Chapter 24
Slurp-
Have I been thinking too much lately?
What a sight—fretting like some little girl over whether I'm happy or unhappy.
In the end, all I'd done was act spoiled toward Claude.
Since he treated me so well, I was certainly happy, but anxiety that this good situation might one day disappear came over me.
That depression must have made me act strangely.
“Aris. How are you feeling now?”
“I'm fine. I'm sorry. I acted spoiled.”
Ever since Claude bought me, I no longer receive drug injections.
Thanks to that, if I continue receiving his treatment, my heat cycle will eventually return to normal.
Normally, once a month.
A Wolpi's cycle was similar to a human's menstrual cycle.
If I were normal, I would have gone into heat within the next week.
I still had no premonitory symptoms. Instead, it seemed to fluctuate according to my mood.
Even just now, I was suddenly seized by some strange feeling.
Slurp- Gulp-
Claude said to me.
“It was a good thing all you did was act spoiled.”
“I'm sorry... I'll accept my punishment.”
Crackle-crackle-
A warm fire was lit, and the wet clothes were hung beside it.
I sat by the fire naked beneath a blanket.
Claude was trimming the legs of the bear he'd caught for me and roasting them over the fire.
My mouth watered. Slurp….
“What punishment should I give you? What would you like, Aris?”
“As if there could be a punishment I liked.”
“First, would you give me a smile?”
At his command, I stared blankly at him, then brought my hands to my face.
I kneaded my cheeks and pressed firmly at the corners of my mouth....
“Awi's miwe.”
“Pfft, what's that? Thank you.”
“Thank you. Slurp….”
He turned his gaze back to the fire and checked the meat roasting on a branch.
“This looks ready to eat. Here, take a piece.”
“Thank you!”
“You don't say things like ‘Master first~’ anymore.”
“Oh! Master, would you like to eat?”
I used superhuman strength to hold myself back from bringing it naturally to my mouth.
I swallowed hard and looked at him... waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting.
Slurp….
“It's all right. Eat plenty.”
“Thank you!”
I tore into the meat ravenously. What had I been thinking about just before?
I don't know. It doesn't matter anymore. I'd exercised hard, after all.
Eating was only natural.
“You must have been very hungry.”
By the time I'd torn off half of mine, Claude had picked up a small piece too.
I still wasn't sure a male could regain his strength by eating that.
I should eat quickly and make sure he got some too.
Nom nom, nom nom- After tearing off a tasty bite, I stood up.
The blanket was in the way, so I took it off and approached the fire to pick up another piece.
I walked over to Claude and stood in front of him.
“Um... Aris? Why are you standing there?”
“Master. If you only eat that little, you won't have the strength. Here, have this.”
The meat in my hand smelled incredibly delicious.
It glistened with grease, and Claude's special spices whetted my appetite.
Just as I was about to hand it to him, he suddenly shouted.
“Ah, wait, Aris! Watch your tail!”
“Eek? Oh my goodness!”
The tip of my tail had been slightly singed, as if it had brushed the fire.
Startled, I ran off with the meat in my hand and crashed straight into Claude.
“Whoa... are you all right, Aris?”
“Y-yes! My tail... my tail!”
“It got a little singed. Are you hurt? Let me see.”
I fell straight into Claude's arms. He examined my tail.
“Luckily, your thick fur protected you. You aren't hurt. Be careful.”
“I'm sorry. Here... eat this.”
He shook his head, then turned me around to face forward and sat me down.
I was back in his arms, holding a large piece of meat in my hands.
“You want to eat it, don't you? You can.”
“What will you eat, Master, if I take that? Here....”
“I can't eat that much. You want to eat it, don't you?”
I couldn't help it. I couldn't leave any behind, either.
Nodding, I tore into the meat. It really was delicious.
“But since you came to me dressed like this, I can't help myself.”
“Do as you wish....”
Claude, whose clothes hadn't gotten wet, was getting dressed properly.
To think I was naked in his arms.
I spoke while feeling his hand knead my breasts.
“You like breasts, Master.”
“Well, yeah. I won't deny it. They feel so good.”
“Then... it's embarrassing, but I won't mind. Don't ask—just touch them.”
“I feel a little bad about that. And I like seeing Aris get embarrassed.”
Huh? What on earth did that mean? How should I respond?
It was something I truly never could have imagined....
“P-pervert! Sometimes you seem like a pervert, Master.”
“No. Well... ah~ that's it! Yeah, it really feels good, doesn't it?”
