Volume 4 Chapter 1 Adelina’s True Identity＊
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
A faint murmur slipped from his lips as his mind began to clear. He’d been drifting, trying to stay asleep, but the effort was failing. With no other choice, he opened his eyes, and, as expected, the world was shrouded in darkness.
”Fuh… ahh~” he sighed, stretching and making a soft sound to announce he was awake.
No response came from around him. He had hoped they were awake, but both remained sound asleep. Only the steady rhythm of their breathing filled the room.
He decided not to wake them—they looked exhausted. Though, he still wondered what Adelina had been doing earlier.
His gaze shifted to the two sleeping figures nearby. Adelina lay beside him in the same narrow bed, while Suzette was curled up in the next one. Tonight, the three of them squeezed together across two beds in the small deckroom, sharing pillows like they’d become used to it.
Suzette, turned away in the adjacent bed, was the main reason they’d fled. She had used a teleportation scroll in an emergency, barely escaping with serious wounds. She broke through the checkpoint with magic, pulling them out of danger. She had done everything to get them out of the imperial capital, so it was right to let her rest.
Adelina, lying beside him, was a different story. The room only had two beds, so they ended up sharing one. Even though they were both women, he hadn’t wanted to sleep next to someone he barely knew. But Adelina had asked to stay, and he hadn’t refused. The bed was cramped, more like a place for short rests than a real sleep.
Adelina. You’ve come a long way.
He gently stroked Adelina’s head, who shifted slightly and turned her back toward him. He waited, hoping she’d open her eyes, but Adelina remained asleep, breathing evenly. She must be just as tired.
Where Tiet was and what she’d done remained a mystery. If only Tiet, who had traveled with them, were here—she could explain everything. It was strange how attached Tiet seemed before, yet now she was absent. Maybe something had happened elsewhere. Tiet was always a puzzle, and it was disappointing not to learn more, especially since Adelina’s arrival was such a surprise. Honestly, he had given up hope on that.
Still, something wasn’t right.
Adelina’s behavior had seemed odd for a while. She always moved ahead of them, doing whatever made things easier, almost like she was always one step ahead. Maybe it was from her past as a slave, but her movements were too precise, too skillful—almost unnatural.
The first time suspicion grew was when she helped during Tiet’s capture. No one knew where she found that horse, but her timing was perfect when she showed up.
That surprise wasn’t the only strange thing. Once the slave mark disappeared from her, Adelina’s actions became even more mysterious.
They passed through the Sacred Forest—the Fourth District—known for dangerous Demon Beasts. It was unbelievable that they didn’t meet a single monster on the way.
They escaped from Tiet on horseback, but Adelina dismounted suddenly and returned the horse alone. After that, they traveled on foot through the forest to Uba town. That forest was infamous for monsters, so how they avoided them was suspicious.
At first, he thought it was luck. But looking back, they moved slowly, resting often, hiding in tree hollows, as if timing their path carefully.
That wasn’t under his control. Adelina sometimes touched or beckoned unexpectedly, acting on impulse.
Many small details pointed to something strange—but the biggest question was why Adelina boarded the ship before them.
That was unusual, a clear sign she had a special skill.
Maybe it was just coincidence, but the strange things kept adding up. Adelina must have a Unique Skill—probably a rare one, maybe a precise sensing ability.
Still, he couldn’t remember any skill that would explain avoiding monsters, outsmarting Tiet, and knowing where she was going.
It was frustrating not being able to ask her directly. If she stayed silent, there was no way to know. Maybe it was better to accept her mystery for now.
The girl slept peacefully, looking calm.
He reached out and gently stroked Adelina’s head again, but nothing changed. Adelina shifted slightly, turning onto her side, still facing away, breathing soft and steady.
”…Haa. I guess I’ll try sleeping again,” he muttered, deciding to give up the fight against his restless thoughts.
He sighed deeply, resting his arm under his head, turning toward Adelina as sleep finally pulled at him.
Sometimes, he thought, it was easier to fall asleep after releasing tension, but the girl who would help was far away in her dreams. Usually, he was careful, almost too attentive, but right now, the silence felt empty.
Maybe sleep wasn’t necessary after all.
A mischievous thought crept in.
There was no real rule stopping him from touching them while they slept. It wasn’t right, but in matters of affection, things like this happened. They had days ahead on the ship with nothing to do, so a little indulgence wouldn’t cause harm.
Adelina probably wouldn’t mind.
Once the thought settled, he acted quietly. Holding back a small thrill, he reached out to the sleeping girl.
His hands traced the smooth curves under Adelina’s clothes. Feeling the softness, he gently massaged, watching carefully for any sign of waking.
The sensation felt forbidden. But Adelina was his—so it didn’t feel wrong.
With a slight shiver of excitement, his hand slipped deeper.
For some reason, Adelina wasn’t wearing underwear, making it easier to touch her skin. His fingers brushed over the soft, tight flesh, tracing gentle circles.
The skin felt dry, unlike before. It wasn’t possible to get wet without help.
Her intimate place was narrow. When they had been together on the ship, he had hurt her before, causing bleeding. Magic had healed her, but the wound probably hadn’t fully closed. He hoped he could handle things like Suzette now, but dryness made it difficult.
Starting slow, he planned to finish quickly, but touching a sleeping girl took time. He wanted to sleep soon, so he shifted to a softer approach.
He turned his body toward Adelina’s legs and slipped his face between her shapely curves.
”Nn… n…” came a soft, sleepy sound.
Since Adelina was asleep, skipping foreplay was easier. He began to kiss gently, tasting a faint hint of seawater.
After making love the day before, they had washed with seawater. He almost swallowed his own secret. He wanted to praise Adelina for that.
Still, all that care needed to be returned to the sea. He had to leave a proper mark.
