Thanks to Lucian's arrival, the crisis in the hot spring bath was averted.
Now, the seven rescued guardians sat naked on the ground, still shaken after hearing Lucian's explanation. As for the other five guardians, who were still sane and had not transformed into complete oni, they stood frozen in place, staring at Lucian in disbelief.
It couldn't be helped.
Who would have ever expected that even those who had already turned into complete oni could be saved and restored?
'Still saying you're not a god but turning seven oni back so easily, isn't that close enough to being a god?'
Mei thought in awe, and the other four also more or less had the same thought.
Like the rescued guardians, they were also completely naked, water droplets sliding down their hair and skin, as their towels had long since been ripped away or had fallen off during the intense battle and evasions earlier. Now, they stood completely naked, their perfect bodies partially visible through the mist of the hot spring.
As a result, Lucian's gaze swept across them one by one, taking in the twelve guardians' pale, water-beaded skin, their graceful curves, and the faint light of the hot spring reflecting on their skin, which together created a stunning, almost suffocating picture, all of it observed with an admiring gaze.
"Wait, the boss is still looking!"
Kyuusyou, who had acted nonchalantly earlier, was the first to realize it, screaming as she frantically reached for a towel lying nearby on the floor, her face turning bright red.
Bianka quickly turned around, a flash of embarrassment and annoyance appearing in her ice-blue eyes.
Azta couldn't bear the embarrassment anymore and jumped straight into the water, leaving only her head exposed.
Mei instinctively wrapped her arms around herself, her cheeks flushed a deep red, not daring to meet Lucian's eyes.
Himiko, on the other hand, was carefree as always, but when she looked at her own bare body and then at Lucian, she felt an unusual discomfort for the first time and scratched her damp red hair awkwardly.
Soon after hearing Kyuusyou's scream, the other women, who had gradually recovered, began to realize their situation as well, which in turn caused exclamations of surprise and embarrassed murmurs to fill the air.
Sirin: "Don't look at me! Look at them!"
Ana: "Pervert Boss!"
Azta: "Embarrassing..."
Theresa: "My purity!"
Himiko: "What the hell is with all of you? He saved us, so what's the problem? It's not like we're gonna lose our virginities."
Sakura: "Mmm, exactly..."
Xuanyuan: "Makes sense, so just look then."
Wendy: "Although that reasoning is sound, it's still embarrassing."
Even though the chaos in the hot spring had begun to settle, the awkwardness in the air was thicker than the mist.
In the end, all the guardians wrapped themselves in wet towels, some of their faces turning an even brighter red, like cooked lobsters.
"Boss, wait for me to get dressed first!"
Senti was the first to lose her composure, speaking sternly before charging out of the hot spring pool chamber, leaving a trail of water marks along the stone path.
"Senti, wait for me!"
Theresa, like a frightened little rabbit, quickly followed after her.
Seeing this, the others silently exchanged glances, then hurriedly lowered their heads, tightened their towels, and either helped each other or used their Sentinels' abilities to hastily and awkwardly flee the 'battlefield.'
Soon enough, the place was left with only the rippling water in the pool, scattered rubble, and Mei, who was also wearing nothing but a wet towel.
Mei lowered her head, her long black hair clinging to her smooth back, water droplets sliding down along her elegant spine.
Although she tightly hugged herself with her arms, trying to cover up, the thin towel couldn't conceal much, as her slender waist, curvy and firm hips, and long, straight legs—all of them were faintly visible through the mist.
Lucian's gaze inevitably fell upon her, calm and unaffected, without any hint of lust or movement.
Feeling Lucian's gaze on her, Mei's body tensed even further, her heartbeat quickening as though it might burst from her chest, especially when she suddenly recalled the words he had said earlier.
—"I promise I'll give you a happy life."
Remembering these words, Mei, wondering whether it was a confession, dared not look up, not knowing how to face this sudden situation before her.
"What are you still frozen for?" Lucian asked, his voice breaking the silence, still sounding lazy as always. "Waiting to catch a cold?"
Mei snapped back to reality, hastily mumbling "Mm" and trying to move, but sadly, whether it was a fortune or misfortune, her foot suddenly slipped!
"Wha—?!"
Thanks to the slippery floor and her tense nerves, even a powerful guardian like Mei lost her balance, which sent her toppling toward the side.
'It's over...'
Mei couldn't help but cry inwardly as she realized that she was going to embarrass herself.
In the next moment, however, a strong arm quickly wrapped around her slender waist, pulling her back safely before she collided with a warm embrace.
