“…Fucking hell…”

I mumbled under my breath.

The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was the ceiling of a place I was all too familiar with by now.

I could even call it “home” by now.

Yeah…

It was the cathedral.

Again.

I let out a slow breath and moved my right arm—except, I didn’t feel anything.

My gaze froze for a second.

“Damn it…”

My hand was gone.

My entire arm was wrapped in thick bandages.

And even worse?

My mana pathways were completely destroyed.

I could feel it.

My mana pool—what little was left—was even smaller now.

But at least I was still breathing.

Better than being dead.

Still, how the hell did I even get here?

I tried to remember, but everything after that fight was just a blank.

I must’ve blacked out.

And now? I was completely screwed.

Not only did I still need to gather enough money for the Dragon’s Heart, but now I had to find some kind of healing artifact—one that could regrow my damn arm and fix my mana pathways.

Just great.

“Fuck… I might need to rely on Yara to help me with money.”

I muttered the words without thinking.

And then—

“Yara?”

A cold voice cut through the air, making my whole body tense.

“Who’s that?”

Slowly—very slowly—I turned my head to the left.

There she was.

Saintess Christina.

Her dim pink eyes stared into me, void of emotion, yet somehow terrifying.

I swallowed.

“…A woman who owes me money.”

I lied through my teeth.

She doesn’t.

Christina hummed softly, clearly not buying it.

And then, out of nowhere—

“Aestrea, do you remember that promise from a few months ago?”

A promise?

I frowned.

What promise—

…Oh.

That one.

A bead of sweat rolled down my temple.

I tried to play it off, forcing a smile that probably looked more like a grimace. “Well… it was a risk-it-or-die situation, sooo… you know. At least I’m alive.”

Her eyes narrowed.

“You lost your right hand. Your mana pathways in that arm are permanently damaged, meaning it’s basically useless now.”

She spoke slowly, deliberately.

Then, her voice turned sharp.

“Couldn’t you have just run away?”

…Well.

Yeah.

I could have.

But I’m not some coward.

Only when there are crazy women involved.

Like you.

“Did you just think something bad about me?”

Her eyes darkened.

Before I could react, she reached out and squeezed my left arm.

“Agh! N-no, I didn’t!”

I yelped, barely holding back a pained groan.

Holy shit.

Did she have a sixth sense or something?!

A woman’s intuition is too damn scary.

“Haaa…”

Christina let out a slow sigh.

Then, a small smile curled onto her lips.

“I’m glad you’re alive. After all, if you were dead…”

Her eyes darkened.

The warmth in them vanished in an instant.

“It would be… inconvenient.”

A cold shiver shot down my spine.

Yikes.

Why did I just get a déjà vu?

Before I could react, she reached out and placed her hand on mine, her fingers tracing slow, lazy circles against my skin.

I stiffened.

Her touch was gentle—too gentle.

“Aestrea… you know…” she murmured, voice low and oddly soft like she was trying to lull me into a false sense of security.

At the same time, a faint glow spread from her palm. Healing magic.

But for some reason, it didn’t feel comforting.

“If you died…”

She paused.

And then—

“I would make sure to get your body, use some kind of forbidden magic to bring you back, and then I’d lock you away in a place where you’d only see me. Forever. That way, you wouldn’t be able to throw yourself into danger again.”

My entire body went rigid.

FUCK!

Stop.

Stop scaring me, woman!

I felt my stomach drop. Cold sweat prickled at the back of my neck.

I could barely breathe, and it wasn’t because of my injuries.

Besides—why the hell was she talking so fast?! Was she not human? Did she not need to breathe?!

“Sooo…”

That smile.

That peaceful—yet absolutely terrifying—smile spread across her face.

“Be careful not to die, okay?”

Her fingers trailed up my chest, slow and deliberate, before reaching my collar.

And then they just… rested there.

Not moving.

Just there.

I swallowed hard.

“Y-yeah…”

I barely managed to get out.

The moment I spoke, her expression shifted.

Bright.

Cheerful.

Like she hadn’t just threatened to lock me away for eternity.

“Great!” she chirped.

I exhaled shakily and shut my eyes for a second, praying she wouldn’t do anything else to make my soul leave my body.

Inner peace.

Rustle.

Inner peac—

Wait.

Why are the sheets moving?!

My eyes snapped open.

And immediately, they widened in horror.

Christina was under the sheets!

Clinging to my lower body.

Her arms wrapped securely around my waist.

Her face resting right on my abdomen.

“Shhhh…”

She put a finger to her lips, silencing me before I could scream.

BAM!

The door suddenly slammed open.

FUCK!

Why now?!

Christina was still under the damn sheets!

“Aestrea, are you okay?!”

A familiar voice rang out.

Ella.

And behind her stood Rose, her usual emotionless expression barely concealing the worry in her eyes.

I forced a stiff, twitching smile.

“Ah… not really.”

I shook my head.

Not really at all.

“A-ah…!”

Rose’s eyes widened in pure horror.

She hurried toward me, her movements stiff, hands shaking. Before I could react, she reached out and lifted my right arm—well, what was left of it.

A sharp jolt ran up my shoulder, and I winced.

“Y-Your right h-hand…”

Her voice trembled, her gaze flickering between my missing hand and my face, as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

I let out a slow sigh.

“Well… at least I’m not dead, right?”

I forced a smile.

What else was I supposed to say?

I knew she felt guilty. I knew she was blaming herself. But what could I do? I was missing a fucking hand.

And to make things worse—

Christina was still under the sheets.

Thud!

Before I could process what was happening, Rose suddenly pulled me into her chest.

My face crashed into pure softness.

