Transmigrated Into A Tragic Romance Fantasy-Chapter 84: Teacher and Student (3)

......Is this supposed to be a...Sacred Towel...?

Rachel stared blankly at the cotton towel the Village Chief had personally brought her.

According to his words, the ‘sacred towel’ was soaked in the ‘holy water’ and dried for those worthy of using the ‘divine hot spring’.

However, to Rachel, who had no particular intention of ever using this ‘Divine hot spring’, the towel was simply an ordinary one.

But her mindset changed when a certain man boldly challenged the rights of the gods.

“Hmm. Well, time to enjoy a hot spring~”

“......”

Elden stretched his body and headed towards the backyard holding his towel, while Rachel watched him intently.

The rights of the gods, the realm of the divine.

Of course, Rachel knew that this puddle of water was simply that, something unworthy of such grand modifiers, but to her, who never bathed outside a private bathroom, this hot spring was not the ‘realm of the divine’, but a ‘forbidden territory’.

Rachel lived her whole life trying to escape the stigma of being a woman.

For her, the female characteristics were only objects of shame and humiliation.

Paradoxically, Rachel couldn’t bring herself to truly hate them, as those features were imparted to her by her parents.

So, she spent most of her life denying her identity, while stomping down her innate instincts whenever they appeared.

But,

Her ponytail,

That single red dress she still had,

And the necklace she always wore under her armor...

Were a compromise, lingering attachments to the idea of how a woman should behave, much as she tried to run from them.

Therefore, for Rachel, the idea of enjoying an outdoor bath was a huge decision, as it would go against everything she tried to run away from.

“Hmm hmm~ Hmm~”

A humming sound echoed near her.

This content is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

It was Ariel’s cheerful tone.

《No. I just held her close because the situation had been dangerous. Ariel was almost freezing.》

The image of a man and woman embracing each other in a cave flashed in her mind.

Once upon a time, Rachel had also ‘embraced’ a man before as well.

From behind, at that.

《Die.》

Usually, when swords shattered mid-combat, the confrontation had to be resolved using one’s own hands.

And a long time ago, Rachel was forced to ‘embrace’ a man’s neck from behind.

The difference was that while Elden and Ariel embraced each other for survival, Rachel did it to kill a man.

Aside from that one event, Rachel never held a man in her arms, so she was curious....about how it would feel.

However, Rachel simply couldn’t bring herself to ask Ariel, for she felt that doing so would be like losing (?) to her.

It wasn’t something she could ask anyway.

It would be a childish, stupid, and bizarre question.

“Hmm~”

Rachel watched Ariel humming.

For some reason, her grip on the cotton towel tightened.

And then,

...If I want it, then I should take the initiative.

That strength soon transformed into a resolve to go against her beliefs.

She had lived fiercely to achieve her dreams, ruthlessly trampling over any obstacle in her path.

[The Purple Knight.]

After achieving what most Knights could only dream of, Rachel now enjoyed a peaceful(?) life, at the cost of suppressing her fighting spirit from her younger days.

After all, there was no reason or need to rekindle that bloodthirsty version of her anymore.

However,

The scene of the couple embracing in the cave had gently placed a few logs on her dampened fighting spirit, and the feminine scent from her disciple had dropped a spark onto those logs.

And that spark, without her knowing, began to gradually ignite, transforming into a new fighting spirit that was both different and similar to those days.

It was an unfamiliar sensation.

Unlike in the past when she had to hide and suppress her identity to become the best warrior, her current fighting spirit was pointing in the opposite direction.

It was a natural development.

Because what she wanted to obtain had become the opposite.

In the past, she wanted to gain power and honor as a warrior, but now her goal changed, reigniting the things Rachel always tried to suppress.

A different fighting spirit for a different battlefield.

So,

“Dame Rachel? Where are you going...?”

When Ariel questioned her, Rachel looked back at her and smiled.

It was a sharp and predatory smile.

“I’m going to enjoy the hot spring.”

Naturally, Ariel’s face twitched and her mouth hung open for a second, as her mind struggled to comprehend the words she had just heard.

