The Holy Knight Embraces the Imprinted Succubus - Chapter 4

“A-ah, no…! I’m fine…!”

Rosanna clung desperately to Dahlia’s arm as if grasping a lifeline tied to her very existence.

Surprised by the unexpected reaction, Dahlia tilted her head in confusion.

‘Wasn’t she asking for Lord Raphael?’

After all, it was Raphael who had rescued her from the Black Forest. Naturally, she thought Rosanna would want to see her savior first thing upon waking.

Even aside from that, the Duke of Caissen was such a strikingly handsome man that no woman could help but fall for him.

Rosanna’s reaction defied expectation. She trembled like she’d heard the name of someone who had once threatened her life.

Considering the victims’ trauma, Dahlia had been assigned precisely because she was a female knight. But this woman’s wariness far exceeded what she’d anticipated.

Dahlia decided to calm the frightened woman down first.

“At any rate, I’m relieved you’ve regained consciousness. We were worried, since you remained unresponsive for days. This is the medical tent at the military base where the Holy Knights are currently stationed.”

With a kind smile, Dahlia explained Rosanna’s current situation.

A brief self-introduction, where they were now, the horrors committed by the wretched demon-worshippers who deserved to be torn limb from limb, and the resulting state Rosanna had been found in.

Yet, the more she explained, the lower Rosanna’s head dropped. As if something were weighing her down, her gaze remained fixed to her knees, refusing to lift. Dahlia assumed it was simply fear.

“But you don’t need to worry anymore. Miss Rosanna, we’ll take full responsibility and make sure you return safely home.”

As she listened, Rosanna couldn’t meet Dahlia’s eyes.

She wasn’t someone who needed to be saved by them.

***

The next day, after confirming there were no major health issues, Rosanna was moved to another tent.

There, six other women in similar circumstances were present. Each of them had been dragged into this due to the sacrificial rituals of the apostates.

Just like with the man before, none of the others noticed that Rosanna was a half-blood.

But even while living in the same space, eating and sleeping alongside them, Rosanna could not relax for a single moment.

On the fifth day since her arrival in the human world, as the afternoon wore on, Dahlia, the Holy Knight from the temple, visited the women’s tent.

“I’m sorry, but could I ask for your help with something?”

She was asking for assistance with preparing dinner.

Normally, dinner should have already been ready by this time, but the prepared ingredients had spoiled due to the Black Forest’s fickle climate.

‘Cooking…?’

Rosanna felt her vision darken. She had never cooked anything in her life.

Fortunately, she was assigned the simplest task: washing vegetables.

On the way to the lake with a basket of vegetables, Dahlia seemed worried and offered to accompany her.

“You really don’t need to worry. I’ll be back quickly.”

Reassuring Dahlia, Rosanna followed her directions to the lake near the base. The farther she got from the camp, the quicker her steps became.

In truth, she intended to escape.

It wasn’t a lie that she couldn’t cook, but this was an unexpected opportunity.

‘Run. I won’t get another chance like this.’

Inside the camp, it was hard to escape prying eyes.

They had saved her life, yes, but staying here was too dangerous. Most importantly…

‘My pheromones might awaken…’

Though the probability was very low…

Pheromones were what made the succubus race part of the upper demon ranks.

A scent that seduced, captivated, and ultimately shattered the opponent’s reason to dominate their mind.

Rosanna had recently completed her coming-of-age ceremony as a succubus. Yet, she still hadn’t shown any sign of pheromone awakening.

Compared to Damion, who awakened his pheromones just past age fourteen, it was stark.

She should’ve awakened them before the ceremony. Perhaps it was due to her unstable half-blood nature. Rosanna still remained powerless.

‘Yes. This is the right thing to do.’

No matter how she looked at it, remaining in the knights’ base was far too dangerous.

The moment she came to that decision, a sudden tremor ran through her body.

A symptom that struck without warning. Her head spun, her breathing constricted.

She opened her mouth, trying to inhale somehow, but it felt like her heart was being crushed.

As her body began to fail her, fear surged.

‘What’s happening…?’

Her strength gave out, and the vegetables she had been holding spilled onto the ground.

She vaguely thought she should pick them up, but that thought, too, soon vanished.

Amid the dull noise of the vegetables rolling, she failed to notice an unfamiliar set of footsteps approach.

“It seems you’re unwell.”

A calm, cool voice assessed her state. Rosanna instinctively turned her head, forgetting her body wouldn’t obey.

It was almost primal. Black hair. That man. She tried to move her legs, but the result was the opposite of what she hoped.

