The night fell upon the city as the satisfying dinner, prepared and enjoyed by everyone, came to an end. 

Though Ravin didn’t particularly like Lucy, out of pure goodwill towards Lin, she gave the warrior various pieces of clothing, including underwear.

“These bras and panties don’t fit at all. It’s not that they’re too tight—they just don’t go on,” Lucy complained.

“Sorry about that!” Ravin snapped, annoyed.

“Don’t you have anything bigger?”

“No, I don’t! These are mine!” Ravin retorted.

“Ugh,” Lucy sighed, scanning the room until she spotted a bandana lying haphazardly on the floor. 

Picking it up, she wrapped it around herself to support her chest.

“Need help tying it?”

“No, I’ll bring it to the front,” Lucy replied.

“Interesting, tying it at the front like that,” Ravin commented, her irritation momentarily softened by curiosity.

Lucy didn’t pay much attention to Ravin’s warmth. 

She knew too well that such minor kindnesses often turned into difficult-to-refuse favors later on. 

After tying the bandana, she jumped lightly on the spot.

Bounce.

Despite her effort to tie it tightly, the sheer size made her chest move quite dynamically.

“Hey, warrior.”

“What?”

“With such a large chest, isn’t it heavy, doesn’t it strain your shoulders, and hurt when you run? Especially in battle?”

“It’s extremely heavy, my shoulders ache as if they’re being pulled down, and it hurts as it bounces around.”

“See? Bigger isn’t always better,” Ravin said, brushing her nose smugly.

The warrior tilted her head, puzzled. 

“What do you mean? Big is definitely better.”

“What?” 

Ravin was taken aback.

“A chest and hips are weapons to captivate the man you love. It’s only natural to pay that price to win him over.”

“Haha, and who might this special man of yours be, warrior?” 

Ravin’s tone turned serious, but Lucy remained unbothered. 

Deciding her bandana wasn’t tight enough, she untied and wrapped it around herself more snugly.

“Who knows? He could be or he couldn’t be.”

“Even you, the warrior, aren’t sure of victory?”

“There’s a sin I need to atone for.”

“Have you properly apologized for that sin?” 

Ravin asked, meeting Lucy’s gaze. 

Neither could remain nonchalant when the topic shifted to Lin. 

Lucy silently chanted to herself not to hit the thief, knowing Ravin was Lin’s acquaintance.

“I’ve heard you’ve done some pretty harsh things to the man you want to make yours.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll hear through the grapevine that I was forgiven and loved in abundance.”

I must hold back. I am not Arsil. I am not Arsil, who gets angry instantly.

Ravin, too, was simmering inside but held back, curious to see who would end up smiling happily next to Lin.

“If you’re dressed, leave. Your room is that way.”

“Where’s Lin’s room?”

“Room 21.”

“Oh, you don’t know,” Lucy said, feigning surprise. 

“His surname is Lee, first name Lin. Lee Lin.”

“What?”

Lucy sneered at the dumbfounded Ravin. 

“I thought you knew since you’ve known him since childhood.”

She walked slowly, deliberately. 

With each step, her chest heaved noticeably.

“Only three people know his name,” she said, opening the office door. 

“Thanks for the bra. Consider Lin’s name a return favor.”

Her smile widened in victory. 

“Congratulations. You’re the fourth person to know Lin’s name.”

Click. 

She closed the door softly, leaving Ravin biting her lip. 

On the floor lay the torn panties Lucy had tried to force on, symbolizing Ravin’s reluctant sense of defeat.

Meanwhile, Lin returned to his room with a freshly cleansed face. 

It had been ages since he’d had a proper bath. 

“Ravin really has moved up in the world,” he thought, recalling the fresh ingredients like cilantro and herbs in the kitchen. 

Having instant access to hot water for baths was a sign of her successful establishment in Valtorcroy. 

In the old days, back in the muddy alleyways, securing food was tough unless it was potatoes or sweet potatoes dug up from the mountains.

The backstory revealed that Ravin had taken over the thief guild, which had been treated as mere henchmen by the federation, and raised its status significantly, gaining recognition as a legitimate member of the federation only recently.

“Not having sticky hair feels great,” Lin hummed, drying his hair with a towel as he entered his room. 

Turning around, he found Lucy waiting, half-naked with the bandana around her chest.

“Hey, Lucy?”

“Yes, my Lin?”

“This is my room.”

“And mine too,” Lucy replied with a soft smile, hugging him.

“I asked Ravin to prepare a room for you….”

“What are you talking about, Lin? I can’t rest or sleep without you. Why would I use a separate room?”

Isn’t this a normal city? 

Why cling to me here?

“How did you know this was my room….”

“Shh.” Lucy hushed him, breathing in his scent at his neck and chest. 

With a deep inhale, she pouted. 

“You don’t smell like yourself after the bath. Just artificial soap.”

“Doesn’t the soap smell better?”

“No, I prefer your natural scent.” Holding the towel atop his head, she gently dried his damp hair. 

Their eyes met, and Lucy felt her passion and desire rise from deep within her.

“Phew… Phew…”

Oh no. The more I look at Lin, the hotter and wetter my feelings get. 

She couldn’t help but smile. 

Unconsciously, she bit her lip, her gaze tracing his lips, nose, eyes, and forehead. 

