My Servant Is An Elf Knight From Another World

Chapter 473 - Ash Lake

"Master, your… hand… what did - ?" was the last few words I managed to make out before Ash just flew completely off the handle. The always eloquent, always articulate, wordsmith of an Elf was immediately reduced to weird tongue spasms like she was trying to say every word together at the same time, only to just wind up causing a big freak accident of dyslexic proportions.

Maybe Adalia had the right idea for suddenly jumping ship when she did because Ash was seething heavy, like the lake was practically boiling all around her. 

Yet her touch was soft, her fingers gentle, my wounded hand in hers. It didn't look as bad nor did it sting as much as before, yet Ash was convinced unequivocally that Adalia had just straight up lopped the entirety of my left arm off its socket indiscriminately  . 

She was still muttering, going off on a vehement, slurry tirade, but she quickly lost me as a listening audience the moment I strayed my eyes away from her face. 

Oh, mirror, mirror of the lake, such a beautiful, arousing sight does your reflection make. With pale skin smooth, and hips curving slim, her voluptuous shape permeated temptation to the brim. Dangerously buoyant, with every move a slight bounce, against self-control, does deprave desires easily trounce.

Now I could understand her prior hesitation to take off her dress. Technically, she was indeed wearing a bikini, but it's in the same technicality where I can also just take a pair of scissors and call myself a barber. Obviously, I wasn't, the same way bits of fabric tied together with bundles of long, narrow strings isn't a swimsuit. It just wasn't!

Yet that's exactly what Ash wore. Every inch of it, what little there was, highlighting some aspects, heavily accentuating others, the strings forming a cross pattern around her chest, and for some weird reason the presence of those strands alone, wrapping around her bare skin, I just - is this a fetish thing? Did I just stir awake something dangerous inside of me? I think I just did. 

Thanks, mom.

"Is this really what she made you wear?" I asked, nearly choking the words due to the sheer disbelief. 

"Hmm?" Ash, distracted, looked up at me from closely assessing my wounds, took one glance at herself, and promptly went back to grazing my palms with her fingers, her response in a half-hearted mutter, "No, I feared this was merely the sole one out of a many that could properly fit." 

"Were they all that small?"

"No, I suspect I am just simply too big."

Stated so unabashedly as well. I think my well-being has sorta stripped her of her sense of shame. Still, there really was no other way to put it.

Big, indeed…

"I like it."

"I... suspect that you would, Master," She said, still not looking up. "I wanted you too."

"Well, suspicions confirmed. I like it very, very much."

"Thank you, Master," came her short, stiff reply. "I… like yours too." 

"I wasn't talking about your swimsuit, y'know?" 

She narrowed her lips. "Neither was I." 

Oh-ho…

Briefly, her green eyes tilted upwards, and I could see from her gaze that she had sobered up slightly before she dropped then again, mumbling, "You are staring, Master."

I leaned my head in a little closer. 

"I can't?" 

On both sides, protruding out of her damp, white locks, her pointed ears gave a quick single twitch, "You may."

After a long few moments of being lost in her bre… beauty, I managed to collect my senses enough to hear her still muttering curses to Adalia's name.

Something I thought didn't seem too fair to her.

"It was an accident, Ash," I said. "If she really wanted me dead, I'd be dead."

"That is beside the point, Master," She refuted, her brow furrowed. "She should have known her capabilities, known your vulnerabilities, your fragility, and acted accordingly, and yet instead..."

"Fragility?" I tried some levity. "I'm pretty sure I'm tougher than some piece of glass."

Compared to her strengths, you may as well be that." 

"Been through worse, you know that."

"Precisely my point, Master," She said, heaving a heavy breath. "After everything else, you don't deserve any more." 

I could hear the frustration in her voice. It's been a while since I heard that, if only it could have been for a while longer.

"Not your fault," I said. "Don't be too hard on yourself, now."

