The Seed Thief - Vol. 1 Chapter 3.6

When Lulu almost reached him, she staggeringly stepped on rocks covered in algae.

“Huh?”

The next moment, her foot caught on a slippery rock.

‘I’m falling!’

Lulu instinctively shut her eyes, anticipating cold water. But contrary to her expectation, warm arms grabbed her.

“Are you alright?”

Before Ervandas knew it, he had risen and grabbed her. Despite being frozen in fear by the approaching insane witch, his knightly instinct kicked in.

As Ervandas thought, ‘Let’s help her up and quickly create some distance,’ Lulu looked at the hands holding her and spread her arms, beaming.

“You helped me?”

The stream was deep enough to submerge up to the neck when sitting. If she had fallen hard, she might have been struck by the rocky creek bed.

“But I caught you!”

In Lulu’s eyes, Ervandas, who had looked handsome yesterday, seemed even more striking. When she woke up, she noticed that he had not only tidied the floor but also meticulously cleaned every inch, even atop shelves where Lulu’s hands couldn’t reach.

Just being handsome wouldn’t be enough; he even helped her without running away. She had done a great job to capture this man!

Praising herself, Lulu embraced Ervandas.

“Thank you!”

“Huh? Huh!”

Taken aback by Lulu’s sudden embrace, Ervandas lost his balance this time and stumbled. Fearing they would both fall, instead of pushing Lulu away, he hugged her tighter to prevent her from getting hurt.

‘Wait. Why am I doing this?’

Why would he, a knight, have to help this witch?

Feeling something was off, Ervandas tried to push Lulu away, but it was too late. With a loud Splash! their bodies fell into the stream. As cold water poured over his face, Ervandas thought.

It seemed the witch’s curse had reached his subconscious.

The two hastily tried to rise from the stream. Lulu coughed out the water filled her mouth and nose. She then realized, instead of the usual cold and rocky bottom, she was lying on a warm and soft surface.

It was Ervandas’s body lying beneath her.

‘This…….’

Pleasant?

While Ervandas wiped the water from his face, Lulu looked at the body she lay upon.

Whenever she bathed, a chilling eeriness would creep from the cold stones at the bottom. Bumping into them was also painful. However, sitting on his body, the warmth of their contact made even the water’s chill a pleasant temperature.

Then, from now on…

‘When bathing, Er should come too.’

Of course, her intention wasn’t merely to use him as a floor rug. During bathing, there were always hard-to-reach places. Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone help with those spots?

When lathered her hair with soap, her arms would eventually ache due to its length and her neck would stiffen from the weight. But if he helped, it could finish much faster without pain.

Certainly, this help wouldn’t be one-sided. She could help him wash in return.

‘Starting today!’

While Lulu entertained scheming thoughts, Ervandas continued wiping the dripping water from his face, his head turned away from her.

‘Good heavens.’

Her soft and warm body pressed against him, leaving no room for gaps. Even the slightest movement brought a wave of tenderness that took his breath away. Her approach alone was frightening, and now she was completely enveloped in his arms.

His thoughts, which had barely been sorted out by the tranquil stream, were now in disarray. To make matters worse, he realized that this situation, while embarrassing, wasn’t unpleasant. Just then, due to the water, Lulu’s body slipped down and ended up clinging to his chest.

“……!”

The plump and prominent flesh pressed against his chest, eliciting a pleasurable sensation. His arms, which tried to push her away, stopped. As his grip weakened, Lulu’s body was inevitably drawn even closer to him.

Something was wrong. Undoubtedly, this should have been repulsive. Forcing one’s body onto another without consent couldn’t possibly be pleasant.

Hadn’t a woman who professed her love for him in his adolescence committed similar acts? Back then, Ervandas clearly saw the lust brimming in her eyes.

She was looking at him, yet looking not at him, but at what would come with having him. Honor, power, wealth – and on top of that, a handsome and healthy young body.

In that frenzied gaze, Ervandas felt terror. The eyes of one chasing something formless were not much different from the eyes of one pursuing demons. In hindsight, he realized that his decision to remain at the temple back then was out of the fear he had felt.

