NOVPUB
Chapter 80: Just Because...
Nathan stepped forward, adjusting his eyes to the daylight that greeted him once more. His body still felt damp, and the sweat on his back hadn’t dried yet.
He looked around.
Across the stream, Validia was crouching while drinking. Her shield-sized hand cupped the water, and she sipped it like a little kid who’d never been taught manners.
Nathan gave a small smile.
His eyes drifted farther.
Domina and Livia were beneath the shade of the Prunus Vitalis tree he had nurtured. Thin smoke curled from the grill above the cooked Blacksteel Boar. Domina was busy carving the meat, while Livia was already tasting it with an expression far too pleased for something that hadn’t even been seasoned yet.
Nathan swallowed. Thirsty.
He leapt across the shallow stream, his feet landing lightly on the damp ground. Without much thought, he knelt down and scooped water with both hands, ready to take a sip.
Suddenly—
POKE.
Something touched his butt from behind.
Nathan flinched and turned his head instantly.
Validia — with that big head of hers — was grinning at him. Her giant index finger still extended, her expression innocent, like a toddler who just discovered a fun button on her new plush toy.
Nathan sighed, then smiled along.
Typical, he muttered. He drank the rest of the water from his hands, glancing at Validia who was now sitting again, drinking like nothing had ever happened.
Their innocence... Nathan thought.
Would it disappear if they remembered the forbidden memory? The question came with no answer.
Only the flow of water, the rustling of leaves, and the scent of grilled meat guiding him slowly toward Domina and Livia.
Nathan’s steps felt heavy yet light.
Does their kindness... exist because of something that’s being suppressed inside that forbidden memory?
He glanced at the sky for a moment.
Then looked back down.
Two monster girls were waiting for him — one with a piece of meat, the other with a greedy, playful smile.
And all Nathan could do was walk — closing the distance, ready to dive into a friendly atmosphere powered by hunger and horny tension that kept crashing into each other.
Nathan sat beside Domina, his body still warm from walking under the sun and drinking from the river.
Livia immediately greeted him with a wide grin. "Let’s eat!!" she shouted, like a kid too excited to wait for the birthday cake.
Domina turned to him. Her smile... was different. Calm. Gentle. Like the smile of a mother watching her child return home after a long day of playing outside.
Without a word, Domina took a piece of freshly grilled Blacksteel Boar—still steaming, edges slightly charred. She didn’t use a knife. Her sharp claws were precise enough to slice it clean, like a high-end gourmet carving tool.
Then, she brought the meat close to Nathan’s face. Very close. Its aroma drifted through the air like an invitation from a kitchen too cozy to be suspicious.
Nathan didn’t accept it immediately.
He looked at Domina for a moment—their bunny eyes calm. Not overly expressive, but warm enough.
Domina, Nathan murmured inside. 𝒏𝒐𝙫𝙥𝙪𝙗.𝒄𝙤𝙢
Her personality’s all over the place. Sometimes she’s mature. Sometimes she’s like a teasing big sister... and sometimes... like a mother.
Unconsciously, he gave a faint smile. Then opened his mouth and accepted the meat from Domina’s hand.
The meat entered his mouth—hot, tender, slightly metallic, but filled with energy.
He chewed slowly.
Around him, the leaves swayed, the river kept flowing, and two Monster Girls stared at him as if he were the only man worth feeding... and loving, in their weird, absurd way.
Nathan remained aware, chewing as his thoughts whispered:
They’re like this because I’m the only human here. I’m not special. But I shouldn’t belittle their sincerity just because of that.
Gulp. He swallowed the meat.
[Ding!]
You have consumed [Blacksteel Boar’s Meat].
You gained 10 XP.
New Skill Acquired: [Blacksteel Temper]
[Skill: Blacksteel Temper (Lv.1)]
Increases your physical defense by 30%.
Your skin hardens to resist cuts and blunt impacts.
---
Domina chuckled softly. "You really like making panels appear, huh," she said, her voice gentle—like a mother humoring her kid who plays too many games.
Livia clicked her tongue lightly. "Tsk... tsk... Nathan is weird," she added with a crooked smile, her eyes narrowing like someone analyzing a piece of abstract art that only the creator could ever understand.
Nathan grinned as he slowly chewed the remaining Blacksteel Boar meat in his mouth.
"Heh... as weird as your head when it popped out of the hole earlier," he replied casually. "Looked like a bloody piece of shit." He chuckled.
Livia went silent.
Her eyes widened. Her face shifted—from cheerful to aesthetically vengeful. "Hah??"
Nathan glanced sideways and—
Too late.
