Name: Rose Marbleheart Title: - Race: Human Class: Holy Knight, Adventurer Affiliation: Hart Familia Level: Lv. 2 Deepest Floor: 17th Floor
Basic Abilities: Strength: S999 → I0 Endurance: SS1001 → I0 Dexterity: S999 → I0 Agility: S999 → I0 Magic: S999 → I0
Development Ability: Guardian I
Weapons: One-handed sword: Sword of Redemption (armor-piercing sword) Kite shield: Pure White Shield (custom-fitted, elongated)
Equipment: Casual: White blouse, brown waist corset, dark blue high-waisted skirt, mid-heel ankle boots Formal/Training uniform Combat: Clerical robe (high-slit cape-cloak), heavy armor (pauldrons, breastplate, gauntlets, greaves, tasset), black over-knee stockings Magic: [Omitted] Skills: [Omitted]
...
Exactly as Leon had expected.
Rose had leveraged her natural talent alongside the combined amplification of Beloved's Crest and Beloved's Blessing to push every single Basic Ability to its absolute ceiling, shatter the vessel's limit, and achieve the Great Feat required for leveling up, completing her ascension to Lv. 2.
"So this is Lv. 2? I don't really feel any stronger, though?"
She tested the sensation of her changed body, puzzled.
Leon's fingertip traced lightly down the flawless skin of her back, and her confusion made him laugh.
"Leveling up is a total transformation. You're definitely stronger. You just have to consciously flip the switch."
Once an adventurer received their Falna, they existed in two modes: daily mode and combat mode. The difference came down to an internal switch you had to activate on purpose. The moment you did, your physical capabilities surged to their full potential.
It was the thinnest barrier imaginable. Leon gave her the briefest explanation, and Rose found the trick immediately. She curled her small hand into a fist and felt a tidal wave of power rolling through her, leagues beyond anything she'd known before.
A slow, captivating smile curved across her lips.
But the level-up process wasn't finished yet. Leon gave her a light pat on her soft backside to bring her back. "Rose, you still need to pick a Development Ability. Focus."
"Oh..."
A tingling jolt ran through her and a faint blush crept across her face. She bit her lip, barely swallowing the sound that almost escaped, and obediently settled back down on the bed.
"Alright... you've got a few options for Development Abilities. I'll list them off. Abnormal Resistance, Strong Body, Steadfast, Guardian, Shatter, and Shield Counter."
He read the options displayed on her Falna one by one for Rose to consider.
"Of course, you don't have to decide right now. Take your time."
Rose shook her head, her voice firm. "No need. Pick Guardian. It fits my fighting style best, and it matches my conviction."
Guardian?
Leon absently stroked the smooth skin of Rose's back, his fingertips wandering without thought as he mulled it over.
He didn't notice at all that the body beneath him was trembling faintly, or that her delicate face had gone deep red.
After a long pause, he mused aloud, "Guardian, huh? Solid choice. Full defensive enhancement during combat, and it synergizes best with your fighting style, your magic, and your skill loadout..."
"Mm... mmh!? Rose, what's wrong?"
He finally noticed something was off. Rose's cheeks had flushed so deeply they looked ready to bleed. Strands of pale blue hair clung to her forehead in damp disarray, beaded with sweat. Her body had gone completely boneless, twitching involuntarily.
Those eyes, usually so gentle and calm, now swam with something molten and dazed, locked squarely on the man in front of her.
Leon stared.
Something is very, very wrong here.
"Leon..." Rose's voice came out dragging and soft, husky with a warmth that hadn't been there before, his name almost a whisper on her lips.
At this point, could he really play dumb?
He looked at her, and smiled.
"You really are stunning, you know that?"
"Rose."
His hand was still on her back. His fingers traced down her spine, slow, and somewhere along the way the Falna ceremony stopped being the point.
Rose turned her head on the pillow, blue hair falling across her flushed cheek. She looked at him over her shoulder.
"If you keep touching me like that, I'm going to get ideas."
"Good."
He leaned down and kissed the nape of her neck. Rose's breath caught. He kissed lower, between her shoulder blades, and she turned under him until they were face to face.
He kissed her. She kissed him back, one hand sliding to the back of his neck, pulling him closer. Her lips were soft and warm, and when he deepened it she opened her mouth against his, tongues meeting. She tasted faintly of the tea from earlier.
His hand moved from her back to her waist, her stomach, up. When his palm covered her breast she broke the kiss with a quiet gasp.
"Took you long enough," she whispered against his mouth.
She tugged his shirt over his head. Her top was already gone from the ceremony, and when she turned onto her back she didn't cover herself. Just looked up at him, bare from the waist up, skin still flushed from the Falna.
