Published at 18th of July 2022 8:21 am

Volume 7, Chapter 4 - Ashley Trapped, Part 1-5

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Part 1

Early morning — in the boys’ dormitory, Apollo House.

Celes awoke in Oscar’s bedroom. The bright rays of morning sun burst into the room through the cracks of the curtains. It appeared as though today would have clear autumn weather. This kind of weather was perfect for the final events of the Five Hundred Years Festival.

“…So this day has finally arrived?”

With the mood of a soldier preparing for battle, Celes muttered to herself. She reached out to grab the eye patch that had been placed beside her pillow, and then put it on her left eye. A desire to hide the physical features which she did not want others to see — Celes held such feelings, similar to how Ash used bandages to hide the <Seikoku> on his left arm.

“The more I think about it, the more infuriating it is…”

Realising that she had something in common with Ash caused Celes to pout angrily. She felt amazed at the fact that of all days, it had to be this morning that she realised this fact. After Celes got up from the bed, she began to get dressed. She put on her jet-black outfit with familiarity, she combed her silver hair and tied it into a ponytail, and with that, the Celes-style maid ensemble was complete. After checking herself in front of the mirror, Celes moved to the bedside.

“…I’m grateful, Oscar. My days as your personal maid have actually been quite enjoyable. Even if I only became your maid because I was following orders from that person…”

Oscar was still fast asleep on the bed. The breasts that she normally kept carefully hidden had now been liberated, and were clearly bulging underneath her pyjamas. Celes quietly stared at Oscar’s sleeping face for a good while.

“If you were raised as a girl…then you would surely have a bunch of guys from the court chasing after the hems of your dress.”

Celes muttered as she fixed Oscar’s sleepwear.

“When I think back about it, your mother was also rather cruel.”

After Celes covered Oscar with a blanket, she turned around. She walked over to the table and picked up the pen that sat upon it. After writing a letter of farewell, Celes put the pen down and then headed for the door. There was a bright red bag at the entrance. Celes had secretly prepared it and placed it there last night. The bag had a black skull embroidered onto it, Celes’ favourite. As Celes exited the room and stepped into the corridor, she reached out backwards with her hand to quietly shut the room door.

“I seem to remember that that filthy insect lives on the third floor.”

After bringing the bag up to her shoulder, Celes headed towards the stairwell.

Part 2

—Nibble nibble….

Whilst lying in bed, Ash suddenly received a sweet nibble on his earlobe and could not help but feel goose bumps.

“Ngh…you can’t, Eco…”

It had already been a long time since Eco first practiced a dragon’s peculiar habit of nibbling on its owner. Most likely because it was before the final battle, Eco had also begun to feel nervous. However, the alarm clock hadn’t yet sounded, so Ash hoped to sleep for just a bit longer. Ash turned over, and freed himself from Eco’s entanglement at the same time.

—Nibble!

But Eco chomped down on him again. This time it was his flank.

“Oww…!”

It was such a pleasant sensation that Ash’s entire body arched as if in climax.

“This can’t be possible! I didn’t think that Eco’s nibbling would feel so comfortable…!”

Ash cried out unintentionally. Indeed, Eco never knew how to restrain her power, so she only ever gave Ash pain.

“Fufu. You finally realised.”

A tender, heart-warming voice teased Ash’s eardrums.

“Navi!?”

As soon as he opened his eyes, Ash was dazed by the scene before him. It was because a completely naked Navi was straddling on top of his body. Moreover, even Ash was completely nude. There was only a piece of thin white silk covering the lower half of his body.

“Could this place be…!”

Ash frantically looked around. The floorboards had a checkered black and white pattern. The walls were lined with sets of armour for what seemed like the human body and the place was reminiscent of a castle. A mosaic of crystal chandeliers containing Bright Dragon Crystals hung down from the ceiling. In the middle of the room was an antique bedframe, and Ash was on top of it. It was a rather familiar sight. It happened during early summer — when he was taking part in the Selective Training Camp at Allonnes Lake, Ash recalled the incident where he attempted to ride Gawain. Ash was severely injured at the time, and his body was transported to this room through Navi’s power.

