She let out a warm sigh as she felt his touch moving lower and lower.
Arthur interpreted that as tacit permission.
His hands slid even further down, finding their way inside her damp panties.
His fingers played with her clit the moment his hand slipped beneath the fabric.
"Nnn... wait, don't!" Jeanne moaned as she tried to suppress her sounds.
Arthur smiled with a trace of mischief on his lips while his hand sank deeper, pressing against the vulva already overflowing with sticky fluids.
"You're already this wet, Jeanne," Arthur murmured. "You really enjoy being teased, don't you?"
She bit her lips, eyes watery with embarrassment, struggling to hold back the moans threatening to escape. Every attempt she made to stay quiet only excited him more, fueling his desire to draw even more sounds from her.
With a precise movement, he pushed one finger inside her entrance, feeling the burning walls tighten around him. Soon, the wet slit stretched wider, making room for two, then three fingers as she opened herself to him.
Her insides trembled, wrapping around his fingers with an urgency that surprised him. Jeanne let out a series of sensual moans, her clenched fists wrinkling the sheets while her chest rose and fell in frantic waves.
"Hngh!"
Arthur thrust harder with his fingers, finding a relentless rhythm while sealing her lips with a deep kiss, muffling her cries of pleasure. She struggled against the wave of ecstasy, but soon gave in as the orgasm consumed her.
He pulled his soaked fingers from her vagina and brought them to his lips to taste her before sliding his hands to squeeze her breasts, her hardened nipples brushing against his palms.
"We're only getting started, Jeanne," Arthur said while removing the rest of his clothes.
---xXx---
How much time had already passed since they started?
Arthur honestly had no idea anymore, nor did he care.
He had already reached his limit three times inside Jeanne, completely painting her insides with his color.
Even so, Arthur showed no real signs of exhaustion.
As if his absurd stamina simply ignored the normal concept of fatigue entirely.
The two had completely given themselves to each other without any restraint over the past few hours.
Her moans had gradually become so loud that Arthur was honestly grateful he had remembered to raise a sound barrier around the room before things truly got out of control.
"...You're seriously still not tired?" Jeanne whispered between uneven breaths.
She was partially lying on top of his chest after spending quite some time riding him while staying above him.
Even after finally getting some rest, her voice still came out slightly shaky.
She had already climaxed more times than she could count.
"...You're a monster," Jeanne muttered softly while slightly averting her gaze, clearly trying to preserve whatever pride she still had left.
Arthur simply chuckled quietly at that.
"Funny hearing that coming from you."
Jeanne immediately shot him an irritated glare.
"...Shut up."
Despite the aggressive tone, she moved closer to him again right afterward.
As if her own body had decided to completely ignore the pride she was desperately trying to maintain.
"...You're really honest at inconvenient moments," Arthur laughed while holding her by the waist.
"If you keep talking..." Jeanne muttered dangerously as she narrowed her eyes, "I'll rip out your tongue and hang it on the wall."
"How romantic." He laughed while pulling her closer.
"...Die, you pervert."
Even while saying that, she still kissed him.
That scene alone would have been enough to make anyone seriously doubt that this woman was the same Avenger from Orleans.
Arthur simply slowly caressed her hair while deepening the kiss even further.
For a few seconds, only the sound of their kissing echoed through the room.
Until Jeanne finally realized what she was doing and froze.
"..."
Then she immediately broke the kiss and pulled back a few centimeters, her ears slightly red.
"...Don't get used to this."
Arthur smiled.
"It's already too late."
"...Bastard."
Even so, Jeanne didn't seem genuinely angry.
She was just tired and strangely at peace.
Perhaps meeting that perverted man once again had some kind of calming effect on her.
---xXx---
The following morning, Arthur and Jeanne finally came downstairs from the tavern's second floor.
The atmosphere on the main floor was already fairly lively.
Mash was talking with Ritsuka, Olga, and Romani while organizing several things on the table.
Anna was sitting quietly in a corner drinking tea.
Merlin was enthusiastically discussing something involving apple pies with Atalanta.
What seemed to be a dangerously random conversation.
"...I'm telling you, an extra light layer of cinnamon would completely change the experience," Merlin commented with a serene smile.
"Too much cinnamon ruins the apple flavor, Merlin," Atalanta immediately replied with an expression far too serious for someone discussing desserts. "Balance is essential for a good experience."
"Fufu~ so you're the traditional type?"
"Naturally. One should not disrespect the main fruit."
Ritsuka watched all of that with a completely blank expression.
"...Why are you two debating apple pies so seriously?"
"Never underestimate a woman protecting something she loves," Merlin answered solemnly.
"We're talking about pies, Merlin," Atalanta said.
Despite still conversing, Atalanta was the first to notice Arthur and Jeanne coming down the stairs.
Her eyes immediately slid toward Arthur.
Then toward Jeanne, who, despite desperately trying to maintain her cold and threatening demeanor, seemed visibly calmer and much closer to him.
Then Atalanta looked back at Arthur while a small smile slowly appeared on her lips.
"...So?" she asked calmly. "Was the conversation productive?"
"Extremely productive, Kitty," Arthur replied immediately without the slightest hesitation.