He kissed her collarbone, licked her cleavage, then kept going down. His tongue traced slow circles around one breast, teasing the skin, while his hand kneaded the other, squeezing and rolling until both nipples stiffened under his touch.
"Mm... Leon..."
He closed his mouth over one and sucked. Rose's back arched off the bed and her fingers tangled in his hair. He worked the other between his thumb and finger, pinching lightly, and every sound she made went straight through him. Her hips had started rocking against him without her noticing.
He kissed his way back up to her mouth while working her skirt down. She lifted her hips to help and kicked it off, leaving her in nothing. She ran her hands up his chest and pulled him back down into another kiss.
His mouth stayed on hers while his hands split up. One went back to her breast, rolling the nipple between his fingers. The other slid down her stomach, over her hip, and between her legs.
Rose gasped into the kiss. His fingers found her pussy already wet, lips swollen and slick. He slid two fingers along the slit, parting her, and her thighs fell open wider on instinct.
"That's... nn..."
He rubbed her clit in slow circles, swallowing every sound she made with his mouth. Her hips lifted against his hand, grinding on his fingers, and he gave her more pressure until her breathing turned ragged and her kisses got sloppy.
Then he pulled his hand away and she whined at the loss.
He kissed down her neck, her chest, her stomach. Hooked his hands under both her thighs and pushed them up. Rose's eyes went wide.
"Wait, you're not... Leon..."
He pressed his mouth to her pussy.
Her whole body jolted. One hand flew to his hair, the other grabbed the sheets, and the sound she made was nothing like the composed woman who teased him over dinner every night.
He licked her slow at first, tongue flat against her slit, tasting her, then closed his lips around her clit and sucked. Her thighs clamped around his head. Her legs were shaking, heels digging into his back, and she couldn't keep still.
"Leon... I can't... if you keep... I'm going to..."
He didn't stop. He slid two fingers inside her while his tongue kept working, and Rose's hips came clean off the bed. She covered her mouth with her hand but the moans leaked through anyway.
She came with her thighs clamped around his head, body shaking, a choked cry muffled behind her palm. He worked her through it until her legs went slack and she lay there panting, staring at the ceiling with glazed eyes.
He kissed his way back up her body. Rose was still catching her breath when she looked down and saw his cock straining hard against his pants.
"That's... because of me?"
"Who else?"
Something shifted in her expression. She sat up, pushed him back until he was sitting on the edge of the bed, and slid down to her knees between his legs. She pulled his pants off and his cock sprang free, hard and thick. She wrapped her fingers around the shaft, feeling the heat of it.
"I've never done this either," she said quietly, staring at it.
She leaned in and dragged her tongue up from the base to the tip, slow and curious. Then she opened her mouth and took the head in, her lips stretching around it, and looked up at him.
Leon nearly lost his mind. Those golden eyes staring up at him, blue hair framing her face, her mouth stuffed with his cock and that innocent, almost questioning look. His hand went to the back of her head.
She took more in, bobbing her head slowly. No technique, all instinct, her tongue sliding wet and clumsy along the underside. Spit ran down the shaft and dripped onto her bare chest. Every time she looked up at him through her lashes his fingers tightened in her hair.
"Rose... fuck..."
She hummed around his cock and the vibration made his hips buck. He pushed deeper without meaning to and her eyes went wide as he hit the back of her throat. She gagged, tears welling at the corners of her eyes, but she didn't pull off.
He held there, then pulled back. "Sorry, I..."
She shook her head, wiped the drool from her chin, and took him back in. Deeper this time. On purpose. Her lips slid all the way down until her nose pressed against him, throat clenching around his cock, and the wet choking sound she made was obscene.
He lasted maybe another minute. His hand tightened in her hair, his hips jerked, and he came in her mouth with a low groan.
Rose's eyes went wide. She started to pull off but his hand held her in place.
"Swallow it."
She looked up at him, eyes watering, cheeks full. Then she swallowed. Twice. When she finally let him go there was a thin string of saliva connecting her lips to him.
She wiped her mouth again and looked up. Her eyes were watery and her lips were swollen and she was smiling.
"How was that?"
"Get on the bed."
She laughed. He pulled her up and laid her down, settling between her legs.
He pushed in slowly, watching her face the whole time.
Rose's expression tightened. Her fingers dug into his arms and she bit her bottom lip. A small, pained sound slipped out.
He stopped. "Hurting?"
"Mm." She kept her eyes shut, breathing through it. "Just... stay like that for a bit."
He held still. He kissed her forehead and waited.
After a while the tension in her body eased. She opened her eyes, and they were wet at the edges but steady.
"You can move now."
Slow. He kept it slow. Rose's grip on his arms loosened, her expression gradually shifting from discomfort to something else. Her lips parted.