“Welcome to the Dragon Workshop. It’s been a long time since we last saw each other like this.”

Navi smiled as she said so. Regardless of whether it was that lustrous pink hair or the outline of her facial features, both Navi and Eco looked very similar. However, Navi was at a different stage of growth compared to Eco, and she was already a mature person. The horns on her head were as sharp as a dragon’s, and her body was also quite slender. Despite her young and beautiful appearance, Navi was actually the embodiment of knowledge that dragon race had accumulated over time. Ash naturally could only understand this to some degree, but she was basically like an intelligent being that had sprouted from the vessel of information itself.

“Navi, why did you bring me here? Is it an important matter?”

Although Ash tried to ask in a normal tone, the problem was the fact that both of them were completely naked. His voice was uncontrollably high pitched and sharp. Moreover, there was only a thin piece of silk draped over Navi’s body, while her lower body was closely affixed to Ash’s abdomen, separated only by a thin piece of silk. Even if Ash was in a ‘normal’ bodily state, he could still clearly feel Navi’s soft touch against his own body.

“Ara, you’re no fun. I can’t call you over if there isn’t a problem? Ever since Eco received <<Avalon’s Bracelet>> from the Mother Dragon, I’ve had to train her every day. What’s wrong with rewarding a bit of my hard work?”

As if she was trying to get a closer looks Ash’s face, she brought her own face closer. Looking closer, her expression seemed to have calmed. But she was right, saying something like ‘Is it an important matter?’ as soon as he saw her was rather rude. Ash reflected on his own words.

“Speaking of that, is the training going well?”

“Eco is actually working pretty hard. Although she’s full of complaints, that child is serious about wanting to learn how to use <<Avalon’s Bracelet>>. I wonder if it’s the power of love that’s driving her to work so hard?”

“W-What are you saying!?”

Seeing Ash act so flustered, Navi shook her large breasts, as if to further his embarrassment. Ash quickly averted his eyes while his heart pounded so wildly that he could even heart the flutter of his heartbeat in his own ears.

“Fufu. Since it’s a rare opportunity for us to be alone, let’s not talk about such uninteresting topics. If you want to…do you want to have some fun?”

“Wait a second! This isn’t right!”

“Why?”

Navi tilted her head sideways a bit, and seductively reached out with her right hand. Her right hand gently caressed Ash’s chest and abdomen.

“Ooh…! A-As I said, stop…!”

“Fufu. Isn’t this like how I teased you the first time we met?”

Navi’s moist lips suddenly sucked on Ash’s neck. And then, Navi’s lips slid across Ash’s skin. Navi’s silky long hair also accompanied her movements and tickled Ash’s skin. Ash was struck with a thrill of pleasure and couldn’t help but arch his body. The thought of ‘If I let Navi do as she pleases, it might not be bad to see where she leads me to…’ streaked across his mind.

“Haa, hah…”

Ash continued to pant loudly, while Navi also gradually became aroused as she exhaled hot breaths. Navi, who had always been calm and seemed to be in a detached position actually seemed excited right now. This only caused Ash’s heartbeat to race even faster…. But in the next instant, Ash came back to his senses.

“I can’t do this after all, Navi! I like you too Navi, but we can’t keep on playing around like this!”

“Do you feel as though…doing something like this is equivalent to betraying Eco?”

“T-That is also one of the reasons…”

Ash endured Navi’s caresses while he squeezed out a reply.

“Don’t worry, playfulness like this will one day transform into one of Eco’s own experiences.”

Navi stopped sitting on top of Ash’s body and lay down beside him. She held his face up with her hands and looked carefully at Ash’s face. Every move she made was filled with a sexy charm, and even though he knew that he shouldn’t look, Ash couldn’t separate his gaze from Navi’s body. Her bright red eyes glistened and reflected Ash’s face within them.

“Didn’t I explain it to you before? Eco will become one with me in the future, and she will reign at the summit of the dragon race. As long as you think of it like this, then it’s not cheating.”

“…But, doesn’t that make you feel lonely?”

Perhaps realising that Ash was serious, Navi’s expression also became serious.

“Why? I’ve always been an existence created for such a purpose, so I don’t feel loneliness. This is the law of nature for the dragon race.”

