The crackle of a fire echoed in the dark forest. Juicy orc meat was cooked in a large metal basin covered in herbs, butter, and salt. The scent was overpowering, like a high-quality ham or pork shoulder.
Eva sat on a cushion, watching Sigurd cook—he was topless, but she wouldn't complain; the 'eye candy' seemed to add more seasoning to the delicious meat.
She almost ate the meat raw because of her intense desire to consume it, but Sigurd forced her to sit down and wait, which would make the meat more delicious.
"Here we go!" Sigurd announced, serving up two steaming bowls of the orc meat with a side of fried bread with small amounts of garlic and butter. "All's ready."
"Thank you..." Eva mumbled, not understanding why she was feeling so shy after having spent the night in bed naked together—this was simply cooking, and her heart seemed to ignore her thoughts, beating rapidly to the meat or Sigurd she didn't understand.
Eating orc meat differed from eating Elven cuisine or the lesser Agmar wolves. The orc meat seemed to transcend beyond simple sustenance, leaving her with an energetic and euphoric experience as if the food was alive.
"Be careful, eat slower. I don't know if my ability to remove all the toxins from such a powerful Agmar is yet sufficient."
"Mmm, that's true. Is that the slightly salty taste? However, I don't mind it... it's a little addictive with the sweet fat and herbs."
"Addictive? Well, it is rather fatty." Sigurd mused, enjoying his meal as well.
Eva remembered everything from the previous day, including the terrifying Agmar Orcs that differed from what she imagined.
Despite killing the wolves easily, fighting one orc was difficult, leaving her with a broken or dislocated wrist and empty magic.
'What would have happened if Sigurd didn't have enough energy to fight off those wolves... I may be the one being devoured right now.'
"Careful, Eva," Sigurd's gentle voice suddenly sounded from beside her. His warm breath and muscular hands grasped her hand to stop her from wolfing down the meal. "It's going to hit your body soon."
She didn't think straight, only feeling aroused and excited about his touch and the feeling of his lips touching her long ears, different from before now, so sensitive and weak.
"Sigurd, I feel so strange. Your touch feels so hot," she said, wanting him to touch her more. "What's wrong with me?"
"Let's take a break for now. The meat won't run away. This is the immense magic of the Agmar slowly flooding your body. Normally, the poison would destroy the magic left in the meat while cooking and break it down, but it seems my ability removes the poison and seals the magic inside."
"Poison... what happens if it's left inside my body?"
The meat is mostly the same as any other Agmar wolf or orc, but it possesses magical properties that can increase your base amount, like before.
However, devouring the orc leader's meat is dangerous for us because he was at the Acolyte level.
Sigurd only faintly remembered this ranking level, thanks to the book at Medea's home. It seemed he skipped the novice stage, which was learning to use magic or awakening.
"So... be careful, we don't know the effect his meat will have on us," Sigurd spoke in a low voice, finding Eva looking at him with watery eyes and a crimson face. "Hmm, that's strange. Why are you looking at me like that?"
"You look so delicious..."
Sigurd also felt Eva's strange scent, different from her usual pleasant scent. It caused his lower half to react, making him want to stay close to her and enjoy her aroma.
"Delicious?" he swallowed, slowly leaning close to Eva. She could feel his hot breath touch her skin, and his low, husky voice sent a jolt through her.
"I'm the one who feels hungry," he whispered in her ear, giving her goosebumps. "I want to eat you, Eva..."
She couldn't respond, her body weak and mind fuzzy; she could only move her arms as they reached out and pulled Sigurd close, her soft lips touching his.
"Eva..." he breathed out, the two kissing one another, their tongues wrapped around one another, sending shivers throughout their bodies.
They held onto one another, their kisses getting more passionate and desperate; he pushed Eva back, gently laying her on the ground, both of them in an awkward position as he climbed on top of her and continued kissing her.
"Ah," she gasped, feeling Sigurd's erection against her thighs as his kisses moved from her mouth down to her neck. "Sigurd..."
Sigurd's breath became ragged and heavy, his eyes focusing on Eva's beautiful body beneath him.
However, halfway between untying her dress, his hands stopped as he gazed into her tearful eyes and parted lips.
"What am I doing? Why am I acting like this?"
Eva wanted nothing more than to continue kissing Sigurd—her entire body craved him; every thought and action was only for him.
She did not know what was wrong with her—everything seemed fine as she reached for his pants, trying to untie his belt, with her lips kissing his chest and neck.
"This is probably the meat's effect," Sigurd mumbled, breathing deeply as he struggled to move back. He used all of his self-control to leave Eva.
"This isn't us..."
"Sigurd... I..." Eva sobbed, unable to understand the reason for his rejection.
However, he didn't speak, instead placing his hand on her chest, her soft breasts crushed under his palm as his fingers sank into the soft, squishy melons.
His eyes closed as he poured magic into her body, causing her to show a reaction of pain and pleasure but more natural, nothing like the strange actions after eating the orc meat.
"This is better."
He sat in front of Eva and helped her up, both sitting on the floor and catching their breath. The two wanted nothing more than to touch each other, to feel one another, to join their bodies together and become one.
Yet he didn't want to do it because of some ugly ass orc, so as they continued to feast upon the delicious meal, his hand remained on her soft body, grasping her as he poured magic into her to force the orcs magic to submit to the one who killed it.
He didn't realise now.
But this was the method devils used to fully devour and absorb all the magic within their prey, a method both terrifying and envious, which caused them to become hunted by the church and heroes.
However, for Eva, tonight was one of the many nights that affected her affection towards Sigurd, like a fire that couldn't be extinguished and only grew larger the more she stayed beside him.
From this moment, Eva's feelings evolved from pure lust and began moving towards affection and love, but she did not know how Sigurd felt, and this feeling was a first for her.
"You are such a kind soul," she whispered, touching his cheek as he slept, kissing it gently before they once again shared a night in their tent naked; it seemed the transfer of magic would take longer than usual, and this was the most efficient way.
Or so Eva convinced him.