Chapter 36: Pure Mina

The blonde girl rescued by Fulade stared with burning eyes and a slightly worried expression at Fulade, who had suddenly appeared to shield her behind him, her hands clasped tightly over her chest as she prayed silently.

When she saw Fulade defeat those thugs without injury, she finally relaxed her tense mind and exhaled slowly.

She involuntarily patted her full, snow‑white chest, a wave of sensation rippling across it, appearing both startled and indescribably pretty.

"Miss, are you all right?"

After dealing with the thugs, Fulade immediately went to the girl's side, claiming to check for injuries while repeatedly scanning her from head to toe.

Only when the girl's snow‑smooth, white, pretty face had an unnatural flush did he finally cease his inspection.

"I—I'm fine, thank you for saving me," the girl said softly to Fulade, her face slightly pink with embarrassment.

"Um, I—my name is Mina."

Seeing the blonde girl, whose face wore a shy expression and whose fingers tightly clutched her skirt, Fulade couldn't help but smile faintly.

"Hello, I'm Fulade," Fulade said with a nod and a smile.

"Y‑you weren't hurt just now, were you?" Mina asked knowingly.

Looking at the nervous, incoherent blonde girl before him, Fulade found it somewhat amusing.

"I'm fine, they were just a few petty thugs. Nice to meet you; may I call you Mina?"

"Of course, I'm also glad to meet you, Fulade," Mina said, occasionally standing on tiptoe, looking very pleased.

Seeing Mina no longer nervous, Fulade smoothly offered to escort her home to prevent those thugs from bothering her again.

Mina, seeing this, did not refuse; she gave a slight smile and gladly nodded in agreement.

After winding through streets and alleys for a short while, Fulade, led by Mina, soon arrived in front of a somewhat dilapidated house.

"The house is a bit messy; I'll tidy it up first," Mina said, clearly a little embarrassed.

She hurriedly pushed the door open, entered, and began frantically tidying up.

Following behind, Fulade didn't idle; he moved to Mina's side and started helping.

Seeing Mina slightly embarrassed, with her ears tinged pink, Fulade couldn't help but remark how shy she was at that moment.

"Mina, are you alone at home?" Fulade asked curiously.

While tidying the room, he also took the opportunity to glance around.

Sure enough, in a corner of the room he found traces of many witchcraft texts.

"Hmm, yes, just me alone."

Mina seemed to notice the doubt in Fulade's eyes, so she explained further:

"I used to live with my grandmother, but a year ago she passed away, leaving me alone."

It seemed the topic opened up, perhaps touching a sad memory, and Mina suddenly felt a strong urge to speak.

Thus, under Fulade's gaze, she recounted her past with her grandmother and the feeling of helplessness after her death.

Seeing Mina's forlorn expression and tears welling in her eyes, Fulade stepped forward and gently embraced her, soothing her in a soft voice.

Confronted with Fulade's sudden intimacy, an unprepared Mina stiffened slightly, her heart pounding, and instinctively pressed her hands to her chest to keep some distance. After a while, realizing Fulade was merely offering comfort and made no further move, her body gradually relaxed.

Although subconsciously Mina felt something was off, under Fulade's gentle reassurance she did not feel the urge to pull away from his warm chest.

Even as her face flushed and heart raced, she carefully lowered the hands that had been pressed to her chest, quietly savoring the feeling of having someone to rely on.

It was like a small boat tossed by wind and rain finally finding a safe harbor; for Mina, it was the first time since her grandmother's death that she no longer felt lost and helpless.

Mina had never disclosed that she was a Witch.

But at that moment, Fulade seemed to understand Mina's feelings and the pressure, confusion, and helplessness she bore after losing her only relative.

After all, in this town where witches are universally condemned, anyone suspected or labeled as a witch is sent to the pyre.

One can imagine the pressure a sixteen‑ or seventeen‑year‑old girl endures alone after a loved one's death.

Especially since a white witch cannot harm ordinary people, the constant fear each day already drained a great deal of Mina's energy.

It's not that Fulade is being pretentious; he himself has had similar, even more severe experiences, so at that moment he unexpectedly resonated with Mina.

While comforting Mina, Fulade unknowingly tightened his embrace on her.

This made Mina seem to misunderstand something, leaving her momentarily dazed.

Thump thump~!

The intense heartbeat, the undulating white, supple chest, and the faint, hot breath at the neck pulled the slightly dazed Fulade back.

He looked down at the fair‑skinned girl in his arms: her beautiful golden hair, full and white bosom, slender, graceful waist, and rather ample hips.

Fulade slowly lowered his head, his hot breath landing on Mina's delicate, fair, charming face; a faint blush rose on both cheeks, and her slender fingers, unnaturally gripping his garment, trembled with uncertainty.

Seeing Mina suddenly close her eyes and flutter her lashes, Fulade merely smiled faintly, lowered his head, and gently, tenderly sucked at the girl's lips.

Obviously the girl had no kissing experience and responded clumsily.

Only under Fulade's deliberate guidance did she gradually become more proactive.

When the girl's breathing grew more rapid and her hands began to unnaturally explore unfamiliar territory, Fulade proactively ended the encounter.

Seeing Mina breathing heavily, gulping fresh air, Fulade gently wiped the obvious dampness from the corner of her mouth.

This made the already shy Mina's face turn even brighter red.

A moment later, after calming down, Mina seemed to recall something; she nervously looked up at Fulade, hesitated briefly, then said, "Are we moving too fast? Do you think I'm promiscuous?"

Fulade hadn't expected Mina to ask that; after a brief stunned pause, before Mina could show a sad expression, he quickly denied it.

It was clear Mina cared a lot about that perception.

When Fulade gave a reassuring answer, Mina couldn't help but bloom a shy smile, and she tightly wrapped her arms around him, snuggling into his embrace.

Looking at the sweet‑faced girl in his arms, Fulade couldn't help but think, "What an innocent girl."

Please follow, collect, and vote!

(End of chapter)