Chapter 37
Chapter 37
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: The Saint's Heartbeat
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To be honest, I couldn't stand this kind of behavior from Victoria. It was grating because I was utterly incapable of considering the feelings of the person receiving affection.
One might easily assume that any man would be happy to receive favor from a peerless beauty, but in reality, the opposite was true.
"...You keep doing this, and it's burdensome."
I grimaced, shaking my wet hair with a towel after washing up to try and get some sleep.
It absolutely wasn't because I followed Victoria's suggestion. It was just to clean my sweat-drenched body after the events in the Holy Kingdom.
"Why do you find it burdensome? From the moment you saved the life of a nation's Saint, didn't you prepare yourself for this?"
- What should I do... Those abs are so sharply defined, it looks incredibly sexy... Could I ask to just lick them once...?
Gulp.
Victoria's gaze, drilling into my abs and chest, turned into something sticky, and I could see her Adam's apple bobbing up and down dramatically.
"Of course not. I just saved your life as a comrade. I hate seeing anyone die in front of me more than anything."
Even knowing her actions and inner thoughts, I deliberately acted to ignore them. Even if I knew her intentions, I didn't feel obligated to do anything about it.
That would be closer to pity than love. I didn't want to make Victoria seem pitiful.
"...You dislike it when dead people linger in your memory, or when they flicker before your eyes?"
- It seems like you have trauma regarding your parents. It would be a lover's role to embrace this part of you.
Victoria spoke as if she had seen right through my thoughts. The rippling, flesh-colored spectacle beneath her robe kept paralyzing my reason and making it hard to control my gaze.
"Yeah. That's why I just saved you. I figured my dreams would be haunted if you died."
"Is that really all there is to it? You turned your own body into living lightning, avenged my enemy for me, and even publicly declared we were lovers in front of everyone..."
"...You're noisy."
"Hehe, that prickly side of you is also cute, like a hedgehog. But isn't it a proven fact that I'm a woman worth you saving?"
"Of course you are, you're a Saint. Naturally, you're worth saving..."
"You just said you would have saved me even if I wasn't a Saint, and now you're contradicting yourself so easily. Fine. Lie down next to this big sister."
- He definitely said before that an older sister with a generous embrace was his ideal type...!
Victoria patted a spot on the bed, signaling for me to lie down. It was like the gesture of a hunter luring prey into a trap.
"Why are you acting like this towards me?"
I furrowed my brow as I watched Victoria's actions.
I was starting to get a headache, wondering how to deal with her aggressive attitude.
To begin with, what Victoria was wearing now was my robe. As if she no longer intended to hide sniffing it in secret, she was holding the sleeve to her nose and savoring it.
"It's a contract relationship, isn't it? I believe it's a natural human instinct to try and get your money's worth within a short period."
- Moreover, I understand that the important part in a man's lower body naturally becomes hard when given visual, physical, or psychological stimulation...
Victoria's gaze, spouting these suggestive inner thoughts, now drifted to my lower body. It seemed like she was trying to figure out why I wasn't reacting to her blatant physical contact.
"Or perhaps... are you afraid of what comes later? Afraid you might fall for me?"
Pfft. Victoria gave a sly smile as she provoked me with that action. She even deliberately pushed aside part of the robe near her chest, exposing herself a little.
"Enough, just give me your hand. I think I can probably remove one more flower in my current condition."
Seeing that, I instead thought I should do what I needed to do. It was because Victoria had used a miracle by gifting the Holy Stigmata to make Wilhelm the next Pope.
"...Isn't that pushing yourself too hard? It's not like you can't feel the pain."
"Then what does that make you, who endured all that? A monster?"
"That's also a funny story. Perhaps I've become so accustomed to my own pain that I've grown sensitive to the pain of others."
Plop─.
Having said that, Victoria immediately leaned her head on the pillow and lay down on her side. Then she blinked her eyes, as if telling me to lie down with her.
"What are you doing now...?"
Looking at Victoria like that, I was speechless for a moment, finding it absurd.
"Come on, please. I need to get to sleep soon too."
- Romance books definitely said that when physical distance gets closer, emotional distance gets closer too!
There was one thing I could clearly understand from this.
Victoria didn't know how to seduce or tempt a man well because I was her first love.
"Stop talking nonsense and get up."
"No. My body feels heavy, probably from dealing with the Lich."
- The important thing is not to be too aggressive, but to cross the line little by little...! That's how you reach the fruit of love in the end!
Speaking in that languid tone, Victoria pulled on my arm. Unable to overcome her strength, I ended up lying on the bed with her.
"...Astal-nim."
"What now."
A distance so close we could feel each other's breath, a distance that created the illusion we could even hear each other's heartbeats.
"About what happened today."
"You mean what happened in the Holy Kingdom, Aurelium?"
In that state, Victoria hugged me tightly like a doll and asked. The soft, warm, cheese-like weight transmitted directly, and the silky feel of her underwear were shaking my reason.
"Is it really true that you did it without any ulterior motives towards me?"
- First plan, hugging, is a success! He won't be able to escape like this...
"I said so, didn't I? Why do you have such trouble trusting people's words?"
"Didn't I tell you before? I grew up being abused in my hometown long ago, so I'm not the type to trust people easily."
Victoria was in the process of letting out emotions she hadn't been able to confide in me until now. I could feel keenly just how hot and passionate her love was.
There was no hint of drunkenness in Victoria's voice as she spoke, rubbing her face against my chest.
In other words, she was sober.
"But, I started to think it might be okay to misunderstand a little with you."
"Are you drunk? Or was the food you ate earlier bad?"
Even though I knew the truth, I deliberately pushed Victoria's face away and asked to check.
