Chapter 99

Clack!

With the sound of the guest room door closing.

The Magic Light on the ceiling automatically turned on. The light quickly illuminated the darkness, revealing the landscape of the suite room before my eyes.

“It’s spacious.”

Ulan exclaimed briefly.

It was much larger and more comfortable than the dormitory.

It looked about three to four times bigger. It was his first time being in such a place, and he seemed fascinated, repeatedly looking around the guest room.

In contrast, Ivella’s reaction was quite different.

‘…I really came here.’

Her tense expression was evident on her face.

Ivella clenched her wet skirt tightly, swallowing dryly.

‘I didn’t plan on coming here…’

No, let me correct that.

To be honest, I had imagined it to some extent.

Swear to the heavens, I truly did. But due to the unexpected heavy rain and the subsequent halt of carriage operations, I had no choice but to end up here.

It’d be better than sleeping outside, I suppose.

‘Ugh, what do I do now?’

By the time I checked in, all I wanted was to get into a warm place, but as soon as I arrived at the guest room, the reality hit me like a ton of bricks.

Tension, embarrassment, and a strange sense of expectation all mixed in my head.

Just then, Ulan suddenly looked this way.

“Ivella.”

“Yeah, y-yes?!”

Was I too tense?

Strange formal words slipped out. Ulan seemed to notice too, with a puzzled look on his face.

“Why the sudden formalities?”

“Uh, I mean….”

I wanted to answer that I had made a mistake due to my nervousness.

But perhaps because my tongue was tied, the words didn’t come out. Anyone could see how flustered I was. Ulan got back to the main point.

“First, you should wash up.”

“W-Wash up, you say?”

“Yeah. If you sleep like that, you might catch a cold.”

That was true.

She currently looked like a drowned rat.

With the rain intensifying compared to before, her umbrella broke, leaving her completely soaked.

“So go wash up first.”

“Okay, I will.”

With Ulan’s consideration, Ivella hurriedly headed to the bathroom. Once the sliding door closed and she was finally cut off from the guest room, she let out a sigh she had been holding back.

“Haaah.”

It was a sigh of relief.

She soon placed her hand over her chest and felt the intense vibrations of her heart. That meant she was overly conscious of Ulan.

Of course, that was only natural.

This was the first time she had spent such a long time alone with him until nightfall.

‘But this is troublesome.’

She had to find a way to relax somehow.

While lightly slapping her cheeks, she suddenly spotted the bathtub. Yes, pouring warm water over herself would melt away her frozen body and help ease some of that tension.

Right after making that decision.

Swish! Swish!

She first took off her rain-soaked dress.

Next, she completely removed her underwear and stepped into the bathtub.

“Hah.”

She felt the warmth return to her chilled body.

Soon after, a drowsy feeling overtook her. With a pleasant smile, she relaxed her body when her expression suddenly changed to something more complicated.

‘I thought this would help me relax…’

But it didn’t help at all.

Instead, she began to worry about what would happen after she washed up.

Being alone in the room with Ulan was one thing, but how would she even look at his face or what kind of conversation should they have?

‘L-Let’s change my thoughts.’

In truth, this was nothing at all.

She had just come to the hotel to escape the suddenly pouring rain, intending to spend a normal night.

Right, just like everyone else does.

So, there was nothing to be concerned about.

“……”

No, actually, it wasn’t.

The more she thought about it, the more her face turned red, which was proof of her embarrassment. It made sense; no matter how much she considered, this situation was anything but ordinary.

‘C-Could it really be okay like this?!’

At least by her standards, this was never a normal affair. As a result, rather than regaining her calmness, she became more aware of the current situation.

Ivella shook her head vigorously.

‘But it couldn’t be helped.’

It was hard to foresee such heavy rain today and understand that the carriage operations would be halted because of it.

In other words, it was a natural disaster.

‘Yeah, this is force majeure!’

Since it wasn’t intentional, there was no need to feel conscious about it.

After finishing that train of thought.

Ivella’s eyes sparkled momentarily.

