Under the combined pressure of various human forces, the Norwich Empire fell into total chaos.
The allied forces, led by the Mage Tower, had already advanced to the gates of the Imperial Capital.
Before long, the Norwich Empire would face its end.
At the Snow City Fortress, the demons’ attacks were nearing their final dance.
The reconstruction of the fortress proceeded swiftly. With the assistance of the Rose Knights and the Cross Knights, the Snow City Fortress had mostly been restored in just over half a month.
Furthermore, under the constant pressure of the demon attacks, every member of the Rose Knights had reached Level 60.
Leanna, the fastest among them, was even approaching Level 70.
To celebrate, Selis prepared a vast array of delicious food, intending to reward and comfort the Rose Knights.
However, upon arriving at the front lines of the fortress and distributing the food, she noticed with surprise that Teresa was nowhere to be found among the crowd.
Finding Leanna, Selis asked with a hint of concern, “Where is Teresa? Did she not come?”
Leanna shook her head. “I am not sure what is going on with her. She looked quite pale, so perhaps she has fallen ill. She has been on leave for two days already.”
Hearing someone mention Teresa’s name nearby, Iserine, who was chewing on fresh bread, stiffened and immediately turned her gaze toward them.
Upon realizing it was Saintess Selis, her eyes twitched. She hurriedly turned around, attempting to slip away through the crowd.
“Then I shall go check on her,” Selis said.
Selis frowned slightly, her clear eyes reflecting worry.
She turned and headed toward the dormitory area assigned to the Rose Knights within the fortress.
However, just as she turned a street corner, she caught sight of Iserine’s hurried figure.
Selis called out to her.
“Oh? Iserine, why are you in such a rush? Where are you going?”
Iserine froze as if struck by a binding spell.
She abruptly stopped her pace, her hands unconsciously gripping the hem of her clothes.
Her eyes darted around, not daring to meet Selis’s gaze.
“I… I… I remembered I left something somewhere else. I was just going to get it…”
She stammered as she spoke, and an unnatural flush crept onto her cheeks.
Selis watched her quietly for a moment.
Her eyes, which seemed capable of seeing through a person’s heart, made Iserine want to run away.
Ultimately, Selis merely nodded gently. “I see. Go on, then.”
“Right!”
Iserine looked as if she had been granted a divine pardon.
She turned immediately and left at a brisk pace, her retreating figure looking quite flustered.
Once she rounded the corner, she leaned her back against the wall and placed a hand over her heart to calm her racing pulse.
At the same time, she closed her eyes and silently prayed for Teresa.
‘I’m sorry, Teresa. I wanted to save you, but Saintess Selis has blocked the way, so…’
Whether Teresa’s secret would be discovered now depended entirely on her luck!
On the other side, Selis had naturally noticed Iserine’s strange behavior.
However, she was not the type of Saintess who liked to pry.
It was normal for girls of their age to have their own little secrets.
Thus, she chose to let Iserine go.
……..
Soon, she arrived at the door to Teresa’s room.
Knock, knock, knock—
After she raised her hand and knocked, there was a moment of silence inside before Teresa’s hesitant voice drifted out.
“Who is it?”
“It is I, Selis.”
A panicked sound erupted from within the room.
There was a distinct clatter of movement, as if something had been knocked over and hurriedly picked up, accompanied by sharp gasps for air.
After several seconds, Teresa finally responded, her voice tight. “Please… please come in.”
Selis pushed the door open and entered.
The room was somewhat dim, with the curtains only halfway drawn. Teresa was curled up on the bed, wrapped in a thin quilt.
An unnatural flush colored her pale face, and her eyes darted away.
She did not even dare to look directly at Selis, staring instead at the corner of her blanket.
Selis walked to the bedside and asked softly, “What is wrong? Have you fallen ill again? I heard you have been absent for two days.”
“No, no,” Teresa denied quickly, her fingers unconsciously tightening around the quilt. “I am just… just a bit tired.”
“Tired?”