Squish.

Oh.

Oh no.

This was bad.

“I-I’m really sorry!” she blurted out, voice cracking.

“This shouldn’t have happened! You were fighting that big golden golem, and w-we really tried to help, but smaller golems appeared and there were too many! W-We couldn’t even get close to you!”

Her arms tightened around me, trembling.

Her heartbeat pounded against my ear.

She was really upset about this.

And normally, I would have tried to reassure her.

Maybe pat her back.

But now was not the time.

Because Christina was still fucking here.

Under the sheets.

Still holding onto me.

And she did not like what was happening.

“Agh…!”

A sharp pain shot through my waist as Christina pinched me.

Hard.

I flinched, barely holding in a yelp.

“A-Ah, sorry!”

Rose panicked and immediately let go of me, pulling back in a flustered mess.

“N-No… problem.”

I barely choked out the words as Christina finally stopped pinching me.

I swear she was like a territorial cat.

If I wasn’t careful, she was going to bite me next.

I tried to subtly shift my legs, hoping to shake her off—

But then—

Rustle.

I felt her move.

My stomach dropped.

Her grip around my waist tightened.

And before I could even react—

A slow, chilling whisper that only I could hear brushed against my stomach.

“Aestrea…”

FUCK.

I froze.

“Why is Rose touching you so freely…?”

That voice.

That calm, sweet, absolutely unhinged voice.

My breath hitched.

I didn’t dare move.

Rose tilted her head, confused.

“Huh?”

Shit.

Fuck.

Fuck no!

I had approximately two seconds before this turned into an actual disaster.

Think, Aestrea, THINK.

I’m so fucking dead!

I could feel it—Christina’s grip tightening, her nails lightly pressing into my waist like a silent warning.

A cold sweat broke out on the back of my neck.

Meanwhile, Rose was still looking at me with worried eyes, completely oblivious to the danger under the sheets.

And Ella?

She was right behind her.

She hadn’t said a word since stepping in, but I didn’t need to hear anything to know what was going on inside her head.

Her grip on her own sleeve was so tight that her knuckles were turning white. Her lips were pressed together, twitching slightly—like she was holding something back.

Oh.

Oh, she was furious.

Not at my missing hand.

Not at my injuries.

But at the fact that Rose was the first one to rush in and hug me.

Jesus Christ, I’m actually surrounded by dangerous women.

I needed to handle this carefully.

“Aestrea…”

I tensed as Christina’s voice purred from under the sheets. Her fingers slowly trailed down my stomach—lower, lower—

Oh, fuck.

Fuck, not here!

I clenched my thigh muscles, doing my absolute best not to react.

Christina was playing dirty.

“…You didn’t answer my question.”

I bit my lip.

I could feel my body reacting in a way that would definitely make things a hundred times worse if I didn’t stop this now.

But if I panicked, if I moved too much if I made any strange noises—

Rose and Ella would definitely notice.

I forced a shaky breath, then—

“Rose.”

I spoke up, trying to sound normal.

She perked up immediately.

“Y-Yes?!”

Christina’s hand gripped my waist.

I internally screamed.

“You don’t have to worry,” I continued, my voice slightly strained. “I made it out alive, that’s what matters.”

Rose’s eyes glistened with emotion.

“But—”

“I know you guys did your best,” I cut in quickly, trying to distract myself from the soft hand dangerously close to forbidden territory.

I could feel Christina’s breath against my stomach now.

Dear God, have mercy on me.

I’m not really catholic, but this time I really, but really need your help!

“That’s why I’m still here, right?” I added with a forced chuckle.

Ella’s sharp gaze flickered between me and Rose. She crossed her arms, her fingers tapping against her sleeve.

“That doesn’t change the fact that you lost your hand.”

Oh, now she speaks.

And her voice was ice cold.

I was about to respond when—

Christina pressed her lips to my skin.

FUCK.

A jolt ran through my body.

I barely held back a choked gasp.

I need to stop her.

Now.

But I couldn’t just shove her away—not without making it obvious.

So instead—

I gently placed my left hand over the sheets, pressing down just enough to signal her to stop.

Her body tensed slightly beneath the covers.

I waited.

She didn’t move.

I slowly stroked my fingers along the sheet, a silent, desperate plea.

Please, Christina.

Please don’t make this worse.

For a moment, there was only silence.

Then—

A soft exhale.

And finally—she stopped.

Thank fuck.

I let out a quiet breath of relief.

Meanwhile, Rose was still looking at me with tears in her eyes.

“Is there anything we can do to help…?”

Ella nodded slightly, her sharp gaze scanning me.

“I’ll talk with my father about your contributions. I’ll try to get some kind of artifact that could heal you.”

“Or something to ease the pain for now,” Rose added quickly.

“Just say the word.”

I forced myself to relax, doing my best to ignore the lingering warmth under the sheets.

“I’m fine,” I lied through my teeth. “

Just… really tired.”

Ella’s frown deepened.

“I don’t believe you.”

Well, fuck.

I needed to get them out of here before Christina decided to start round two.

“Guys.”

I sighed.

“Seriously. I’m okay. Just let me rest for now, alright?”

Rose hesitated, but after a moment, she nodded.

“Okay… but if you need anything, just call us!”

Ella didn’t look convinced.

She shot me one last hard look before sighing.

“Fine. But we’re coming back later.”

God, please don’t.

I forced a smile.

“Got it.”

After another moment of hesitation, they finally turned to leave.

The door shut behind them.

Silence.

For about two seconds.

Then—

“Aestrea…”

Christina’s smug voice purred from under the sheets.

I felt another chill run down my spine.

I was still not safe.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep