He's so good-looking.
That was Artoria's first thought upon seeing the boy, who looked around her age.
She swore it wasn't lust—
The boy just gave off an inexplicable sense of comfort.
Like…
A kindred spirit.
Still her eyes cautiously scanned over him.
Why… wasn't he wearing anything?
And he was covered in wounds.
Like he had just come running through a field of thorns.
"Hey, are you alright?"
Artoria asked cautiously.
No response.
She reached out and poked his cheek.
Still nothing.
A dark thought crept into her mind.
Could he be… dead?
She looked up at the sky where he had fallen from, a conflicted expression in her eyes.
Honestly, it made sense—
Falling from that high up, a normal person would've been a splatter by now.
Maybe he only looked fine on the outside, but was broken inside.
Should she find a place to bury him?
Or try saving him?
As Artoria's thoughts battled it out—
Ripples formed on the lake.
The boy's fingers twitched.
"Thirsty…"
"So thirsty…"
Hearing it clearly, Artoria immediately responded.
"You're alive?"
"Thirsty…"
"So thirsty…"
"Huh?"
She hesitated for a moment, then turned back toward the lake.
It was the same lake where she had just bathed, but it was the only nearby water source.
Saving him was more important.
They could discuss whether this counted as bathwater later.
"Here!"
Artoria rushed back with water carefully wrapped in a folded leaf.
"Drink up—"
Gurgle, gurgle.
She gently poured the water into his mouth.
That should help, right?
Artoria anxiously waited.
But after just one sip, the boy didn't swallow at all.
"Not this…"
"This isn't what I want…"
Artoria was dumbfounded.
Wait…
Did he realize this was her bathwater?
No, no!
She shook her head.
No way he could know that!
There had to be another reason!
But what…
Before she could figure it out, the boy suddenly sat upright.
"Eh? You're okay?"
Just as she said that, she felt a gaze—hungry and intense.
In that moment, she realized something terrible—
In her hurry to help him—
She hadn't put her clothes back on!
"Please calm down!"
Artoria covered her chest with both hands.
"Or I'll scream for help!"
But none of that seemed to matter.
The boy lunged at her.
In a flash, he pinned her to the grass beside the lake.
"He's strong—"
Artoria found she couldn't fight back at all.
She regretted being so kind just moments earlier.
"No—"
"This isn't right—"
Even if he'd perfectly landed on her softest spot, this suffocating pressure wasn't what she wanted at all.
"So thirsty…"
"I'm so thirsty…"
He said again, lowering his head.
"No!"
Artoria screamed.
But soon, she realized—
Things might not be what she thought they were.
True, he looked aggressive, and his actions had crossed a line, accompanied by an undeniable sense of dominance—
But—
But he wasn't driven by desire.
He was simply, as he said, desperately thirsty—licking whatever his lips could reach.
It was instinct.
That word flashed through Artoria's mind.
A reaction fueled purely by the body's needs.
Her face completely red, she looked at him as he buried his face in front of her, then hesitantly asked,
"Um… what exactly do you want to drink?"
The boy looked up and met her eyes.
"I don't know," he said.
"But… I'm really thirsty…"
Artoria was at a loss.
He kept repeating he was thirsty, but couldn't say what he actually wanted.
Worse still—
When he didn't get an answer from her, he went right back to pressing his lips against her.
His sharp teeth grazed her skin like saw blades.
Before she could even react, his teeth pierced through.
Panic rose in her chest.
If she'd still been trying to reason with herself based on that slight good impression when they first met, it was long gone now.
Wasn't this basically a wild animal?
But then—
She noticed something was off.
As inappropriate and invasive as his actions were, her blood seemed to be calming him down.
Artoria suddenly understood:
He was acting on instinct, wanting to feed.
But since he couldn't bring himself to truly cross that line, he was substituting blood instead.
It made sense.
Feeling slightly braver, she said softly,
"Slow down… there's no need to rush.
I'll wait for you…"
That sounded so weird.
She had no idea why she even said something like that.
Maybe it was kindness… or something else.
Either way, she figured that as long as she reassured him, he wouldn't go too far.
Still… who taught him to behave like this?
He was way too wild.
Fortunately, the blood-drinking didn't last long.
Soon, the boy raised his head again, the scent of blood in the air.
But his eyes were completely different now—much calmer.
"That was delicious," he said.
"You taste amazing."
Though being complimented like that under such circumstances was strange, Artoria could sense the gratitude in his voice.
"I-I see.
Thanks… I guess."
What am I even saying?
Mortified, she wanted to slap herself.
She quickly added,
"So… can you let me go now?"
The boy stood up, and so did Artoria.
Facing each other completely exposed, the air grew awkward—at least for her.
She needed a distraction.
"Come with me," she said, face still flushed, picking up her clothes.
"You seem badly hurt."
"Okay," he replied.