"That's... oh."
Her legs came up around his waist, pulling him closer.
He shifted his weight to one arm, used the other to cup her breast, kneading it while he kissed her neck. Rose's hands slid down his back, nails dragging, and the sounds she was making into his shoulder were getting louder.
"There... right there, don't change anything..."
He pressed his face into the curve of her neck and held the angle. Her body tightened around him. He could feel her thighs trembling against his sides.
He pushed up on both arms to look at her. Blue hair fanned across the pillow, eyes glazed, chest heaving. He grabbed both her breasts and squeezed them together until the nipples were side by side, then dipped his head and took both into his mouth at once, sucking hard while his hips kept their pace.
Rose lost it. Her back arched hard, both hands fisting in the sheets, and the moan that came out of her was loud enough that the living room definitely heard it.
She came shaking, her body clenching around him in waves, and the sensation pulled him over the edge right after. He buried himself deep and stayed there, forehead against her collarbone, both of them breathing hard.
Neither moved for a long time.
Rose stared at the ceiling. Her hair was ruined. There was a bite mark on her lower lip she'd given herself.
"...So." Her voice was completely gone. "Is that standard for all level-ups, or just mine?"
"Trade secret."
She let out a single, wrecked laugh, and closed her eyes.
...
In the living room, Jeanne sat rigid in the armchair. The book in her hand snapped shut and landed on the coffee table.
Her expression shifted in the span of thirty seconds, from composed, to blank, to an icy darkness that could have frozen the air around her.
Across the room, Laurier and Aura had plastered themselves together in a trembling huddle, staring in open terror at Jeanne, who radiated a visible aura of menace. Cold sweat ran down both their faces.
They looked like two quails cornered by a hawk.
"J-Jeanne? Are... are you okay?" Laurier's voice shook.
Jeanne's unfocused violet eyes drifted in their direction.
Then a laugh slipped from her lips, cold enough to cut glass and dripping with killing intent.
"Heh... that scumbag... is beyond saving."
Laurier and Aura exchanged a glance, understood instantly, and turned in unison toward the closed door of Leon's bedroom on the second floor.
Both faces turned scarlet. In perfect sync, each silently cursed:
Damn you, Leon! Miss Rose has fallen into his clutches after all!
One look at the practically solid cloud of dark fury radiating from Jeanne, and they understood exactly why her mood had hit rock bottom.
...
Roughly an hour later.
Rose emerged from Leon's room, her pale blue hair in complete disarray, her steps unsteady.
She was biting her lower lip, cheeks still flushed, and she half-stumbled back to her own room.
Clearly, even for a powerful warrior, even with a Lv. 2 body, there were limits to what a person could endure when a certain someone pulled out every trick in his repertoire.
The twin assault on her mind and body had left her golden eyes glazed over, still dazed. All that brand-new power she'd just gained? She couldn't summon a shred of it. Even walking was a challenge, her legs barely cooperating.
Back in her room, she sat on the edge of her bed, kicked off her heels, and fell backward onto the covers.
She stared at the ceiling and laughed once, quiet and breathless.
"Idiot..."
...
Leon, meanwhile, looked thoroughly refreshed.
He strolled out of his room with a satisfied smile, dropped onto the sofa like he owned the world, and settled in.
"Jeanne, you're up. Time to update your Falna?"
His tone was casual, even breezy.
"Heh..."
"?"
Leon's smile froze. He felt Jeanne's gaze land on him like a blade of ice, felt the suffocating pressure rolling off her in waves, and the words died in his throat.
His cheek twitched. He forced something approximating a smile and opened his mouth to speak, but his brain returned nothing. Complete blank.
Then he remembered how things had gone with Rose, and inspiration struck.
With a hint of provocation, he said, "Rose is Lv. 2 now, you know. Your Holiness, the great Holy Maiden surely doesn't want to be overtaken by a junior that easily, does she?"
"You..."
Jeanne's brows shot up. Her expression went pitch dark, and the look she gave him could have drawn blood.
"You're trying to bait me? Hmph."
She let out a sharp breath through her nose.
"Fine! Update my Falna then. It's not like I'm afraid of you!"
She shot to her feet and stormed toward Leon's bedroom without a backward glance, each step hitting the floor hard enough to echo.
All she left behind was a beautiful silhouette radiating frost.
"Tch..."
Leon licked his lips and turned a meaningful look toward the corner, where Laurier and Aura were still clinging to each other, still trembling.
He raised one finger to his lips in an elegant shushing gesture.
"Shh."
"Grown-up business. Kids shouldn't get involved."
Laurier nodded so fast her head blurred.
Aura's face went pink and she looked away.
Slam.
The bedroom door had barely closed before Jeanne surged forward and shoved Leon flat on his back.
