Episode 47
“…Saint?”
“Yes?”
I was feeling a huge sense of discomfort. It was because the Saint’s demeanor was so different from usual.
Today, the Saint didn’t even once use the word “pathetic.”
…What’s going on? Why the sudden change?
She’s still teasing me, but she’s not using any of her usual words. Maybe that’s why it feels so awkward and out of place.
Last night, I had some alone time, so I was confident I could handle whatever crap she threw at me today. But now that she’s toned it down, it feels weird.
Is she feeling sick or something?
“Are you feeling unwell?”
“…Me? Do I look unwell?”
“No, not really…”
…It’s just that you’re acting weird. Why are you being so out of character?
“You’re still saying strange things, Hero♡”
Look at this. Normally, she’d have thrown in some sharper words by now. But she’s just ending it like that?
“…This is strange.”
There’s no way she suddenly changed her way of speaking.
I glanced at Selin walking beside me.
Is she the reason? The only recent change I can think of is her.
“Selin Saint.”
“Yes, Hero.”
“Did you say something to Saint Estelle?”
“…Hero, I’m not sure what you’re implying.”
“…Uh…”
…Never mind?
It’s good that she’s not spouting crap, but it feels off because she’s not acting like her usual self. It’s like she’s not the Saint I know.
…Maybe I’m the one going crazy.
“…Saint.”
“Yes~♡”
“You’re not being as harsh with your words today.”
I decided to probe a bit. I need to figure out why she’s suddenly acting like this. Did something change in her mindset to make her shift her attitude?
“…I’m not sure what you mean, Hero.”
“Your tone today is very different from your usual tone.”
“Isn’t that possible?”
It’s possible, but you’re not the type to do that. If you’d acted like this occasionally before, I wouldn’t have said anything.
The Saint seemed to ponder something, placing her index finger on her lips. Then, as if she’d remembered something, her eyes sparkled.
“Ah, did you actually like the way I usually talk~?”
“…What?”
Would you like that?
“Not really…”
“What~♡ If that’s the case, you should’ve said so♡ Ah~♡ I was having a hard time holding back, but this works out.”
What are you even saying, you lunatic? I was just curious, not saying I liked it!
The Saint’s attitude shifted in an instant. With her signature smirk and arrogant smile, she instantly reverted to her usual self.
“To think you enjoy being insulted by a beauty like me, our Hero is quite the pervert~♡”
“No, I’m not!”
Listen, you crazy woman. And why is she calling herself a beauty? Not that she’s wrong, but…
“I was just asking because you seemed different today, wondering if something was wrong.”
“Eh~♡ You were worried about me~? How pathetic, Hero♡”
“…Haha.”
I dug my own grave by asking unnecessary questions. Sigh… I’m an idiot.
“…You’re digging your own grave.”
That was Selin, who was beside me.
I know, damn it…
But in a way, it might not be so bad.
…The Saint, who was unusually quiet today, didn’t seem as annoying as usual, so she looked different in many ways.
#
The season was gradually approaching in this world too.
“…It’s hot.”
“…Yeah.”
“I agree.”
Summer. The season of heat. As we were heading to Poclum, we were battling the heat.
Especially me, since I was wearing armor, I was feeling the heat more than the other two. No matter how much I wiped, the sweat kept pouring.
“The sudden heat is really troublesome.”
…It really is.
Just yesterday, the weather was almost spring-like, but today it suddenly got hotter. It’s like the weather in 21st-century South Korea.
As I was walking, sweating buckets, I noticed a large tree a bit off the path. The shade beneath it looked incredibly cool.
“Saint, let’s take a short break.”
“We don’t have much time, Hero…”
The Saint seemed too exhausted to even talk back. I pointed at the tree.
“That shade looks really cool.”
“…Yeah, it does.”
The Saint seemed tempted by the shade too. In this heat, who could resist such shade?
Though she wasn’t complaining, Selin also perked up when she saw the tree I pointed at.
“…Rest is important.”
“True words, Selin Saint.”
With Selin also expressing the need for a break, the Saint couldn’t resist the temptation anymore. Her true feelings slipped out.
