The Existence Called Hero! (2)
After that, for a while, Klea spent her days participating in the saint verification exam with a serious demeanor. At first, I followed her around like a bodyguard out of worry, but after two or three days, I realized it wasn't a situation where I needed to stick close. Heavily armored knights were thoroughly protecting Klea and the other candidates, and there were Hero Knights—who looked like a bunch of pretty young men but radiated an overwhelming aura of strength—assigned one to each candidate.
Once I confirmed that solid lineup with my own eyes, I figured there was no need for me to be there. So, aside from seeing Klea off in the morning and picking her up at night, we decided to spend our time separately. At night, the Hero Knights pulled back, but the lodging was secure anyway, guarded by knight orders stationed inside the church. Honestly, what worried me more than anything was Sister Clarice... but she just smiled and greeted us innocently whenever we crossed paths, looking completely harmless. For now, we'd keep watching her. If that was all an act, it was pretty damn scary. What the hell was her deal? Even if it was fake, with those Hero Knights around, she couldn't pull off anything major. I'd seen their strength firsthand, and the common knowledge in Essentia was that heroes were good guys... so I could trust that much, at least.
Anyway, during that time, Lizbet and I visited the royal capital's libraries and the Guild Management Office, digging for info on how to get stronger. I couldn't go far for leveling up right away, so we focused on skills and Fighting Spirit... but Fighting Spirit was too vague, like "meditate and sense the Esser in your body." What bullshit is that? Skipping that for now, we looked into skills, and in a book that seemed written by some martial artist, I found some decent ones. We decided to prioritize learning one or two of those. Blunt weapons must be niche, since there were no dedicated skills for them, but this book covered usage, training methods, and basic skills for pretty much every weapon, including bludgeons. I was so grateful.
The skills listed were just basics, noting that for more, you'd need an introductory course... but hey, beggars can't be choosers. Thanks, unknown martial artist! Putting weapon techniques into a book like this—legendary! I still didn't get stuff like "explode the Esser in your body," but according to Lizbet, if I kept swinging the warhammer while recalling the book's content, the feeling would come naturally. Yeah. Gotta start somewhere. That's how I protect my bitches, right?
So, for a stretch, our routine was dropping Klea off at the exam site in the morning, then Lizbet and I practicing the book's skills against monsters inside the capital, and picking Klea up at night. I hadn't pulled off any skills yet, but it felt like I was getting the hang of it...
Who would've thought there'd be stray monsters even inside the city walls? The capital's sheer size was insane.
"Now the only thing left is... tomorrow's ascetic prayer. Hmm..."
Back at the lodging, while Lizbet and Klea were washing up, I sat naked on the bed and checked the paper with the saint selection exam schedule. Klea said the trials so far had gone well. They'd rushed the schedule due to some unexpected incident, but thankfully, she'd handled everything without issues. Tomorrow's ascetic prayer just required showing up in person—no special prep needed... Yeah. Tonight, no funny business. Just let them sleep it off. Once the prayer's done, it'll come down to the comparison verification with the other candidates, who all seem lacking in various ways. Baul was apparently meeting archbishops to prepare for that moment... Eh. Who knows. Lately, Klea had started grimacing openly at the sight of him. She'd tried managing her expressions before, but now she looked at him like he was a bug. Wonder what else the bastard did... I didn't even have to lift a finger—Baul was screwing himself over.
"Kyahaha♡ Really!?"
"Yes. So..."
Happy laughter echoed from the bathroom. Lately, the two of them had been sneaking off to chat without me, calling it "girls' secrets." They said they'd tell me later, but it kinda stung. Good that they were getting along, but damn—skipping bath time with me for girl talk!? Devastating! I wanted to rub up against my bitches in the tub! No way!? My trusty junior, now totally used to this, was twitching in sympathy. You're hurting too, huh!
As I wallowed in loneliness with my horse cock for a bit, the two emerged naked, toweling their hair.
"Hehe... Ah~. Feels good... Right, Klea? You're mentally prepared, yeah?"
"...Yes. Liz. I'm ready."
"Huh? Prepared for what? Don't laugh just between yourselves—include me."
Savoring the sight of my bitches' pristine bodies, I pleaded, pouring my loneliness into the words. Lizbet said "Hold on~" and magically dried her and Klea's hair, then plopped down naked beside me, clinging close.
"Hehe...♡ Master. Klea has a request♡"
"Oh? A request? What is it?"
If it's my bitch asking, I'll grant anything. Of course.
"...Hah, ngh..."
"Giggle... Come on, Klea. If you don't say it, Master won't know~?"
"R-Right... M-Master. I heard from Liz..."
At some point, Klea had dropped the honorifics and started calling Lizbet casually. She still used polite speech out of habit, but they were total friends now. Hm. Good thing. But from Lizbet? What'd she say?
"Th-That... when you became lovers... I mean, when you became Master's... Liz swore submission to you as a b-bitch..."
...Huh? Klea bringing that up now... No way?
"Th-The submission oath... I mean..."
Oho. This... Wait, already!?
"C-Could I... experience it once...?"
...Experience? So... she wants to try the oath Lizbet did, not for real, but just to feel it?
"...That? You wanna experience it?"
"Hehe♡ Lately, Klea's been super disappointed in Baul. Once the saint selection's over, she's dumping him regardless♡"
Whoa... Baul. I didn't do shit, and you're getting dumped anyway. Impressive.
"In that situation, for Klea, any other male means you right away, Master?"
Hm. True. I'm Klea's male. Her master.
"I told her becoming your bitch means offering her virginity, but as a nun, she's hesitating a bit♡ Clergy don't have to stay pure, but she takes it seriously, so if it gets out with the wrong guy, she could get defrocked."
Oof, defrocked? Harsh. Well, clergy professions preach abstinence publicly. So Klea, being one herself, is torn between her desires...
"Once she realized her fiancé Baul was a pathetic loser...♡ She just wants to submit to you...♡ But as a cleric, she's still conflicted♡"
"Hmm... So? Why does that lead to experiencing the submission oath?"
"Hehe...♡ Come on, Klea♡"
When I asked in my best masterly serious tone, Lizbet urged Klea on with a glance.
"Hah, hah... S-So... I've called you Master and followed you, but... I don't know if this is really what I want..."
What...? No way. The Status Window shows she's head over heels for me. What's this about?
"I've only heard stories about love from inside the church... I can't be sure if this is it... N-No, I definitely... l-like you, Master... I think..."
Ah... I see. Raised in the church, blind Klea would've only heard fairy-tale versions of love from the clergy around her. Now she's drawn to me, fooling around while keeping her virginity, but questioning if it's real love.
"L-Liz said offering my virginity would make it clear...! But it's still scary to just give it away... Then I heard about Liz swearing submission to you as a bitch... and it made my heart race weirdly... If I feel that, then I..."
"Hmm. Got it, Klea. I understand what you're saying."
A smile crept onto my face at her words. This was a new flavor. She wants to experience the oath of offering everything to her master?
"Then, if experiencing submission as my bitch convinces you it's what you want... what'll you do?"
I could guess her answer. But I needed to hear it from Klea's own mouth. It was time to wrap up the "experience" phase.
"...Yes. If I'm convinced, then I..."
Klea took a deep breath, clasping her hands in front of her chest. Fresh from the bath, naked as she was, the pious aura she exuded kneeling before me almost felt like worship.
"I will become Master's bitch."
From those reverent lips came her declaration as a female.