Chapter 61: One Hug
In a quiet room, under the soft glow of lantern light, a young man lay asleep on a bed.
His black hair was slightly messy, falling over his forehead in loose uneven strands. His skin was smooth and fair.
His upper body was bare, revealing a lean but not fragile build. Along his arms, chest, and abdomen were subtle signs of recent training. The kind of definition that only comes from weeks of real effort.
For a while, nothing moved.
Then his eyelids twitched. His fingers shifted slightly against the sheets.
His brows creased faintly, as if something deep inside him stirred.
And then his eyes snapped open.
Azael stared blankly at the ceiling above him. For a moment his vision was blurry, shapes bleeding into one another without form. Slowly it cleared.
A gray ceiling.
It was unfamiliar.
He blinked once. Then again. His gaze moved carefully around the room, taking in the wooden walls, the faint scent of herbs hanging in the air, the two lanterns mounted on the walls casting a calm warm light across everything.
"...Where..." he murmured. His voice came out dry and rough.
"Oh. You are awake."
A soft voice. Melodic and unhurried. Carrying a natural elegance that made it stand out even in silence.
Azael turned his head toward it.
And saw her.
An extremely beautiful woman sat calmly on a chair near the window. The wooden shutters beside her were open, letting in cool night air. Moonlight streamed through the gap and fell gently over her figure.
She wore a black robe that did little to conceal her striking silhouette. Her breasts massive perfectly showing off their curves under her robe.
Her long violet hair swayed lightly with the breeze, each strand catching the pale glow of the moon. A few loose strands brushed softly against her cheeks.
Her eyes were a clear, calm violet. Fixed on him without blinking.
Azael said nothing for a moment. He simply watched her. His expression blank, as though his mind had momentarily forgotten what it was doing.
She noticed.
A faint smile appeared on her lips. She rose gracefully from the chair and began walking toward him. Her steps were light, nearly soundless against the wooden floor.
Azael blinked and came back to himself.
He let out a quiet breath.
"...Thank you, Liona. For saving me."
She stopped beside the bed and let out a soft giggle. Her expression was warm and gently amused.
"It’s alright," she said. "You were in need of help and you asked me. How could I refuse?" She tilted her head slightly. "I still remember you... you naughty boy."
Azael blinked.
Then realization hit him. His hand moved instinctively to his face.
No mask.
He let out a small laugh and shook his head.
"Ah... right."
He shifted slightly and felt it then. Bandages. Wrapped around his torso, his arms, parts of his shoulders. His face felt mostly healed but the rest of his body still carried the weight of everything that had happened.
He looked at her again.
"Still... thank you. I owe you one. I’ll pay you back."
She pouted.
Before he could say anything else.
Tap.
She lightly flicked his head with two fingers.
"I helped you out of kindness," she said, her tone carrying a hint of mock annoyance. "Not for money. So you don’t need to pay me anything."
Azael chuckled and nodded slowly.
"Alright. Alright."
She sat down at the edge of the bed, her expression settling into something a little more serious though still soft.
"Most of your wounds have healed," she explained. "I had you drink healing potions while you were unconscious. The deeper injuries couldn’t close completely overnight, so I bandaged them. You should be fully fine by tomorrow."
Azael listened and nodded.
Then without wasting time, he pushed himself upright.
His body protested with a dull ache through his muscles and bones. But compared to before it was nothing. Barely worth acknowledging.
She immediately reached out.
"Wait, you should rest—"
"I need to go home," he said gently, cutting her off.
Not forceful. But certain. "My family might be worried."
She paused.
Then slowly nodded.
"...I understand."
Azael gave a small smile. He reached into his storage ring. A faint shimmer of mana passed through the air and his clothes appeared in his hand a moment later. He pulled his shirt on carefully over the bandages, moving slow so as not to pull anything.
Once dressed, he looked at her again.
His expression softened.
"I’m really glad," he said quietly, "that it was someone like you who found me." A light smile. "You’re genuinely kind."
There was no teasing in his voice. No charm being played. Just simple and honest words from someone who meant them.
She froze for just a moment.
A faint blush crept up her cheeks. She raised one hand and pressed it lightly to her face, shaking her head.
"D-Don’t say such things..." she muttered, her voice losing some of its usual calm.
Azael chuckled quietly.
The room that had felt cold and unfamiliar when he first opened his eyes now felt warm. Easy. Like the tension had simply decided to leave on its own.
"It’s not nonsense," he said. "I’m only telling the truth." He paused. "I never introduced myself properly last time. My name is Azael. And I am truly grateful."
He smiled at her gently. His face, handsome in a way that leaned slightly boyish, made the sincerity of it even harder to dismiss.
Her lips twitched.
"Azael..." she said softly. "You... you shouldn’t say such things to a woman living alone."
He raised an eyebrow. Still smiling. He stepped a little closer to her.
She was tall. Around 180 cm. Nearly the same height as him.
Actually, slightly taller. By about three centimeters.
*Why is it that most women I seem to meet are taller than me,* he thought. *Not that I mind.*
He reached out slowly and took her left hand in his right. His thumb moved gently across the back of her hand.
She flinched slightly.
"A-Azael... what are you doing?"
He looked at her hand for a moment before answering.
"What can I say..." His voice was quiet. Almost to himself. "Maybe it’s because you saved me. But every time I look at you... my heart doesn’t seem to know how to stay still. Even when I came here last time...i was mesmerized by you."
"Hiccup!"
She was a grown woman. A capable and composed one. She had dealt with far more complicated things than a young man holding her hand and saying something sweet.
She had absolutely no reason to be standing here with her cheeks this warm and a hiccup escaping her like a startled child.
Many men had flirted with her before. Yet here she was getting all blushly. But...she was never got flirted by such young man. That also with such innocent face.
Was it because he was too genuine? She didn’t know.
Her eyes went wide.
Then Azael laughed. A soft and slightly sad sound. He let go of her hand.
"But I know I don’t have any real chance." He said it simply. Without bitterness. "Either way, I will never forget your kindness."
Azael continued to talk in his innocent and pure man persona. After acting like this in front of everyone, he had gotten used to act like this.
"Azael... I..." Liona opened her mouth. Closed it again. She looked genuinely lost for words.
He looked at her for a quiet moment.
"Can I... at least hug you? Just once. Before I go."
"What?" Her blush deepened. "N-no. Absolutely not."
Azael looked at her.
His eyes trembled slightly. Just a little. That particular kind of tremble that made a person look painfully hopeful and quietly fragile at the same time. His shoulders dropped just slightly.
"Please, Liona..." His voice came out softer. Almost a murmur. Unsteady. "Just once. Can I... please?"
Like a child asking for something they already expected to be told no to. But still asking anyway, because they couldn’t help it.
She stared at him. Something in her chest made a decision before her mind caught up with it. After Watching his expression, she couldn’t refuse him.
Who could refuse such man?
Then slowly, without a word, she nodded.
Azael’s face broke into a smile. A real one. Warm and unguarded.
He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her.
His head dropped gently into the curve of her neck. He breathed in slowly. She smelled of something soft. Something sweet and faintly herbal.
Liona went completely still in his arms.
Then, after a long pause, she exhaled quietly. Her arms lifted. And she wrapped them around him in return.
Holding him back.
For the first time since the night the chaos had begun, Azael felt the tightness in his chest loosen. The weight in his shoulders ease.
He closed his eyes.
And for just a little while, he let himself breathe.
He keep hugging her and then rubbed his cheek agaisnt her cheek like a kid.
She didn’t push him.