She had succeeded in shifting her mindset. So, she wouldn’t get flustered like she did earlier and would treat the situation as she normally would.

After calming her mind.

Ivella stepped out of the bathtub.

Just then, while she was leisurely drying herself with a fluffy towel, she suddenly remembered something she had forgotten.

“…Oh.”

Thinking back, she had no clothes to change into.

That was to be expected. She hadn’t planned for an overnight stay, after all. It was out of the question to put on the wet dress again.

‘W-What should I do?’

Panic-stricken, as she looked around, her eyes landed on a bathrobe. A suitably baggy size. It was enough to cover her body.

After tightly tying the belt that came with the robe.

Ivella stepped out of the bathroom.

“Did you wait long?”

She felt an inexplicable sense of tension.

Clutching her pounding heart, she glanced toward the living room where she sensed a presence.

“Now that I’m clean, I can go in…”

And then she fell silent.

It was because of the sight before her. Ulan was intently focused on some body workouts. He was probably feeling stiff from just sitting still.

However, what caught her attention wasn’t just that.

The sight of his muscles, heated from extensive exercise, bulging veins captured her gaze.

Swallow!

Ivella unconsciously gulped.

The calm composure she had just regained shattered the moment she saw Ulan’s muscles. Just then, her cheeks began to heat up again.

“Did you wash up?”

“…Huh? Y-yeah.”

Ivella met his gaze.

She responded a beat late, having dazedly admired his muscles, making her awareness return slowly.

“But your face is a bit red.”

“W-Well, that’s…”

“It’s better to keep bathing time short.”

He seemed to think her flushed face was due to the warm bath.

“You should go by the window and get some fresh air. A nice breeze will help cool you down.”

Ivella simply nodded without a word. It wasn’t until Ulan went into the bathroom that she let out a sigh she had been holding back.

But it was only for a moment.

The muscles she just saw flooded back into her mind, and in no time, Ivella’s face turned a vivid shade of red again.

‘L-Let’s think of something else!’

As she fanned her face with her hand, trying to clear her thoughts, she suddenly recalled what Ulan had mentioned.

The claim that the window would feel cool.

Approaching the half-open window, a fresh, cool breeze brushed against her cheek.

‘Oh, it really is!’

The sweet scent of rain in the fresh air made her feel the heat in her face dissipate little by little. All the random thoughts that were cluttering her mind began to wash away like grains of sand swept away by waves.

Just as she began to feel calmer.

Rattle!

The sound of the bathroom door opening rang out.

Ivella slowly turned her head.

She felt surprisingly confident that she wouldn’t be flustered by seeing Ulan anymore. But in that instant, that confidence shattered.

“…!?”

Ulan stepped out in his robe, just like her.

That much she had expected.

But the issue was elsewhere.

Specifically, Ulan’s body was far too massive compared to the size of his robe.

And as a result.

The solid chest muscles that his robe couldn’t fully conceal struck Ivella’s gaze.

At that moment, she felt her breath catch.

Perfectly sculpted muscles. She couldn’t divert her gaze at all. But she managed to turn her eyes away while pinching her thigh.

‘Y-You’re far too stimulating.’

If she stared too long, she would definitely be nosebleeding. Without realizing it, she adjusted her robe while staring out the window dazedly.

Meanwhile, at that moment.

Having finished his shower, Ulan sat down opposite Ivella after rinsing his throat with cold water.

On the adequately soft sofa, he leaned back while also looking out the window with her.

Swishhhh—!

The rain was pouring down magnificently.

It felt as though a hole had been punched in the sky.

As she stared blankly at the scene, unable to bear the awkward silence, suddenly Ivella spoke up quietly.

“The rain is coming down really hard.”

“It seems so.”

Ulan nodded in agreement.

Then he recalled his former colleague, Fertisha, whom he had briefly met in the evening.

“She still makes accurate predictions.”

“Huh? Accurate? What do you mean?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

Ulan shook his head.

It wasn’t the time to explain. Whatever it was could wait until he met Fertisha again.

“By the way, Ivella.”

“W-What?”