“W-what? B-but didn’t Elden just say he was going to bathe in the hot spring?”

A mixed bath between unmarried men and women.

In Ariel’s pure mind, such a thing was akin to a sacrilege, and it also irked her for some reason.

But to Rachel, who just ignited her new fighting spirit(?), such actions were only natural.

After all, if you draw your sword on a battlefield rife with bloodshed, you must not hesitate to survive.

“Yes, I heard.”

“What? So, you’re going to bathe together?”

“Yes.”

“W-why?!”

“Because I also enjoy hot spring baths.”

Ariel’s eyes darted around nervously.

Countless thoughts swirled in her mind.

Among those, a scene took form, where Elden and Rachel enjoyed a bath...completely...naked...

“W-wait a minute. If you leave too, w-who will guard us?”

Trying to stop such a thing to becoming a reality, Ariel blurted the first thing that came to mind, however, Rachel’s response left her speechless.

“Fear not, Lady Ariel, I’ve already asked the Village Chief to provide some security.”

“......”

“Well then.”

In the end, the innocent Ariel could only stare blankly at Rachel’s back as she walked towards the hot spring.

Thus,

With her actions and words, Rachel boldly announced the beginning of her battle for conquest as she headed toward the backyard.

**

“......”

“...”

It was certainly a bold move.

Like those times when she marched towards the battlefield.

Although her fighting spirit was different, her burning ambition was ultimately the same.

Hesitation meant defeat.

Such beliefs were nothing new to Rachel.

Yet, faced with her object of conquest, Rachel felt...unprepared, like a little girl trying to wield a sword.

Twitch-.

Fidget-.

Thankfully, Her Lord was averting his gaze, making it easy for Rachel to stay in his presence.

However, unlike the calm surface of the hot spring water, her emotions were a chaotic wreck.

Just like a little girl who didn’t know how to wield a sword would swing it widely, Rachel’s body would twitch randomly, not knowing how to present herself in such a situation.

If only they were in a training ground, it wouldn’t be this awkward.

Had it been a training ground, she could speak whatever she wanted to say under the pretext of ‘training’.

Her already lacking conversational skills revealed their meager foundation in the awkwardness of this unfamiliar space, and even her usually cool rationality seemed to be heating up due to the hot spring’s warmth.

Tremble-.

Rustle-.

Her ten fingers continued their fierce(?) twitching under the water’s surface.

“......”

“......”

After a moment of continuing this unseen struggle beneath the surface, Rachel’s surrendered.

It was because of Elden’s voice breaking the heavily tense atmosphere.

“......Did you always enjoy hot springs baths?”

Flinch-!

Although Rachel was caught off guard by his rhetoric, she mustered all of her will to maintain a cool mask.

“This is my first time.”

It was her first time immersing herself in a hot spring.

During her youth, Rachel often bathed in the Icy-cold water of the North to train her body, and after becoming an Escort Knight, the servants of the Raphelion state brought her heated water, so she never had the opportunity to enjoy a hot spring.

She wasn’t particularly interested either.

Even now, if Rachel hadn’t resolved herself to ‘conquer’ her Lord, she would have looked at this hot spring and she would have scoffed, thinking, ‘Hah-. To think these fools are worshiping a hot spring of all things...in the Volcanic regions of Mt Gelmir.’

“I see.”

“Why do you ask?”

“Oh, just curious.”

Thanks to Elden’s efforts, they managed to break the awkward and strike up a somewhat coherent conversation.

So, after gathering her courage, Rachel decided to ask a question of her own.

“It’s not your first time, is it, My Lord?”

She wished to know if this was his first time enjoying a bath with a woman.

It was a question thrown without much expectation, since in the past, her Lord was known for his lust toward women.

“Oh, it’s my first time too.”

Hearing this, Rachel had to fight to keep the corners of her mouth from twitching on their own.

Of course, six months ago, Her Lord used to live like a Wastrel, so he probably did things much more shameful than bathing with a woman in a hot spring.

But, despite knowing this, Rachel couldn’t help but be slightly happy that she could share a ‘first-time’ experience with him.

