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“I’m going to look around a bit more. There might be a good spot to use. Can you start recovering your mana right away?”

“Oh, uh... yeah, sure...”

With those words, Siwoo left Deneb behind in the church and walked off.

“.......”

Left alone, Deneb tried to push down the uneasy feeling creeping up on her as she replayed what she had just seen.

His left hand, trembling like an aspen leaf.

It was hard to picture that alongside the man who had charged at the Kraken without a shred of fear.

“Haah....”

Deneb let out a sigh.

Her own stupidity felt like it was jabbing at her head.

Looking back, it was obvious.

Shin Siwoo was just in his mid-to-late 20s, a rookie witch barely two years in.

And his opponent was an absurdly powerful monster, something that didn’t play by the rules of common sense.

Even if he’d fought a ridiculous number of battles and survived death more times than anyone should, that didn’t mean he was used to it.

Still, Siwoo hadn’t suggested the quick-and-dirty mana recharge to Deneb.

He had willingly chosen the role of bait, as if that option didn’t even exist.

For Deneb to fully recover her mana naturally, it would take at least three or four days.

And since this world reset every eight hours, that meant Siwoo would have to fight the Kraken alone for three, maybe four cycles straight.

Both of them knew that wasn’t something anyone could manage easily.

This world was not a game where players received multiple retry coins.

Rather, the method that came to anyone’s mind is to suggest that Deneb be given a mana recharge.

Because when your life is on the line, taking the shortcut is the smart move.

So why hadn’t Siwoo even brought it up?

Deneb wasn’t clueless enough to not know why.

He had flat-out refused even the idea of a ‘verification’ with her.

“...Idiot.”

Recently, Deneb had been regarding Siwoo with nothing but disapproval.

She’d nitpicked him like it was second nature, kicking his shins whenever she saw him.

Even watching him walk around got on her nerves.

But she’d realized how childish that tantrum was.

Even though she had many things she didn’t like about him lately, he was a benefactor who risked his life for the twins, who were practically strangers.

And that wasn’t all.

He had taken down the Cowardly Witch to protect people, fought the Witch of Desire to save his friend, and had just recently saved Amelia.

Would someone who was nothing more than a selfish, reckless idiot keep putting his life on the line for others?

Deneb simply pretended not to know even though she knew.

She’d used not liking him as an excuse.

She was busy seeing and judging him as she wanted, and belittling him.

“And then whining about being ‘humanly disappointed’ or whatever...”

The immature brat had been her.

Ignoring the reality of the situation, she had the audacity to glare at him and question his actions.

Deneb chased after Siwoo, the hem of her nightgown fluttering.

2.

Siwoo hadn’t gone far.

He was inspecting the church’s bell tower.

“What are you doing?”

“The bell rang when the sun went down, right? I’m seeing if there’s some magical connection.”

“Did you find anything?”

“Nothing, as expected.”

Siwoo let out a bitter chuckle, running his hand along the bell’s worn surface.

He hadn’t expected things to be that easy, so he wasn’t exactly disappointed, but the challenges ahead still made him sigh.

“Mr. Siwoo.”

“Yes, Countess.”

“I have a question.”

“Go ahead.”

Deneb steeled herself and stepped closer to Siwoo.

This wasn’t a question she could just casually ask.

Because the moment she spoke it aloud, the solution Siwoo had been avoiding would become impossible to ignore.

“Why aren’t you taking the easy way?”

“The easier way?”

“Don’t play dumb! You know exactly what I mean, Mr. Siwoo!”

But Deneb had already made up her mind about this.

She just wanted to hear what Siwoo had to say.

“...W-e can, you know, do it. Me and you.”

As soon as she said it, she realized how vulgar the words were.

Deneb felt her face heat up instantly.

This wasn’t like the verification.

Back then, she’d been so turned on she could barely think straight.

She’d had the noble justification of doing it for the twins.

And now, more than anything, she fully understood just how embarrassing sex could be.

She wasn’t the naive Deneb from before.

Flustered, she rushed to cover her awkwardness with words, rambling as usual.

“You have the ability to replicate mana, Siwoo. If we do it and you recharge, you won’t have to take any dangerous risks.