“Ah…”

Collapsing with weakened legs, she kicked feebly. But her body wouldn’t respond, and she curled up tightly.

Please, just walk away.

At the very least, don’t notice anything.

“So, you plan to collapse in front of me again?”

Perhaps sensing the presence that had stopped in front of her, the girl’s hunched shoulders flinched slightly. To Raphael, the scene was all too familiar, almost reminiscent of something from the past.

There it was again.

Falling over, hair a mess, clothes stained with dirt. And trembling in fear of him.

This time, whatever the ailment was, the girl was gasping rapidly as if she couldn’t breathe properly.

When Raphael knelt on one knee before her, her slender nape trembled like a deer caught in a predator’s jaws.

A clear sign of rejection. Raphael ignored it and gently supported her waist.

With a small cry, the girl flailed her arms reflexively, but he ignored that too and leaned her against a nearby tree.

“Do you know what part of you is in pain?”

Her large, reddish eyes quivered as they stared at him. Eyes like a deer caught in headlights—or a terrified rabbit.

The girl curled in on herself again and simply shook her head. She looked too afraid to even meet his gaze.

Well, it was to be expected.

Raphael glanced at her delicate face, barely hiding its fear beneath disheveled hair.

She clearly remembered their first meeting—when he’d aimed a blood-stained sword at her neck.

She must’ve thought he was going to lay a hand on her again.

He could hear her rapid breathing as if it were brushing against his ear. Her flushed lips exhaled uneven breaths.

A droplet of blood clung to her lips, as if she had bitten them hard at some point.

She already saw him as an enemy and was suffering alone.

“Try to breathe deeply and slowly.”

“……”

“What’s making you so anxious? Relax your body. I’m only checking your condition.”

Her red eyes rippled slightly in response. Whether she actually understood his words was unclear.

Her eyes were hazy and distant, as if soaked in water. So transparent, they seemed as though they might reflect him—yet they weren’t truly looking at him.

“All right.”

She closed her eyes.

Once he confirmed that she exhaled just as he instructed, Raphael slowly leaned in to examine her condition.

At a glance, there were no external injuries. Her knee had scraped slightly when she fell, but that wasn’t enough to cause this.

Suddenly, Raphael froze.

‘…The scent.’

It felt like the scent had taken a step closer. For a brief moment, Raphael left himself unguarded.

The next instant, he saw a face fill his vision—the girl who, just moments ago, had needed his help.

And then a warm breath scattered across his lips. Moist, tingling, and melting.

With trembling hands, she clutched his collar tightly, her small tongue trying to pry between his lips.

Surprise and a flicker of emotion passed through his calm blue eyes.

Yes, this girl had made a move on him. As unbelievable as it seemed, the situation spoke for itself.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

When Raphael pushed her away with his hand, her light body fell off with ease.

She didn’t lift her head right away and simply panted with hunched shoulders.

His narrowed eyes stared at her face as if dissecting her. Her actions clearly called for an explanation.

“You’d better answer properly.”

“……”

“Depending on what you say, my next move will change.”

Raphael’s voice was low and subdued.

But he wasn’t asking because he was genuinely curious. Her behavior was predictable to the point of tedium.

A woman with nothing but her body trying to seduce a nobleman with status.

He’d seen it more times than he could count.

“I…”

A faint voice trickled out from the girl lying at his feet. Her pale, clenched fingers trembled ever so slightly.

Fear. Trembling? Her voice was too quiet to decipher the emotion.

The girl, her head buried toward the ground, slowly raised it. Her eyes, red as rubies, climbed his face and locked with his.

In those wavering eyes, there was only Raphael.

“I want you…”

Raphael took a moment to roll those few words over in his mind.

An unidentified girl had stolen his lips without permission and now dared to say she wanted him. Something that should never have happened—something that could never be.

He stared back into the seductive eyes of the girl making such a plea. Eyes far too innocent for someone asking to be held. To say she wanted him…

A cold, sigh-like smile flickered on Raphael’s lips.

He remembered how he had hesitated just moments earlier, even though he could’ve easily stopped her.

There was, admittedly, something captivating about those eyes.

His hesitation didn’t last long.

“What’s your name?”

“…Rosanna.”

Taking a step closer, Raphael bent toward the girl still awkwardly collapsed on the ground.

With slow movements, he placed his hand on her shoulder.

“What you want…”

Her uncertain eyes followed his hand. Then, with a firm push, he pinned her shoulder to the ground.

“…must be this.”

Raphael firmly grasped her chin with one hand. Forcing her mouth open roughly, he thrust his tongue inside.