She gave him no chance to resist, swinging one leg over and pinning him down.
"You miserable scumbag. Time for judgment!"
Leon blinked. Then grinned.
"Interesting. The Holy Maiden has new tricks."
"Shut up." Her violet eyes burned. She grabbed the front of his shirt with both hands, her face inches from his.
How could you do that with Rose when I was right there? I was first. I was here before anyone.
She didn't say any of it. She didn't need to.
Leon looked up at her. Tucked a strand of golden hair behind her ear.
"Come here."
Jeanne's breath hitched. Her hands were shaking where they gripped his shirt. She pulled it over his head, then fumbled with her own clothes, yanking them off with none of her usual grace. She was too angry, too wound up to care about elegance.
She straddled him bare, grabbed his cock, and tried to lower herself onto him.
It hurt. Her face twisted and she stopped halfway, teeth clenched, thighs trembling. She'd never done this before. The angle was wrong, she wasn't ready enough, and her body fought her.
"Jeanne." Leon's hands settled on her hips. Steady. "Slow down."
"I can... I can do this..."
"I know you can. But not like this."
He sat up, wrapped one arm around her waist, and kissed her. She resisted for a second. Then her shoulders dropped and she kissed him back.
His free hand slid between them and found her clit. She was barely wet, too keyed up on adrenaline and jealousy. He worked her slowly, rubbing in gentle circles while he kissed her neck, her jaw, the spot below her ear that he already knew drove her crazy.
Jeanne's breathing changed. The tension in her thighs eased. Her forehead dropped to his shoulder.
"That's... mm..."
He took his time. Kept his fingers moving until she was slick and her hips were rocking against his hand on their own. Only then did he guide her back down.
This time she sank onto him slowly, inch by inch, and the sound that came out of her was nothing like pain. Her nails bit into his shoulders, her mouth fell open, and her eyes went unfocused.
"Oh god..."
"Good?"
She couldn't answer. She just nodded, forehead pressed against his, breathing hard.
She tried to move but her rhythm was unsteady, inexperienced. He gripped her hips and guided her, lifting her and pulling her back down, setting a pace that had her gasping with every drop.
"Leon... Leon, it's... I can't think..."
He pulled her chest flush against his, one arm locked around her waist, and thrust up into her from below. Her breasts pressed against his chest, nipples hard, and she clung to him like she'd fall apart if she let go.
The angle was deep. Jeanne buried her face in his neck and stopped trying to hold anything back. Every thrust pulled a moan out of her, muffled against his skin, getting louder.
He felt her tightening around him. Same pace. Deep and steady. Jeanne's whole body started shaking.
She came with a cry she couldn't muffle, her body locking around him, nails raking down his back hard enough to draw blood. He held her through it, then finished inside her a few strokes later.
They stayed like that, sitting upright, tangled together, catching their breath.
Jeanne's face was still buried in his neck. Her voice came out small and wrecked.
"...I'm still angry at you."
"I know."
She pulled back just enough to look at him. Red-rimmed eyes, hair a mess. She looked exhausted. The jealousy was gone.
She shoved him flat on his back and he hit the floor. Then she rolled over on the bed and refused to look at him.
Leaves rustled outside the window. Cicadas droned in the afternoon heat.
Leon lay sprawled on the floor, limbs spread in every direction, staring at the ceiling with a satisfied grin.
He lazily curled a finger and summoned his status panel.
His eyes traced over the Demon Lord's Crest skill description, again and again.
Demon Lord's CrestEndurance and Magic doubled on top of Basic Ability values.
Again. And again.
Then, as though he'd stumbled onto something incredibly entertaining, a quiet laugh escaped him.
"Heh..."
On the bed, Jeanne lay in a heap, golden hair tangled and stuck to flushed cheeks.
The aftermath of that overwhelming onslaught had left her floating somewhere above her own body, her expression distant and hazy.
She parted her dry lips and managed, with effort, to roll her eyes.
Her chest heaved with each labored breath.
It was a long time before she clawed her way back to coherent thought, and when she did, all she could manage was a weak sigh.
"What... what are you laughing at."
Jeanne's voice was wrecked, barely recognizable compared to the crisp, commanding tone she usually carried.
Still on the floor where she'd kicked him, Leon looked at the pale foot with its pink flush that had put him there, and grinned.
He reached up and caught it.
"Wh... what are you doing!"
"Let go..."
Jeanne's body had nothing left to fight with. She could only watch as Leon cradled her foot in his hands and proceeded to do things that exceeded anything she could have imagined. She nearly blacked out from sheer embarrassment.
Another hour passed before Jeanne, clutching the parchment that recorded her updated Falna, stumbled out of the room in a daze, practically fleeing through the door.
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