Chapter 44
Translator - Zofu
----------------------------------------
* * *
"Already getting along?"
"Yes. I was lucky."
"No, that's not something you can achieve just by being lucky...?"
Elaine unconsciously lowered her head and looked at Si-woo's crotch.
That was definitely the reason.
Otherwise, there was no way he could have gotten close to Han So-young in less than a week, when she would remain silent and even make countless nobles and heroes sick of trying. She was the one who ignored and rejected even the 3rd Prince of the Glayzer Empire.
There was even a rumor that spread beyond the borders of the Glayzer Empire to the Holy Vishra Empire that she wouldn't show her face more than three times to anyone who wasn't already her friend.
In reality, it wasn't a rumor—she had accidentally read a report made by the Holy Vishra Empire's intelligence unit, which meant the contents were true. And even her friends only saw her face once every two days.
"...Si-woo."
"What is it, Elaine."
"How was the SS-rank hero in bed?"
"Huh? What are you suddenly talking about."
It wasn't the expression of someone caught, but of bewilderment.
At the unexpected reaction, the pink-haired saintess tilted her head. This didn't seem like an act; it seemed genuine. Si-woo definitely wasn't very good at acting.
'Huh? Did they not sleep together? ...Ah. Maybe she's still just eyeing it! How could she resist that huge thing! Especially when she's been starving for so long!'
"Elaine... you're having weird thoughts right now, aren't you."
"What? What are you talking about! Not at all!"
"......."
Elaine vehemently denied it, waving her hands.
Si-woo opened his eyes lazily and stared at her with a look full of suspicion. He was suspicious but couldn't be certain. Elaine's eyes were the very picture of sincerity.
The reason was simple. Because Elaine herself didn't consider those thoughts to be weird. A woman lusting after a cock was the natural order of this world, and craving it after going so long without touching one or tasting cum was a natural instinct.
Si-woo withdrew his suspicious gaze and smiled faintly. Even if his thoughts were correct, it would be strange to say anything to Elaine about it, so he gave up.
"Anyway, it seems like things will work out better than expected."
"Really. To be honest, I thought I'd have to keep clinging there until you graduated from the training center."
"That wouldn't be bad either. I have to return to the training center on weekends anyway."
No matter how special a mission Si-woo received from the Glayzer Empire, he was still a hero candidate. It was under the jurisdiction of the hero training center, separate from the hero-dedicated agencies of his home country or the Goddess Church.
This mission was quite unusual. It was common to assign low-rank missions to talented and promising candidates or arrogant ones to open their eyes. But that was usually done in the latter half of the training center, when graduation was near, and not as a solo mission.
So returning to the training center on weekends was a given. While he didn't need to give progress reports, there were still troublesome tasks like listening to brief explanations of the week's lessons and taking tests. Besides, he had made quite a few acquaintances at the training center now, and meeting and talking with them meant it wouldn't be entirely leisurely.
"I would have been really sad if you couldn't come back. If you weren't here, I..."
Elaine pretended to wipe away tears, making sniffling sounds.
Si-woo let out a faint laugh at her playful coquettishness. Though it didn't suit the lewd nature he knew the pink-haired saintess had, it had its own kind of cuteness. If he had gotten close to the Elaine from the first timeline, perhaps this was what her personality was like.
"Haha. You don't need to lay on the aegyo like that."
"It sounds like a joke, but it's true."
"Huh?"
Si-woo tilted his head, wondering what she meant.
"Ah, there he comes now. ...Huh?"
At Elaine's action of looking behind him, Si-woo turned around to check.
There stood a man with glasses and a handsome appearance. He seemed to have a good personality and a fairly toned body—Si-woo remembered seeing his face a few times. But he couldn't help frowning the moment he saw the man.
'Crazy. What's with that hair?'
Light pink hair. It was a hair color that really didn't suit him. It wasn't because he was a man; it simply didn't match the man before him. It felt like watching an ugly man's clumsy cross-dressing.
He didn't seem to have awakened his divine power yet. Also, his hair looked somewhat unnatural. It felt like he had hastily dyed it without even bleaching it properly. Because of that, here and there remained a dark tinge of his originally black hair.
"Haha. Fancy meeting you here, Saintess."
"Um... Taekang? What on earth is with that hair..."
Elaine also seemed to be seeing the man's hair for the first time, full of awkwardness. She even looked slightly displeased, beyond just being uncomfortable. And that was for not just one or two reasons, but very complicated ones.
"Haha! Although I haven't awakened my divine power yet, I pride myself on being exceptionally devout in my heart toward the Goddess. More genuine than any hero candidate. To express that, I dyed it pink like this."
"......."
"......."
Si-woo thought he was fairly perceptive. Even if that weren't the case, the man before him was making it blatantly obvious that he liked Elaine.
'Has he not heard the rumors? No, looking at his eyes, he must be the type who doesn't believe them.'
The story of Elaine sucking his cock under the dining table was quite famous. It was also the second reason Si-woo gained his infamous reputation. Besides that, after entering Si-woo's room and not coming out for days, Elaine was essentially branded as his woman and party member within the training center.
Because of that, despite her status as a saintess and powerful divine power, few hero candidates approached her, and this man was one of them. And he was clearly the type who didn't believe the rumors. You could tell by how he blatantly ignored Si-woo despite him standing right there.
