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Regarding coin-minting matters, Ignis—back when he still lived on Earth—had once been full of anticipation. That changed the moment he entered the civil engineering industry; his entire existence promptly fell into a tomb. At the construction site, the only "female" presence was the nut on a bolt, and even the cafeteria was staffed entirely by middle-aged men.
Occasionally, the labor crews tried to invite him out for foot massages, but as a righteous and principled pure-love warrior, such acts were no different from betraying his own soul. Up until the moment he was buried alive in a collapsed basement, he had remained exactly as he was.
Later, in service to The Emperor, the training and combat deployments of an Adeptus Astartes were already enough to exhaust him completely. Most of the time, stationed warriors trained relentlessly before being dispatched to the battlefield to gain experience.
Today, however, this strong and battle-hardened warrior was being guided every step of the way. He had no grasp of the proper "method" for this particular activity, and if Jane Doe hadn't been willing to offer some instruction, the whole affair would have been far more difficult.
By the time everything ended, Port Elpis had fallen silent. The tourists were long gone, leaving only the waves to continue their endless task of washing against the breakwater.
The half-dark, half-bright moon casted its light down, illuminating the entire room. Only then did the Salamander finally have the presence of mind to sit up and look around. Jane Doe's rented apartment was exceedingly bare—there wasn't even a bed, just a massive mattress laid directly on the floor. It was clearly custom-made; even Ignis's enormous frame could stretch out comfortably on it. Given his sheer weight, very few beds could survive such punishment anyway—especially during more intense activities.
Several boxes were stacked in the corner. Judging from the labels, they were filled with junk food: assorted instant noodles and biscuits, a crate of drinking water, a crate of energy drinks, and several flavors of vegetable sticks.
This woman's standards for living quality were astonishingly low. A cramped apartment, simple food—or could this even be called food? At least for Ignis, a meal had to be hot, forged by flame. Even instant noodles needed to be properly boiled, maybe with an egg cracked in. Otherwise, it was nothing more than a snack, hardly a real meal.
"What's wrong? Is there something wrong with these?" Jane Doe asked. Her voice carried a faint edge—this was the first time the Salamander had heard such weariness in her tone.
"It just feels like you don't eat very well… no wonder you treat fish-sauce fries like some kind of delicacy."
As Ignis spoke, a cool body pressed against him, soft and fragrant.
"Oh? Then does my guardian knight have any good ideas?" Slender fingers traced lazy circles across his hard, dark skin, sending a faint itch through him.
"My line of work doesn't allow for a fixed residence," she continued. "And I don't really have the time to study cooking."
He turned his head. Wrapped loosely in a thin blanket, her skin glowed faintly red under the moonlight, flushed with lingering excitement. This woman played hard, and more often than not, she was the one setting the pace.
"Maybe I should bring you something," Ignis said slowly. "But you don't even have anything here to heat food."
He raised a hand, hesitating midair. It took him a long moment to make up his mind before resting it on Jane Doe's shoulder, gently rubbing it.
"Looks like I should prepare a microwave, or maybe some kind of portable stove?" The Rat Thiren woman leaned against him, a far cry from her usual demeanor. "Though now you finally know how to control your strength. At the start, you hugged me so hard—do you even realize how strong you are? You nearly crushed me."
Being reminded of that incident made Ignis's face heat up instantly. At the beginning, he had been so overwhelmed that he'd pulled Jane Doe tightly into his arms, forgetting one crucial detail: with his tendons reinforced by gene-seeds, his raw physical strength was far beyond normal. He had nearly broken her bones.
That was why Jane Doe had ended up controlling most of the situation afterward—and she'd clearly enjoyed doing so.
Seeing the Salamander avert his gaze, the Rat Thiren woman chuckled. "Alright, alright. I know it was your first time—you didn't know your limits. Just be more careful next time. Not every partner has my kind of physique. You might end up causing an actual fatality."
The tip of her tail tapped lightly against his back, ticklish.
"Then I'd only be able to visit you in a Public Security prison cell."
Laughter echoed at the boundary between shadow and moonlight, reverberating through the bare room, before finally fading into the Salamander's quiet sigh.
"What's wrong? Not satisfied with something, my strong bull?"
Jane Doe teased him half-jokingly, pressing even closer. Wherever she touched, Ignis could feel her body temperature rising.
"What exactly… are we to each other?" Ignis asked.
"What's this, some kind of post-clarity philosophical question?" she replied. "Is that really important?"
"Of course it is," Ignis muttered softly. "Should I ask you to be my partner? Or propose? Or… is all of this happening too fast? Did we skip too many steps in between?"
"Hmm—" Jane Doe drew out the sound, her rising tone unable to hide her delight. "Didn't expect this. You're a traditionalist—the type who believes everything should wait until after marriage."
Ignis felt flustered and tried to respond, but she stood up and pressed a finger gently to his lips. Bathed in moonlight, her perfect figure was laid bare. Even after touching and kissing her countless times, the Salamander found himself utterly captivated.
"What kind of relationship?" she asked, dragging out the words with a playful smile. "For now, I'd say… secret lovers. The kind where we meet each other's needs, at least physically."
"But—"
Jane Doe turned away, bending down to retrieve a bottle of water from one of the boxes. Her long, flexible tail blocked his mouth again.