Livia had already leapt forward, her body moving like a wild rabbit raised in a military bunker. In a flash, she was right behind him.
"Wuh—!" Nathan flinched, not fast enough to react.
PLUP.
Livia’s arms wrapped tightly around him from behind, hugging him like a premium bolster straight out of the laundry.
"W—Wait! Let go—"
BITE~
"OWW!" Nathan winced.
Livia bit his cheek—not hard, but firm enough to deliver one very specific message: you have chosen violence against a creature who knows no mercy.
"Ywouu... litlwleell Nathuahhnn..." Livia mumbled from behind him, her mouth still glued to his cheek, her teeth pinching his skin with the spoiled-aggressive posture of a bunny enacting cute revenge too adorable to kick away.
Domina just watched with a faint smile, her eyes narrowing like an older sister who knows full well that no matter how much her younger siblings bicker, none of them ever really intend to hurt each other.
Livia finally released her bite with a tiny plup sound. Her caramel breasts also pulled back from pressing against Nathan’s back.
Then, without giving him a second to breathe, she crawled around to his front and pinched his nose between two fingers.
"You little—!" she grumbled, shaking Nathan’s head side to side like a broken doll. Her caramel breasts jiggled along with the motion.
Eventually, the pinch was released, and Livia let out a small laugh as she sat back down in her spot.
"But whatever... you’re starting to act normal now, hehehee..." She smiled.
Nathan wiped his cheek, still damp from the bite.
"Normal?" he murmured softly.
He looked at Livia, who was now sitting again, casually swinging her legs like nothing had happened.
Yeah... their standard of normal really isn’t the same as humans.
Nathan let out a short sigh, then smiled faintly.
There was a strange kind of relief that came from accepting absurdity as a part of daily life.
Domina, without a word, offered another piece of meat.
Her hand extended calmly, like a mother who just knows her child isn’t full yet—even if he doesn’t ask.
Nathan accepted it with a small nod.
They continued eating in peaceful silence, accompanied only by birdsong and the trickle of the nearby stream.
A few moments later, after finishing their meal and washing up, Domina let out a small yawn.
"I think... it’s nap time," she said, gently rubbing her belly.
Livia immediately raised her hand. "Agreed!" she said cheerfully. "But let’s nap right here, okay? Under this tree."
She looked up at the Prunus Vitalis above them, its leaves swaying softly, their shadows dancing gently across the grass.
"Just like Nathan did before," Livia added, tilting her head.
"It’s really cool here," Domina nodded in agreement.
Nathan stayed silent. He gazed at the tree’s shifting shadow, then looked at the two Monster Girls already lying down randomly on the grass like tired kids after a swim.
The two sexy Rabbit Fighters fell asleep quickly.
Nathan glanced toward Validia—the giantess.
She was squatting not far from them, sorting the sapoa logs. Her massive hands lifted each slender trunk and placed them into separate piles. Her movements were slow. Consistent. Like someone sorting matchsticks based on each one’s mood.
Nathan walked closer.
"Validia," he called. "Aren’t you taking a nap?"
Validia didn’t look his way. "No."
Her answer was short, but calm.
Her deep voice sounded like a female security guard who’s way too kind to be working in a criminal world.
"Why?" Nathan asked again.
Validia finally turned her head slightly, her expression as blank as always.
"If I nap, too many bugs land on my lower part," she said plainly, like she was presenting a scientific fact in a classroom.
Nathan went silent.
His eyes reflexively glanced at Validia’s body.
More precisely... her lower body.
With a pussy that huge... he thought, she must really have a hard time relaxing.
Nathan’s gaze slowly climbed back up to Validia’s face.
He swallowed discreetly, then forced his eyes toward the nearest sapoa tree—trying not to derail his thoughts too far from today’s moral baseline.
Validia returned to sorting her sapoa logs.
Nathan just stood there... unsure whether he should offer help or start imagining what kind of underwear would be architecturally plausible for a giant woman like her.
Validia suddenly stopped.
Her hand, which had just been lifting a sapoa log as thick as a human thigh, froze mid-air. Her eyes stared straight ahead—but not at the wood.
At Nathan.
"Nathan," she said, her voice heavy but flat. "Can you stay inside the hole with me tomorrow?"
Nathan frowned. "Hole?"
Validia still didn’t turn. "Yeah, inside the hole. My hole."
Nathan froze.
His brain momentarily assembled several scenarios involving darkness, humidity, and the sound of dripping water—then hurriedly deleted them all.
"W-why?" he murmured.
Validia answered without hesitation.
"Because.... tommorow is Eclipse day."
