Chapter 46: Feelings

Jayde began to tremble, almost as if she were about to cry due to my caresses on her sensitive ears. That wasn’t a reaction of pleasure, or at least not that I knew of. Something felt wrong in the air; I could have sworn her reaction was somewhat strange. I wanted to confirm what was happening, so I activated [Lunar Senses] again. Her ears and tail glowed an intense red, but a warning flickered beside the numbers. [Target Status: Fear] She was completely terrified. As soon as I saw that alert, I stopped my caresses immediately and pulled away, withdrawing my penis from her back. The symbol stopped flickering in black and white and changed to a blue color. [Relief] I’m a real idiot who thinks with his dick, I cursed myself in frustration. She just went through all this, and I want to screw her. I disguised my mistake and changed the subject, trying to act normal, as if it had just been a little friendly game. "Your ears and tail are... beautiful, Jayde. They’re so soft and fluffy." She lowered her gaze, still trembling. "They are my most sensitive parts, please be careful with them... though if you want to hurt me, I won’t resist." Her last words were almost a whisper, as some tears fell from her eyes. Now I understood: she wasn’t just afraid, she was completely terrified by everything new that was coming for her. She didn’t know if I was a sadistic sex maniac who loved to harm his partners or if I was a good person. And now, because of my clumsiness, I had only made things worse. She surely thinks I’m going to rape her at any moment and, even though she has accepted her fate, it’s clear she’s too scared. Carefully, I got out of the water and put on some new clothes I had in my inventory. Seeing me get out of the water, Jayde got out right behind me almost immediately. She was completely naked, showing all her splendor; her body was a true work of art. "Long live the furries!" "I don’t have any more clothes, except for my suit, which is now full of blood. Would you mind if I used it?" Jayde looked at me cautiously, still seeming fearful of what might happen to her. "It’s not necessary, I have some clothes here. They might be a bit big on you, but they’ll do temporarily until we return to the village and I can get you some new clothes." I took out some men’s clothes and handed them to her so she could change. Trying to hide her embarrassment, she began to change beside me, even bending over with her back to me to show me her beautiful teardrop-shaped buttocks. I’d love to get aroused and take her from behind right now, but... her act can’t fool my [Lunar Senses] ability. The message [Ashamed / Scared] flickered in black. She wanted to be strong, but at the end of the day, she’s just a fragile child trying to survive. "Kyaaa...!" I hugged her from behind by surprise. I lifted her and turned her, bringing her to my chest while stroking her head with one hand and her back with the other. "You are safe here; no one will harm you. I wouldn’t do anything you don’t wish for, I promise you." I didn’t let her answer, I just hugged her even tighter, trying to transmit my warmth and affection. Even though I like her, I’m not a rapist, unless she’s an enemy... I hope I find a cute succubus enemy soon, I still haven’t forgotten what that godda...! I was just about to curse the moon goddess when a pain invaded my mind... Is this a joke? I can’t even curse her in my mind... Fuck you, bitch...! An even more brutal pain assaulted my mind, making me fall to my knees as a voice resonated in my ears. "I don’t mind you being angry, but if you have something to say, you’d better be a good boy or else..." I gritted my teeth as a cold sweat ran down my back. I didn’t expect her to be able to monitor me from this distance. Jayde didn’t notice anything. After hugging her for a few more moments, I let go so she could change. Her status had changed. [Happy / Hope] That was what I wanted to see in her mood. After changing, we both walked back towards the village. The battle had lasted much longer than I expected, so I was worried the girls might do something foolish, like trying to approach this area and finding some danger. As we walked, I remembered a small detail that almost went unnoticed by me. Wasn’t it impossible to level up by taking down dying targets? I hadn’t thought about it, but I gained many levels just by finishing off the remnants of the battle among all of them. When I attacked, I was only thinking about getting their cores to prepare for unlocking other guild abilities, but I really had leveled up. I turned to Jayde to ask her. "Hey, there’s something I don’t understand. In the Soaring Dragon kingdom, they told me that if you didn’t do at least twenty percent of the total damage, even if you landed the final blow, you wouldn’t get experience, but I just gained a lot of levels just by landing the final blow. Do you know anything about that?" Jayde looked at me strangely, tilting her head. "That’s not how it works, Master. Experience is distributed equally, regardless of individual damage." "Really?" "Yes, it’s true there’s a penalty for level difference, but if the weaker one lands the final blow, that restriction is removed. That’s how my clan trained assassins. The elders would weaken the target, and we would land the final blow to level up." "Damn King Charles III! He lied to me ever since I arrived! I was manipulated like a fool from the beginning, and I never did absolutely anything to prevent it. I always believed them!" A growl escaped my throat as frustration and fury invaded me. Jayde said nothing, just watched me in silence, letting me vent as we continued our way. Finally, we both arrived back at the village. As we approached the entrance, I saw all the girls in formation, with their weapons ready for battle. "Hey! Don’t attack, it’s me!" I shouted, raising a hand. "Everything’s fine!" Everyone sighed in relief and lowered their weapons, running towards us. When they got closer, their eyes fell on Jayde, and they immediately recoiled, some with expressions of fear and surprise. The Catmen were known for their ferocity and power, and the village had already suffered attacks from them in the past. I laughed. "Relax, don’t worry," I told them, with a smile. "She’ll be with us from now on." Everyone’s mouths hung open, unable to process the surprise.