Chapter 81: Winning Over The Snake Beastman

Sora finally understood why so many masterpieces from the old world portrayed women standing beneath the moonlight beside quiet rivers.

Back in the apocalypse, she’d always thought those paintings were a little exaggerated.

Now she understood.

The silver moonlight draped over her like a soft veil, turning the flowing river into a sacred mirror. The pale glow wrapped around her figure, making her feel as though she were standing in a holy spring instead of an ordinary stream.

For the first time since arriving in this world, she truly looked at herself.

Her eyes widened.

"...I’ve lost weight."

The exhausting work throughout the day, combined with the constant use of her elemental abilities, had burned through more fat than she’d realized. The fullness around her waist had noticeably shrunk, and the loose softness caused by her previous obesity had begun tightening into smoother curves.

Although she was still far from slim, the change was unmistakable.

Her body had become healthier.

Stronger.

More balanced.

The moonlight only made the transformation even more obvious.

Just then, the familiar mechanical voice echoed in her mind.

Ding!

Congratulations, Host. Xavier’s Attraction Value has increased to 99. Heartbeat Value has exceeded 100.

"Huh?"

Sora blinked in confusion.

"So suddenly?"

Before she could process it, another notification rang out.

Ding!

Target Xavier is nearby.

Current recommendation: seize the opportunity to improve intimacy.

Sora froze.

"...Nearby?"

Her eyes widened.

The next second, panic replaced every other emotion.

"I’m still bathing!"

Without another thought, she hurried deeper into the river until the water covered her shoulders.

Her face burned crimson.

"Oh no... oh no..."

Had Xavier seen everything?

Had he seen her standing there admiring herself beneath the moonlight?

Just remembering the ridiculous poses she’d been striking moments ago made her wish the river would swallow her whole.

The system really had no sense of timing.

Not far away, Xavier stood silently among the trees.

When he had returned from scouting the surrounding terrain, he hadn’t expected to stumble upon such an unexpected sight.

He had intended to call out.

Instead, he found himself stopping where he stood.

The moonlit river shimmered gently around Kaelira as she admired her own reflection with innocent fascination.

She wasn’t trying to entice anyone.

She simply seemed captivated by the changes in her own appearance.

The genuine wonder in her expression made the moment strangely beautiful.

Then, almost as if she sensed his presence, she suddenly disappeared beneath the water.

A smile tugged at Xavier’s lips.

"So she can be embarrassed."

That was... unexpected.

The Sora he had known before had always been loud, shameless, and impossible to predict.

Yet the woman before him now looked completely different.

Without realizing it, he found himself smiling.

Meanwhile, Sora remained hidden in the river, refusing to lift her head.

This is worse than my clothes falling off in public...

Why did he have to come back now?

She stayed perfectly still, hoping Xavier would quietly leave.

Several long moments passed.

No footsteps.

No mocking comments.

No sarcastic remarks.

Her brows slowly knitted together.

That’s strange...

Normally, Xavier would have teased her the moment he saw something embarrassing.

Why was it so quiet?

Did he leave?

Carefully, she peeked above the surface.

The instant their eyes met, she froze.

Xavier was still there.

Not only that—

He was looking directly at her.

There wasn’t a trace of disgust in his expression.

Instead, amusement danced in his violet eyes.

A dangerous kind of amusement.

Sora instinctively swallowed.

Something about that smile made her feel far more nervous than if he’d simply scolded her.

"I..."

She forced an awkward laugh.

"I can explain."

Xavier folded his arms, one brow lifting.

"Oh?"

"And what exactly are you explaining?"

Sora’s thoughts spun wildly before inspiration finally struck.

"I was... dancing."

"Dancing?"

"Yes!"

She nodded so enthusiastically that water splashed around her.

"It was... a ceremonial dance."

Xavier’s smile widened.

"A ceremonial dance."

"For the gods."

"I see."

His tone carried obvious disbelief.

"And this ceremony requires standing naked in the river?"

Sora maintained the most serious expression she could manage.

"It’s... a special tradition."

"Oh?"

"A very ancient one."

Xavier stepped a little closer to the riverbank, clearly entertained.

"I’ve never heard of such a tradition."

"That’s because it’s practiced by the Black Bear Tribe."

She answered without missing a beat.

"They perform it to thank the river for its blessings."

For a heartbeat, Xavier simply looked at her.

Then he chuckled.

"Interesting."

His amused gaze never left her.

"Because from what I know..."

"The Black Bear Tribe worships the Moon God."

"They don’t have any river rituals."

Sora’s confident expression instantly stiffened.

"..."

Her fabricated story had collapsed before it even had the chance to stand.

After a long, awkward silence, she scratched her cheek and laughed weakly.

"Heh..."

"So... you’ve actually studied their customs?"

Xavier’s smile deepened as he watched her flustered expression.

Today, he’d discovered something new about Kaelira.

When cornered—

She was absolutely terrible at lying.