Because crossing the line between comrades or fake lovers in this way was something I wanted to decline.
"No, I wanted to tell you how significant what you did for me today was. Astal."
- I want to convey my true feelings, even if it's roundabout. Leaving out the part about liking or loving you...
Then, shaking her head, Victoria continued speaking to me. The rims of her eyes were slightly red, as if she had been crying.
"...To be honest, I wanted to kill the Lich, who poisoned the former Pope, Raphael-nim, with my own hands. I didn't even want to offer a prayer for his repose."
"......"
"But my position as Saint prevented me from even taking personal revenge. When I imagine that I wouldn't have even known the truth if you hadn't stepped in, do you know how much rage filled me?"
Victoria continued her story with a voice slightly damp with moisture.
For her, the former Pope was a benefactor who saved her life and a figure like her deceased parents, so this reaction wasn't strange.
"So, you had some inkling, then?"
"Of course not. It was because he truly loved alcohol so much that he drank it even if poison was mixed in, and then passed away. It was a rotten end, far too rotten."
Squeeak.
Victoria's arms hugging me tightened even more.
It seemed that despite clearly feeling anger and resentment in the past, she couldn't dig into the truth of the incident because she was a Saint.
I knew from the start that the former Pope and she had a special, almost parent-child relationship, so it was strange she showed no particular emotion when facing the Lich.
"It's only natural to feel that way. It's normal to be angry at someone who killed a person like a parent. I don't think you need to maintain composure just because you're a Saint."
I calmly stroked Victoria's head to comfort her, carefully drawing circles to avoid touching her antler-like horns.
"Is that so... You really do seem to say only things that make me happy. Astal."
- As expected, you see me not as a Saint, but as an ordinary woman.
Then, Victoria looked up at me and gave a gentle smile. Her sweet voice, overlapping with her inner thoughts, felt quite charming.
"...If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been able to face a day like today. Thank you. Astal."
- Actually, out of gratitude, I tried to seduce you sexually, but I was afraid that if I didn't at least say this much, I wouldn't be able to convey my thanks and you'd run away.
Hearing Victoria's inner thoughts, I realized that her emotions were heightened simply because she was grateful to me.
But words, if not spoken directly, remain unknown.
"So, did you really have to wear my robe over your underwear for that? To say this?"
"Actually, I didn't know what kind of repayment to give you, so I thought I might lightly relieve your sexual desires a bit. Because for a whole year, you've tried not to have any contact with any woman around you."
Giggling, Victoria massaged various parts of my body. I tried to use magic to prevent blood from pooling below, but it was hard to hold back because of the food I'd eaten earlier.
"I heard that male adventurers, being in a physically demanding profession, tend to have strong sexual desires, but looking at you, it seems that's not always the case."
As she said, I never went to entertainment districts, nor did I show any signs of trying to relieve my sexual urges by dating women or buying erotic pictures.
Since my other comrades were couples and had outlets, Victoria probably thought there was something wrong with my sexual function when she looked at me.
"We're just fake lovers in the end. You shouldn't dirty yourself over something like this..."
"...It's because I'm worried about you. Astal. I also think that if you ever meet a bad woman, you'll really get taken for a ride."
Victoria's hand had, at some point, descended to the area near my lower abdomen. The way she slowly moved her fingers to tickle my stomach even felt somewhat erotic.
"Take your hand away."
"Hehe, see? You treat even me, who you have no affection or romantic feelings for, so kindly. What do you think would happen if a truly wicked woman who wants to use you appears?"
Despite my warning, Victoria moved her hand down very slowly. She even pressed her body tightly against mine so I couldn't escape.
"Why do you think I control your alcohol and tobacco, and always talk like this with obscene jokes or harsh words?"
- It's because I don't have the courage to say I like you. Astal.
"I don't really know..."
Even though I knew Victoria's true feelings, I deliberately pretended not to. Hearing her sincerity kept making my heart feel strangely tight.
Then, I tried to get up and escape from Victoria's embrace. Because if I stayed like this, it felt like something big would really happen.
That's when it happened.
"...You really are a clueless eunuch. Astal."
- Even after all this, you still don't like me...
Thump.
Victoria grabbed me as I tried to get up, and she ended up pinning me down.
Various parts of our bodies touched, and her unique warm body temperature spread through mine.
"Do you... really dislike me?"
Eyes filled with sorrow. I couldn't give a proper answer to Victoria's question.
"......"
Because I didn't know what this feeling was either.
Clearly, before, I hated the idea of dating Victoria even if I died. She was always the one saying unpleasant things to me.
"See. Even when I pin you down like this, you have no reaction at all..."
Victoria was preparing to spit harsh words at me from a distance where our lips were almost touching.
But then,
"Wh-what...? Ah, hua...? This can't be?"
- Wait, wait a minute, this, why is it so big and hard...? It's so different from what I imagined or saw in books...? It feels like my body is being lifted...
Victoria suddenly felt a hard sensation poking against her buttocks and lost her words, her face turning beet red.
"Astal-nim, don't tell me... You're excited... by me?"
- The person who showed no particular reaction even to the Succubus Queen... By me...♡
For some reason, Victoria seemed very pleased, covering her mouth and giggling. A small thrill was visible in her eyes.
Frankly, I was so embarrassed I wanted to bite my tongue and die. To react to the Saint who always hurled harsh words at me.
I had held back well until now, but failed at the last moment.
"...This side of you is what I dislike. Understand, Victoria."
I left those words behind and fled the room she was in as if running away.
The food I ate must have been the problem.
There's no way my heart could have fluttered, even for a moment, for Victoria, who was just a friend until a few days ago.
Love? There's no way I could ever believe in something like that.