Chapter 173

### Episode 173

Expanding the Garden

A soft rustle.

As the cloth covering her lower half slipped down slightly, a blank space devoid of tattoos became visible below Antiope’s navel. She traced her slender fingers over it with slow, deliberate strokes.

“Women have places like this,” she murmured. “Empty spaces that only strong men can fill.”

Her brown skin, covered in tattoos, the pipe dangling from her lips—honestly, it was a little intimidating. Yet, there was something primal in her movements, something that made the bl**d rush to my lower half.

“The desire to be filled is instinctual. In that sense, Schizo, the Greatsword Mage, was strong. A mage, yet she wielded heavy armor and blades.”

Wait, that armored warrior was a mage? Holy hell, so I’d been in a bloody fight with a mage who didn’t even use magic?

Honestly, I was lucky she’d underestimated me. Antiope smirked and added,

“You’re the one who took her down, Samaritan. So? Think you can fill this space? You seem pretty strong yourself.”

That spot—it was the dantian, the center of life energy. Anatomically speaking, it was also where the womb lay.

Was she seriously asking me to fill it? Was this a proposition?

Never in my life did I think I’d be propositioned by a woman. The unreality of the situation left me in a strangely dazed state.

Just then, Hippolyte, who’d been listening with her arms crossed, cut in.

“Antiope, that’s enough teasing.”

“Teasing? I’m at least half-serious. I knew the moment I saw him. My lower belly’s been tingling—like he’s someone who’s already reserved a spot here.”

Tingling lower belly? What kind of symptom was that?

As I was puzzling over it, Antiope approached me, sitting in the shade, and without warning, her palm slid down to my waist, brushing over the hardened length beneath my clothes.

“Big and thick. A real man’s weapon. How many times have you swung this around? Must be suffocating to be caught in its path.”

Stroke, stroke.

Her hands kept moving, bold and shameless.

But with all her tattoos, her tanned skin, the way she smoked—there was something intimidating about her overwhelming femininity.

In another sense, though, it was exciting.

I felt like I was about to be devoured.

Then, suddenly, she pulled away.

“But you still reek of inexperience. A boy who’s barely stepped onto the warrior’s path. You won’t be filling this space any time soon.”

With that, she quickly distanced herself and threw an arm around Hippolyte’s waist, playfully affectionate.

“Anyway, I’ll be seeing you around—whether it’s days or weeks. Good to see you again, Sis.”

“It’s hot. Get off.”

“Hah, always so cold with me. Well, I’ve said my hellos. Time to go—got work to do.”

“Work? Cultist business?”

“Yeah, though details are classified. But word is, there’s a high priest of Pluto hiding in this city. Masquerading as a renowned adventurer, apparently.”

A high priest of Pluto hiding as a famous adventurer.

A cold sweat trickled down my spine.

“d*mn it, Paranoi! Don’t waste precious sweat like that!”

Paranoi was sweating buckets too. Meanwhile, Luna was frantically collecting it all in a water bottle, giggling madly.

The Shrine Knights…

Definitely not people to let our guard down around.

“See you later, friends!”

Antiope helped tend the garden and fix the fence before excusing herself, citing piled-up work.

“She was fun. Loved all her tattoos,” Luna chattered away, clearly fascinated. True, Antiope’s appearance was intense, but she didn’t seem like a bad person.

“S-she was t-terrifying…”

Paranoi, however, was trembling uncontrollably, not calming down even after Antiope left. At this point, it was practically self-advertisement that he was a cultist—making even me nervous.

“S-she’s unbelievably strong…! A monster in human skin!”

Hippolyte added calmly,

“Of course. Antiope carries divine grace. And she’s only grown stronger since I last saw her.”

Hippolyte was like a human power scanner—whoever she deemed strong genuinely was. That made me curious.

“Between you and Antiope, who’d win?”

“Samaritan, you always ask things like this. Well, battles are unpredictable, but in seven out of ten matches, I’d win. But…”

She hesitated, as if unsure whether to continue.

