Chapter 79: Prepare to Return

“I’m back.”

After clearing up all the monsters, Axel returned inside the cave and resealed the entrance as added security. As a small bonus, the bodies of the Devil Monkeys were sold for around one to five million each.

Technically speaking, it was barely a profit, but still better than taking a straight-up loss.

“Welcome back! You weren’t hurt, were you?” Eve asked as she rose from the bed.

Still running a fever, her body wobbled, and she couldn’t get up properly.

“No worries, I’m fine.” Axel smiled. “Though I got wet. Extremely so.”

The rainwater had seeped into his coat to the point that it was sticking to his skin. If he didn’t fix that, he’d probably end up catching a cold after Eve.

“…I’ll be changing clothes for a bit. Sorry, Princess Eve, but can I ask you to turn around?”

“Ah… Y-Yes…”

Eve lay back down and turned away from the entrance. Seeing her follow his instructions, Axel turned his back to her and began undressing.

Removing his clothes didn’t take long since he simply placed everything into his inventory. After stripping down, he took out a towel to dry himself.

“…”

But behind him, a warm pair of eyes was staring at his naked back. Eve, with almost her entire face hidden under the blanket, had turned the other way to sneak a peek.

’What a curious little lady.’

Of course, Axel could tell she was looking.

Humans are sensitive to being watched, after all. Although it’s more often attributed to women, men can also tell when eyes are on them.

He just let her be. Just looking didn’t cost him anything. And honestly, he felt a little bad for her—her earlier “request” was something he couldn’t fulfill, after all.

After slowly wiping himself dry, he began putting on fresh clothes.

“Ah…”

Eve’s disappointed voice echoed, just loud enough that Axel couldn’t pretend he didn’t hear it.

“Did you call?” he asked, turning around.

But all he saw was the blanket dropping back into place as she hurriedly turned away again. He showed a wry smile before finishing dressing. “Guess it’s just my imagination.”

Shrugging, Axel pretended nothing had happened.

Soon enough, morning came.

Eve opened her eyes, feeling better compared to last night. Her fever had completely receded. Although her body still felt sluggish, she could move properly now.

“I fell asleep…” she whispered, confused.

She couldn’t remember the exact moment she drifted off. But she could very clearly remember the sight of Axel’s naked body—from the front and the back.

“…!”

Realizing her mind had gone somewhere strange, she shook her head quickly and fanned her red cheeks. Just as she got a grip on herself—

“Sir Axel?”

She noticed he was gone.

With wobbly steps, she stood up and walked toward the cave entrance, but—

“This cave… was it this clean before?” she murmured.

It had been dark when they arrived, so she didn’t pay attention, but she was sure the floor was covered in bat dung. Now, with sunlight coming in, she could see that the cave was spotless. So clean that it was hard to call it a cave at all.

Eve looked around in awe. “It’s cleaner than the workshop…”

“Mm?”

As she walked forward, barefoot, she heard a man’s voice—someone exerting himself.

She raised an arm to block the bright light, letting her eyes adjust.

Morning had fully arrived, and the rain had stopped. Everything outside was wet, as if they were standing in a swamp.

A short distance away, a familiar figure came into view—Axel, wearing something very different from usual.

“S-Sir… Axel?” Eve said, almost questioning herself.

From behind, she wasn’t even sure it was him. He was wearing overalls, but only halfway, with the upper part tied around his waist. His top was just a white sando shirt. His arms, parts of his back, and his neck were all exposed.

“…”

Watching his sweaty figure, Eve gulped hard. The memories of his bare body flashed in her mind, overlapping with the sight in front of her.

“Huh? Princess Eve?” Axel finally turned around. “You’re up? Your fever’s gone, right?”

He wiped his sweat with a towel as he walked toward her. But Eve herself seemed dazed, staring blankly at his body.

“Huh? Eve?”

Seeing her so distracted, Axel grew worried.

“Did your fever return?”

He immediately checked by pressing his forehead against hers. His hands were dirty, so this was the only option. He wasn’t thinking about anything weird at all.

“…!”

But Eve’s reaction was way too dramatic.

His sweaty scent, his muscles under the clothes, his sharp nose right in front of her, and his lips practically within kissing distance—

“Hmm… You’re a bit warm. Maybe your fever returned?” he frowned.

“N-No, it’s not that!” Eve jolted back to reality and stepped away quickly. “I’m fine… just… please keep your distance for a bit…”

“…?”

Confused, Axel tilted his head. Realizing she caused the awkward mood, Eve hurried to change the topic.

“R-Rather, what were you doing, Sir Axel? Is that… a hut?”

“Ah.”

Axel turned to look at what he’d built.

“I’m making a waterwheel house. It’s a wooden hut with a waterwheel attached. I also made a grinder inside — using the water flow to grind grains.”

“I-I see… Amazing…”

Proud of his handiwork, Axel continued explaining without pause.

The main reason he was proud was that he did everything manually. Even though he used Housing Modification for a bit, moving and fitting the parts was all done by hand.

The inventory only let him place things roughly, so he had to manually “fit” everything in the end.

He even struggled with fitting the waterwheel onto the axle—that alone took him more than two hours.

Of course, Axel didn’t notice Eve’s awkward expression as he basked in accomplishment.

“Ah… Then, does that mean we can return now?”

“Hmm?”

Eve changed topics again, making Axel blink.

“Well, technically, yes.” He nodded.

“I see…”

The princess smiled sadly, her voice filled with quiet reluctance.

Axel pretended not to notice. Even if he knew the reason, he had no way of fixing it.

“Anyway, let’s have breakfast first.” Axel smiled and gently patted her head.

Nothing could start on an empty stomach.

Little did he know that their little overnight escapade had lit a small flame inside a young woman’s heart.

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