Max and his teammates didn't speak for a while, simply giving their body and mind a moment of rest. The battle with the wraith was nerve-wracking and even a slight mistake would have led to their death.
So, they had kept their body and mind working at their maximum capacity. Now, they needed some rest.
After lingering for a while, Charlotte asked, as she couldn't hide her curiosity anymore, "Where did you get that tattoo? Is that the reward you were looking for?"
"Oh! You like it?" Max smiled mischievously and lifted his torn shirt to show his tattoo to the girls.
He had changed its position slightly, as he thought that the serpent would look cool if it were on his abdomen too. So, now his powerful, dense rolling muscles showcased the lifelike serpent tattoo.
Charlotte just looked at those abs in a trance, her mind numb and her cheeks flushed red. Before she knew it, her hand automatically stretched itself and touched his abs.
"Miss Healer, I don't mind being touched by such a beautiful and kind woman, but you should at least get my consent first," Max didn't waste the chance to tease her.
As he expected, Charlotte broke out of her reverie and her face went completely red. He could swear that if this were an anime, he would have seen smoke coming out of her face.
'So cute! Damnation! I wanna squeeze those cheeks,' Max took a deep breath to resist the temptations, otherwise he might have really lost his control and pinched those plump red cheeks.
"I... I can explain, I didn't mean to...." Charlotte tried to explain, but her face just continued to get redder.
So, she just stopped talking and buried her face between her knees, and a muffled voice came from there, "I'm sorry!"
Max couldn't control himself anymore and began to laugh, making Charlotte ever more embarrassed.
"You really are brave. You dare to bully my sister in my presence!!" Stelle had already lost her smile, as she slowly stood up.
Her eyes were strangely cold, as the hammer in her hand began to grow bigger and heavier. Her arms were small and looked frail, yet they easily picked up the heavy hammer.
Max swallowed his saliva back and said, "My dear Stelle, you should understand that I was just teasing her. I meant no harm whatsoever!"
"It doesn't matter! You bullied my sister and now you deserve the punishment!" Stelle said, raising her hammer above her head.
All of a sudden, Max stopped shivering and jumped to his feat. In a swift motion, he attacked her wrist and let the hammer drop on the ground.
As she yelped in surprise, Max smiled but didn't stop there. He held both of her hands above her and slammed her lightly against the wall, with his body pressing against hers.
He lowered his head and whispered in her ear, "Don't misunderstand, little lady. I find you just as cute as I find your sister, so I don't mind getting to know both of you. I'll get you and then we'll see who needs punishment."
His hand traced back to her buttocks, as she shivered under his touch. He continued, "Do you want the punishment?"
"N-no!" Stelle whimpered under his touch, trying to get away from him.
It was impossible, as he was more powerful and also taller than her petite body. She was helpless against his advances, and that made her feel both scared and excited at the same time.
Just when she thought that Max would continue, he backed away, leaving a strange sense of disappointment in her heart.
"Hehe, just take a look at your face. You want it, don't you?" Max laughed, pointing at her.
"HOW DARE YOU!!!" Stelle screamed as her face turned red in anger.
"It's enough, Stelle!" Charlotte said, finally managing to calm herself down. "He's a scumbag and you should have noticed it by now. But he isn't bad and had no ill intentions. He's just teasing you... and me."
Stelle opened her mouth to protest but closed it under her sister's fierce gaze. She could only pout and send a deathly glare at Max, thinking, 'This guy is so hateful! Like hell I'm ever falling for him. What punishment...'
Thinking of that, she was reminded of how he had touched her butt, and her anger grew. Though, she didn't know if she was angry about him touching her butt or for backing away without doing anything.
"Haha! You two are my companions and we have a long way ahead, so I thought it's fine to have some fun," Max chuckled and said. "Besides, it'll be a shame if I have two beautiful and cute girls in my team and I don't tease them."
"Huh? You weren't lying?" Stelle blinked in confusion and almost forgot about her anger.
"About what? You two are cute—heck, I can say you are the most beautiful women I've ever seen. And mind you, I have spent my time in the Royal Palace, so I have high standards for beauty," Max said, as he knew how much Stelle liked being complimented.
Because of her bratty nature, most people either just stayed away from her or spoke ill of her. And it just grew worse because of Charlotte, who was considered one of the most beautiful girls of the kingdom.
As for Charlotte herself, she was tired of empty compliments or just praise mixed with lust. She had Stelle with her, so they usually knew the kind of people they met.
That was one of the reasons they longed for someone genuine, especially Charlotte, who usually spent her time reading romance novels and dreamt of a knight coming for her.
Max genuinely appreciated and loved them, so his compliments were something both of them wanted, even if they denied it.
'How can I not love such lovely ladies! I spent so much time just to draw their character arts by myself, even though I didn't know how to draw!'
[That's why I gave you this chance. Live well and make your favourite people happy. They don't deserve the fate you give them.]