“I can’t accept that! Even if the dragon race agrees, I absolutely won’t!”

Ash energetically sat upright. He grabbed onto both of Navi’s shoulders and pushed her down on the bed. In an instant exchange of positions, Ash had gone on top, while Navi was below.

“In my eyes, Navi is also an important companion.”

“Eh…?”

“I don’t want to lose Navi, not even a bit.”

“I-If you say such things…it troubles me.”

It was the first time that Navi appeared to be embarrassed in front of Ash. Not only was Navi shaken, her entire face was also flushed and she seemed fidgety.

“Navi? What’s wrong?”

After Ash asked in surprise, Navi turned her face to the side with an overwhelmed expression.

“You’re such a cunning man. If you say such things, then I…”

Not only her cheeks, but even Navi’s earlobes and neck had turned completely red. Moreover, her previously bold attitude where she seemed undaunted for anyone to see her nude body was completely different now, and she crossed her arms in front of her chest in apparent shyness. After saying that much, she turned silent and seemed self-conscious.

“W-What’s wrong?”

Ash persevered with his question, but Navi still refused to answer. Ash was staring at her so intently that he even forgot to blink. The usual Navi who was always rather devilish and overbearing when she enjoyed teasing Ash was now like a pure maiden with a delicate expression. However, this reaction was by no means a rejection of Ash’s intentions. The evidence was that Navi would occasionally steal a peek at Ash, as if waiting for him to take the next step. And as soon as her gaze intersected with Ash’s, she would immediately avert her eyes in a manner that made her look increasingly shy.

—Kuh, you’re the cunning one Navi! If you act so cute in front of a boy, even I won’t be able to resist stepping over that boundary…!

Ash’s reason was on the brink of collapse — and at that moment, Ash’s body felt an astonishingly powerful sense of attraction, instantly pulling him away from Navi’s body. Ash frantically looked behind him and noticed that a dark vortex had appeared near the wall.

“Uwah! What’s going on!?”

“This is…”

Navi quickly stood up from the bed and stared directly into the dark vortex. The expression on her face now was the same calm expression that she normally had.

“Someone is trying to forcefully awaken your body. You had best go back early to—”

“Uwaaaaaaaah!”

With no time to finish listening to Navi’s words, Ash’s body was sucked into the darkness of the vortex.

Part 3

“—Hey, you filthy insect.”

A sharp voice awakened Ash from his slumber. Ash awoke drowsily, as he was still half-asleep. It felt as though he had a rather flirtatious dream with Navi—

“Mmm…please. Let me sleep for a bit longer…then I’ll be fine…”

Ash turned back around into a comfortable sleeping position. Feeling a bit cold, he reached for his blanket. But he couldn’t find his blanket no matter where he reached for it. Did Eco snatch it away from him?

“Tsk, just how long are you going to keep sleeping for!?”

All of a sudden, he felt a powerful pressure against his back.

“Uwah! What!?”

Ash was fully awake at last.

—That’s right, I was supposed to be with Navi in the Dragon Workshop…

When he recalled Navi’s lavish and alluring nude body, Ash couldn’t stop himself from blushing and his heartbeat from accelerating, but his reason was quickly restored. Yes, the reason why Ash’s consciousness was forcibly sent back here was because someone had insisted on waking up Ash’s physical body. Although it was a dimly lit room, there were rays of sunlight which passed through the cracks in the curtains, so it was not entirely dark. Ash wanted to jump straight up, but contrary to his expectations, he was unable to move. There was a strange pressure against his back. Like this, Ash lay on the bed, unable to move.

“Is that you Eco!?”

Ash struggled to turn his head to the side, and looked towards the direction of the pillow. He saw Eco holding onto a stuffed dragon soft toy, showing a sweet face while immersed in her sleep.

“Zuu, zuuu…unyah…”

It seemed as though the perpetrator was not Eco.

“Hey, where are you looking? I’m over here!”

Under the scathing correction, Ash turned to look at the other side.

“Uwah! Why are you here!?”

Ash lay on the bed in astonishment. He simply watched as Celes crossed her arms over her chest, while she stepped on his back with one leg.

