Chapter 12: An Unintentional Revelation

Ellis let out a yawn, her mind still shrouded in a pleasant haze.

Though Larry’s movements seemed overtly suspicious, she paid them little mind. Completely forgetting her current female form, Ellis casually began to shed her clothes.

This would have been perfectly normal in their past; the two had, after all, seen each other in their natural state countless times since their previous lives.

As her garments slipped away one by one, leaving her fully exposed, Ellis casually inquired of Larry, “Hey, is the water still warm?”

“Warm. It’s still warm,” Larry stammered, his eyes fixated on her flawless, snow-white form. He licked his parched lips, feeling a familiar stir within him.

“Phew, then I’m going to wash up.”

With only the steam-filled bathroom in her sights, Ellis, completely unclad, swayed as she walked inside.

Outside, Larry was utterly frozen in a daze. He wiped a trickle of blood from his nose. Ellis, in her current state… was simply too alluring!

Larry began to take deep, ragged breaths, desperate to calm himself.

Inside the bathroom, the hot water had fully roused Ellis. Yet, her ingrained habits prevented her from realizing the impropriety of undressing before Larry.

She was now utterly captivated by her own reflection. ‘Is this stunning beauty in the mirror truly me?! She’s absolutely gorgeous!’

‘If this wasn’t me, I’d definitely marry her and bring her home!’

Ellis then began a meticulous inspection of her new body.

Having touched countless others in the Red Chamber in her past life, touching herself now felt strangely unfamiliar, and somewhat… overwhelming.

This body was incredibly sensitive!

She couldn’t help but let out a small, indelicate sound, though she quickly covered her mouth. Thankfully, the sound of the water concealed it, so Larry outside likely hadn’t noticed.

‘What are you doing, you idiot!’

Ellis couldn’t help but curse herself. Her relaxed mood, brought on by the hot bath, was utterly ruined.

Ellis quickly washed her body and headed out.

Outside, Larry was still debating whether to advise Ellis to be more discreet, or to simply silently enjoy this heavenly blessing, or perhaps even transform into a wolf.

Then, the bathroom door suddenly opened, and a beautiful young woman, fresh from her bath, stood candidly before him.

This time, Larry truly couldn’t take it. His nose erupted in a fountain of blood, and with a blissful expression, he closed his eyes and collapsed to the floor.

Larry’s state startled Ellis. She had never seen him bleed so profusely before.

‘Could he have sustained a hidden injury in the Demon Lord’s castle?’

Ellis didn’t even have time to dress. Panicked, she rushed to Larry’s side, unleashing a barrage of elemental arts.

“Water Healing! Allah’s Blessing!”

She indiscriminately used every art she knew, from healing physical wounds to cleansing curses.

Larry’s hand suddenly grasped Ellis’s. “Larry, are you alright?!” Ellis asked, her voice filled with surprised concern.

Larry slowly opened his eyes, immediately seeing Ellis’s exquisite face etched with anxiety. He had intended to say he was fine, but his gaze dropped, discovering two glorious peaks of ‘justice’.

Larry didn’t know what came over him; his body seemed to move independently. His hand, with the fastest speed he had ever mustered, scaled one of those mountains.

‘So soft, so springy,’ was Larry’s first thought.

Then, he felt the world spin, the heavens invert, accompanied by a violent thud against his head.

Ellis had executed a perfect over-the-shoulder throw, sending Larry crashing into a nearby tea cabinet, where he remained embedded upside down.

Ellis’s normally fair face was flushed crimson, as if engorged with blood. She glared furiously at the disoriented Larry. ‘I was so worried about him, and the first thing he does upon waking is grope me!’

‘He usually seems so virtuous; it turns out he’s just a sanctimonious beast!’

Ellis snatched her bathrobe, threw it on, and then, cracking her knuckles, advanced towards Larry.

Larry, jolted awake by the pain, broke out in a cold sweat as he recalled what had just transpired. Swallowing hard, he spoke to Ellis, who was still approaching him. “It was just a misunderstanding, can you understand?”

Ellis was enveloped in a thick, dark aura, even more profound than the shadowy energy from Mitchell’s elemental staff.