Selis sat down on the edge of the bed, her gentle gaze resting on her.
“Yes. Perhaps it is because I have been fighting on the front lines for so long. Recently, I have felt mentally exhausted and wanted to rest for a while. But do not worry, I will be able to return tomorrow.”
After seemingly building up some mental resolve, the strange flush on Teresa’s face gradually faded.
She finally summoned the courage to look at Selis.
Immediately after, she lowered her head again, her eyes inexplicably glancing at the pillow beside her.
Following her gaze toward the pillow for a moment, Selis spoke with a voice full of understanding and pity.
“I see. You have worked hard.”
“But it makes sense. To have you all fighting constantly is truly asking too much. Other girls your age are likely enjoying their lives right now.”
Her voice carried a trace of subtle guilt as she turned back and looked earnestly at Teresa.
“Will you blame us for not having a life of your own all these years? After all, we were the ones who gathered you all together.”
Hearing this, Teresa quickly leaned forward to her side. They were so close they could feel each other’s breath.
“How could I?!”
Her voice rose slightly with emotion.
“If it were not for you, I would likely have been dragged back by my Noble Family to continue enduring hellish torture. In fact, it is not just me. Many of our sisters in the Rose Knights are deeply grateful to you!”
Looking at Teresa’s cheeks, which had turned pink from her frantic explanation, Selis tilted her head slightly.
She could not help but lean back a little while revealing a gentle, somewhat puzzled smile.
“Is that so? But Teresa, you do not need to be so excited.”
Realizing the impropriety of her actions, Teresa shook her head, her light blue hair swaying gently.
She slowly reached out, appearing as if she wanted to grab Selis’s wrist, but she stopped mid-air and instead gripped her own collar tightly.
“Apologies. I just do not want you to think that way. After all, the Rose Knights cannot function without you.”
Then, as if suddenly feeling uncomfortable, she shifted her body slightly.
Her fingers unconsciously pinched the slightly damp fabric over her chest, and her voice dropped lower.
“By the way, Lady Selis, I feel a bit sticky. I want to take a bath…”
Hearing this, Selis smiled warmly, though her tone held a hint of confusion. “Then go. Why are you telling me?”
Teresa’s cheeks instantly flushed a deep red, the color spreading all the way to the tips of her ears.
She lowered her head, staring at her tightly interlaced hands.
Her voice was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, nearly drowning in the quiet air of the dormitory. “I want… I want to ask you to bathe with me.”
“Eh?”
Selis was visibly stunned. Her long eyelashes fluttered, and a flash of caught-off-guard surprise crossed her face.
“I do not mean anything else!”
Teresa hurriedly looked up to explain, her hands waving frantically in front of her chest.
“It is just… just…”
She bit her lower lip, real fear and unease appearing in her eyes.
“Since the Monsterization, I always feel as though my body has not fully returned to its human form. Especially on my back… I can still feel the wriggling of wings… That feeling is terrifying.”
Selis gazed at her, the surprise in her eyes gradually transforming into understanding and tenderness.
No matter how mature Teresa acted, she was still just a girl who had recently turned twenty.
Faced with a bizarre power that could alter her body, it was only natural for her to feel dread and fear.
At a time like this, as the Saintess, she should provide her with encouragement and courage.
Selis sighed softly and reached out to pat Teresa’s tense arm reassuringly. “Very well. I will bathe with you.”
“Really?”
Teresa’s eyes instantly lit up.
“Of course. Think of it as me performing a physical examination for you.”
Selis nodded, her voice returning to its usual steady tone.
As she spoke, she walked toward the bathroom in the room and began to adjust the hot water.
As the misty steam gradually filled the air, she stepped out of the bathroom and looked at Teresa, who was dazed where she stood. Selis smiled slightly.
“Actually, even if you did not return to human form, we would never abandon you. Especially the other Rose Knights—in their eyes, you are a true hero.”
“Mm.”
Teresa gave a low response, looking quite shy.