“P-Please take your foot off…it seriously hurts!”

“Hmph. If you’re a man then you shouldn’t be screaming about an ache of this extent.”

After the eyepatch maid fiercely shot back, she exerted even more force. The pressure against Ash’s back grew stronger and stronger.

“Owowowowow…!”

Celes’ seemingly slender frame didn’t convey the strength of her legs. Although it wasn’t as scary as Eco when she used her full power, it felt as though she had undergone some intense training. Why had Celes infiltrated Ash’s room? Did Oscar send her? No, it can’t be…Ash immediately gave up on that possibility. Oscar had absolute confidence in her own strength, so it wasn’t possible for her to resort to such underhanded means on the morning of the decisive battle. …However, the most pressing problem was Celes’ current position. She had raised one of her legs to stamp down on Ash’s back. Compared to the average maid outfit, the black dress she wore had a rather short skirt. So from the perspective of Ash as he lay on the bed, her black underwear with its lace decorations were all in full view. After Ash averted his eyes away from Celes crotch, he quietly said

“So even your underwear is black huh…”

“Waah!”

After Celes let out a strange cry, she hurriedly retracted her leg and held her skirt down with both hands.

It was rather unexpected that she was someone quick to become embarrassed.

“I should say this first; I didn’t look at them intentionally, but accidentally.”

Ash explained as he quickly straightened himself and sat upright.

“…Forget it. I’ll get right to the point.”

Surprisingly, Celes didn’t seem to pursue the issue any further, and instead went to open up the bag that had been placed on the ground by her feet. It was a red bag with the pattern of a skull embroidered onto it. From the rays of light that penetrated through the gaps in the curtains, the contents of the bag were vaguely visible.

“Hey! You…! That’s…”

Ash had a bad feeling about this. The item that Celes removed from the bag was a set of the Academy’s girls’ uniform and a wig of long hair. As well as feminine undergarments to top it all off.

“Here, hurry up and change into these.”

Ash began to sweat profusely.

“T-These couldn’t be…”

Celes sneered as she said

“That’s right, this is the beautiful Ashley’s special costume.”

“You’re forcing me to cross-dress again!? Why!?”

Ash’s brain was in disorder. If Oscar won today’s decisive battle, Ash would have to cross-dress as her bride. And at that time, Ash would be forced to live his life as Ashley Blake from then on. Of course, Ash’s dragon Eco would also have to live together with Oscar. On the other hand, if Ash was to become todays’ victor, Oscar would no longer pursue Eco, she would have to give up on her ambition to marry Ash, and she would also withdraw her inappropriate marriage proposal to Rebecca. …That was what Ash and Oscar had agreed on. The battle against Oscar clearly had not begun yet, so why did he have to dress like a girl?

“Pipe down, you filthy insect. If you don’t cooperate obediently…”

As Celes spoke with a threatening tone of voice, she reached into her bosom. And from there she took out a clump of steel. The instant that he grasped the true identity of that object, Ash felt goose bumps across his entire body. The object that Celes had taken out and pointed at him was a small magic pistol. Its design utilised energy from a Bright Dragon Crystal to fire bullets.

“…Are you threatening me with that? I don’t think Oscar would be happy with you doing something like this.”

“Hmph, you sound as though you’re quite familiar with Oscar. But you know, it’s true that Oscar doesn’t like to use underhanded means.”

“Then why are you…?”

“Because this is my own decision. Enough of this, hurry up and change, or else I’ll—”

After saying that much, Celes moved the muzzle slightly. The muzzle was aimed at Eco’s innocent figure.

“Don’t blame me for shooting off her limbs.”

The expression in Celes’ eyes was serious.

“Umu, it looks…delicious. Munya munya…”

Even though it was clearly a life or death situation, Eco still continued to sleep talk while remaining carefree.

“Kuh…”

Ash bitterly clenched his teeth. Celes had taken action on her own, and it had nothing to do with Oscar. Just what did this mean? No, even if Celes insisted that this was her own ‘arbitrary’ behaviour, was it really true? It was possible that someone was secretly manipulating Celes. The first person that Ash could think of as a suspect was Zacharias III of the Chevron Kingdom.