“…Hmph, fine. Let’s take a short break then.”
“Yes!”
“Yes, please.”
With a unanimous agreement, we headed to the shade of the tree. The tree looked big from afar, but up close, it was even bigger. It must be hundreds of years old.
The shade was even cooler than expected. There was a small stream nearby, and the breeze from it was amazing.
“I’m alive…”
“Haaa…”
The three of us immediately sprawled out under the shade. We didn’t care about anyone watching. Enjoying this moment was our priority.
“Saint.”
“…Yes?”
“Can’t you ask Solaria Goddess to tone down the sunlight a bit?”
“…Don’t say such blasphemous things, Hero.”
…Guess not.
The Saint seemed to be really affected by the heat, fanning herself and letting out a deep sigh.
“You’re really sensitive to the heat, Saint.”
“…I’ve always been sensitive to both heat and cold.”
…That must be uncomfortable.
“Still, cold is better. Heat is just unbearable…”
“Same here.”
I also prefer winter over summer.
“…To think I share the same preference as a pathetic Hero, I suddenly want to die♡”
…Guess she’s feeling better now that she’s in the shade. She’s back to her usual crap.
The Saint, not satisfied with just fanning herself, started waving the front of her priestly robe. She must be really hot.
I was worried she might get heatstroke, but she noticed my gaze and turned to me. Then, with a sly smile, she said.
“…Hero♡ What are you staring at so intently~♡”
“…Huh?”
“You won’t see my chest no matter how hard you stare~♡”
“What are you suddenly talking about!?”
The Saint giggled.
…If you’re going to tease me, at least show me something! You’re just teasing me knowing full well I can’t see anything.
I turned my head and looked at Selin.
“Selin Saint, are you doing okay?”
“I’m not as sensitive to heat as Saint Estelle, but this weather is still murderous.”
“Right?”
“Maybe Solaria Goddess is angry…”
…I don’t know why she’s angry, but please calm down. Please spare us.
Cooling off in the shade made my body sticky. There’s a stream nearby, but it’s too open to wash up. Maybe I’ll just wash my face.
“I’m going to wash my face real quick.”
“…I’ll come too.”
“Me too.”
“Yo…”
…Everyone seemed to be thinking the same thing. So, we all moved to the stream together. The water in the stream looked clear and clean.
I felt like jumping right in. The Saint and Selin crouched down by the stream.
“…I want to go in.”
“You can’t. There’s nowhere to change clothes….”
They consoled their disappointment by scooping water with their hands and washing their faces. For a moment, I wondered if their makeup would come off, but then I realized both of them were bare-faced and got goosebumps.
…There are two natural beauties here.
Selin looked at me, water dripping from her face.
“Hero, aren’t you going to wash up?”
“Ah, I should.”
I thought I should wash my face too, so I knelt down and sat….
Splash!
Suddenly, water splashed onto my face.
“…?”
It came from the side, and Selin, who was right next to me, looked at me with a surprised expression. So, it wasn’t her.
“…Pfft♡ Can’t even react, Hero~? How are you going to defeat monsters~? Pathetic♡”
“…Haha.”
Of course, it was that girl who did it.
“Saint, it’s refreshing though….”
Splash!
Let me talk, you damn girl.
“Didn’t react again♡ Idiot♡”
“If you do it one more time, I won’t let it slide….”
Splash!
“…Ugh, seriously!!!”
“Kyaa♡ The pathetic hero is mad~!”
“Wait, don’t splash me too!!”
I scooped up water with both hands and splashed it all over the Saint.
“Kyaa~!”
“Hero, I’m getting soaked too! Ah, really!!”
Forgetting that my clothes were getting wet, I laughed heartily as I thoroughly drenched the Saint in my quest for revenge.
“Haha! That’s why I told you to stop!”
“Really~♡ I’m all wet now♡”
I won, you girl!
Feeling refreshed, I looked at the Saint and suddenly realized something was off.
Hmm…?
The Saint and Selin’s clothes were soaked and clung tightly to their bodies, clearly revealing their figures.
