Shaara’s memories after entering the bathroom were vague.
There was a strong feeling of happiness, but she couldn’t remember specifically what they had done.
For a brief moment, Carmel’s standing in Shaara’s heart rose right below Atlas.
“Wait a minute. Something feels off…!”
Startled by the emotions flooding into her heart like a tsunami, Shaara brushed away the Saintess’s hand.
Just a moment ago, she thought of her as a human she disliked, but what on earth were these feelings welling up inside her?
Could it be that she found her attractive just from looking at her face?
But she’s a woman too?
Shaara had never had such preferences before.
Even though she thought it wasn’t the case, a suspicion lingered in a corner of her mind that maybe it could be.
It was also a recent development that Shaara had started to love someone.
“You don’t need to feel embarrassed.”
“Eek?!”
The Saintess confirmed Shaara’s confusion about her feelings.
She thought she should push her away, but she couldn’t bring herself to act on it.
“Are you going to turn back after coming this far? There’s nothing strange about this.”
The Saintess gently took Shaara’s hand.
Whenever Shaara tried to back off, the Saintess casually shattered any barriers and moved closer.
Once again led by the Saintess, Shaara stepped into the bathroom filled with hazy steam.
She wondered if this was the right thing to do, but there was no one around to answer that question.
.
.
.
The two of them bathed in the bathroom quite normally.
They weren’t alone, though.
Three maids clung to Shaara’s long hair, while two others were nearby, performing optimal actions that wouldn’t interfere as they moved.
The Saintess, who had been tossing around trivial conversations, spoke to the maids after soaking her body in the warm bath.
“Could you step out for a moment? I have something important to discuss.”
“Don’t go.”
The maids froze.
It felt like they should follow the Saintess’s words, but their master was Shaara.
It was natural for them to listen to the one they served.
“Please.”
However, despite Shaara’s command, the maids prioritized the Saintess’s ‘request.’
As the maids scurried away, Shaara glared at them as they left.
How dare they ignore her command and leave? She thought she’d deal with that later.
Right now, the important thing was that she was left alone with the Saintess in the bathroom.
“So it’s really just the two of us now?”
“What are you going to do with me… you’re thinking, right?”
“As I said at the beginning, I just wanted us to have an honest conversation.”
An honest conversation? What on earth could that possibly mean?
The Saintess’s words were quite straightforward.
“You like Atlas, don’t you?”
“… Yes.”
Shaara answered the Saintess’s question without hesitation.
She had no intention of hiding it.
Why was she even asking such an obvious question?
Was she going to tell her to give up Atlas?
Even though the Saintess’s position in Shaara’s heart had grown tremendously, it was still under Atlas.
No matter what was said, when it came to Atlas, she was determined that she wouldn’t concede.
“I have no intention of giving up on Lord Atlas.”
Shaara steadied herself.
While it was true that she felt a deep affection for the Saintess, Atlas was still prioritized above all.
Knowing that the Saintess also had feelings for Atlas, she denied the first thought that came to her mind.
“How do you see me? I have absolutely no such intentions. On the contrary, I want to support Shaara’s love!”
‘You want to support me?’
Shaara questioned the unexpected response.
It was hard to believe that she wanted to support her relationship with Atlas.
“Then why did you act like that at the party?”
“You’re the first person to provoke me, which made it fun, so I responded in kind.”
The Saintess was quite close with Atlas already and seemed to have feelings for him.
It was human nature to desire to monopolize what one wanted.
“Didn’t you say you like Lord Atlas?”
“Yes. I love him.”
“Then why do you say you want to support me? Do you think you can win?”
She seemed like the kind of Saintess you’d fall for just by looking at her.
Shaara felt that the Saintess was strongly provoking her, and the rising anger threatened to extinguish her feelings toward the Saintess.
However, what the Saintess said next made Shaara doubt her ears.
“Well, love grows the more you give… the more you share, right?”
“The more you share… you mean it’s good?”
“Yes, I love Atlas too. You love him as well, right? So wouldn’t it be fine if we both loved him? There’s no such thing as winners or losers. If everyone loves Atlas, then everyone will be happy, right?”
It sounded like nonsense, but she couldn’t refute it.
Shaara already knew that she couldn’t be the only one for Atlas.
So perhaps this could actually be a better situation.
——————-
After a light wash, she savored the rare time alone together.
