LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 24. Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing
'She's really gorgeous when she smiles...', Kara thought as she looked at the young woman in front of her, who was still holding her hand after rising from the ground and introducing herself, and she seemed to have no intention of letting go until Kara took the initiative to withdraw it.
Kara, whose extraordinary senses allowed her to accurately gauge the stress level of any being within a hundred meters of her, was aware that Ophelia still didn't feel entirely safe around her, despite Ophelia's skill in controlling her facial expressions and heart rate, so Kara released her hand and took a step back, wanting to prove to Ophelia that she respected her and had no intention of taking advantage of her, even though all her instincts were pushing her in the opposite direction.
'A smart hunter knows when to take a step back...', Kara told herself in her mind, trying to overlook the chill that had taken over her palm, which had been in contact with Ophelia's hand, this chill reminding her that there wasn't even a friendship between her and the young woman in front of her and that it would probably take a long time to earn her trust.
'Although the circumstances in which we met and my initial slip-up have made establishing a relationship between us quite complicated, I believe that if I can make her not fear me at all, our relationship will progress rapidly in the direction I desire. At least, I hope so... But what if Ophelia isn't attracted to women? What if she's like Alice, who wouldn't even consider that there could be more than a friendship between two women? No, I mustn't be pessimistic. The situation is completely different now. Yes, I'm much better. I'm better than all the others. I'm much stronger, much more beautiful... Yes, I don't think anyone can resist my charm. And if there really is such a woman, then it's her loss...' Kara continued to think, not realizing that almost two minutes had passed without her saying anything and that the atmosphere between her and Ophelia was becoming a bit awkward.
"Ummm, so can you explain to me how the conflict started between you and the three who were on the same team as me?" Ophelia suddenly asked, making Kara, who had been gazing into the distance, interrupt her thoughts and refocus her gaze on Ophelia.
"I apologize. I was thinking about something...", Kara apologized, then began to tell Ophelia about her interaction with the two adventurers who had tried to dissuade her from accepting the mission they were both currently trying to fulfill, leaving out no details to ensure that Ophelia wouldn't doubt her words.
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"So you're the reason why Mason's team was named The Damp Rabbits?" Ophelia asked after hearing Kara's story, remembering the visit she made with Mason to the Adventurer's Guild when everyone they encountered on the way laughed at Mason.
"I think so, although they might have wet themselves another time as well...", Kara replied jokingly, relieved that Ophelia didn't seem to have any affection for the three individuals she had killed, that being evident from the way she spoke about them without showing any trace of grief that they were no longer alive.
"Well, now I understand why you killed them. Even though they were much weaker than you, they probably would have done everything in their power to try to get revenge... Yes, the best enemy is the one who's already dead...", Ophelia said, seeming a bit distracted as she uttered the last sentence.
Although Kara had never considered the two adventurers a threat, she didn't correct Ophelia, who seemed to be growing more relaxed around her.
"Yes, they were scumbags. The world is a better place without them...", Kara continued, with the air of a holy warrior who had dedicated her life to justice. "But I wonder how you ended up in their team? From what I've observed so far, I don't think you're someone easily fooled...", Kara then asked Ophelia, wanting to learn more about her.
"I only met the three of them yesterday, so I didn't really have much time to get to know them...", Ophelia replied, seemingly regretting her hasty decision to join Mason's team.
"Well, even though you're a quite capable mage, I don't think you should have joined a team consisting only of men who most likely didn't have very pure intentions towards you.", Kara scolded Ophelia, like a mother reprimanding children who got themselves into trouble.
"And how do you know what their intentions towards me were?" Ophelia teasingly asked Kara, fully aware that Kara's intentions might not be entirely pure either.
"I think it was quite obvious from the way the three of them looked at you and tried to gain your favor... Especially that guy, Mason, who wanted to grab your arm...", Kara replied, a hint of reproach in her tone, as if she had witnessed others making advances on her girlfriend, who hadn't taken any measures to stop them.
Ophelia struggled to suppress a laugh at Kara's annoyed expression, not wanting to provoke her because she hadn't forgotten that the seemingly harmless girl in front of her was stronger than an A-rank beast and could take people's lives with a smile on her face as if picking flowers in a field.
"You're right. Their intentions were quite obvious..." Ophelia said, her words causing Kara to look at her with confusion.
'Could I have fallen for a woman who enjoys seducing men? No, no, no. I don't want to believe that!' Kara began to shout in her mind.
"Don't look at me like that! It's not what you think!" Ophelia snapped at Kara, momentarily forgetting her caution.
"I, I didn't think anything..." Kara whispered almost to herself, feeling guilty for jumping to conclusions too quickly without hearing everything Ophelia had to say.
