Finally, Tumdra's Day Dawns
"Then let's head back to the lodging and drag Chad out! I've got the money I prepared in the room to bet on Count Trenpe!"
"You make money?"
"...I mean, I prepared it."
I slipped up in my excitement. I tried to brush it off by running ahead, but Ash quickly caught up.
With my shoulder grabbed, I had no choice but to roll my eyes at him.
"Jeanie? Where exactly does all this money keep coming from?"
"Do you really think I'm going to answer that?"
"No."
"Exactly."
Since I was already caught, I turned my body and linked arms with Ash. Then I laughed, thoroughly enjoying the moment.
"Since I don't like lying to you, could you stop asking about things that are hard to explain?"
"I'm not sure if I should be happy about that..."
The corners of his mouth were definitely smiling. And he couldn't seem to stop.
***
Finally, Tumdra's Day dawned.
How long had it been since I'd been so excited that I couldn't sleep a wink? I opened my eyes before the morning sunlight even touched my face and rose from the bed.
From that moment on, I was tormented by a restless urgency that refused to let me stay still.
I paced around the room absentmindedly, changed my clothes three times, and washed my face five times, but nothing helped me calm down.
This clearly wasn't working, so I opened the window and sat down beneath it. I figured mana training, which required intense concentration, would steady my mind and body.
But it was useless. Far from finding peace, the refreshing vitality only made me want to pour that energy somewhere, leaving me even more fidgety.
"Ugh, Master! Why are you so restless? You're making me twitch too!"
"Uwaaaaah! How can I possibly stay calm when today's the day!"
"Does shouting make time go by faster?"
"I can't stand it anymore!"
I had waited so long for this day.
There was still plenty of time before we were supposed to meet on the first floor, but I didn't care. I dashed straight to the men's room, intending to drag those lazy bums out of bed.
I skipped knocking entirely and yanked the doorknob the moment I reached it, but the door was firmly locked.
Clack, clack. When I twisted the knob hard, I sensed movement inside. They seemed to be awake already.
Perfect!
"Rai!"
"Yup!"
Our teamwork really shines at times like this.
I didn't even need to say the word "door." Rai simply licked the doorknob once with his long wolf tongue, and the lock gave up without a fight. There is no door in this world I cannot open.
Especially not some pathetic inn door! I flung it open without hesitation.
"Hey, everyone!"
Or, in other words, I barged in.
"Morning has—"
"...Uwaaaaak!"
"Aaaageueuak!"
Oh dear.
"Eww!"
"How did you open that? I definitely locked it!"
It wasn't on purpose, but I ended up seeing the thing dangling between Chad's legs.
He hastily covered himself with the wet towel he'd been using to wipe down, but I'd already seen everything, and he wasn't covering it properly anyway.
"What are you staring at? Get out right now!"
Chad screamed like it was the end of the world over nothing. Honestly, wasn't this a loss for me? I had zero interest in that grotesque thing.
If anyone needed to buy new eyes that had never seen it, it was me.
The awkward part was that Ash stood right beside him, back turned while wiping his shoulders, which meant I also got a full view of his firm backside.
If I'm being honest, my eyes lingered far longer on Ash's rear than on Chad's private parts.
The way the muscles flowed from that smooth, fat-free back down to those powerfully sculpted buttocks was just...
Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful.
It was practically a work of art, like the statues of the gods I'd seen once before.
Apparently they were all washing up for the morning. Two of the four were completely naked, and the other two were in the process of undressing.
The ones who survived my greedy gaze were Enk and Gail. They stood frozen stiff, clutching their wet towels like they'd witnessed something terrifying.
Since water was precious, most people preferred a simple wipe-down with a damp towel over bathing every day like I did.
It was common to reuse the water after washing your face...
"Hey!"
"Hm?"
"Are you... not hearing me? I said get out! Stop staring, you damn woman!"
I had simply been thinking how nice it looked to wipe yourself with a water-soaked towel, but Chad kept hounding me like I was some kind of pervert.
So impatient. It's not like looking for a second would kill him.
"Well, who told you to walk around naked? Even inside a room, you should be careful. Don't you know anyone could walk in at any moment?"
"You... shameless..."
"How can a person be this shameless!"
"I'll apologize first. Sorry for seeing your thing, and good morning."
Just before Ash, who had quickly pulled on his pants, could turn to look at me, I nimbly slipped back out. I slammed the door shut with a loud bang, and fresh screams erupted from inside.
Seeing something worth seeing had actually calmed my mind.
Ah, that was a good view.
Royalty always had portraits painted, but I doubted they'd paint Ash's backside... What a shame. Come to think of it, even while completely naked, he was still wearing that necklace.
I stood in front of the door for a moment, savoring the memory, when Chad burst out like lightning. He reached for my collar but couldn't quite bring himself to grab it, then moved to punch the wall but stopped, completely unable to decide what to do. In the end, he threw a full-blown tantrum.
"You were trying to shame us to death!"
"No? If I wanted you dead, why would I bother with something so complicated?"
"Argh! This person with a completely broken personality...!"
