Reward for Winning the Spar? (1)

“Good work today, Prince Ethan.”

“…Good work, Hero.”

While Natalie and I were chatting about this and that, it seemed Ethan and Gyeotmwa Josyegigot’s spar had already ended, as they sheathed their swords and exchanged light greetings.

Of course, the result was naturally Ethan’s victory, but judging by his expression, he didn’t seem entirely satisfied. It must have been because he wasn’t happy about winning against a hero who wasn’t in top condition.

After a brief exchange, Ethan and Gyeotmwa Josyegigot parted ways without another word, showing no lingering attachment.

‘You’d think they’d get closer after crossing swords every week like that.’

Well, Ethan’s principle was that he couldn’t trust a guy who had multiple women around him, so maybe it was impossible for them to ever become close.

Once Gyeotmwa Josyegigot defeats the Demon King and returns to his own world, Ethan’s misunderstanding about him might clear up, but by then, it would already be physically impossible for the two to reconcile.

If Ethan and Gyeotmwa got along better, I could relax a bit and maybe even share some ‘reincarnation stories’ with him, but the chances of that happening didn’t seem very high, which was a shame.

‘Well, in any case, after two years, I won’t have to worry about Ethan’s reactions anymore.’

Things like reincarnation stories could always be shared later, after graduating from the academy, whenever we happened to meet.

Since I had the events of Part 4 after graduation already mapped out in my head, it wouldn’t be too hard to arrange a chance encounter and meet him separately.

After graduation, I planned to change my status and become an ‘adventurer,’ and adventurers were a special profession where traveling anywhere in the world wouldn’t seem out of place.

…That was one of the few advantages I could look forward to after parting ways with Ethan.

“Good work today, Young Master Ethan. Your swordsmanship was excellent as always.”

“Yeah. Thanks, Lilith. I saw you sparring with Natalie earlier too. You handled it calmly and well.”

“After the break, you have a spar with Professor Harold, right?”

“That’s right. Since I didn’t expend too much energy in the spar with the hero today… I think I might actually win this time.”

-Thump.

“…I-I see. I’ll cheer for you with all my heart, Young Master Ethan.”

…I really hate this. Just hearing Ethan say he might win against Harold makes my heart race.

It crossed my mind that this was a rare chance to be with Ethan, but even I had to admit that getting flustered over something like this was ridiculous.

Of course, from a chastity perspective, since a woman could only be intimate with one man in her lifetime, I didn’t think it was so bad to enjoy myself as much as possible before parting ways with Ethan.

After the student spars, there was a short break, followed by individual spars between Harold and the students.

-Thwak!

“…Well done, Ethan.”

“Haa, huff, huuu…”

And just as he had predicted, Ethan boldly won a match against Harold right in front of me.

Now, as long as his condition was good, he could definitely take a match even against Harold at full strength-that was undeniably impressive.

“Good work, Ethan. Today, there wasn’t a single moment of hesitation in your swings.”

“…Thank you.”

Well, he had been training hard, sparring against Karaham’s relentless sword, my quick strikes, and Lilia’s unorthodox attacks over the past week.

On top of that, Ethan had thoroughly prepared for today’s spar with Harold, even managing his condition carefully, so today’s victory was practically a foregone conclusion.

Which also meant that today was the day I would reward Ethan. Just thinking about how he might pounce on me tonight made my heart race strangely.

‘…Last time, he forced his face between my legs, didn’t he?’

Clam soup? That’s what I think it was called-the term in this world for when a man uses his mouth.

With relentless lips and tongue, he sent me over the edge first, then drank every last drop of the clear fluid from my lower half, as if to prove his earlier words that nothing from me was unclean. Just remembering it now made me burn with embarrassment…

‘…No, forget it.’

It was probably better to forget that memory.

Somehow, just recalling it put me in a strange mood. My preferences leaned more toward something else anyway.

I preferred it when Ethan treated me roughly, like a mere tool for his desires, rather than servicing me from below. That felt more sincere-like I was seeing the real Ethan.

…What on earth am I even thinking about right now?

‘Lately, my thoughts keep drifting in this direction.’

Was it because I had already acknowledged my feelings for Ethan deep down?

Before, I had at least pretended to deny them a little, but recently, I’d been genuinely thinking about how to create as many memories with Ethan as possible.

Admittedly, those thoughts seemed to skew toward the lewd side… but, well, whatever.

It wasn’t like I only found pleasure in lewd things. It was just enjoyable to build all kinds of memories with Ethan.

In fact, the last time we had Natural Science class together was quite fun. We didn’t do anything lewd, but those five days and six nights of eating, sleeping, and surviving with Ethan felt like a truly enjoyable vacation.

‘We can’t stay in wet clothes, so I’ll take them off to dry.’

‘I’ll be washing myself now, so I’ll ask Young Master Ethan to guard me for a moment. Of course, you’re free to peek.’

‘The night breeze is chilly tonight, so it’d be best to stay close to maintain body heat, Young Master Ethan.’

…Well, as long as nothing went inside, it wasn’t technically lewd.

In any case, tonight would be the first time in nearly a month since the semester started that Ethan and I would share a bed, so my heart was swelling with anticipation.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

That afternoon, after Ethan had won a match against Harold in the morning’s Magic Swordsmanship class.

We spent the rest of the day acting as if nothing had changed, waiting for nightfall.

The last time we had been intimate was about a week before leaving the Blackwood estate, so Ethan’s desire for me must have been building up by now.

There was no sign that he had taken care of his urges alone. Since I handled all his laundry, I would have noticed any lingering scent if he had.

Honestly, it was almost miraculous for a teenage boy to go without releasing his urges more than five times a week, but that was probably because I was with him for nearly 20 hours a day.

In our second year, we at least had separate classes, giving us time apart until evening, but this year, as third-years, our schedules overlapped for all but one specialized subject.

‘After holding back for so long, his urges must have built up considerably.’

Still, for now, I had to wait calmly. If I brought it up first, it would seem like I was the one who had been waiting eagerly.

Even if I had grown comfortable with being intimate with Ethan, there was no way my desires could be stronger than those of a teenage boy.

If I stayed quiet, Ethan would likely bring up the reward himself.

Or maybe, this time, he would skip the warning and just pounce on me suddenly. I had already told him a while back that he didn’t need to consult me before claiming his reward.

Thinking this, I casually probed during dinner at the dormitory cafeteria about what kind of play he might want tonight.

“Young Master Ethan.”

“Yeah, Lilith.”

“Between the academy uniform, the maid outfit, and nightwear, which do you prefer?”

“……”

At my blunt question, Ethan blushed slightly and averted his gaze.

He must have understood the underlying meaning of my words. Most of the times we had been intimate, I had been wearing one of those three outfits.

“W-why are you asking that all of a sudden, Lilith?”

“Just a meaningless question, Young Master Ethan.”

“…W-well. To be honest, all three…”

“If you say you like all three, I’ll take it to mean that what you really like most is a woman’s naked body.”

“…How does that make sense?”

“Because saying you like all three outfits is practically the same as saying you like the woman’s body itself.”

“……”

Well, if he really answered that way, I was fully prepared to accommodate his request.

Though I would miss the thrill of Ethan slowly undressing me, starting naked would save time.

As I waited for Ethan’s choice of outfit tonight, his answer turned out to be something completely unexpected.

“…Lilith, I feel a little bad saying this now.”

“Ah, if you’d prefer a different outfit, I have a few more dresses in my dorm room…”

“Tonight… can we just sleep without the reward?”

“…………Why?”