December 31, 1501, Age of the Sea Circle
Finally, the grand theatrical performance that the entire kingdom had been eagerly awaiting began. Victoria Cindry, being the most famous star in the realm, naturally held the leading role, serving as the cornerstone of the entire story. Her scenes were the most numerous and the most vital, and both the opening and the closing acts revolved around her presence.
For Orion, who came from a world where the literary industry had been heavily standardized—with countless tropes and clichés endlessly resurfacing through different subgenres—the play they were performing now felt somewhat peculiar.
It was as if it didn't follow a "proper" rhythm; it felt scattered, almost like a collection of events loosely tied together. Of course, that impression stemmed from his cultural background, which made him perceive the artistic expressions of this world through a very different lens.
It was similar to the astonishment someone accustomed to the rigid rules of European classical music might feel upon discovering the music of an isolated ethnic group, whose compositions followed an entirely different structure and logic.
In any case, Orion didn't let that bother him too much, choosing instead to enjoy the rare and novel experience of participating in such a play. He had to admit, however, that the imagination of the playwright was quite remarkable. The story centered on a romance between a woman who had descended from the moon in search of resources and a man from Earth.
The woman—played by Victoria—had wings like an angel and possessed technology reminiscent of that from Orion's previous world. She fought strange beings known as space pirates before meeting the male protagonist, a tribal warrior who fell in love with her, leading to a tender yet forbidden romance that defied both of their societies.
Overall, the story was quite ridiculous, packed with bizarre elements, but it was precisely because of that absurdity that it was so entertaining to watch.
Victoria Cindry stepped onto the stage, and the performance unfolded smoothly. A few minutes later, it was time for Orion to join the scene. After adjusting his mindset to that of his character, he stepped forward, skillfully utilizing his high Acting skill, which he had specifically improved for the purpose of participating in this play.
Scene after scene passed, until they finally reached the climax of the play. In this moment, Victoria's character, disappointed by the way she had been treated by the people on Earth, would decide to return to the moon, vowing never to come back. The protagonist, desperate not to lose her, would call her name and throw himself off a cliff in an attempt to follow her.
Moved by his devotion, Victoria's character would descend from the sky using her advanced technology to save him, and the two would share their first passionate kiss, sealing their romance with a perfect, heart-stirring ending. After that, there would only be a brief epilogue, narrated to reveal the characters' futures.
That was how the scene was supposed to unfold, leading to a flawless conclusion. However, just as Victoria was being lifted high above the stage by a set of cables, one of the mechanisms malfunctioned, and the cable holding her snapped abruptly.
The audience, who had been watching her closely, instantly noticed the sudden shift and held their breath in horror, realizing that something had gone terribly wrong. Victoria herself heard the sharp snap of the cable and immediately understood the gravity of the situation.
She had never imagined that such an accident could occur at the very last moment, just before the play's triumphant finale. Closing her eyes in fear, she plummeted toward the stage at high speed. From that height, there was no question—if she hit the ground, she would die on impact.
For an instant, a thousand thoughts raced through her mind. Strangely enough, her greatest regret was not having consummated her love with Orion. She would die without ever knowing what it felt like to surrender her body and soul to the man she loved.
All of those thoughts flashed through Victoria's mind in the blink of an eye; yet in reality, everything happened in an instant. The moment the cable snapped, she fell rapidly toward the ground—but before the tragedy could unfold, Orion used Soru, appearing directly beneath her and catching her effortlessly in his arms.
The idea of her suffering a fatal accident while Orion was present was utterly impossible; he would never allow such a thing to happen. Still, his expression was dark with fury, because he knew this was no accident—it was an attempted murder.
Focusing his Observation Haki toward one of the private balconies reserved for the theater's sponsors, Orion clearly sensed the presence of Doctor Hogback, who was seething with frustration and rage at seeing his plan fail, his beloved Victoria Cindry saved once again.
Just as in the original timeline, Hogback had tried to eliminate Victoria after learning that she loved another man. Yet this time, his vile plot had failed.
Orion took a deep breath and steadied his emotions. Now was not the time to lose his temper—there would be plenty of opportunities to deal with Hogback once the play was over. If he acted now, he would be throwing away the two months he had invested in the mission, and worse, he would be ruining the moment that his beloved Victoria had worked so hard to perfect.
Victoria, who had closed her eyes in fear of the impending impact, suddenly felt herself being gently embraced by a pair of strong arms. She immediately opened her eyes and saw Orion looking at her with deep affection, his emotions finally under control.
The young woman's heart skipped a beat, but before she could say a word, Orion spoke loudly in a dramatic tone that took her by surprise.
"Estrid, I won't let you return to the moon without first telling you how I feel!"
