To Get Stronger, I’m Forced to Grind Their Affection

Chapter 8

The girl's name was Ailuka.

Most people's names are given by their parents, aren't they?

But her name was one she gave herself, because... she had never met her parents.

Ailuka gave herself a very ordinary, very common name, but she was unable to live the ordinary life she wished for—that was an extravagant hope.

The priest at the church said that two types of blood flowed through her body simultaneously: one human, one draconic.

Unfortunately, a human heart could not support the increasingly powerful dragon blood. He asserted that Ailuka would not live past the age of 16.

"We should exile this child. If she stays, the power within her body might go berserk due to emotional reasons. When that happens, the people in the village won't be able to stop her."

The priest warned the old village chief in this way.

"She might very well destroy the village."

The old village chief was frightened. He and the villagers left Ailuka in the forest. The only remaining kindness was leaving her some food.At that time, she was only six years old.

Since she had been abandoned, she would survive on her own—this is what Ailuka told herself.

"I will survive. Since they all think I can't survive, I'll survive and show them!"

From then on, closing off her heart, Ailuka believed she only needed to live on like this by herself.

....

Ailuka found work that suited her perfectly: being a mercenary.

At first, the mercenary guild thought such a small child couldn't possibly do it, but her "ability values" shocked them.

She began surviving as a "solo mercenary."

This life was very simple. In the morning, she would accept a mission from the mercenary guild, fill her stomach, then enter the forest. After completing the commission, she would return to the guild to report.

Very ordinary, very mundane.

But Ailuka liked it very much.

.....

This time, Ailuka had finally fallen into a predicament.

Her heart had been aching continuously for several months, and on this day it was particularly severe. Moreover, she had fallen into a goblin trap.

The person who suddenly appeared had saved her, but he couldn't possibly truly save her either.

Ailuka knew this in her heart. Over these years, it wasn't that she hadn't tried to find ways to resolve her heart problem, but there was simply no solution.

Even the extremely rare third-tier "Holy Knight" could only shake his head and sigh.

Ailuka had long accepted her fate.

Hazily, Ailuka opened her eyes again.

She discovered that damned fellow was trying to undo the last covering on her chest.

"You... what are you doing?"

Ailuka said weakly.

"Don't speak. I will save you. The prerequisite is that you don't move around."

"What you're doing right now is clearly a crime!"

Ailuka wanted to struggle, but she truly had no strength now.

"I'll try my best not to look."

Luolin took a strip of cloth torn from the clothes Ailuka had removed earlier and tied it over his head to cover his eyes.

"You... what exactly are you trying to do? Don't bother with me anymore. I'm beyond saving."

Across a distance of several dozen meters, Ailuka vaguely saw several green-skinned creatures.

"It's goblins... they've caught up with us."

Ailuka found herself lacking the strength to stand up.

"You should run, don't worry about me anymore..."

"Cut the crap, don't talk right now."

Luolin fiercely snapped at Ailuka in anger.

The piece of cloth on Ailuka's chest had also been removed by him, and the feeling of her body being completely exposed to the air made Ailuka feel very uncomfortable.

The goblins were approaching.

"It's useless, you're just a level one novice, aren't you? You're not even a Paladin, how could you possibly..."

"I told you not to talk!"

As Ailuka's breathing caused her to rise and fall, Luolin's fingers also touched something soft, and the unprecedented perfect sensation made Luolin's mind waver.

Luolin was also very serious, because he didn't know whether that method would actually work.

Ailuka's condition worsened further, the blood seemed to flow backwards painfully, her heart beat frantically, but it couldn't alleviate the pain at all.

A tearing sensation filled Ailuka's heart, and her breathing began to quicken.

"Quick... just go..."

"Shut up! Now is not the time for you to give up. The fact that you've persisted until now shows that you want to live, doesn't it? If that's the case, then keep on living!"

The pressure kept accumulating, and Ailuka's capacity to endure clearly had its limits.

At a certain moment, there was a feeling of something shattering, and Ailuka's heart finally couldn't bear the burden and suddenly collapsed.

Blood suddenly spurted from Ailuka's mouth.

It was over, everything was over.

This was also the ending Ailuka had anticipated long ago. However, although she had foreseen it back then, it still seemed so hard to accept at this moment.

Saying things like not being afraid of death were all just nonsense.

It's just that sometimes, what surges in one's heart is not a sense of fear, but a sense of powerlessness.

Thank you for trying to help me at the end, although... you're a pervert.

I hope you won't be perverted enough to want to do something to a dead person.