A saintess? She's just a bad woman.

Page 125

"Of course, the Holy Sword needs to be returned to its sheath, but for now, you still have to keep it safe for me."

The Holy Sword's feelings resonated with Saint Karina's, and the purple-haired intellectual beauty perfectly matched Saint Karina's sensibilities, so Saint Karina certainly wouldn't let her off so easily.

However, the bindings were loosened slightly first.

"Why don't you do some sit-ups first?"

She sat directly on her boss's lap, signaling him to continue.

Then, the fabric began to rustle and rub, and the indescribable dripping sound emanated from the part of the fabric that was in contact with the holy sword.

Sit-ups are a form of exercise designed to strengthen abdominal muscles.

Lie on your back on the mat with your knees bent at about 90 degrees and your feet flat on the ground.

On flat ground, never fix your feet in place, such as by having a partner hold your ankles down. Otherwise, the flexor muscles of the thighs and hips will get involved, thus reducing the workload on the abdominal muscles.

Furthermore, straight-leg sit-ups increase the burden on the back and can easily cause damage.

"Aren't you... sitting in the wrong place?"

Before long, the boss started to experience back pain.

"You can put your hands down on your waist, which will reduce the burden of your exercise."

The placement of your hands depends on the strength of your abdominal muscles, as the closer your hands are to your head, the more difficult it will be to do sit-ups. Beginners can place their hands by their sides, and once they get used to it or their fitness improves, they can cross their hands and place them in front of their chest.

The boss's hands were doing manual labor for Saint Karina, massaging her private parts.

"Hmm... We're here. It's time."

Once both of them have reached the peak of intense sweating, they will proceed to the next meal.

"Okay, next exercise. Pull-ups, how about that?"

So, Saint Karina untied all the ropes and made her do hand exercises.

"No, I'd rather do squats."

There aren't many people who can do pull-ups. Just thinking about having to hold the Holy Sword firmly in that indescribable place and lift my body up in all sorts of ways is really exhausting.

The boss's mind immediately started working like a rattle-drum, and he chose to switch to another sport.

"Squats, hmm, not bad. Let's do squats then, you do it."

Thinking of the squats unique to Japan, Saint Karina lay down directly under her boss and gestured for her to do squats.

So, amidst the breakdown and relative hardship, the boss chose to follow his heart and decided that as long as it wasn't pull-ups, he didn't care what kind of exercise he did.

Squats are a fitness exercise, a top choice for building thigh muscles, and consistent practice can also help with weight loss. Squats are considered an essential exercise for increasing leg and glute strength and size, as well as developing core strength.

The key to leg training lies in improving lung capacity and heart function. It can be said that the development of thigh muscles is directly proportional to lung capacity and heart function.

The deeper you squat, the greater your lung capacity and the stronger your heart function need to be. Obviously, the lung capacity required for a lower squat is greater than that for an upper squat.

The vertical squat with shoulder weights requires a greater lung capacity and stronger cardiovascular function than other squats, deadlifts, barbell squats, hand-held barbell squats, and incline squats. This is because the barbell is positioned vertically above the heart.

The current boss feels that because his body is moving in the direction of the holy sword, the holy sword has become unusually heavy. It falls into the category of "weighted squats".

As for this, "weighted squats" provide strong stimulation to the entire lower limbs and torso, and can exercise the quadriceps, rectus femoris, vastus intermedius, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, gluteus maximus, biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus. It also has a strong effect on the erector spinae, piriformis, adductor magnus, gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, and calf muscles.

In addition, weighted squats have a positive impact on a series of physiological and biochemical reactions such as cardiopulmonary function, nerve regulation and hormone secretion. Therefore, weighted squats can be said to be a must-do course for professional athletes and amateur bodybuilding enthusiasts.

"Holy Sword Squat" is a type of "Weighted Squat".

The depth to which the holy sword is placed in the indescribable place determines the final effect of the practice.

Squats are a fundamental exercise for developing lower limb muscles. However, some beginners experience discomfort after squatting, such as lower back pain, tenderness, redness, and swelling in the back of the neck, which does not help even when a sponge pad is placed under the shoulders and neck.

The main reason for this is that the movements were not correct, especially the placement of the Holy Sword.

Improper or unstable placement of the holy sword during squats can not only distract from the exercise and affect the results, but also easily cause sports injuries.