—The old king who covets Eco’s blood…

Although he couldn’t rule out the possibility of Celes being a pawn for him, when Ash thought about his options, he believed that his top priority was to protect Eco’s safety.

“…Fine. I’ll listen to your request so put the gun away.”

Part 4

—Seriously, what am I doing…?

Ash thought as he held down the wig that was nearly blown away by the cool early morning wind. Celes took Ash who was disguised as a girl boldly through the Academy’s front entrance as they left. Although there were many teaching staff, guards, and dragon stable workers on the campus grounds as they walked through, no one seemed to have any doubts about Celes or Ash. On the contrary, those people even held warm expressions as they stared at Ash from head to toe while breathing in a strangely excited manner.

—Seriously, please don’t stare at me so much with eyes like that…

While sighing, Ash realised the reason why he was forced to change. Ash had recently become something of a famous celebrity. Since he held the spotlight, if he was discovered to have left in the morning with Celes, it would look suspicious to anyone. That was why Celes forced Ash to cross-dress as a girl. Once he had cross-dressed as a girl, unless he came across someone that he was well acquainted with, it was almost impossible for him to be recognised as Ash.

“Come on, move faster.”

Celes picked up her pace as she walked onto a road with few pedestrians and hurried Ash along. In the end, Celes stopped her legs at the dragon coach station. There was just one dragon carriage parked there.

“Please take us to Lake Rubina.”

After Celes gave the destination, the old coachman apologetically answered

“Because of the Five Hundred Years Festival, all roads have been blocked off for quite a while. If guests are insistent on departure, I’m afraid it will be a large detour…”

“I don’t mind.”

“Well, hop on then ladies.”

After Celes and Ash boarded, the coachman started the dragon carriage. After a while, the dragon carriage left the city through the main gates. From here on, it was considered to be outside the city. Just as the coachman had said, streets had been closed off, and the dragon carriage weaved through uneven roads and detours as it advanced. There were no passer-by’s or vehicles in the vicinity. While enduring the rattling of the four-wheeled carriage, Ash asked Celes

“Hey, Celes. What are you trying to do by taking me to Lake Rubina?”

“Who said you were allowed to ask questions? Also, don’t forget that you’re Ashley right now. Use a feminine voice for me and speak like a lady.”

“Don’t be so unreasonable. Why not speak for yourself, you’re clearly a woman, but you don’t act ladylike at all.”

“…Did you say something?”

After being fiercely glared at by Celes, Ash shut his mouth in silence.

Part 5

After more than an hour, Ash and Celes finally arrived at Lake Rubina. Speaking of Lake Rubina, this was the fateful place where Ash had stumbled upon Oscar’s secret. The memory of Oscar’s naked body inadvertently surfaced within Ash’s mind, causing his cheeks to become hot. After the coachman accepted the fare from Celes, it appeared that he didn’t find it strange at all for two girls to come to the lake so early in the morning, and so he drove off.

“I wish he was more doubtful…”

Ash sighed as he saw off the dragon carriage that gradually disappeared from view. Although Lake Rubina was a tourist attraction for picnics and fishing, it was rather desolate right now. After all, it was still early, and today was also the last day of the Five Hundred Years Festival. The people who would visit Lake Rubina on a day such as this would certainly be rather odd ones.

“What are you dreaming about? Hurry up and move.”

“You want me to move, but where to!? You didn’t come here for a leisurely fishing trip right?”

“Hah? Since when did I say I’d come fishing with someone like you? Look, the destination is over there.”

There was a dilapidated old house that stood not far from the lake. No, it felt more appropriate to describe that house as a ruin. It looked like a villa from a bygone era.

“Let’s go, we’re going in there, Ashley.”

“Hold on, even if it’s a ruin, we can’t just trespass there!”

Upon hearing Ash’s cry, Celes turned around sharply with a fiery expression on her face.

“Hey, filthy insect. Your current identity is Ashley. So behave more like a girl!”

Celes reached out with her right hand and flipped Ash’s skirt upwards. A cool breeze blew across his lower body.

“Waaah!”

