Chapter 184: Aria’s Heart.

[Aria Fragarach’s Bond Level has increased!]

[Bond: 1 Star]

[Ding!]

[Please select one skill from Aria Fragarach’s skill list to copy!]

Jake stared at the prompt floating in the back of his mind.

’It’s the same thing with Grace, huh?’

He thought about it for a moment.

’But now that I know how this works, there’s no need to rush into selecting her skill.’

After all, he could simply leave the choice for later.

’I can wait until I upgrade her class.’

’If her class improves, there’s a good chance her skill list will change as well.’

There was no reason to waste a skill-copy opportunity now when he could potentially obtain something much better later.

As for Aria’s current skill list...

Jake mentally glanced through it again.

’Honestly, it’s pretty much trash.’

Compared to the skills he already had, there was nothing particularly impressive about her current abilities except the Mental Clarity.

’I’ll just wait.’

Jake dismissed the prompt without hesitation.

’Once I upgrade her class, I’ll see what she gets. If there’s something good, I’ll copy it then.’

For Jake, patience was no longer a problem as he had become powerful and no longer just a weakling.

He had already learned that sometimes the best skill was the one worth waiting for.

Jake finally glanced down and saw Aria still kneeling between his thighs.

Her lips were faintly swollen, and a small smear remained at the corner of her mouth, something she had failed to notice.

Seeing her usually composed and beautiful appearance contrasted with that slightly disheveled state was strangely lewd, almost obscene.

Jake could only smile wryly.

He reached down and gently wiped the smear away with his thumb.

Aria’s lashes flickered but she did not pull away.

Instead, she simply closed her eyes and leaned into his touch, quietly allowing him to clean her face.

Jake’s heart almost exploded again at the sight.

’Why is she so damn cute?’

He stared at her for a moment, completely defeated.

Then his gaze slipped lower.

Aria’s upper half was still completely exposed.

Those large, pale breasts were right there, full and soft, swaying slightly with each calm breath.

The faint sheen of earlier effort still clung to her skin.

Gulp

Jake swallowed slightly as another surge of desire went through him.

His cock, still half-wet, hardened in an instant, and Aria, sensing the heat, glanced at it cutely, then looked up and asked softly,

"Jake, it looks painful... do you want me to relieve you again?"

She tilted her head, cute in a way that should have been illegal, and parted her lips just enough that he could see the wet pink inside.

At such a tempting offer, Jake’s body stiffened.

For a moment, he seriously considered accepting.

The memory of her mouth and tongue working around him was still too fresh.

But then he gritted his teeth and forced himself to endure it.

"No... I appreciate your offer."

Aria tilted her head slightly, a hint of confusion appearing on her beautiful face.

She looked at Jake for a moment.

His words sounded polite enough.

But his expression...

It was filled with obvious regret.

Aria blinked.

"...You look like you regret refusing."

Jake’s mouth twitched.

’Of course I regret it.’

But he quickly shook his head.

"...You’re imagining things."

Aria continued staring at him, clearly unconvinced.

At this, Jake silently sighed.

But then the helpless expression on his face gradually disappeared, replaced by seriousness.

He looked at Aria carefully.

"Enough about my dick... I am more concerned about you."

Aria blinked.

"Me?"

Jake reached out and gently touched her forehead.

"How are you feeling?"

His eyes moved over her carefully, checking for any sign that something was wrong.

He knew Aria had been poisoned earlier, and despite how composed she appeared, he could not simply ignore her condition.

"You’re still poisoned," Jake said quietly. "Don’t push yourself just because you think you need to serve me."

At those words, Aria’s expression softened.

"But I can still move."

Jake sighed again.

"But that doesn’t mean you should."

He looked at her with a serious expression.

"There is one more rule on my crew that you need to understand."

Aria looked at him attentively.

"When one of my crew members is injured or sick, they rest. You don’t get to decide that you’re fine and keep pushing yourself just because you think you can still move."

"Leave it to me. I’m your captain, so handling your condition is my responsibility."

"You don’t need to be concerned about serving me right now. Your sole priority is to recover."

His voice was firm, leaving little room for argument.

Aria remained silent for a moment.

Then she lowered her eyes and nodded.

"...Yes, Captain."

Aria kept her gaze lowered.

