Chapter 169

Chapter 169: Linie's Temptation

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Ash raised his hand to glance at his cuffs, which had turned black, and sighed deeply. He no longer had the energy to preach, so he simply sat on the bench with Linie, letting the moment pass.

However, his brief respite didn't last long. Linie silently grabbed his hand and placed it on her belly, letting him feel the softness through her clothes. The texture was different from Kanne's, which left him momentarily confused.

"…What are you doing? Letting me touch you? Are you too full?" he asked, perplexed.

"It's temptation," Linie said, her tone emotionless.

"…Ah, is that so? It's really tempting," Ash replied sarcastically, clearly not taking her words seriously.

He casually rubbed her belly, more out of habit than anything else, paying little attention to the situation. The soft, elastic feeling was admittedly pleasant, but his thoughts were elsewhere.

There was no deeper intent behind the gesture—after all, she was still a child. He wasn't a beast, and he reassured himself of this fact.

Touching Kanne or Lawine bellies was different; it felt inappropriate despite his playful demeanor. Linie, however, felt like she was still within a "safe" range due to her apparent youth. It seemed harmless to touch her belly in a normal, innocent way—or so he thought.

Linie, however, didn't seem entirely pleased with his nonchalant attitude.

But Ash didn't care. He continued rubbing Linie's belly absentmindedly, like an elder soothing a child with a stomachache. His gaze wandered into the distance, his mind drifting to thoughts of whether Kanne and Lawine would try to ambush him at his house.

If they did, when could he safely return home?

Unfortunately, no solution presented itself. Meanwhile, Linie, clearly dissatisfied, finished her apple and tossed the core aside. She turned around and buried her face in his chest, using his collar to wipe her sticky hands and mouth.

Anyone else might not have understood, but Ash knew this behavior all too well. It was Linie's way of expressing her displeasure.

Exhausted from dealing with Linie all day, Ash didn't bother reprimanding her. Instead, he leaned into his "playing badly" mode, continuing to rub her head with one hand and her belly with the other. He let himself sink into his thoughts about life while simultaneously enjoying the strange, fleeting peace of sitting with Linie.

But… before long, another loli appeared beside him.

Sense stood there, a stack of floating paper documents orbiting her as though she had just come from some serious task. Her expression was a mix of confusion and discomfort, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't quite find the words.

Ash, noticing her strange demeanor, decided to speak first. "What's wrong?"

"What… happened?" Sense echoed unconsciously, tilting her head as if trying to process the scene. His calmness only seemed to heighten her confusion, making her wonder if what she thought was abnormal might actually be normal after all.

Sensing her hesitation, Ash added casually, "This child is my relative's, and I've been raising her to some extent. She's having a stomachache, and as it happens, my family has a special skill for massaging bellies. A simple massage will make her feel better… So, you understand, right? That's all I'm doing."

"Really? Um, actually… my stomach hurts a little too," Sense said, almost without thinking.

The moment the words left her mouth, Sense's eyes widened slightly in shock. She opened her mouth as if to retract the statement, but no explanation came. Instead, she froze, trying to maintain a straight face while staring at Ash.

Even though she might not have realized it herself, Ash always felt that the loli beside him exuded an inexplicable atmosphere of anticipation.

This made him pause for a moment. Then, with a slight sigh, he picked up Linie and placed her aside. Tentatively, he patted his thigh and said, "Do you want to try it too?"

"Eh… sit on your lap?" Sense asked hesitantly.

"Well, do you want to give it a try?"

"Well then… excuse me…" she murmured softly.

Despite being a loli herself, Sense seemed far more polite than most of Ash's other companions. After mumbling her response, she carefully sat on his lap, her movements reserved, and she looked up at him nervously.

Ash hadn't expected her to actually sit down, leaving him momentarily stunned. Faced with Linie's sharp gaze, he hesitated before awkwardly reaching out to touch Sense's flat belly.

"Woo…!"

Just the light touch elicited a small whimper from Sense.

Originally, this had felt like a harmless gesture within a safe boundary. But the strange sound made Ash feel increasingly awkward. Yet, stopping now might only make things more uncomfortable, so he pressed on reluctantly.

Sense lowered her head deeply, letting her messy hair fall forward to hide her expression. She pursed her lips tightly, seemingly trying to suppress any further noises and avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings.

After what felt like an eternity, she finally let out a long breath, her body relaxing slightly. Staring at the ground, she whispered, trying to change the subject:

"…Master Ash, isn't it almost time for you to set off?"

"Well… I suppose it is," Ash replied, unsure where this was heading.

"It might be better not to leave the kingdom just yet," Sense said hesitantly. Glancing toward Linie as if to avoid her overhearing, she lowered her voice further and whispered, "According to the latest intelligence from—a first-Class magician from the association who conducts espionage in the empire—after the kingdom mobilized its troops nearby, the empire dispatched two legions for defense. The Holy Staff Court also seems to have sent several experts to the area, and the Magical Special Agents have reportedly made some significant moves."

"You're worried that war might break out?" Ash asked, his tone growing serious.

"…Haven't there been signs of it for a while now? The real question is why it hasn't already started," Sense replied grimly.

Although the Magic Association's headquarters was located in the Holy City and only had a branch in the Kingdom of Ester, the association was clearly biased toward the kingdom in its policies. However, it hadn't openly opposed the empire yet.

This delicate balance was one of the reasons why Denken, an imperial court wizard, had been allowed to take the first-class magician exam. But Sense pointed out the obvious risk: once he became Serie's nominal disciple, Denken's position in the empire would become precarious. His influence would likely diminish, and the association itself wouldn't fully trust him either.

Denken was aware of these risks, but it seemed his determination to return to his hometown outweighed everything else.

As a core member of the Magic Association, Sense was far more informed than a regular first-Class magician like Denken. She had access to intelligence about the ongoing tensions between the two nations and knew enough to be genuinely concerned about the route Ash and Frieren seemed to be planning toward the imperial capital.