He had called her suddenly, making her turn her head slightly.

At that moment, she saw the look in Ulan’s eyes.

‘That gaze is…!’

It was a look that seemed to crave something.

Somehow, it felt like a primal human desire had manifested, and Ivella felt a surge of tension.

What on earth was he going to say?

Just as she was about to swallow hard.

“Can I eat that?”

“…What?”

“The fruit sitting over there.”

Ulan pointed at the apple and banana on the side table next to Ivella. It was only then that Ivella understood the situation, her expression becoming one of relief.

“I think it should be okay?”

“Great. I was just a little hungry.”

With a smile, Ulan devoured the fruit.

Crunch crunch. The sound of chewing fruit quickly disappearing filled the air. Watching this scene, Ivella let out a small sigh.

‘Phew, it seems like I made a lot of unnecessary assumptions.’

She had made similar mistakes before.

‘Well, Ulan wouldn’t be that way.’

The Ulan she had seen at the Academy was always thoughtful and a gentleman.

Though he had a slight dullness, it was still better than being swept away by desire.

So, today too, it should be no big deal.

Ivella was sure of it. But just a minute later, that confidence was shattered.

“Eek!”

With a scream and widened turquoise eyes.

Her body trembled as though struck by lightning.

Ulan had suddenly approached and, without warning, grabbed the nape of her neck. The unexpected action left Ivella utterly flustered as she shouted.

“U-Ulan?! What are you doing…!”

“Just hold still.”

The low, soothing voice tickled her ears.

Ulan began to knead the nape of her neck, gently applying pressure as if he were molding clay.

And just at that moment.

“Ahh!”

Suddenly, a strange sound escaped her.

Realizing this, Ivella hurriedly covered her mouth. Meanwhile, Ulan continued to knead her nape.

After a while,

Was it the heat from his large palm?

She felt her body gradually growing warmer.

As she began to lose all her strength.

Ulan spoke up.

“Your muscles are tense.”

“…T-Tense?”

Her words came out scrambled in her surprise.

Ulan nodded.

“Yeah. Looks like you often feel tense.”

Half of that was true.

She wasn’t usually tense, but today she’d been nothing but nervous since leaving the dormitory.

“Tense muscles should be relaxed right away. If left unattended, it’ll lead to soreness.”

In the case combat broke out again.

She would need to be prepared at all times to react immediately and be at her peak condition.

As Ulan continued to explain, Ivella sighed inwardly.

‘Oh, it was just a massage.’

Her expression revealed a strange mix of relief and disappointment.

After a brief moment,

Ulan removed his hands from her nape.

“All done. Try moving a bit.”

At his words, Ivella gave a light twist of her body.

Her eyes widened suddenly. She could definitely feel it was much smoother than before.

“Oh, you’re right? It feels pretty good now.”

“Doesn’t it?”

“How did you do this in such a short time…?”

“I infused you with Spirit.”

“Spirit?”

“It’s the force we call ‘Aura’ here.”

Ulan briefly added an explanation.

If you infused someone’s body with Spirit while relaxing the muscles, you could recover at a far faster rate than usual.

“That’s amazing. Then Masters don’t suffer from sore muscles?”

“Generally, yes.”

Unless it’s an extremely intense battle, it’s rare for them to suffer from soreness.

Starting from then.

Ivella’s eyes sparkled as she fired off various questions. Inquiring about the mastery level of a Master and other curiosities she had about the academy.

These questions could only be answered by someone who was not a Master, making her seize the opportunity to satisfy her curiosity.

Also, it was a chance to break the awkward silence.

Fortunately, Ulan didn’t seem bored and steadily answered Ivella’s questions.

Eventually, how much time passed?

“Haaaah.”

After clearing out all her accumulated curiosities.

Ivella let out a long yawn.

Maybe because of the massage or perhaps because the night was growing late, drowsiness washed over her.

Ulan glanced at her.

“If you’re sleepy, you should get some rest.”

As soon as he wrapped up his words, he glanced over at the bed.

Chapter 24. Events in the Capital City