CHAPTER 36: NORTHCREST RESORT [II]

Lucius was now in a waiting room, standing in front of a mirror.

He had taken off his clothes and was now in his shorts, wrapping a towel under his lower half.

"I really need to stop reacting to her," he muttered, staring at himself.

His own reflection looked back at him.

He was a grown ass man.

A warrior.

A system user.

He shouldn’t be flustered by some teasing woman who liked making him uncomfortable.

"Maybe I should practice my poker face."

He tried.

First attempt? Failure.

His lips twitched.

Second attempt? Worse.

Third? He looked constipated.

After five tries, Lucius groaned.

"Forget it," he muttered. Taking a deep breath, he finally walked out.

A woman in the spa uniform led him down a quiet hall into a wide, softly lit room.

The air was faintly humid, warm but not stifling.

Inside, three beds were set neatly in a row, with several attendants standing along the walls, their hands gloved and faint traces of mana glowing at their fingertips.

Spas here weren’t like on Earth.

No oils, no kneading hands alone.

They used mana to enter the body, target muscles, realign joints, and release tension.

It was precise and efficient, magical even.

Lucius had read about it in a section of the original novel.

He thought it was exaggerated. But standing here now, he wasn’t so sure.

"Whoa~ nice body," a sultry voice called.

Lucius stiffened. He didn’t even need to turn to know who it was.

Rita sat cross-legged on one of the beds, her eyes openly raking over his bare torso. Her lips curved into a smirk.

"Mm-mm-mm... Lucius, if you walk around like that, don’t blame me if I lose control."

Lucius didn’t even mind her.

"Thanks," he said curtly, glancing down.

After distributing his stat points, his body had changed a bit.

His arms were muscular, shoulders broad, chest defined.

Although he wasn’t near that Baki level of release.

His gaze flicked to the side.

Vanessa was seated on her bed, her towel tight around her body, eyes glued to the floor.

Her pale cheeks flushed crimson as though just glancing at him might kill her.

She was shy at times and a Business guru at the others.

Lucius exhaled slowly.

At least she wasn’t saying anything.

"Good morning," one of the attendants said politely, bowing slightly.

She motioned toward the empty bed. "Sir, if you’ll lay down here."

Lucius obeyed.

Rita stretched luxuriously before plopping onto her own bed with a grin.

Vanessa quietly lowered herself onto hers, movements stiff and restrained.

The attendant pressed a button on a remote.

The air shifted, growing warmer, soothing.

Lucius almost sighed at the comfort of it.

’Feels like my favorite bath temperature,’ he thought.

Then it began.

Two attendants approached Lucius, hands glowing faintly.

Their palms pressed against his shoulders.

At first it was soft. The mana flowed through his skin, easing tension.

Then, suddenly —

CRACK!

His entire shoulder joint loosened.

Lucius gasped, clenching his teeth.

Pleasure, not pain.

A release that made him want to melt into the bed.

Another palm pressed lower, mana swirling. Then —

CRACK!

He hissed in relief.

Across the room, Vanessa trembled.

Her head buried in the pillow, but muffled sounds escaped anyway.

She was barely able to suppress her moans.

Her entire face burned crimson, her body quivering under the attendants’ precise strikes.

Rita, of course, was the opposite.

"Ohhh, yesss~" she moaned dramatically, dragging the sound out. "Harder. Right there, don’t stop. Mmm, Lucius, are you hearing this? This is how you should treat a woman’s body, you know."

’What did I really not expect?’ He thought blandly, she was ruining the experience.

He turned his face away, trying not to imagine the picture her words painted.

Another crack echoed from his spine, relief flooding him.

He groaned despite himself.

Rita giggled. "Oho~ Lucius groaned! Vanessa, did you hear that? He groaned! My, my, what a manly sound~"

"R-Rita!" Vanessa snapped, her voice muffled against the bed. "Shut up!"

Her tone was furious, but the redness of her cheeks betrayed her.

Lucius buried his face deeper into the pillow. ’Just kill me now.’

The attendants continued, methodical and thorough.

Every joint, every muscle, every line of tension.

Mana pressed deep into his back, releasing pressure, soothing soreness.

His body felt like clay being reshaped.

Crack! Pop! Snap!

He groaned again, low and guttural.

He couldn’t stop it. It felt too good.

Rita moaned in response, but hers wasn’t from the massage anymore.

She pressed her cheek against the bed, voice sultry. "Lucius... if you ever let me on top of you, I’ll make you moan way louder than that."

Vanessa bolted upright, face scarlet. "Rita! Enough! Stop seducing my subordinate in front of me!"

Rita only smirked, eyes glittering. "What? I’m just being honest. Don’t tell me you weren’t thinking the same, Vanessa. I hear those little noises you’re making. So cute~."

Vanessa looked like she might combust.

Lucius groaned.

’I still don’t know how they’re best friends to be honest.’

Minutes blurred together.

The massage was heaven.

The commentary was hell.

By the time the attendants finally pulled away, Lucius felt like a new man.

His muscles loose, his joints perfectly aligned, his energy flowing freely.

He rolled his shoulders, stretched his arms.

He felt light.

"Phew," he muttered, standing. "That was incredible. Thank you."

The two attendants bowed deeply, their cheeks pink at his gratitude.

Lucius turned to his companions.

Vanessa was still pink, avoiding his eyes like her life depended on it.

Rita, meanwhile, stretched lazily, licking her lips in that shameless way of hers.

"Mmm~ that was delicious," she purred.

Then she leaned forward, her eyes locked on Lucius. "But you know, Lucius... you really should let me massage you next time. My hands are much more skilled."

Vanessa’s head snapped up, eyes blazing. "Stop!"

"What? I’m being helpful," Rita said innocently, though her smirk ruined the act.

She made a show of flexing her fingers. "I could climb onto his back, press down slowly, until he begged me to—"

"RITA!" Vanessa shouted, red from head to toe.

Lucius rubbed his temples.

This was unbearable.

It looked like a scene straight out from Romance fantasy.

...Oh.

’I am in romance fantasy. Fuck my life.’

Before the situation could spiral further, the door burst open with a loud slam.

Everyone in the room froze.

A young man with blond hair stormed inside, his face twisted in arrogance.

Two guards struggled to restrain him, but he shoved them aside, chest puffed.

"Do you know who I am?!" he roared. "I am the heir of the Josephe clan! I demand you relinquish your—"

His voice cut off.

His eyes swept across the room.

First, they landed on Rita. His expression twisted in shock.

"Saintess?!"

Then his gaze fell on Vanessa. His jaw dropped further.

"Blood Reaper?!"

Finally, his eyes locked onto Lucius.

And Lucius noticed, with dawning horror, the way the blond man’s crotch... rose until it stood like a tent.

Lucius blinked.

Once.

Twice.

’Wait... is this guy... gay?’

His eyes widened in horror.

He lost any sort of composure he had.