Ash reflexively pushed his skirt down. His thighs involuntarily moved together and his knees hugged each other. Ash’s entire face had gone red. In fact, he had also been forced to change into girls’ underwear, so he didn’t want anyone to see that no matter what.

“Hmph. That’s a pretty cute reaction. That’s more like Ashley.”

After Celes smiled mischievously, she walked through the rusty gate.

Originally, the rusted entrance was locked, but Celes took a lock-picking tool out of her red bag and easily unlocked the door.

“Hey…why do you have tools like that?”

“Nonsense, all maids keep these things by their sides.”

“I don’t want these kinds of maids!”

The two of them exchanged harmless arguments as they stepped into the house. After reaching the end of the hallway that was covered in cobwebs, Celes picked one of the guest rooms. As soon as Celes opened the door, the Oracle mechanisms activated, illuminating the interior. Although the building itself seemed to have been abandoned, the crystal lights were still able to function. Inside the room, there was only a small desk and a bookcase for reading, as well as a bed. The windows were blocked by nailed wooden planks, so the only light source came from the dragon crystal lights that hung from the ceiling.

—What does she want to do by bringing me to this isolated place…?

The reason why Ash was so obedient was purely to protect Eco’s safety. Since he had already come to a location so far from the Academy, his original objective had been achieved. So, now was a good time to hear the real purpose of this excursion from Celes’ mouth.

“Say, Celes. Isn’t it about time you tell me what you—”

“Hey, Ashley.”

Unfortunately, Ash was interrupted just as he had opened his mouth to speak. It was because Celes had put the bag down by her feet, and then pushed Ash without warning.

“Uwah!”

Because Ash had received an unexpected attack, he fell onto the bed without any resistance. Not only was the bed’s mattress damaged quite severely, it also smelt somewhat mouldy.

“W-What are you doing!?”

Ash complained, but Celes took advantage of this opportunity to fix the hem of his flipped-up skirt before leaping on top of him like a female leopard. She also used both of her hands to hold Ash’s cheeks tightly. After being gripped by her cold palms, Ash shivered as he looked straight back.

“What are you trying to do?”

“Looking at you like this…you’re actually quite a beautiful girl.”

Her clear eye fixedly gazed upon Ash’s face. Feeling Celes’ breath against his skin caused Ash’s heartbeat to rapidly accelerate. She had delicate doll-like facial features and a black leather eyepatch. There was also a whiff of a minty fragrance. Celes reluctantly frowned, and then let out a sigh.

“It’s truly quite a complex feeling when a man is actually prettier than me.”

After saying that, Celes finally let go of Ash. Despite her abrupt personality, that depressed look of hers was filled with girlhood, and Ash couldn’t help but find it pleasant.

“How could that be, aren’t you way cuter than me, Celes?”

“C-Cute—?”

Celes’ cheeks turned bright red. Her adorable expression seemed quite refreshing, but Ash’s expression was serious.

“Celes, tell me honestly. What is your motive?”

Celes suddenly lowered her head, and used a muffled voice to answer.

“My current actions are all for the sake of that person.”

“This so-called person…are you referring to the King of Chevron?”

Celes didn’t reply. She simply stared at Ash in silence.

“How strange. Since the aim of the King of Chevron is Eco’s blood, you’re working towards that…but why hold me hostage? By reason, Eco should be a better choice for a hostage, right? Or could it be that your aim is to separate me and Eco first!?”

Ash felt a chill run down his spine. If there were other accomplices to help Celes, then Eco was in danger. Eco was currently completely oblivious to the situation, and she was leisurely asleep. But Celes avoided Ash’s questions.

“Listen carefully, Ashley. No matter what happens in the arena, you’ll be safe as long as you stay here. Be good and stay here the entire day for me.”

“What? I don’t get what you mean…”

“You don’t need to understand.”

After Celes let go of Ash’s body, she cast her face aside. Ash could only try to ask in another way

“Say…Celes, do you really have to do this? The final battle of the Dragonar’s Gunnar Bout is the biggest event of the Five Hundred Years Festival. Oscar may not have verbalised it, but she was really looking forward to this match, right? I don’t think she’ll be happy to win without a fight.”

