Saintess Village
I turned my gaze toward the footsteps entering the treatment room like a bodyguard the instant I stepped inside.
Unlike most other small Lion Beastkin who were around my height, this one was a towering female with shoulders so broad they required me to crane my neck to meet her eyes. She simply stared at me without a word, making me feel as if I had committed some unseen crime.
“…”
I should have been sweating under the gaze of a beast scanning for prey, but considering she was Nemea’s bodyguard, it was hardly unusual. I knew she did not hold any grudge against me or perform such actions with ill intent, so I walked straight over and greeted her.
“Hello, Leo.”
“…”
“The weather is lovely today, isn’t it?”
“…”
In stark contrast to the refined Nemea, Leo remained silent.
Since I already knew her personality—quiet and taciturn—I smiled at her subtle nod of agreement and handed her the small bottle from my pocket.
“…”
“It’s insect repellent. These days pests keep biting everywhere, so even you, Leo, who always stands guard here…”
With a sharp click, Leo snatched the bottle from my hand.
She examined the repellent in silence, gave me one sharp glance, then immediately popped open the lid and began applying it meticulously across every inch of her exposed skin.
She did not speak, but the thorough coating from head to toe told me she suffered from the same biting insects as the rest of us. After capping the bottle, she offered it back.
“I brought it for you, Leo.”
“…”
“I’m the one who will be applying it, so there’s no need to verify the effect separately. Still, I figured I should mention it. If you get bitten later, let me know, okay?”
Of course I did not expect any real gratitude.
“Originally I was going to bring plum juice because it’s so hot right now, but the plums are still alive, so I couldn’t bring them.”
“…”
The mention of plum juice made Leo’s tail droop slightly, as if I had hurt her feelings.
“If I come again later, I’ll bring them for real then. Of course, only once they’re dead, but these things are so resilient—they’ve been pickled in honey for a whole year and still haven’t died!”
“…”
While Leo stayed silent, her tail began to sway gently.
Whether she liked sweet things or not, I had managed to draw a good reaction from her, so I kept talking.
“Anyway, you really should tell me about the insect repellent, Leo. I need to know if it works on you.”
“…”
Again, no real expectation.
Over the past three years, I had faced Nemea countless times, yet Leo had never once uttered a single word to me.
Accepting that her tail was swaying like usual and that I was seeing her in her rare relaxed moments, I turned toward the direction of the noise coming from outside the door the very moment I heard it.
“…”
“Thank you.”
“Huh?”
“Ah! Ice Man! You’re here? It’s been so long!”
At the same time I heard a voice that sounded like a marble rolling around behind me, the door of the treatment room burst open and a familiar Lion Beastkin face beamed with a smile as it rushed into my arms.
It was none other than the owner of this clinic, Nemea the Lion Saintess.
“Ugh, y-yes, Nemea?!”
“Such a nice scent! Why does it smell so good today? Did you dress up just to meet me?”
With a rubbing motion, the Lion Saintess pounced at me like a cat attacking prey, vigorously rubbing the front of my shirt.
And just now, Leo’s golden eyes had begun to glow dangerously toward us.
I did not know the details, but because she was extremely sensitive about anything involving her twin sister, I quickly pulled Nemea out of my arms before she could misinterpret the scene as me harming her.
Of course, the dangerous glint in Leo’s eyes softened back to its usual cool golden color.
Unlike her sister, the brotherly side of her glowed with a hint of regret, but that was all.
“Ah! I wanted to sniff more!”
“Hmph, I came for a check-up. I’ve been feeling dizzy lately and it won’t go away.”
“Dizzy? Ah, you’ve been to the dungeon recently, right? Celestyn told me.”
Why was she sprinting so energetically? Had Nemea planned to ask me about my dizziness and anything else that might cause it first?
She acted tsundere on the surface, but maybe she had been looking out for me after all.
But without warning, something grabbed my butt hard.
I turned in surprise, but it was exactly what I expected.
“Hehe, your butt is so nice today too!”
“No…”
While I was still stunned, the Lion Saintess had successfully grabbed my butt and was now looking up at me with a wicked grin.
“What’s so great about a man’s butt…”
“I’ve told you before, I’m an ass girl! It’s a perfect butt created by the sacred light—more than enough to enjoy! If it’s okay, can I touch it more?”
Aside from this small issue, Nemea really was the Saintess herself.
Her petite and cute appearance, her saintly tolerance, and her open and cheerful personality were all attractive, but if I relaxed my guard even for a second, that wicked smile as she groped my butt would dredge up the vulgar preconceptions I had once held about saintesses.
At the same time, Leo’s eyes began to glow dangerously again toward us. I cleared my throat and told Nemea,
“Everyone’s watching. Even in the Saintess Village, groping your butt right away…”
“What a rude thing to say… This place is called the Saintess Village, but I never do such things where someone might see! It would be sexual harassment!”
What did this Lion Saintess think she was doing?
“And since you smell so good right now, how about it? Why don’t you quit being Celestyn’s slave and come work exclusively for me as a Saintess cat tower?”
“A cat tower? What do you even do?”
“I can rub your butt whenever I feel like it 24 hours a day…”
“No way.”
“Eek, I’ll feed you for the rest of your life! You can play, eat, and enjoy good things with me. And if you’re worried about having kids, don’t worry! I’ll handle all the childcare too!”
Did she already assume I would do that kind of thing with her?
At Leo’s murderous glare, I instinctively stepped back, but Nemea grabbed my shoulder and said,
“Don’t worry. I’m a Saintess, but I’m also a Lion Beastkin! I have enough stamina to do it 24 hours a day! Unlike others! You’ll definitely be satisfied, even if you’re a virgin!”
“What the hell are you planning to do with me?!”
“Let’s do it once! I’ll pay you!”
It’s not money that’s the problem right now—your sister is staring at us from behind with murder in her eyes, so my life is in danger!
Of course I could not say that out loud, so I placed my hand on Nemea’s shoulder and tried to push her away while putting on a serious face.
“Today you’re here as a patient.”
“Tch, fine. Just don’t stare at me that fiercely.”
“?”
Did I stare like that?
With a somewhat regretful tongue-click, Nemea prepared for the check-up, and I felt a flicker of doubt as I reviewed my actions. I did not think I had glared at all.
Perhaps I unconsciously glared because I sensed a threat to my life from Leo’s gaze.
I watched Nemea go to her station, organize documents, and pull out materials related to me, then turned my head back toward Leo.
“…”
Still no words, but the dangerous aura from earlier had completely vanished now that she was separated from Nemea. The massive Lion Beastkin with her usual taciturn expression now swayed her tail slightly.
“Come, sit down! I’ll start the examination first!”
“Ah, yes.”
The moment I sat down to solve the dizziness that had plagued me for days,
“May I look here?”
“Huh? Ah, yes?”
For some reason, a familiar coin was sitting neatly on Nemea’s thumb.
The coin itself was nothing unusual, but the way she was about to flick it away was the problem.
I quickly tried to speak, but
ting—!
“Ah…”
“Hehe, then shall I pull up your shirt? Hehe, today I’m only going to confirm. It’s not like I’m going to eat you, so relax!”
“…”
Just like with Celestyn and Dyna, Nemea stared blankly into the distance, slowly pulling up my shirt. Leo’s eyes glowed dangerously again.