What did I just hear?
'My breasts…?'
Even after reconsidering, I couldn't believe it, but I definitely heard it.
-If you're okay with it, would you like to touch my breasts…?
Out of the blue?
Why?
Why would Iris, who's prettier than any famous celebrity could ever hope to be, make such a proposal to me?
'Could it be that I'm handsome by elf standards?'
It's just a vague guess, but just like beastkin women prefer men with bulky muscles, it's possible that I meet certain elven standards of beauty.
Of course, it was just a guess.
From the start, even if there are differences in aesthetic standards between humans and other races, I didn't think there was anything particularly outstanding about me.
'…Height?'
I am quite tall. The last time I measured, I was almost 190cm. Plus, Iris looked easily over 170cm.
Of course, height was the most likely reason, but just being a bit tall wasn't enough to warrant offering up one's chest.
Have I ever been this confused and embarrassed in my life?
I don't think so.
'…I don't think I'll find an answer even if I keep worrying about it.'
I decided not to try to guess the reason for the offer and moved on. There's no point in struggling with a problem when you don't know how to solve it, it's just a waste of time.
Besides, what's important now is how I respond to Iris's offer.
To yes or not to yes, that is the question.
Of course, my answer was yes.
What man in the world could refuse an offer from a woman as pretty and well-endowed as Iris?
If given the chance, I could fondle them all day long.
However, on the other hand, there was a possibility that this proposal was a test of sorts.
What if she was testing me to see if I was truly safe and harmless?
What if she unleashed magic on me the moment I tried to touch her while grinning like an idiot, calling me a shameless pervert?
Just imagining it sent shivers down my spine.
I really want to, I really want to touch them, but my life is more important than breasts. If I live, opportunities will come.
"…I'm sorry."
I pinched the inside of my thigh as hard as I could. I didn't think I could refuse without doing this.
"W-What do you mean…?"
"Even so, touching the breasts of a woman I've just met is a bit…"
The moment I saw Iris's expression, as if the world had collapsed, my heart ached as if I had committed a heinous crime.
Should I change my mind now?
But what if even that expression is just acting for the test?
"You don't want to touch my breasts…? Is it because I'm an elf?"
"N-No, that's not it!"
I was instantly terrified. There were more than a few celebrities who ruined their careers with racial slurs, and even ordinary people had to be careful about making them.
It's not that I like other races, but that's only for those who aren't humanoid.
If they're pretty, I don't care if they have horns or halos on their heads.
"Then you want to touch them…?"
"That's not…"
For a moment, I was reminded of a Möbius strip.
No matter how much I say no here, she'll definitely ask me again, 'Then you want to touch them?' What am I supposed to do?
I clutched my head, which was throbbing with a headache, and fell into contemplation again.
'Should I just close my eyes and touch them?'
My gaze naturally drifted to Iris's breasts. The proof of maternal love, which I had only seen in videos and pictures, looked massive and soft.
If you ask me if I want to touch them, I could dance until my shoulders dislocated.
Even though there's no exposure, how can they be so seductive? I'm dying to know how white and soft they are inside.
At first, I tried to avoid looking at them as much as possible and maintained an attitude of disinterest, but Iris's sudden offer has reached its limit.
"Hyunwoo…?"
While I was lost in thought, I smelled a pleasant fragrance from Iris, who had suddenly come closer.
A woman's fragrance that madly stimulates my lust.
And as I looked at Iris with teary eyes, I heard the sound of the end of my reason being cut off.
"…I want to touch them."
"Yes?"
I don't have much patience. I'm not very persistent either.
It's rational to think that there are no breasts worth risking my life for, but ironically, I can confidently say that I'm second to none when it comes to lust.
"I've wanted to touch them since the first time I met you. You're not going to refuse now, are you?"
I grabbed Iris's white, slender wrist and pressed her.
From the moment a woman who looks like she could sell a country by the powerful to a man who's never been on a date with a pretty woman, a woman of unparalleled beauty keeps sticking her face in front of me and seducing me, I've already been a victim, and she's the perpetrator.
"Oh, t-too close…"
Iris couldn't hide her embarrassment at Kang Hyunwoo's sudden, aggressive change.
The thought that she might be left alone here again made her launch an aggressive offensive that she would never have dared to imagine in her usual state, but it was inevitable that she would be intimidated by Kang Hyunwoo's active appearance.
Iris had never even had a conversation with a member of the opposite sex, let alone touched one, except for official business.
Like humans, elves marry, start families, and have children.
However, it was a tradition and custom for royalty not to marry.
Originally, the throne of Pelledeia belonged to the one chosen by the only god, the World Tree, so the aim was to eliminate any factors that could cause unnecessary strife.
Some might say that even thinking such a thing is impious, but it was a natural measure, as there had been a history of rebellion against the World Tree and attempts to usurp the throne in the past.
The best rallying point for rebellion is the bloodline of the royal family. The rallying point for the rebels at that time was also the son of the second king, so after that, royal marriages virtually disappeared.
"P-Please be gentle…"
***
The atmosphere changed in an instant.
Unable to look at each other, Iris glanced at Kang Hyunwoo's fingertips, and Kang Hyunwoo glanced at Iris's breasts.
Occasionally, the sound of water droplets falling from the ceiling could be heard, but there was no sound between the two. Not even breathing.
The minds of the two, who were so nervous that they had forgotten to breathe, were as chaotic as a 108-shot firecracker exploding.
"…Excuse me."
I felt like I had gone too far, but since magic hadn't been fired, I decided not to worry about it.
That's not what's important now.
After much deliberation and tension, I cautiously reached out my hand. Why does it feel so far away even though it's so close?