Statistics show that the inexplicable slippage of a sword with a large amount of suspicious fluid during squats, or its tilting, swaying, or shaking, is a significant cause of lower back injuries. This is because the sword, which is normally easy to hold, feels heavy and difficult to control during squats.

220. The Little Emperor's Conditions

After sweating profusely and finishing his workout, the comic book store owner was limping, and his gait had subtly changed.

"Why...why did you take so long? And what happened to her leg?"

"She recommended so many books to me that it took up some time. I fell down the ladder while looking for the books, hurting my leg."

Saint Karina explained.

"Here, these are all yours."

Saint Karina shook the exquisitely packaged bag in her hand. Inside the bag were books that Hero wanted to read.

"Also, we have a mission tonight. Melissa has booked a hot spring hotel for us as the final stop on our date."

"Hot spring hotel?"

Clearly, Hero was intrigued.

"I want to try it."

Her eyes lit up; she was eager to try.

As for the boss, she wanted to go, but clearly lacked the ability. And after today's painful lesson, she'd probably want to avoid Saint Karina in the future.

So, Saint Karina led Hero out of the comic book store, gentlemanly carrying the bag herself, and the two walked along the streets of Lorian at night.

Hero held Saint Karina's other free hand, but his attention kept darting to both sides.

At night, the night market is even more lively than some places during the day, making He Luo, who rarely goes out, feel like he can't get enough of the sights.

"Alright, stop looking, we're here, the shop is right here."

Santa Karina waved. The two walked for about half an hour, but neither of them felt tired.

The hot spring inn is decorated in a very luxurious style, not like the style of Japan, but rather like a palace, similar to the architectural style of an imperial palace. Inside, there should be a large bath.

Authentic hot springs aren't electrified. In fact, this hot spring hotel usually only caters to government officials and royalty. The hot spring water was also created using magic and a great deal of financial, human, and material resources.

The location, resembling a luxurious palace, doesn't seem out of place. Because to enter, one must first pass through a checkpoint and obtain a pass.

Then, the pass will be checked several times to verify identity and prevent criminals from entering.

Apart from His Majesty the Emperor, most of the imperial officials and wealthy merchants were in this place.

Merchants in the Lorian Empire hold a high status, especially those who live in this northern region; they are all merchants with powerful backgrounds.

"Owner."

Many people were already used to seeing Melissa, dressed in all black with a black hood, coming to greet them.

They were all the young emperor's trusted maids, loyal to him and unlikely to betray him.

Moreover, Melissa did not remove her hood in front of these people, revealing any demonic features, so no one knew her true identity, eliminating any possibility of betrayal.

For those around the young emperor, they probably just thought they were serving a somewhat eccentric person.

Strong people all have their own eccentricities. Wearing a hood all the time doesn't mean anything. At least she's relatively easy to get along with and won't turn people into skeletons or living alchemists all the time.

As for Hero, she dressed up beautifully every day. After she transformed from a mermaid into a human, there were no obvious mermaid features, except for her unusual long, light blue hair, which made people think she wasn't a native of Lorian but a stranger from another country.

The scales and fish tail transformed into human legs, and Hero walked normally on land without any unusual or maladaptive movements.

"Thank you for your hard work, Melissa."

Santa Karina smiled slightly, without putting on airs.

She treats her people quite well, and often takes care of each toy's feelings and their need to exchange academic knowledge.

"It's not tiring... However, there are only the three of us and the maids at the hot spring inn today, and there are conditions. His Majesty the Emperor requests that you go to see her tomorrow and attend a noble banquet."

"Dinner party?"

Santa Karina frowned slightly.

She seriously suspected that the young emperor was going to throw some trouble at her again. Noble banquets were not pleasant; they were often filled with petty scheming and exchanges of interests.

For example, what they value most is a good match between family members, so that the marriage becomes even more important.

Reproductive isolation had become an insurmountable barrier between nobles and commoners. At least, that was the case within the corrupt aristocratic circles of the Lorian Empire.

Cleansing a country of its pests is not something that can be done overnight. Just like now, as the young emperor gradually regains his power from being a figurehead, these people are once again harboring wicked intentions.

For example, they might want their daughters to marry into the palace and become empresses or emperor's concubines, thereby consolidating their position with the emperor. Some might even want their family's offspring to become the next emperor.

