NoveLight ™
Late at night. After the intense battle with the bandit group, the time when everyone had gone back to sleep.
With the exception of Agnes, who was currently standing watch for the hero's party, everyone had returned to their respective tents. This meant that now, no one would notice anything that Ethan and I did inside this tent.
“Are you really going to take it off?”
“If you raise your voice, the hero's party in the tent next door might notice.”
“…Can't we just be in close contact with our clothes on, Lilith?”
“As I mentioned earlier, Aura of Healing works best when we are skin-to-skin, Young Master Ethan. And I’m merely using the most efficient method by pressing the parts of my body with the most skin to yours.”
Lilith’s body had been designed to be sensual and visually captivating from the start.
If I had a more androgynous body like Agnes or Luke, it might have been different, but to maximize the effect, especially by pressing my chest against him, undressing was the most effective option.
“It’s not the first time we’ve been naked outdoors, is it? Have you forgotten the six days we spent during the Natural Science Exploration class, Young Master Ethan?”
“…Of course, I haven’t forgotten. I couldn’t forget even if I tried.”
“So, there’s no need to overthink it. After all, this tent and our sleeping bags will hide all our secrets, so there’s no reason to worry.”
Ethan had already experienced six days of living with nothing but a rock for shade and a river for bathing, in a home that allowed light to seep through gaps in the branches with no walls to cover his body.
But now, they weren’t fully outside; they were in a tent, and within that tent, they were only going to undress inside the sleeping bag, so the psychological resistance should be much less.
Since the bandit attack had already happened, there was no reason to move the tent again, and it was still positioned about fifty meters away from the tents of the hero’s party.
“Young Master Ethan.”
“...”
“The Humanities Exploration Class hasn’t even started yet, Young Master. You need to recover quickly if you want to help the others and protect the village of Bridget.”
“…Yeah, you’re right.”
Ethan also didn’t want to be a burden during the class. He wanted to contribute, and the best way to do that was to accept the fastest possible recovery method.
As I began undressing down to my undergarments, Ethan, after some persuasion, resolved himself and quietly began removing his jacket, now missing one sleeve.
“…We’re just going to lie close, right?”
“I have more self-control than you do, Young Master, so you don’t need to worry.”
“…That’s probably not true, but fine. I got it.”
There were only about three or four hours left before they’d be setting off again by carriage in the morning.
It wasn’t enough time to fully benefit from the Aura of Healing, but it was certainly better than doing nothing.
As Ethan undressed piece by piece, I also removed the remaining clothing from my body, and I pressed myself as close as possible to him inside the sleeping bag, slowly pulling the zipper from the bottom to the top.
“Hnngh.”
“Haa… ha…”
We had successfully gotten into the same sleeping bag, pressing our bodies together and zipping it up.
Of course, with both of us naked, pressing this close inevitably meant that several awkward body parts were touching, and a certain healthy, manly part of Ethan’s body had begun to react beneath me.
“No matter how much your body insists otherwise, Young Master, I plan to sleep, regardless of your desires.”
“…I can’t help it, Lilith. Even if we weren’t naked, being this close to you would make me react.”
Well, that was understandable. It wasn’t something he could control physically.
Honestly, it wasn’t just Ethan. Even I was feeling a little reaction from pressing this close.
…But since my body's response wasn’t as obvious or tactile as a man’s, Ethan didn’t notice.
Of course, the reason we were in this situation was purely for healing, and I had no intention of doing anything inappropriate.
Making noise in the middle of the night would be embarrassing if it reached the hero’s party, and it wouldn’t help Ethan’s recovery either.
‘Besides, the sleeping bag is too tight to allow for any movement.’
So, for now, this would be enough.
I would have to control myself until Ethan was fully healed.
Thinking that, I wrapped my arms around Ethan’s back and pressed my chest as closely as possible to his upper body.
Our heartbeats were so close that it was hard to tell whose was whose.
The next morning.
“Both Lady Rosewood and Lord Blackwood look exhausted.”
“...”
“...”
The next morning, after spending the night pressed closely together for healing, we both felt sluggish and worn out.
When that person from the hero’s party made that comment, neither Ethan nor I could respond.
The tension of spending the night with our bodies pressed together had kept us both awake, and neither of us had slept well.
“You look like a couple of idiots. Did you stay up all night doing who-knows-what?”
“That’s a misunderstanding, Miss Agnes. It’s true that Young Master Ethan and I were together all night, but it was purely for his treatment. There were no inappropriate intentions.”
Though I reflexively denied the baseless accusation from Agnes, Ethan seemed even more embarrassed by my words than by hers.
“Lilith, maybe we didn’t need to explain that ourselves.”
“...”
“Ahem, I didn’t hear anything.”
“Oh, please don’t overexert yourself before you’re fully healed, Lord Blackwood…”
“There’s no need to worry, Saintess Ceresta. Nothing inappropriate happened.”
Thomas, who had always been awkward with these kinds of situations, avoided eye contact, while Ceresta, the most reserved of the women, blushed as she added a priestly reminder.
The other women reacted according to their personalities: some blushed slightly, while others showed little interest or just listened half-heartedly. The only exception was Natalie, who seemed completely oblivious.
“So, Lady Lilith stayed by Lord Ethan’s side all night to heal him? You’re a model maid, Lady Lilith! You should be proud!”
“Uh, yes… Thank you, Miss Natalie…”
Her cluelessness was truly impressive. Natalie was almost twenty-two by now, and yet...
Feeling a bit uncomfortable, Ethan and I finished our breakfast in silence, concerned for Thomas, who would have to deal with her in the future.
“Are you two leaving soon? You’re heading to Bridget Village, right?”
“…Yes, that’s correct.”
“Then why don’t you follow behind our carriages? It would be safer to travel together in case we run into any more bandits.”
“…That’s not a bad idea. Thank you for the consideration, Hero.”
“It’s not a big deal. After all, we owe you for last night. And Lilith even took care of the breakfast cleanup.”
That person naturally suggested we travel together, and Ethan accepted without much objection.
Perhaps fighting a common enemy the night before had forged some kind of bond, as the previous tension between them seemed to have dissipated.
In fact, it almost felt like the opposite.
“Ahem. Since you’re also taking the Humanities Exploration class, why don’t we work together for this session? What do you think?”
“…Are you asking me?”
“Well, you’re the leader of your party, aren’t you?”
“...”
The hero looked surprised at Ethan’s gesture of friendship, as if he hadn’t expected Ethan to extend the offer first.
I, too, was a bit puzzled by Ethan’s sudden change of heart.
‘He used to get irritated just hearing about the hero.’
It seemed like the hero’s actions over the last few encounters had left a good impression on him.
And considering Ethan needed to recover for a while, it was a practical decision to join forces with the hero’s party for the time being.
“If you’re suggesting it, then I’m fine with it. We could use the extra help.”
“Good. Thank you.”
“I look forward to working with you, Lord Blackwood.”
“…You can call me Ethan.”
“Alright then, Ethan. And Lady Lilith, too.”
“I didn’t say you could call Lilith by her first name, Hero.”
“…Right. Ethan and Lady Rosewood, then.”
After correcting him on how to address me, Ethan finally shook hands with the hero.
Really, Ethan liked me far too much for his own good.
Ty