Chapter 243: Surviving In The Forest (2)

Chapter 243: Surviving In The Forest (2)

Eating instant soup while warming up by the campfire.

For Sansuyu, food that wasn’t too expensive was a delicacy.

-Slurrrp.

Sansuyu elegantly gripped the teacup with both hands and gently sipped the soup.

“It’s delicious.”

The soup had a plain corn flavor.

“Are you feeling full now?”

“Yeah.”

Her complexion had improved significantly compared to when we first met.

I gently touched her cheek and tidied up the hair that fell into her mouth.

“...Are you going to touch my cheek again?”

“No, your hair got caught.”

“Liar.... You always touch me.”

That’s true, but the way she said it sounded a bit off.

If anyone heard, they’d think I spent all day just pinching her cheeks.

As I remove my hand from her cheek, Sansuyu puffs her cheeks lightly before refocusing on drinking the soup.

“What will we do now?”

Sansuyu asks after finishing her meal.

“I’ll clear a few more dungeons. Then we’ll build a base and just relax there.”

Now that we had found our team, there was not much left to do.

Although Byeol asked me to find Flower, wandering aimlessly in the forest wouldn’t make it any easier to find them.

‘However...’

Of course, there were some suspicious points.

The number of cadets who had been eliminated by today was unusually high. The Forester Selection Competition had been held before, but this time the elimination rate was extraordinarily high.

‘If someone were deliberately scouring the entire forest with the intention of eliminating all cadets, it wouldn’t be impossible.’

However, such an action had no merit.

While it might draw public attention, there was no need to exhaust one’s physical and mental strength for no reason.

There might be ulterior motives behind it.

And those capable of such deeds were mostly...

National Trees.

Only they could do this.

‘Is it possible that National Trees are affiliated with the Flower?’

If true, it could lead to an unprecedented upheaval.

Considering the criticism that would arise, it could even strain relations with the World Tree. After all, National Trees are the counterforce to the Flower.

In the worst case, it could escalate to an actual war.

‘Though it’s just a hunch for now...’

But bad premonitions always come true.

Day 4.

Sansuyu and I had cleared a few dungeons while wandering the outskirts of the forest.

-Slice!

The wolf in front of us was instantly sliced in half by her hand gesture.

[Ziiing~!]

With the dungeon cleared, the cameras briefly gathered around Sansuyu, capturing her every move. I watched her swordsmanship under the cameras’ gaze.

‘As expected.’

She had changed a lot.

Her power, speed, and swordsmanship had all become incomparable to before.

In terms of swordsmanship alone, she’s already surpassed me.

‘This might be tough for me too.’

The swordsmanship of the Cornus Family. I had tried it, but imitating her current skills would be impossible for me.

Unless I sat down for a few months and trained intensively, that was.

I could feel that my potential had slightly diminished.

-Click.

Sansuyu, who had just sheathed her sword, looked at me. Her nonchalant demeanor caught my eye.

She was wearing comfortable workout clothes that clung to her body, revealing the shape of her hips and thighs.

Not a single drop of blood stained her.

“Are you going to... build the house now?”

“Yeah.”

There was a scenic lake a bit farther from the wolf’s corpse.

A perfect place for a forest bath.

It was rare for cadets to blatantly do something like this, but it’s fine.

Even without moving, I could strike and defend; that’s the advantage of being a mage.

-Rumble.

In front of the lake with many pebbles, I stuck the staff into the ground and found a suitable spot.

As I put down the three backpacks I was carrying, Sansuyu followed suit and placed hers down as well. We had enough supplies for the two of us to enjoy ourselves.

We were quite lucky.

I took out a four-person tent from the backpack. Along with it, there were sleeping bags and blankets, all necessary for survival, fitting neatly in my hands.

The small boost of Luck 10 was really helpful.

-Flap!

I set up the tent and packed all the backpacks inside.

Using magic, I gathered twigs that would serve as firewood, creating a simple campsite.

Now, we could finally rest a bit.

Of course, I’d need to set up some traps around the area first.

“...Shiheon.”

While silently helping set up the tent, Sansuyu suddenly pulled on my shoulder.

The cameras had already left after capturing our settlement.

Sansuyu, who was anxiously shuffling her feet, leaned in close to my ear and whispered.

“I’m in pain.”

In pain?

Oh.

Well, it was about time for her breasts to start filling with milk.

“Go inside the tent.”

-Nod.

Sansuyu wrapped her slender arms around my hands.

As if asking for more, she pressed her shoulders against my chest and tilted her head slightly to look up at my face.