She wanted to kiss and lick every part of his face.

‘No, I must hold back.’ Before being a warrior, she was a woman. 

She wanted Lin to come to her, not seem too easy. 

Although she would cast aside her pride for Lin, she didn’t want to appear as someone who only used her sexual charm to get close to him.

Knowing Lin’s indifference to mere physical seduction—having ignored brothels and succubi’s temptations—Lucy understood that simple approaches wouldn’t work. 

She aimed to be a refined lady by day and a passionate temptress by night to win his heart.

To achieve this, Lin had to suppress his immediate desires and endure until Lucy accepted him. 

However, instead of suppressing this secret lust, Lucy revealed another kind of darkness. 

Blindfolding Lin with a towel, the hero smiled seductively.

“Lin, was that rouge an old friend of yours?”

“Well, calling her a friend is a stretch. We were more like rivals, but we weren’t completely estranged either.”

“I see.”

In front of his contemplation, she nodded nonchalantly, trying to convey that she wasn’t the kind of woman to be jealous over trivial matters.

“She used to tease me so blatantly when we were kids that others would scold her.”

“She teased you? How?”

“Just the usual stuff kids do at that age. Teasing the shy ones.”

“So, what did she say?”

Oops. 

Without realizing it, her voice had risen. 

What about her expression? 

How did it look now?

“Uh… she said a guy like me wouldn’t find any girl who would take him.”

Crack!

Lucy’s face stiffened instantly.

“And what did you say?”

“I didn’t respond. It’s pointless to retort when you’re being teased.”

“I see. That makes sense.”

That’s Lin for you. 

Wise and handsome since he was young…

“She always called me ugly and weak, saying no one but her would marry me. It didn’t make sense.”

“Who’s calling you ugly?!”

“Wha-?”

Rubbing his hair roughly with the towel, Lucy exhaled sharply.

“Lin, you’re handsome! I can vouch for that!”

“Uh… thanks for saying that, but I don’t think my looks are all that…”

“You’re handsome.”

Lucy leaned in closer, her nose almost touching his. 

As she lifted her gaze, her fiery eyes met his. 

Feeling embarrassed and flustered, he tried to pull back, but Lucy intertwined her fingers with his, preventing him from moving.

Even just making eye contact created a strange atmosphere.

“See, I can’t take my eyes off you.”

“Yeah…”

“You’re handsome, Lin.”

Denying it now would only lead to more teasing. 

As he nodded slightly and tried to remove the towel, Lucy whispered entrancingly.

“I was really awful when we first met, but I’m so glad I put that mask on you.”

Her gaze swept over him from his forehead to just below his nose.

“Even though I didn’t really see you when I first put the mask on, thanks to that, no one knows how handsome you are.”

She was relieved that she was the first, the very first, to meet him before any of the other party members. 

Lucy couldn’t take her eyes off Lin’s lips. 

She swallowed, trying to calm herself, but she wanted to steal those lips. 

The moment their lips met, it would feel like being burned, incredibly hot, and within that heat would be the sweetest pleasure in the world.

Lucy’s mind and mouth began to operate separately.

“Lin.”

‘Can I kiss you?’

“Did you know Arsil from childhood?”

‘Let me kiss you.’

“I was part of Arsil’s gang when I was young.”

“I see.”

‘It’s okay. You’re with me now.’

‘More importantly, can I kiss you and embrace you?’

The distance between their lips was closing gradually.

“Lin, were you close with Arsil?”

‘What should I do? I can’t stop licking my lips.’

“Very close. We were inseparable.”

Suddenly, Lin froze.

“What?”

‘What?’

“I was known as Arsil’s right hand.”

His thoughts came to a halt. 

An unexpected answer.

The towel dropped to the floor. 

The expressions on both their faces were calm.

“I don’t mind.”

Lucy was composed.

“If the saintess was that precious to you, Lin would have taken off the mask.”

She wasn’t angry at all.

“But you didn’t take it off.”

She was certain that there was nothing between them.

“Even if you didn’t take off the mask for Arsil, you’re with me now.”

That was the truth.

“You turned against Arsil to save me.”

Now, the bond between Lucy and Lin was deeper.

“And I, too, gave my all to save you.”

Lin acknowledged this. 

Lin had saved Lucy’s life and limbs, and Lucy had brought Lin back to life from the succubus.

Men and women had done their best for each other and were still doing so. 

That’s why Lin tried to open his heart more to Lucy and accommodate her.

“So I don’t mind.”

With a relaxed smile, she pulled Lin to the bed. 

Though disappointed by the lack of a deep scent, she rested her head on his arm and chest, listening to his heartbeat.

“It’s so nice, being together in bed like this.”

“Lucy, people might get the wrong idea if they hear you.”

“It’s their fault for eavesdropping~.”

But does Lucy know?

Lin is still the porter of the hero’s party.

The porter carries the burdens of the party members.

Lin had long ago taken all the burdens of the hero’s party upon himself.

Those burdens were not in the porter’s sack but in Lin’s heart.

Every night, with her head resting on his chest, would Lucy notice these burdens first?

Could she revive the heart and feelings that were buried and killed by these burdens?

All we could do was watch over them with the goddess.

Unaware of those watching, the two held each other tightly and fell asleep.