El woke up in the middle of the night.
The campfire burned quietly, casting a warm glow over the small space inside the cave.
He stretched, loosened his muscles, and then headed to the cave entrance to find the night watch, Nia, planning to switch shifts with her.
As the saying goes, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”—the ancients did not lie.
In this desolate wilderness, a lone man and woman sharing a cave—doesn’t this scream protagonist storyline?
Humming a tune, El held the jacket he had just taken off, still warm from his body, ready to put on a good show in front of the female knight.
But when he reached the cave entrance, he found the female knight asleep right there.
His original plan instantly fell through.
“You, knight, how can you be so unprofessional? We agreed each of us would watch half the night, and you’re already asleep?”
El squatted beside Nia, scrutinizing her.
The young female knight leaned against the stone wall of the cave entrance.
Her golden curls, silky and soft like spun silk, spilled over her open-collared outerwear.
Her fitted mid-sleeves wrapped around her graceful figure like petals, unfolding layer upon layer down to her slender waist.
Come on, show some spirit!
She’s wearing long sleeves and a long coat—what are you even nervous about?
Giving himself a mental pep talk, El tried to shift his attention and muttered to the sleeping Nia.
“Now I get why you and your lady ended up in this state.”
“Not taking night watch seriously? No wonder things keep going wrong.”
“And if you’re going to slack off, why not sleep somewhere warm inside instead of out here in the cold wind?”
After calming himself, El reached out to shake the female knight awake and switch shifts.
At that moment, a soft moan sounded in his ear.
El turned his head and saw that the knight had opened her eyes without him noticing.
“Uh… ah…” El hesitated, feeling a bit guilty, then said, “It’s the middle of the night. I’ll take over; you go rest.”
“Hot…”
Nia raised her face to look at him.
Perhaps from exhaustion, her voice was barely audible.
“Is this damn weather really hot too?”
After responding, El suddenly seemed to realize something and placed his hand on her forehead.
No fever.
That was odd.
She wasn’t sick, so why did she feel off?
While pondering this, another sound came from her side.
El turned back and blushed deeply.
“Miss Nia, you’re starting again!”
“Hot…”
The female knight murmured softly, her voice carrying a strange warmth that quietly spread throughout the dark, empty cave.
Beneath the cold moonlight, Nia squinted, looking a little dazed.
The flush on her cheeks was visible even in the darkness, a halo of shadow cloaking her form.
To be honest, El had seen all sorts of bodies and watched plenty of action movies in his previous life.
Compared to this world, he could be considered well-experienced.
But at this moment, his face was burning red.
“Put your clothes back on!”
He hastily handed her clothes, but as his fingers accidentally brushed her skin, the soft touch made him recoil as if electrocuted.
He must be the most hopeless transmigrator ever…
Before he could finish his inner complaint, Nia seemed to notice something and suddenly clung to him.
Ael could still hear her whispered voice.
“So cool…”
“Cool my foot. If you don’t back off soon and I mess up later, don’t come crying to me in the morning. I won’t recognize you once I pull up my pants…”
The warning was clear, but even a third-rate knight like Nia was surprisingly strong.
El tried to break free but couldn’t.
His limbs pressed seamlessly against hers, the woman’s soft body in his arms made his chest pound violently.
Yet things took an unpredictable turn, as if it weren’t enough.
Nia began to fumble at his clothes again.
“My bitter tea!”
Was this the moment to shout “molester”?
In the dim cave, a slant of moonlight fell over the female knight’s face.
Her skin was pale and flawless, her features perfectly sculpted, and her lips soft as water.
She reminded him of roses, midsummer, and all things rich, fragrant, and irresistibly passionate.
The heat in the air urged El to move his face closer.
His mind went blank as he simply inched nearer to those devilish, beautiful lips.
His Adam’s apple bobbed.
He knew exactly what he was thinking, so he needed to control himself.
This was his first time.
How could he possibly get involved with a woman he’d only just met out here in the wilds… What if this was a trap set by the female knight?
What if that big dog suddenly jumped down during their closeness…
No room for “what ifs.” He was a transmigrator destined to become the king of harems!
A lowly third-rate female knight, don’t push me too far!
“All right, you forced me into this. Don’t blame me.”
…
Inside the cave, the campfire blazed brightly.
Flames gave off both warmth and light, casting flickering shadows that sometimes merged, sometimes separated.
The fire burned long into the night.
When the eastern sky began to pale, the flames flickered, and the last ember finally died out.
The fire went dark, and vision turned pitch black.
Faint light spilled through the stone walls, softening the shadows, and silence fell over the surroundings.