The Lady Virgin Saint remained frozen and silent.
The stillness of the woman resembled that of a statue. Even after a long silence, the Lady Virgin Saint could not regain her senses.
I fell momentarily into the illusion that time had stopped.
Her reaction was that dramatic.
Even the wind that had been gently flowing through the corridor seemed to vanish. The weighty atmosphere represented the Lady Virgin Saint’s heart.
My bewildered gaze shifted to the side.
Senior Elsi, who was clinging to my arm, appeared equally flustered. It had been a casual provocation, but it seemed she never expected the Lady Virgin Saint to react so innocently.
Of course, Elsi was not the type to regret such things.
Instead, she flashed a wicked smile and pulled my arm closer.
The soft resilience transmitted through my arm muscles.
Before long, Senior Elsi was grinning mischievously.
“Hmm? Did you really not hear? I decided to become serious with Master.”
It was serious, if serious it was.
I could not carelessly speak, unable to understand the Lady Virgin Saint’s true intentions. I needed to know why she was like this in the first place.
It would have been nice if Reto was next to me.
If he had been, I would’ve probably received a hit to the back of my head by now. And I would have been mumbling whatever came to mind without reservation.
But now, the one next to me was Senior Elsi.
If one were to mention a rival to the Lady Virgin Saint, her name would certainly come up.
She could not possibly be hoping for a reconciliation between the Lady Virgin Saint and me.
After all, she had even confessed to me, so it wasn’t surprising if she wanted to keep the women beside me in check.
At that moment, cracks formed in the time that had stopped for the Lady Virgin Saint.
The woman’s eyelashes fluttered, and then, as if in disbelief, a painful tone escaped her.
“…N-no, it’s a lie.”
“Not a lie.”
However, the words of denial she struggled to produce were negated once more.
Senior Elsi, with a flirtatious gaze, pressed her cheek even closer to my arm. Yet, as I showed no intent to push her away, she became even more buoyant and said.
“If you’re curious, just ask Master.”
For a while, the Lady Virgin Saint’s trembling gaze turned towards me.
In those pale pink eyes, a mix of faint resentment and expectation intertwined.
It was a sharp look, but gentle moisture weighed upon my heart.
At this point, even I, who was usually slow, could not help but understand.
If I were to respond carelessly now, it would only lead to unnecessary misunderstandings.
After a brief hesitation, I organized my floating words.
I had to respond as briefly and concisely as possible.
With my resolve, I quickly opened my mouth.
“Lady Virgin Saint, while it may not be a lie, there seems to be a misunderstanding…”
Of course, my good intentions were unlikely to unfold smoothly.
I felt a strong grip around my arm.
Senior Elsi had naturally leaned into my arm on her tiptoes.
Soon, a sweet voice caressed my ear.
“Master… let’s do that.”
Her gaze was deep.
Through the curtain of night, a captivating blue light shone towards me like moonlight. A muffled groan radiated warmth on my complexion.
I found myself unable to react in many senses.
First, I could not comprehend what Senior Elsi was suggesting or its implications.
‘That’ means what?
It would have been a relief if there had at least been some familiar answer. A hollow laugh would have sufficed.
But the one in question was Senior Elsi.
If she were to be vague about anything, it would cover far too many facets.
While I was flustered and unable to react, Senior Elsi’s seduction continued.
“That thing, you know… the thing where when Master touches me, it feels like an electric shock, and I get all tingly. Last time, I lost my strength in my legs and ended up sitting down…”
“Oh.”
At that moment, I could only sigh as if I finally realized.
Senior Elsi seemed to be referring to ‘chin scratches.’ It was a new reward developed after ‘head pats,’ and it was fortunate that it pleased her.
However, my joy did not last long.
I felt a strange tremor passed through the void.
My startled gaze returned to face front.
There stood the Lady Virgin Saint, trembling.
There was a slight anger visibly radiating from her.
I could see that her delicate hands, clasped together as if in prayer, were now tightly clenched.
I finally sensed that a disaster had occurred.
“…Lady Virgin Saint?”
Despite my cautious call, the Lady Virgin Saint remained silent for a while.
After bowing her head, she bit her lip several times, then glared at me with dew-filled eyes.
Her voice, stuttering, burst forth from her.
“I, I, I…”
And just as I struggled to restrain her,
“…I was first!!”
The Lady Virgin Saint suddenly shouted adorably before storming off.
She looked like someone who had just experienced a heartbreak, wiping her tears away.
I could only stare blankly at her retreating figure.
What did it mean to be first?
It was an obvious question, but there was no answer to that.
Even before that, Senior Elsi burst out in laughter.
Finally freed from my arm, the girl jumped up and celebrated joyfully.
She displayed a victorious smile with her fist clenched.