Xavier casually rested a hand atop Sora’s head, absentmindedly running his fingers through her damp hair before lazily remarking,

"Among beastmen, courtship dances are mostly a bird tribe custom. We snake beastmen don’t care much for those things."

"What?"

Sora blinked in surprise.

How had dancing suddenly become connected to courtship?

Wait...

He couldn’t possibly think that what she’d been doing just now was some kind of mating dance meant for him, could he?

The realization made her expression collapse.

Why are beastmen so straightforward? How do they immediately jump from dancing to courtship?

She twitched her brows and was just about to clear up the misunderstanding when, all of a sudden, someone wrapped an arm around her neck from behind.

Before she could react, her entire body was lifted, and she found herself sitting directly on Xavier’s lap.

His deep voice sounded beside her ear.

"We snake beastmen prefer things to be... more direct."

Sora froze.

Her mind went completely blank.

What was Xavier trying to do?

Those words carried such an unmistakably suggestive tone that she almost suspected she’d misheard him.

Don’t tell me... he’s flirting with me?

Impossible.

This has to be a hallucination.

She quickly shook her head.

She had to be overthinking things.

Unfortunately, her quiet muttering didn’t escape Xavier’s ears.

His long fingers slid from the top of her head to the curve of her chin, gently tilting her face upward.

"What are you overthinking?"

His touch was cool against her warm skin, sending a faint chill across her face.

Yet what unsettled her even more was the fact that she couldn’t understand what he was trying to do.

She stammered,

"I... I mean... why did you suddenly come over here?"

Instead of answering immediately, his hand drifted from beneath her chin to the middle of her back before settling lightly around her waist.

His voice remained calm, carrying that same unreadable amusement.

"Naturally..."

"...to do what you’ve always wanted."

What she’d always wanted?

Sora’s heart skipped a beat.

How does Xavier know I wanted to seduce him?

Did he somehow hear my conversation with the system?

That shouldn’t have been possible.

The system might be unreliable most of the time, but it had always been excellent at keeping its existence secret.

If it wasn’t that...

Then what exactly did Xavier think she’d always wanted to do with him?

Could it be... he thinks I wanted revenge?

The thought only confused her further.

Before she could make sense of his ambiguous words, a strange tingling sensation spread across her body.

It began where his hand rested against her back and traveled slowly along her spine before settling around her waist.

The unfamiliar sensation made her instinctively tense.

What is he doing?

His posture...

His words...

Everything about the situation made it sound as though he had completely misunderstood her intentions.

Don’t tell me...

Did I accidentally succeed in seducing him?

Sora stared blankly.

So he’s actually this easy to sway?

She had imagined Xavier would be the composed, disciplined type.

Instead, he seemed surprisingly straightforward.

If I’d known it was this simple, why did I spend so much effort worrying before?

The tingling sensation intensified, making her shoulders tremble ever so slightly.

Feeling the subtle shiver beneath his hand, Xavier let out a quiet chuckle.

"You couldn’t even hold back?"

"You’re far more impatient than I expected."

Sora’s eyes widened.

What did I do?

I only shivered because you touched me!

How had he interpreted that as encouragement?

Why is this beastman so unbelievably full of himself?

That had simply been a normal physical reaction.

Anyone would react after being touched unexpectedly.

Unless they were made of stone.

Even so, she couldn’t help inwardly complaining about the original owner.

Seriously...

Could this body have any less self-control?

It was only a few touches, and it reacted this strongly.

Meanwhile, Xavier’s attention had long since shifted elsewhere.

His gaze lingered on Sora’s flushed face.

Whether it was instinct or simply the moonlight playing tricks on him, he found that everything about her seemed different tonight.

Even the lips he had once dismissed as overly full now appeared soft and inviting.

Her nose also seemed more refined than before.

He knew Sora had been working hard to lose weight recently.

But could the changes really be this noticeable?

Sora watched him silently studying her face and couldn’t help growing nervous.

Is he dissatisfied with how I look?

Is he about to lose interest?

Although the thought embarrassed her, she had to admit appearances mattered.

Whether human or beastman, everyone appreciated beauty.

Only that troublesome system kept insisting otherwise.

It seemed she’d still have to find a way to improve her appearance.

Suppressing a sigh, Sora decided to break the awkward silence herself.

She pursed her lips and was about to speak when the system’s mechanical voice suddenly echoed inside her mind.

Ding!

Host, don’t give up so easily.

Xavier’s heartbeat has exceeded one hundred. He is about to take action.

Sora rolled her eyes internally.

What nonsense.

She didn’t believe the system for a second.

If Xavier had truly been that interested, he would’ve acted already.

After all, ordinary people weren’t known for having endless restraint.

Those who could suppress their impulses indefinitely were either exceptionally disciplined...

...or as emotionless as statues.

She drew a breath and opened her mouth to speak.

But before a single word could leave her lips, Xavier suddenly leaned forward, closing the distance between them.