I Like You

What the pouch the Saintess had handed him contained was none other than a tooth—a tooth very much like a human one.

Yet divine power could be felt from that tooth. It was just like a Holy Relic.

Of course, that possibility wasn’t entirely out of the question. When one thought of Holy Relics, one naturally imagined something dazzling and luxurious, but not every Holy Relic was like that.

Any object could become a Holy Relic if it held religious significance and enough people remembered that significance.

“Whose is this?”

Franz voiced his question as he took the tooth out of the pouch. It was a very clean, pure-white tooth without a single cavity.

Well, it would be strange for a tooth that gave off divine power to have a cavity.

“Well, you see….”

Yusti-ah drew out the end of her sentence as she glanced around, as though it would be a problem if someone overheard her.

After confirming that there was no one around, she leaned in close to him.

For an instant, that action brought something to Franz’s mind. The same thing Arian and Hera had done.

So, just as he swallowed—gulp—and began to mentally prepare himself, Yusti-ah opened her mouth wide.

When the bright moonlight illuminated the inside of her mouth, he saw a soft tongue and a set of teeth that seemed somehow incomplete.

No way….

“Is this tooth yours?”

Yusti-ah closed her mouth and nodded silently. Her cheeks, tinged with pale pink, revealed what she was feeling.

‘But couldn’t she have just said that…?’

Franz had that question, but he refrained from voicing it. She undoubtedly had her reasons.

“It’s the tooth that fell out when you… hit me.”

“I-I see….”

Franz was simply flustered.

He remembered seeing her tooth fall out that day. But he had never imagined that the tooth in front of him now was that very one.

Embarrassment, shame, and regret tangled together, creating an awkward atmosphere.

Unable to bear it, Franz let out a short sigh and opened his mouth.

“I’m sorry about what happened then. I was a little too rough.”

“It’s okay. Actually, it was wobbling because that tooth grew strangely. It actually made things a little more comfortable.”

“Can’t divine power fix it somehow?”

“Hmm—, I suppose I could if I tried. I don’t particularly want to, though.”

If that was how she felt, there was nothing more he could say. It wasn’t as if he could threaten her into regrowing the tooth.

I really am inexperienced in so many ways.

It was then, as Franz lamented his own inexperience, that—

“So, about that… I’d like you to take some responsibility, but….”

“Responsibility…?”

“Yes, for the one tooth you pulled out….”

Yusti-ah drew out the end of her sentence and stepped closer.

Her tiny hands grabbed Franz’s robe and pulled on it.

Late in the evening, with the sun gone down and the moon in its place, the Saint and Saintess shared a kiss in the Cathedral’s backyard, where only the chirping of insects could be heard.

Yusti-ah’s heels, raised in excitement, slowly lowered until they touched the ground.

“This is entirely my own decision. The Goddess has nothing to do with it.”

Franz merely looked down at her without saying anything.

It wasn’t that he disliked what she had done. He simply couldn’t bring himself to ignore the turmoil that had sprung up in a corner of his heart.

Everyone was being sincere. Each of them was summoning their courage and making an effort to take one step forward in this relationship.

Someday, he would have to respond to those feelings….

But that wasn’t easy. It was more difficult than anything he had ever done before.

“Ah, um—say something…!”

Perhaps his silence had made things awkward. Yusti-ah grumbled and poked him in the side with her finger.

“Sorry, I was a little surprised.”

“Anyway, I’m serious, too. Until now, I’ve tried hard to pretend not to notice, but I won’t anymore.”

Had she really been pretending not to notice…?

And yet, she had been pretty blatant about it.

There was her fight with Arian, not to mention the fit she threw at Lake Laham, insisting that she would take off her clothes.

She hadn’t actually said that she liked him, but among the four, she was probably one of the more forthright. She didn’t seem to realize it herself, though.

“You understand what I mean, right?”

“Yeah, I understand.”

“Are you sure? Really?”

“Yes, I really understand.”

“No, you didn’t. You’re surprisingly foolish, so I doubt you understood.”

Yusti-ah folded her arms and slowly nodded, as if she had proven herself right.

