Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Solaria, the City That Lost Its Sun
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To the next event.
"...Fuck."
The moment I opened my eyes, curses spilled naturally from my mouth.
'Should've drunk in moderation.'
Even if it was the first alcohol since coming to this other world, honestly, I drank way too much.
The northern liquor was high-proof on top of the cold weather.
The memories left in my head were spotty... so I need to hold back on booze as much as possible.
"Ughhh!"
As I stretched my stiff body and propped myself up, I saw my room, messier than usual.
'How did I get back yesterday.'
I definitely didn't walk in alone...
Ah, right. Adel had supported me after I got drunk mingling with people.
'Should thank her when I see her.'
With that resolve, just as I tried to get out of bed.
I felt something off. Like there was something next to me.
"What?"
I lifted the blanket.
"Mm..."
"...Huh?"
I spotted Ariana sleeping soundly.
"Ah."
I'm fucked.
'No no, it's not what I'm thinking.'
No, thinking again, there's no way I'd done something like that with a heroine.
No matter how drunk I was.
I grabbed my head, desperately trying to recall last night.
So, yesterday... I was drinking beer nonstop with Ariana and Carmen... fuck, memory cuts off.
'At least we're not naked, right?'
If we'd both been lying there naked, it'd be a done deal.
But right now, I'm still in yesterday's clothes, and Ariana... why isn't she wearing bottoms?
'Fuck fuck fuck fuck...'
On top of that, the top she's wearing is my shirt.
I usually tried not to swear, but in this situation, fuck was the only word that came to mind.
Drenched in cold sweat and tense as hell, that's when.
-Knock knock knock.
-Hey, lightweight drunk! You still sleeping?
Carmen's voice rang out along with intense knocking.
"P-Please wait a moment!"
I hurriedly covered Ariana with the blanket.
And like this, with just my upper body out and lower half covered...
Natural pose complete.
This way, the bulge from Ariana could pass for my leg.
Halo seemed to be lying still on its own too.
'Lucky she's lying on her side.'
If she'd been face-up, the "hills" would've made it tricky.
"You can come in."
With my mind fully at ease now, I let Carmen in.
Carmen opened the door and entered.
Her eyes were brimming with intent to tease the hell out of me.
"Pfft, sleep well, lightweight?"
"Ahem, as a holy knight, it was my first time drinking... so I showed some disgrace."
I meant it.
In my previous life, I'd gone drinking often with one friend.
We'd bonded over talking about this game I was now possessing and the webnovel he knew it as.
But since coming to this world, I'd never touched alcohol once.
A slum orphan had no chance to.
And after being taken in by Sister Stella... obviously no occasions to drink.
So when they fed high-proof northern liquor to someone like me, of course I'd get smashed.
Carmen seemed to accept it, but that didn't mean she'd hold back on teasing.
"Kuhuhu, you were cursing the Hero so fluently though? Were you really drunk?"
"...Please forget about that."
Apparently, with all the pent-up frustration toward Ruin, the moment booze hit, I started trash-talking him without realizing.
"Well, that's par for the course. The real reason I came... Saintess!"
"The S-Saintess?"
What? Does she know something?
I shot her a suspicious look, and she opened her mouth with an impish little smile.
"Yesterday, you passed out drunk, so the Saintess and I carried you."
"...Sorry!"
"Nah, it was pretty fun."
She waved it off like it was really no big deal.
But for some reason, it felt like that wasn't her true feeling.
And sure enough.
"So, nothing happened with the Saintess?"
"H-Happened...?"
"Yeah! I deliberately left you two alone yesterday, and a drunk guy and girl shut in a room together... obviously..."
"Nothing like that happened!"
I cut off her crazy talk right away.
"For real? Seriously?"
"I'd never lay a hand on the Saintess, not even if I died-"
"Mm... Is...?"
"Ah."
"Oh."
I'm fucked.
