That’s Not What Kissing Means! - Chapter 5

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

That’s not what kissing means!

Episode 5

“Huff… huff…!”

Oh, what a shock!

Evelyn snapped to attention at the rough breathing sounds.

It was Oliver, the senior who had fallen furthest behind.

“Are you alright?”

Is this what a person looks like when they’re melting away?

Instead of answering, Oliver pushed up his glasses that had slid down to the tip of his nose.

Despite the still cool early spring weather, sweat was streaming down his face.

“What’s wrong?”

Vanessa, who was far ahead, called down loudly.

The distance between the knights and researchers had grown considerably.

Despite his large build, Victor came down the mountain with nimble movements.

“So it was because of this side.”

He looked pitifully at the dying Oliver.

Then he extended both hands toward Oliver.

“Huff, gasp… what are you…?”

“You look like you’re having a really hard time.”

Though he had always feared the Ashford Knight Order, right now he really felt like he was going to die.

Oliver hesitated for a moment, then took his hand.

“Yes, then please help me… huk!”

His view suddenly became much higher.

Victor, whom he thought would just hold his hand, had lifted Oliver up in both arms.

Oliver’s face flushed with embarrassment.

“No, no! Please put me down!”

“Just walk like this? It would probably take a week.”

Though his face showed genuine concern, it only made Oliver feel more ashamed.

“Sir Victor, you’re amazing!”

Evelyn, who was nearby, expressed genuine admiration.

To show such a sight in front of the newcomer…

Only Oliver was suffering.

“This isn’t what I wanted…!”

When Oliver struggled in his arms, Victor nodded as if he understood.

“You enjoy dynamic things.”

Then he swayed Oliver’s body left and right as if playing with a child.

Vanessa, watching from high above, spoke as if pitying him.

“Childish men aren’t attractive.”

Her voice was so loud that her clicking tongue could be heard from far away.

Oliver gave up on conversing with these people.

The rest began climbing the mountain again.

Catherine wiped the sweat from her forehead and spoke to Evelyn.

“Order is important in monster subjugation. No matter how skilled someone is, if they mess up the order, it’s useless.”

“Yes, I’ll remember the order.”

Evelyn recalled the subjugation sequence.

First, interpret the inscription and release the monster seal.

Second, the knights defeat the monsters.

Third, after eliminating even the high-level monsters trapped deep inside, seal it again.

“Then the monster stimulant brought from the capital isn’t needed?”

“Mostly not. Unless high-level monsters refuse to show themselves until the end, it’s not needed. It just stimulates other monsters too.”

Catherine gave stern warnings that even for supreme-level monsters, only small amounts should be used.

Evelyn faithfully absorbed her superior’s words.

Hoping that the monster stimulant would never need to be used.

The knights and researchers finally climbed up to the dungeon where the monsters were sealed.

The gravestone blocking the dungeon was made long ago by clerics using powerful holy power.

In Monster Mountain where strong magical power flowed, monsters that were condensed forms of magic appeared every winter.

It was something that repeated every year no matter how many were eliminated.

Holy power was merely a temporary preventive measure that trapped these newly formed monsters.

As time passed and the monsters’ power grew stronger, they would sometimes break the sealed gravestones.

The time when they were weakest was now, just after awakening from winter sleep.

Because of this, eliminating monsters that had been sealed for a long time every early spring was an annual event.

First, the researchers had to release the seal by reading the ancient language on the gravestone while sprinkling holy water.

Holy power and magical power had the nature of trying to defend themselves from each other.

Whenever the flow of magical power changed, holy power also changed itself accordingly.

Therefore, the ancient language floating above the gravestone also changed its content moment by moment under the influence of holy power.

This was why researchers from the Ancient Language Interpretation Bureau had to accompany them.

Today as well, bright lights were clustering together, creating sentences above the gravestone.

The first to approach the gravestone was Theo.

Whether he wasn’t afraid of the monsters that would pop out, he stood with his arms crossed and an indifferent expression.

“Then I’ll begin.”

Catherine interpreted and read the ancient language, while Evelyn sprinkled holy water.

Ancient language rippled like light above the gravestone.