Franz could only be left dumbfounded. After they had even kissed, there was no way he could fail to understand what it meant.

“So I’ll say it clearly. I won’t say it twice, so listen carefully.”

Tap-.

Yusti-ah’s hand touched Franz’s chest.

“I like you. If I had my way, I’d want to hear your answer right now, but I’ll be patient. At least until those idiots make their feelings clear.”

That brought Franz’s conversation with Yusti-ah to an end.

She immediately turned around and headed toward the entrance to the living quarters.

Her hesitant steps seemed to hold a trace of reluctance, but in the end, she never looked back.

Franz remained there until Yusti-ah disappeared from view, then let out a long sigh.

His feelings were incredibly complicated.

As clouds hid the moon and darkness descended, only the hologram shone brightly, oblivious to everything.

『The will to destroy the world has completely disappeared from Saintess Yusti-ah’s heart!

The world has moved one step closer to peace!

There is a special reward. Would you like to receive it? Y/N』

Franz cautiously reached out and pressed the button.

* * * * *

Time passed, and before he knew it, the next day had arrived.

Franz was blankly gazing at Yusti-ah’s tooth lying on the table.

‘I can definitely sense divine power….’

But it still didn’t reach the level of a Holy Relic. Numerically speaking, it seemed to be about half that of an ordinary Holy Relic.

Of course, even divine power at this level was enough to make magic tools. The problem was that he couldn’t make enough to distribute them to other countries.

‘Then shall I give it a try.’

Franz took Yusti-ah’s tooth in his hand.

The Goddess could create Holy Relics in the world with her own power, couldn’t she?

He lacked that level of ability, but strengthening an object that already contained divine power should be possible.

A golden light began to flow from Franz’s body. It was neither divine power nor mana, but godly power—the power only a god could wield.

‘I never thought the day would come when I’d turn a tooth into a Holy Relic….’

But what could he do? This was no time to be picky.

As he thought that, the godly power flowing from his body slowly seeped into the tooth.

The tooth’s original divine power and Franz’s godly power blended harmoniously, and its strength gradually increased.

‘Did it work…?’

What lay in Franz’s hand was an object fully worthy of being called a Holy Relic.

The process left his body drenched in cold sweat, and his mind reeling as if it might snap. Still, it was a small price to pay for creating a Holy Relic.

Franz didn’t stop there and began making the magic tool. His interest in the magic tool that would soon be born was more than enough to make him forget his physical exhaustion.

The table filled with various materials taken from his bag, and under Franz’s touch, each one shone with its own special power.

Anyone who saw this would surely call him insane.

He knew it himself. This was far from normal.

But what could he do? This was what it meant to be a mage, and this was Franz.

The magic-tool production, which had begun early that morning, did not end until just before sunset, after lunch had come and gone.

The completed magic tool was a little larger than the palm of his hand.

At its center were a needle and gauge for displaying the danger level numerically. Other than that, it had nothing else.

Rather than adding unnecessary functions and making it larger, he had wanted to create something devoted solely to its purpose.

‘Then where shall I test it….’

Franz slowly raised his godly power.

The measuring device’s only function was to display godly power as a numerical value.

Beep beep beep beep beep—!

Dozens of measuring devices on the table reacted simultaneously, making a tremendous racket.

Fortunately, it seemed not a single one was defective.

‘Then all that’s left is distributing these to the other countries.’

Franz let out a long sigh and collapsed into a nearby chair.

How should he put it? There wasn’t a single ounce of strength left in his body. His stomach felt as though it were stuck to his back.

Well, it was only natural after working all day without eating anything.

‘If I’d known this would happen, I should’ve asked Arian to bring me lunch.’

Arian didn’t visit while he was researching, so unless he asked her directly, she didn’t bring him meals.

Besides, at his age, asking someone else to take care of his meals was a little ridiculous anyway.

Franz gave a short chuckle and was just about to head outside, dragging his exhausted body along.

Suddenly, the door opened.

“Hey, are you done with your research?”

“Yeah, I was just about to go get something to eat.”

The person who had come to the research lab was none other than Arian.