"Hehe."
"S-Saint...!"
Chad looked like he found the word itself repulsive.
"Uhhahaha! Go ahead and spread the rumor. The Saint has a broken personality? No one would believe you."
The annoying guy's suffering was my joy!
I laughed loudly like a triumphant victor, then my eyes met Ash's as he walked out from behind Chad.
Ah, those eyebrows... It was a subtle difference, but those were definitely angry eyebrows. I was looking at a minimum of ten minutes of serious scolding. When Ash called my name without any warmth in his eyes, that was what it meant.
"Jeanie."
"Yes? My name is Jeanie, though?"
"This isn't the time for jokes. I don't mind, but apologize properly to Chad. This was your fault."
"...You don't mind?"
"...Stop letting your eyes sparkle at strange things."
"Well, you don't mind. You saw me naked before, after all..."
It happened incredibly fast.
Before I could even register it, Ash reached out and covered my mouth. Though his movement was urgent, the pressure stopped exactly at silencing my words. It was a mouth-covering that neither hurt nor suffocated.
"...What? Ash? What did you see?"
Unfortunately, Chad had excellent hearing. It would be nice if even half that sharpness went into his perceptiveness.
His shocked expression was quite a sight, almost as good as when he'd first learned I was a Saint.
"Chad, it's a misunderstanding."
"When did you two... do that kind of..."
"No, no it's not."
Hehe, everything was going according to this body's plan!
"I know what you're imagining! It wasn't on purpose!"
"Me neither!"
"I wasn't trying to look!"
"Me neither!"
"...Jeanie!"
Ash, firmly caught in the trap I'd set, broke into a cold sweat trying to explain a situation that only sounded like excuses, and he could no longer scold me.
Chad was equally distracted by other thoughts and couldn't whine at me either.
Ash let out a despairing groan and simply shook his head. He seemed a little wronged, but that wasn't my problem. Taking advantage of their confusion, I leisurely slipped away.
Lulu, time to head out first.
"I'll go on ahead! See you at the duel arena!"
"Wait! We should go together!"
"You'll take forever to get ready. Ah, I'll take Akia straight there, so meet us at the arena. Bye!"
A woman must know when to make her exit.
"Hey! Please stick to the plan for once! Do you always have to do whatever you want?"
"If you have complaints, formally request a duel."
"...Ash! Do something about her! You're the leader!"
"Haa... Sorry, Chad..."
Our original plan had been to gather everyone on the first floor before going to pick up Akia. It was a bit dangerous for her to head to the duel arena alone.
But if I took Akia there directly, it would save time and spare us the hassle of moving as a large group.
Of course, going alone to fetch Akia carried its own risks. Mainly from thugs.
"Krr, the weather's perfect today of all days."
"To my ears it sounds like 'If anyone gets in my way, I'll make sure their thing gets completely ruined.'"
"Exactly! Rai."
"Ahem. If Master's in a good mood, then I'm happy too!"
Unable to contain my feeling of being able to fly, I hummed a tune with light steps as I headed out to the streets.
The streets were already packed with people.
Chad's voice calling after me reached all the way outside the inn, but it was nothing more than the usual background noise.
Nothing could stop my pounding footsteps, eager to see Robenin beaten to a pulp as soon as possible.
Nothing at all!
***
Unfortunately, no thugs came looking for trouble.
"Akia, did you place a bet?"
"Not yet. I was thinking of betting about one silver, just for the memory..."
Akia walked close by my side, speaking shyly. She had dressed with more care than usual.
Her deep green dress featured bright patterns that gave it a dignified yet adorable feel, and she wore a white lace belt.
The bright yellow silk ribbon headband matched her brown hair perfectly. Just looking at her filled me with satisfaction.
My head had been so full of thoughts about Robenin that I only noticed now, but her shoes must have been new too. They sparkled every time they peeked out from beneath her skirt hem.
"I should have said it when we met earlier."
"Said what?"
"That you look especially pretty today. Of course, you're always cute."
"...I'm embarrassed. Um, but you know I'm the older one here, right?"
"Of course."
"Sigh, you compliment so naturally that it makes my heart flutter. Honestly, Jeanie."
The change from Miss Jeanie to Lady Jeanie had happened right after she learned I was a Saint. Akia was good at keeping secrets. From the start, she didn't seem to have any intention of telling anyone.
There was no reason not to show kindness to such a trustworthy and good person.
"Still, it reassures me when you say that. I don't usually dress up much... I was worried it might look strange since it's been so long."
"How could it look strange? Those shoes and the headband suit you perfectly. They might have been made just for you."
"You're exaggerating. You seem to be in an especially good mood today. Did something nice happen?"
"Yes. It looks like someone I hate is going to die today."
Akia was a very mature young woman who knew how to pretend she hadn't heard what she shouldn't have.
"So, why did you dress up so carefully today? It can't be for me... It's for Chad, isn't it?"
"Ehh? How did you..."
"It's obvious if you look."
"Is it that noticeable?"
Actually, I just read your mind. Simple, right?