My heart was pounding like crazy.
Unlike the times when I touched only the air and fell, this time it doesn't fall.
Squish-
"Kyaah…?!"
With a cute scream, a softness that couldn't be expressed in words spread all over my palm.
I'm going crazy.
I'm really going crazy.
I can't stop my hands.
"Hyunwoo… J-Just a minute…!"
I could see myself roughly fondling her breasts with both hands, but I still couldn't stop.
I feel like I've lost control of my body.
The feel of her soft skin through the thin dress, a drug that cannot be explained.
I could proudly say that it would be a good death even if I had a knife to my throat after touching them like this.
The feel of the flesh that changes shape as you touch it and then returns to fill your palm is so ecstatic. Women are cheating. They turn men into fools with just a lump of naturally born fat.
"Ugh… haah…"
As Kang Hyunwoo's touch became rougher, Iris's breath naturally became rougher as well.
As the tension reached its peak, a blush naturally appeared on her cheeks, and her eyes turned crimson.
Kang Hyunwoo swallowed hard without realizing it, seeing Iris's face become even more beautiful as if she had put on makeup in an instant.
'…,I want to touch them directly.'
Humans are creatures of desire.
Even while experiencing an overwhelming experience, I keep getting greedy.
How soft would it be if I took off her cumbersome clothes and touched her skin directly?
Just a moment of imagination made my lower body, which was already throbbing, hurt even more.
I squeezed my chest tightly with my hand.
"Hyunwoo… It hurts…"
The moment Iris's tearful voice pierced my ears, the sanity that had run away far away returned. Only then was I able to take my hand off her chest, surprised by my overly excited self.
'You crazy bastard, you crazy bastard, you crazy bastard.'
Unlike just now, when blood was rushing to my head, the sight of my excited self flashed through my mind as my head cooled down at Iris's voice.
The look of a lustful ghost with bloodshot eyes, squeezing and rubbing her breasts hard without any consideration.
Of course, I don't regret touching her breasts. Even now that my head is cool, I can say with certainty that the moment I touched her breasts was the best moment of my life.
Instead, the problem was that I was too excited and almost crossed the line.
"…I'm sorry. I was too excited."
All Iris allowed was her breasts. I should have carefully felt her reaction and gently touched them, but I didn't care about that and just grabbed and rubbed them as I pleased.
I heard that breasts are one of a woman's vital spots. I squeezed them quite hard, so it was my fault that Iris's eyes turned red. There was no room for excuses.
"Oh, no… I asked you to, so why are you apologizing, Hyunwoo…?"
"Still, I lacked a lot of consideration."
I felt guilty at Iris's voice, which was much more trembling than before.
"I'm really okay. So… you don't have to worry about it too much."
Iris smiled brightly and looked at Kang Hyunwoo. The moment the two's eyes met in the air, Kang Hyunwoo felt a wave of emotion washing over him.
She's an angel. There's an angel here.
I think I'm going to fall in love with her again for so generously embracing even the mistakes of a clueless, inexperienced man.
"B-But more than that…"
Iris hugged her throbbing breasts.
I can't say that there's no pain at all, but it wasn't just pain that I felt. It felt like something other than the sensation of pain was swirling in my chest.
It was similar to pain in that it throbbed, but it didn't just hurt… That's how it felt.
Quietly embracing the strange feeling that had come again, Iris continued.
"D-Did you like my breasts…?"
With a face as red as it could be.
"Yes! Of course! They were very soft."
"Ah…!"
Iris smiled brightly, as if relieved by the honest impression.
It was a truly ironic sight, but no one pointed it out because the people involved seemed satisfied.
***
Recalling the ecstatic sensation, Kang Hyunwoo fell into deep thought, which didn't suit him at all.
What can I do for my first love, who is so beautiful and even let me touch her breasts?
To be precise, it wasn't my first love, but anyway, that's not what's important now.
'It must be a prison break, right?'
I've never been in prison, but she's been alone in this dark, damp place for 200 years, so there's no way she wouldn't want to get out.
"Do we just need to solve the barrier to get out of here?"
"I'm not sure, but probably. We can't have guards at the holy ground where the World Tree resides. The same goes for magic and magical tools."
A prison without guards, wardens, or even CCTV, I wondered if there was such a sloppy prison in the world, but then I wondered how great the barrier guarding this place must be to make it so sloppy.
'By the way, I never thought I'd be so seriously thinking about a prison break.'
I guess this is what people mean when they say you never know what might happen in life.
Then, I suddenly had something I wanted to ask Iris.
"Hey, Iris? I have a question, can I ask you?"
"Oh, sure, feel free to ask."
It might be the most important question when planning a prison break.
"Iris, how many mana circles do you have?"
Having been very interested in wizards, I also knew about mana circles.
If hunters or heroes are determined by the ranks set by the association or the state, the influence and skill of a wizard are determined by the number of mana circles.
Of course, the more circles you have, the stronger and more skilled you are as a wizard.
If you have two or fewer mana circles, you are called an apprentice wizard, and if you have three or more, you are recognized as a skilled wizard.
I know that you are welcomed in any country if you have four or more. I've heard that some countries even treat you like a quasi-aristocrat.
However, it was hard to define exactly what to say because wizards with more than six mana circles were not people that ordinary people could easily come into contact with, but as a joke, there was a saying that the state even gave them immunity from murder.
That's how rare and valuable they were.
If Iris is a high-ranking wizard, I don't need to do any digging to break the barrier. If there's a computer repairman right next to me, there's no reason for me to watch NewTube and fix it myself.
"…Eight."