“Ha ha ha! You insolent little brat, serves you right! You laughed at me like that!”
As expected, this seemed like a scheme by Senior Elsi.
I sighed deeply, pressing my forehead.
We weren’t even dating, yet the jealousy was very real.
A voice filled with embarrassment slipped from my mouth.
“Senior Elsi…”
I meant to reproach her, but Senior Elsi was quick to take the initiative.
Her small body once again dove into my embrace. Then she winked playfully with one eye.
“…You’ll forgive me, right, Master?”
Since her confession before, Senior Elsi had changed slightly.
In situations where she used to fidget or only gauge my reactions, she now showed mischievous responses.
Perhaps she was just starting to gain some confidence as an older girl.
Looking back, it was actually abnormal how she trembled at the sight of an axe in the past.
This, too, should be seen as growth.
In exchange, I had one less means to fully control Senior Elsi.
However, I would still listen if I spoke firmly.
I felt a mix of pride and disappointment in that aspect, leading me to decide on a punishment for Senior Elsi.
“Master, what are you… ah, huh?! Ehh?!”
That punishment was none other than the ‘chin scratches’ that Senior Elsi had been longing for.
Before long, Senior Elsi had to squeeze her thighs together.
Yet, the scratches did not cease, and after a time, she melted away and slumped down.
Her dilated pupils, heated breath, and flushed face created a peculiar atmosphere.
Without proper control of her tongue, Senior Elsi let out a silly snore.
“Uh, umm… m-m-my….”
Only then did I present a satisfied smile.
Senior Elsi had probably reflected enough by this point.
Though, the tears the Lady Virgin Saint had shown last would linger, I believed there would be an opportunity to clear the misunderstanding over time.
I thought this as I left the temple.
I still had things to do.
Delphine, the northern region, and the imperial princess.
I needed a chain to piece together this riddle.
There was still no contact from Senior Delphine.
Even as classes began, there were no signs of her returning. Even Seria could not get a proper understanding of the circumstances.
It was unlikely that I could find any solid lead by stepping forward.
So, I decided to meet the people I needed to see before heading to the northern region.
The first was undoubtedly Emma.
As always, even while fighting the Corpse Giant, I greatly benefited from Emma’s potions. If it weren’t for her potions, I might have perished early.
On the contrary, I was somewhat delayed in my recovery due to Emma’s potions.
I couldn’t blame Emma for that since my overuse of the potions was the reason.
Fortunately, the news of my critical condition hadn’t been made public.
The bloody battle with the Corpse Giant had become an heroic record. Not to mention, I had been the very one engaging in conflict with the Dark Cult for a long time.
To reveal the fall of the rising holy entity was burdensome in many ways.
Especially if the presence of the Dark Cult was becoming increasingly vivid.
I’d even have to endure the blame for not providing timely support.
It was said that the empire and the Holy Kingdom were scrutinizing the details very carefully.
Thanks to that, Emma didn’t come racing to me in tears, and I was especially grateful for that.
Just imagine if the tender-hearted Emma had heard the news about me.
It wouldn’t have been strange if she fainted on the spot.
My body shivered at the unfortunate thought. I wanted to avoid the situation of Emma collapsing again and being hospitalized in the Intensive Care Room.
The reason I had brought a large amount of gold coins today stemmed from this very issue.
According to rumors, Emma had apparently spent all her money on materials.
The word was that she was either foraging for mushrooms in the forest or going hungry.
Naturally, I couldn’t let her situation be.
Today, I was determined to firmly tell Emma not to touch the food expenses.
Standing resolutely in front of Emma’s workshop, I knocked on the door.
However, no response came.
This wasn’t unprecedented.
Previously, on the day I visited the workshop, Emma had collapsed from overwork.
Thinking back on that made my heart race.
That was why I kicked the workshop door open in haste.
“…Emma, are you okay?!”
With my shout, the workshop door forcibly swung open with a bang.
Right after, I faced Emma’s round, emerald eyes.
Emma was crouched on a chair in the workshop, muttering something.
Taking a quick glance, it seemed to be dried mushrooms.
They appeared so delicious that there were even clear tears welling up in her eyes as she chewed.
My mouth was zipped shut by a devastating and shocking feeling.
I was not the only one astonished.
Soon, swallowing, Emma offered an awkward smile.
“Ah, hello. I-an…”
And then silence.
After a long while of nothing, Emma stiffly raised her body.
It was then that her voice began to crack with tears.
After a bit of tearful glistening,
The girl, caught in a disgraceful situation, made the following choice.
“I, I… I’m going to die!”
With those words, Emma dashed off, scattering tears.
Though I desperately tried to stop her, I failed to fulfill her wish.
As always, a woman’s heart was quite delicate.
Especially Emma’s heart was even more so.
