At night, Natasha opened her eyes as the last traces of the manualās knowledge settled into her mind.
āPath of Recultivation...ā She let out a slow breath. She had expected the manual to be somewhat useful, but this was way beyond what she had in mind.
The manual wasnāt anything groundbreaking on its own, but it gave her a clear map for rebuilding her strength instead of stumbling through it blind. It singlehandedly bumped her cultivation speed up by 20%.
Combined with the resources she had, her recovery was going to look completely different from here on out.
āAt this rate, I should be able to cultivate back to Law Perception in 4 years...ā A small smile appeared on her lips.
But it vanished just as fast.
āItās not fast enough... not nearly enough.ā As she thought about everything she still had to do, her shoulders started feeling heavy again.
She was about to get off the bed when a knock came from the door.
She already knew who it was. Nobody else lived in this mansion besides the two of them.
āWhat does he want at this hour?ā Her body tensed for a second as she looked at the clock.
10 pm.
"Master, are you awake? I want to talk to you about something." Danteās voice came through the door.
Natashaās mind instantly jumped to everything that happened in the kitchen. āNo, that shouldnāt be it. System said he didnāt notice the mana glow and didnāt think anything of the... finger lick.ā
After thinking for a while, she couldnāt figure out what he wanted. She took a breath and forced her face into something normal.
She straightened her clothes and threw on a loose cardigan over her nightgown before heading to the door.
When she opened the door, Dante was standing outside with his head slightly lowered.
He looked like a student who got called to the principalās office.
Natasha studied his face. He wasnāt angry and there wasnāt a trace of suspicion on his face either.
Instead, he looked... ashamed?
"Whatās wrong?" She asked, tilting her head.
Dante stood there for a moment, rubbing the back of his neck, looking like he didnāt know how to start.
Seeing this, she stepped aside and let him in instead of making him stand at the door. "Come in."
Both of them sat on the chairs opposite each other. Natasha waited patiently for him to speak.
"Master, Iām sorry about lunch." Dante said with an embarrassed look on his face.
"...Huh?" She looked at him like she misheard.
"The pasta." He repeated, his voice dropping. "I know it was bad. You were really nice about it, but I could tell. You were just forcing yourself."
Natasha blinked and then blinked again, completely dumbfounded.
Out of all the things she had thought of, this was not one of them.
āHeās apologizing... for the food?ā
"Dante, I told you I liked it." She said, shaking her head.
"Master, you donāt have to lie for my sake." Dante looked up at her with a weak smile. "I saw the way you were looking at the pasta. Your eyes were.... scary."
āI WAS LOOKING AT THE SYSTEM WINDOW YOU IDIOT!ā Natasha screamed internally.
But she obviously couldnāt say that.
"I... thatās just how I eat when Iām thinking." She said, grasping at the first excuse that came to mind.
"You think about things with a murderous look in your eyes?"
"Sometimes." She said with a straight face.
Dante stared at her for a second and then let out a small laugh. "Master, youāre really bad at lying."
"Okay fine." Danteās expression shifted. The guilt was still there, but something else crept into his eyes. "Since I made you suffer through my cooking, let me make it up to you, Master."
"Thereās really no needā" Natasha tried to stop him but he didnāt give her the chance.
"Iāll give you a massage!" He said, looking at her with determination. "Iāll do my best, I promise."
"Iām pretty confident at this!"
The smile on Natashaās face died on the spot after hearing those words.
Massage.
His hands on her body.
After the day she just had.
Her brain instantly dragged her back to the kitchen against her will. His hands wrapping around her waist, those thick fingers working the dough while she stood so close she could smell him. The sound of him slapping it over and over while her filthy mind turned it into something that made her clench her thighs together.
And the one thing she was trying the hardest not to think about. Her lips around his finger and the pleased expression on his face.
Now this same man wanted to put his hands on her body.
At 10 pm.
In her bedroom.
"Thatās really not necessary." Natasha said, the words coming out way faster than she meant them to. "I appreciate it, Dante, but Iām fine. Even though my realm is falling, Iām still an awakener."
The moment those words left her mouth, she saw the light in his eyes dimmed.
His shoulders dropped just slightly and he stood up from the chair.
"Right." He said with a small nod, his voice quieter than before. "Sorry, Master. I shouldnāt have bothered you this late."
He turned and started walking toward the door.
āShit.ā Natasha felt her chest tighten.
She had seen that look before.
The look of someone who just got reminded that they were powerless. She had basically told him that his help wasnāt needed because she was an awakener.
āI didnāt mean it like that...!ā
She opened her mouth to call him back, but before a single word came out, a blue screen slammed into her vision.
[New Mission: Shoulder the Burden]
[Description: Dante feels guilty for ruining your lunch. Even though his body is broken and his condition gets worse every day, he still wants to take care for you. Let him massage your neck and shoulders. He needs to feel useful.]
[Time Limit: 2 hours]
[Reward 1: Danteās condition will stop declining.]
[Reward 2: Mana Zone (Epic)]
[Failure: No missions related to Danteās condition for 100 days]
Natashaās eyes locked onto the first reward and everything else disappeared.
[Danteās condition will stop declining.]