She twisted open the cap and drank deeply, her chest rising and falling. Ignis looked—then realized it might not be appropriate and looked away.
"If you want to look, then look." She tossed the empty bottle aside and leaned in, arms folded beneath her chest. The sweet scent around her made the giant feel dizzy. "What? I come to be your lover, and you're not satisfied?"
She was exceedingly proactive.
But Ignis didn't want this to end at just lovers. He had thought about going further—about something more open, more official.
He tried to speak, but the moment he opened his mouth, Jane Doe silenced him with a kiss.
When their lips parted, she wrapped her arms around his neck again, pressing close. The coolness of her skin seeped into him, and no words would come.
"Don't say anything. Don't ask anything," she said gently, though her words were firm. "Did you forget what kind of work I do?"
"I'm a professional undercover agent for New Eridu Public Security. Most of the time, I have to hide who I am—change identities, change faces."
Her voice was soft, her warm breath tickling his ear, yet her words carried unmistakable resolve.
"Even my name is fake."
"But…" He tried again, only to be silenced by another heated kiss.
"I'm grateful for your feelings—your sincerity," she said afterward. "Honestly, I misjudged you. I didn't expect you to be such a pure-hearted big guy. I thought someone like you would never lack admirers."
Ignis forced himself to stay quiet, deciding to let her finish.
"I love this job, and I'm willing to sacrifice for it. My dream is to drive all the crime out of New Eridu's shadows, so every good person can sleep peacefully without fearing the reach of evil."
"You know how unrealistic that sounds. But people always have these impractical ideas—they call them dreams."
"I'm working toward mine. Everything about my current life is a sacrifice for that goal. I think you understand that."
Self-sacrifice. Self-dedication. The Promethean Cult had taught generations of Salamanders the same creed. Back on Blue Star, Ignis had lived by it as well.
"I'm thankful for your kindness, and for your feelings. They make me genuinely happy."
"But…" Her voice faltered for a second—or maybe longer. She tightened her grip around his neck, pulling herself flush against him.
She held him with the same force he had used at the start, as if she wanted to crush herself into him, to become part of him.
"My life is unstable. I could face danger at any moment. Maybe one day I'll fail a mission and be dumped in a Hollow, my body never even found."
"So, wouldn't it be better for you to find a more ordinary girl? Date normally. Marry normally. Live a normal life together."
"Our relationship should stop here. There's no need to go any further."
Something wet fell onto Ignis's shoulder. The Son of Vulkan refused to remain silent any longer.
"You misunderstand me, Jane Doe."
"My life isn't stable either. You've surely looked into my background. Markus must've told you—I'm pursuing dangerous things."
"We're the same kind of people. We use false identities to do what we believe is right. That's why we crossed paths."
"Yes, I long for a normal relationship—a normal marriage. But if it's with you, I can accept something less ordinary. I don't dislike you changing disguises or preparing fake identities every time we meet. Honestly, I even find it novel."
The arms around his neck loosened. Her skin grew warmer, her heartbeat quicker.
"My lady, I need your help—just as you need mine. I can't enter the city's shadows, but you can gather intelligence for me. And I'm nothing more than a brute skilled in combat, able to provide you with force."
"As long as you give me a location—whether in a Hollow or some cursed corner—I will come for you. Even if you can't, I'll find you anyway. I'll ask Nicole, or Zhu Yuan—wherever you are, whatever criminals you face, I will go. I swear it."
"I will be your armor, your blade, your iron fist. I swear it on my honor."
"Pfft—hahahahaha!"
The sudden laughter was utterly ill-timed. Jane Doe released him, laughing until tears streamed down her face. It took her a long while to calm herself.
"Honestly… you said almost the exact same thing as that girl from the Defense Force," she said, wiping her face. "Mr. 'Green Knight of the Night,' would you say that counts as a knight's vow to a lady?"
He was still a bit bothered by the Green Knight part, but he nodded solemnly nonetheless.
"Good grief… what expression am I even supposed to make?" Jane Doe took several deep breaths, her chest rising and falling, before steadying herself.
In some sense, Adeptus Astartes really were knightly nobles of the Imperium—just with a heavier religious flavor.
"I thought this was where our relationship would end," the Rat Thiren woman said, hands on her hips, feigning displeasure. "Didn't expect you to be such a persistent man."
Her waist and abdomen were remarkably strong, her thighs full and powerful—something Ignis was keenly aware of from experience.
"Hey, where are you looking?" she scolded lightly. "I was just praising you."
Ignis tried to turn his head away, but she grabbed his large head firmly, forcing him to keep looking.
"If you want to look, then look. You've already seen everything anyway."
She wrapped her arms around his neck again, throwing herself into his embrace.
She whispered softly, her breath so faint it felt like a dream.
"For now, though, we can only be lovers. If you want to upgrade to something more… there's still a long road ahead."
"I'll work hard," Ignis said, returning the embrace.
Bright laughter rang in his ears as the woman in his arms shifted her weight. Ignis followed the motion and lay back.
Jane Doe sat astride his waist once more, moonlight tracing beautiful shadows across her form.
"Want to get intimate again?" she asked.
"Of course, my lady."
That mattress truly suffered for it.
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