Chapter 3
Chapter 3
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: The Saint's Inner Thoughts
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"All done. Now let's get moving again. We need to get back to the others."
"Did you go out and buy more food again? You're so consistent."
In Victoria's hand, having returned from somewhere secretly, were skewers made from lizard tails. And not just one, but several—so many it could be considered a simple impulse buy.
- Here, try this…!
As if facing Victoria's inner thoughts, the corners of her mouth were curled up wildly, and she even snorted with laughter, looking delighted.
"Would you like some? Shadow lizard tails are quite edible."
Victoria made a small, chewing motion with her mouth, as if offering a bite. I sighed as I watched her.
"Aren't you putting too much faith in my Perception Hindrance Magic? What if someone finds out you're the Saint here?"
This place is the Demon Realm, Tartarus, teeming with all sorts of demons and monsters. It's the dangerous location we finally reached after receiving the Emperor's command to subjugate the Demon King.
"Aren't you the continent's strongest mage, Lord Astal? If I can't trust your magic, whose magic am I supposed to trust?"
As if she wasn't even afraid of hiding her identity in the Demon Realm, Victoria looked at me, made a V-sign with her fingers, and flashed a cheeky grin.
Victoria sometimes enjoyed these little rebellions. She'd say life is for enjoying, that you're missing out if you don't have fun, and had often grabbed my hand and led me along.
"Magic is by no means omnipotent. If you think about it, it's closer to a discipline of failure. It develops by fixing its flaws whenever they're discovered."
I repeated what I had been taught in the Blue Magic Tower, where I once resided. It was an adage my master, the Blue Tower Master, always insisted I remember.
Fire-making magic was created thanks to days spent shivering in the cold, and identity-concealing magic because there were situations where your life was in danger if you didn't.
My Perception Hindrance Magic also had the weakness of being dispelled the moment a mage of higher attainment detected it.
"…If I hear that one more time, I think a scab will form on my ear. You really are a terribly old-fashioned person."
- Seeing your intellectual side is incredibly cool…!
I furrowed my brow as I heard the voice I presumed to be Victoria's inner thoughts. Even so, her spoken words were completely opposite.
'Can a person's inner thoughts really be that different?'
I scratched my chin with a finger, lost in thought. Even after creating a mental barrier with magic, even after using Dispel Magic, her inner thoughts kept coming through.
Inner thoughts completely at odds with the attitude she displayed outwardly.
"You really won't have any?"
- I wish Lord Astal would have just one bite too! Then we'd look just like a couple…!
Victoria looked at me with wide, pleading eyes. Beautiful pupils that seemed to hold a sea of stars. Now that I knew she liked me, I found myself becoming oddly self-conscious.
"……."
Chomp.
- H-he ate it…! And so wildly! So manly!
To ignore Victoria's noisy inner thoughts, I took one of the lizard skewers from her hand and bit into it. The rich juice and tender texture felt similar to chicken.
"…Well, it's decently tasty."
I offered my impression of the grilled lizard Victoria had bought. Honestly, it was food with a flavor you couldn't even falsely call bad.
"Hehe, despite how I look, I do have an eye for good food, you know. When I was in the Holy Kingdom, I used to sneak out and hunt for tasty restaurants."
- In that hypocritical place where I had no one on my side, my only pleasure was finding and eating delicious food.
Hearing Victoria's inner thoughts, my body stiffened with a jolt. Originally, being a Saint meant performing miracles that couldn't happen in reality.
Raising the lame was a given, but they could also turn a penniless beggar into a wealthy person buried in gold.
Even I, who was obsessed with magical research before receiving the imperial command to join the Hero's party, had heard the rumors, so I could easily imagine the looks from the people around her.
"…What's wrong?"
Seeing me suddenly stop walking, Victoria asked me with a puzzled look. The hand she had grabbed earlier was still firmly held, forcing her to stop walking as well.
"Ah, you got some sauce on the corner of your mouth. May I be so bold for a moment?"
Perhaps not catching on to why I was so flustered, Victoria slowly closed the distance between us, taking a step closer.
The shortened distance, breaths so close they might touch.
"There, all done. That I have to take care of even something like this… you really are like a child."
Victoria went up on her tiptoes and performed an affectionate act, wiping the sauce from the corner of my mouth with her own hand. And as always, she didn't forget to follow it up with her usual verbal jab.
- The sauce that touched Lord Astal's lips….
Victoria stared blankly at her own finger for a moment. The inner thought that sounded like she'd made some decision was making me uneasy.
Surely not. It couldn't be what I'm thinking.
To really do something like that….
- This is… an indirect kiss.
Lick.
Without hesitation, Victoria showed me the sight of her licking that sauce off with her tongue. As if it were nothing, rather boldly and brazenly engrossed in the act.
"…What's the matter? Aren't we a couple starting today? This sort of thing is natural."
- You don't think I'm a weird girl, do you…? Let's play it cool. It's Day 1, after all. I can just say I didn't want the food to go to waste.
I sighed inwardly. The look Victoria was giving me, as if I were the strange one, was absurd.
Clearly, she was the one who had done something shameless. She violated the treaty stating we wouldn't make physical contact without each other's permission.
"Clearly, we agreed to get the other's permission before physical contact…."
"I took silence as consent. It was just because the food was a waste, so don't mind it."
I scolded Victoria as if lodging a protest, but she was showing thorough preparedness, having her excuse ready in advance.
"Or perhaps… your heart was racing?"
- I wish your heart was racing for me.
I was left speechless. I was starting to suspect this Saint might be deliberately letting me hear her inner thoughts as part of some scheme.
The thought of dating Victoria, the Saint, was something I'd never once considered in my entire life. I was sensing something was wrong as I watched her become increasingly bold.
"Even if it is a contract relationship, please don't forget today is the first day. I'd appreciate a bit more consideration for your partner."
As if seeing right through my inner thoughts, Victoria was enjoying this moment, rubbing her hands together gleefully.
"After all, it would be troublesome for me if you were to become serious."
- I'll definitely make you look my way.
As if vowing never to let me go, she was making that promise in her heart.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The two of us made our way to the spot where our other comrades were gathered. A shabby, run-down inn, far from the roads walked by demons and monsters.
It was a cramped space that would be full with all five of us present, but it was the only way to avoid the eyes of our enemies.
"I'm back."
"We're back."
Our comrades were already seated at the table, deep in conversation.
"Finally back. What took you so… huh?"
Among them, the Hero with red hair, Kyle Dragonica, tilted his head slightly as he looked at the two of us.
Like someone who had just seen something strange.
"Hey, why are you two holding hands?"
Kyle was the first to notice the change between me and Victoria. He let out a soft gasp, his smirk feeling annoyingly smug.
"Ah, this is just because Victoria said her hands were cold…."
I offered a lame excuse, trying to downplay the situation, but instead, a stronger grip held my hand firmly.
"…Starting today, the two of us have decided to date!"
As if refusing to let go of my hand, Victoria clenched it tightly and proudly announced to our other comrades that she and I were in a relationship.
"Victoria. You…."
"Why are you so embarrassed? You should be proud to be the partner of a devout Saint like me."
- Once I make this declaration publicly, you won't be able to take it back later!
Even though it was a contract relationship set to end in a month.
"What? Is that true?!"
Kyle and the other comrades showed startled reactions to Victoria's confession.
Since we were the two in the party who fought the most and seemed to have the worst relationship, this reaction was, in fact, to be expected.
"How on earth did our Victoria end up with a guy like Astal…."
"They say the ground hardens after a fight. Perhaps the two of you were actually more compatible than anyone else."
The Spirit Mage Anima and the Divine Archer Taryon each voiced their impressions. In contrast to his affirming demeanor, her reaction showed denial, as if she refused to believe this reality.
"Well, we all have people we're dating too. I did think you two would get together someday…."
Kyle spoke up, patting my shoulder. His gaze was like looking at a pitiful person, but the corner of his mouth was curled up as if he couldn't hold back his laughter.
"Just yesterday, you two were saying you hated even seeing each other's faces…! Human affairs are truly baffling!"
Did that happen? Exchanging barbs and insults with her had become so routine I didn't even remember anymore.
Victoria and I had the worst first impression, and the sarcasm and insults that started then seemed like they'd never end.
"No, I think you two are lying."
At that moment, one person stood up from their seat.
A Bearfolk woman with orange hair and eyes, bear ears atop her head. It was Anima Silverbloom, known by the epithet Noble Spirit Mage.
"Do you know how close I am with Victoria? Do you know how much she's bad-mouthed you, saying she hates you?"
She was grinding her teeth, showing suspicion about the relationship between the two of us. As the only two women in the party, they were bound to be close friends.
It was only natural for the Saint, who lived an ascetic life, to curse me, who drank and smoked like water, in contrast to her usual self.
"……."
I remained silent in that situation. It wasn't like I particularly liked Victoria, and I only felt a pitiful sympathy for her.
The trajectories of our lives were too different, and we both seemed to have painful wounds that made understanding each other difficult.
"It's not a lie, Anima. Lord Astal and I have become a couple starting today…."
"…Then, who confessed first? Say it on the count of three. If your stories don't match, I'll know it's a lie."
"Th-that is…."
Victoria showed a flustered expression under Anima's interrogation. Her gaze, not knowing what to do, fixed on my eyes.
- Wh-what do I do? I didn't think it would come to this…. No, I just got close using the contract relationship as an excuse, if this goes wrong we might grow even further apart….
The voice that seemed to reflect Victoria's feelings was noisy. Even in front of others, only her inner thoughts were audible.
- Should I say I confessed…. Or say Lord Astal confessed….
This didn't seem like magic or a curse of some kind. If it were, I should be hearing everyone's inner thoughts here.
- I actually want to say Lord Astal confessed to me…. But then our stories might not match. He seems like a stubborn person, after all.
Victoria was secretly worrying in her heart.
"One…."
Seeing her trying to consider me until the very end, a deep emotion welled up inside me.
"Two…."
This was something my pride as a man couldn't allow. Even if it was a contract relationship.
- Ah, Lord Astal?! Why are you suddenly interlacing fingers…?
Having read Victoria's inner thoughts, and assuming she would say I confessed, I took action in that instant, interlacing my fingers with hers.
"…Three!"
"I confessed first."
"Lord Astal confessed to me."
Thanks to that, the moment Anima's count ended, Victoria and I were able to match our stories.