The System had appeared immediately when Catrina awoke in this new world.
She'd found herself in an inn by the road side without a clue as to how she'd gotten there.The first thing she'd felt was the heat, damp, close, and sticky against her forehead.
Her eyes fluttered open to a dim room, wooden beams lining the ceiling, the scent of sweat and old ale lingering in the air. Her limbs were tired, her clothes foreign, her body trembling with the sudden after effects of reincarnation.
All these she'd expected. But only those.
Beside her stood a big muscular woman, broad-shouldered, sun-browned, and breathing heavily as she dabbed a damp cloth over Catrina's unblemished face.
Her eyes, rough and hardened like someone used to hard living, lingered far too long on the delicate pink skin of Catrina's cheeks. In her mind, innkeeper thought about was fucking Catrina to kingdom come.
"You alright, sweetheart?" the woman asked,trying her best to avoid cumming just from hearing what the beauty's voice would sound like.
"Divities help me, you're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Are you perhaps a deity?" Her fingers trembled as she pulled back. "I—damn it—I want you. More than I've ever wanted anyone. But I can't. Something's stopping me. Please let me touch you, I promise it will just be a little."
The innkeeper could not keep it in her pants and she decided to risk it all.
A soft chime rang in Catrina's mind. A translucent blue screen blinked into view in front of her vision.
[Skill Active: Gated Lust]
Your body is a forbidden fruit.
Those who lust after you will feel overwhelming desire, yet will be bound by an unbreakable restraint. No one may touch you without your clear, conscious consent.
The innkeeper stood just a foot away, her big chest still heaving and her eyes dilating with desperate hunger. Her hands curled into sweaty trembling fists at her sides, and her thighs shifted like even standing still was unbearable.
She was shaking with desperate need.
Catrina's gaze turned to the cloth the woman still held, now damp and wrung out from her struggle.
It had touched her. But the woman herself hadn't, not once. The innkeeper had faithfully abstained from any physical contact.
Catrina's pink intoxicating lips parted in slow understanding, and then she smiled.
"Yes, you can touch me," she said gently.
The words had barely left her mouth before the woman surged forward like a dam bursting. Her hands gripped Catrina's face, her lips crashed against hers in a desperate, fevered kiss. It was rough, all-consuming, nothing like the fear of before.
The innkeeper was a starving animal, and Catrina was the delicious meal she hadn't had in days.
The sheer intensity left the saintess gasping. She couldn't breathe, couldn't move under the bringer woman's stronghold, as her body was pressed down against the mattress.
"Enough!" she cried out, her voice sharp and breathless.
And just like that, the innkeeper froze, her arms still trembling around Catrina.
"I—gods—I'm sorry," the woman gasped, falling to her knees by the bed, her eyes wide with guilt and panic. "I didn't mean to… I didn't want to… it's like something took over. Please… don't think I'm a monster. I'm not. I swear it, I just—please don't hate me. You can't hate me!"
Catrina sat upright slowly, touching her lips with two fingers. They were tingling.
She stared at the hysterical innkeeper in quiet awe, her breath still catching in her throat. What in the world…? The memory of the Head Saintess came to her and for a moment Catrina wondered what her leader had done.
Then, another soft chime echoed in her mind, as if the System had been waiting for her to wonder.
[Gated Lust – Passive Skill: Active]
Effect: Any substantial sexual desires toward you are greatly amplified. Touch remains impossible without your direct consent. Upon receiving permission, the self restraint is lifted.
It all made sense now.
Catrina looked down at the woman kneeling before her, "I don't hate you," she said softly.
A full day had passed since that happened. Catrina smiled as she walked deeper into the city, reminiscing that strange awakening she'd had.
A soft inquisitive tap landed on her shoulder.
She turned slowly, almost lazily, her long curved white eye lashes prominently presenting her clear blue eyes.
Behind her stood three female guards clad in silver armor. Their stances had been stiff, professional and military. But the moment Catrina's sweet eyes met theirs, their composure shattered like glass dropped on stone.
The cutest one, a blonde with gray eyes, visibly gulped. The second's mouth dropped open slightly, her fingers tightening on the hilt of her sword. And the third, younger and more fragile-looking, blinked once, then staggered back a step as a nosebleed began to drip from her nose.
"W-Who… who are you?" the middle guard asked, her voice soft, like a spouse trying to appease an angry partner. She sounded like a teenager trying to confess to a crush.
Catrina had tried—tried so many times—to deactivate the lust skill. But every time she did, the System would instantly switch it back on .
[
Skill [Gated Lust] is a locked passive. Disabling is not permitted.
]
Of course. The Head Saintess had weaponized her as well.
But in her unending kindness, Catrina emphasized with the guards and held no hate for them. Still, she was now even more grateful for the fact that her consent was needed before any of them could touch her.
A rough woman's voice called out , barking and bellowing, wondering what was keeping her guards behind. Catrina turned in the direction of the voice and instantly recognized Vivian.