'Hmph. That pure-looking Saintess did something like that in public? Ridiculous.'
Lee Tae-kang, a male hero candidate from the Holy Vishra Empire, was confident. Hadn't the Holy Vishra Empire and the Goddess Church both hinted to him? That if he showed his sincerity, perhaps even the 3rd Saintess Elaine might change her mind. Smitten with Elaine at first sight, he took courage from those words and emphasized his devoutness, unlike ordinary hero candidates. Of course, it was all in strange ways.
"Dyeing... I-I see."
"Hahaha! Dyeing my hair pink like this makes me feel the Goddess's greatness even more strongly!"
"I-I see. Well, I have some business to attend to, so I'll be going."
"Huh? Ah, wai...!"
Elaine quickly looped her arm through Si-woo's and rose from her seat. And she hurriedly left before Taekang could stop them.
As Si-woo watched Elaine practically dragging him along, he thought to himself that she could make such expressions too. A face of disgust, as if she had seen something unpleasant and bizarre. It was somewhat funny yet pitiful.
The saintess glanced back at the man staring blankly at the two of them and shivered, her teeth chattering. She was so annoyed that it felt like a chill ran through her entire body.
If you're going to dye your hair, do it properly; if you're going to study, do it properly—they were always full of strange antics.
"Argh, so annoying!"
"That man must have been quite a nuisance."
"That's right. He kept clinging to me, so I was going to ask you for help...."
"But?"
"I changed my mind. Avoiding that crazy guy is the smart move."
At her words, Si-woo burst out laughing.
"What's so funny."
"Of course it's funny. That such a crazy guy exists. And what you said too."
"Ugh, it's truly awful. I'll have to be careful to avoid him from now on."
But Si-woo shook his head.
There were still five months left until graduation from the training center—could she really keep avoiding him the entire time? The characteristic of such people was that they were obsessive. Especially since he was from the Holy Vishra Empire.
If left alone, he would surely follow her around persistently even after graduating from the training center. Setting aside whether that man could graduate or not. Of course, there was a bigger reason.
"Why are you shaking your head?"
"When I get the chance, I need to give him a stern talking-to."
"Hmm, really?"
"Of course. She's my woman."
"Kyaaan♡"
At his action of suddenly hugging her waist, the pink-haired saintess let out a pleased scream.
"That's right. Hehe, I'm our master's bitch saintess...♥"
"...Shall we go back to the room?"
"Ah. I'd like that too, but... Hildear is bringing the alchemist. We were sitting here waiting for those two, remember?"
"Ah, right."
Disappointed, Si-woo smacked his lips. He wanted to taste her mouth-pussy again after so long, but it seemed that would have to wait a bit.
"Since it turned out like this, let's head that way... ah, there they come."
Turning his head in the direction Elaine pointed, there stood the female knight Hildear Hammington with her neatly arranged light blue hair, and the short light brown-haired alchemist Nina Tart.
The alchemist Nina Tart was looking around nervously. A commoner alchemist who had come to the area where hero candidates resided for the first time, her tension was evident not just in her expression but also in her stiff movements.
Then her eyes met Si-woo's directly.
"Ah...."
"Ms. Nina Tart? What's wro... Si-woo!"
Hildear Hammington's face brightened upon discovering Si-woo. He smiled back at her.
It had been four days since they started having lunch in the dining hall.
Han So-young had habitually left her room and come downstairs.
But the dining hall was different from usual.
"......?"
She looked around, but the person who should have been there wasn't.
'Now that I think about it, he didn't come to greet me this morning either....'
It was Si-woo who would loudly greet her every morning in front of her room, whether she answered or not. It was sometimes a bit noisy, but in less than a week, she had grown somewhat used to it. But today, his greeting hadn't come.
"Butler."
"Yes, milady."
"...Um, Si-woo is... ah, never mind."
Han So-young shook her head and trailed off. But her question had already spilled out of her mouth.
"Candidate Si-woo has returned to the training center."
"Returned...? Si-woo?"
The butler's lips twitched at Han So-young's intense reaction. An expression suppressing laughter.
Only then did she recall what Si-woo had said the day before, and her face flushed red.
"Butler. You're really too much."
"Ahem. Cough. I-I'm sorry. I'll bring your meal right away."
"Yes, please do."
Though it wouldn't even take an hour anyway, Han So-young answered curtly. However, the butler's lips refused to settle. It had been less than a week, and seeing her master like this was quite fresh and enjoyable.
'Who knew that man would be this good to her.... When he returns on Monday, I should treat him better.'
The butler headed to the kitchen, leaving Han So-young alone in the dining hall.
"......."
Soon, the butler and maids brought out lunch. It was a more generous portion than what she ate in her room, but less than yesterday. Since Si-woo wasn't there, they only brought out one portion.
Somehow, Han So-young felt the dining table with plates full looked empty. A lunch eaten alone, unlike the past few days.
It was something she had done for years, and she still ate breakfast and dinner alone. But a little. Just a little.
Today's lunch felt somehow lonelier than usual.
'Si-woo said he'd return on Monday...? Then I'll have to take my walk alone....'
The dining hall with one fewer person was filled with a quiet silence where even the sound of dishes couldn't be heard.
* * *