Goddess's Vessel—a title given to women, for they are created in the image of the Goddess Luvira herself.
Their womb, an organ capable of giving birth to life, grants them the privilege to create Mana and use Magic.
Although they can slowly recover Mana on their own, having a lover—a man—who can provide his seed into her womb to ignite the creation of Mana is essential for a woman, especially for those fighting on the frontlines against the growing threat of monsters.
Men, meanwhile, despite not being able to use Magic, grow physically stronger with each lover they take—along with the quality of their seed becoming more potent.
Which is why it has become customary for a man to have multiple lovers and form a harem.
It was the kind of environment Kaori had grown up in, and she had grown overly tired of men inviting and courting her to be part of their harem.
It's not that she wasn't interested in having a lover and experiencing intimacy; rather, protecting her family was more important to her.
Or simply, she still hadn't encountered a man she was interested in—until she met Lu-el.
Her interest wasn't, of course, just based on Lu-el's good looks, muscular frame, and massive size—though Kaori wouldn't deny that those were part of her standards.
Lu-el came to her rescue without anything—no armor, no weapon, not even clothes.
He was ready to fight an overwhelming number of enemies despite having no experience in killing someone.
Of course, Kaori would know about it. After all, she herself threw up the first time she killed a human opponent.
She might call him a pervert, but in truth, she would be more annoyed if he didn't get excited and aroused in her presence.
Despite her turning down his approach, she was delighted that he was interested in her as well.
And now, their situation had led them to a turning point in their encounter.
"...Do it with me."
"Ehh?"
"Please make me your lover, Ms. Kaori."
Between the choices of killing herself, getting captured and defiled by the bandits only to be used as a bargaining chip for her family, or sharing intimacy with a pathetic moron she was only using for her personal goals, Kaori would rather do it with a man who risked his life for her.
She would rather give her first time and virginity to Lu-el and gain the chance to survive.
But she couldn't exactly say that without getting embarrassed and retreating into her tsundere personality.
"You..." Kaori grumbled as she stood, tossing Reiji aside and walking in front of Lu-el.
"You're just taking advantage of our desperate situation to get laid with me, aren't you?" she said, glaring down at him.
Lu-el slowly stood so as not to intimidate Kaori before giving his response.
"I won't deny that, but it's also true that I want to protect you, Ms. Kaori," Lu-el said as he stepped closer.
"If being your lover will give us a chance to survive, then I promise to be faithful to you!"
"Why would I believe that?! Are you saying you fell in love with me in this brief moment we've been together? That's ridiculous!"
Kaori tried to push Lu-el away, but he easily caught her hands and held them together before offering one last response.
"Even if it's ridiculous, it's inevitable that I will continue to fall in love with you if I stay by your side. So please give me a chance, Ms. Kaori."
Looking at her, Kaori's expression was a mixture of anger and embarrassment. She kept glaring daggers at Lu-el, yet she was unable to hide her blushing face.
Kaori's reaction made Lu-el sure that she wouldn't resist if he embraced her right now—which he did, and she truly didn't.
The cave fell into silence, heightening the tension that Lu-el felt as he waited for Kaori's answer.
After a while, Kaori finally spoke.
"I'm going to hunt you down if you ever dare cheat on us," Kaori said. Her anger was gone, yet her face was still blushing red.
"Us?"
Lu-el mumbled in confusion. But before he could ask what Kaori meant, she stood on her toes and pulled him down for a kiss.
Their kiss quickly turned intimate and passionate, lasting far longer than intended until their lips parted to catch their breath—only then did Lu-el and Kaori become aware of the sound of Reiji groaning on the floor.
"Argh—!"
"Let me just knock him out for a bit," Kaori said as she freed herself from Lu-el's embrace.
Lu-el, however, had a different plan, since sharing intimacy with Kaori in front of a sleeping Reiji might not count to complete the quest.
Before Kaori could kick Reiji in the face, Lu-el embraced her from behind.
"Ekk!"
Kaori shrieked in surprise—not from the embrace, but from Lu-el's hard, throbbing erection pressing against her soft rear, slipping under her towel and pressing against her back.
"Just wait a bit, pervert," she said, glancing over her shoulder.
"It's not that I can't wait," Lu-el replied, tightening his embrace with his arms wrapped around her waist.
"Rather, I think we should just let him watch."
"What? You want to do what Croc did to Sera and mock Reiji by showing him you're the one taking me?"
Her irritated tone and specific choice of words told Lu-el that Kaori would get mad if he gave an idiotic response.
Still, Lu-el had already kind of figured out Kaori's preferences. She could easily be swayed as long as he showed that he cared for her.
"Of course, I want to boast to him and other men that I'm your lover. But what I mean is, if he watches me take you, maybe he would finally stop bothering you."
Lu-el wasn't exactly sure what Kaori and Reiji's actual relationship was, but he was certain that Kaori would definitely cast him aside after they escaped and survived the bandits.
"Even if that would make him stop bothering me, there's no way I'm showing him my naked body," Kaori replied, her annoyance subsiding, secretly delighted that Lu-el was thinking about her.
"What if we dim the light so he can only faintly see us?"
Kaori continued to glance at Lu-el in silence, as if weighing her choices, until he kissed her again in an attempt to convince her.
Once their lips parted, Kaori gave her response.
"Fine... let's do that..." she murmured, catching her breath.
While Kaori dimmed the lantern just enough for them to see each other's faces—while Reiji could only see silhouettes—Lu-el quickly stacked fur blankets to make a makeshift bed.
"Argh—!"
Reiji continued groaning in protest, cursing Lu-el and begging Kaori not to give herself to him.
But Lu-el and Kaori had their attention only on each other.
"I know I'm the one who asked, but are you really fine with me, Ms. Kaori?" Lu-el said, pulling her closer with his hands on her waist.
"You're clearly the better choice..." Kaori murmured, unable to voice her true feelings as she avoided his eyes.
Still, she gathered her resolve and endured her bashfulness to show that she wanted to grow closer to him.
"Enough with that nonsense courtesy. Just call me Kaori."
"If that's what you want, Kaori," Lu-el said before removing the towel around his waist and exposing his massive, throbbing erection.
"It's not like you haven't seen it before," he teased, noticing Kaori's body tremble as she stared at his rod.
"It's not like I'm nervous," Kaori retorted, yet she shot back by removing her towel, finally giving him the pleasure of seeing her naked body
"You really are a pervert, aren't you?" Kaori teased with a nervous grin as she saw his rod twitch.
Her ample breasts, slender waist, and perfectly shaped hips—everything about her seductive, erotic figure—made Lu-el gradually lose his reason and self-restraint.
Still, he held back, knowing it was her first time.
"You're not gonna put it in yet?" Kaori asked as Lu-el sat down on the makeshift bed, guiding her to sit on his lap—his massive, throbbing erection pressing against her slender, enticing back.
"You're that excited about it?"
"Pervert—Ahh~!"
Kaori began to moan faintly as Lu-el caressed her thigh, feeling the warmth of her soft skin while gently fondling her breast.
"Not to brag, but I'm quite big. So it might hurt a lot if I don't get you wet enough first," Lu-el said before kissing her neck and shoulder, causing her moans to grow louder.
"Ahh~... Does that mean this isn't your first time... AHH~!"
Kaori moaned loudly as Lu-el's right hand began caressing her already soaked entrance.
"You are my first—"
Huh?
Lu-el paused. He was supposed to say that Kaori was his first in this world, but his words were suddenly cut short, as if stolen from his tongue.
Still, his incomplete response pleased Kaori enough for her to ask him to take her.
"Don't make me wait. Put it in already, Lu-el."