“Is something wrong?”

“In three out of those ten, I’d lose. And one of those losses… would be absolute. Beyond hope.”

Hippolyte, utterly crushed?

I remembered vividly how she’d handled Elpride’s party underground like they were mere children. It had been so satisfying, so shocking—something I’d never forget.

But for her to be defeated so brutally? The danger level of that tattooed woman skyrocketed in my mind.

Hippolyte added, “Of course, battle can’t be reduced to words. You, with all your battlefield experience, know that better than anyone.”

Her gaze shifted to Luna, who was planting potatoes.

True—Hippolyte had lost every fight against Luna. It just proved how unpredictable combat could be.

—

### Later That Night

After a cool shower, I found Luna already curled up under the blankets, asleep.

Today had been exhausting—tending the garden, grilling meat—so she must have been worn out.

I gently straightened her posture and began massaging her arms, shoulders, and lower back, pressing firmly with my fingers.

“Haa… h-hahaha…”

Suddenly, Luna burst into soft laughter. So she wasn’t asleep.

“You still awake?”

“Was about to sleep, but you woke me. That feels amazing. Can you do my lower back?”

She turned over, presenting her slim waist in her thin nightgown, her curves subtly accentuated. Lately, she’d been asking for massages more often.

At first, she’d whined about it tickling or hurting, squirming away. Now, she practically offered herself up.

A clear case of being corrupted by massage addiction.

Stroke, stroke.

I gently kneaded her back and waist.

“Haaaah… Aah… hurts, but… feels good…”

Judging by the slight muscle tension, she must’ve strained herself working the garden. Without this, she might’ve spent tomorrow aching all over.

I focused on her back, shoulders, and the base of her neck, working out every knot.

Then, suddenly, Luna tensed up, clutching the blankets tightly.

Ding.

A notification popped up:

〖Luna Noxdotty’s Condition [Heat Exhaustion] has been alleviated.〗

〖Quest Points +10〗

〖Current Quest Points: 145〗

I hadn’t even checked her pulse—had she been overheating? Maybe the neck massage relieved some stress.

“Haaah…”

Luna let out a soft sigh and collapsed onto the bed.

My hands trailed down to her hips, pressing into the soft flesh with my thumbs.

Stroke, glide.

Her pliant skin quivered under my touch, just as it always did when I massaged her.

The lower body holds most of the body’s muscles, but they’re often neglected since they’re less sensitive.

But I wasn’t one to overlook them.

Press, knead—squeeze.

Her round backside responded well to firm pressure.

“Feels good?”

“Mmm… yeah…”

Her answer was vague—if it even was an answer. Luna always seemed to zone out when I massaged here.

Stroke… stroke…

Curious, I let my fingers drift lower, grazing the inner thighs—a vital area for lower-body circulation.

But to properly massage there, I needed to part her legs slightly.

“Gotta spread them a bit. Don’t worry, nothing weird.”

“Mm!”

Used to this by now, Luna complied without hesitation.

Stroke, knead—press.

My fingers worked skillfully, squeezing and releasing, gliding up and down.

“Ah… haah…!”

Her quiet moans were undeniably arousing, making my own lower half stir despite knowing full well this was just a massage.

It had been a while since we’d done anything… intimate.

So—just testing—I let the back of my hand brush against the sensitive space between her thighs.

“…Ah!”

She jolted, clearly responsive.

My hand came away slightly damp.

Was that…?

The thought made my head swim.

Stroke… slide…

I kept teasing the spot, each touch making her shiver more, her breath growing ragged.

Unable to hold back, I tugged down her thin cotton panties.

No resistance.

They say a woman’s body, once ignited, isn’t easily quenched.

Maybe I’d been aiming for this.

Glide.

I repositioned her thigh in a bent “L” shape and let my fingers trace the warm, plush skin now exposed.

“Hah…!”

Silky, heated—the sensation shot straight to my head.

—

Author’s Note:

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