Becoming The Strongest Angel With A Saintess System

Chapter 12: Natural

Grace was having a very hard time focusing on anything Mara was saying, which was absolutely not her fault. How was anyone supposed to concentrate when the head healer moved like that? Every gesture was pure grace (ha!), every smile warmer than sunshine, and don't even get Grace started on how those robes hugged those curves.

Mara wasn't the only problem, however. At the same time, Grace was drowning in a sea of beautiful angels, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to be rescued.

As more Compassion Sisters filtered into the clinic, Grace noticed a pattern. Where the warrior angels had all been chiseled muscles, these healers were all soft curves and maternal energy. Every single one of them looked like they'd given birth before. To at least a few people, too.

Everywhere she looked, there were breasts. Soft, ample breasts that made her spine tingle. The Sisters of Compassion seemed to have been blessed by some sort of goddess of fertility, each one more voluptuous than the last.

[Holy heck,] Grace thought, her face heating up for the hundredth time that day. [I thought the Sisters of Love were supposed to be the sexy ones!]

"You're the new angel, right?"

Grace nearly jumped out of her skin at the voice right next to her ear. She spun around, only to find herself nose-to-nose with another Compassion Sister.

"I... um... yes!" Grace squeaked, trying to back up but finding herself surrounded on all sides. It was like being in a forest of beautiful, bountiful women. "I'm Grace! Nice to... nice to meet you!"

Angels apparently had no concept of personal space.

"Oh my, she's even cuter up close!"

"Look at those eyes!"

"Can we keep her?"

"She's like a little doll!"

The sister giggled, the sound like tinkling bells.

"Oh, you are just precious! I could eat you up!"

[Quest Alert: Survive the Mommy Brigade!]

[Suggestion: Do try not to spontaneously combust, dear]

"Now, now, girls," Mara's voice cut through the chatter... though she was clearly amused. "Let's not overwhelm our new sister."

Grace made a sound like a teakettle about to explode. Finally, the ladies moved away from her.

"In honor of Grace's first day," Mara announced, her emerald eyes twinkling, "we'll be focusing on the basics of healing. Everyone pair up!"

There was a flurry of movement as the sisters paired off, leaving Grace standing alone, looking lost.

"Um..."

A warm hand landed on her shoulder. Grace looked up to see Mara smiling down at her, kind green eyes fixed solely on her.

"Looks like you're with me, little lamb."

... gulp.

Grace swallowed hard, trying very hard not to stare at the way Mara's robes gaped at the front, offering a tantalizing glimpse of the valley between her breasts.

"O-Okay!"

Mara led her to a quiet corner, her hand never leaving Grace's shoulder. It was like being touched by a sun-warmed pillow, soft and comforting and altogether too much for Grace's heart to handle.

"Now then," Mara purred, turning to face Grace. "Let's start with something simple. I want you to focus on my energy, try to feel the flow of it."

She took Grace's hands, placing them on her own chest, right over her heart.

Grace made a sound like a tea kettle boiling over.

[AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—]

"Hahahaha, breathe, dear," Mara chuckled, the vibrations of her laugh doing absolutely unholy things to Grace's hands. "In and out, nice and slow."

[Easy for you to say!] Grace wanted to scream. [Your hands aren't on the boobs of a literal goddess!]

But she tried. She really did. She closed her eyes, tried to focus on anything other than the softness beneath her palms, the warmth seeping into her skin.

And then...

She felt it. A gentle thrum, like the beating of a hummingbird's wings. It pulsed in time with Mara's heartbeat, a steady, soothing rhythm.

"Oh," Grace breathed, her eyes fluttering open. "I... I feel it. I think."

Mara's smile could have lit up the entire clinic.

"Well done, little lamb. You're a natural."

The praise washed over Grace like a warm bath, making her toes curl in her sandals.

[A natural? Me?]

Grace's mind briefly stopped working.

[Praise... From Mara...] Her eyes gleamed. [Is dangerous.]

"Shall we continue?" Mara asked.

Grace nodded eagerly.

---

Grace fled the healing clinic like her robes were on fire, which, given how hot her skin felt, might not have been far from the truth.

She slammed the door behind her, leaning against it as she tried to catch her breath.

Her heart was pounding, her palms were sweating, and she was pretty sure her face was going to be permanently stained red.

[Sweet Eternia,] she thought, pressing a hand to her heaving chest. [I don't know if I can survive another class like that!]

It had begun normally, with Mara showing her how to manipulate the divine energy within her, but as the class progressed... Those absolute cougars made it too difficult to focus.

Alas, her trials were far from over. A glance at her schedule confirmed her worst fears:

She was due for "training" with the Sisters of Love next.

[Training. Right. Because that's totally what they're going to be doing with me.] She slowly began melting into a puddle. [I am so doomed.]

Still, she had to show up. This was her life now.

Grace gulped, steeling herself as she walked to her "classroom."

She could do this. She was a brave, capable angel now. She'd faced down a Primal Demon! Surely she could handle a few... love lessons.

With a deep breath and a silent prayer to whoever might be listening, Grace pushed open the doors to the Sisters of Love's domain.

And immediately wished she hadn't.

"Oh my... Goddess," she squeaked, her eyes going wide as saucers.

The scene before her was like something out of one of those books she definitely hadn't found under her father's bed back on the farm. Everywhere she looked, there were angels... engaging in... activities.

