Chapter 110

“Honestly, even with Ria around, it’s a bit strange to be playing separately with the others.”

I wouldn’t want to come off like someone with a superiority complex.

Especially since Han Yu-ri seemed to think highly of us, and before I knew it, she was pulling us along to play together.

It seemed like she didn’t feel any competition with Ria and me.

If I were to rank the truly amazing people here, I’d put Ria in first place, with me second by a narrow margin. Han Yu-ri and Glaria would tie for third.

And—hmm.

I couldn’t quite tell what that distant Elf’s figure looked like.

Actually, I was a little curious about her. She appeared to be a few years older than us and was definitely a beauty, but she didn’t join us in our fun and just followed us around.

She wasn’t in the main story, yet she was distinctly nearby. I couldn’t help but feel curious.

I didn’t think she was an evil person. If she were, she wouldn’t have been trying to save Glaria, who was in a similar situation, and she wouldn’t have followed us all the way to the Dwarf Kingdom to stay by Glaria’s side.

“What’s wrong?”

Glaria approached me, perhaps sensing my gaze.

She was wearing a sky-blue swimsuit. Did she choose that to match her eye color?

While the bikini swimsuit design was rather extreme by the standards of that world, she chose a swimsuit with a little more coverage, which still had some revealing aspects. The front was somewhat of a regular one-piece, but the back was quite exposed.

From behind, it looked even more revealing compared to a bikini that at least has a strap.

Yesterday, while enjoying the meat—nestled in Ria’s arms—I had subtly asked her about it, and apparently, for Glaria, that level of exposure was comparable to what’s fashionable in dresses these days. The design, which collected at the back and draped down to show off the back, definitely looked like a dress.

But then why can’t she wear a bikini? Is showing her stomach an issue? Although, I think it used to be like that before bikinis became a thing.

“I was wondering if that person has any intention of playing.”

“Ah.”

Glaria nodded.

“Davi seems a bit uncomfortable around me.”

“Davi?”

“That’s her name.”

I nodded at Glaria’s words. Davi. So that’s her name.

“She saved my life at the risk of her own, and since it doesn’t really matter who’s who in this world, even if I tell her to relax—she’s always like this. It seems she feels the need to protect me wherever I am.”

“Is that so?”

Well, that can’t be helped.

Honestly, if a company commander came over while soldiers were just hanging out, it would make them feel really awkward. Even if they’re a bit familiar with each other, the age gap and such would make it weird.

…That goes double with a princess and her aide.

“Honestly, if you asked me what kind of person Davi is, I don’t think I could give you a proper answer.”

Glaria said while quietly observing Davi. Davi seemed to realize Glaria was staring at her, shifting her gaze from side to side. It looked like she was just trying to avoid eye contact, like she was nervous.

In either case, she seemed a bit flustered about the attention.

Hmm.

Somehow, it felt like there was more to it than just a sense of duty.

Having not read all the way through the original story, I had no idea what kind of past Glaria might have with Davi, but it seemed like there might be some background story there.

Or maybe she was a living remnant of resistance when we went back to the world of the Elves. The story hadn’t progressed that far, though.

“It seems showing that level of loyalty isn’t common, huh?”

“Life is one. Loyalty is usually displayed in situations where money and lives are at stake. Sometimes there are folks who fight purely for honor, but… well, those people tend to be the first casualties in conflicts.”

That was a bit of a grim statement.

Hearing Glaria say that made me feel like there was something deeper to her story. Perhaps she owed her life to Glaria in the past, but Glaria thought of it as a trivial matter, not remembering well—it sounds like such a cliché situation.

Am I overthinking this like it’s some novel?

“Anna!”

I heard someone calling me from a distance. Turning my head, I saw Ria waving her arms enthusiastically my way.

Even from this far away, Ria’s red hair stood out.

…

Ah, right.

Maybe I wasn’t just imagining that dramatic situation.

Rather, I might have been thinking about my relationship with Ria.

In some sense, I’m not sure how we came to trust each other so deeply.

Well, if anything, if our relationship does resemble the above in some way, then that would make sense.

*

Though we just played at the beach the first day, on the second day, we had quite a bit of time from morning onwards.