“…Huh?…Huh huh huh!?”
“What’s wrong, Hero? You look silly♡”
“…Saint, I think I know why the Hero is acting like this.”
“Huh?”
Selin pointed at the Saint’s body, and the Saint looked down at herself.
…I don’t know anything.
Realizing the situation, the Saint’s face turned bright red, and she covered her body with her arms. But that didn’t hide everything, and the lines of her body, including her hips, were clearly visible.
The Saint, with tears welling up in her eyes, shouted at me.
“Don’t look…!”
“…I didn’t look.”
…Thanks for the good view.
#
In the royal capital of the Vesta Kingdom, Pockulum. Elfride was currently staying here.
Since Pockulum was the location for the upcoming Regular Reporting Meeting, she had been staying here after returning from the prince’s banquet.
And Levius was the same. Elfride was at a loss on how to treat Levius at the upcoming Regular Reporting Meeting.
‘I was angry, but….’
Still, he was a fellow hero, like a junior to her. Shouldn’t she forgive him for one mistake? While thinking this, Elfride suddenly had another thought and muttered.
“…Since it’s the Regular Reporting Meeting, will Abel be coming too?”
Of course. Abel was also a hero like them, so attending the Regular Reporting Meeting was mandatory.
Elfride saw this as an opportunity. A chance to get closer to Abel.
Having met him before in Habsburg, they had already made some acquaintance, and now she really wanted to build a friendship.
Before she knew it, Elfride’s worries about Levius disappeared, and only the thought of getting closer to Abel remained.
“Hmm….”
But she didn’t know how to get closer. Originally, nobles would become friends when their interests aligned.
Attitudes might change after becoming friends, but most noble relationships started from such calculated actions.
But Elfride didn’t want to get close to Abel that way. She wanted to truly become friends.
Moreover, Abel was a commoner. If she approached him with calculated actions, he might become wary.
“…What should I do?”
Actually, judging from Abel’s personality, if Elfride genuinely wanted to be friends, he would surely get along with her. Abel was that kind of person.
The problem was Estelle, the Saint of the Solaria Church, who was always around Abel. Because of Estelle, who always tried to interfere, it wasn’t easy to get close to Abel.
How could she get closer to Abel? That worry continued even after Elfride left the room. Seeing her like this, Saint Cynthia asked her.
“Elfride, are you worried about something?”
“…I was wondering how to get closer to Abel.”
“…Hero Abel?”
Cynthia looked at Elfride with a puzzled expression. They had already made some acquaintance as fellow heroes, wasn’t that enough? Before they fought, Elfride and Levius had a similar relationship.
But Elfride wasn’t satisfied with just that. She wanted to truly be friends with Abel.
“I want to have a good relationship with him.”
Cynthia was so surprised by Elfride’s words that her eyes widened. A good relationship. Elfride meant friendship, but Cynthia interpreted it differently.
Maybe this was the normal reaction. When talking about a ‘good relationship’ between a man and a woman, people usually think of a romantic relationship first.
Cynthia’s heart raced even though she wasn’t the one involved. Feeling like she was reading a romance novel, Cynthia advised Elfride.
“Then how about giving him a gift?”
“A gift?”
“Yes. No one dislikes a gift given out of goodwill, right? Since Elfride is also Abel’s senior hero, you could give him a gift to encourage him as a junior.”
“Hmm, that’s true.”
Elfride thought it was a really good idea. She felt grateful to Cynthia for suggesting it.
“Thank you, Cynthia. I think I’ve found a way.”
“And it’s also important to have some time alone together!”
Cynthia advised with a more excited voice than usual. Surprised by Cynthia’s enthusiasm, Elfride listened carefully.
“Time alone? What do you mean?”
“How about having a drink together? As a senior hero, you can treat your junior to a drink, right? You did that with Hero Levius too.”
Elfride nodded. When she bought Levius a drink, it was just to look after her junior, but she thought it wasn’t a bad idea.
While pondering what gift to give Abel, Elfride waited for the day of the Regular Reporting Meeting.
