Please let me go.
Please let me go.
Today marked the third day since dramatically concluding the Violence Prohibition Agreement with Elisia.
So far, I hadn't died, not a single bone of mine had been broken, and astonishingly, the walls and furniture of the Saint's Palace remained completely intact.
It was a miracle to the point where one would wonder if such a thing was even possible.
Even among the countless miracles wrought by the Saint most beloved by God, it was an achievement worthy of being counted on one's fingers.
To think I achieved that with my own hands.
I'm deeply moved.
Of course, a massive problem arose in exchange, though.
Tuk.
I ignored the finger tapping against my forehead and continued reading the report.
Tuk.
This time it was my cheek.
Tuk tuk.
Slender fingers kept poking at the space between my ear and the nape of my neck.
"Saint-nim."
"What is it?"
"Please stop."
"I don't want to."
Elisia answered nonchalantly while sitting next to my desk.
Now she has brought a chair right next to me and is disturbing me in utter comfort.
Today, Elisia's schedule had completely wrapped up in the morning.
Normally, this would be the time she'd return to her bedroom and lie down, but lately, she's been sticking by my side the entire time.
Since she can't break anything even if she's irritated, she's taking out all her surplus time and irritation on me.
"I am working."
"I know."
"If you know, please do not disturb me."
"I'm bored, aren't I?"
"What does that have to do with me?"
"An aide is supposed to solve the Saint's boredom as well."
"No such duty exists."
"It exists starting today."
Elisia poked my cheek again.
This time, I didn't take it meekly and caught the incoming finger.
Her hand, having taken off the black glove, was white and smooth.
The slender, soft fingers wriggled inside my palm as if telling me to let go.
"Let go."
"Are you going to keep poking me?"
"Yes."
"Then I won't let go."
"I'm going to break your hand."
"Violence is prohibited."
"Annoying...."
Elisia's blue eyes narrowed.
Even though she could shake off my hand right away, she didn't.
She seemed worried that doing so might shatter my hand.
In reality, she possessed enough strength to crush my hand with just a single finger.
Instead, she moved her trapped fingers and began to tickle my palm.
"...What are you doing?"
"Disturbing you."
"Your speech has become short."
"What about it? It's my choice."
It certainly had an effect.
Because it was ticklish enough to make the strength in my hand holding the pen drain away.
It was because this body was ticklish and sensitive beyond imagination.
No matter where she lightly tickled, I'd get tickled immediately.
Having a superhumanly strong physical body didn't come with only good points.
In the end, I judged that getting poked was more bearable, so I let go of Elisia's hand and turned my gaze back to the documents.
Then, as if she had been waiting for this, she snatched my pen away.
"Saint-nim."
"What is it?"
"Please return it."
"I don't want to."
"I need to sign."
"With this?"
Elisia brought the pen nib close to her red lips.
Beneath her pure white face and silvery eyelashes, her blue pupils glinted playfully.
She bit lightly onto the middle of the pen with her lips and looked down at me.
It was a needlessly sensual sight.
Even though she was just biting a work pen, she looked like a succubus bewitching a cleric.
Of course, in reality, she was a Saint holier than anyone, and a scumbag who snatched other people's belongings and taunted them.
"If you want it, try and take it."
"I've told you before that you're being childish."
"Can't you take it?"
Instead of words, I moved into action.
I reached out and pulled out the pen clamped between Elisia's lips.
Elisia didn't bother to stop me by biting down with her teeth either.
"Well done."
"Don't praise me."
"Did you not let go without biting down?"
"Be quiet."
She glared at me, then climbed up onto the desk this time.
It was a scene I had grown accustomed to since I saw it every day.
"Please move."
"I don't want to."
"That is a place to do work. It is not a place to sit."
"There's nothing I can't do inside the Saint's Palace."
"Please refrain from doing things for once."
"Why should I?"
I hastily pulled away the document just before Elisia could occupy it.
As I reached out to secure the documents, she deliberately shifted her body to obstruct me.
As we continued that scuffle, the soft weight of her pelvis soon pressed down onto the back of my hand.
Lately, having noticed that I pull away whenever I touch her body, she's been utilizing her own body to 100%.
Touching the body of someone who is practically my ideal type isn't something I can just casually brush off, so it's exceedingly effective.
Of course, Elisia probably doesn't know the reason yet.
Besides, even if caught to some extent, I had to act nonchalant.
"Saint-nim."
"What is it?"
"You're deliberately sitting on it again."
"Just stay like this."
"I don't want to."
"I don't want to either."
In the end, I let out a deep sigh and decided to rest for a moment.
Partly to quietly enjoy the squishy sensation felt on the back of my hand.
After sitting on my hand for a while, Elisia must have grown bored, as she soon picked up my hair and began braiding it.
"Why do you work so hard?"
"Because it's work."
"You won't die even if you postpone it for a few days."
"If I postpone it, the people working in the Saint's Palace will become busier."
"We can just kill them all."
"Whom do you mean?"
"The people who have to work."
Why does the solution always end in murder?
Just who educated her when she was young?
From what I know, it was probably the Pope....
I really think he's the root of all evil.
"Then only Saint-nim and I will be left in the Saint's Palace."
"That sounds bad."
"It is extremely bad."
Why is that bad again?
Do you hate being alone with just the two of us?
It does seem like she dislikes it.
Because no matter how favorably you look at it, our current relationship is close to that of frenemies.
Having caught my breath for a moment, I started reading the report again with my free hand.
Surprisingly, Elisia watched me work for a while.
Her blue pupils scanned alternately between my eyes and hands moving along the paper.
Her being quiet actually makes me more anxious.
