Chapter 57
Smooch.
A light kiss landed on my cheek.
With a soft smacking sound.
“Hup……”
I was so taken aback that I caught my breath without thinking.
I couldn’t believe he’d gone in for it without even giving me a warning.
The Hero smiled at me.
“Let this make up for it, okay?”
“Ah, ah. Uwaaah……. Mm, okay……”
I nodded and answered.
Then I immediately looked away.
I just couldn’t look the Hero straight in the eye.
‘That was way too much! I thought we’d just hug like lovers……’
Did all lovers think something like that was perfectly normal?
I think I understand why the birthrate in my hometown is so low.
‘Romance takes a tremendous amount of courage.’
How could anyone endure something this embarrassing over and over?
I could never have handled it.
“Haaah, damn, I’m jealous. I wish I could go back to those innocent days……”
“Wow! You kissed! A kiss, just now! Yubel must’ve been so lonely! Let me hug you, too!”
“Eek! Uv, mmph, mmph! Pwah! I can’t breathe with your chest squishing me!”
After being hugged by the Hero, I got passed over to Riella this time.
Maybe because a woman was hugging me, I didn’t feel very good.
I wanted to hug a woman, not be hugged by one.
But then.
Gooooooo……
‘Huh? What’s this aura……?’
Every hair on my body stood on end.
I could feel an aura of deep resentment.
It was coming from right behind me.
That was strange.
‘Prea should be the only one behind me.’
Sure enough, when I turned around, Prea was standing there.
Prea wore her usual benevolent smile.
That put me a little at ease.
There was no way Prea resented me.
I smiled back at her.
‘That’s right, I’ve always treated her so well. That feeling just now must’ve been my imagination.’
Just think of how much trouble I’d gone through for Prea.
I’d warned her to stay away from the Hero, carefully examined her in case she’d been brainwashed, and, well…… I’d done all sorts of things for her.
With that many good deeds under my belt, maybe it wouldn’t be so strange if people called me a saint.
Prea must think so, too.
[Looks like you’re having another ridiculous thought.]
Shut up, parasite.
***
‘O merciful goddess, brightest light in the heavens. I humbly beseech you in my own name. Purify my soul so I may endure the journey ahead. Bless me with your sacred warmth—’
Prea prayed fervently in her heart.
She prayed that she wouldn’t lose her reason because of that wanton, wicked, treacherous evil called Yubel.
She prayed and prayed.
But then.
“Rabbits die when they’re lonely, you know?”
“……”
Crack.
The words Yubel had said while seducing Se-on,
and the bewitching expression she’d worn, kept flashing through Prea’s mind until she ground her teeth audibly.
She knew all too well how shameful it was for a Saint to feel jealousy.
But before she was a Saint…… Prea was also a girl who dreamed of love while reading romance novels.
In particular, her favorite stories had been about the love between a Hero and a Saint.
They’d given strength to a girl who’d been lonely because she had no friends.
‘Yes……. I’ll admit it all. Lord Se-on likes Lady Yubel, and Lady Yubel loves Lord Se-on, too. I’ll even admit they’re a good match. But……’
Even so, wasn’t it cruel to act like that right in front of someone who’d given up on love? Saints had feelings, too.
After their relationship came to light, they’d started showing off affection in ways they never had before.
And the expression Yubel gave her while Se-on was hugging her……
‘That was definitely a look of mockery.’
After Se-on hugged her, Yubel had smiled at Prea.
But her smile had been so awkward, as if it were an act.
Prea felt as though Yubel were mocking her for not being the one Se-on had chosen.
No, she probably would’ve interpreted anything negatively, no matter what Yubel did.
That was how frightening confirmation bias could be.
‘I’m sorry, Lady Yubel. It’s all right if I play one “little prank” on you, isn’t it? You started it, so I hope you won’t complain.’
The masked gentleman had told her about a trap that put people to sleep.
She planned to lure Yubel there and then get Se-on to hug her, too.
It was only a little prank.
She didn’t care if he rejected her.
By now, she just wanted to get back at Yubel.
You could call it petty jealousy.
‘People say this is how everyone gets close.’
Prea smiled at Yubel.
***
“What’s going on? It feels like it’s getting colder and colder.”
“Really? I’m not cold at all! Want me to hug you again?”
“No……”
Had the blessing weakened?
That couldn’t be it.
At last, we left Baelogia and reached the foot of the snowy mountain.
Broad said he’d guide us no farther, bid us farewell, and headed back.
I felt a little sad to part with him, so I guess I’d gotten a bit attached.
“Yubel, are you going to keep wearing the bunny-girl outfit? ……I don’t mind, though.”
“Oh, that. It was so ragged I threw it away.”
When we’d arrived in Baelogia this time, that guy Broad had dragged the outfit along the ground until it was a complete mess, so I’d thrown it out.
Now that I think about it, I’m pissed all over again.
Forget being sad to part with him.
Anyway, the bunny outfit hadn’t been so bad, so I decided to keep wearing it like this.
“O holy goddess, lamp of the heavens……. I confess my sins. I’m going down the wrong path, blinded by jealousy and desire, but I don’t regret it one bit……. This once, I’ll act on my desires, so please show me mercy and let me walk the right path again……”
Good grief, what’s with her?
Ever since we set foot on the snowy mountain, Prea had been muttering prayers behind us without pause.
‘Or was she doing that even when the Hero and I were close?’
Still, seeing her like that really made me think of her as a Saint.
The very act of reciting prayers was proof of her devotion, after all.
Crunch, crunch.
“Eek! Isn’t the snow way too deep here? My feet keep sinking in, and my clothes are getting soaked……”
“Hehe! You’re so tiny, Yubel, so that makes sense! Want me to carry you on my back?”
