Sister, I Hit You Because There Was a Ghost Behind You - Chapter 60

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 60. The Mana-Powered Express and the Southern Breeze
A week had passed since the acrid dust rising from the Papal See’s collapsed ruins had finally settled.
We occupied an entire private cabin aboard the latest model mana-powered express train, hurtling toward Solea—a resort island nestled at the southern edge of the Continent, where emerald waters stretched endlessly before us.
Powered by mana stones, the train glided along the rails with such seamless precision that not even the faintest vibration disturbed our passage.
Beyond the windows, the blindingly azure coastline of the Southern Region and swaying palms drifted past like a living painting.
It was perfect peace—untainted by the suffocating miasma that had pressed down upon everything, unmarred by the stench of blood that had choked the very air.
I reclined deeply into the finest velvet chair and stretched with languid contentment.
“Ah, how long has it been since I’ve breathed air this clean?”
As I murmured pleasantly, the gazes of the two men seated across from me snapped toward me in unison.
Kairik von Herzen had abandoned his confining uniform in favor of a relaxed black shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms.
His broad shoulders made the plush chair of the private cabin seem cramped, so he reclined at an angle, yet his rough, massive hands moved with surprising delicacy.
He was skillfully peeling a thick-skinned, hard-shelled fruit—a Southern Region specialty—with a short blade.
“Open your mouth, Violetta.”
Kairik von Herzen speared a perfectly carved piece of flesh on the tip of his blade and thrust it toward my lips.
Despite his blunt manner of speaking, his careful hands adjusted the angle with meticulous precision to ensure the sweet juice wouldn’t stain my lips.
As I opened my mouth and accepted the fruit, Kairik von Herzen’s satisfaction was evident in the predatory grin that bared his fangs.
“How about it? Isn’t basking in the Southern sun at my side far sweeter and better than being cooped up in some musty corner of the Magic Tower or the Papal See?”
His directness, tinged with subtle charm, drew a faint smile to my lips.
But the peaceful moment could not remain undisturbed—the other man moved quietly.
Demian Lyart wore a soft, pristine white shirt with a slightly open collar instead of his usual restrictive uniform.
His silver hair caught the Southern sunlight streaming through the window, glimmering brilliantly.
Demian Lyart set a teacup down upon the table with elegant grace and spoke softly.
“The sunlight is quite intense. I worry it may damage your fair complexion.”
Before his words had even finished, a cool, refreshing sacred power emanated from Demian Lyart’s fingertips, gently enveloping me.
As if I had stepped beneath the shadowed boughs of an ancient forest, the oppressive Southern heat receded, replaced by a pleasant coolness that tickled my skin.
Demian Lyart offered me a carefully brewed cup of black tea, his gaze meeting mine with warmth and utmost consideration.
“Your mana circuits are still recovering, so it would be better to soothe your constitution with warm tea rather than cold fruit. The cup is hot, so please be careful.”
Even in that brief moment of handing me the cup, when his calloused fingers brushed lightly against my hand, he withdrew as if startled by the contact.
With the tips of his ears flushed a delicate pink and his gaze deliberately averted to the window, the Knight Commander appeared not as the merciless warrior who had slaughtered monsters on blood-soaked battlefields, but as a pure young man in his entirety.
His restrained tenderness and bashful reaction caused my heart to swell with a warm, effervescent sensation.
Kairik von Herzen snorted derisively at the sight.
“Unbelievable. We’ve come all the way to the Southern Region, and here you are, conjuring forest chill because it’s hot. You’re like some sheltered scholar who doesn’t understand that a real man meets heat with heat.”
Demian Lyart lifted his teacup with composure and responded with elegant grace.
“If sweating like a beast constitutes a respite from heat, then I shall gladly be that scholar. I desire only that you remain as comfortable and at ease as possible.”
These two had been at each other’s throats in carriages and banquet halls alike, yet here in the train beneath the warm sun, their rivalry felt less like the clash of sharp blades and more like the playful sparring of soft feathers.
