Chapter 131

“…Hmm.”

When did I fall asleep?

Well, it’s not that strange.

If using Saint Power didn’t tire me out at all, that would be fantastic. But after pouring out my powers, I end up completely wiped out, to the point where I can’t resist the heavy sleep closing in on me.

At least there are some not-so-bad points here.

Even if my fainting spells are short, waking up feels incredibly refreshing. Though I can’t quite say it’s entirely positive. It just means my body is desperately trying to recover from the overload during that time.

I don’t quite understand what it means to be worn out because of Saint Power.

Saint Power is fundamentally a healing force. Plus, it can also be used to expel magic and protect people from it.

So shouldn’t it be the case that my body doesn’t get tired the moment I receive that power?

…Well, there’s no such thing as power without a price. Drawing down an existence from above, with a power so high it’s almost godly, shouldn’t come without limits—that seems like cheating.

And for others, my power probably looks pretty cheat-like too.

“Hmm…”

By the way, it’s warm.

Maria must have helped. She probably carried my fainted self to another room and laid me down. Just like she always does.

The blankets are fluffy, and something touching my face feels soft, squishy, and warm.

…

Wait, hold on.

Squishy? I can let the fluffiness slide, and the warmth too, but “squishy” seems a bit odd, doesn’t it? It’s a strange word to encounter on a bed.

As I carefully opened my eyes, a dim silhouette came into view.

It’s a bit dark. Something large is blocking the light coming into my eyes—

“Gack!?”

I gasped and stumbled backwards.

More accurately, I was trying to fall back.

“Huh? Why?”

But someone held my head tight and asked back.

“Just a moment ago, you were so comfortable and happy, burying your face in my chest.”

“I didn’t know! I had no idea! More importantly, why is Ria in the same bed as me!?”

“What do you mean? It’s not the first time.”

“No, last time you held me tightly and didn’t let go!”

Now that I think about it, it’s the same this time.

As I struggled, for some reason, Ria just held my head tighter.

“Pffft!?”

Trying to say something, my face buried, I momentarily drooped down.

“Why, don’t you like it?”

It’s not that I dislike it. If I had to argue about it, I could say it’s nice.

It’s not just because of where we’re touching. It’s not simply because I’m snuggled up to a beautiful girl’s body.

If it had been anyone other than Ria, I would have felt extremely awkward. After all, being like this with a girl I just met doesn’t seem right, does it?

“Umm, I was just trying to return the favor for snuggling with you last time.”

“…That’s more like revenge.”

“Caught me.”

Ria’s grip loosened. I stretched my neck back and quickly sat up in bed.

This room—it’s the room we were staying in. Well, “staying” sounds a bit exaggerated since we’ve only been here for a day.

On the big bed, there we both were—

“…A barricade?”

The entrance was blocked by a bunch of furniture piled up.

When I turned to Ria, my face twisted in shock, she shrugged her shoulders.

“Well, people outside were being really annoying.”

“Annoying?”

“They said you need to be made a Saintess right now.”

“…….”

“And also Pope.”

“…….”

When I frowned deeply, Ria burst into laughter. Ha ha ha, she laughed heartily, stretching her arms while yawning.

Of course, Ria’s chest ended up looking a little emphasized by that. The clothing that should hang lower was stuck on her chest.

No, normally, when clothes get wrinkled, they should look less visible, right? Does it become like that once it reaches a certain size?

“But honestly, I was ridiculously tired, you know? We were praying together. So since this happened, I thought I might as well take a nap.”

“Is that… so?”

“Yeah. But I blocked the door with furniture so you wouldn’t be bothered by others.”

Those pieces of furniture looked like they were hundreds of years old. Is it really okay for them to be in this state? What if they ended up getting scratches or something?

But Ria didn’t seem the least bit guilty about it.

“The bed… Well, I got a little confused while going in.”

Aha.

So that’s how it is.

I think I understand.

I felt like I had received help from Ria. When the pain shot through my hand, at one moment, it felt like that pain had lessened. Maybe it was Ria who held my hand then.

