Chapter 206

The chaotic night had finally passed, and with the rising morning sun, a new day began.

I opened my eyes the moment it was time, just like always, and got out of bed to prepare breakfast.

I could feel Grace stirring a bit as she seemed to slowly wake up. But then she went right back to snoring.

After all the intense exercise yesterday, I could hardly move my body either.

“Um… Sivar?”

“Yeah?”

“My legs aren’t moving, so… could you help me?”

I seriously couldn’t move at all. I felt like a newborn calf, barely able to stand.

I helped the wobbling Grace to the dining table. She was so weak she was practically hanging on to me.

“Think you can make it?”

“If you help me, maybe?”

“Well, you won’t go if I don’t help.”

“Okay.”

If that’s the case, I had to help. Community service can wait until after class.

But I knew I’d attract some attention while helping her. After finishing our meal, we got ready to head to the classroom.

But here was another problem: Grace could barely even put her clothes on.

After all that full-body exercise yesterday, she was practically incapacitated, so I had to lend a hand.

“Oh, getting dressed is fine, but…”

“Want to do it alone?”

“Um… help me, please.”

You should have asked sooner. Feeling a bit embarrassed is still better than struggling alone.

Of course, she managed to put on her underwear by herself. We’re not close enough for me to see her naked.

But from there on, I helped her directly. Thanks to that, I got to enjoy quite the view.

“Grace.”

“Yeah?”

“You’re beautiful.”

“Uh… um… ”

I threw that out there, expecting her to feel a bit embarrassed, and sure enough, her face turned bright red.

But it was clear she wasn’t really upset about it. Quite the opposite, actually.

Once she changed clothes, we headed to the classroom. I wanted to help relieve her sore muscles, but there was no time.

‘It’s not like I have a knack for massages or anything.’

If I messed that up, it would only make it worse. Better to leave it to someone else.

‘Rize was great at massages.’

I remember watching Luna struggle while Rize used divine power to soothe her tense muscles.

Thinking of this, I glanced at my hands. Rize is a Chaos deity; surely I could replicate that, at least a little.

But to do that, I’d need to know the basics of massage. I heard Kara has some knowledge about that.

‘Could I possibly use divine power through my hands?’

Chaos blasts divine power like a donation, but such high levels shouldn’t be neglected.

Ideally, I would learn from Rize, but she only gave me general tips. She said a day would come when I’d use it someday.

It wasn’t much help, but Rize is a saint, after all. That day will definitely come.

Before that…

“S-Sivar! Do we really have to go like this?”

“Yeah.”

“No, no! Wait! If we do this…!”

I had to go to class with Grace. She was flailing in shock at what I had done.

Because I had picked her up effortlessly. I figured it would feel cramped if I just helped her along.

Of course, that meant all eyes were on us. But I didn’t care about that one bit.

“How about this?”

“Um… No. Let’s go.”

“Got it.”

Grace was flustered at first, but after thinking it through, she accepted without further protest.

In fact, she seemed to happily cling to my back, as if she’d given up or was enjoying it.

‘Now that I think about it, it’s been a while since I’ve carried Grace like this.’

I made my way to the classroom with Grace on my back. As soon as we stepped outside, all sorts of gazes fell on us.

Grace knew it was embarrassing, so she couldn’t lift her head. We had to hurry up.

“Hehe…”

“Huh…?”

Wait a second. That sound in my ear felt different.

Whether it was intentional or not, she kept rubbing against my back.

Thanks to that, I could distinctly feel a soft yet ample sensation. Definitely substantial.

‘If Grace is like this, what about Eli…’

I might need to reconsider how much exercise I push them to do. I might just cause an accident.

After some twists and turns, we finally entered the classroom. The moment we walked in, a wave of gazes crashed over us.

There were already all kinds of rumors swirling about our relationship, but today was more shocking. No wonder everyone was surprised.

‘Now I really don’t care about the rumors.’

With so many circulating, I felt numb to them. I headed to my usual seat under the weight of countless stares.

And there, as always, was Kara sitting at the front, wearing a strange expression as she looked at us.

Her face was a mix of suspicion and slightly annoyed curiosity. It was clear she was questioning what we’d done.

“What were you two up to yesterday?”

As soon as I sat down, Kara asked that, her voice holding urgency and a ton of questions.

I glanced at Grace, who was busy massaging her own muscles, trying to ease the soreness.

“Exercise.”

“Exercise?”

“Yep. Full-body workout.”

That just made Kara’s expression weirder. Her gaze shifted toward Grace.

Could it be? She looked like she had that thought bubbling up her face. Was she doubting if we did something more than just workout?

“Hey, Grace.”

“Yeah?”

“Not what I think, right?”

“What do you mean?”

“You mean it’s not?”

My question met another question, but somehow Kara got it on the nose. Following that, she smiled and nodded knowingly.

Grace was clueless about Kara’s reaction, still preoccupied with loosening her tight muscles.

“Hello.”

“You made it?”

“Yeah, but why does Grace look like that?”

“She worked out with Sivar yesterday. That’s why she’s in this state.”

“Oh dear.”

Not long after, Luna arrived. She glanced at Grace with sympathy since she knew all too well how tough things could get.