So why do you keep choosing the hard way? Or were you just waiting for me to spell it out for you?”

Before she knew it, she was saying things she didn’t even mean.

“No, it’s not like that...”

“Then what is it?”

“You’re my mother-in-law, Countess Deneb. Even if we consider what happened before unavoidable, I feel like I’ve done something terrible to both Ms. Odile and Ms. Odette....”

Exactly the answer she was expecting.

Then what about fooling around with other women? Isn’t that betrayal too? How can someone so soft-hearted boast about his womanizing ways? etc.

If she were in her usual mood, she would’ve jumped on the hypocrisy.

But right now, rather than such speculations, his trembling hand was more deeply etched in her mind

“I thought this wasn’t the right thing to do. And there’s no guarantee that we have to. I figured I could buy time on my own.”

If he was so confident, why were his hands shaking like that?

Watching him try to put on a brave front just made her feel even more pathetic.

“...Idiot.”

Deneb bit her lip, then reached out and grabbed his wrist.

She pulled him back to the bishop’s room where they had been drinking earlier.

She wished he could take a bath or shower, but there was no such luxury in this rundown facility.

At least there was something resembling a bed, which was fortunate.

Deneb snapped her fingers, casting a cleansing spell on both of their bodies once again.

“Ms. Deneb?”

“Take it off. We’re going to do it.”

Deneb tossed the words out blunt while tying her hair back with a hand behind her neck.

Siwoo visibly panicked, staring at her with wide, clueless eyes.

“We don’t have three or four days to wait. Big sis is probably worried sick, and there’s no guarantee you’ll hold up that long.”

“Ms. Deneb? It’s only been a day. Even if we were going to do this, shouldn’t we wait and....”

“Think about it. If you get taken out before my mana fully recovers, who do you think’s next? I’ll be left defenseless, without you to protect me or enough mana to escape. This is the safest and most efficient option.”

Her reasoning was sound.

Last night, Deneb had plenty of mana, and Siwoo was in top shape to draw the aggro.

But if Siwoo even got slightly hurt, Deneb would have to manage escaping, conserving mana, and recovering it all at once.

If they dragged their feet, worrying about mother-in-law and son-in-law, it could really become a headache.

“You don’t need to feel bad for Odile or Odette. If I die here, that’d be a much bigger problem for them. So, what are you waiting for? Are you stripping or not?”

“Ms. Deneb, I get that you’re stressed, but....”

“Relax. I’m not asking for sex.”

“...Pardon?”

But Deneb didn’t just drag Siwoo into this room without a plan.

Deneb had a very good idea.

“Siwoo, all you have to do is cum inside my vagina/ejaculate inside my vagina to recharge your mana, right?”

Deneb continued her explanation with a slightly smug expression, as if she had come up with a very clever idea.

“Sex is the process of penetration, thrusting, and climax. It’s about sharing pleasure and forming a connection. Right?”

“Uh... yeah, basically.”

“We’re going to skip all that. No thrusting, no mutual pleasure, no emotional bonding.”

Her point was clear.

“Siwoo, put it inside me right before you ejacukate/cum... You know what I mean?”

“.......”

“We don’t have to do it this way—it’s a forced situation. But this way, you don’t have to feel guilty about the twins. It’s not sex. Just a quick in-and-out for mana recharge.”

Funny enough, her idea was exactly what Countess Yesod had suggested a few days ago.

Of course, at that time, he received situational guidance from Yesod Mama, but looking only at the result, the fact that mana was charged would be no different.

“But, Countess... Isn’t this... your first time?”

That was the key difference between Yesod and Deneb.

Deneb was a virgin.

Siwoo hesitated, worried about her having her first time like this.

“What does it matter? My priority is to return safely for the sake of the twins. Besides, I never planned to have sex with a man before the inheritance anyway.”

Siwoo thought over her offer.

“We don’t have much time. Night will fall soon.”

He wasn’t sure if this was the right thing to do.

But it was the fastest way forward.

“...Alright. I’ll do it.”

“Good. I’ll get ready.”

And with that, Deneb laid out the rest of her plan.

———==

This is the drawing of Mama Lucy Yesod by Gatjieunbap sensei.