Chapter 184: Chapter 184: Side Effects

“Iona appears!”

For some reason, I blurted out as I blankly stared at Iona, who had climbed halfway onto my bed.

“No, you shouldn’t appear here! This is an illegal intrusion!”

“It’s okay! It’s okay! Who am I? The academy’s most senior professor and Yandel’s homeroom teacher! Plus, we were injured fighting on the same battlefield! Of course, I have the right to enter this room!”

“Having the right to enter doesn’t mean you can come in anytime! What time do you think it is…?”

“Hmm? Hmm? This seems suspicious. You’re showing such a strong rejection… Was Student Yandel enjoying something alone?”

“Is it okay for a professor to sexually harass a student?”

“Then, is it okay for a student to forcibly kiss a professor, and bury their face in their chest recklessly?”

“…That part ended with the surprise kiss last time.”

As I replied sulkily and turned my head away, Iona sat on the edge of the bed, giggling.

Her already pale skin seemed even more translucent in the moonlight, creating an ephemeral atmosphere as if she might disappear at any moment.

She looked more like a fairy who stepped out for a moment than a vampire.

I chuckled at the absurd thought that crossed my mind.

“So? Are you really okay, Professor? You were more injured than I was.”

“Huh? Of course, Student Yandel and I have completely different basic healing abilities. I’ve fully recovered long ago and got tired of being dragged around everywhere!”

“What does hiding in my bedroom have to do with that? Especially at this late hour… Oh, do you have something to say to me?”

She said she was called everywhere. Not just anyone could summon someone like Iona.

The academy’s principal, who also served as the chairman, the United Divine Orders, kings, or emperors of various countries.

I wasn’t sure which it was, but it must be something related to me.

With a slight sense of tension, I briefly focused on Iona’s red lips.

Dropping her playful demeanor, Iona straightened up and took a serious posture.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Was this conversation that important?

Her chest accentuated naturally. I tried hard to suppress my gaze from wandering downward and said,

“Professor Iona?”

“Yeah, um. Well, that is…”

She seemed to have something to say but struggled to articulate it, her lips merely quivering.

Then, as if she had made up her mind, she turned towards me.

“Listen, listen… I have a favor to ask.”

“Yes? What is it?”

“Let… me…”

“What? I can’t hear you well.”

“I said… let me…”

“???”

As I blinked in confusion, Iona suddenly, with the agility of a cat or a predator, climbed on top of me.

Then, as if to prevent me from escaping, she firmly placed her hands on either side of my head.

Her dark red hair flowed down, somewhat blocking the moonlight-like curtains.

All that was visible was Iona’s face, which looked desperate, and her chest, which was almost touching my upper body.

The situation seemed as if she had sneaked into the treatment room, climbed onto the bed, and then was on top of me.

Iona whispered with a trembling voice.

“Let me drink your blood.”

“…What?”

“So! So! I’m asking if I can drink Yandel’s blood!”

“No, I understood what you said, but it was so sudden that I had to ask again. And it’s loud.”

“…Sorry, sorry. I’m a bit desperate right now, so I shouted. I won’t do it anymore.”

Iona spoke with a slightly disheartened tone as she raised her upper body while sitting on my waist and continued speaking calmly.

“Did you know? Yandel woke up just two days later.”

“I woke up earlier than expected.”

“That’s because you were treated in the best facility on the continent. It wasn’t just someone who specialized in healing; the Cardinal of Righteous Radiance did some emergency treatment as well.”

Although it was an abnormal order made up of paladins and combat priests, they were still clerics, after all. Naturally, they could use healing holy magic.

“Ah, have you not drunk blood in these two days?”

“It’s not that I haven’t drank; I couldn’t drink.”

“Huh?”

According to Iona, when she tried to drink animal blood as usual, it was so repulsive that she vomited it all out after just one sip.

Since she couldn’t go without consuming anything, she tried drinking from a blood pack containing human blood…

“That thing… I don’t know if it was because I compared it to Yandel’s blood unknowingly. I could drink it, but it made my thirst worse. What on earth did you feed me?”

Iona shrugged her shoulders playfully, but upon closer inspection, her fingertips were trembling.

She must have been shaking from the moment she first entered the treatment room.

To anyone else, it would seem like she was addicted to a dangerous drug.

“Even now… Until I entered, I thought I could bear it, but just smelling Yandel’s scent makes me like this…”

“Professor Iona.”

I interrupted her words and clasped her hands. Then I slowly pulled her towards me.

Without any resistance, she came closer, and Iona’s face was near again.

