My advice must have worked quite well, as the Saintess’s anxiety symptoms subsided faster than expected.
Although she still felt tense around strangers or unfamiliar men, she no longer experienced the kind of fear she once had. This was a clear sign of improvement.
However, it seemed she was still reluctant to return to the church, so she decided to stay at our house for the rest of the break, which didn’t have much time left.
“Oh my… it’s fine, it’s fine~ Just think of this as your home and relax~ We won’t have to worry about room shortages since I can just put our son in the storage room~”
“Mother?”
Thankfully, my mother’s plan to banish her own son to the basement never came to fruition, but I nearly ended up spending the rest of the break sleeping on the living room couch.
The Saintess, feeling sorry, offered to take the couch herself, but since I couldn’t treat a recovering patient that way, I volunteered to sleep on the couch instead.
“Th-Then… just… sleep with me…”
“…..?”
Her wording was a little problematic, but what she meant was that we should share my room. She’d sleep on the floor while I took the bed.
Apparently, the idea of kicking the homeowner out of his own bed made her feel incredibly guilty.
If it had been the old her, she might’ve claimed the room without hesitation, but after the ordeal she’d been through, the now-timid Saintess was overly conscious about even these little things.
At first, I planned to firmly decline, but then I realized that if she had a nightmare or her PTSD acted up during the night, it could cause problems. So, for prevention’s sake, I decided to accept her proposal.
“Well then, let’s do tha—”
“Sh-She can sleep in my room!”
“…Huh?”
But just then, Luna who had been nervously watching this unfold interrupted and volunteered to let the Saintess stay in her room.
“Are you sure about that? You don’t even like it when someone enters your room without permission.”
As far as I could remember, Luna really hated it when someone entered her room without permission.
I’d once gotten curious and tried to sneak in. Only to get caught and get thoroughly beaten. Since then, I hadn’t dared go near her door.
What kind of grand secret she’s hiding in there, I have no idea…
“We-We’re both girls, so… there’s nothing really wrong with it.”
“Oh, is that so?”
It seemed her refusal to let me in had been due to the sensitive nature of an adolescent girl.
Come to think of it, I’d heard that girls at that age tend to be quite sensitive about all sorts of things.
“Then let’s do that until you return to the Church next week. Is that okay with you, Saintess?”
“Huh? Y-Yes… that’s fine…”
“Don’t worry too much. Luna might look a little fierce, but she’s actually great at housework and really considerate.”
“Hey! Cut the unnecessary preamble!”
That was nothing but the plain, honest truth.
If there were ever a World Maid Championship, Luna would be a sure contender for first or second place.
It was only because Luna’s parents who were longtime close friends of my own swore their loyalty to our territory that she wasn’t already working as a top-tier maid or butler for high-ranking nobles or even royalty.
Even the noble lady and the Princess had been full of admiration for her the whole time they stayed at our house. That says it all.
“Th-Then, excuse me for a moment…”
“Ugh… yeah.”
And with that, Luna led Hestia off to show her around her room.
Hmm. This should be fine… right?
Luna, aside from Pollo and me, didn’t have any particularly close friends. She was a self-declared loner by choice.
And due to recent events, Hestia had also taken on the traits of a solitary outsider.
At the time, I had no way of knowing what would come from the meeting of these two loners.
***
“P-Please… come in…!”
Luna, who had offered to show Hestia to her room, went in first, then asked her to wait a moment.
Not long after, a thunderous noise erupted from inside, accompanied by loud crashes and bangs.
After about five minutes, Luna opened the door, drenched in sweat, and invited her in.
Though flustered, Hestia calmly stepped inside.
The room looked just like any ordinary girl’s room.
Unlike her own bleak and simple environment, this room was cozily decorated in a charming way that made Hestia feel both admiration and envy.
“Um… Saintess, you can sleep on the bed. I’ll lay out a blanket and sleep on the floor.”
“Oh, no, I couldn’t possibly! I can’t take the host’s bed. I should sleep on the floor instead! Is this the wardrobe?”
“W-Wait—!”
As Luna offered the bed, Hestia hurriedly objected and, looking to find bedding for herself, opened what she assumed was a wardrobe.
“Uh… uh…! Kyaa!”
Crash!
All sorts of random junk that had been stuffed inside came toppling down on her.
“A-Are you okay!?”
“Ow, ow… I’m fine. I didn’t get hurt, so don’t worry too much. But all this stuff…”
Then, almost without realizing it, Hestia began examining the items that had fallen along with her.
“A pen, a cup… and this… men’s underwear…?”
“Eeeek!!”
Luna dashed over and snatched the item from Hestia’s hands. Her breathing grew heavy and frantic as she glared at her.