Briefly recalling the past, Ervandas steeled himself before looking at Lulu.

He was no longer the age to fear desires as he had then. During his time in the temple, he gained time to defend himself from desires. The touches directed at him persisted, but within the sanctuary of a chaste life, he solidified and sharpened himself. Becoming a temple knight because he wanted to be a sword that could pierce those coveting him.

He gritted his teeth before looking at Lulu. What horrific desire might this witch look at him?

And at last, he was faced with crimson deeper than anything he had seen before.

Nestled amidst the drenched strands of hair that dripped water, those crimson irises, only one thing encapsulated by that one color.

“Er?”

Oddly, within that crimson hue people denounced, he saw no lust he had previously scorned. All he could read was a tinge of apology and delight. Bare, pure emotions were gazing directly at him.

Because what was looking at him was so different from his assumptions, Ervandas could only stare at Lulu blankly, motionless. Tok, tok. The cool water that had drenched the two fell to the surface with crystalline taps.

“Am I heavy? Are you hurt?”

A clear voice came like the sound of falling water, without artifice. A genuinely concerned tone of voice – one he had only heard from his family in childhood.

While Ervandas stared blankly at her, Lulu quickly examined his body.

Her face heated as her heart skipped beats.

“Truly beautiful.”

This was the first time she had truly seen his eyes. Before, she had only seen them in the dark night, illuminated by the magic’s light.

Upon their first meeting, his irises bore the color of terror. A chilling hue harboring murderous intent. But looking at them now, she found them lovely, though the fear still lingered.

Under bright daylight with her magic bound him, the blue color was simply stunning. If possible, she wished to cherish and possess them without a single blemish for a lifetime.

‘But that would be wrong.’

Lulu recalled her mindset when first bringing Er here.

He had a family outside the forest, unlike her. Someone must be waiting for him, as village folk wait for each other. So she should send him back after use, of course, and ensure he returned good as new.

‘You’re not hurt, are you?’

Lulu stretched out her neck fully to inspect Ervandas’ body.

Though she had cleared away sharp stones where she bathed, new ones could roll in over time. And no matter the caution, the skin could easily be damaged from bumping even non-sharp surfaces while slipping.

Fortunately, she saw no marks of injury anywhere on his body.

‘Well then…….’

I’ll fulfill my purpose of coming here.

Lulu, while grinning, proudly raised the bar of soap she gripped tightly even when falling. The soap had become slippery from contact with water. (tl: she looks like the Statue of Liberty lol)

“What, what are you doing?”

He stammered, slowly regaining his senses. Instead of answering, Lulu vigorously lathered bubbles using the soap in her hand.

The soap was among the few items left behind by the forest witch. Initially, Lulu used it frequently, but seeing its rapid diminishment, she turned to using forest-grown fruits whose peels, when rubbed, produced bubbles akin to soap. As for the soap itself, Lulu stored it safely in a drawer, reserving it for truly significant occasions.

The soap was that precious to Lulu. But at this moment, she didn’t mind using it lavishly.

‘I’ll give you only the best.’

The human man who would grant her the seed – Lulu felt her heart flutter inside.

Lulu, creating bubbles in abundance matching her high spirits, placed them atop Ervandas’ hair. Her fingers finally glided through the silvery strands she had longed to touch.

“I said I’ll wash you.”

From head to toe.

Er seemed to be fond of cleanliness, so Lulu was determined to wash every nook and cranny until not a speck of dirt remained. At first, she had intended to seek Er’s help. But feeling his hair entwined her fingers, she started washing him in earnest.

Of course, she didn’t forget to appreciate his handsome face along the way.

Ervandas spoke as if his neck was strangled.

“I…I, I can do it.”

“It’s alright, stay still.”

As her spell still bound him, Ervandus’s attempt to grab her hand froze in place.

Even beneath the water, Ervandas could sense cold sweat trickling down. It was inevitable. If anyone witnessed the scene before his eyes now, they would feel the same, he assured himself.