Then, without any ceremony, he approached Atalanta and began stroking those things on her head that looked like animal ears.
"..."
Atalanta froze for a moment, her feline ears twitching slightly at his touch.
Then her eyes softened almost instantly.
"...Hm."
She clearly enjoyed it far more than she intended to show.
Even so, she tried to preserve some dignity.
"...You keep treating Servants like house pets, Arthur," she muttered with closed eyes.
"And you keep immediately accepting my affection, Atalanta."
"..."
Atalanta slightly looked away.
"...Don't confuse this with submission."
Her hands, however, discreetly grabbed the sleeve of his clothes.
Merlin immediately covered her mouth with a hand while trying to hide her smile.
"...Ara."
Jeanne watched that entire scene silently while slowly narrowing her eyes.
"...You're pathetic," she muttered.
Atalanta turned her eyes toward her.
"What did you say?"
Jeanne crossed her arms while letting out a mocking laugh.
"You practically purr whenever he touches those ridiculous ears," Jeanne cruelly replied. "What is it? Have you become a little house cat now?"
A vein popped on Atalanta's forehead.
"...Say that again, charred scarecrow."
"Oho?" Jeanne smiled dangerously. "Did the wild cat get angry?"
"..."
Atalanta took a deep breath, the idea of immediately pulling out her bow and turning that woman into a pincushion crossing her mind.
Arthur immediately started petting her ears again the moment he noticed how irritated she was becoming.
Her tension almost instantly faded.
"..."
Ritsuka widened her eyes.
"...She really calmed down."
"That's terrifying," Anna quietly muttered while staring fearfully at Arthur's hands.
Atalanta noticed the silence around her, then slowly closed her eyes in irritation, naturally not moving her head away from his hands.
"...Don't say anything."
Merlin was practically dying from holding back laughter.
"...This is surprisingly cute."
"...Shut up, flower mage."
While Arthur was completely focused on Atalanta's ears, Ritsuka looked toward Jeanne.
"..."
Mash also blinked a few times while looking at her.
"...Senpai," Mash called softly.
"Yes?"
"...You and Jeanne..." she tried to ask, but simply couldn't finish the sentence.
Jeanne immediately froze.
"Yes, Mash," Arthur answered with a dangerously satisfied smile while finally letting go of Atalanta.
Unconsciously, he started patting Mash's head as he spoke.
Mash immediately relaxed.
'Damn, I'm really in a great mood today,' Arthur thought in amusement.
Jeanne nearly stumbled when she heard Arthur confirm it so casually.
Her face instantly turned red as memories of the previous night mercilessly crossed her mind.
"Y-You—"
She immediately turned her face away while pulling her cloak up to hide her expression.
Arthur couldn't hold back his laughter at her reaction.
Seeing that cruel, sadistic, terrifying Avenger getting embarrassed like that was honestly far too adorable.
"You seem pretty irritated," he casually commented while moving his hands away from Mash.
"...I'm going to kill you," Jeanne said through gritted teeth.
"Uh-huh."
"I'm serious, I really am going to kill you."
"Of course you are."
"AAAAAAAAARTHUR!!" Jeanne roared.
Merlin burst into laughter immediately.
Atalanta placed a hand over her face while sighing deeply.
"...You're still such a troublesome woman, Jeanne."
'So she finally admitted her feelings.' Atalanta thought while watching Jeanne nearly explode from embarrassment and anger simultaneously.
Jeanne immediately glared at her.
"Shut up, stray cat."
"...Want to die?"
"Would you two stop acting like children?" Anna asked dryly.
"..."
The two looked at her.
Then both turned their faces away at the same time with a huff.
Arthur simply laughed while casually walking toward the kitchen after, once again, giving affection to all of them along the way.
Even Olga received a blown kiss through the communicator.
{"...Why am I even still on this call?"} Olga muttered from the other side, completely exhausted.
"Because you like us," Arthur immediately replied.
{"I hate all of you."}
"That's a lie."
{"I especially hate you."}
"That's definitely a lie, Olga."
"Since I'm in such a good mood today..." Arthur casually said while entering the kitchen, "I'll personally make breakfast."
Anna immediately raised her head in disbelief.
Even Mash looked surprised.
"...Since when do you cook?" Ritsuka asked.
Arthur looked back with a slightly offended expression.
"Ritsuka."
"...Yes?"
"I'm tall, rich, handsome, strong, and intelligent. I can do anything and I have everything."
"..."
"..."
"...Somehow, that was absurdly irritating," Ritsuka muttered.
"But he's not wrong," Merlin casually commented.
"You shut up too, Merlin," Ritsuka immediately replied.
"...I don't think I was the only one who saw you licking your lips while looking at him."
"..."
Merlin froze upon hearing those words.
"...Oho?" Jeanne murmured.
Merlin lightly coughed while maintaining the elegant smile on her face.
"...Well, that's perfectly natural."
"Natural my ass!" Ritsuka immediately shot back.
Merlin merely rested her face on her hand while watching Arthur in the distance.
"After all..." she softly said, "that man stole my first kiss."
"..."
"..."
"..."
The silence that filled the room was absolute.
(End of Chapter)