CHAPTER 66…………………………….
It had been so long.
In this moment, as they met deeply, her chest swelled with emotion.
“I want to touch you… more, even more.”
Her hand, which had been resting quietly on Ashur’s arm, slowly climbed to the back of his neck, almost as if clinging.
Ashur, like someone who had been waiting for this for a long time, eagerly sought Sierra.
“Huph.”
They didn’t care about anything else—lost entirely in each other.
They clung together so desperately, as if letting go for even a moment would be disastrous.
Even when her hand slipped several times from the damp warmth, he quickly grabbed her elsewhere.
Ashur’s hands brushed her waist, wrapped around below her knees, and lifted her onto himself.
His firm lower body pressed against Sierra’s thighs.
“Hhh…”
A shiver ran down her spine, rising uncontrollably with him.
A moan escaped naturally.
She could feel the sharp arching of her waist clearly against his body.
Ashur buried his face in her neck, struggling to contain the rising surge, and drew a deep breath.
“Huu…”
His shoulders rose and fell with heavy breaths.
This overtly sensual sensation was entirely new.
He clenched his teeth to restrain the unfamiliar, overwhelming desire.
It was nothing like a dream or fantasy.
Beyond the thin layer of clothing, he could feel Sierra’s heartbeat vividly in his hand.
“Ashur…”
Her faint voice, calling his name plaintively, made his heart pound.
“What should I do now…? Can I… do more?”
Ashur’s mind grew complicated.
Tender and precious, someone he had never dared approach.
Sierra, whom he had admired from afar, now crumbled in his hand, sobbing.
An overwhelming urge to surrender entirely to instinct welled up inside him.
The sprout-like eyes that met his seemed to shimmer with the same fiery emotion.
Unable to resist, he tried to lower his lips toward hers again.
Crack—tap—
“[Kyaa—! No!]”
“[I’m going first!]”
“[Hahaha, I’m first!]”
Suddenly, the loud voices coming from afar snapped them back to reality.
They exchanged startled glances.
“Ah, no!”
Sierra quickly climbed down from his thighs and moved to sit beside him.
Ashur quietly adjusted her clothing.
“Her skirt is all flipped up… so that’s why my skin touched hers.”
The fact, unnoticed in the heat of the moment, now caught his attention.
“[Oh? Sierra-unnie!]”
“[Ah, unnie! Unnie, unnie! Didn’t someone disguise themselves all this time?]”
“[Oh, kids. It’s been a while. Have you heard any news?]”
Sierra, finally catching her breath, raised the corners of her mouth awkwardly and greeted the children.
“[I was so upset that you ignored me so many times… but it’s okay since you’re really unnie! Hehe.]”
“[Oh my, really?]”
“[Unnie, unnie! Have you been alright all this time? Then it must be a while since you played with Ashur-oppa too. Should we move aside?]”
“[Haha, no, it’s fine. Let’s play together!]”
Though clearly she wasn’t fine.
Her face was still flushed from earlier excitement.
Ashur leaned lazily against the back, watching them laugh and chatter with joy.
The intense heat from before faded in an instant.
The lively conversation soon turned into a water fight.
“[Take this!]”
Sierra darted behind Ashur, avoiding the kids splashing water.
“[Hey, that’s cheating!]”
With a sly smile, Ashur retaliated, drenching them with water.
“[Hahaha!]”
Normally, he might have held back.
But seeing Sierra laughing joyfully alongside the drenched children, his own expression relaxed completely.
The revelation of the spy had stirred the sanctuary again.
This time, Sierra joined as a key witness and attended the full meeting.
“[I can’t believe such a powerful dark magician remained. It’s horrifying.]”
“[We must prepare thoroughly. We need to trace the curse again.]”
“[They’re persistent, aren’t they…]”
“[Shouldn’t we first inspect the guardian trees and strengthen the defenses?]”
“[We’ve already done that. Blocking alone won’t work anymore. We must prepare a counterattack!]”
However, disagreements persisted, and the discussion went in circles.
The meeting finally ended for a completely different reason.
“Ugh, it hurts…”
Children in the village began showing dark, blotchy spots on their bodies.
They vomited whatever they ate, couldn’t even swallow water properly, and had continuous nightmares that prevented rest.
Even some adults caring for them began showing black spots.
Despite all healing methods, nothing worked, and help was requested from Sierra, trapped at the meeting hall.
Examining the children, Sierra spoke seriously:
“[This is a curse.]”
She didn’t know when or how it was planted, but the ominous energy and the identical horrifying nightmares confirmed it.
“Must be that bastard’s doing.”
“Seems so.”
How could he have done this?
When Adrian had appeared as Sierra, he had only wandered the forest, she heard.
They had checked the protective magic to see if it was broken, but it was intact.
Yet now this had happened.
Where had Adrian been, and what had he done?
“Why are the children so sick…”
Sierra, distressed, administered her carefully prepared medicine to each child, healing them and gradually purifying the curse.
Their small, weak bodies made recovery slow.
By the time they began to improve, some elderly villagers also started showing symptoms.
“I think I found the cause.”
While Sierra treated the villagers, Ashur investigated the surroundings.
From busy paths to secluded village forest edges and even the beasts’ habitats.
In the end, the common factor among the afflicted was one:
They had all visited the hot springs.
The children as well.
Some who had visited the hot springs avoided the black spots, but none who hadn’t visited fell ill.
“The curse must be hidden there.”
This discovery came just as the sanctuary became busy with similar outbreaks in other villages.
Though already exhausted from treating so many, Sierra followed him without hesitation.
The hot spring they arrived at was infinitely tranquil.
“You think the curse is hidden somewhere here?”
She scanned the water’s edge with sharp eyes.
“There.”
In a deep, shadowed corner underwater, a sinister darkness clumped together.
“How do we deal with that?”
“Leave it to me.”
Sierra quietly closed her eyes.
She felt the surrounding air trembling with pain.
When her fingertips touched the water, a faintly glowing blue mana unraveled like threads, spreading gently.
The deep blue water gradually sparkled as if filled with starlight.
At that moment, a refreshing breeze rose from the forest, almost as if helping her.
Ashur, watching this scene, unconsciously held his breath.
Her soft, milky hair flowed across his vision.
After a moment, she opened her eyes.
“Done.”
Only then did she release a long breath.
At the same time, Sierra’s body slowly collapsed.
Ashur hurriedly caught her.
Her chest rose weakly, her face pale from exhaustion.
It seemed the strain of caring for everyone for several days and purifying the entire hot spring had been too much.
“Rest well, Sierra.”
He brushed the wet strands of hair from her forehead.
Gently, he lifted her into his arms so she could lean comfortably.
Now the water was calm.
Within it, no trace of malice remained.
Thanks to the wholehearted kindness she had poured out.
He lightly pressed his lips to her round, sleeping forehead.