"Of course not, my only regret is not being able to properly reprimand her while she was still here. The fault, the guilt, they lie with her."

I shrugged. "She just got a little excited."

"Excited," She quietly muttered, scoffing right after. "No doubt, indeed."

It took some convincing, some reassuring, but after some time, Ash finally eased up about the whole thing. 

"Still!" Ash fumed, crossing her arms. "My beloved Master suffers an injury, and the perpetrator goes unpunished? I surely think not!" 

"And it was me that perpetrated that perpetrator's un-punishment," I reminded her. "So you're gonna punish the perpetrator's perpetrator too?" 

"N-no…"

"I wouldn't mind if you do."

"That is simply out of the question!" She strongly affirmed, making a huge splash with both arms plummeting down. "My only purpose is to serve you, my only desire to love you - and there is no love in unwarranted punishment!" 

"Punishment can be love too," I quietly muttered.

"Pardon?" 

"Never mind, you don't seem like the type anyway," I said a little louder, then reaching out, took her hand, and drifted her along with me. "Anyway, you want to serve me, right? Well, I just lost my swimming partner - perfect timing - come join me. You seem like a pretty good swimmer, how's a race sound to you?" 

More than pretty good actually. That dive, that form, the speed at which she reached us. I mean, I'm good too… but I think I'd like to know who exactly was better.

"A race?" She hesitated. "Against you?" 

"Who else is there?" I snorted, pulling us both to the closest shore. "From here to the other end of the lake. From the count of three. One lap only."

"I see…" More hesitation.

"What's wrong?" I asked, flashing her a wry knowing smile. "Scare you'd accidentally show up your Master? That you'd tear him of his pride and dignity?"

"No, I…"

"Have you that little faith in the capabilities of your Master?" 

"Master!" She held the word out long, like the whine of a dog, pouting. "It is not fair to twist my intentions like that, you know yourself already that none of that is true! Don't say that…"

Yes, okay, I did know… but is it really my fault that she's so fun to tease drunk? Cute reactions like these are way harder to get when she has full control of her logic and reasoning. Gotta take every chance, right?

"Okay, okay, I know you love me," I said, giving in to her little frown. "So, what do you really have to say?" 

"I just… is it not satisfactory enough to be together in each other's arms?" She reluctantly asked. "As for me, I am already plenty satisfied just being held in yours."

Ah, okay, she does indeed not want to show me up after all. I can understand that, but it was just for fun to me… I don't care if she beats me, but evidently, she does… and going easy on me would just be insulting either way, so in her mind - lose-lose. But I wasn't going to let this go easily, I can take a page out of Sammy's book, try and give Ash some… motivation.

I scrunch my face, pretending to give it some thought. "We could… that's cool too. I mean there's no reward for doing it, but - "

"Reward?" Her ears perked up, as did her gaze. "What reward?" 

"Oh, nothing, y'know, every challenge comes with its rewards, it's how it goes," I said, trailing my words away whimsically. "But since you didn't wanna do it, so..." 

"Master!" She whined again, tugging at my arm with both her hands, and gazing at me with the cutest glare I've ever seen. "You're teasing me again..." 

"Yes." 

"Tell me." 

I raised my brows. "You'll play?"

She pursed her lips. "I'll consider."

"If I win, you let Adalia off easy," I said, then felt myself smirk. "But if you win, I'll do anything you ask of me. You didn't get that chance against Amanda before. So here's a second go."

"Anything?" She asked, apparently deaf on the first part.

"Anything." 

Her green eyes shimmered. "Anything I desire even if it's a hindrance? Against all rights and moral obligations?" 

That seems… oddly specific. That one, I actually gave some thought into, and came up with an answer. "To a certain extent."

She frowned at that, and I immediately took it right back.

"It's a generous extent," I said.

Ash smiled again, but more promising than that, her expression glimmered with resolve.

"Okay, Master," She said.. "A race it is."