I like the Saintess.
I like the Saintess.
The next morning.
Even before the sun rose, I walked all the way into the deepest part of the Saint's Palace.
Today, Elisia's first schedule was a breakfast prayer meeting held at eight in the morning.
Since it was an event attended by archbishops and nobles affiliated with the Order, she had to at least attend on time.
The problem was that Elisia was terrible in the mornings.
Waking such an Elisia was an extremely dangerous task.
Countless people had fallen victim to this job.
There were records of broken limbs or parts of bodies being incinerated by divine power.
I knocked on the Saint's bedroom door, desperately praying that I would survive intact.
Ttok-ttok.
"Saint-nim. It's morning."
There was no answer.
"Please wake up."
It was still quiet.
Is she sleeping?
Without hesitation, I turned the doorknob.
It was locked.
Without giving it a second thought anymore, I prepared to break it down.
"I am coming in."
"...Get lost if you don't want to die."
A heavily hoarse voice came from inside.
She was awake.
"You're already awake, I see."
"I'm not awake."
"You just answered me, didn't you?"
"It's sleep talking."
She said utter nonsense with such confidence.
How can someone reply in their sleep?
"Please open the door."
"I don't want to."
"Then I will break it down."
"Try it."
I took a step back and immediately kicked the door.
Did she think I'd hesitate?
There was something I learned while staying with Elisia.
Never hesitate.
And act like a madman.
Kwa-ang!
The thick door fell inward.
The elaborately carved door slid across the floor and slammed into the bedpost.
The repair bill for the Saint's Palace increased once again.
Even though I was the one who broke it, if you trace back the cause, it's Elisia's fault.
So I should be able to bill the main headquarters.
Probably.
"Good morning."
I entered the bedroom as if nothing had happened.
On the large bed, a black duvet bulged into a round mound.
Only a few strands of silvery-white hair peeked out from beneath it.
It was the very hair I had carefully dried and combed last night.
"It's not good."
A muffled mumble came from inside the duvet.
"I'm in a bad mood, so get out."
"You have a breakfast schedule."
"Cancel it."
"You must go."
I approached the side of the bed.
Because the curtains were closed, the room was dark.
The faint dawn light seeping through the gap illuminated the silver hair scattered over the black bedding.
Upon stepping closer, I saw Elisia curled up with the duvet pulled all the way over her head.
Seeing that fierce beast curled up like this actually looked cute.
However, I knew.
That a fierce wild beast is always a wild beast.
As I searched for a way, I noticed one long, smooth leg sticking out from under the duvet.
Revealed beneath the thin black sleepwear, a pale, soft leg rested loosely upon the bed.
I grabbed the ankle of that leg with my hand.
At that, Elisia's leg flinched.
"Saint-nim."
"Don't touch me."
"Please wake up."
"I told you to let go."
"Open your eyes first."
"I don't want to."
Elisia swung her leg violently.
I ducked my head.
Peok!
Her foot struck the bedpost.
The post, reinforced with metal, bent right from the middle.
She's lethal even when she's not fully awake.
I caught dangerous Elisia's ankle again and tucked it back under the duvet.
"I will count to five. If you don't get up by then, I'm pulling off the duvet."
"Don't count."
"One."
"Rhea."
"Two."
"I'll kill you."
"Three."
Divine power squirmed from within the duvet.
A pure white light began to leak through the black duvet.
"Four."
"I'm really going to kill you."
"Five."
I stripped away the duvet in one go.
At the same time, pure white light exploded.
Kwa-a-ang!
The entire bedroom shook.
Immediately drawing upon my Authority, I grabbed Elisia's divine power, crushed it, and vaporized it.
And as the Authority ended, time returned to normal.
Before Elisia, flustered at seeing her divine power extinguished, could do anything else, I mounted over her and pinned down both her wrists to subdue her.
"...."
Elisia stared blankly up at me mounted over her.
Her face showed she wasn't fully lucid yet.
"Good morning."
"It's not good at all."
"Will you get up?"
"I'll think about it if you get off me."
Without letting go of her wrists, I replied.
"Promise me that you'll get up."
"I don't want to."
"Then I will stay like this."
"Do whatever you want."
What's this?
