Chapter 16: Assassin? ( Succubus Mina is back!)

[news]My Exams are done! So succubus Mina is back! [/news]

"Ah, good morning, Kai," Mina greeted with a gentle yawn, her eyes still heavy with sleep.

"Morning," Kai mumbled, his vitality seemingly drained, leaving him looking rather frail, almost as if he'd fallen ill overnight.

"I did warn you it was a terrible idea," Mina sighed, tears glistening in her eyes. Kai managed a feeble smile in response.

"Don't worry, a hearty meal and some drinks should revive me," he assured Mina, who brightened considerably.

"You better bounce back," she quipped, giving his chest an affectionate pat as she fastened the half-buttoned robe around him.

"Oh, by the way, I gave you a bath while you were out cold," Mina added, catching Kai off guard.

"I passed out?" Kai exclaimed, his embarrassment evident. Mina couldn't help but giggle at his reaction.

"Well, yes," she admitted, "But don't fret, you're in good hands."

'That's utterly embarrassing,' Kai lamented inwardly, while Mina couldn't help but giggle.

"Thanks," Kai replied sheepishly.

"Well, I'll head to my room for a shower and get dressed. I'll grab us some breakfast, so just take it easy," Mina advised before slipping out of Kai's room in her own robe.

"For some reason, I don't feel entirely satisfied, but at least I do feel stronger. I'm so sorry, Kai. You look utterly drained because of me," Mina lamented inwardly as she retreated to her room and prepared her bath.

With the bath steamy and inviting, she luxuriated in the water, singing softly with a voice that could melt hearts. After rinsing off, she emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in her robe.

"Lalalala, alala," Mina sang with an angelic voice, a radiant smile on her face as she approached her large bed. With a flick of her finger, a jar of cream flew into her waiting hand. However, as she was about to apply it, she noticed someone sound asleep on her couch. She moved closer for a better look.

"Oh, Reoul, I completely forgot I told you to sleep here last night," Mina scratched her head, and Reoul smiled.

"You really do have a lovely voice," he complimented.

"Thanks," Mina blushed and returned the smile. "Could you please assist Kai? He could use some help."

"I can, especially after you two kept at it all night," Reoul chuckled, causing Mina to blush in embarrassment.

"You heard?" she asked, her cheeks still flushed.

"Hard not to," he nodded.

"Well, no matter," Mina regained her composure. "Please, go help Kai. I'm off to fetch our breakfast," she said as she walked away, retrieving a pair of loose grey trousers from her bag.

"As you wish, Master," Reoul responded, and with that, he left the room.

_____________

"Excuse me, could you please direct me to where I can place a food order? I'd like to order quite a bit," Mina inquired politely as she approached the receptionist. She was dressed in a sleek blue top and a pair of comfortable gray, loose-fitting trousers. Her long, emerald-green hair was neatly tied into two charming pigtails.

"Miss, please have a seat right over there, and a waiter will guide you to the inn's restaurant," the receptionist replied, offering a warm smile.

"Oh, no, I'd prefer to have it delivered to my room," Mina shook her head, gesturing towards the stairs.

The receptionist couldn't help but be captivated by Mina's ethereal beauty and thought, 'So the rumors were true about a woman as lovely as an angel staying here.'

"What would you like to order?" the receptionist inquired, still captivated by Mina's presence.

"I'd like to order ten breakfast meals, three of each, please. I need a large amount of food for Kai!" Mina exclaimed with enthusiasm.

"Don't worry, we'll take care of it for you. Just let us know your room number, and you can settle the bill once we deliver the food," the receptionist assured her.

"Oh, you can have the payment now. I trust the inn won't disappoint me," Mina replied, handing over a gold coin.

"Your change, ma'am," the receptionist said, returning 90 silver coins to Mina with a smile.

Mina accepted the change with a gracious smile and tucked it safely into her pocket. She couldn't help but feel excited as she waited the hearty meal that was about to be prepared for Kai.

"Thank you very much," Mina said, her gratitude evident in her bright emerald eyes. "Please, make sure they include some healthy stuff like– eggs, bacon, and a generous portion of pancakes."

The receptionist nodded, taking note of Mina's request. "Of course, we'll make sure everything is to your satisfaction. May I have your room number, please?"

Mina promptly provided her room number, and the receptionist jotted it down on a notepad. "We'll have your order ready and delivered shortly. Please make yourself comfortable in your room, and enjoy your meal when it arrives."

With a friendly nod, Mina turned to head upstairs, her green pigtails swaying with each step.

_______

"Kai, breakfast is here," Mina chimed, rolling in several large trolleys filled with an impressive spread of food.

She selected a plate of steaming porridge and nestled beside him. With an affectionate smile, she blew gently on the spoonful of food she'd prepared, then carefully directed it toward Kai's mouth. "Say 'ahh,'" she teased, and Kai willingly indulged, savoring each bite as Mina continued to feed him from the array of trays until his belly felt comfortably full.

"Mina, you really should eat something too!" Kai interjected, halting her from offering another mouthful. Almost all the food had vanished, yet she hadn't taken a single bite herself. She had tirelessly cared for Kai, serving Reoul along the way, but it was clear that Kai had received her most attentive care.

"No need to worry about me; I'm not all that hungry. I ordered all this food for you," Mina insisted, determination in her eyes as she offered a slice of steak from her own plate to Kai.

Reoul couldn't help but voice his observation. "Damn, what did she do to him? You look utterly exhausted, and you've lost a bit of weight," he commented aloud, now fully aware of Kai's condition.

Kai brooded silently, his thoughts filled with concern. 'Just as I suspected, my cultivation surged after our encounter, but it seems to have cost me my vitality,' he contemplated with a furrowed brow.

'Yet, it's a small price to pay, especially with her by my side,' Kai mused, a gentle smile forming as he watched Mina tenderly caring for him, as though she were a devoted wife tending to her husband.

"Mina, you should be my girlfriend," Kai whispered into her ear, pulling her into a tight embrace, his bold declaration eliciting a rosy blush from her cheeks.

"Girlfriend? How could someone like me?" Mina shook her head frantically, her doubts surfacing.

"What do you mean, 'someone like you'?" Kai questioned, genuine confusion in his eyes.

"I'm just a mere worker from the brothel," Mina confessed in a hushed tone, her gaze fixed on Kai, anxiously awaiting his reaction.

'Brothel worker? But she's an assassin. I recognize that dragon tattoo and those eyes anywhere. Could it be that she's genuinely lost her memory? Her aura, though, it feels unmistakably the same,' Kai pondered with a deepening frown.

Turning his attention back to Mina, he planted soft kisses on her forehead and cheek, his embrace a source of reassurance. 'I'll play along for now,' he decided with a knowing smile, holding Mina even closer.

"Your past doesn't concern me; I care only about the person you are now," he whispered in her ear, bringing a sigh of relief from her lips.

In an unexpected flash of memory, Kai recalled a striking image: a six-year-old girl bearing cruel scars on her face and body. She stood triumphantly on the carcass of a colossal monster, her resolve unwavering. "I'm going to become the world's greatest assassin and avenge the sect that killed my mother and sister!" she had proclaimed with steely determination. Then, she reached out and

took Kai's hand, declaring, "Let's leave this forest together. So neither of us can afford to die here."