"Seriously, be careful."
Lucian's voice sounded above her, tinged with a hint of helpless amusement.
Mei, with her cheek pressed firmly against his bare chest, felt his steady heartbeat beneath his firm muscles in a daze, and then her body froze completely as his voice reached her ears. Instead of running away, however, she remained motionless in his arms like a rabbit caught in a spell, unable to move.
Feeling Lucian's hand remain firmly around her waist, the heat of his palm burning through the wet towel and leaving a clear imprint on her skin, while also smelling the mixture of sulfur from the hot spring and his distinct masculine scent within his embrace, Mei felt as though her head was completely spinning.
Time seemed to stop at this moment, while the sound of the flowing hot spring water and the faint birdsong in the distance seemed to blur together.
Now, the world seemed to be reduced to only the spot where they were, making Mei clearly feel the strength in Lucian's arm and the burning heat radiating from his body, spreading along her waist and traveling further.
As a woman who had never been so intimately exposed to a man before, Mei didn't know how to handle this situation.
"I... I'm fine..."
Mei finally replied, but her voice was so soft, like a mosquito's hum.
Immediately after, she tried to break free, but her body felt strangely soft and weak, as if she subconsciously wanted to rub against him.
Noticing Mei trying to break free from his embrace, looking like a cute, frightened rabbit—stiff yet soft in his arms—Lucian didn't immediately release her, but instead calmly watched her, a slow smile forming on his lips.
Soon, feeling the delicate touch and the amazing elasticity of Mei's body beneath his hand, Lucian's hand at her waist gently traced her smooth skin, while his thumb lightly brushed the side of her waist, sending a faint electric current through her.
"Mm..."
Mei couldn't control the soft moan that escaped her lips, her body going limp as though it had been shocked. Her violet eyes quickly filled with a misty haze, almost as if she might cry from the embarrassment, before they suddenly moved and met Lucian's gaze.
Seeing her own current disheveled yet alluring appearance reflected quite clearly in Lucian's radiant golden pupils, Mei felt her heartbeat spiraling completely out of control.
Little by little, she could feel his arm tightening around her waist, their bodies pressing closer together, almost as if they were touching every inch of each other's skin, before a strange fluttering of desire suddenly surged from her lower abdomen, making her legs weak as if she might fall.
Soon enough, as Mei's full, soft body pressed closer and closer against Lucian's, the shape of her breasts, wrapped in the wet towel, became distorted by the pressure, allowing him to clearly feel their incredible elasticity and warmth.
Lucian gazed at those beautiful violet eyes for a while before his eyes drifted to the moist pink lips that looked like ripe berries.
Unable to hold back any longer, Lucian slowly lowered his head—his presence growing more intense, carrying an undeniable pressure.
Seeing this, Mei's mind went blank, and she forgot to breathe for a moment before instinctively tilting her head slightly upward and closing her eyes—her long eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings, waiting for his kiss to fall.
In Lucian's eyes, this silent submission was more powerful than any invitation, so without hesitation, he closed his eyes as well and advanced slowly, with clear determination.
Just as their lips were about to touch...
"Boss! Mei! Why are you two not out yet?"
Bianka's voice suddenly echoed from the corridor outside the hot spring pool chamber, accompanied by hurried footsteps!
"!!!"
In an instant, the intensely intimate atmosphere was shattered!
Mei, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, jerked out of Lucian's arms as a wave of overwhelming shame immediately engulfed her.
*Whoosh!*
Not daring to look at Lucian, Mei quickly disappeared through the sliding door of the pool chamber like a purple whirlwind, leaving behind only a faint, refreshing fragrance in the air.
Just like that, Lucian's arms were suddenly empty.
He looked dazedly at the sliding door, then down at his empty hands and the faint red mark on his chest where Mei's cheek and soft breasts had pressed, before lifting his gaze toward the other sliding door, where Bianka approached with slightly furrowed brows.
Before long, Bianka slid the door open and saw Lucian standing alone.
However, when Bianka saw Lucian's calm face—a face that strangely sent a chill down her spine—she couldn't help but shiver slightly, as though the temperature around her had dropped several degrees.
"Uhh... Boss?"
Bianka, feeling confused, sensed that Lucian's gaze was somehow chilling.
"You've come at just the right time, Bianka. Good work."
As he spoke, Lucian glanced at Bianka indifferently, then slowly stepped out of the pool and turned to leave the pool chamber.
"..."
Bianka, utterly confused, felt as though something significant had just gone wrong because of her.
===
[A bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
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