"Estrid" was the name of Victoria's character in the play, meaning Orion was now taking advantage of the accident to improvise, subtly altering the script while keeping to the story's general theme. With her great professionalism, Victoria instantly understood his intention. Her expression regained the maturity of Estrid—the woman she was portraying on stage.
"Your feelings? What feelings could you possibly have? Humans only know hatred and war," she said in a sorrowful, reproachful tone.
Orion raised his eyebrows almost imperceptibly. The improvised exchange reminded him of a famous movie he had seen in his past life, starring a beautiful actress who resembled Victoria quite a bit. He decided to follow the same emotional direction as that film— as it fit the situation perfectly.
"Hatred and war? There's far more to humans than that. There's something much greater… love," said Orion, holding the young woman tightly in his arms.
Before she could continue improvising, Orion leaned forward and captured her lips in an intimate, romantic kiss—the first kiss that both had been waiting to share.
The director, who had gone into a panic when Victoria's accident occurred, now sighed in relief upon seeing how his two star actors had turned the disaster into a seamless improvisation. He clapped joyfully—this was the advantage of working with professionals!
Although the intended emotional effect of the scene had shifted slightly, the play had successfully maintained its course. Without wasting a moment, the director signaled the crew to activate the special effects for the finale.
A shower of colorful lights began to fall upon the pair of lovers, shimmering like glowing rain that surrounded them, while the stage lights gradually dimmed, amplifying the emotional impact of the scene for the audience.
The narrator's voice began recounting the story's epilogue, while the two lovers remained locked in a tender kiss. The women in the audience began to cry, moved by the touching romance before them, while the men nodded approvingly, secretly thinking it might be a good night to try new positions with their partners.
Yet none of that mattered to Orion and Victoria—they had completely forgotten about acting and were simply expressing their love with absolute sincerity, oblivious to everything else.
For the first time in her acting career, Victoria Cindry lost her professionalism on stage, forgetting entirely that she was performing. Paradoxically, no one noticed; in fact, many would later remember this moment as her most celebrated performance ever.
Finally, the curtain fell, hiding the lovers who continued surrendering to their passion, indifferent to the world around them. Immersed in the warmth of Orion's kiss, Victoria didn't even notice the roaring applause and cheers of the audience. And Orion didn't bother to check the system notifications that had just appeared before his eyes, indicating the completion of the mission that had taken him two long months.
…
January 1, 1502, Age of the Sea Circle
"Huff… huff… huff!" The doctor's labored breathing echoed through the deserted streets near the port as he ran as fast as his weak legs could carry him. In the frigid winter night, each exhale left a thick trail of steam behind.
"Stop right there, Hogback!" shouted one of the soldiers from Count Cindry's personal army, chasing after the chubby doctor—but just as he was about to catch him, a strange wave of weakness washed over him, slowing his movements and letting Hogback escape.
"Damn it! Why are the Count's troops chasing me!?" the doctor cried out indignantly, completely unable to understand what was happening.
After his failed attempt to kill Victoria, the play had ended with the woman he loved passionately kissing that damned bastard named Orion. At that moment, Hogback had wished with all his soul that he could travel back in time and tell his past self not to treat that man's wounds—no matter how much money he offered.
If he hadn't saved that bastard's life, he would never have lived long enough to steal the love of his life! Every time he thought about it, Hogback felt his blood boil in rage.
However, the past could not be changed. The only thing left was to find a way to fix things in the future. With that thought, Hogback had left the theater, intent on crafting a new plan to destroy Orion and Victoria. But before he could get very far, he had been intercepted by Count Cindry's personal troops.
If it hadn't been for his expert use of specialized drugs against his pursuers, he would have been captured without being able to defend himself.
In this kingdom, Hogback's status was prominent enough that most people would never dare to lay a hand on him, but it was difficult to know whether a stubborn nobleman might simply decide to kill him and then deal with the consequences afterward.
Considering his recent attempt to end Victoria's life, Hogback had no intention of being captured by the Cindry family soldiers, fearing he might meet a tragic end after a successful interrogation.
For that reason, he had decided it would be best to escape for now. With his talent in medicine, it wouldn't be difficult for him to settle somewhere else and continue amassing wealth. He could even plan new attacks against Victoria from a distance, so there wouldn't be much of a problem for him.
With these thoughts in mind, Hogback ran toward the port, where he always kept a ship ready to set sail in case of emergency. However, the moment he set foot on the dock, an imposing figure blocked his way.
"Doctor Hogback. I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to come with me," said the giant man expressionlessly, extending his hand to seize the doctor.
Seeing the mysterious man standing before him, staring seriously with a Bible in hand, Hogback froze on the spot, unable to do anything but be captured with resignation.
…
Meanwhile, Orion was in the northern part of the city, where Victoria's home was located.