Do you remember that motorcycle we used when we flew over that magic-polluted land last time?

That motorcycle operated on magic and was capable of flying over certain surfaces.

In other words, it wouldn’t be a problem using it for flying over water. Of course, if the waves were too high, it would be unusable, but that wasn’t an issue now.

It was more stable than it sounds since it glided above the water rather than directly on it.

Even if the water splashed violently below,

I wrapped my arms around Ria’s waist, holding back any screams and keeping my mouth shut.

We were both wearing life jackets, so it wasn’t too embarrassing, but it was still a bit scary.

While flying over the sea was a bit more stable, it didn’t make it any less terrifying. The concepts of ‘falling’ and ‘sinking’ seemed to merge, making the fear even worse.

“I’ll trust you.”

I said as I climbed on!

But I didn’t mean to take it too slowly. If I did, it wouldn’t have been fun at all.

I thought I’d be zipping around the sea, taking in the scenery, but I ended up just sticking right behind Ria without truly enjoying the views around us.

“…I almost died…”

“Huh? I thought I was driving pretty safely.”

Hearing Ria say that, I frowned and looked up at her. Ria was smirking with one side of her lip lifted.

Oh, so that’s what it was. It was payback for the morning!

“…”

What can I say? I did tease her first.

“You get all tipsy and clingy…”

“…”

“The whole night—”

“Hey, hey, I get it, I get it. I’m sorry.”

Ria said, grabbing my arm and pulling me up.

Once I was up, I noticed Glaria and Han Yu-ri whispering together.

“As I thought, in the convent—”

“That’s not it!”

Ria exclaimed, pointing an accusatory finger at Glaria as if she had heard what they were saying.

The kids around us laughed at that. Everyone except Davi.

Ria glared at me with an irritated look, and I gave her my best ‘Saintess smile.’

Ria’s face turned red again.

Seriously, she only gets emotional at these times.

If she’d fought like she usually does, she’d have won by now. Well, I prefer this Ria anyway.

…

Er, uh, what I mean is, it’s not like I dislike her or anything.

Anyway.

*

After bickering back and forth like this, in some sense, Glaria seemed closer to Han Yu-ri than to Lee Si-yoon.

But liking someone and being close to them are different matters. Feelings of admiration often come from not knowing the subject well enough, resulting in deeper feelings.

With Lee Si-yoon, it’s just that we get to know each other better without any strange feelings getting in the way.

After diligently grilling meat and enjoying snacks, we returned to the room.

As expected, the other girls in the ‘girls’ room’ each made excuses and didn’t come back. Davi had slinked out along with Glaria when she left the room, almost like a shadow.

If Ria had come back last night, everyone would have seen that side of her. She really got lucky.

“…Hey. Are you okay?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I mean, isn’t it weird being here alone with me?”

“I’m more comfortable like this.”

“…”

“What? Would you rather I was with Si-yoon? I’m a nun and a Saint Candidate, you know.”

“…”

After a moment of thought, Ria replied softly, “No. Being with him is a bit much.”

“I figured as much.”

Well, there are various reasons, I’m sure. If something were to happen between me, a Saint Candidate and a nun, it would turn into a huge headache for both of us.

Plus—Ria’s current feelings for Si-yoon might be uncertain. She might not show it on the surface, but who knows what’s really going on inside?

“…Do you really trust me after what happened yesterday?”

“If you were just drunkenly following your instincts without causing me harm, then I’d trust you.”

Ria didn’t offer any words in return.

Is she embarrassed?

I turned to face Ria.

She was staring up at the ceiling.

“Are you thinking of handing me over to someone else?”

“…No.”

Ria’s reply was quite firm.

And I liked that.

*

After a good sleep, I planned to think about going back to the church the next day.

“Anna?”

Someone called my name.

“Huh?”

“…Anna.”

The one softly waking me up was—

“…Ria?”

I blinked and replied.

When I sat up, everyone was there in our room. Even Lee Si-yoon.

He seemed to have just woken up.

Except for Davi. Davi was wide awake, her eyes bright.

“Anna. Listen closely.”

Ria said with a serious expression.

“I think someone has broken in.”

That was a shocking statement.