"It would be good if it's as you say...", Ophelia said, still squinting at Kara. "Anyway," she continued, "the fact that their intentions were so obvious wasn't such a bad thing because this way I knew what to expect from them, and it was quite easy for me to manipulate them to do what I wanted. Yes, it's much riskier to be around those with hidden intentions who can stab you in the back anytime..."
"Well, I think I understand what you're trying to say," Kara said as Ophelia paused. "But why did you have to get into such a situation? Isn't it tiring to deal with such people all the time who don't deserve you but try to get close to you using all sorts of pretexts?" Kara continued, as she had always enjoyed being independent and couldn't comprehend why someone would agree to compromise so much in life.
"Heh, maybe for you, who's so powerful that you can do everything on your own, this seems foolish...", Ophelia replied with a hint of envy in her voice. "But I didn't have many other options. I urgently needed a team to explore the great dungeon near the city of Orlin, and Mason, who cared a lot about the image he had created for himself – wanting to be seen as a true gentleman – seemed like the best choice. He not only promised me that he and his team would accompany me in exploring the dungeon for up to a year, but he also promised that I could choose any treasures we found that caught my attention...", she continued to explain matter-of-factly as if describing factors to consider when selecting vegetables from a market.
'A woman so seductive, aware of how easily she can enchant those around her and make them fulfill her every desire in an attempt to win her heart, not only is dangerous, but she is truly hard to conquer...' Kara thought after hearing Ophelia's explanations.
Although Kara intended to ask Ophelia more questions about her purpose for wanting to explore the great dungeon near the city of Orlin and her past – topics Ophelia had until then avoided giving any details about – she had to postpone her plans, because she sensed a faint smell of human blood coming from the direction the caravan was headed.
"It seems like the plan to follow the caravan to discover the beasts responsible for the recent attacks wasn't such a bad idea after all, since they've decided to make an appearance. Anyway, I think it's very likely that most of the people in the caravan have already been killed by now..." Kara told Ophelia, who was still anticipating more questions and hadn't yet decided how honest she should continue to be with Kara, because, at that moment, Ophelia was aware that, although Kara was attracted to her and posed no threat to her life, she was very observant when she wasn't consumed by the desire to kill, and she probably wasn't very easy to manipulate.
"How could you possibly know that? The caravan must have covered a distance of over 30 kilometers so far...", Ophelia asked, relieved she would have additional time to decide how much information about herself to share with Kara and whether she should try to convince Kara to help fulfill her plans.
"What can I say? My nose is very sensitive...", Kara replied, then quickly took two sniffs of air through her nose as she looked at Ophelia.
"Don't tell me you've smelled me just now? What are you, a dog?" Ophelia exclaimed as she instinctively crossed her arms over her chest, although it wouldn't shield her from Kara's keen sense of smell.
"I prefer to be a wolf. A big, bad wolf...", Kara answered with a teasing smile as she closed the distance between her and Ophelia, her hip movements, accentuated by the tight pants she was wearing, being reminiscent of how a snake moves during a hunt.
Ophelia, who no longer saw Kara as a threat and felt safe around her, realized for the first time that Kara not only possessed beauty at the same level as hers, but she might even surpass her in the ability to seduce, her quickening pulse and the warmth enveloping her body being clear evidence to both her and Kara, whose keen senses were focused on Ophelia, that even she, who had never before felt attracted to anyone, was affected by Kara's charm.
Satisfied with the reaction she elicited from Ophelia, Kara stopped at a distance of half a meter from her and reverted to the innocent and harmless form she had before as if the past few seconds had been nothing but a dream.
"What do you plan to do next regarding this mission? Would you like to join me to see it through? I believe we'd be much more effective together than on our own...", Kara asked Ophelia in the most professional tone possible as if her mind contained nothing but the successful completion of the mission.
"Well, exploring and navigating through forests aren't my strong points, so I don't have much choice..." Ophelia replied, attempting not to seem too enthusiastic about the proposition so as not to give the big, bad wolf in front of her, who was pretending to be as harmless as a kitten now, any satisfaction.
Kara, aware that Ophelia was becoming more comfortable around her and showed no signs of fear anymore, proposed to carry Ophelia in her arms to the location where the caravan had been attacked, the reason she invoked being that there might still be people alive who urgently needed help. Ophelia, conscious of Kara's true motives, decided to play along and agreed to be carried by her, stating that she was willing to make the sacrifice if it meant saving as many people as possible.
Although the two had roughly the same height and weight, for Kara, whose physical attributes were unparalleled in that world, the additional weight she acquired when she lifted Ophelia like a princess didn't affect her speed. However, in order to protect Ophelia and to prolong their physical contact, she decided to run at only 5 percent of her maximum speed, ensuring that the journey would likely take about 15 minutes.
'This is what I expected when I thought some years ago that in the future, all beauties would fall into my arms...', Kara thought, very pleased with how the situation had evolved, as she ran with Ophelia in her arms, who was unable to keep her eyes open due to the speed of their movement.