“……”
What was that really about? I wondered if he was finally revealing his true colors.
Still, if he liked it, I didn't really mind either....
Being embarrassed was something that always came with it, and I couldn't hide it anyway.
In Claude's arms, I polished off two pieces of meat.
That meant I'd eaten two legs and one arm all by myself.
He said he planned to sell the rest to the guild or make jerky and store it.
Only now did I ask Claude.
“Why are you planning to go to the dungeon?”
“I hear it's a newly discovered dungeon. That means it's a place dense with pure mana.”
“Are there red monsters there too?”
He nodded.
“Why do you hunt red monsters? And their marks, too?”
“I have my reasons. I need a lot of high-grade magic stones.”
Even ordinary magic stones are hard enough to obtain, but high-grade ones?
I thought it must be quite an arduous journey.
“Could you tell me what you use them for, too?”
“My younger sister is frozen solid. She froze eleven years ago and has remained that way ever since.”
What he meant by “frozen” was quite heartbreaking.
Claude said his younger sister remained frozen and unable to move in the form she had been in at the age of nine.
“It's a kind of sealing curse. I got too carried away as a mage, and then....”
“I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked....”
“No. You're part of our family now too, Aris. You should know about my little sister.”
“F-family...? A slave like Aris?”
He silently stroked my head.
My tail went flap-flap against his belly.
And then a strange fear came over me almost immediately.
“Master... Aris is still afraid.”
“What? Do you want me to pound you again?”
No, that genuinely startled me.
I never imagined such a bold line would come flying at me.
“Huh? I-I didn't mean that....”
His claim that he would turn my anxiety into a pleasant feeling.
He's really a pervert.
“You don't need to be anxious. It's not like I'm going anywhere, right?”
“That's true. Um, do you have any other family?”
“No. As for Aris's family....”
Claude's story left me speechless.
My family was probably still doing well in the village, but....
“S-sorry, Aris. I'm really sorry.”
“No. I'm all right. It doesn't bother me at all.”
He told me he'd heard about me from the slave trader.
The reason I'd left the village. As expected, it wasn't a good memory.
“I'm sorry. It hurts me too when Aris's ears droop.”
Thinking that might be true, I touched my ears. The ones that were always perked up were drooping now.
I put some strength into them and raised them back up.
“I'm all right. They perk right back up this easily. You should take a page from me, Master.”
“Huh? Oh, suddenly? Ahem. I'll try.”
That's how you blow away depressing stories: with a strange joke.
“What should we do now? Aris's clothes seem to be dry.”
“Master.”
“Hmm? Shall we go back now?”
“No. I, Aris, want to become closer to you, Master.”
I worked up a little courage and told him.
Claude then looked down at me and blinked as if curious.
“To become closer, I think we should move our bodies together.”
“You mean... you want to do it one more time?”
“Oh! That's not what I meant, but if you want to mate... I'll get ready right away....”
“No. No! What does Aris want to do?”
I wagged my tail and pointed at the stream.
A place brimming with the refreshing energy of the cool water flowing by.
After all, could there be a better way to grow close than playing together?
“Master. Please play in the water with Aris!”
“Oh... that's a good idea.”
I got out of his arms and stood up.
Claude stood too and took off another layer of clothing.
“You're...naked?”
“Yeah. Aris is naked too.”
It would be foolish to get the clothes I'd worked so hard to dry wet again, wouldn't it?
Of course, Claude could use magic to dry them in no time....
We held hands and entered the stream.
In the cold water, we splashed each other, chased each other, and caught one another.
It felt like I'd returned to my childhood for the first time in ages.
“Got you! Aris!”
“Kyaa! Where? It's my turn this time! I'm definitely going to catch you!”
Why was Claude such a good swimmer despite being a mage?
The more we moved together, the more mysterious a mage he became.
Cold water. We were drawn to each other's warmth. It felt so good when our bare bodies pressed together.
In the water, we held each other tightly, then our eyes met again.
I could feel his gradually hardening cock against my navel.
I spread my arms and embraced him.
“Does it always end up like this?”
“Since it seems to be what you want... it can't be helped.”
We did a little in the water, then a little more after coming out onto the stream bank.
Next, we embraced in front of the fire and moved our bodies to grow closer.
“Haa... Ma...ster... Do you think we've become...closer?”
Claude answered as he came inside me.
“Could we become any closer than this? Aris... let's grow closer every day.”
“Every day... every day♡”
Today, I definitely felt we'd grown closer.