NoveLight ™
Just to be clear, it wasn’t like I stayed in the forest solely because I wanted to be alone with Ethan.
That was merely a side benefit of the choice to remain in the forest. The real reason was for training and gaining experience.
If I was going to do it anyway, it was better to do it with Ethan than alone, and having no other distractions around was a plus. But that didn’t mean I stayed in the forest just because I was overjoyed at the thought of being alone with Ethan.
Incidentally, after Ethan and I voluntarily extended our Natural Studies Exploration, a few unwelcome guests visited our camp. And I don’t mean the usual goblins or hobgoblins that showed up every day, but actual students participating in the course.
“What reason do you have for trespassing in my and Lilith’s camp? Choose your words wisely.”
“I-I’m sorry, Lord Blackwood… One of our party members injured their ankle deep in the forest… C-could we borrow your fire for a moment to disinfect the wound?”
“I-I’m fine, Ted. W-we’re only causing trouble for Lord Blackwood by staying here…”
“But Lin…”
“Wait, that wound shouldn’t be disinfected with fire. Using poor knowledge could make it worse. I’ll clean it with a Clean spell and apply a splint.”
“…Huh?”
“When it comes to surviving in this forest, Lilith is more of an expert than I am. Do as she says. By the way, how much monster material have you collected so far?”
“…The two of us together have gathered a little more than what one person would normally gather.”
“I’ll give you the remaining materials for another person. Use that to apply for early completion with the Natural Studies professor. Judging by her condition, it doesn’t seem like she’ll be able to stay in the forest much longer.”
“Y-yes, but we can’t possibly…”
“You’re already in our debt. I suggest you disappear from this forest and stop intruding on my and Lilith’s private time. Understood?”
“S-so sorry…!!”
And so, after sending off one group of students after another from our camp, Ethan and I successfully completed our five-night, six-day camp.
The experience points I earned weren’t bad either. I managed to level up twice from the previously stagnant level I had been stuck at.
『Lilith has reached level 28!』
『Lilith has reached level 29!』
I had just reached level 27 after last year’s hunting festival, and now I had climbed to level 29, almost reaching the 30s. This Natural Studies Exploration had certainly been worth it.
And, on top of that, I had a few enjoyable moments with Ethan while we were alone. For instance, when he stood guard as I bathed in the river, occasionally catching glimpses of my body. Or when the temperature dropped unexpectedly at night, and we held each other for warmth without saying a word.
Aside from the occasional monster fight during the day, it was overall a pleasant and fulfilling exploration.
‘…Though, in the end, nothing indecent ever happened.’
Not that I was hoping for anything indecent. After all, it was still during a class, and of course, such things should be avoided.
I just thought that maybe, at some point, Ethan wouldn’t be able to hold back, but he did, and that was a little surprising. I mean, not that I’m disappointed or anything, really.
Now that the nearly week-long exploration was over, we had a scheduled week of rest. After attending Harold’s class on the first day of the week, I would essentially have the next six days off, which was practically a mid-term break during the semester.
Well, the following week, I’d be dealing with the underground dungeon exploration, but that was a problem for future me to worry about, not present me.
“Haaaahp…!!”
“Breathe deeper and swing harder, Ethan. I’m sure the skill you honed during the past week isn’t this weak.”
“Huuuuh, haaaahp…!!”
Watching the duel between Ethan and Harold during Harold’s swordsmanship class, I observed absentmindedly.
Harold giving advice to Ethan mid-duel meant he had enough leisure to critique while swinging his sword. In other words, it wasn’t a good situation for Ethan.
Of course, Ethan had only just returned yesterday from our six-day exploration course, so his condition probably hadn’t fully recovered yet.
Considering Ethan needed to be fully prepared to have any chance of beating Harold, it wasn’t surprising that he seemed weak in today’s duel.
‘…Maybe we should have opted for early completion after all.’
If Ethan had had a couple of days to rest, he might have been able to win a round against Harold.
That would’ve given me a reason to reward him, and then tonight…
“……”
…Alright, if I’m being honest, I was just hoping Ethan would win because I wanted to reward him.
What’s the point in hiding it now? There’s less than two years left. I’d like to create as many memories with Ethan as possible while I can.
However, that didn’t mean I could just carelessly give in to desire. Not because I minded giving my body to Ethan, but because it was all for him.
The right to handle me however he pleased for one night was the “reward” I gave him. If I broke that rule and indulged my own desires by pouncing on him, it could lead to all sorts of problems.
The first time Ethan and I were together, it might feel great. We could lose ourselves in the pleasure without a care in the world.
“Huuuup, haaaaahp…!!”
But if that kept happening, Ethan might grow indifferent to the “reward” he earned from beating Harold, and I might never see this determined Ethan fighting with all his might to win a duel with Harold again.
If things went wrong, Ethan could become like the lazy, spoiled pig from the original story who lost all sense of effort. Even though the current Ethan was different, at his core, he was still the same person as that original Ethan.
…I couldn’t allow that future to happen. I couldn’t afford to tempt his willpower. After all, I wanted the strong, admirable Ethan I had raised to be happy until the very end.
“Haaaaaah…!!”
…As expected, Ethan, who had been barely managing to block with one sword, finally lost his grip on the second one under Harold’s relentless attack.
Realizing there would be no “reward” for Ethan this week, I quietly sighed to myself.
“This is the end, Ethan. Good job.”
“…Thank you, sir.”
With a frustrated expression, biting his lip, Ethan picked up his fallen sword and walked over to stand by me. I hoped that the lingering disappointment and frustration would continue to drive him to improve.
As I thought this, I pushed aside my impure desires and kept them hidden deep within my heart.
⁎ ⁎ ⁎
The day after Ethan’s complete defeat in his duel against Harold, Ethan and I found ourselves back in the swordsmanship training grounds early the next morning, swords in hand, sparring against each other. Even though it was technically a day off with no scheduled classes.
“Huuuuh, haaaaahp…!!”
Ethan blocked my rapid dagger strikes with ease, repeatedly finding openings in my defenses and attempting counterattacks.
No matter how hard I tried to parry and strike again, Ethan continuously thwarted my efforts. His swordsmanship left me feeling increasingly frustrated.
As someone not as deeply versed in swordsmanship as Ethan, merely defending against his attacks was my limit. It was clear to me that there was an undeniable gap between our levels.
‘Ugh, damn it.’
“Aaaah…!!”
Ethan noticed a delay in my reaction and swung his sword at my right hand, his blade connecting with my left-hand dagger. A sharp vibration traveled up my arm the moment our blades met.
“Haaah, huuuh, g-grr…”
“Lilith?! I-I’m sorry! I lost control for a moment…”
“Haaah, damn it… We agreed… haaah, no apologies during sparring, remember?”
“Y-yes, but still…”
Being overly cautious with your sparring partner? You’d never improve your skills that way.
This applied not only to Ethan, but also to me. If I became too reliant on his consideration, I’d never grow.
“I-I think we should rest for a bit, Lilith. That last strike seemed to have quite the impact.”
“…Yes, I think that would be best, Ethan Dojonnim.”
Just one strike, and my arm felt as if I’d slept on it wrong for three hours.
Every time I sparred with Ethan, I felt it—his strength was still a little overwhelming for me to fully counter.
thank you for chapter
Tyfc
Tyftc