My hand was wrapped in a bandage, just like last time. Looking at the first aid kit haphazardly spread out on the floor over there, it seems it was in this room all along.

Ria must have wrapped up my bleeding hand, laid me down on the bed…and then probably fell asleep just like that.

“I… I’m sorry.”

Having thought that far, I quickly apologized.

After all, I was taking a person who tried their hardest to help me and pushing them into an awkward situation.

Well, I might have played a prank, but it’s the kind of prank that’s understandable given it’s Ria’s character, and it’s not like I lost anything in the process.

“…No, there’s nothing to apologize for.”

Ria said with a slightly shy smile. Her reaction seemed a bit different from usual, which made me feel oddly embarrassed—

“Geh!?”

But that embarrassment quickly flew away.

Ria’s hand was wrapped in bandages while she scratched her head. Seeing that made me panic and leap toward Ria.

“W-wait, Anna!?”

“Let me see your hand!”

As I shouted and grabbed Ria’s hand, her face turned a little red.

I pretended not to see that face and hurriedly began to unwrap the bandage from her hand—

“Huh.”

And seeing her completely unscathed hand revealed, Ria blinked and tilted her head.

“Was there a wound here?”

“Umm…”

Ria seemed a bit embarrassed and tilted her head in confusion at my question.

“Ria, I don’t think you’re lying.”

I said, still holding Ria’s hand.

Ria isn’t the type to play tricks on me like this. In the first place, she probably wrapped it because she got hurt.

She wouldn’t have wanted to worry me when I woke up.

“……”

Ria avoided my gaze, but as I firmly held onto her hand, glaring at her intently, she soon exhaled a big sigh.

“…When you were praying, my hand started bleeding. So I held yours.”

“And?”

“Well, I ended up with a little burn on my hand. I don’t know if it was because of Saint Power or Magic Power. But even when we got here, it was still marked as a burn.”

“……”

Did she endure the pain to help me?

My heart thudded painfully.

“Well, was that because I was hugging you? Looks like the wounds healed better.”

“Is now really the time for that joke…?”

I was about to ask, but something popped into my head, and I shut my mouth.

Right. This was something that had come up in the original story too.

There was a time when Lee Si-yoon’s whole body felt soaked in Magic Power. He had jumped into the stagnant Magic Power to save someone.

He managed to save the kid somehow, but the problem was with Lee Si-yoon’s body. He entered in a condition riddled with wounds, and since he couldn’t receive treatment, the Magic Power came in through his injuries, leaving him on the verge of death.

To save Lee Si-yoon, the Saintess thought of one method. To stay attached right beside him.

And, like saving someone drowning from hypothermia, she clung to him and poured her Saint Power all over him.

Well, that part didn’t play out fully. When the fainted Lee Si-yoon opened his eyes, the Saintess was just there, lying closely beside him.

…

“Why? Why did the conversation suddenly stop?”

“N-no.”

Since it felt like it would be resisting too much to say that Ria’s choice to stay beside me was wise, I shook my head.

“I’m just glad it wasn’t too creepy.”

“…But you still have scars on your hand.”

That was something I couldn’t argue against.

Ria is my knight who protects me.

But if I keep getting hurt like this, it would be quite troublesome for Ria too.

Not just because of status, but as a friend as well.

“…I’m sorry.”

“……”

As I lowered my head in apology, Ria briefly went quiet.

But soon, Ria’s hand was on my head.

While gently rubbing my head with that hand, Ria spoke.

“Hey, you were just doing what you needed to do.”

Ria’s voice was calm.

When I hesitantly raised my gaze, Ria was smiling warmly at me.

“……”

Feeling shy for no reason, I turned my gaze away—when suddenly, I looked back at the door.

“But Ria, how do we get out of here?”

“……We’ll have to move the furniture, obviously.”

Hearing that from Ria, I couldn’t help but let out a small sigh.

I mean, I understand the sentiment, but still.

“Well, it was kind of an emergency.”

Listening to Ria’s explanation, I let out a chuckle.

Seeing my expression, Ria seemed a bit embarrassed and turned her gaze away.