”Nn… huh…” Adelina breathed deeply and softly, as if the dream stirred her voice louder than awake.
Had she been holding back before? Or was this a new habit? Maybe the silence was mental, and sleeping freed her sounds.
Curious, he continued, moving carefully and softly.
How many times had this happened over the last days? He didn’t know anymore.
Klock found himself pausing, a flicker of self-awareness cutting through the haze in his mind. It wasn’t guilt exactly, nor shame—it was something quieter, deeper. A strange curiosity about himself. His body felt different than before, more restless, more reactive. Ever since the poison, his urges had become sharper, harder to ignore.
The deck cabin was narrow and dim, wrapped in shadows. Moonlight barely filtered through the cracks, but his eyes, used to the dark, could trace the subtle outline of Adelina’s form—her silhouette lying peacefully just ahead of him.
That was enough.
He lay back down, positioning himself behind her. The warmth of her body radiated into him as he moved closer, his breath catching when he heard hers—quiet, but slightly uneven.
Carefully, almost reverently, he pressed against her. The contact stirred something deep, an instinctive pull. Her skin, soft and yielding, responded as he moved, aligning himself without rushing. Her breath hitched.
”Mmm… ngh…”
Adelina’s body tensed, her back arching slightly, almost unconsciously. Klock paused, hand lightly brushing her shoulder.
”Adelina?” he whispered, uncertainty blooming in his chest.
He waited for a reaction—anything. But she stayed as she was, motionless except for the quiet, trembling breaths. Yet, the tension in her body told him everything. She was awake. He could feel it. There was no mistaking the subtle signs—the quiet resistance, the way she seemed to hold herself.
Still, she said nothing.
Was this silent acceptance? Trust? Or something else entirely?
He hesitated for a moment longer, then gently placed his hand around her waist, steadying her. Moving with care, he let instinct guide him, trying to find a rhythm that felt natural, respectful. Something in the sensation felt almost too perfect, like her body had molded to his without resistance. It reminded him of yesterday—of what happened after Suzette had cast her healing spell.
Could that be it?
Klock’s brow furrowed slightly. It sounded absurd, even to him—but it made a strange sort of sense. If Adelina had been healed mid-act, then perhaps her body had… adapted, in some way. The thought unsettled him, but not in a bad way.
Well, maybe it was just coincidence.
He began to move again, slowly. The motion was gentle, deliberate. A quiet act meant not just for his own relief, but for hers, too. He didn’t want to hurt her. Not again.
”…Mmm…”
Adelina’s soft voice trembled into the quiet room. Klock’s heart thudded in his chest. He was close enough now that even her smallest sounds reached him clearly. The way she responded now was different—lighter, more conscious.
”Adelina,” he said, voice low, “lie on your front.”
He wasn’t sure why he said it. Maybe he wanted to see her more. Maybe he wanted to draw more sound from her lips—to hear her in ways he hadn’t before.
For a moment, she didn’t move. Then, with the slow, natural turn of someone shifting in sleep, she rolled over and settled onto her stomach. Whether intentional or not, it made it easier for him.
He lifted the hem of her dress. Her back was slender, ribs faintly visible, yet her form held a quiet strength in its curves. Fragile and soft, but not weak. Not at all.
He moved again, gently, cautiously. Her body responded at once, enveloping him with a warmth that felt even deeper than before. The feeling nearly took his breath.
Adelina pressed her hands over her face, but her breathing gave her away. It was rapid now, and uneven. He placed his hands at her sides, steadying her, and moved again, watching her shoulders rise with every breath.
”Mmm… fu… ah…”
A soft sound, high and trembling, escaped her lips. Klock felt something strange stir within him. A voice he hadn’t heard before—Adelina’s true voice. It wasn’t like yesterday, when pain had dulled her responses. This was raw. Honest.
”…Adelina. It’s okay to let it out.”
He leaned close to her neck, speaking softly, coaxingly.
But she didn’t answer. Her voice faded again, and instead, her legs pressed tighter together, as though her body was responding more than she intended. Still, she didn’t speak.
Klock understood. These things didn’t change in a day.
He eased his pace but didn’t stop. Her hips tensed under his touch, and he held her steady as the pressure inside him built. It was hard to keep his focus when every part of her welcomed him like this. When she tensed again, something in him snapped.
He let go.
The bed creaked softly beneath them, wood shifting under the strain, but Klock didn’t care. The room was too small, the sounds too close—but none of it mattered now.
His hands gripped her waist, and for a moment, he gave in fully to the moment, chasing his own edge.
Adelina’s body trembled, her voice muffled into the pillow.
”Nghh… hnnn…”
She arched, her body tightening all around him, and in that instant, he followed her—held tightly in place as waves of heat rolled through him. His breath caught as the sensation overwhelmed him.
It took all his effort to stay steady as the rush passed. He breathed deeply, staying still, letting everything settle.
For a few moments, the room was quiet again. Then, slowly, he moved, just enough to rest beside her, careful not to disturb her too much.
He glanced at her. She hadn’t looked at him the entire time, but now, her eyes opened quietly. Their gazes met.
Reaching out, Klock gently squeezed her hand.
”Adelina,” he said, a wry smile tugging at his lips. “How about… one more round?”
She didn’t speak.
Instead, she pushed herself up, leaned close, and softly pressed her lips to his.
A kiss—light, slow, and clear.
Notes:
• Adelina – The slave girl.
• Suzette – The older maid from Viscount Fennec. The head maid at the Viscount Fennec’s villa. She is confident, clear-spoken, and professional.
• Tiet – A companion and friend of Anna. A holy knight from the royal capital. She wears light armor and carries a shield adorned with a dragon holding a sword, indicating her affiliation with the National Military Police. She is concerned about Anna’s well-being and tries to support her emotionally.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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