Chapter 236: I-Is she trying to eat me?

Standing before him was none other than... Lord Blauer.

The tall beautiful woman showed no sign of surprise or embarrassment as her striking blue eyes gazed down at him, their icy depths as calm and unreadable as ever.

For a few seconds, Jake simply stared at her.

"..."

"..."

Lord Blauer stared back at him with her usual calm, unreadable expression.

An awkward silence filled the atmosphere.

’Holy shit!’

Jake’s mind finally caught up with reality.

’Why is Lord Blauer here?! And why the hell did I have to fall face-first into her chest?!’

Right now, Lord Blauer was dressed in surprisingly casual attire, wearing nothing more than a plain white shirt and a pair of black pants.

The simple outfit gave her an entirely different impression from the dignified, imposing figure he saw before when she descended from heaven.

Yet despite that casual appearance, he still hadn’t forgotten how powerful this woman was.

He hurriedly straightened himself, taking several steps back as though he had just touched a burning stove.

"M-My apologies, Lord Blauer! I didn’t mean to—"

Before he could finish, Lord Blauer suddenly reached out and pulled him back toward her.

Jake barely had time to react before she wrapped her arms around his head, drawing him back against her soft chest once more.

"...Huh?"

His mind went completely blank as his face buried itself in that paradise again.

He could feel her cool, silky hair brushing against his head, accompanied by that refreshing fragrance reminiscent of a quiet winter morning.

Her embrace was unexpectedly gentle, and the soft warmth of her breasts surrounding his face was strangely comforting despite the faint chill that seemed to follow her.

For a moment, Jake honestly forgot what he had been about to say.

’Holy shit... This is actually pretty nice.’

Then, as if realizing what he was thinking, he hurriedly tried to pull his head back.

’No, no, no! Get a grip, Jake! She’s Lord Blauer!’

Even Jake knew when to fool around and when to be serious.

This woman wasn’t just any woman, but a Great Island Lord!

Yet despite his struggle, he couldn’t pull himself away.

The arm wrapped around his head held him in place with surprisingly overwhelming strength.

’Damn...! So strong!’

It didn’t hurt or anything, but her grip was so powerful that Jake couldn’t budge an inch.

No matter how much he tried to move his head, it was as if he were caught in an unbreakable vice.

Meanwhile, Lord Blauer didn’t seem bothered by his struggle in the slightest.

Instead, she slightly tilted her head, lowered her face toward him, and took a gentle sniff of his hair.

Then the usually cold and expressionless woman murmured softly.

"You smell nice."

Hearing that beautiful, calm voice above him, Jake blinked in confusion.

’...Huh?’

For a moment, he wondered if he had misheard her.

Lord Blauer, the usually cold and distant Great Island Lord, had just pulled him into an embrace, sniffed his hair, and casually told him that he smelled nice.

What the hell was he supposed to make of that?

He tilted his head slightly, trying to get a better look at her face, but all he could see were those beautiful blue eyes gazing down at him with their usual calmness.

"Umm... Th-thank you?" he replied hesitantly, his voice slightly muffled as his cheeks remained squished against her soft breasts.

"..."

Then an awkward silence lingered between them again.

Jake had absolutely no idea what was going on anymore.

Lord Blauer continued holding him in her embrace, her beautiful blue eyes fixed on him without the slightest hint of emotion.

She neither said anything nor showed any intention of letting him go.

Under her unwavering gaze, Jake slowly began to sweat.

Sure, she smelled nice, and the pair of breasts pressing against his cheeks was incredibly soft and pleasant.

Under normal circumstances, he might have even considered himself lucky.

But... he couldn’t enjoy any of it right now.

Why?

Because right now, he felt as though a pair of dragon eyes were staring straight into his soul, silently watching his every move.

’...Why do I feel like I’m being stared down by another Leviathan?’

Jake swallowed nervously, unable to stop himself from recalling the terrifying gaze of the Leviathan back in the ruins.

That overwhelming pressure, that suffocating feeling of being watched by something far beyond his league...

And now, for some inexplicable reason, he felt as though he were experiencing that same sensation all over again, despite the fact that Lord Blauer wasn’t releasing any suffocating pressure.

It was simply her gaze.

Those beautiful blue eyes remained fixed on him, calm and unreadable, yet somehow making every instinct in his body scream.

’Wait... Is she trying to eat me?!’

Jake’s eyes widened slightly.

’D-Damn it! I can’t believe I’m going to die like this!’