What on earth is she plotting?
"Saint-nim."
"What is it?"
"What are you thinking about?"
"What kind of expression you would make if I pulled your hair."
"Please do not do that."
Before the words even finished, a strand of black hair was yanked.
What if I get female hair loss?
Ah, can Elisia even cure hair loss...?
"That hurts."
"Liar."
"It really does."
"Then show it with your expression."
"I don't want to."
"Boring."
When I refused to show a pained face until the end, Elisia wound the hair she was holding round and round her finger.
Every time she swirled her hand, my head was dragged little by little toward her.
In the end, I had no choice but to pull my back away from the chair's backrest and draw closer to Elisia's knees.
"Saint-nim."
"Yes."
"Please let go."
"I don't want to."
"My hair will fall out."
"It grows back anyway."
"It might not grow back."
"I'll heal it for you."
"Can you?"
Elisia released the hair wound around her finger.
Apparently she can't.
Must have been someone who asked her to do it before, huh?
Instead of my hair, Elisia brought her hand to my cheek.
Tuk.
She poked it once with a finger, pinched lightly, and even rubbed it with her palm.
"What are you doing?"
"Touching your cheek."
"I know that."
"Stay still."
"Why?"
"Because I'm bored. It's squishy."
Now she's blatantly using a person as a toy.
But there's no way I'd keep letting her get away with that.
I grabbed her wrist and pulled it away from my face.
"Please go play somewhere else. I am busy."
"Go where?"
"There's the garden, the library, and the training ground, isn't there?"
"They're boring."
"Is this fun?"
"It's so much fun seeing your reluctant reactions."
It was an immediate reply.
Why is she so eager to torment someone?
Of course, ever since I possessed this body, I did rein Elisia in pretty ruthlessly, but still.
Is she taking revenge for that now?
She really is a kid....
After twisting her wrist free from my grasp, Elisia grabbed my face with both hands this time.
Her long, white fingers wrapped around my cheeks and chin.
With her hands cupping my face, she lifted it to face hers.
"It's fun when you hate it."
"Do you mean to say bothering me is fun?"
"Yes."
"What a filthy hobby you have."
"What do you want me to do about it?"
Elisia brought her face closer.
Her silver-white hair cascaded down on both sides, enveloping my face.
The scent of cold roses grew even thicker.
Inside her blue pupils, my face—feigning annoyance—was clearly reflected.
Elisia pulled my cheeks to both sides.
"That hurts."
"It's not like I'm hitting you."
"You sure have a way with words."
"Because I'm the Saint. I know a lot."
"That wasn't a compliment."
"I'll take it as a compliment."
Just who taught my Elisia that kind of tone?
It was me.
Ehyo....
After fiddling with my face for a good while, Elisia suddenly let go and stepped down from the desk.
Rubbing my abused cheeks, I turned toward the documents again.
At that moment, silver-white hair cascaded down with a rustle, blocking my view.
Before I knew it, Elisia had circled around behind me and rested her chin atop my head.
"What is this now?"
"I'm watching."
"Watching what?"
"You working."
"I can't see."
"I can see just fine."
She found a very malicious posture that blocked my field of vision.
"Saint-nim."
"What is it?"
"You are heavy."
"Do you want to die?"
"You are not heavy at all."
Weight is off-limits, I see.
Even though it's still the violence prohibition period, I'd better correct that.
I began processing the documents, shifting my gaze through the gaps in Elisia's hair as best as I could.
"What is this?"
"It's the budget for supporting the relief center."
"And this?"
"It's the recruitment plan for personnel to manage and clean the Saint's Palace."
"Why are you hiring personnel?"
"Currently, there is a shortage of personnel in the Saint's Palace."
"You can just do it."
"I am an aide. Can't you see I am working right now? I have no time for that."
"Then don't do it."
"I refuse."
Strength gathered in Elisia's arms.
My neck was lightly choked.
"We don't need people."
"It's not what Saint-nim needs. I need someone to assist in my work."
"Why does something else have to be by your side?"
"Because work needs to be done."
"I'm here, aren't I?"
"Will Saint-nim assist me, then?"
"I don't want to."
What on earth does she want me to do?
She won't help herself, yet she doesn't want other people coming in either.
I let out a sigh and signed the recruitment plan.
Elisia's eyes followed the signature.
"Are you really going to hire them?"
"Yes."
"I don't like it."
"It doesn't need to be to Saint-nim's liking."
"It's my Saint's Palace, though?"
"Personnel authority has been transferred to the Aide's Office. And I am the one with real power in the Aide's Office."
"Whatever. You're boring."
Elisia, perhaps now too lazy even to stand, sat back down on the chair beside me.
And then she began braiding my hair.
I moved my hands and eyes to process as many documents as possible during this timing.
Reading reports in such a trance, at a certain point I felt a heaviness settle on my shoulder.
Elisia was resting her head on my shoulder.
I wondered why it was so quiet.
"Saint-nim."
Even when I called her softly, there was no answer.
Turning my head slightly, I saw Elisia's face with her eyes closed.
Her regular breathing brushed against the nape of my neck.
She must have fallen asleep while playing around braiding my hair.
To torment someone all day long, only to fall asleep leaning on the shoulder of the person she tormented.
I reached my arm behind her to support her slender waist so that Elisia's body wouldn't slip.
I can handle the work with one hand anyway.
Supporting Elisia with one hand, I flipped through the documents with my remaining hand.
Although I could only use one hand, it was faster than when Elisia was awake.
Just how much had she been interfering?
To think working with one hand would be faster.
"Ehyu...."
Foreseeing that things wouldn't go smoothly in the future either, I let out a deep sigh.