Chapter 201

Jingai Musume 201

A Hero’s Anguish

Editor(s): Speedphoenix, Joker

“Oh my gosh! What the heck is wrong with me!?” Nell rolled around on top of the carpet as she bemoaned her actions . “I-I can’t believe I said or did any of that!”

The afternoon’s events had left quite the impact on her . The rugged sensation her tongue experienced as it traced its way across his skin was memorable to say the least . She could never forget the stimulus that assailed her nervous system each time he breathed a hot sigh down the back of her neck, nor the way her heart raced as she gazed into his eyes . And then there was his scent . It was so masculine that she felt the urge, the need, to spend every waking moment basking in its embrace .

It was like he had branded her . His essence had carved its way into her body and left a permanent mark, one that failed to show signs turning dormant . Even now, it assaulted her and sentenced her to a constant state of anguish .

“This is all Yuki’s fault!” she said . “I knew there’d be something weird in his blood!”

The hero was convinced that she would normally never engage in an act so obscene, especially not in public . She had only chosen to drink his blood out of curiosity . Seducing him had never been her intention . But his blood had been the devil’s nectar . Ingesting it had intoxicated her . Her head had started to spin for reasons beyond her comprehension the moment she ingested it . A pleasant sensation had washed over both her body and her mind as her ability to reason faded away . She let down her guard and allowed her instincts to be laid bare .

“Arrrrrrrrrrrghhh! I’m so embarrassed! I’m so embarrassed I could just disappear!”

Being scolded by Lefi had knocked a bit of sense back into her, but it had failed to truly pull her from her stupor . She had remained under the influence for some time after; the drunken effect had only just finished fully wearing off . And that was precisely why she was so embarrassed .

Half of her shame stemmed from acting the way she did in a public space . The other half had been generated by her newfound self-awareness .

Deep down, that was what she had wanted . Her heart’s desire .

Knowing that filled her with a sense of ignominy so insurmountable it made her lose her bearings . She didn’t know what to do with herself . She had no idea how she was supposed to treat her emotions . She didn’t know if she was supposed to let them free, bottle them up, or deal with them some other way .

Though she had yet to look into any mirrors, Nell was well aware of the fact that her face was bright as a tomato . She didn’t want anyone to see her the way she was now . Fortunately, she was alone—and unlikely to be intruded on . She had gone out of her way to relocate to her private quarters . Nell wasn’t the only one with a private room . Yuki had made one for each of the dungeon’s residents, but they seemed to go unused for the most part .

“…It’s not my fault he smells so good . ” Nell came to a stop with her arms and legs spread, and her back against the carpeted floor .

Her training had often put her in close proximity with many a man . But none of her other experiences had ever been that up close and personal . And as she had lost her father very early in life, she had no other memories of every sharing an embrace with a member of the opposite gender . That was in part why the experience had seemed so intense .

“…Is that what I think it is?” As she turned her head, she realized that there was a red streak running down the side of her shirt . “It really is…”

His blood .

The sticky liquid had already worked its way into the fabric and was likely to leave a stain if it wasn’t carefully attended to .

But a potential stain was the least of Nell’s concerns .

For she had already once again been entranced .

She pressed the fabric against herself and inhaled as deeply as she could . “…It smells really, really nice,” she giggled . “Just like him . ”

Nell was fully aware that she was doing something many would find downright abnormal . But she was alone . There was no one to judge her .

And therefore nothing to worry about .

Her face slackened into a smile as she took yet another breath .

She was so bewitched, so captivated that she even failed to react to the sound of her door being knocked .

Only after it opened did she realize that she had made a mistake .

“Hey, Nell? It’s time for dinne—” The man on her mind entered the room, only to freeze and then back out the exact same way he came . “…Ooookay . You have fun then,” he said as he closed the door behind him .

“H-huh!? Have fun!?” She echoed his words in a hysterical tone as her mind processed the events that had just unfolded . “Wait! Waaaait! I definitely wasn’t doing what you think I was!” She wrenched the door open as quickly as she could and confronted him before he even so much as took a step .

“It’s okay Nell . I’m not judging, even if sniffing yourself is what gets you off . I was just planning to writ