Although she was a young woman from a noble family, she didn't live in her parents' grand mansion, as it was far from the cultural center of the kingdom—which was in this coastal city. Instead, she lived alone in an apartment she had rented using her earnings as an actress, located in one of the quietest, greenest neighborhoods in the city.
There, she lived alone, though she spent little time in the apartment since most of her days were taken up by her work at the theater. Now, however, this apartment had finally received its first male visitor since the day she'd moved in.
"Orion…" said Victoria with watery eyes, her gaze filled with desire.
Although she had no experience in love, her natural allure and the look of yearning in her eyes could make any normal man feel his blood pressure rise.
Orion wasted no time whatsoever; drawing close to her, he took her into his arms, kissing her soft, pink lips and letting his hands roam towards the girl's plump ass.
It should be mentioned that in addition to Victoria's beautiful face, her body was curvaceous and sensual. Although the most prominent of her curves were her imposing breasts, her butt had also been trained through years of acting practice, and it felt particularly good to the touch.
Mmm!" A moan escaped Victoria's lips as she stretched out her arms to wrap them around Orion's neck, while simultaneously standing slightly on the tips of her toes to kiss him better.
This subtle movement facilitated Orion's invasion of the enemy territory, as he began to move his hands greedily across the prolonged curves of the young woman, who simply limited herself to extending her small pink tongue while trembling with pleasure.
Finally, after being immersed in a passionate kiss for a few moments, Orion lifted her up in his arms and walked to the bed, where he gently let her fall. Victoria propped her forearms on the bed, and looking up at Orion with a gaze charged with sensuality, she said, "I want you to make me yours today."
Orion's mind could not endure any more stimulation, and finally, after two months of fermentation, his entire desire for the beautiful actress sublimated in an instant.
Like a hungry wolf, Orion launched himself upon her, and using his monstrous, superhuman strength, he tore the pure and immaculate white dress she was wearing, which was the very same one she had been using in the final scene of the play.
Orion's abrupt movements did not displease Victoria; quite the opposite, they generated an even greater excitement within her, and feeling a fierce urgency, she embraced her beloved's strong arms and began to kiss him erratically on the neck and face.
Feeling Victoria's tongue trailing over his body, Orion used his "Art Coating" ability to shed his own clothes immediately, demonstrating that his special abilities were already an innate part of his person, and that he used them as naturally as he would use any part of his body.
Feeling how wet Victoria was beneath him, Orion concluded that too much delay and foreplay were unnecessary. After all, they had been postponing this moment for so long that the mere idea of finally taking the last step made them feel a great predisposition toward the act of love.
Orion placed his penis against Victoria's pink petals, and then pushed with great intensity, causing the girl to arch her back with a grimace of pain, which immediately transformed into a look of pleased delight.
"Orion… Finally… I love you," Victoria whispered next to Orion's ear, making him almost lose control for an instant and risk embarrassing himself.
However, he managed to contain his effervescent feelings, and in a steady manner, he began to make a piston motion, while Victoria moaned in both pain and pleasure.
She hugged Orion tightly, her fingernails involuntarily digging into his back, leaving marks on her beloved's skin.
Like a wooden raft caught in a storm, Victoria endured the assaults of the waves, as small moans continued to emerge incessantly from her mouth.
Her enormous breasts, which had small pink nipples hardened by pleasure, rubbed against the powerful pectoral muscles of her beloved, producing an strange sensation within her that complemented the experiences she was feeling in her most private part.
Little by little, time went by, and the pair of lovers continued to express their feelings in the purest way, while the white snow fell from the dark winter sky.
Gradually, the temperature of the two intertwined bodies rose, and the speed of Orion's movements became faster and faster, and wider.
Finally, Victoria let out a long, strident moan, and instinctively bit her lover's neck, as a wondrous tremor invaded her entire body. Orion felt his partner's climax, and with a final movement of his pelvis, he introduced his penis into the deepest part of his beloved, expelling all his love there in a great explosion.
A few instants passed, with the trembling of their orgasms becoming one; their heartbeats and breaths seemed to find a common rhythm in the particular harmony of lovers, and opening their eyes at the same time, they looked at each other with infinite affection.
Before Orion could make the first move, Victoria beat him to it, leaning toward his face and kissing him tenderly, while applying the tricks Orion had taught her about how to move her small tongue.
*Ding*
A bell rang in Orion's mind and a notification appeared saying:
*The skill Marital Happiness (Level 2) has increased by one (1) level*
However, Orion paid no attention to it, since his whole being was focused on his beloved Victoria, who at this moment was his entire world.
The long night went on with a frantic rhythm, and the couple released all their repressed feelings, while outside the winter snow kept falling, indifferent to everything.
...
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