Perhaps that’s why.

“Your first time...That’s good...”

A slip of the tongue occurred.

Her mouth betrayed her, those words were blurted out without her brain’s consent.

Immediately after, blood rushed towards her face, making her head spin.

She wanted to punch her mouth for revealing her feelings on its own, but she just bit her lower lip, pretending to be calm.

“Why would my first time here be good?”

Then,

“Y-Your F-First...experience...N-No! Y-Your First E-event...? Ah....”

Rational thoughts tangled in her mind, and her mouth kept spilling out stupid words.

“My first event you say? Well, being able to enjoy a hot spring in such a small village is certainly a remarkable ‘event’ indeed.”

“......”

“My first experience? I would say yes as well, it’s not every day you find such a good hot spring, especially in small villages like these, no?”

“......”

She was helpless.

With no other alternative, Rachel endured her Lord and student’s teasing after he caught her slip.

So, the mighty [ Purple Knight ] who butcher hundreds of soldiers on the battlefield, for the first time ever, couldn’t move a finger to defend herself from this new type of attack.

Moreover.

For the first time, she wanted to run away.

She, the strongest female Knight, who fearlessly charged into the enemy lines, wanted to retreat in shame.

Shiver-!

Despite her whole body being hot, she trembled as if suffering from the northern cold.

She trembled, feeling pathetic for being on the defensive, feeling as if she, who always conquered the battlefield, had been conquered.

Yet that feeling, while frustrating, was...strange.

A strange kind of ‘shiver’ took hold in her body...

Indeed...

A peculiar feeling.

Eventually,

“It seems the water is a bit too hot for my tastes. I shall leave first.”

Rachel decided to shamefully run away from this battle, abruptly standing up.

And for the first time.

“R-Rachel...?”

“Kyaaah—!”

Her throat that only uttered a valorous Knightly cry, let out a womanly scream.

The situation derailed into a...Strange direction.

That which came undone floated on the water’s surface as if to mock her.

Belatedly, she tried to cover her important body parts, but it was too late to prevent her disciple from seeing his master’s dignity helplessly stripped away and her flesh exposed.

With her dignity and authority as a master completely stripped away.

Rachel...

Was completely defeated.

At the same time...

“W-Why....Why they are...So...B-Big....”

A young bun-haired lady, who was secretly watching the scene through a gap in the door, raised both hands towards her chest and lowered them again....Comparing her modest bumps to...Rachel’s humongous lumps of flesh.

At the very least, she felt relieved that nothing...steamy...had occurred between the two.

However...The bookworm’s fighting spirit had also been ignited.

**

During the month of November in the Northern Regions, the bustling streets began to quiet down.

Those who finished their preparations for the Winter stayed in their homes, while those less prepared rushed to secure their needs.

Travel between the lands also drastically decreased, as even the guards charged with protecting the gates became bored.

The month of most things would freeze away once more was something that even the great city of Winterfell, the capital of the Grand Duchy, couldn’t avoid.

Thud, thud-.

The market district of Winterfell should have been a bustling place was now vacant.

As the cold intensified, the shops closed early.

And through that deserted street.

A man wearing a wide-brimmed brown hat was walking.

The edges of the brim were torn and split, and the hooded cloak he wore was no different from rags.

The man trudged past the general goods street and turned into an alley.

It was a secluded place, forsaken by sunlight.

As is common in such places full of darkness and gloom, vagrants were coiled up in the alley.

Most of them would soon become sacrifices to the severe cold that would engulf the Northern Regions.

And then.

“...”

“Kuhuk...?”

Such sacrifices were good prey for the man.

With the sole intention of turning lives destined for miserable deaths into noble sacrifices for his revenge, the man hastens their deaths with black magic obtained by paying the price of his own life.

“Kuheuk...”

Thus, the man was filling his own fading life by robbing the lives of the street’s vagrants with his corrupted hands.

And he was waiting.

Waiting for the one who had left the territory to return, whether caught by their father or of their own volition.

Indeed,

The predator had chosen to hide in the darkest shadow under the lamp.