Chapter 81-82 – Unresolved Curiosity
"Well, I'd like to ask that there be more scenes like that…"
Fine perked up her ears at Rize's hesitant request.
"Huh? More dirty stuff?"
Her reaction was one of pure surprise. It was hard to believe that the usually serious and diligent vice-captain would show any curiosity about something like that.
"Uh, yes… I thought it might help us better understand humans, especially since they live among us in the knighthood."
"Oh, as expected of our vice-captain! I knew you were thinking ahead! I'll bring it right away!"
"Please… don't tell the others, alright?"
"Absolutely! Leave it to me!"
Fine disappeared for a while and soon returned carrying a couple of books. With a cheerful, "Have fun reading," she handed them over and left the room.
Now, only the two books, Rize, and the topic of humans remained.
"…"
She hesitated to open the book.
For elves, sexual desire and behavior had always been taboo. Knowing this, her hands refused to move.
But then, she remembered what had happened earlier that afternoon in the forest.
Dayke had reached out to help her when she nearly fell. In the process, his hand brushed against her chest.
It was only for a moment, but she couldn't forget the sensation.
"…It felt different."
She whispered this as she lightly pressed her chest with her own hands.
Unlike now, when she felt nothing, she had definitely experienced a new sensation in the forest. The moment he touched her, it was like a current of electricity passed through her body. That spark spread rapidly, making her legs feel weak before she even realized it.
'Was that… pleasure?'
She wasn't sure yet.
Although it was the first time she'd felt something like that, she wasn't sure if it felt good. What stood out more was the overwhelming embarrassment.
But the real problem was that she had felt something at all.
As an elf, she was supposed to keep her distance from desires like that. And she certainly wasn't supposed to feel them from a contact with someone like Dake, who showed no emotion.
'I need to look into this more. I need to understand what I felt.'
Finally gathering the courage, she opened the book.
The story began with a man and woman from rival families who happened to meet by chance. Though they developed feelings for each other, they couldn't express them because of their family ties.
Rize found herself drawn in by the plot.
Then came a scene where the female lead hurt her foot and was carried on the back of the male lead.
'That's exactly what happened this afternoon…'
The similarity between the story and her own experience was striking. She instantly recalled being carried by Dayke through the forest.
His broad and firm back was unlike that of any elf. And strangely, when she rested her body against him, she felt safe and comfortable. She didn't know why, but the feeling lingered.
As if reading her own emotions, the female protagonist in the book described feeling the same.
"…"
Rize became completely absorbed in the story, unaware of how much time had passed.
It was already far past her bedtime, and she was nearing the end of the book.
The man and woman finally confessed their feelings. However, knowing they could never be together due to their families, they chose to become husband and wife for just one night.
With the sorrow of knowing they'd part ways at sunrise, they embraced each other for the first—and last—time.
"Oh my…GOD"
Because the sex scene in the novel was depicted so explicitly, Rize let out a strange exclamation without realizing it.
As she read the final lines, Rize suddenly remembered the scene she had once glimpsed through a crack in the door—a moment between Dayke and Agnes.
That image, along with the memory of Dayke's hand brushing against her chest, came flooding back. Her heartbeat, which had spiked back then, still hadn't calmed.
"…"
The two characters in the novel had looked genuinely happy together.
Since the author was a woman, most of the story had been told from the female protagonist's point of view. Because of that, the scenes involving intimacy were detailed with emotional depth and clarity, making it easy for Rize to understand them.
'It's… over?'
She had been so absorbed in the story that she didn't realize she had already reached the end.
The night had passed, and the morning sun was beginning to rise.
Rize knew she needed rest. She had to recover quickly and get back to training. But the vivid emotions stirred by her first experience with an erotic novel made it hard to settle her thoughts.
Her eyes wandered to the second book that still lay nearby, glinting faintly in the morning light.
Unable to resist her growing curiosity, the vice-captain finally reached out and opened it.
—
—
[POV Change]
Two days later—on the third day since Dayke returned from deployment—Rize stepped onto the floor after finishing her shower. She gently rotated her ankles to test them.
'It's fine. I think I can return to training tomorrow. But… it healed faster than I expected. Why?'
It felt odd, but since it was good news, there was no reason to dwell on it.
More importantly, she had something she wanted to do right away. She quickly dressed and climbed onto her bed, opening a book from the human world.
She had already finished the first two volumes Fine had lent her. Afterward, Rize requested more, and Fine eagerly sent them. She was now on volume seven.
These novels were a perfect way to pass time during her recovery. They featured a wide range of characters and dramatic events that kept her attention, helping time move faster.
Of course, what intrigued her the most were the intimate scenes between men and women. The idea of pleasure that came from touching someone you loved fascinated her.
It was an unfamiliar world that she couldn't stop exploring.
But one problem remained.
No matter how many books she read, her curiosity was never fully satisfied. She couldn't truly understand what that ecstatic sensation felt like.
Even the once stern Rize had begun to let go of her strict standards, diving deeper into these stories in search of answers.
Yet, the more she read, the more her imagination grew. She couldn't stop wondering what it would actually feel like. None of the books provided a clear answer—only more questions.
"Ha…"
With a sigh of frustration, Rize closed the book and lay down. After a moment of staring blankly at the ceiling, she suddenly sat up.
'I should go for a walk. I haven't moved much in the last few days, so it'll help with my foot recovery.'
Just as she stepped out into the hallway, she ran into a fellow knight.
"Vice-captain! Are your feet better now?"