Hestia couldn’t bring herself to meet those eyes, filled with silent pressure that clearly screamed, “Don’t you dare say a word.”
Still, after examining the scattered items on the floor, it became obvious that all of the random objects belonged to one person.
“Um… Do you… like Brother Mars, Luna?”
“…Ugh.”
She didn’t answer, but her reaction made it clear to anyone what the truth was. A sharp pang jabbed at Hestia’s chest.
…What was that?
The feeling passed so quickly that she didn’t have time to dwell on it. Pushing aside the sudden sting, Hestia began to think that maybe she’d found a way to repay Mars for saving her.
“Um, Luna. If you like Mars, there’s something I’d like to suggest.”
“Sniffle, What is it…?”
“Don’t you want to… go to the Academy?”
“…But only nobles or talented commoners are accepted there.”
Although she was close to Mars, Luna was still just a commoner.
A maid with no special skills in magic or swordsmanship and no professional knowledge had no chance of getting into the Academy.
“Well… my maid can’t work anymore due to some circumstances. I’m looking for someone new to assist me, but I’m uneasy about taking someone from the Order, and I don’t want to just bring along anyone… So if you’re willing, Luna, would you like to come to the Academy with me?”
***
“Hey, Zelos! I heard you failed the mission! Screwed it up big time again with your usual crap, huh?”
“Shut your damn mouth, Gula. Unless you want me to stitch it shut so tight you’ll never eat again.”
“Oooh~ Scary~”
A gathering place for the executives of the Heavenly God Church.
Summoned by the Vice Bishop, those present were killing time by mocking Zelos, who had failed his mission to deal with the Saintess.
“I knew it from the moment you started going on about that sick hobby of yours. I knew you’d screw it up with that twisted mindset!”
“You son of a—!”
When Zelos had shown up at the execution site, he left with an air of confidence, claiming there would be a next time. But in truth, he was nervous and on edge over his failure to eliminate the Saintess.
He had been dispatched because of his exceptional skill in mental manipulation, with the goal of avoiding chaos and tight security. But thanks to his twisted hobbies, he had wasted precious time. And in the end, not only did he fail to kill her, but he returned as a marked target of the Aura Lord.
Damn it! How the hell was I supposed to know that bastard would help the Saintess?!
Though Zelos had grown stronger thanks to the power granted by “Him”, an Aura Lord was in a whole different league.
If that brat hadn’t let his guard down and had attacked Zelos’s true body instead of just his projection, Zelos wouldn’t even be alive right now.
“That’s enough chatter.”
A man appeared, cutting through their bickering.
The man who claimed to be the Vice Leader of the Heavenly God Church appeared, as always, with his entire body tightly wrapped in black cloth.
As soon as he revealed himself, the executives inside the conference hall bowed their heads in respect.
“The formalities are done. Let’s move straight to the agenda.”
Slick—
He immediately pointed at Zelos with his hand, and Zelos couldn’t help but flinch at the gesture.
“You failed the plan. A plan we spent years building. I distinctly remember how pleased you were, claiming it would be your masterpiece.”
“……!!”
“But… that’s all in the past. The Saintess’s power is no longer a serious threat.”
The greatest enemy of the power of madness they wielded was divine power. And as the embodiment of that divine power, the Saintess was nothing short of poison to them. So they had hoped for her swift death.
“But not anymore. We’ve now secured a definite means to counter that divine power.”
“Th-Then—!”
“Zelos. You are to remain on standby until the next orders are given.”
“Wait, I—!”
“Objections…”
“!!”
“…will not be accepted.”
Overwhelmed by the tremendous pressure radiating from the Vice Leader, Zelos had no choice but to back down. And just like that, the confrontation between the two ended without further resistance.
Though Zelos was part of the executive ranks and couldn’t be considered weak, his strength lay in manipulating others’ emotions and crafting illusions. The Vice Leader, on the other hand, was so overwhelmingly powerful that even the other executives found it difficult to challenge him.
“Yes. It shouldn’t take long until the next order is issued, so I hope you won’t take it too personally. A punishment is still a punishment, after all.”
“……Understood.”
Some of the other executives sneered at Zelos’s dejected appearance, but they quickly fell silent at the Vice Leader’s rebuke.
Still, Zelos who was dissatisfied with the entire situation bit his lip hard in secret. His expression silently expressed his displeasure.
“At last… the long-awaited time is drawing near.”
A murderous aura swept over the room, but beneath it was a blade of exhilaration that pierced the hearts of the six executives.
When the Vice Leader declared the beginning of their true operations, each of them licked their lips. They were haunted by the worst nightmares their minds could conjure.
“All of this is…”
—for the future that we desire.
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