At least Rize was there for a speedy recovery for Luna, but not for Grace. Natural recovery was all that was left.

“Massage is the best for sore muscles. Can’t Sivar do it?”

Why did she ask me that, Luna?

I stared blankly at Luna, confused about her intentions for that question.

Did she think I automatically gained massage skills just by being with Rize? Sorry to burst that bubble, but that’s not how it works.

“No idea.”

“Really? What about you, elder sister?”

“I’m on the receiving end, you know. I’m a princess.”

“Oh.”

I sometimes forget Kara is a princess of Tartar. Her actions made it easy to overlook that.

Anyway, no one here had learned massage, so natural recovery was our only option. Or to ask someone else.

There are so many people who are physically active at the Academy that there are professional masseurs available. I could always ask them.

“I don’t want to.”

“Why not?”

“I absolutely hate getting touched by someone I don’t know. Never.”

But Grace firmly rejected that. Given her past experiences, that was a natural reaction.

Just when I thought there was no choice but to learn separately, someone else arrived.

“Hello…”

“Hey, Lee Yeon-joo! But why does your face look like that?”

“What’s wrong with my face…?”

Now, my encounter with Lee Yeon-joo, who made a scene under the moonlight last night, was quite the sight. Her face looked drastically haggard.

Had she accumulated so much fatigue overnight to give her dark circles? She looked ready to nod off at any moment.

“You look really tired… Did something happen last night?”

“About that…”

She trailed off while glancing at me. But she didn’t look directly for fear of a nosy stare.

Then she blushed slightly and shook her head vigorously. It seemed she was trying to shake off her thoughts.

“I just… stayed awake all night. I couldn’t sleep…”

“Really? Is it nothing serious?”

“Definitely not. Just uncomfortable physically…”

While saying that, Lee Yeon-joo fidgeted with her thighs. It looked like she was holding something in.

I wondered if she was thinking about that incident from last night. Lee Yeon-joo had a serious character, not a pervert.

While I pondered the settings of the Soul World, Lee Yeon-joo might have sensed it too, as she quickly changed the topic.

“By the way, what were you guys talking about? Grace seems a bit unwell too…”

“Oh, yeah. I was suffering from muscle pain after exercising with Sivar yesterday. I’m looking for someone who can massage.”

“Massage?”

“Letting a stranger do it… is…”

“Oh.”

With Grace’s explanation, Lee Yeon-joo sighed in something like revelation. It seemed she understood the situation now.

She cautiously shot a glance at me, and our eyes met.

“Wait a second there, Grace!”

“Yes?”

“Y-You didn’t ask Sivar to do it, did you?”

She suddenly asked Grace with wide eyes, her voice loud enough to catch everyone’s attention.

Could it be because of what happened yesterday? If she was in a tizzy over something like that, it was too much drama.

I’m not specialized in that kind of stuff. It was just the result of being swept up in the moment.

“No, Sivar said he doesn’t know how to. Why? Is that really like a big deal?”

“Well, kind of…”

Now, it was Lee Yeon-joo who was awkwardly stuck. She had warned herself not to mention it but ended up finding herself in suspicion.

How would she get out of this? I kept my mouth shut and decided to observe.

After a moment of brainstorming, Lee Yeon-joo reluctantly provided a vague explanation.

“I heard massage requires good control over strength. Otherwise, you just end up bruising and damaging sore muscles. Being strong doesn’t mean you’re good at it.”

“Is that so? So it’s either natural healing or nothing… You don’t know how to massage, right?”

“Of course not.”

Well, that was a close call. Lee Yeon-joo gave a silly smile, looking a bit clueless.

Grace, witnessing Lee Yeon-joo being her usual self, didn’t question it.

Right now, she probably had no mental space to think about anything else because of her sore muscles.

“If it gets too tough, you can ask Sivar. He’s seen it done, so he won’t be completely clueless.”

Luna suggested that, seeming to empathize with Grace’s struggles.

Hearing this, Grace looked at her with a questioning look.

“He’s seen it? Where?”

“Me.”

“Uh… um…”

Here we go, another mouth running off. I hurriedly chimed in to clarify.

“I watched Rize do it.”

“The saint? Oh, come to think of it, she mentioned training, right?”

“Yeah. She would help me soothe my muscles every time. Gosh, I really struggled every single day.”

“Hmm…”

Grace seemed to ponder, massaging her shoulders. Meanwhile, Lee Yeon-joo, sitting next to her, had a nervous expression.

Perhaps she was worried Grace might accept. I couldn’t understand why it affected her so much.

“Well… it wouldn’t hurt to try it.”

“Ah…”

Grace hesitated, and Lee Yeon-joo let out a sigh.

“Gosh, this might be tough…”

Strange words came out of her. Well, either way.

“If it works, I’ll ask you too. I’ve been going hard on my training lately, and my muscles are sore as well.”

“I’ll be asking too.”

That brought forth a series of guests. Obviously, that was all hypothetical, though.

I considered learning how to massage myself. It wouldn’t hurt to learn.

Lee Yeon-joo alone wore a face of anxiety.

She looked restless, almost uneasy.

“This won’t do… If this keeps up…!”

“Uh…”

“I need to be the first to act…!”

Now I found myself curious about what had happened with her overnight.

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