Chapter 381

Upon returning to the fourth villa after handing over today’s boss monster materials—or rather, the sealing stone that had sealed the boss monster—to Professor Mamari.

Dina, who greeted Ethan and me, immediately noticed Ethan’s injury as soon as we entered the villa and saw him rubbing his shoulder.

"Your left shoulder seems to be bothering you, Lord Ethan. Did you happen to get injured during the battle?"

“Yeah. I’m just asking, but is there any church or place where a priest lives nearby?”

“The nearest church is eight hours away by carriage. However, since horses are not nocturnal animals, I wouldn’t recommend traveling by carriage in the dark.”

“…Right. As expected.”

“I apologize for not being able to help. However, if you need a muscle relaxant potion to treat the injury, I can provide one from the storage.”

"Then, please bring me one, Dina. All I have right now are healing potions for wounds."

“Understood, Lady Lilith.”

So, I received a muscle relaxant potion from Dina, and Ethan and I tried to soothe the injury, though it was clear that a few potions weren’t enough to heal him completely. If that were the case, churches in this world wouldn’t have thrived in the first place.

For now, I wrapped Ethan’s arm with a compression bandage, but I wasn’t too hopeful about its effectiveness.

“Dinner is ready, Lord Ethan, Lady Lilith.”

“Oh, thank you, Dina.”

“I have also prepared the bath for both of you to use as soon as you finish your meal.”

With those words, Dina led Ethan and me to the dining room, then quickly excused herself.

And there I was, sitting next to Ethan, feeding him his meal with a fork.

“Lord Ethan, please say ‘ah.’”

“…I can eat on my own, Lilith. It’s only my left arm that’s injured.”

“But didn’t you also use your right arm with the unfamiliar dual-wielding technique? You might be on the verge of making it worse if you move too much. Lord Ethan, you need to conserve your strength before tomorrow’s final battle, and as your personal maid, it’s my duty to assist you in that process.”

“…I doubt eating would cause me to get injured, Lilith.”

“People can break their noses even when they fall backward if they're unlucky. Does the idea of me feeding you make you uncomfortable?”

“No, it’s not that, but…”

We briefly bickered over whether or not Ethan would allow me to feed him, but in the end, he opened his mouth and quietly accepted the food I was giving him.

“If you need anything else during the meal, please feel free to…”

“Oh…”

“…”

“I apologize for the intrusion.”

There was a brief moment when Dina entered to check on us, only to witness what must have looked like a lover’s exchange between Ethan and me. She hurriedly left the dining room, leaving Ethan and me to finish our meal, with me feeding him bite by bite.

Afterward, naturally, the next step was to wash our bodies after today’s messy battle. Just like the previous day, Ethan and I ended up in the same dressing room again.

“I can undress myself, Lilith.”

“But I can help you undress as well. If it’s something only you can do, I won’t interfere, but at least let me take care of what I can.”

“I feel like you’re being overly protective…”

It didn’t matter if I was overprotective. It was much better than watching Ethan get hurt any further.

Especially since the next boss monster, which was suspected to be the Harlequin Queen, would be difficult to handle without Ethan being in top condition. I had to do everything I could to make sure his body was in the best shape possible.

…That’s not to say I was sticking close to him during the meal or excited to help him undress because I wanted to engage in romantic antics with him.

“Phew, Lord Ethan, you’ve sweated quite a lot…”

“Well, I spent the whole day running around. What’s with all those active corpses in the Tomb of the Dead?”

“Since you’ve sweated so much, you’ll need a thorough wash today, Lord Ethan. I really wonder how you would’ve managed if I weren’t here…”

“I told you, I can still take a bath by myself in this condition…”

Sssss.

“…Lilith?”

“Hmph! Ha?!”

No, this was a misunderstanding.

I just happened to grab Ethan’s freshly removed shirt, and I instinctively felt the urge to smell it.

It wasn’t that I particularly liked Ethan’s scent or anything like that—it was simply pure curiosity.

“Lilith? Why are you suddenly…?”

“D-Don’t misunderstand, Lord Ethan! I was just curious about what your clothes might smell like!”

“That’s weird on its own. There’s no misunderstanding needed…”

“N-No! What I meant to say was… I was checking your scent to assess your health…!”

“…Huh?”

“Y-You see, the composition and concentration of a person’s sweat and bodily secretions can differ depending on whether their organs are functioning properly. For instance, a healthy person’s sweat smells different from someone who’s unhealthy, and…”

…Even I didn’t know what I was talking about anymore.

I was just desperately making up excuses to shake off the embarrassment flooding my mind, but honestly, I didn’t feel like I was doing a very convincing job.

“So, sniffing my clothes is part of your duties as my personal maid?”

“…”

“Lilith?”

“…I’m sorry. I was just curious about the scent lingering on your clothes.”

…When deception fails, a quick apology is the best course of action.

I thought it was better than creating an irreparable situation by telling an odd lie, so I quickly changed my approach.

“You’re apologizing for that now…”

“…I’m sorry. It was an unconscious action, but I worried you might find it repulsive.”

“Why would I be repulsed by something like this? We’ve already shown each other things far more embarrassing.”

“…That’s true.”

“By the way, Lilith. Do you do this every time you do my laundry, smelling my clothes?”

“No, I don’t. I never get the urge to do so unless they’re freshly removed. Please don’t misunderstand, Lord Ethan.”

“I think it’s a perfectly reasonable question…”

Ignoring Ethan’s unreasonable suspicion, I continued undressing him and then took off my own clothes, preparing for the bath.

Just as I was about to enter the bathroom to help wash Ethan due to his injured arm, I noticed him staring blankly at the laundry basket.

“Lord Ethan?”

“…”

Sssst.

“What are you…”

Sniff, sniff.

“Kyaaaaaah?!”

Suddenly, Ethan picked up my underwear and started sniffing it.

Completely taken aback by the outrageous act, I let out a high-pitched, girlish scream.

“Wh-Wh-What are you doing, Lord Ethan?! H-How could you do something so shameless as to…!!”

“…I got curious after hearing what you said earlier.”@@novelbin@@

“N-No matter how curious you are, how could you…! P-Put it down this instant!”

“Well, technically speaking, you started this, didn’t you?”

With a look of absurdity, Ethan put my underwear back down.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

After a brief commotion in the dressing room over satisfying each other's curiosity about scents, Ethan and I finally entered the bathroom and began washing ourselves side by side.

“I can wash myself, Lilith.”

“But I can wash you too, Lord Ethan.”

“…Fine. Do as you will.”

Realizing there was no point in resisting, Ethan quietly allowed me to wash him.

I started by washing his hair, then moved on to his neck, shoulders, and arms. After that, I cleaned his back and waist, then shifted my attention to his well-developed chest and abs, being extra cautious around sensitive areas like his groin and thighs.

If I wasn’t careful, I could cause injury, and those complex areas needed to be thoroughly, carefully…

“L-Lilith…”

“…Yes, Lord Ethan?”

“Aren’t you touching me too much? It feels like your hand is lingering in one spot for too long…”

“…I’m just being careful since it’s a vital area, Lord Ethan. If I were to accidentally apply too much pressure, it could cause serious harm.”

“Honestly, what you’re doing right now feels dangerous enough…”

Ignoring Ethan’s inappropriate comments, I continued focusing solely on washing his body.

As the time I spent lathering increased, I could feel Ethan’s body reacting to my touch, his manhood swelling in my hand, but I firmly suppressed any inappropriate thoughts.

Just to clarify—I wasn’t thinking anything strange at all.