“No thanks! Maybe if you were the Hero. Why would I let you carry me?”
“Ahaha……. Merciful—”
Mutter, mutter, mutter.
I was reaching the point of getting neurotic.
She seemed to be trying so hard that I couldn’t bring myself to say anything.
Just then.
Flash!
“Ooh? What’s this? Are you giving me a piggyback ride, Hero? I’m not heavy, am I?”
“You’re as light as a feather, so don’t worry about it.”
“R-Really?”
It didn’t sound like a lie.
He’d picked me up with such ease.
“Hmm, thanks. This’ll make the trip a lot easier.”
He knew how to make someone feel good.
If we’d met somewhere other than this world, I might’ve wanted to get closer to him.
For some reason, he even reminded me of my childhood friend.
‘Come to think of it, isn’t he done collecting skill points? He doesn’t seem to be making a move on Prea.’
Maybe because he was committed to going after virgins, or maybe he’d decided to take things slow, but lately the Hero had started sticking with me and me alone.
He didn’t seem to care about collecting skill points anymore.
I didn’t particularly mind, so lately I’d been focusing on magic training, too.
Of course, I kept an eye on him whenever I had the chance.
‘Hmm, maybe I’ll ask him what he’s after later.’
Come to think of it, I’d spent all this time just being wary of the Hero.
I’d never asked what he was trying to accomplish or whether he planned to defeat the Demon King.
So after we took down the Ice Witch, it might be worth asking him casually.
“U-Um……!”
“Hm?” “Prea?”
Prea’s cry made the Hero and me react at the same time.
For some reason, it felt a little awkward.
“W-Would it be all right if we walked a little farther apart now? It’s hard to bless you when you’re standing so close……”
“Oh, was that it? You can just tell me things like that.”
“Ahaha……. Is that so?”
“Yeah, we’re a Hero’s party. We should all get along as companions.”
“……Yes. That’s right. I think of you as a close companion, too, Lady Yubel……”
As she said that, Prea was once again looking away.
She still avoided eye contact even while talking.
Knowing she was supposed to be a social outcast, I felt a little sorry for her.
“If you feel like it, you can drop the formalities, too. We’ll be together for a long time, so let’s joke around. We’re friends, right?”
“Yes, I’m only being spiteful this once, so……”
“Hm? Sorry, I didn’t quite catch that.”
“You don’t need to worry about it. I was just talking to myself.”
I see.
It’d be rude to press her further.
I’d gotten a little better by now, but as someone who used to be a loner myself, I understood how Prea felt.
If she became a social butterfly like me, she’d get better eventually.
Anyway, I got down from the Hero’s back and ran ahead again.
I’d almost been in trouble because I didn’t know which way the Ice Witch was, but Prea pointed us in the right direction.
Honestly, I thought she was the only party member besides me who actually pulled her weight in this hopeless party.
We wouldn’t have made it up here in the first place without her blessing.
Though it did seem a little weaker now that she was saving her divine power.
“L-Lady Yubel!”
“Yeah?”
“I’m going to withdraw some of your blessing now…… Could you hold on just a little while as we walk?”
“Huh? I can do that, but…… for how long?”
“It’ll only be for a little while……”
Ugh, I hate the cold. But I guess I have no choice.
I nodded without protest.
Prea squeezed her eyes shut, as if it pained her, and withdrew the blessing from me.
Whoooooosh!
A fierce cold wind cut across my body.
Considering how much skin the bunny-girl outfit exposed, I didn’t think I’d last more than a minute.
My body began to tremble violently.
Since I was at the very front, there was no one to block the wind for me.
But I felt that something was a little off.
‘Why did she withdraw the blessing from me alone?’
No matter how I thought about it, even if she was trying to conserve divine power, there was no reason to withdraw the blessing only from me.
It would’ve been different if she’d withdrawn it from the other companions, too.
And a Saint, who supposedly had the greatest reserve of divine power, was withdrawing the blessing because she couldn’t last even a single day?
The game mentioned often that a Saint could waste divine power for a whole month without worrying about it.
‘……Well, maybe she could be running low.’
Anyway, thinking I might be reading too much into it, I kept walking.
Through the cold snow.
I just…… kept walking.
It didn’t occur to me to go over to the companions behind me.
If I stopped here, I felt like I’d freeze to death.
I could feel my body growing more sluggish by the second.
So I kept moving.
But then.
For an instant, my heart sank.
I didn’t know why.
“W-Wait! Th-There’s something wrong with this…… Ah! Lady Yubeeeeel!!!”
Prea reached out toward me.
I saw divine power emerge from her hand.
In a great hurry.
Sensing something strange, I glanced down.
“Hm? What’s th—”
KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM—!!!!!!!!!!!!
***
“Gah!”
I woke to a cold sensation against my butt.
It felt as though someone had pressed an ice block against it.
I thought my butt was going to freeze solid.
“Wh-Where am I? Is this heaven?”
I was inside a space made entirely of ice.
Looking closer, I saw statues that looked exactly like me scattered all over the place.
I was trapped in an ice prison like a birdcage.
What in the world is this?
“Are you awake?”
“Huh?”
Then I heard a voice from beyond the cage, outside the door.
It was a voice filled with affection.
Feeling a presence there, I turned around.
‘The Ice Witch?’
The Snow Woman was looking at me, her face flushed.
“Welcome, Mother♡”
……Mother? What was going on?
[Mother?]
“……?”
Even the parasite seemed to have no idea what was going on.
Thanks to that, I was at a loss for words.
No, what are you doing reacting like that?