So ti earlier...
Starius and Tara had decided to walk to the area where the woodcutting was taking place that afternoon. The surrounding area was already scouted for monsters, so it should be relatively safe.
On the way, Starius couldn't help but steal several glances at his childhood friend, subconsciously appreciating what a beauty she had grown into. Starius walked to Tara's left and was half a step behind her. He appreciated her side profile and how her long black ponytail gently swayed to the side as she walked.
anwhile, Tara was lost in her thoughts—her doubts, to be more precise. Hiro hadn't shown even a hint of possessiveness toward her despite Starius' presence. This confused and sowhat worried her. Was the depth of their relationship really only defined by the deal she had made with him for the sake of her mother?
After a short while, she decided it was pointless to try and guess the thoughts of soone like Hiro. With that, she brought her attention back to the present.
By the ti Tara finished her contemplation, they had already reached the edge of the woods. Several cut-down tree stumps dotted the area, evidence of the settlent's ongoing construction efforts.
The area was filled with soft ambient light coming from several dimly glowing insects, as well as a few bioluminescent plants on the ground, which painted a strangely beautiful picture.
However, they both knew that this beauty was deceptive and that they couldn't afford to completely let down their guard in this cursed place.
Tara was the one to initiate conversation. She knew that before they could proceed to any casual discussion, there was sothing she needed to convey.
She stopped in her tracks. Starius also stopped a beat later and turned to look at her. eting his eyes directly, Tara bowed deeply.
"Starius, I need to thank you for saving my life."
Starius was montarily taken aback, seeing her sudden seriousness, but Tara interrupted him before he could speak.
"You really downplayed your honorable act during your previous narration. The situation was so chaotic that day... you could have easily saved your own skin, but you chose to save mine instead, even resolving yourself to pay the ultimate price." Her voice carried genuine emotion. "I don't know if I will ever be able to repay this debt of gratitude, but I will try my best."
Tara's sincerity was clearly conveyed to Starius. He smiled at her fondly, then shook his head.
"Well... there was no way I would've let that bastard caravan master and his entourage do as they pleased." His expression softened as he continued in a more mischievous tone. "Moreover, you're speaking as if I saved a stranger, Tara."
His voice grew serious again. "You... you an a lot to . If I had truly abandoned you in that situation, I assure you, it would've been impossible for to live with myself."
Starius' declaration contained the sa gravity that Tara's words of gratitude did.
For a brief mont, Tara lost herself while looking into Starius' honest eyes. It was true that his words and actions had touched her heart. She was greatly indebted to him.
"Well, enough of that," Starius said, breaking the heavy atmosphere. "You spoke of a debt of gratitude, but I've already been rewarded for my actions that day. I experienced events that I can brag about for my entire lifeti, beca the disciple of a strong and wonderful master, and even awakened as a Hero."
His smile widened. "And now... I am finally reunited with you."
Internally, Starius felt that this reunion was part of Goddess Selune's divine plan. 'Yes, the Goddess must've known how much Tara ant to , so she arranged for us to et here,' he thought positively.
Unfortunately, this was just his wishful thinking. Selune was much more concerned about Hiro's safety and wellbeing than Starius' interpersonal relationships. Their eting was pure coincidence, but there was no way for him to know that.
"All's well that ends well, huh? I guess that's true too," Tara said with a beautiful smile that srized Starius.
With the heavy topic out of their way, the pair moved on to lighter topics. They hadn't seen each other for years. Naturally, there was much to talk about.
Gradually, the awkwardness created by years of separation dissipated. Like ice lting into water, their initially rigid conversation began flowing smoothly.
As they recollected their childhood years, Tara entered a strange state of mind where she forgot all her worries. Her complicated relationship with Hiro, which was built upon the deal she had made with him. The tension between her parents. The fact that they were in the Desolate Lands, where survival wasn't even guaranteed.
All of these concerns faded from her mind. She felt a profound sense of comfort. She felt safe and happy.
"...speaking of which, saving you is cancelled out by the fact that you once saved before. Don't you rember that ti?" Starius said with a grin.
"Are you talking about the ti you almost drowned in the lake because of your stupidity?" Tara thought for a mont and said while rolling her eyes.
"Hey! That wasn't stupid... it was just... a miscalculation in my strategy."
"Haha! A pretty stupid miscalculation. Also, that doesn't really count as saving your life because..."
As their conversation flowed, Tara couldn't help but contrast her present joyful mood with what she felt when she was with Hiro. She undeniably felt good with Hiro—so good that even just thinking about it caused her to blush slightly. But that was a completely different kind of good, wasn't it?
Saying that Starius and Tara were friends when they were younger was an understatent. It didn't fully capture the depth and nuanced nature of their relationship. The Ruler of Vigne had not been a good man. The Realm itself was not a great place. The Worken family was poor, and Starius was even poorer. They were outcasts, misfits who had supported each other in a hostile environnt.
The trust and emotional intimacy they had built with each other couldn't easily be put into words. The feelings between them had definitely gone beyond friendship, even if both of them had been too timid to ever vocalize those feelings. Right now, Tara was realizing that her emotions weren't completely under her control.
It must be understood that Ensnaring Touch primarily dealt with lust and physical intimacy. Technically speaking, Tara's ensnarent with Hiro didn't completely prevent her from falling in love with soone who wasn't nad Hiro Antee.
Of course, the chances of that happening would be negligibly low if the man was a stranger she was just eting. But she and Starius were no strangers, and the bond between them was extraordinary.