With her other hand, she placed it on my thigh.

From above, her tear-stained eyes shone even more beautifully.

The soft flesh of her butt pressed firmly against my groin.

The stimulation was so intense that when I pulled my hips back, my nose ended up close to the nape of Sansuyu’s neck.

I needed to finish this quickly before crossing the line.

When I rubbed her nipple, a lewd moan escaped from Sansuyu’s mouth.

“Ah! Ah... Ah!”

Sansuyu gripped my arm tightly, not even aware of the words she was saying as she gasped.

The pleasure mixed with pain. Her body trembled as if terrified. It must be hard to endure the pain.

I reached out and pulled Sansuyu’s head into an embrace, stroking her hair.

Her body’s trembling immediately stopped.

Sansuyu’s head nestled against my chest, her long, yellow hair cascading down.

Just like a playful puppy nudging its head under a hand when petted, Sansuyu gently pressed her head against my hand.

As I continued moving my hand, Sansuyu’s breathing began to calm down.

“Haah... Haah....”

“Feeling better now?”

“The other... the other side hurts.”

She grabbed my wrist and guided my hand toward her chest.

I was flustered, but without showing it, I continued massaging her breast.

As I soothed Sansuyu’s worn-out body, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.

‘Why do nobles always fail to take proper care of their children?’

Did I say that out loud?

“...Huh?”

She panted and looked at me. Soon after, she quickly defended herself.

“No... Huh. It’s my fault. Dad didn’t do anything wrong.”

She truly believed that she was at fault and that the man did nothing wrong.

The human heart was quite fragile. It could be easily influenced or manipulated to rely on others and cause misunderstandings.

Or perhaps the Cornus Family’s genes were telling Sansuyu this.

That if the experiment failed, she’s nothing but a burden. That’s what she might think.

Surprisingly, my arousal faded with that thought.

I felt the excitement slipping away. Discomfort creased my face. Sansuyu, noticing my expression, spoke in a trembling voice, as if she had said something wrong.

“Shiheon, do you... think Dad did something wrong?”

“.......”

“Miho said something similar...”

Sansuyu, writhing in pain and pleasure, spoke to me.

I continued to move my hand, as if searching for the right words to say.

“Ah... Ah... Faster....”

Then, I stopped my hand. Drip, drip. Drops of milk hung from her nipples, slowly falling.

“Suyu.”

“Yes?”

“It might look bad right now, but...”

I leaned in closer. The warmth of her body transmitted through the fabric.

I could feel her body stiffen.

“...Why?”

After a moment, Sansuyu leaned into my chest. I hugged her gently.

“No matter what happens with your family, I’m on your side.”

Sansuyu wouldn’t know this, but Seong Jiho once said something.

-“Miss Sansuyu is also a member of the Cornus Family. Given that she was born with that bloodline, it’s instinctive for her to cooperate with the experiments... Even if it leads to her death, she’d be satisfied.”

-“Then what happens if we stop the experiments?”

-“...We might end up being hated by her.“

And that’s why it’s all the more bitter. The secretary had muttered over the phone.

“Why are you saying this suddenly?”

“No reason. I just got a bit worked up.”

“Worked up?”

“It’s something that guys like me do occasionally.”

I pulled my hands away, now soaked in the milky fluid.

Simultaneously, I used magic to evaporate the surrounding liquid.

Though it filled the tent with the scent of Sansuyu’s milk, I didn’t mind.

“All done.”

I handed her the clothes on the ground. Sansuyu looked at me for a moment and then quietly muttered.

“I don’t mind when you get worked up, Shiheon.”

“Really.”

“Yeah. I feel comfortable when I’m with you. Just hearing your voice makes the pain go away.”

Hearing that made me feel a bit embarrassed.

I quickly pulled away from Sansuyu’s back. Since I had already crossed the line, I decided to push a bit further.

“You’re not in pain anymore, right?”

-Nod.

“What was the last thing I said to you at the academy? Do you remember?”

Sansuyu, now dressed, seemed to ponder before answering me.

“You told me to tell you if something happens.”

“You got it right. Make sure you do.”

“I’m not sure. Miho said the same thing. When am I supposed to tell you?”

She didn’t know until now because she didn’t have a clear standard.

I raised my finger and gave her a clear guideline.

“When you’re in distress.”

“...Distress?”

Sansuyu pondered with her lips tightly closed before nodding hesitantly.

“Yes, I’m not sure, but... I’ll try.”

I hoped the message was conveyed properly this time.

There were still many people around her who cared about her.