“I understand that more clearly than anyone else!”

Although she was usually rather cold, Celes’ expression changed, and she suddenly turned into an active volcano as she roared out.

“…Damn you! I lose control of my emotions every time I talk to you. The time for talking is over.”

After gloomily muttering that, Celes jumped back on top of Ash’s body again. In the next instant, Ash’s entire body stiffened. Celes’ lips sealed Ash’s mouth. On top of that, her warm tongue forced its way through his lips, and into Ash’s mouth. Ash tried to resist, but both sides of his cheeks were tightly clasped between Celes’ hands.

“Mmm…!”

It was a tongue kiss that was sweet, yet also carried a taste of danger. Could it be the taste of Celes’ saliva? There was a flavour that seemed to resemble peppermint that gradually spread in his mouth. Ash was so surprised that he subconsciously couldn’t help but gulp and swallow the mouthful of liquid into his stomach.

“……”

Eventually, Celes slowly moved away from his lips. A strand of saliva connecting the two of them stretched as they separated, but it soon broke.

“Ce…les…?”

At that moment, Ash’s body quickly shivered, and it felt as though the entire world spun around him. No, Ash was the one who tumbled down. As if being unable to withstand the weight of his body, Ash was paralysed upon the bed.

“T-This is…how could…? My head……it’s diz……zy…”

His consciousness had become hazy, and it felt as though he was about to fall asleep at any time. At some point in time, Celes’ right hand had grabbed a small bottle.

“Don’t worry, it’s just a sleeping drug.”

Ash understood the significance of that sudden kiss.

“Why did you have to do it…Celes? You…I don’t understand…”

Celes turned around without saying a single word. Her silver ponytail swayed along with her head. Her back looks so lonely…Ash thought. With her back to Ash, Celes quietly said

“No matter what happens, please don’t give up on Oscar as a friend.”

Her tone was completely different from the usual Celes, and it was extremely gentle.

“What are you saying…?”

“Ever since she got to know you, Oscar has inexplicably become full of life. Even I couldn’t help but feel jealous…that’s why I don’t want to let you die.”

After saying that, Celes clicked her tongue. What exactly was going on? The only thing that was certain right now was the fact that Celes truly cared for Oscar…. —After considering that much, Ash realised that he was no longer able to support himself. His consciousness felt heavy as if he was sinking into mud. If he relaxed for even a moment, it felt as though he would sink into a deep slumber. Even so, Ash clenched his teeth and managed to maintain his consciousness.

“Hey, Celes…please tell me. Who are you fighting against…?”

However, Ash had already reached his limit. Unable to wait for Celes’ reply, Ash’s consciousness was sucked into a deep slumber.

The effect of the sleeping drug was powerful, and Ash fell into a deep sleep. It was an extremely potent drug made from the Lafon family’s knowledge of medicinal herbs that had been passed down throughout the generations. Its effects would most likely not endanger his life, but it would allow him to sleep for as long as half a day.

“Hmph, even your sleeping face is like a beautiful girl’s…”

After Celes coldly mumbled, she recalled the sensation of her lips when they had been affixed to Ash’s, causing her entire face to instantly turn red.

“N-No! I did that so that he could quickly swallow the drug, it was a last resort…there are no other people here, so who am I explaining this to!?”

As if to vent her anger, Celes kicked away the bag at her feet. When she kicked it like that, the black fabric that was in the bag fell out. It was a crumpled robe. It looked like a wizard’s robe from a story. Celes took off her maid outfit to reveal her doll-like nude body. The dragon crystal lights clearly revealed her white porcelain skin.

“It would be more appropriate for the current me to wear ugly clothes like this…”

While deriding herself, she put on the long robe along with its hood.

“After all, I am a descendant of <Pluto>Hades Stone…I never had the right to accompany you, Oscar.”

Finally, Celes took a mask out of the bag. It was a smooth, white mask. Because there were no decorations on it at all, it let off an eerie and demonic atmosphere. After putting the mask on, Celes turned around to look at Ash’s sleeping face as she whispered

“Filthy insect — no, Ash Blake. Even if Oscar is to be wanted as a traitor…you must believe in her.”

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