In one corner, two sisters were locked in a passionate embrace, their hands roaming. In another, a group of them were... was that a very naked pillow fight? And in the center of it all was Venus, reclining on a plush chaise lounge like a goddess receiving offerings, watching it all unfold, mostly naked.

The tan-skinned beauty was clad in nothing but a few strategically placed scraps of silk, her long limbs arranged in a way that seemed designed to make Grace's brain short-circuit.

"Ah, there's our newest student!" Venus purred, her voice like warm honey dripping down Grace's spine. "Come in, darling, don't be shy."

[Shy? Who's shy? Not me!]

Grace stepped into the room slowly, very slowly, trying very hard not to stare at Venus's... everything.

"Welcome to the Temple of Love, sweetie," Venus cooed, sitting up in a way that made Grace's eyes bug out. "Here, we worship the greatest power of all - the power of passion."

Grace swallowed hard.

"P-Passion?"

Venus smiled, a slow, wicked thing that promised all kinds of delights.

"Oh yes. The passion between lovers, the passion of the flesh..." Her eyes raked over Grace's body, making the young angel shiver. "And the passion of self-discovery."

More so than when she first woke up here, Grace felt like she was ascending.

"Come," Venus beckoned, patting the space beside her. "Sit with me. Let's get to know each other."

Grace's feet moved of their own accord, drawn to Venus like a moth to a very sexy flame, even as her mind was breaking trying to process this. She perched on the edge of the chaise lounge, trying to maintain some semblance of propriety.

Venus would have none of it. She pulled Grace close, arranging the younger angel until she was practically in her lap. Grace could feel every curve, every breath, every beat of Venus's heart.

[Oh. Oh wow. Okay. This is... this is happening.]

"Now then," Venus murmured, her lips brushing Grace's ear. "Let's start with the basics. Have you ever been kissed, little lamb?"

Grace's brain flatlined. Her mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out.

She had, of course. A day ago, when they were testing her affinity. But, just thinking about that had Grace's throat too tight to speak.

Venus chuckled, the sound vibrating through Grace's entire being.

"I'll take that as a no." She nodded sagely. "Well... That simply won't do."

And then, before Grace could even begin to process what was happening, Venus's lips were on hers.

It was like being struck by lightning and drowned in honey all at once. Venus's lips were so incredibly soft. It wasn't like yesterday's kiss, where that temptress from before stuck her tongue inside Grace's mouth. No, Venus was just sort of... pressing them.

Though, she did swipe her tongue across Grace's bottom lip before she moved away.

Grace was panting, her head spinning and her body thrumming.

"How do you feel right now?" Venus asked, and that question, thankfully, helped Grace calm down."

"I feel..." Grace touched her lips, still tingling from Venus's kiss. "Hot? Like there's lightning under my skin, but in a good way? And my heart is doing this weird flippy thing, and my knees are kind of wobbly, and—"

"Perfect." Venus's smile was absolutely criminal as she traced Grace's bottom lip with her thumb. "That's divine energy, darling."

"It is?"

"Indeed. The same power that makes our wings shine, Bravery Sisters' weapons gleam, Compassion Sisters' healing happen. And we, you and I, just generated a small amount through a kiss."

Grace swallowed hard, trying very hard to focus on the lesson and not on how Venus's touch made her skin buzz.

"So it's... magic? We just made magic?"

"I suppose you could say everything we do is and makes magic, sweetness." Venus leaned closer, and Grace caught a whiff of her perfume – something wild and sweet that made her head spin. "Whether it's healing wounds or inspiring courage, we angels work through connections to our Three Holy Virtues. And when it comes to Love, so much energy can be made through something as simple as a kiss."

"But..." Grace's voice came out embarrassingly breathy. "Isn't it wrong to just... kiss people?"

Venus laughed.

"Wrong? Oh, precious thing." She pressed her index finger to Grace's lips, effectively shutting off her brain. "Lesson one, darling: a kiss is just that. A kiss. You're not human anymore – you don't need to feel strange about a touch here or overthink a caress there."

Grace made a sound that might have been agreement. It was hard to tell with Venus's finger still on her lips.

"Is it fun? Absolutely." Venus's other hand came up to cup Grace's cheek. "Did I absolutely adore kissing you just now? Certainly. But it, and everything else you'll learn here, is also a tool. Like a sword or a healing spell. Sometimes a soldier needs courage before battle. Sometimes a person's body may be healed but their soul is not. Sometimes people just need something to take their minds off their problems. Sometimes..." Her smile turned predatory. "Sometimes someone just needs to remember how to feel alive."

"So," Grace managed when Venus finally moved her finger, "you're saying I should just... not overthink it?"

"Precisely." Venus's eyes sparkled. "Though I must say, your overthinking face is absolutely adorable."

Grace's face burst into flames.

"I-I do not have an overthinking face!"

"You absolutely do. Would you like me to kiss you again so you can feel it happening?"

"I... you... that's not..."

Venus's laugh echoed through the room.

"Oh, teaching you is going to be so much fun."

Grace had a feeling she was in very, very beautiful trouble.

"So, are you ready?" Venus asked, hands on Grace's shoulders. "The sooner you get used to this, the sooner you'll be out there, making a change in people's lives."

Grace thought about it for a moment.

[... She's right. I'm not a human anymore. My "common sense" doesn't really apply here. It'll take some getting used to, but... I should try.]

Looking up at Venus with a bit of courage, she nodded.

Venus seemed surprised at that quick change in Grace's demeanor. But, wordlessly, she moved forward and gave her another kiss.