Chapter 54
Ashtein rubbed his chin and asked.
“How about this place? I think it looks fine.”
Aria carefully inspected the interior and nodded.
“I like it. What about you, Azazel?”
Azazel tapped her cheekbone a few times, then struck a cocky pose.
“Hmm, this gets my seal of approval, too.”
The three of them unanimously settled on a place to stay.
They moved quickly.
They rented a room and hurriedly unpacked the few belongings they had as soon as they arrived.
For the record, they were all staying in the same room.
Why were they all sharing a room?
The explanation was rather amusing: Aria was in high demand.
Ashtein entered the inn and asked the clerk for two rooms.
One for himself and Aria, and the other for Azazel.
Azazel had fiercely objected.
She asked if he planned to keep Big Sis Aria all to himself.
Ashtein had essentially said that Aria was his woman, so what was wrong with keeping her to himself? That was enough to earn Azazel’s ire.
‘This is unfair! I want to be with Big Sis Aria, too! Besides, Ashtein’s motives are lewd! He definitely got a room with Big Sis Aria so they could have wild, filthy sex…….’
Aria hadn’t listened any further and clamped a hand over Azazel’s mouth.
Her intuition was razor-sharp; she clearly hadn’t become a mage for nothing.
Well, it wasn’t what Ashtein wanted. Aria was the one who wanted it.
Aria had spent all this time having unsatisfying nights because she was constantly mindful of Azazel.
But what if they had two rooms?
Then there’d be no one to worry about, even if she spent a steamy night with Ashtein!
Ashtein might torment her and make her cry all night, but after so many unsatisfying nights, Aria’s body was burning for him.
So, for the personal reason that she wanted to be teased a little more by Ashtein’s massive manhood, she begged him.
The Hero could hardly refuse a Saintess who, blushing, begged him because she wanted him.
How could he refuse as a man, let alone as a Hero?
That was the story behind it, but Azazel’s anger had begun to derail their plans.
‘I’m sleeping with Big Sis Aria, too! We’re sharing a room!’
It was a shameless outburst.
Ashtein gave Aria a look that asked what they should do.
Aria was in utter despair.
She was almost starting to hate Azazel.
Did you really have to get in the way this much?
‘We’ll, sh-share the same room.’
Aria spoke as if coughing up blood, her expression practically tearful, though she wasn’t actually crying.
Seeing Azazel beam with delight, Aria sank into sorrow.
‘At this point, should I just go all the way even if Azazel watches?’
Fortunately, that delusion—one that would’ve horrified Ashtein if he’d heard it—remained just a delusion.
Anyway, because of this incident, the three of them ended up sharing a room.
Ashtein and Azazel stood by the door.
“……Well, I’m heading out. Wait here quietly, Aria.”
“Let’s go have fun at the night market later, Big Sis!”
“Both of you, be careful.”
Click.
The two left, and the door closed.
Aria lowered her right hand, which had been waving like a pendulum.
After securing an inn, the Hero’s party split up.
To be specific, Ashtein left to meet his contacts at the royal palace, while Azazel said they’d visit the Mage Tower since they were in Gallia for once.
As a result, Aria, who had comparatively little to do, was left all alone at the inn.
The room was fairly luxurious, but so spacious it felt empty with her there alone.
‘That makes sense, since we booked a room for three.’
Aria sat in a chair and pictured Ashtein, who had just left.
Whenever she had nothing to do or felt bored, she often thought of him and indulged in all sorts of fantasies.
If Azazel were here, Azazel would probably scold her for spacing out all the time.
‘But what can I do? I like it.’
Aria indulged in sweet fantasies as she thought of Ashtein.
She drank the fruit beverage on the table, then stopped just as she was about to get up.
What was she planning to do by standing up?
Faced with that fundamental question, she tried to think of an answer.
She’d gotten up because sitting still made her restless.
Really?
Wasn’t she anxious about being alone?
She shook her head back and forth to dispel the negative thought.
A voice from deep inside, one she’d forgotten for a while, spoke up again.
Maybe it was because Ashtein and Azazel were gone, leaving her with more idle thoughts?
This wouldn’t do.
This was a rare stretch of free time.
Wouldn’t it be a shame to spend this precious moment moping?
What would be a good way to change her mood?
The Saintess thought it over.
She opened the window and looked outside.
The bustling streets of Gallia, the capital, stretched out before her, crowded with people coming and going.
It was an incredibly exotic sight.
‘It might be nice to go outside and look around the city.’
For Aria, who had grown used to ‘Magdalena,’ Gallia was, in a way, the first city she’d ever encountered.
