.

There were at least 20 empty bottles rolling on the floor… I hadn’t even counted how many more there were beyond that, so there were definitely more.

“Ahahaha… It’s been a while since I’ve drunk for this long…”

I touched my face with my hand and could feel a strong heat radiating from it.

My upper body swayed gently from side to side against my will. Leaning back in my chair, I let out a long sigh filled with the scent of alcohol.

“Go and rest first. We have plenty of guest rooms.”

The Hero pointed pointedly to a room in the villa.

As the door he indicated opened, a soft, warm bed appeared, looking so inviting I wanted to throw myself onto it immediately.

“Then… what about Ariel?”

The rising intoxication and fatigue, which had only just begun to boil, made it impossible to resist the temptation of the soft, warm bed pulling me in.

However, unable to leave by myself, I looked at Ariel.

“Just one more drink and I’ll be done!”

Ariel, as if understanding my concern, winked cutely and gently swayed the glass she held, as if to apologize.

Fortunately, even though Ariel had drunk a lot with me, I didn’t notice any significant change in her, other than being slightly more cheerful.

Was Ariel’s tolerance for alcohol stronger than I’d imagined?

Seeing that she, unlike me, maintained clear reason despite drinking so much, I had no choice but to trust her words.

“Alright. Ermel. Please take care of Jazel.”

As I stumbled to my feet, my intoxication boiling up, the Hero called Ermel.

Then, she, whose presence hadn’t been noticeable throughout the drinking party, appeared by my side like a shadow and grabbed the sleeve of my right arm.

“This way.”

Ermel guided me, pulling on the sleeve of my right arm, showing me the way.

With the alcohol boiling up to my head, I pressed my left hand to my forehead and weakly followed Ermel’s lead.

“Where was I in my story?”

“The story about the young lady of the kingdom!”

“Ah, right, right. So…”

Feeling the voices of the Hero and Ariel slowly fade behind me, I was led by Ermel to a place called the guest room.

“Stay still.”

The moment I entered the room and was about to lie down on the bed, which boasted lavish softness as if tempting me,

Ermel, who had led me here, suddenly stepped between the bed and me, blocking me as I was about to throw myself onto it.

“You need to wash first.”

“Wa… wash?”

I was flustered by Ermel’s words, as she blocked my path and told me to wash as if she were treating a child.

“It’s hard to clean if it gets dirty.”

Perhaps Ermel was in charge of all the tidying up in this place.

Though she maintained her usual expressionless face, I saw a slight furrow in her brow, indicating she strongly disliked the bed getting dirty.

“Alright… where’s the bathroom?”

Once you’re a guest in someone else’s house, you have to follow their rules.

Despite being bothered by the fatigue and intoxication that had completely taken over my head, I asked for the location of the bathroom to obey her command to wash.

“Hold your breath and just stay still.”

“Huh?”

The moment I questioned her, as her answer was unrelated to my question about the bathroom.

Ermel, as if to show me through action rather than words, raised a finger and lightly drew a circle in the air.

Then, a warm mass of water, faintly steaming, formed above my head.

“Wow… it’s magic…”

Unlike the Hero’s antics, this time I could clearly feel the magical energy emanating from her fingertips.

Soon after, Ermel slowly lowered her raised finger.

Then, the water mass created above my head slowly descended over me, following the movement of Ermel’s fingertips like a living creature, and began to glide over my body.

“Ahhh… that feels good…”

The warm water glided over my body according to Ermel’s will, cleanly washing away the sweat and waste accumulated from walking through the forest.

“Huh?”

The warm pool of water, which had passed over my head, upper body, and waist, paused briefly between my legs.

The water mass, moving according to Ermel’s will, gently caressed the object between my legs like a living creature.

“You have a good one.”

Ermel evaluated my “object” dispassionately, her face still expressionless.

“Stop messing around.”

Startled by her sudden prank, I frowned and waved my hand as if trying to shake off the water mass lingering near my crotch.

“Alright.”

Then, unlike her initial words, with a nonchalant reply as if she wasn’t very interested, she slowly moved the water mass that had been lingering near my crotch downwards, finishing the washing of my body.

“Thank you. Can I lie down now?”

Though I was grateful for the special magic that washed my body, I couldn’t help but be wary of her because of the mysterious prank she pulled at the end.

The way she performed such a sexual prank without any change in her facial expression, not even a twitch of her eyebrows, gave me a sense of disconnect.

“Yes. Sleep well.”

Fortunately, that was the end of it.

When I expressed my intention to lie down, Ermel moved aside, as if she had no intention of stopping me.

And with a final “sleep well” greeting, she opened the door and left with quiet steps, so quiet that not even the sound of her footsteps could be heard.

“Hah…”

The moment Ermel disappeared from my sight, I let out a sigh of relief and lay my pleasantly flushed body, warmed by the hot water, onto the soft bed.

Wrapped in the lingering intoxication in my head, the cloud-like soft bed, and the afterglow of the warm water, my eyelids naturally closed.

As I let out a pleasant sigh filled with peace and comfort, just as I was about to surrender to the overwhelming urge to sleep…

“Ugh?!”

Startled by a sudden, unfamiliar weight pressing on my waist, I abruptly opened my eyes.

“E… Ermel?!”

The source of the weight on my waist was Ermel, who had clearly just left the room.

She was on top of my waist, her face still expressionless, looking down at me as if I were a trivial creature.

“You… where are your clothes!?”

Her usual purple robe was gone, and she was naked, her pale skin completely exposed, as she sat on top of me.

My surprise at Ermel suddenly being naked on top of me lasted only a moment.

My gaze, which had been fixed on her expressionless face, slowly descended. After confirming the faint curves of her chest, which I could barely discern even by focusing intently,

I didn’t feel much visual attraction, so my gaze returned to her face.

“……”

Perhaps she realized that her meager chest hadn’t managed to capture my gaze.

Her expressionless brow furrowed slightly.