"Rodrick, are you hurt?"
The large man seemed to have drooping tails and ears.
A beast pretending to be a puppy. You sinful man. I almost felt my heart flutter for a moment.
If he were introduced to high society, there would be countless young ladies fainting with nosebleeds.
"Let go of this. I need to wash up and sleep quickly."
Furrowing his brow as if displeased by something, he gripped her wrist even tighter. Stop using so much strength. It feels like the blood won't circulate.
"Let's go together."
"Alright. No one else should come, but please keep watch."
Not sure why he suddenly developed separation anxiety, Diana said while shaking her captured wrist.
As she expected, after walking a short distance, they saw water flowing along the valley.
The water volume seemed sufficient for washing without issue.
"I'll wash first."
Leaving Rodrick standing at a distance, she took off the robe she hadn't been able to remove for days and his shirt.
Whew, I feel alive.
Even though her sweat-soaked clothes felt unpleasant, she couldn't complain among the knights wearing heavy armor.
She removed her nightgown dress and underwear and stepped into the cold water.
She bit her lips tightly at the chill that made her shiver from toes to crown.
Ugh, it's cold. Let's wash quickly and get out.
Diana waded through the icy water until it reached her waist.
She wet her long, wavy hair while keeping watch of her surroundings.
She even plucked some herbs with cleansing effects to make bubbles. Without soap, she had to use something like this.
Fortunately, there were some common herbs. She thought there would only be strange plants in a place teeming with monsters.
Though their size was quite extraordinary.
Everything in this forest seemed large. The trees were big, the monsters were big. Even the valley they discovered was wide and deep, making her think that if a monster appeared in the water, it could drag someone down without a sound.
At least the water was clear and the moon shone faintly, so there was no worry of misstepping.
"Huh?"
She stopped washing herself and focused her sleepy gaze on one spot.
Something was floating downstream.
A corpse? She had only been wary of monsters. She hadn't thought there would be people in a place like this.
The thing floating face down was clearly a person.
"Ro-Rodrick!"
At her call, Rodrick rushed through the bushes but stopped abruptly.
He seemed uncharacteristically flustered. Why is he like that?
His straight pink eyes and her wavering blue eyes met in midair.
Following his gaze, she looked down and yelped in surprise.
"Wh-what are you looking at!"
The female form, clearly visible under the moonlight, was dazzlingly beautiful.
Though she turned around, the image of her remained etched in his retina.
Rodrick exhaled a deep sigh and ran his large hand over his face.
"What did you call me for..."
"There! There's a man over there!"
A man? At the word "man," the expression disappeared from his face. In an instant, the temperature around him plummeted.
Focused on Diana's appearance, he hadn't noticed another presence in the water.
He strode into the water.
Before the floating man could drift closer to Diana, Rodrick grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and pulled him out.
"Puhah! Keck. Cough. Cough."
Surprisingly, the man was alive. Breathing roughly, the man regained his composure while shedding tears and mucus.
"Huha- Th-thank you, whoever you..."
The man spitting out water locked eyes with Diana.
"A fairy...?"
"...Felice Schwartz?"
Why are you here? It was the appearance of the sub-male lead they had been searching for.
At the familiar name, Rodrick quickly turned Felice around.
"Uwak. Br-brother?!"
"Felice Schwartz."
It was a viciousness that seemed drawn from the depths of hell. Felice broke out in a cold sweat at the murderous intent that seemed about to stab him.
"Why are you here?"
The veins on the back of the hand gripping his collar bulged.
Why was the runaway floating in the valley stream?
Rodrick clenched his molars, feeling like curses were about to spill out.
"Brother, did you come to save me?"
"Answer."
"There are deep circumstances... Huck."
He whined excessively when Rodrick put more strength into the hand gripping his collar.
"No, I left home for your sake, brother. I didn't come out to cause trouble. Do you have to be this angry? No, no. I'm sorry!"
Seeing Rodrick's face hardening more and more, Felice earnestly said while rubbing his water-swollen hands together.
"I-I was wrong... Brother. I'm scared."
Diana watched the brothers' squabble from afar with blurry eyes.
"..."
I understand that brotherly love is overflowing. I understand, but I'm very cold, you know?
"Excuse me, gentlemen?"
As if to prove they were brothers, both men's gazes fixed on her simultaneously.
Was it male instinct? Their gazes slowly traveled down her curved figure along her wet hair.
"Stop looking!"
Flinch. The two men shook violently.
"You men, really! I can feel it even though I'm turned around, you know?"
"Brother, the fairy is talking? Mmph."
Before more nonsense could come out, Rodrick grabbed his brother's face with his black-gloved hand.
"Hurry and get out. So I can put on clothes!"
Diana bit her quivering lips from the cold while covering her ample bosom with an X.
She heard the splashing of water as they trudged out behind her.
"I'm sorry."
Diana blinked her pink eyes wide at the apology from behind. Rodrick is even apologizing.
Left alone in the water, only a serene silence remained.
[This is the timeline separator]
Diana put on her grimy clothes again and returned to where the group was.
She would have to ask Noel if he had a spell to clean clothes. It's even more unpleasant when the clothes are dirty even after washing.
"Huhueng. I missed you all! I thought I was going to die!"
"Kuhahaha. You're still as disgusting as ever, young master."
"Young master, why on earth did you enter the demon realm when you're such a weakling? Huh? You were determined to torment us, weren't you! Huh?!"
Search "seduce" at redcatty [.] com to read ahead up to chap 70.