Chapter 11: You Can't Think That Way
The golden apple's effect was nothing short of immediate. Almost the moment Steven passed the warmth from his mouth into Gladiia's, he felt her weak, uneven breathing grow steady again.
But just as he was about to pull away, the once-bewildered girl suddenly looped her arms around his neck.
Before Steven could react, the faint fragrance of her breath overtook the lingering taste of the golden apple, filling his mouth in an instant.
His brain short-circuited on the spot.
A pure-hearted boy who, before transmigrating, had never even held a girl's hand—how on earth was he supposed to endure this level of intimacy?!
His mind went blank, reduced to nothing but the sensation of her lips and that indescribable sweetness. Even after fighting countless monsters, never once losing focus, Steven now finally understood what people meant by "everything going black."
Only when Gladiia finally released him, arms slipping from his neck as though she'd had her fill, did his awareness crawl back into his body.
There he stood—eyes blank, body stiff, ragged clothes hanging from him—looking very much like someone who had just been… well, violated.
What could he even say? It felt too good. So good, in fact, he couldn't even decide what to think.
So this was what kissing a beautiful girl felt like?
Clicking his tongue, Steven savored the lingering sweetness in his mouth, a dangerous thought stirring in his chest—that maybe, just maybe, he wanted more.
But the moment his gaze fell upon Gladiia's still-innocent, unclouded eyes, his fleeting desire evaporated.
Clearly, she hadn't acted because his overwhelming masculine charm had driven her wild. No—her mind was still like that of a child. Her actions had been nothing more than an instinctive response to heal herself, like a dying traveler clawing desperately toward water.
Steven shook his head violently, scattering every single indecent thought.
If Gladiia had done this while fully conscious… then yes, as a healthy young man, it would've been criminal to stop halfway.
But right now? She was still just an amnesiac child. If he couldn't control himself under these circumstances, then he might as well swap his brain with his lower half.
"Dad?"
Watching his strange reaction, Gladiia tilted her head, still savoring the taste of the liquid her "Dad" had fed her. To her, it was sweeter than any candy.
Her once-pale face now carried a hint of color, golden sparkles drifting faintly across her body—the lingering effects of the golden apple. Clearly, the healing had worked.
But memory, it seemed, was a different matter. Even a golden apple couldn't cure something lodged deep within her mind.
"…Can't you call me 'big brother' instead? I really don't want to randomly jump a whole generation in family titles."
Steven chuckled wryly as he checked her condition again.
Her breathing was strong, her pulse steady. At least she was no longer on death's door. Only then did he try to negotiate.
The girl only tilted her head again, uncomprehending.
"Dad. Do it again."
Not only that—she leaned forward, pressing her small face against his, like a child still hungry for her father's attention.
But this time, Steven wasn't going to let her have her way.
He casually pressed her back down onto the bed, then fixed his gaze firmly on the girl's eyes. His expression was all seriousness, the kind of look an elder would wear when scolding a misbehaving child.
"What just happened—you're not allowed to do that again. If you do, I won't take care of you anymore."
He didn't know when this girl would recover her memories, nor whether she would still remember her current "dark history" by then. But at the very least, he had to do his part properly.
Feeding her the golden apple had been out of necessity. Anything beyond that would just be taking advantage of her amnesia.
And as a proud "pure love" believer, Steven absolutely couldn't accept that.
The moment Gladiia heard the words "I won't take care of you", her expression shifted into panic.
She might not understand most of what Steven said in her childlike state, but the fear of abandonment—that was something rooted in everyone's heart.
Her small hands clutched desperately at his arm, her pitiful gaze fixed on him as she nodded frantically, as though letting go for even a second would mean he'd vanish forever.
Steven let out a bitter chuckle and muttered so under his breath.
"…Seriously, why do humans act like animals, imprinting on the first person they lay eyes on?"
At least his second kiss was safe for now.
Gladiia's attachment to him was a bit much. Maybe it was the biological instinct he mentioned, but he couldn't shake the feeling she had simply grown up starved for fatherly affection.
After all, the more someone lacked something, the harder they clung to it once they finally had it.
But what could he do now? All he could hope for was that when she eventually regained her memories, she wouldn't come at him too hard over all this.
Then again, the memory of her clean, ruthless strike that had skewered a Seaborn earlier flashed through his mind, and Steven couldn't help but swallow hard.
There was no way something like this wouldn't blow up, right? Especially considering what they'd just done…
Forget it. No point worrying about disasters that hadn't happened yet. Better to enjoy the fun right in front of him.
It's not like he'd lose to her anyway.
In most things, he might not be confident. But when it came to fighting, he could pound his chest proudly and declare that this was his specialty.
Now that Gladiia's injuries were mostly dealt with, he could finally free his hands to do what he wanted most: poke around and uncover the secrets this village was hiding.
After all, in this world, he had no ties and no real goals. But chasing after fun? Now that was something he could throw himself into wholeheartedly.
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Note: Character Illustration is in this Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iuyfwNVFHzIi9H4rWNT_lAm7jTSiah_M