“Last time you said my blood was a good match, right?”

“Yes, yes… Maybe because it was human blood I drank after a long time, my body was surprised… or perhaps excited… It felt like that. Yes.”

Iona was fidgeting and rambling, not because our faces were close, but because my neck was near.

I could feel her eyes flickering towards it constantly.

Thinking about it, was it inevitable?

Just as I kept recalling the sensation of being bitten by Iona, she also must not have forgotten the times she drank my blood.

After some contemplation, I spoke.

“Then, do you remember what I said before, Professor?”

“Wh-what was it?”

I grinned at Iona, who was distracted by my neck.

“I said you can drink as much as you want.”

I turned my head slightly to the side, offering my neck to her as if inviting her to look this way.

“Here.”

“…What?”

“Aren’t you going to drink?”

“…”

As if entranced by something, Iona bowed her head.

Her rough breath tickled my neck. Iona hesitated only for a moment, but unable to resist the temptation, she leaned in.

Crunch.

The sensation of sharp fangs burrowing into my neck, the somewhat firm touch of her nose, the gentle tongue prodding the bitten spot.

Soon, a pleasurable sensation that seemed likely to become a habit began to surge.

“Eup…”

As blood surged out with each heartbeat, Iona’s initially cold skin gradually regained warmth.

“Sip…”

The trembling transmitted through Iona’s soft chest, pressing down on me, gradually weakened.

As she hung quietly on my neck, I thought she looked somewhat like a baby, and I gently stroked the back of her head.

“Uhmp?”

She paused momentarily at my touch, but soon focused back solely on drinking.

How long had it been?

As I began to feel dizzy from anemia, I thought it was enough and gently patted Iona’s back.

“Professor? That’s enough, isn’t it?”

“Hmm… Suck…”

Iona continued to drink my blood without responding.

This time, I poked her back with my fingertips.

“Professor? I’m feeling dizzy. Are you still not satisfied?”

“…”

No response. Instead, she subtly started rubbing her body against me.

With her hips firmly against my waist and her chest pressing down on my upper body, imagine what could happen.

It was incongruous with her baby-like appearance, but like a hungry baby mashing a bottle, our clothes created friction against each other.

“Professor Iona?!”

Startled, I tried to push Iona away, but since she was clinging to me, she only lifted slightly.

Goodness… Even with the physical specs of an active knight, I couldn’t push her away…?

I needed to drink a potion from my inventory to think straight before it got dangerous.

After managing to drink a recovery potion, I checked on Iona’s condition.

“Uh… haaaaah…”

It seemed her reason had flown away, as she did not react no matter how much I called her name or poked her side.

Instead, she seemed to itch more, rubbing her body against me even harder.

It was inevitable, but at this point, I couldn’t help but respond.

“Uhmp?”

Caught up in instinct, even Iona seemed surprised by the intensity as she momentarily stopped moving her waist.

It was a bit embarrassing, but it was good that she was regaining her senses this way.

However, contrary to my expectations, Iona slowly wiggled, adjusting the angle to press her groin against me perfectly.

The softness was obvious even through the clothes.

…It was becoming dangerous.

I had a session with Carla earlier, but that wasn’t satisfying enough.

Normally, I was used to dealing with at least two people, so it was understandable.

The problem was, Iona wasn’t my woman, and she wasn’t in her right mind right now.

Was there no other choice?

I sighed deeply and raised my hand high.

And then I slapped Iona’s buttocks hard.

“Slap!”

“Huh?!”

Even if her mind was lost in sucking my blood, this should snap her back to reality.

She quickly lifted her head and clutched her buttocks.

“Hey, Student Yandel, this is… this is…”

“Professor, you lost your mind. I had no choice.”

Saying that, I slyly pointed at Iona’s chest with my index finger.

Her clothes were disheveled from the rubbing, exposing more than half of her cleavage.

“Ah.”

Iona hastily tried to cover her chest… then she stopped, her face turning red as she stared straight at me.

“There, there. Student Yandel.”

Releasing the restraint she had been holding, her voice now dripped with allure.

Iona’s blood-red eyes shimmered with a myriad of emotions—tension, gratitude, guilt, betrayal, anticipation, fear, and excitement.

In the suddenly charged atmosphere, Iona carefully raised both hands.

With one hand, she curled her index and thumb to form a circle, and with the other, she poked that circle with an index finger in a crude gesture.

“Shall we?”

“Yes.”

My mouth moved before my brain could think.

Although, even if I had thought it through, my answer would have been the same.