And yet, despite all this...
'This won't do,' Tara told herself. 'I should give my relationship with Lord Hiro a fair chance, shouldn't I?'
She resolved herself in this manner, even fighting her instinctual emotions to a certain degree. Tara knew that while there was a great deal of lust between herself and Hiro, there was very little love. She had no trouble liking Hiro—perhaps she would even grow to love him given enough ti. But would Hiro feel the sa way about her?
'Right now, I'm not sure... But I should give it so ti so I can find out. Whatever feelings I had for Starius when I was younger, it's best to bury them, lest things beco unnecessarily complicated. Yes, this is the right thing to do. We can still be good friends,' Tara told herself.
Won in Selune's domain tended to be more on the conservative side when it ca to romance. Ultimately, she knew that it was Hiro who took her first ti. This by itself greatly motivated her to try and take her relationship with Hiro more seriously.
A small part of her lanted that she did not et Starius earlier, or that she did not even know about his survival. If she did, perhaps nothing would've happened between her and Hiro?
'There's no point thinking about that now.' With an internal shake of her head, Tara drove out all these useless thoughts. It wasn't like she hated Hiro anyways.
After making her decision, Tara felt another weight fall off her shoulders. Now, she could allow herself to be truly happy about the present situation.
So ti later in their conversation, Starius brought up the hug from earlier that Tara had evaded.
"What's with the way you dodged by hug completely? Were you not happy to see ?" He asked in a playful tone.
Internally however, he was a bit nervous. The playful tone was only ant to mask that nervousness.
Tara had been dreading that question for a while now. She herself didn't completely understand her actions in that mont. She had just been... so averse to the idea of letting any man other than Hiro touch her, that she ended up avoiding the hug instinctually.
Since she didn't know about Ensnaring Touch, she was confused about the source of such feelings and mistook them for her true emotions.
"Well... we are adults now... moreover, people were watching..." Tara stamred so vague excuses in reply in a low volu. She did not dare et Starius' eyes.
Starius, who heard this reply, ca to the conclusion that Tara had just been shy. For so reason, this relieved him. Then, he opened his arms wide.
"Haha. I guess I was a bit too excited and inconsiderate back then, wasn't I? But how about now? No one else is here, Tara," Starius said. A faint blush coated his face. It took a great deal of courage for him to be able to do this.
Tara realized that she had dug a grave for herself with her excuse. As she stared at Starius, she couldn't help but compare his appearance to that of Hiro's.
Starius stood about as tall as Hiro, with black hair, black eyes and healthy, fair skin. He had a fit, above-average appearance that was enhanced by his natural charisma and confidence, making him look even better than his actual features suggested. But, even with his face that radiated honesty and sincerity, his overall looks couldn't rival Hiro's otherworldly appearance.
After looking at his inviting pose, Tara knew that she did not have much of a choice. She walked forward and forced herself to hug Starius. After all, this man had previously fully intended to sacrifice his own life to save hers. Giving him a reunion hug was the least she could do.
Although her mind resisted the idea greatly due to the influence of Ensnaring Touch, she still timidly walked into Starius' embrace.
Perhaps because he could sense Tara's reservation, Starius didn't make the hug too deep. Still, her natural scent and the feeling of her soft body made his heart pound wildly. He wanted the mont to last forever.
Tara, on the other hand, wanted to escape as quickly as possible. Every cell in her body was screaming at her, telling her that she shouldn't be doing this. She couldn't enjoy the hug at all.
After a few seconds of staying still, Tara broke away, using all of her willpower to make sure an expression of discomfort didn't appear on her face.
Fortunately, Starius didn't notice anything amiss.
"Once again, it is great to see you, Tara."
"Yeah, you too, Starius," Tara said without missing a beat.
anwhile, Hiro was watching all of this with great interest through the Harem Link. He felt like he had gained a better understanding of the relationship between Tara and Starius. Naturally, he also observed the little hug they shared.
Was he upset about it? No. On the contrary, he was quite amused.
'Does this an that Tara resisted the effects of Ensnaring Touch just then?' Hiro thought to himself before deciding to consult Carnalia to get a better understanding.
"It looks like the relationship that Tara has with this Starius is not so simple, Hiro. Otherwise, that hug would not have been possible," Carnalia said in her erotic voice.
She continued, "Tara's level of ensnarent toward you is extrely high. The fact that a Harem Link got established between the two of you is testant to that fact. But even a high level of ensnarent can be resisted and eroded if certain conditions are t."
Hiro listened silently, letting Carnalia finish.
"The most straightforward way to resist such ensnarent would be to have a really strong will. But there are other possibilities as well. Yes... for example, if Tara genuinely and deeply loves Starius, then your hold over her will naturally weaken with ti."
Carnalia paused for a while, letting Hiro process her words. She wanted to get so reaction out of him, maybe make him panic a little.
"It's a bit of a long shot, but you might have a rival in love, Hiro," she said, paying careful attention to his expressions.
Unfortunately for her, her teasing didn't seem to have any interesting effects.
Hiro was as calm as ever. In fact, he realized that Carnalia too, might be misunderstanding sothing about him. After thinking for a bit, Hiro just smiled and decided not to correct the misunderstanding for now.
'Love, huh?'
While keeping a small part of his attention on the Contribution Evaluation that Fiona and Hema were carrying out in front of him, he once again shifted his focus to Tara via the Harem Link.
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