Normally, she would have twisted her body and kicked me off immediately.
Elisia closed her eyes and buried half her face into the pillow.
Don't tell me she's going back to sleep?
Seriously...?
"Saint-nim."
"...."
"Are you sleeping right now?"
I shook her captured wrists annoyingly back and forth, urging her to get up.
"Please wake up."
"Don't wanna."
Her speech dropped honorifics.
She must really be sleepy.
Seeing how she even abandoned the polite speech she stubbornly adhered to.
"You will be late for the breakfast prayer meeting."
"If I kill everyone, will there be no one left to participate?"
"Please do not try to solve problems with a massacre first thing in the morning."
"I'll kill you too."
"What's the order?"
"You're first."
"I'm truly honored."
Elisia cracked open one eye slightly.
I could tell she was dumbfounded.
"Why aren't you scared?"
"Because I've already died 9,999 times."
"What?"
"There's such a thing."
I casually brushed it off.
This is my ten-thousandth try.
Do you know that?!
Regardless, Elisia narrowed her eyes.
Fortunately, perhaps because she wasn't fully awake yet, she didn't interrogate me any further.
Instead, she suddenly twisted her body and pulled one hand free.
And then, she pulled my waist.
"Ugh."
Losing my balance, my body collapsed forward.
Our bodies pressed tightly against each other on the bed.
Elisia's soft chest was pressed beneath mine.
Disheveled silver hair mingled with my black hair, draping over Elisia's face and neck.
"Saint-nim?"
"You're noisy."
Elisia wrapped her arms around my waist and buried her face deep into my chest.
"...What are you doing?"
"I tossed and turned because of you."
"What did I even do?"
"You touched my hair."
"Saint-nim was the one who asked me to wash it."
"I felt annoyed the whole time after that."
"So you're hugging me because of that?"
"You're small, so you're perfect to use as a pillow."
Strength surged into Elisia's arms.
My ribs creaked.
I squirmed slightly, appealing for my right to live.
"It hurts."
"I'll loosen up a bit if you stay quiet."
"What on earth is that supposed to mean?"
For the sake of survival, I tried to push Elisia's shoulders away.
It would be a disaster if I already burned through two Authorities this early.
So I had to make do with only physical ability and words.
"Please get up."
"I don't want to."
"Please don't throw a tantrum in the morning."
"It's not a tantrum."
"Then what is it?"
"It's an order."
"What kind of order?"
Elisia raised her face.
Blue eyes drenched in drowsiness gazed at me resting on top of her.
Her red lips were tightly pursed in discontent, and faint pillow marks remained on her cheek.
It was an appearance far removed from her usual perfect, intimidating Saint self.
One could say she looked just like a girl of her age.
"An order to stay still."
"I refuse."
"Why?"
"Because you have a schedule."
"Me sleeping is more important than that crap."
"It is not."
"It is."
"It is not."
"If I say it is, then it is."
The conversation wasn't moving forward a single step.
In the end, I grabbed Elisia's waist.
I slipped my hands under her slender waist, lifted her up, and stood up straight.
"What are you doing?"
"Waking up."
Holding Elisia like a cat, I stepped down from the bed.
Her long legs dangled in midair.
Elisia blinked, seemingly unable to grasp the situation for a moment.
Then, realizing it a moment late, she squirmed and tried to escape from me.
"Put me down!"
"I will put you down if you walk."
"I'm going back to bed!"
"You cannot do that."
"Rhea!"
"Yes."
Elisia twisted her body.
Her voluminous silver hair scattered in all directions, and the soft curves of her body wrapped in nightwear moved wildly within my arms.
I endured being pummeled all over my body, trying not to let go of her.
Because Elisia wasn't using divine power, it hurt, but it was bearable with just my bare body.
"Please stay still."
"Where are you touching?!"
"I'm holding your waist."
"Let go!"
"You'll get hurt if I do."
"Do you think I'd get hurt?"
That's true.
If she fell, the floor would be the one getting hurt.
Nevertheless, still carrying Elisia, I entered the washroom.
Then, I set her down on the prepared chair.
As soon as she sat down, Elisia tried to stand right back up.
I pressed down on both her shoulders to hold her in place.
She could have broken free if she wanted to, but Elisia didn't and complied.
It was probably a hassle for her as well.
"Please wash your face."
"I don't want to."
"Will you do it yourself, or shall I do it for you?"
"You do it."
Since she shamelessly ordered me to, I picked up a damp towel instead of answering.
Elisia narrowed her eyes.
"If you don't do it properly, you're dead."
"Of course."
If she's going to be like that, she might as well do it herself.
Grumbling inwardly, I held Elisia's chin.
Before she could possibly turn her face away, I wiped her cheek with the warm towel.
"Please stay still."
"I don't want to."
"If you move, it'll get into your eyes."
"Then I'll gouge out your eyes."
Even while saying that, Elisia no longer bothered me by trying to dodge her face away.
To be precise, she seemed too tired to even be bothered.
Whenever the towel passed over her cheeks and forehead, she slowly lowered her long eyelashes.
It was similar to when I washed her hair yesterday.
Threatening furiously at first, yet gradually relaxing just a tiny bit as the touch continued.
Without a doubt, she looked like a tamed beast.
Of course, she wasn't tamed in the slightest yet, though.
After wiping her entire face, I tidied up her disheveled silver hair.
When I tucked her hair behind her ear with my fingers, Elisia opened her eyes.
"You're touching my hair as you please again."
"I am neatening it up."
"From now on, get permission before touching my hair."
"I refuse."
"Why?"
"Because you won't give permission anyway."
"That's true."
How shameless.
Then why did you even tell me to ask for permission?
"Then I will touch it as I please."
"As whose please?"
"As my please."
The corners of Elisia's eyes trembled.
"I don't like you."
"I like Saint-nim."
"Are you crazy?"
"Not at all. I am perfectly normal."
If I didn't like you, would I really try 10,000 times just to make you happy?
Elisia made a disgusted expression, stood up from her seat, and spoke in a voice that was still half-asleep.
"Dress me."
"Please dress yourself."
"I'm tired."
"You just even washed your face. Didn't you wake up a bit?"
"I'm still tired."
"Please don't throw a tantrum."
"I told you, it's not a tantrum."
"Then is it an order?"
Elisia looked back at me.
"Yes."
"I refuse."
"Then I won't go."
"...."
At her blackmail, I ended up opening the wardrobe.
A moment later, I dressed Elisia in her Saint's vestments over her nightwear.
I tightened the cord around her waist, fastened the decorations on her shoulders, and hung the holy jewel at her chest.
Whenever my hands brushed past her waist and shoulders, Elisia flinched as if displeased, but she did not pull away.
Instead, if I fitted an ornament wrong, she immediately smacked the back of my hand as if she had been waiting for it.
Getting revenge like this, huh.
"That hurts me too."
"As if."
It really hurts, though.
What on earth does she take me for?
It's good that my bluff worked, but still.
"Feel free to do it yourself, then."
"I don't want to."
She's selfish to the very end.
When I placed the Saint's Crown on top last, the woman throwing a tantrum in bed vanished.
In front of the mirror stood the perfect Saint, Elisia, once more.
Beneath the splendid Saint's Crown, silvery-white hair flowed gorgeously, and the tight black Saint's vestments elegantly hugged the contours of her voluptuous chest, slender waist, and long, shapely legs.
Having fully shaken off her sleep before I knew it, her blue eyes were filled with chilling arrogance instead of drowsiness.
Elisia checked her reflection in the mirror and then reached her hand out toward me.
"Let's go."
"Please walk on your own."
"Give me your hand."
"Why?"
"So you can't run away."
"Why would I run away?"
"Give it to me when I tell you to."
Elisia smiled beautifully and snatched my hand.
Without shaking her off, I obediently followed along, thinking of it as having my head in the jaws of a lion.
So as not to provoke her, that is.
"Let us go."
"You should have done that from the start."
Looking satisfied, Elisia dragged me out of the bedroom.
The priests waiting in front of the broken, wide-open doorway bowed their heads.
Not a single person pointed out the fact that the Saint's bedroom door was lying collapsed on the floor.
As if it were only natural, Elisia passed by them and walked gracefully down the hallway.
Following alongside her, I thought to myself.
I succeeded in waking her up with just one Authority.
Couldn't this be considered a success in its own way?