“Understand? Hehehe, of course I can understand. How could I not? Considering our years of brotherhood, I won’t kill you.”

Larry cautiously suggested, “Could you perhaps go a little easier?”

Ellis violently pulled Larry up. “You dare say that after what you just did? I’m going to test if the legendary ‘physical amnesia’ method is actually real!”

Larry watched Ellis slowly raise her fist, shouting in terror, “No, no, don’t!”

A tremendous crash echoed through the room. Since this particular room had been carefully chosen by the staff for its excellent soundproofing and secluded location, no one came to investigate the commotion for quite some time.

Half an hour later, Larry sat, bruised and swollen, on what remained of the bed.

Ellis, her face cold, was using elemental arts to heal him.

“Turns out everything online is a lie. ‘Physical amnesia,’ my foot! I hit your head that hard, and you still haven’t lost your memory.”

“But you almost killed me,” Larry complained.

Ellis glared, roaring, “And whose fault is that?! I treated you like a brother, and you dared to grope me!”

Larry jumped in fright, quickly explaining, “I completely lost my mind at the time! Look, I’m a total novice; I’ve never seen such a sight! A beautiful woman, completely exposed, squatting within arm’s reach, and with such perfect form… any normal man would want to test the feel! There was no ‘brotherhood’ in my mind then. Besides, wasn’t there a saying in our previous life? If you turn into a woman, let your brothers enjoy it first or something like that.”

“Hiss, Mitchell!”

Ellis gasped, drawing a sharp breath. That scoundrel still harbored wicked intentions and dared to spout such nonsense!

She decisively summoned Mitchell.

“Hi! Lady of the Bath! Fantastic! What can I do for you?!”

“Shut up!”

Ellis snatched Mitchell in her hand, rudely interrupting his flattery. After applying various buffs to herself, she aimed him at Larry.

Larry sat up rigidly, then watched in horror as Ellis’s elemental staff slowly moved from above his head to a certain important part of his lower body.

Larry quickly grabbed Ellis’s hand, pushing it upwards. “Wait, what are you doing!!!”

Ellis glared at the frantic Larry, struggling to lower the elemental staff.

“You beast! Not only do you not try to change me back, but you’re also plotting against me, lusting after my body! Watch me confiscate your ‘tools of the trade’!”

“Oh oh oh! Angry Lady! I propose using the Corrosive Art! Nothing less will make this ugly man understand the consequences!”

“Corrosive Art, Corrosive Art… yes, let me think about which elemental art converts into Corrosive Art.”

“No, you mustn’t! You mustn’t!”

“Huff, huff, huff.”

Ultimately, Ellis could not overpower Larry. She lay panting on the only relatively intact bed in the room.

Larry’s method of using elemental energy was ‘Specialization.’ While it lacked the flexibility and versatility of ‘Arts,’ it significantly boosted his physical strength, attack power, and defense.

Moreover, Larry’s unique trait was ‘Heaven’s Gift,’ a rather overpowered existence that doubled his physical strength, curse resistance, and elemental energy resistance. Most crucially, it had no drawbacks! It wasn’t like Ellis, who had to meticulously control her elemental energy when using arts.

However, despite being unable to defeat him physically, it didn’t stop Ellis from killing Larry with her eyes.

Stare!

Larry said, “…Aren’t you very tired today? You should get some sleep.”

“Beast,” Ellis spat out coldly, pulling her clothes tighter around herself, trying to find a sense of security.

The more she dwelled on it, the more prominent the lingering sensation became, as if Larry’s hand was still there.

A blush rapidly spread across Ellis’s face. She bit her lip, cursed him as a “scumbag!” and then simply turned her back, choosing to ignore him to ease her mind.

Larry curled up on the half-destroyed bed, staring blankly at Ellis’s back.

He extended the hand that had touched Ellis’s ‘cotton’ out in front of him. Larry cursed himself, “That’s my brother, what are you so eager for?! You should at least wait until she’s willing.”

Larry’s words were barely a whisper, like a mosquito, terrified Ellis might hear him.

Then, Larry too huddled in the corner and fell into a deep slumber, exhausted by the day’s events.