“My specialty is plant magic.”
Felix tightened his grip on the reins. When he stopped, the members following him also came to a halt in unison. A path began to clear before them as if directing their way forward.
Felix felt as if his bleak and stifling future was transforming into a bright and vibrant one. It was as if she was opening up the path ahead for him, and he couldn’t contain himself.
Her loveliness…
He gently held her chin and leaned in, forgetting his surroundings, and kissed Sylvia.
It was an irresistible charm.
***
Thanks to the path Sylvia cleared, Felix and the knights could move swiftly. The nuisance of beasts hidden by trees vanished, making their subjugation easier.
Hubert and Henry ran alongside Felix, with Dennis in the back, slashing through beasts with his sword. After shaking off the blood, Dennis grumbled.
“The beasts are increasing. Why are there suddenly so many?”
Felix looked around for a place to rest, concerned about Sylvia’s stamina after riding for so long. Though she had grown more accustomed to it, riding for extended periods was still taxing, especially on her hips and back.
But just as she was about to urge Felix to consider their condition, a strong wind blew.
[Sylviaaaa!]
[Yikes!]
[Felix!]
Then, the three fairies flew in, each clinging to the hair of Sylvia and Felix.
“You guys!”
Sylvia plucked Poppy and Asta from her head and asked in a low voice, looking around,
“Where have you been? I’ve been looking everywhere for you! Don’t you think about the people waiting for you? If you were going somewhere, you should have told me!”
[Sorry, Sylvia.]
[Asta is sorry too.]
Sylvia smiled warmly, holding the apologetic fairies in her hand. The anxiety of thinking they had disappeared was replaced by calm.
[Felix!]
Eryngium, who had been holding onto his black hair, flew and sat on Sylvia’s crown, though her gaze was directed at Felix. Felix looked at Eryngium with just his eyes, asking, “What’s going on?”
[Lord Aethernum has asked for you to come. And the king of beasts is coming to Lord Aethernum.]
“The king of beasts?”
Interest sparked in his previously indifferent black eyes.
[Yes! They said his name is Tenebris!]
“Where have you guys been?”
[Didn’t you hear? Lord Aethernum has called for you!]
The conversation, which had been slightly off track, finally found its focus.
“Aethernum called for you guys.”
[Yes, Felix! Lord Aethernum said you must come.]
“You guys?”
Felix questioned Poppy’s statement from behind Eryngium. First, they needed to find a place to rest before they could delve into the details.
“Let’s take a break. Find a place!”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
At his command, Hubert and Henry split off in different directions, dealing with the beasts that emerged as they went. Sylvia’s face lit up at the mention of a break. She wanted to stand on her own two feet, even if just for a moment.
“Can I get down now?”
“Not yet. Just wait a bit.”
Felix steered his horse towards Dennis and quickly gave an order.
“Take care of the horse.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Felix scooped Sylvia by the waist and lifted her up. He climbed up to a nearby tree and sat her down next to him. However, Sylvia grumbled, having wanted to stand.
“I wanted to stand…”
“Why?”
“No, it’s just that my butt hurts… and my back too.”
Seeing her tapping her back while sitting, Felix reached out his hand. He pushed aside her small hand and started massaging her himself.
“Eek!”
“Does it hurt a lot?”
Startled by her reaction, Felix looked worried and asked. Sylvia wanted to shout that it wasn’t the case, but upon seeing his expression, she lost her words. She felt odd for thinking impurely.
And it was quite refreshing. Perhaps because of his large palms, the area he massaged felt broader.
“Yeah…”
Sylvia, closing her eyes and sighing in relaxation, was carefully massaged by Felix.
“How about now?”
“It’s really refreshing.”
As Sylvia responded informally in the privacy of their moment, Felix’s expression brightened with satisfaction. Seeing his pleased look, she wanted him to continue.
He scooped her waist and placed her on his thigh, then grabbed and kneaded her buttocks with both hands. Sylvia, who had been enjoying the drowsiness, suddenly opened her eyes wide.
“What are you doing?!”
With a look full of astonishment, Sylvia unwittingly stretched out her fist.
Thwack!
She struck Felix right on the nose.
“Ugh!”
Their balance disrupted, the two fell backward, plummeting down. Even then, Felix did not let go of her buttocks.
Thud! Their fall suddenly stopped. Felix, filled with a sense of injustice, asked.
“Why did you do that?”
Sylvia was so dumbfounded, she shook all over.
“You’re asking why? Aren’t you going to stop?”
“You said your buttocks hurt. I was just massaging them, so why hit me?”
Sylvia punched his chest with both fists. But he was wearing armor, so it didn’t hurt him at all.
“You pervert!”
“Why am I?”
“Let go, now!”
Sylvia struggled while floating in mid-air. Felix reluctantly released his hold and lifted her onto his shoulders, protesting with a truly aggrieved expression.
“I saw the members massaging each other. Since you said it hurt, I thought I’d do the same. Why are you mad?”
“Well, that’s because…”
She was about to say it was okay among men, but then she noticed something red.
“Huh?”
From the center of Felix’s usually pale face, blood dripped down.
“Oh no!”
Panicking, Sylvia tried to stop the bleeding with her sleeve, then, startled, she withdrew her hand and washed his face with water magic. In her fluster, she ended up blasting his face with a strong jet of water.
It was more of a slap with water than washing.
“Ah… What did I do wrong this time?”
Felix, looking truly wronged and on the verge of tears, asked, and Sylvia had no choice but to close her mouth, speechless.
[That’s harsh, Sylvia…]
[Asta thinks Felix did nothing wrong.]
The whimsically divided opinions of the three fairies circled around the two, spinning in the air. Sylvia, dropping all formalities and considering the current situation, thought it was not at all favorable.
She felt like slapping her own cheek.
★★
Returning to the duke’s residence, Lucino dismissed his attendants and advisors to seclude himself in his office. His mind was still in a whirl, unable to settle.
“Could she really have done it?”
But that made no sense.
“She is a plant mage…”
He had seen the trees, flowers, vegetables, and fruits she had nurtured. She was definitely a plant mage.
How did she use a jewel magic ring? And it wasn’t the kind of jewel magic he used. It felt similar to her, like a kind of jewel magic that resembled her. Lucino sighed heavily, sinking deeper into the sofa. As a duke of the empire, he believed there was nothing he didn’t know.
Yet, a strange feeling surfaced that perhaps that wasn’t entirely true.
Something unknown to him might be linking Sylvia and the leader of the Croban mercenary group. Overturning his understanding so far, Lucino decided to gather new information.
His resolve to find her solidified. Meeting Sylvia, he believed, would surely alleviate this frustration.
Leave a Reply