He had survived many dangerous situations, faced terrifying enemies, and even encountered a Leviathan.

Yet here he was, trapped in the embrace of a beautiful woman, unable to move an inch.

’Is this really how my story ends...?’

The longer Lord Blauer remained silent, the wilder Jake’s imagination became.

’Why isn’t she saying anything?! Is she waiting for the right moment to devour me?!’

He stole another glance at her face, only to find those beautiful blue eyes still staring down at him without the slightest change in expression.

’Shit! She’s definitely thinking about something!’

Of course, Lord Blauer hadn’t said a single word to suggest that she intended to eat him.

But her silence only made Jake’s increasingly ridiculous suspicions spiral out of control.

’Damn it... If I’m going to die anyway—!’

His expression suddenly hardened as if he had made an incredibly difficult decision.

’I’m not going down without enjoying myself a little!’

With that thought, Jake tentatively raised his arms and wrapped them around her waist.

His hands settled against the soft fabric of her simple white shirt, and he could feel the gentle give of the warm, tender flesh beneath it.

’...Oh.’

For a brief moment, his panic subsided as he marveled at just how soft and delicate her waist felt beneath his hands.

’Damn... She’s surprisingly soft.’

Her waist felt surprisingly tender beneath his hands, with none of the hard, bulging muscles he might have expected from someone capable of overpowering him so effortlessly.

Yet here he was, completely unable to escape her embrace.

’Wait a minute... Shouldn’t she have reacted by now?!’

Jake couldn’t help but think.

After all, he had not only been trapped in her embrace but had also wrapped his own arms around her waist!

Even if Lord Blauer was unusually indifferent, surely she should have shown some kind of reaction by now, right?

Curiosity eventually got the better of him, and he cautiously glanced up at her face.

...Only to find that she was still staring at him.

"..."

However, this time, he noticed something different.

Her beautiful blue eyes seemed to have opened just a little wider and become slightly brighter than before, as though she had finally spotted something interesting.

It was such a subtle change that Jake almost wondered if he had imagined it.

Jake was just beginning to wonder what exactly was going on when a familiar voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Ahem... Lord Blauer, what are you doing?"

It was Vivian.

Her voice carried a noticeable hint of hesitation, as though even she wasn’t quite sure how to address the bizarre scene unfolding before her.

’VIVIAN! MY SAVIOR! YOU’RE FINALLY HERE!’

Jake almost felt like crying tears of joy.

Sure, it felt good being in her embrace, but he truly couldn’t stand the silence and the unknown intentions of a woman capable of rivaling a Leviathan.

Unfortunately, his relief didn’t last long.

"Hehe~ Well, keep going. This looks interesting."

Another familiar voice chimed in, sounding far too amused by the situation.

And Jake recognized that languid, teasing tone.

It belonged to the witch named Ana, whom he had seen during the battle.

Apparently, rather than helping him, she had decided to sit back and enjoy the show.

But before Jake could mentally curse her any further, yet another voice rang out with unmistakable excitement.

"Ohhh! Are we playing some sort of hugging game? Let me in too!"

It was Mita, the young dwarf girl who served as the Alliance’s Grand Marshal.

Lord Blauer calmly glanced at everyone gathered at the doorway.

Her expression remained as cold and composed as ever, as though there was nothing unusual about the current situation.

"You’re all here."

She spoke softly before turning around.

"Come, let us begin the meeting."

With that, she casually walked back into the room.

...Still hugging Jake, who was now even more dumbfounded by this woman.

"???"

And, naturally, she dragged him along with her, his face still buried in her breasts, as though he were nothing more than a stuffed toy she had decided to carry around.

Vivian stared at the bizarre sight in confusion.

After a brief hesitation, she could only sigh and follow them.

Behind them, Ana smiled in amusement, clearly enjoying every second of the unexpected spectacle.

’Could it be... that her bloodline has sensed something special about him?’

Her smile grew a little more curious.

After all, Ana knew that Lord Blauer wasn’t exactly human.

She was a half-breed who possessed an ancient bloodline, something far from ordinary.

If that bloodline had somehow reacted to Jake, then perhaps there was more to this seemingly ridiculous situation than met the eye.

’Hehe~ Now, this is getting interesting.’

With that thought in mind, Ana followed them into the room, her curiosity thoroughly piqued.

Meanwhile, Mita’s eyes sparkled with excitement as she hurried after them.

"Hey! Wait for me! I want a hug too!"