With all the weird occurrences happening lately, they had less time together than when they were staying in different dormitories at the Academy.
She couldn’t afford to waste the time Carmel had created.
“Can’t I wear the outfit I wore today often?”
“That one?”
She was now in casual clothes after washing up, but in the distance hung the knights’ uniform she had worn that day.
“It’s cool, right?”
“I’ll consider it… but it’s just a military uniform.”
“But it looks cool. Instructor Andy wears it all the time.”
Those who come and go from the barracks wear it every day, so it wouldn’t be difficult.
“So do you plan to stay here until Shaara’s condition is resolved?”
“I need to resolve it quickly. Even if there’s no plan afterward.”
Having to be physically close all the time was uncomfortable in many ways.
It was fortunate if the Saintess continued to help them, but she wasn’t the kind of person who could remain idle for long.
Come to think of it, had Shaara said they were going to bathe together?
In a space with Carmel, who was completely undressed…
“I hope Carmel doesn’t mess around too much.”
“Messed around?”
River raised a brow at the word.
“When you get near Carmel, you frown. The Saintess has divine blessings.”
“That strong smell you’re talking about?”
“Yeah. It’s felt in terms of scent, but in fact, her blessings don’t relate much to smell.”
“What blessing could cause concern?”
“A blessing that makes her loved by all.”
Now that Shaara had been captured by Carmel, reflecting on it now, it wasn’t that dangerous, wasn’t it?
How many people in the world could endure Carmel’s blessings?
There were quite a few around him, but they were all either superhuman or had the blessings of other deities.
Even Amy, without knowing, harbored blind affection for Carmel, and the same went for others.
At the party, Carmel wore formal attire that minimized her blessings, and Shaara had malice toward Carmel.
So, she could speak freely without being affected by her blessings during their first encounter.
But now?
Since the Saintess had invited her to bathe together, they would be in the same space, and Shaara would see her shed her formal attire.
Once Carmel’s blessings that had been suppressed all day were unleashed, Shaara might not be able to endure it.
It seemed like the plan was to win Shaara over to her side, which was terrifying just to imagine.
If he faced the same situation, it would be hard to maintain composure, and there was no way Shaara could withstand it.
The only relief was that the Saintess wasn’t a villain who would take advantage of others’ affections.
“What kind of blessing even exists like that? Just breathing seems to make everyone love the Saintess unconditionally?”
“You know the Saintess’s hair color can’t appear naturally, right?”
“Uh… right.”
“That’s a shade of pink that symbolizes love in the Church Country. Because the Saintess embodies the love of the divine, she receives the love of all.”
“Thank goodness it doesn’t affect me.”
River breathed a sigh of relief, then suddenly his expression changed as if something occurred to him.
“You too?”
“I’m a Master. But still, being close is hard, so I maintain distance when I’m with the Saintess.”
A Master can expel poison by manipulating their aura, but blessings are an entirely different issue.
Unless one had blessings from another deity, it becomes a matter of mental strength from there.
“You wrapped yourself up pretty tightly, so I was wondering why—now I get it.”
“It’s a special outfit made by the Church to reduce the power of the blessings.”
-Knock, knock.
While they were deep in conversation, someone knocked on the door.
[I came to return what I borrowed from Atlas.]
Just when they mentioned the tiger, it seemed the two had appeared.
.
.
.
“It took a while, didn’t it?”
“Here, take her. Everyone must have been tired today; they have to rest.”
Carmel handed Shaara, who was tightly gripping her hand, over to me.
As Shaara fell out of Carmel’s grip, she wearily clung to me, staring at her empty hand.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I was fine. You’re not wondering what happened between the girls in the bathroom, are you?”
She wore a playful expression, but looking at Shaara, it certainly didn’t seem like that at all.
What on earth had happened in the bathroom?
I didn’t want to imagine too much, but one thing was clear.
The maids, who were slightly bowing their heads from behind, had faces very similar to Shaara’s, indicating that Carmel hadn’t restrained herself much.
They all looked dazed, so it seems they’d all been captivated.
“Yeah… we just had an open and honest conversation with the Saintess.”
She wore a smile I had never seen before.
It seemed like she was completely smitten.
“Is this what you were talking about…?”
“Yeah.”
As River observed Shaara, who had transformed in an instant, he realized again the dangers posed by the Saintess.
