Alet’s palm slid down from Melo’s shoulders, gliding over her back and finally coming to rest on either side of her waist.
Normally, this area should have felt soft and delicate to the touch.
But right now, a small patch of skin seemed much rougher. The sensation wasn’t like human skin at all—it felt more like snake scales.
“Why did you stop, Alet?”
Melo turned her head slightly, a sliver of displeasure flickering in her narrowed eyes.
With her temperament, she would never permit such a comfortable service to come to a sudden halt.
“Just a moment, Miss. It seems there’s something on your body. I’ll remove it for you.”
The moment he saw the thing, Alet needed only two seconds to recognize its true “identity.”
Snakehide Fungus.
A parasitic fungus mainly found on the fifth level of the Dungeon. It often grows in cramped tunnels, in terrains where it’s easy for living creatures to brush against it.
If a creature passes by and accidentally touches the tunnel walls, the Snakehide Fungus takes root on their body.
This fungus is rare, but extremely dangerous.
Once it successfully parasitizes a host, it begins fusing with the host’s skin, forming a layer of tissue resembling snake scales.
After that, there’s a three to five day incubation period. The host, completely unaware, is slowly filled with fungal threads.
Until, in the end, they become a human-shaped puppet.
Generally, Snakehide Fungus is quite difficult to remove. Even professional Medics, without experience, would be at a total loss.
Unfortunately for this particular fungus, it had encountered Alet.
To help Melo conquer the Dungeon, Alet had done his homework thoroughly.
He had memorized all the characteristics, weaknesses, and traits of the various monsters within the Dungeon.
Immediately, several kinds of elemental magic merged at his fingertips and flared to life. In a flash, he blasted the Snakehide Fungus clinging to Melo’s waist into oblivion.
“Something was on me? What was it?”
“Snakehide Fungus, Miss. I’ve already removed it for you.”
Melo’s brow furrowed.
“So that filth from the Dungeon actually followed me back…”
“But since it’s gone, it doesn’t matter anymore.”
She rose lightly from the bath, her body glistening with water, radiating a tempting allure.
Then, Melo turned herself over in the tub and lay boldly along the edge, lifting her soaked legs.
“Wash the front.”
“Understood.”
Alet gently cupped Melo’s foot, skillfully washing her body from the bottom up.
Starting at her ankles, his hands moved smoothly upwards, along her thighs, the crease of her hip, all the way to her chest.
Melo rested her elbows on the rim of the tub, propping up her face. Her eyes were half-closed; apart from a cold indifference, her expression betrayed no emotion.
It was as if Alet’s hands were not touching her body at all, but something else entirely.
Only when Alet finished washing the other parts and moved on to her shoulders and neck—
To wash her shoulders and neck, his face had to draw close to Melo’s head.
And at that moment, Melo noticed something unusual.
“Stop.”
Her nose twitched, and she immediately spoke up to halt Alet.
“What’s wrong, Miss?”
When she ordered him to stop, Alet immediately ceased his movements, half-crouching at the side of the tub.
But the next moment, Melo’s actions took him by surprise.
The Blood Clan lady, completely naked and covered in white suds and water droplets, slowly stood up.
Then she raised her arms and gently encircled them around Alet’s shoulders, pulling him in until there was barely a sliver of space between them.
“M-Miss, you…”
“Shut your mouth. Don’t speak.”
Melo pressed Alet against her. Her supple, firm breasts pressed against his chest, soaking his shirt with water and leaving wide, dark patches.
Then, she leaned in close to his neck, her nose twitching as she sniffed at his scent.
“Herbal Medicine…”
After only a moment, Melo uttered these words.
“Alet, you know I hate the smell of Herbal Medicine.”
“Where did this come from? Tell me the truth.”
Once she’d confirmed the scent on Alet, Melo finally released him, easing herself back into the bath.
Alet’s heart skipped a beat.
“Oh no, it was that medicine Lady Vivian gave me…”
“I even swallowed it, yet Miss still sniffed it out… Looks like she’s about to get angry again.”
He sighed quietly in his heart, then recounted everything: how he’d gone to the tavern to buy milk, ran into Vivian by chance, and ended up beating up the drunken louts who were bothering her.
As she listened to Alet’s account, a dangerous glint began to flash in Melo’s blood-red eyes.
“Vivian…”
“So, you took that woman’s medicine, and even got into a fight for her in the tavern. Is that right?”
“Didn’t I tell you not to have excessive contact with other women?”
At this moment, Melo’s languid demeanor from earlier was gone. Her crimson eyes blazed with anger.
When it came to Alet, Melo felt… strange.
She didn’t think she had any real feelings for this Servant. Even if he died in front of her someday, Melo doubted she would feel much grief.
But the moment anyone else touched him, she became extremely displeased.
This feeling was like an instinct, impossible to suppress or resist.
“…Yes, Miss.”
“But when I was holding the rear before, I was nearly killed by a horde of lava slugs.”
“Lady Vivian stepped in and saved my life.”
“I’ve never liked owing favors to others, and I can’t stand those vile people who harass others. That’s why I helped her.”
As Alet explained, Melo’s brow remained tightly furrowed.
She opened her mouth a few times, as if to say something, but found it improper, and swallowed her words.
Even though Alet’s reasoning was sound, Melo still felt a surge of anger within her, difficult to restrain.
She didn’t want to lose her composure, but that emotion was impossible to hold back.
Suddenly, a thought appeared in her mind.
Could she be jealous of Vivian?
Impossible!
Absolutely impossible!
To her, Alet was nothing more than a Servant. Why would she be jealous?
It was simply that her own “Possession” had been tainted by someone else, and that was why she was so furious.
It had nothing to do with Alet himself!
This was all for the Dignity of the Blood Clan!
So next, she would reclaim her sovereignty over Alet.
And tell him, just whose property he was!
“Alet.”
“Take off your clothes and get in here.”
“?”
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