"So, you two were both drunk yesterday, and when you said your clothes felt uncomfortable, this lightweight pulled a shirt from his closet for you?"
"Yes, that's right."
"...Boring."
After Ariana woke up and explained, I could finally breathe easy.
So that's what the shirt meant.
Good job, yesterday's me.
And after that, she just said we fell asleep and nothing happened, so it was truly a fortunate turn.
"Phew... both of you went through so much trouble because of me."
"It's fine. Even Is needs days to let loose like this."
"I'm gonna tease the shit out of you."
"..."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
A few days after the banquet.
"Then, we'll be off!"
"Thanks to the Saintess and her companions, our territory could achieve this peace. On behalf of everyone in the domain, I thank you."
"As followers of the Goddess, we merely did what was natural."
Ariana and Polar exchanged warm farewells.
Meanwhile, Carmen sneaked out from behind Polar.
"Bye, Saintess. Gonna miss that big holy power pouch."
"Hehe, you never change, do you?"
"That's me. And... hey, lightweight."
"...Ahem, what is it?"
She wasn't changing nicknames till the end.
"If you see that Hero bastard, pass a message."
"What should I say?"
"If he wants to date someone, stop acting like a puberty-struck kid and man up before coming. Well, in my case, coming as a woman would be fine too."
"...I'll relay it clearly."
Lesbian princess indeed.
"Then we're off."
With all farewells done, our group boarded the carriages.
Before closing the door after seating Ariana, I turned back for one last look at Polar and Carmen.
The sight before my eyes was one that shouldn't have happened originally... but thanks to Ruin, the father and daughter could both live on unharmed.
'Ruin pretty much did it all, so as the protagonist and Hero, he did his job properly.'
No matter his personality or conduct, Ruin had definitely saved people.
And that fact only muddled my feelings further about having stolen his holy power.
'Even with his shit personality, that holy power alone made him worthy of the Hero title...'
If I took that power from Ruin, what would be left for him?
My worries deepened even as the carriage set off.
While lost in such thoughts.
"Is."
"Ah, yes. Saintess."
Ariana called to me.
She gazed at me with a worried expression.
"Are you... still troubled over the Hero?"
"...Sorry. Seems I worried you."
"No. I just... you look so distressed, and I wondered if there's any way I could help."
"Hahaha... your feelings alone are thanks enough, Saintess."
Even after I said it was fine, Ariana couldn't sit still, clearly wanting to do something.
And the method she finally came up with was...
"Here, lie down."
"Pardon?"
"Lie down!"
"No, Saintess...?"
Ariana patted her soft thighs wrapped in her saintess robes.
What she'd thought of was a lap pillow.
"Duchess Carmen said men feel calm and happy with a lap pillow! You're a man too, so... here! Lie down!"
"Duchess Carmen...?"
'What the hell did she teach our pure Ariana.'
I kept refusing her lap pillow, but in the end.
-Thud.
"I don't know fairy tales well, so let me recite a legend passed down through generations!"
I ended up with my head on her thigh, listening to the legend.
"In the moment of crisis, the Hero raised a sword like the moon..."
Ah, of course.
'The Holy Goddess created the sun and moon for humanity, and upon seeing them, the humans...'
To keep impious thoughts at bay, I had to recite scripture verses in my head.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
On the way to the capital by carriage.
-Boom!
"Kyaaak?!"
"Ugh!"
The carriage jolted violently and came to a stop.
Clearly abnormal.
"Saintess, please stay here."
I grabbed my shield and shotel, cautiously opening the door.
Something was causing a commotion up front.
I grabbed one of the knights riding alongside.
"What's the situation?"
"They opened the gates for us on the way to Icicle territory... but now they're suddenly refusing and blocking them."
"...Which territory is this?"
A familiar feeling hit me, so I asked the knight where we were. His answer...
"The City of the Sun, Solaria."
It was Solaria, the City That Lost Its Sun—the territory where the next event after the north took place.