{Chapter 70} Anna! Are You Awake?
"Swish!"
With a single slash, a threadworm lurking in the soil was cleaved in two. Flicking the green blood off her sword, Anna couldn't help but feel increasingly impatient.
"This is completely a battle, not a date."
"Don't say that," Helga retorted, swinging her staff and casting a few proper spells, blasting away a demonic boar that was getting restless in the distance.
"Sometimes, fighting together can also be a kind of date."
"...I'm exhausted. What kind of date is this?"
With a downward slash, Anna split a magic wolf in half and complained.
"You see, in novels, there's often this kind of plot, right? Two people fighting side by side, their feelings gradually heating up, turning from comrades-in-arms into lovers..."
"But those protagonists aren't actively seeking out 'battle dates'!" Anna continued to complain.
"Their battles serve to heat up and assist their emotions. Unless they're battle maniacs, what couple would enjoy turning battles into dates?"
"Lunareth do!"
"...Aren't Lunareth just a bunch of battle maniacs by default?"
Anna finally understood where Helga's strange idea of "battles as dates" came from.
"That's prejudice!"
"...Before you accuse me of prejudice, why don't you fix your own prejudice about battles being dates?"
The two childhood friends continued to banter with each other as they fought side by side. It wasn't until the stench of blood became so complex that it no longer attracted carnivorous magic beast that Anna finally let out a sigh of relief.
"I'm exhausted... When I get back, I'm definitely taking a hot bath and getting a good night's sleep."
Her sword was now covered in blood, a mix of green and red, making it look utterly disgusting.
Some magical beast blood would quickly coagulate, and the sticky mess couldn't be shaken off easily.
Anna didn't dare sheathe it and instead had to find a water source to clean the blade.
After all, having wielded a tetanus-inducing “divine weapon" for over half a year, Anna knew all too well the importance of weapon maintenance.
Still, it wasn't all bad.
At the very least... The pile of beast corpses she and Helga had nearly stacked up was a decent haul.
The meat from these magic beasts could enhance human physique, boost professions attributes, and even fetch a good price if sold directly.
Over the past six months, Anna's attributes had improved to the point where she was just shy of becoming an E-rank knight, thanks to both her regular training and the magic beast meat she'd been consuming.
The only problem was that the magic beast meat from the area around their small town didn't provide a significant boost to strength, which was the attribute Anna was lacking.
For example, the magic beast meat from the boars increased stamina, while the wolf meat boosted agility... The rest either contained too much toxin to be processed or were so unpalatable that they could knock someone out.
Take the threadworm meat, for instance. While the threadworm's interior was filled with tentacles, which might seem like good meat, it was actually loaded with aphrodisiac poison.
Eating it could drive someone insane, let alone cause arousal.
Now, Helga was picking through the magic beast corpses, storing some in her spatial ring, presumably to sell later.
After cleaning up the battlefield, Helga pointed her staff at Anna—
"Cleansing!"
A large blob of water materialized above Anna's head, drenching her completely.
"Helga!"
Anna shivered, glaring at Helga in annoyance.
"Even though you're soaked, at least you're clean now."
Helga paid no heed to Anna's glare, nor did she care that Anna was still wet. She simply wrapped her arms around Anna.
And once again, Anna's lips were claimed.
As if venting the emotions from the battle, Helga finally released Anna after a moment of passion.
"...After the magic beast attack, now it's your turn to attack me, huh?"
Lately, Anna felt like her lips hadn't had a moment's rest. She was almost getting used to it.
Her mouth still carried a faint smell of blood, a remnant of the battle.
"Ugh... My clothes are all soaked, and they look even more disgusting now..."
The bloodstains on her clothes were already disgusting, and now, drenched in water, the simple rinse hadn't cleaned them.
Instead, the fabric clung to her skin, creating an uncomfortable sensation.
"That's my fault," Helga said, though her tone suggested she wasn't the least bit remorseful.
In fact, Helga was now shamelessly eyeing Anna's body.
With her clothes soaked and clinging to her skin, Anna's figure was clearly outlined.
"Still looking?" Anna rolled her eyes, only to notice that Helga's hands were starting to wander.
One moment, Helga was holding Anna, and the next, her hands were already exploring Anna’s breasts.
"...Behave!"
"No way. Anna is so perfect, I can't help but want to touch her."
"...Perfect things should be admired from afar!"
"Who says you can only admire from afar and not play with? Especially when such perfection belongs to the one I love..."
Helga's lips gently bit against Anna's earlobe, the strange sensation combined with Helga's wandering hands making Anna's legs go weak.
"Anna yourears are as sensitive as ever."
"Ah!"
Enduring Helga's teasing, Anna's face flushed red.
She wanted to push Helga away, but she had no strength left, not even enough to utter a word.
"...We can't... do this here..."
After a long pause, Anna finally managed to squeeze out those words, her eyes filled with pleading.
"Besides... I'm still dirty... and sweaty..."
"Sniff sniff, this scent is strong and powerful, strong and powerful!"
"Helga!"
Anna had no idea Helga could be so perverted!
Sniffing her like that—was she smelling fragrance or sweat?
Helga's antics snapped Anna out of her weakened state, and with a simple struggle)
, she freed herself from Helga's grasp.
"I'm done teasing you." Before Anna could say anything, Helga immediately adopted a nonchalant expression.
"It's not like... I wanted you to 'tease' me!" Anna was now furious, glaring at Helga.
"Hehehe, Anna is always cutest like this."
"Ah!"
Just a simple tease, and Anna was already in such a flustered state. Anna, are you awak)!
Silently scolding herself, Anna unceremoniously raised her sword—
"Since you washed me, help me clean my sword too!"
"Sure, sure, consider it my 'repayment' to Anna.”