In truth, since she’d only been in this world for a few years, this city was no different from a foreign country to her.
How could she not be excited by such a sight?
‘Ain told me not to move an inch until he got back, but I’m bored.’
Wasn’t that a bit much, even so?
He wouldn’t worry this much about a child left by the water’s edge.
Strictly speaking, she was an adult herself.
A small rebellious feeling stirred in Aria’s heart.
Rebelliousness was like a fire that flared up after feeding on fallen leaves.
In other words, it could spread quickly.
‘I can take care of myself. And this is a safe city, so what could happen?’
Her reasoning was perfectly sound.
After all, as the capital, its public safety was on a level no other city could match.
But if there was one thing Aria had overlooked, it was her striking appearance.
That’s right.
Her looks drew far too much attention.
Far too much.
* * *
The sunny weather and splendid city combined to create a beautiful view.
Aria was walking casually along a broad main street.
Perhaps thanks to the stamina she’d built up living with Ashtein, she didn’t tire right away.
For someone who used to pant after the slightest movement, it was tremendous progress.
‘……Still.’
She thought it was just her imagination.
That she was simply more sensitive.
That she was being self-conscious.
But before long, she realized.
It wasn’t her imagination, sensitivity, or self-consciousness.
A lot of people were looking at Aria.
Even though she was just walking around near the inn, their gazes were fixed on her.
Men and women, young and old.
Why?
‘Is it because I’m wearing a nun’s habit?’
No.
It was impossible to draw this much attention just by wearing a nun’s habit.
‘……Then.’
She did have an idea.
When she looked down, she saw her ample breasts, impossible to conceal even beneath her habit.
Surely, this body was what was attracting their gazes.
‘I never noticed because Ain doesn’t stare so openly…….’
She was embarrassed.
She didn’t want other people to see her.
She wanted Ain to be the only one who looked.
‘Should I just go back?’
Her excitement at the unfamiliar scenery had lasted only a moment; the thrill she’d felt had evaporated.
She’d never liked going out in the first place; she’d only come out to change her mood.
Wandering alone without Ashtein or Azazel wasn’t fun; it only wore her out.
Aria decided to return to the inn and started walking.
Grab.
That was, until someone seized her arm.
Aria disliked rough male hands, so she flinched and looked at the person.
He was a man whose gleaming golden hair went perfectly with his lake-blue eyes.
“W-who are you?”
“Are you a member of the clergy?”
A low voice laden with menace.
She felt the hairs on her body stand on end.
“………As you can see?”
At Aria’s wary response, the man quickly let go.
Then he apologized in a refined tone.
“I apologize for accosting you. I was in a hurry. Could you come with me quietly, without making a scene?”
Aria rubbed her reddened wrist and studied the blond, blue-eyed man.
Judging by his old-fashioned clothes, he was at least the scion of a noble family.
The one thing that bothered her was the faint smell of blood clinging to him.
It was such a faint scent she might not have noticed it if she hadn’t grown accustomed to the smell of blood from being with Ashtein.
Something about this felt dangerous.
He practically radiated the sense that getting involved with him could only end badly.
“And if I refuse?”
He wore a desperate expression and bowed his head.
“……Please. I’m begging you. There’s someone injured.”
Suspicious.
Very suspicious.
But the mention of an injured person bothered her.
“An injured person?”
“……Their condition is critical.”
Aria looked straight into the man’s eyes.
The man’s golden eyes didn’t avoid her gaze.
It didn’t seem like he was lying……
But there were plenty of questions.
Why her, of all people?
Because she was wearing a habit?
What made him think he could entrust an injured person to her?
Was she the only member of the clergy in this vast capital?
Moreover, from his perspective, Aria was an unverified member of the clergy.
Aria stood at a crossroads.
It could be a trap.
It could be a lie.
Ain and Azazel weren’t here, either.
No one would blame her if she refused to go or turned a blind eye.
No one but herself.
The original Saintess would’ve gone without a second thought upon hearing that someone was injured.
But Aria wasn’t like that.
She was calculating, self-serving, and not altruistic.
She wanted to live for Ashtein alone.
She wanted to help only you.
But still.
Hadn’t she wanted to stand at Ashtein’s side?
Aria sighed.
“Honestly, you seem suspicious, so I don’t want to.”
“……I see.”
The man lowered his head.
“But if I ignored an injured person for that reason, I wouldn’t be able to look someone in the eye with a clear conscience.”
“……?”
“That’s why I’m going. I want to be able to look that person in the eye without shame. Lead me there, quickly.”
At Aria’s resolute words, the blond man gave a hollow laugh.
“That’s quite a noble argument.”