Eva, unable to endure any longer, collapsed onto the ground and lay on her back, saying, "I'm out."
Her breasts, defying gravity, were sensually heaving up and down. And Christian, looking at them, once again couldn't help but wonder if they had really just planned to train seriously…
And moreover, if they weren't doing this just to test his limits, and his rationality.
But even when setting that aside, looking at Eva now, he wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry.
If he had the means to test their constitution, Christian was sure Eva had the higher one, after all.
In the end, without minding that, Christian accompanied his sister, who was able to last five more minutes. He monitored her training, until she finished, before finally saying, "Good work, both of you."
He gave them a few more minutes to rest, before asking, "So, who should I start the massage with?"
Even though Christian had wanted to do everything for both of them together… so neither would think the other had started before her.
There was no helping it. He had just one body, after all.
And this kind of thing, which required delicate handling, needed his full concentration.
So, arriving at this point, he still needed to start with one… and then move to the other.
Hopefully, they would decide the order… peacefully.
Was he making a big deal out of all this?
But touching essence for the first time felt special, at least to him.
Christian, naturally, was having a misplaced worry.
Because Eva and Annabelle would always have some tension between them. The incident that he happened to see the last week wasn't the first.
Even then, all of these collisions between them were always related to him.
So, when it came to this kind of thing, they had always tried to keep things amiable between themselves.
And so, Annabelle, drenched in sweat and feeling like she could keep resting, nonchalantly said, "You can start with Eva."
Christian, thinking that maybe he really didn't need to worry about these kinds of things, nodded and said, "Okay," before he took a mat from the side and walked toward Eva.
Instead of letting her move her tired body, Christian carried Eva himself to the mat, and while doing so, he felt how stiff her body was, and how she seemed a little nervous. So, he chuckled and said, "Relax, there's no way something would go wrong."
'It's not about that.' Eva wanted to say, but in the end, she didn't, and just nodded.
She felt Christian's hands as he massaged her body for a few minutes. But then he stopped moving them, and from the corner of her eyes, she saw how his hands had actually started glowing.
It went on like that for more than ten minutes… but Eva didn't feel anything.
'So, I failed in the end.' Christian furrowed his brows as he thought.
Eva's body is special… that was an already established fact.
A fact he got to confirm when he had tried to test her talent.
But the situation now was different from back then.
At that time, he was simply checking how her body reacted to essence.
This time, it was different. He was manipulating essence, guiding it to seep through her body, down to her very cells, with the purpose of elevating her physical strength.
He was directly controlling the change through essence this time, unlike when he had merely tested her talent.
So, he thought… he would succeed.
But, in the end, he didn't.
What's wrong? And if she is absorbing essence, why is there no reaction in her body?
'…In the first place, where is all that essence going?'
While Christian wondered about the answer to these questions, he couldn't help but think of that method… that tool that might help him find a clue to the issue in her condition.
To bring the device… that special orb, the ones used by people from other worlds to test talent.
The problem? While he knew the locations of a few of these orbs… they were all in the hands of strong people he didn't think he could face.
Trading? He didn't think he had anything of value to offer them.
So, putting that aside for now, and coming back to the current situation… to the problem at hand, Christian decided to try something different.
If her body is absorbing the essence he's sending…
Then he would just feed her more of it.
Hopefully, he would find a clue.
Or at least find out where all this essence was going.
With the decision made, Christian immediately went into action and sent a huge amount of essence into her body. Naturally, he still monitored her condition closely, making sure no problems would occur, and ready to react immediately if something happened.
… But maybe he was worrying too much?
Because as her body absorbed the essence he was pouring into her, he began to understand what a bottomless well truly was.
And what an unparalleled attunement to essence really meant.
Her bottomless capacity for devouring essence was something he was gaining a new understanding of.
Especially considering he already had nearly a hundred points in essence now… and he had thought that was a lot.
But maybe… it was far too little for her?
While wondering about that… and wondering how the Ashvale family had been unable to notice how special Eva was, again, Christian, now with the essence in his body nearly depleted, finally stopped and took a step back.
He was breathing heavily, as he had truly exerted himself just that much.
But, not minding that, Christian, unable to find anything himself, and hoping for any clue, looked at Eva and asked, "How do you feel now? Like… did you feel anything, I mean?"
Raising her body and sitting up properly, Eva looked down at her hands. She seemed to ponder for a moment before she said, "My body… feels lighter?"
'That's it?' Christian blinked at her doubtful tone and thought.