However, in a place where Selis could not see, the corners of her mouth curled into a successful, cunning smile.
In that single instant, the soft girl in need of protection seemed to transform into a carnivorous big bad wolf, revealing her clever tail.
Yet, almost immediately, the “wolf” tucked its tail back in and reverted to the role of a pitiful young girl.
……
Inside the bathroom, warm water washed over their bodies, and the rising steam blurred their outlines.
Sitting in the tub, Selis held a towel, her fair arms exposed. She said softly, “Let me scrub your back for you.”
“Okay.”
Teresa obediently turned around and removed her bath towel, presenting her smooth back to Selis.
Droplets of water slid down her elegant spine, eventually merging into the bathwater and vanishing.
Selis’s fingers slid gently over her back, feeling carefully. She spoke, attempting to dispel Teresa’s anxiety.
“Your body is no different from ours now. You do not need to worry so much.”
“Is that so?”
Teresa’s voice carried a hint of uncertain trembling.
She turned her head slightly, wet strands of hair sticking to her cheeks.
Her pink lips seemed a bit pale due to fear.
“But I always feel like something is wriggling inside me. Those vanished wings and feathers might just be hidden…”
“How could that be?”
Selis stopped her movements, her tone gentle yet firm.
“Even if they are hidden, that would only be because your Divine Grace is too potent. To be a descendant of the Goddess… that is a status countless people dream of.”
“Is that how it is?”
Teresa asked softly in return. She suddenly turned her body completely. Water droplets slid from her delicate collarbones.
In the next second, she seemed to lose her sense of distance and accidentally bumped into Selis.
As their soft bodies pressed together, Selis unconsciously swallowed.
For some reason, she felt an inexplicable sensation that the girl before her was tempting her.
‘But… that should be impossible. Teresa is just scared right now. As the Saintess, how could I harbor such terrible thoughts when she needs help the most?’
Collecting her thoughts, Selis suppressed the flutter in her eyes.
Amidst the mist, Teresa gently toyed with the surface of the water while looking directly at Selis, her eyes holding a trace of mischief and testing.
“But I do not feel this status is very good. Besides, Lady Selis, you said before that you were helping me with a physical examination, right?”
“Yes,” Selis replied, her heart skipping a beat for some reason while she maintained a calm facade.
“Is something wrong?”
Teresa pressed forward a small step, and the distance between them within the mist suddenly narrowed again.
“Is it not a bit unfair to only check my back?”
Her voice was soft and sweet from the humidity, yet it scratched at the heartstrings like a feather.
The flush on Selis’s cheeks finally became uncontrollable.
She instinctively took a half-step back, her spine pressing against the cool porcelain tiles.
“You… you are…”
‘It is exactly like what was in the manual!’
‘When facing a gentle Saintess, only by taking the initiative can you make her fall!’
Thinking of several suggestive images, Teresa gave her no chance to retreat.
She took Selis’s hand and guided her fingertips to stroke gently over her own smooth neck and collarbone, then slowly moved them downward.
Then, her voice took on a tone of deliberate distress and coquettishness.
“I do not just feel the wriggling on my back. It is like this in other places, too. Lady Selis, can you help me check?”
Selis’s hand trembled slightly as she tried to pull back, but Teresa held it firmly in place.
Her voice was thick with obvious panic, her words nearly incoherent. “This… this… the other places should be fine, right?”
Teresa gazed at Selis’s flushed cheeks and darting eyes, the smile at the corners of her mouth deepening.
In this moment, the “wolf” finally discarded her disguise.
“Is that so? But I feel like my figure has become much thinner, and the curves in some places are no longer perfect.”
Her gaze swept boldly over Selis’s body, which was fully revealed by the wet fabric, carrying unabashed envy.
“Unlike you, Lady Selis… you are so perfect…”
Splash—
The water’s surface broke. Teresa pressed her body against Selis and pulled away the other woman’s bath towel.
At the same time, she leaned close to her ear and whispered like a succubus.
“So perfect… that I want to eat you right now.”
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