Clatter.
At that moment, the train swayed gently as we passed through a curved section of track.
In the drowsy haze that had been pulling me toward sleep, I lost my balance with the train’s movement, and my head lolled to the side.
Just as my head was about to strike the window, firm hands reached out from both sides simultaneously.
The cool, calloused palm that gently caught my left cheek belonged to Demian Lyart, while the hot, rough arm that firmly pulled my right shoulder belonged to Kairik von Herzen.
“That was close.”
“Be more careful, Violetta.”
Both voices cascaded down upon my head simultaneously.
The sudden physical contact jolted me awake, and the contrasting body heat of the two men seeped into my skin without mercy.
Demian’s cool sacred power and Kairik’s scorching pulse thrummed tensely on either side of me.
The proximity allowed the crisp soap scent from Demian’s collar and the faint forest-beast musk from Kairik to mingle and tickle the tip of my nose.
I blinked wide-eyed in flustered confusion, glancing between them, and Kairik’s lips curved upward as he subtly increased the pressure of his hand on my shoulder.
“If you’re drowsy, don’t uselessly bash your head against the window. Lean on my shoulder instead. It’s spacious—more comfortable than any bed.”
Demian refused to yield, and rather than withdraw his hand from my cheek, he gently swept my disheveled bangs behind my ear with meticulous care.
“Far more restful than a hard, rough shoulder would be my hand cradling you. Please, rest your eyes in comfort.”
Neither showed any intention of releasing their grip first.
In this peaceful everyday moment after battle, the two beasts had begun their fierce and honeyed charm offensive, each vying for the space beside me in their own distinct way.
Feeling my face flush with heat, I cleared my throat deliberately and carefully extracted myself from their hands.
“I’m grateful for your thoughtfulness, but the first-class cabin chair is so plush that I’m sure I’ll sleep well enough on my own.”
As I turned away, fanning my flushed cheeks, Kairik chuckled and settled deeper into the backrest, while Demian gazed down at his empty hands with profound disappointment.
“Sleep alone? You just nearly cracked your round forehead against that glass, and now you speak with such conviction?”
Kairik leaned his chin on his hand and provoked me with a slanted grin, and Demian seized the opening with icy precision.
“Your Highness presses so forcefully that Violetta feels burdened and withdraws. Anyone would lose sleep with a beast’s hot breath so near.”
“Ha! I’d rather stay awake all night than use that stiff scholar’s tedious sermons as a lullaby. Wouldn’t you agree, Violetta? Be honest—you crave my firm chest far more than his rigid frame, don’t you?”
“M-My shoulders rigid? They’re honed by dawn sword drills, perfectly optimized to cradle Violetta in utmost comfort—flawless muscle! Moreover, my sacred power surpasses even the Continent’s finest natural sedative in its calming properties!”
The two men, stripped of their usual rationality, raised their voices childishly as they touted the practicality of their muscles and shoulders.
I pressed my throbbing temples firmly and reached for the cool, luminous blue cocktail resting on the table.
“Please reserve your magnificent shoulder and muscle boasting for the training grounds in the Capital. I simply wish to quietly savor this refreshing, sweet cocktail with the Southern Region’s scenic beauty as my accompaniment.”
I rattled the ice in my glass and declared coolly.
“From now on, I grant the peace of my company only to those who hold their tongues and quietly enjoy the view beyond the window.”
At those words, the heated atmosphere of the first-class cabin ceased as abruptly as if it had never existed.
Demian hastily cleared his throat and began staring intently at the palm trees outside with rigid posture, while Kairik clicked his tongue but clamped his mouth shut, glowering ferociously at the sea instead.
The Southern breeze, carrying the salt-tinged scent of the ocean, began drifting through the open window.
Setting aside the grandiose cause of saving the world, this ticklish and vertiginous journey existed only for the three of us.
As we approached Solea, our destination resort island, anticipation and excitement bubbled up within me—wondering just how much hotter and more dangerously entangled my relationship with these two men would become.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————