"It's Ciel. Yes, they're fully healed. I'll rejoin training tomorrow."
"Ah, are you going to report to the leader? But I don't think she's in her room right now."
She had already completed her report, so there wasn't a real reason to see her. But her curiosity made her ask anyway.
"Oh? Where did she go?"
"I just saw her in the hallway. She looked a bit flustered… I think she was heading to see Dayke."
"I see. Thank you."
After parting with Ciel, Rize quickly drifted into thought.
If the leader had gone to see Dayke, then that meant something intimate might be happening again.
Was it because she was still frustrated and unsatisfied after all her reading? A new thought formed in her mind.
'If I just see it with my own eyes…'
She had seen Dayke and Agnes together before, but back then, she hadn't been paying close attention. She wasn't interested at the time. But now, she had a feeling that watching it again might finally answer the question that had been consuming her.
'I know it's wrong, but…'
Even so, she was desperate to resolve this lingering curiosity that had weighed on her for days.
'Just once. I'll only look once…'
With her decision made, Rize carefully checked that the hallway was empty. Then, she quietly made her way toward the basement stairs.
—
—
[MC Change]
After returning to the barracks, only two days remained until I was scheduled to head back to Lake Village.
So far, nothing particularly noteworthy had happened—aside from the queen's clear disappointment when she heard that I'd returned without a single injury.
"Hmm…?"
Lying down comfortably, I lazily scrolled through the app.
Most of the features were still locked. Many of them were too vague to understand, blocked behind high point requirements or low achievement percentages.
Without much thought, I tapped into the "Corruption Status" tab.
That's when something completely unexpected caught my eye.
###
[Kiella]
Status: Resistance
###
Her name had suddenly appeared on the list under Agnes.
It hadn't been there back when I placed the dildo in front of her and made her clean it. It must have been added sometime after that moment.
I had assumed that a name would only appear on the list if direct penetration was involved. But apparently, causing intense pleasure alone was enough for the name to be recorded.
As expected, her status showed that she was still in the resistance phase—harboring a sense of hostility toward me.
Beneath that, a short line of information was displayed.
###
[Kiella]
Status: Resistance
Not masturbating under Dakey's orders.
###
From her perspective, she could have simply chosen to disobey me, even if I became angry. Yet, she appeared to be cooperating with a surprising degree of enthusiasm.
Well, since her weaknesses were already thoroughly exposed, it wouldn't be easy for her to act brave now.
Resisting the urge to masturbation isn't really that hard in the first place.
Once I return, everything will begin in earnest.
My ultimate goal was clearly to get revenge on her. But there was something else I was after at the same time—information about the inner workings of the royal castle, which she likely had access to during her tenure as a Supreme Court judge.
It was highly probable that Kiella knew details even Agnes, the Queen's favored knight, wouldn't be privy to. If I could extract that information, it would make the path to avenging myself against the queen much smoother.
Knock… Knock…
"Come in."
The door opened, and Agnes stepped in.
There was no need for any reason behind her visit. I had simply called for her.
She had spent so many nights here with me that her absence at this time now left the room feeling strangely empty.
"You're here?"
"Yeah…"
She nodded, her face glowing with anticipation.
I had been planning to start right away, but a thought crossed my mind, and I asked her something first.
"Did the vice-captain say anything to you?"
"What do you mean?"
I remembered a conversation from a few days ago during a patrol in the forest. The vice-captain had asked whether I really loved Agnes.
I wasn't certain, but it had felt like she was questioning the nature of our relationship.
"She didn't seem convinced that we were truly in love."
"Really? She never said anything to me about that."
"Is that so?"
Looking back, there hadn't been any signs of suspicion from her after that. Maybe I had simply misread things.
"I guess I was just imagining it."
"Well, then that's a relief. Oh, now that I think about it, the vice-captain reported that she's fully recovered and will return to training starting tomorrow. It's strange, though. A sprained ankle shouldn't heal in just two days. Did you use magic?"
"I did."
I had secretly used healing magic on her when I carried her. But I only partially healed her, knowing that fully fixing it right away would raise questions about why I had to carry her at all.
"…Thank you. You're always kind. I didn't even notice and just acted like my usual self…"
Agnes playfully touched my shoulder as she spoke.
"It's fine. I'll just take my payment in your body, right?"
"Yeah, that's right. Tonight too… I'm all yours."
The anticipation that had briefly faded returned to her eyes, burning even brighter.
Her hands moved to take off her clothes to match her ripe mood, and Agnes waited patiently as if she was ready to accept everything.
That moment.
Thud… !
"What?"
She followed the sudden sound and opened the door.
"Vice-captain?"
"Ah…!"
Her soft gasp slipped out as she looked up at us, caught in the act. She appeared more shocked than either of us, clearly having crept up to the door and gotten caught.
"Vice-captain. Did you hear us?"
"Y-yes, Captain…"
"From where exactly did you start listening?"
"Well… from the part where you said Dayke is a kind person…"
Thankfully, it seemed she hadn't heard the more sensitive part of the conversation. I let out a quiet sigh of relief. But Agnes, her expression turning serious, asked firmly.
"What are you doing here?"
"Huh? Oh… that's…"
The vice-captain could barely speak, clearly flustered. Her blue eyes, matching her hair, darted around nervously, unable to settle anywhere.
"Be honest. Why did you come? Were you trying to spy on us?"
Pressed by Agnes's stern voice, the vice-captain finally squeezed her eyes shut and blurted out the truth.
"I came to check if you and Dayke were really lovers!"