episode_0098

An awkward silence filled the carriage due to the events of last night.

Concealing the lingering sensation in his chest from Edan on purpose, Harold quietly recalled everything that had happened up to this point in his mind.

The sign that he was seriously starting to handle dual swordsmanship was about three months ago.

It had been two months since Edan had started learning dual swordsmanship from Harold.

After Edan debuted by showcasing dual swordsmanship to Harold for the first time, Harold began to teach him how to fight seriously with two swords.

Harold teaching Edan dual swordsmanship was surprising enough, but what was even more surprising was Edan’s speed in learning the sword.

Whether it was due to his previous knowledge of swordsmanship or not, Edan showed more effective growth in handling dual swords.

Eventually, two months ago, Edan won his first match against Harold with dual swordsmanship.

It was a pure swordsmanship duel without any tricks or clumsy tactics.

“Edan Master’s victory!”

“Huh?”

The moment Edan achieved his first proper victory, I was truly dumbfounded and felt dazed.

I had thought that it would end without any further incidents until he entered the academy, but who would have imagined that he could win another match with dual swordsmanship after learning it for three months.

The fact that he won with pure skill, without any deception or tricks, was the biggest issue.

Unless Harold was a fool, he wouldn’t fall for deceptive techniques more than once, so using a fake or trick was essentially a one-time attempt.

Winning a match purely with the power and speed of the sword, as well as improving his own movements and judgment, only increased the possibility of winning the next match.

And my ominous prediction was accepted as a matter of course.

Two times, three times, four times.

And even yesterday’s duel, Edan had won five times against Harold with “pure skill.”

As Edan’s victories through pure skill increased, the number of times I visited his room in the middle of the night also gradually increased.

As the frequency of Edan touching my chest increased, his actions became more daring.

Recently, it seemed that he was more focused on making me feel good rather than satisfying himself when touching my chest.

“Maid, do you prefer it a bit rough like this? Or gentle?”

“Th-that…I don’t know…”

“Or like this, with a bit more pressure…”

“Ah, um…! Haaah…!”

“Yes, maids indeed have weaknesses in this area.”

“N-no…it’s not a weakness…haah…!”

Just thinking about what happened last night momentarily made it increasingly difficult to face Edan.

Moreover, his recent actions were becoming more audacious and shameless.

The rule of one minute had long become a meaningless rule.

Or rather, had there ever been a time when that time was properly observed?

No matter how hard I tried to finish within one minute, every time I regained my senses, five or ten minutes had passed, so it was inevitable.

…Well, if we’re going to be precise, it’s all my fault.

If I hadn’t casually mentioned to Edan to touch my chest that day, the situation wouldn’t have escalated to this extent.

But who could have predicted this.

Edan, who couldn’t win a single match against Harold for almost two years, had won six times in the past six months.

I made the right judgment. It’s all Harold’s fault for regularly getting beaten up by my son.

Take off the title of Sword Master, you idiot son.

Anyway, as I had been allowing Edan to touch my chest once every two weeks recently, I had started to feel a strange fluttering emotion whenever I saw his face.

Lately, I had been expending a considerable amount of mental energy to calm down this crazed body of mine.

Just to make it clear in case of any misunderstandings, it was definitely not love.

It was just that Edan touched me so well that my body reacted, and as a result, my body would act strangely just from meeting Edan.

If this kind of thing is called love or romantic feelings, then all martial artists and AV actors must be in a relationship. Of course, there were no AV actors in this world.

And well, Edan touching my chest alone couldn’t damage my sturdy masculinity.

Originally, men would boast about how well they sculpted their bodies and ask women to touch them. It was a similar act, but in reverse.

Lilith’s body was truly well-sculpted as a female, so there wasn’t much difference compared to a muscular male body.

…I wasn’t asking Ethan to touch me because I wanted to show off my body.

Quietly gazing out the window at the passing scenery, I suddenly heard Ethan calling me cautiously.

“M-Maid.”

“What do you need, Master Ethan?”

“Are you upset because of what happened last night?”

…Even though it pricked my conscience that I let him play with my chest as he pleased in his excitement.

Of course, as a servant, I couldn’t frown and shake my head here, so the most resistance I could offer was to deny it without meeting Ethan’s eyes.

“No, Master Ethan. That is not the case.”

“I-I’m sorry, Maid. I just wanted to see a happier face on the Maid… I may have played too harshly just thinking about my own feelings…”

“….”

And as soon as he realized my strange mood, Ethan quickly apologized.

This behavior of Ethan’s actually confused me more than anything.

If I continued to feel upset, I would only be seen as a bad woman or a crazy woman.

If he had shamelessly said something like, ‘What’s wrong with doing what I want with my property?’ like the original game’s Hedan, I could have harbored some resentment.

Compared to the original game’s Hedan, Ethan was too kind and sincere.

…To the point where I felt disgusted with myself for even comparing him to the original Hedan for a moment.

“No, Master Ethan. There is no reason for you to apologize.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes. Since you obtained my chest as a reward for winning the duel with the Master, whatever you do with it is your freedom.”

“Maid…”

“…And I am ashamed to say, how can I resent you when I reached pleasure through your touch? You don’t have to hold any special meaning about what happened last night.”

“…Okay, I got it. Thank you for being honest, Maid.”

I only said that because it was more uncomfortable for me if Ethan felt guilty.

To be honest, I didn’t feel good at all.

No, I didn’t feel bad, but I didn’t want to feel better in that way.

I didn’t want Ethan to touch my chest, nor did I expect to reach pleasure through it.

This was an unchanging fact that would remain the same even after four years of graduating from the academy.

Well, once I enter the academy, there won’t be any more duels between Ethan and Harold, so this strange relationship can finally come to an end.

With that thought in mind, I absentmindedly looked out the carriage window again, and Ethan cautiously approached me.

“I’m looking forward to the academy, Maid.”

“Is that so.”

“…Aren’t you looking forward to it, Maid?”

“…No. I am also looking forward to it.”

Who could possibly answer that they aren’t looking forward to everything about the main plot of Luminoir Academy, learning magic as Lilith, and the second life that will unfold after graduation?

With that thought, I could easily brush away the humiliation of Ethan touching my chest last night.

“…Is it true that there’s only one empty room?”

…Until the evening when Ethan and I would encounter a new problem at the inn where we were supposed to stay.