Chapter 39: Making Monica Feel A Sensation [1]

Elias continued staring at Stella’s status screen for several seconds, his eyes moving over the final lines while he tried to understand the implications of everything he had just learned.

The system had given him more information than he had ever possessed about the higher realms. Yet, there were still countless questions he couldn’t answer, especially regarding Intent and the mysterious figures mentioned in Stella’s techniques.

Eventually, he dismissed the status screen with a thought and let out a quiet breath.

"That is enough for now," he mumbled.

He reached for the towel around his waist and loosened it before stepping back toward the bath.

Monica’s eyes widened.

’Oh my arcane!’

She immediately shut her eyes, although the narrow gap between her eyelids remained just wide enough for her to see Elias moving.

She watched him enter the tub and sink into the warm water, then quickly looked away while trying to calm herself.

’Why is he so shameless?’

Her brows furrowed as another thought entered her mind.

’Wait...’

She cautiously looked toward him again.

’It’s smaller than back then...’

Monica quickly turned her face away before Elias could notice where she had been looking.

A minute later, Elias finished bathing and stood up, then drained the water from the tub and filled it from a different bucket.

He glanced toward Monica, who was still sitting quietly against the wall.

"All good," he said.

Monica immediately closed her eyes completely when she heard him approaching.

Elias walked over to her and carefully picked her up, supporting her body as he carried her toward the freshly prepared bath.

He lowered her into the warm water and adjusted her position until her back rested comfortably against him, then he carefully removed her black shorts and bra so that he could clean her properly.

Monica remained silent.

She couldn’t feel the warmth of his hands against her skin in the way an ordinary person would, yet she could still sense the dull ache that constantly lingered throughout her body.

Elias dipped the rubbing cloth into the water before squeezing it gently.

As his hand brushed against Monica’s skin, he couldn’t help noticing how different she felt from what he had expected.

’It’s cold... and soft.’

His gaze shifted toward the side of her face.

Monica’s pale cheeks were delicate, the size of her face was slightly bigger than his palm, and her tiny nose was like an engraved gem. Even the dark shadowy spots across her skin seemed to make her look better.

Elias smiled faintly.

’And beautiful.’

He lowered his gaze and began cleaning her body with the cloth.

His movements were slow and careful, because he didn’t want to accidentally hurt her.

The task was surprisingly delicate.

He had already become accustomed to carrying her, feeding her, changing her clothes, and helping her through her seizures, but bathing her still required more care than almost anything else.

As he continued, however, another thought suddenly crossed his mind.

’What if I use Masterful Hands?’

The S-grade skill had dramatically improved his sword control, allowing his hands to perform movements with precision far beyond his current level of swordsmanship.

But he had never tested it on something completely unrelated to combat.

’It improved my control when using a sword, but what happens if I use it for something like this?’

His curiosity won over his hesitation.

Elias shifted slightly and activated Masterful Hands.

The effect was immediate.

His hands became more precise, and every movement flowed naturally into the next as though his body already knew exactly how much pressure and movement was required.

The rubbing cloth moved smoothly across Monica’s skin, and his hands followed with controlled, delicate motions.

He made certain to avoid touching areas he shouldn’t, focusing only on cleaning her properly.

His movements became almost effortless.

’This is strange.’

He continued working while examining the difference.

His fingers adjusted their pressure naturally, while his wrists and arms moved with remarkable coordination.

The skill that had allowed him to manipulate a sword with greater precision was proving just as useful for ordinary physical tasks.

Elias glanced toward Monica.

’How would she have reacted if she wasn’t imprisoned by this poison?’

The thought lingered in his mind as he continued cleaning her.

Monica, however, was experiencing something entirely different.

Her body suddenly felt strange.

Normally, whenever Elias touched her, there was only the familiar ache buried beneath her skin, the constant sensation caused by the poison that had plagued her for years.

But now there was something else.

A faint tingling sensation followed every place his hands passed.

Monica’s brows knit together, and she asked herself, ’What’s going on?’

She tried to remain completely still.

’Why can I feel that?’

Her heart began beating faster, although she couldn’t understand why.

She had spent three years unable to properly feel physical contact, and yet now even the smallest movement of Elias’s hand seemed to produce a faint sensation that traveled through her body.

She desperately tried to keep her eyes and mouth shut.

’Don’t react.’

She repeated the thought to herself.

’Don’t react.’

Elias continued moving the cloth across her body, carefully cleaning her arms and shoulders before moving toward her side.

The strange tingling sensation became slightly stronger.

Monica’s breathing grew uneven.

’Why is this happening?’

She didn’t know how Elias was doing this, but she was finding it hard to continue pretending to be unconscious.

Then Elias’s hand brushed near the side of her chest.

A sudden sensation ran through her body.

Monica’s control broke for an instant.

"Aungh!"

The low moan escaped her lips before she could stop it, drifting directly into Elias’s ear.

Her entire face turned red.

She immediately opened her eyes and stared at Elias with an embarrassed expression, while Elias froze with the rubbing cloth still in his hand.

For several seconds, neither of them spoke.

Monica’s eyes shifted away.

She wanted to disappear.

She couldn’t believe she had actually made a sound.

Elias looked at her carefully, his expression filled with confusion rather than amusement.

"Did..." he began hesitantly before looking directly at her, "did you feel it?"