However, Brenda was unwilling to marry the daughters of these nobles. Her experience of being stripped of power and nearly becoming a deposed monarch before meeting Saint Karina made her realize just how corrupt these nobles truly were.

The reason it hasn't been eliminated now is simply because we haven't collected enough evidence yet; it just needs time.

The thought of marrying these men's daughters made her feel disgusted, and she even felt like vomiting.

Rather than being bound by marriage, sacrificing herself, and becoming entangled with these people, she would rather choose the beautiful, strong, and reliable Stella, even though she is despicable, wicked, and suspected of having an affair with her ancestor. In other words, while Brenda outwardly dislikes Saint Karina and feigns being forced into a relationship, if she were truly given a choice, she would definitely choose Saint Karina as her partner.

She wasn't a woman of the same intelligence and strength as her ancestors; she too craved the protection of other women. If it weren't for the extremely subtle nature of their acquaintance, and if Saint Karina hadn't caused her, the emperor, to lose face, the young emperor, in truth, would have considered Saint Karina a woman who rubbed salt into his wounds.

After all, let alone the Lorian Empire, even women from other countries and races, the young emperor felt that Saint Karina was more than a perfect 10 out of 11. Adding one more point was because he felt the full score was too low; she had to exceed the threshold.

"Young Emperor, she wants to see me..."

Saint Karina felt no joy, but rather a profound sense of powerlessness.

It's a really... tangled mess.

If she hadn't seen the memories of the past, namely Ernest VII's schemes, then seeing the young emperor, Ernest XV, a descendant of that emperor, showing signs of falling into her arms, would have been very satisfying.

The thrill of getting revenge on someone, and the sense of accomplishment from toying with toys.

Actually, Saint Karina wanted to avoid him more at the moment, but since the young emperor had made the request, she still planned to go.

The country of Lorian is a deep and complex place...

“I understand. Now that I’m here, I can’t let Princess Helo down. The young emperor has already calculated that I will agree once I accept the conditions. Then let me go to the banquet tomorrow and see what stupid things those foolish nobles will do this time.”

221. Unable to hold one's liquor.

"Alright, let's put official business aside for now; that's something to worry about tomorrow. It's been a long time since we've had a threesome, Melissa. You don't need to keep watch with these people sent by the little emperor. Come soak in the hot springs with me."

Saint Karina casually took Melissa's hand; she had always taken good care of the feelings of each of her toys.

Moreover, playing in the water with two people is nowhere near as enjoyable as swimming with three.

Hero and Melissa have known each other for a long time and are well aware of their relationship with Saint Karina, so they are quite comfortable with the three of them being together.

The hot spring hotel is also very luxurious, with beautiful carpets on the floor and valuable ornaments on both sides of the corridor.

"Um... Master, would you like a bath towel or a swimsuit?"

Before pushing open the door leading to the hot spring pool, Melissa asked a question.

"No need. It's more comfortable to soak in a hot spring without clothes on. Besides, you don't need to hide your identity in a place where it's just the three of us. You can just be honest with each other."

"Great!"

Hero naturally strongly supports this, as they mermaids firmly believe that being naked in the water is the most comfortable state. However, even in the sea, they will at least wear a three-piece swimsuit similar to a bikini, such as a bra and panties.

Such opportunities are still very precious, and they are all used in private spaces.

Then, without a care, Hero removed all the excess silk fabrics from his body.

Her eyes were fixed on Saint Karina, without blinking.

“Saint Karina, just soaking in hot springs is so boring. I’ve heard that people in Japan love to drink and eat hot spring buns while taking a bath. That’s the real pleasure.”

"Where did you hear that?"

"Of course, it was when you were talking to the store manager about those limited-purchase comics. I was waiting outside while they were in the room. They saw I was bored, so one of the store clerks gave them to me."

Saint Karina nodded slightly, indicating that she understood.

That boss wasn't a novice at targeting girls, so he knew the process quite well. It was just that he'd failed with Santa Karina this time.

"Would you like some sake, Master? Sakura sake from the Sakura Country. The inn always has it on hand. I've heard it tastes good, has a strong kick, and is very gentle on girls."

Melissa's suggestion was made at just the right time.

"Although we haven't prepared hot spring buns, we have other pastries on hand. Princess Hailuo can choose whatever she likes. His Majesty the Emperor said that all expenses for cutting flowers here are free."

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