It was a dazzling golden light like moonlight reflected on the sea.

Though she had brought a thick interpretation book in her bag just in case, Catherine didn’t seem to need it.

“Please help me…!”

Originally, Oliver should have been with them too.

However, Victor understood differently and sighed.

He swayed his arms holding Oliver up and down again.

At a faster speed than before, Oliver was on the verge of getting motion sickness.

Fortunately, the seal release proceeded smoothly even without Oliver.

An invisible crack appeared and the gravestone slowly began to split in half.

Soon monsters would start popping out one by one.

Thinking of the tedious battles ahead, Theo slowly closed and opened his eyes.

That’s when it happened.

“Put me down!”

Oliver, unable to bear it any longer, started kicking his legs.

Victor tried to hold Oliver steady, but due to the recoil, he fell to the ground.

Fortunately, Oliver was able to land safely on the grass field.

However, the small bag he was carrying hit the rock right next to him.

Crack-

There was a sound of something breaking inside the bag.

Soon after, a thick and sweet fragrance began to spread everywhere.

“Oh, no!”

He reached toward the cloth bag that was turning purple.

The ominous purple liquid was monster stimulant.

The glass bottle he had brought had broken.

All the stimulant he brought spilled out, instantly exciting the monsters.

Large vibrations that shook the ground threatened them.

The screams of monsters awakened from sleep rang out ear-splittingly.

Originally, the monsters should have emerged from the dungeon one by one, but unable to contain their excitement, they rushed out all at once, competing with each other.

The Ashford Knight Order drew their magic swords.

Kyaaak!

The nearly unsealed gravestone split in half.

Monsters came bursting out from inside the dungeon in droves.

It was a speed that couldn’t be handled leisurely.

Some monsters began digging tunnels and eventually tore up the mountain.

With a loud roar, the earth began to shake.

The monsters exposed to the stimulant became more aggressive than usual.

At that moment, a monster in the shape of a lion covered in scales burst through the ground via a tunnel and attacked Evelyn.

“Huk…!”

A massive shadow fell over her head.

Snake-like eyes rolled around before fixing their gaze on Evelyn.

Evelyn learned for the first time that when you’re too shocked, your body won’t move.

Her legs, frozen stiff, remained motionless as if buried in the ground.

It was then that her vision flipped.

Theo had wrapped one arm around Evelyn’s waist and pulled her toward himself.

The magic sword instantly pierced through the mouth of the monster that had opened its maw.

Green liquid spurted out from the roof of the monster’s tongue.

Thud-

The deeply wounded monster collapsed.

Evelyn trembled all over from extreme terror.

Theo, who was holding her from behind, leaned his upper body down.

His lips arrived at Evelyn’s ear.

“Were you scared?”

A voice tinged with laughter echoed in her head.

It was an incredibly leisurely tone that didn’t match the current situation.

Countless monsters were still shrieking.

They ran around wildly, unable to hide their intense excitement.

If they went down to the village at the foot of the mountain like this, they would obviously harm people.

With the line of monsters between them, Theo and Evelyn were on one side, while the rest of the people were on the other.

Theo had moved to the steep cliff to save her.

If they moved just a little more, they could fall into the vast chasm below.

Meanwhile, Theo’s magic sword, having absorbed magic power, began to glow as if satisfied.

At that moment, Theo extended his magic sword forward.

A great light clearly enveloped his hand and sword.

Evelyn couldn’t come to her senses at the powerful aura she was seeing for the first time.

The eyes of the Ashford Knight Order widened.

It was rare for the Duke to exert this much power.

But this was the best option to prevent casualties.

They told the researchers.

“Stay as far away from the monsters as possible.”

But Catherine and Oliver couldn’t move.

Even Catherine, who had become accustomed to monsters through several field trips, was seeing such a scene for the first time.

Oliver was feeling both self-blame and fear simultaneously.

Vanessa grabbed Catherine’s arm and dragged her far away.

Victor also picked up Oliver again.

Once everyone had moved away, Theo tightly embraced Evelyn from behind with one arm.

“Excuse me.”

His firm, broad chest pressed against her back.

Along with the gentle warmth that enveloped her entire body.

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