For some reason, her heart was beating faster again.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

’Strange... is there a problem with my heart?’

She quietly placed a hand over her chest.

Her heartbeat was unusually fast.

Yet she didn’t feel sick.

There was no pain, no dizziness, and no difficulty breathing.

Then she remembered Jake’s words.

’He really cares about me...’

She had spent most of her life being treated as someone who was worthless because of her trash-class.

No one had ever told her that she didn’t need to worry about anything.

No one had ever told her that they would take responsibility for her.

Yet Jake had said it so naturally.

To him, it seemed like the most obvious thing in the world.

But for her...

Aria lowered her head even further, hiding the small smile that appeared on her lips.

’I see... So this is why my heart is beating so fast...’

She finally understood.

There was nothing wrong with her heart.

It was simply beating faster because of him.

"...Captain."

The small words, filled with emotion, left her lips softly.

Jake had already stood up and was fixing his pants when he glanced back at her.

"Yes? What’s wrong?"

Aria shook her head.

"Nothing..."

"...?"

Jake looked puzzled.

But then his eyes fell on her.

Aria was still lying there with her upper body uncovered, her skin slightly flushed.

Jake frowned.

The cave was cold, and although the light orb provided some warmth, it wasn’t enough to keep her comfortable.

He couldn’t just leave her like this.

Without saying anything, Jake grabbed the hem of his shirt.

He pulled it over his head and handed it toward her.

"Here."

Aria took it with both hands.

"This...?"

"Wear that."

Jake glanced at the shirt before giving her a casual smile.

"You’re not planning on staying half-naked like that, right? Though..."

He paused, scratching his cheek. "I hope you won’t mind the smell," he said.

"..."

Aria remained silent.

Her fingers tightened slightly around the shirt.

She slowly raised her eyes.

And then she looked at Jake.

Without his shirt, his muscular upper body was completely exposed.

His broad shoulders, defined chest, and strong arms were clearly visible under the dim light of the cave.

"..."

Aria stared intently, and she didn’t seem to even realize she was staring.

And at that moment, Jake finally noticed her silence.

"...What’s wrong ?"

Aria quickly lowered her eyes.

"Nothing."

Her voice was quieter than before.

Jake raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Let me know if there’s any discomfort in your body. Don’t silently endure it, okay?"

He was thinking that maybe she was enduring the pain from that poison, as it was really difficult to know Aria’s feelings with her composed face.

Aria hugged his shirt against herself.

"...I’m fine, Jake."

But her heart was beating even faster now.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Jake scratched his head, still somewhat confused by her strange behavior.

Then he glanced around the cave.

His eyes moved from one side to the other.

There was nowhere suitable for her to lie down.

The ground was cold and uneven, and there wasn’t even a proper bed or anything soft enough for someone who was still poisoned.

Jake frowned.

’She needs to rest, but there’s nowhere comfortable for her to lie down.’

He looked at Aria again.

She seemed fine for the moment.

Her breathing was steady, her complexion had returned to normal, and she could even move around without showing any obvious signs of discomfort.

But Jake wasn’t about to let his guard down.

He knew better than to underestimate poison.

Just because Aria looked perfectly fine on the surface didn’t mean the poison had been completely dealt with.

Some poisons could remain hidden in the body, slowly weakening the victim before suddenly becoming fatal.

And the best antidote was often the body itself.

As long as the body was strong enough and had sufficient rest, it could fight against the poison and gradually expel it on its own. Medicine could help, but ultimately, the body’s own vitality was what truly mattered.

Of course, he also had a plan to upgrade her stats, especially her Vitality a bit after this, but he still had to make her rest too.

He thought for a moment.

Then an idea suddenly came to him.

But before that...

"Wait."

Jake crouched down beside her.

Aria looked at him curiously.

"Jake?"

"You’re going to need something warm."

Before Aria could respond, Jake gently took his shirt from her hands.

Then he carefully helped her put it on.

He slipped one sleeve over her arm, then the other, making sure the shirt covered her properly.

When he reached the buttons, however, he suddenly stopped.

"...?"

He tried fastening the first button.

...But it wouldn’t close.

The shirt was simply too small around her chest.

Jake stared at the stubborn button for a moment.

"...Seriously?"

Jake scratched his head.

"I guess my shirt isn’t as big as I thought."