The False Saintess
Each with silver and golden manes, moving firm muscles, kicking the ground.
The horse when running is undoubtedly the most magnificent beast.
Ah, what about this cheerful hoof sound!
If it weren't for the carriage slightly jolting every time the hoof sounds came, it would have been a joyful music.
The hoof sounds became "kang kang," and the horses became performers.
For a moment lost in ridiculous emotions, I spoke to the little mage staring out the window since earlier.
“What's out there? You're staring again.”
“Ah, just, it's amazing.”
What is amazing about this? It's a common rural scenery.
“Um, since I was little, I've only been with mages, so I don't go out much, this is my first time riding a carriage. So, the trees outside the window passing by, the scenery changing extremely fast, the cool wind tickling my ears, all amazing.”
Someone who can create fire from their hands and light in the dark is amazed by such things. Who would have thought.
Thinking about it now, this guy was quite sentimental. He suits Lily well!
The carriage shook greatly, and Clotine lost her balance and fell towards me.
“Eh! S-sorry.”
“No, it's fine. Since it's a rural road, there are probably many bumps. Seeing it shaking like this.”
“Ah, I see. It was definitely shaking, and it felt a bit dizzy...”
Ah, motion sickness. People who get motion sick even on super comfortable cars with all the tech from the twenty-first century packed on, but a non-paved road and carriage combo is something else.
“Hey, that's a problem. We still have a long way to go. Is it very bumpy? If it's bad, we can stop for a bit to rest.”
“No, it's fine... Actually, I've been feeling tired since earlier, and I got sleepy. If I sleep, it should be okay.”
Memories flood back. During the school trip, the friend next door said he had severe motion sickness that even motion sickness medicine didn't work on. So I just slept on the bus! And stole the hidden ginseng wine from his house, got scolded by mom, got scolded at school, and eventually spilled the ginseng wine on the bus floor.
“Yeah, sleeping is the best.”
“Um, so...”
“Why?”
“Could you lend me your knees? I want to lie down a bit...”
“Ah, sure. You can use my knees as much as you want. Lie down.”
“Thank you...”
Clotine placed her head on my knees like that and fell asleep. I hope there are no motion sickness in her dreams.
After a while like that, Maisha spoke up this time.
“It's a bit enviable.”
“What? You mean the knee pillow? You want to do it too?”
“No, it seems like we've become quite close quickly.”
“What, if we're going to be together anyway, isn't it better to get close quickly?”
“Is that how it works as you wish?”
“I will make some effort, right? Even if I give kindness to the other person, the other doesn't reject it, and the other gives kindness to me, and I don't reject it, then half is successful.”
“Successful in what?”
“Friendship. Becoming friends.”
“Friend, friend... From what you just said, it seems like you know quite a lot about making friends.”
“No, this is just like people's instincts. It's just that I analyzed it a bit, like systematized thoughts about it.”
“People's instincts... Do you think everyone in the world can become friends?”
“Well, that's true. Everyone isn't perfect, but everyone has strengths, and I can empathize with some points.”
“I think you're quite amazing.”
“Me? Me? Why?”
“Having such... thoughts. That's what it is. I haven't been able to do that since I was young.”
Maisha said with a bitter smile.
“Since I was little. It was hard to make friends. It was hard to give trust. I heard a lot of words like 'stiff' and 'cold'. So I joined the military.”
“Was it easy to adapt?”
“More than that... I thought if everyone was stiffly acting, I could be a bit less lonely.”
“So, was your thought correct?”
“Not really. That place was also a place with friends and trust. Well, we called them 'comrades'.”
“So, what happened?”
“I worked hard. As a result, I could be promoted quickly, and I got the title of Divine Archer.”
“Did you like it?”
“I don't know. The important thing is that even after I became quite known within the unit, there was no one who called me a friend.”
“Really? I think people thought of you as friends. You just didn't know.”
“Is there a reason for saying that?”
“Isn't 'comrade' just empty talk? It's a comrade you can entrust your life to in battle. Have you thought about how much trust is needed to be called by that name?”
“Thanks. For saying that.”
“Thanks. I just thought it would be like that.”
“Well, so I want to learn that from you all. Making friends.”
Maisha showed a bit of embarrassment and revealed her true feelings.
“Well, I felt that you and I would be good friends.”
“Really? Is there a reason?”
“There's no reason. Just... you seem like a good person.”
The actual answer is 'because I know you're a good person'.
I took a snack from my backpack and divided it in half.
“Here, eat this. Since it's sweet, it should help with fatigue a bit.”
“Thanks. Uh...”
“Why?”
“I thought maybe this could be friendship... I thought so.”
Maisha showed a slightly moved expression and put the snack in her mouth.
“Good. That's how it starts.”
I also bit into the snack.
“But is that okay?”
“Hm? What do you mean?”
Maisha pointed to the crumbs falling from the snack I just bit.
The crumbs from the snack were falling onto Clotine's face who had her head on my knees.
“Ah, what do I do about this, if I brush it off with my hand, it might wake her up.”
Ah, and an idea came to me, I blew air with my mouth and blew the crumbs that were settling on Clotine's face far away.
Clotine flinched for a moment but didn't wake up.
Looking back again, Maisha's face was red.
“Hey, why are you blushing?”
“You, you do such things well. You don't care about my gaze.”
“No, well... there was no other way?”
I smiled at Maisha and turned my gaze to the window.
“Here we are~”
When we arrived, the village was already night.
“Hmm, today we should stay at an inn or something nearby. Walking there would be too dark. Also tired.”
“I think so. Since the carriage stops, there should be an inn nearby.”
“No need to look. There it is.”
“Then let's go in.”
We entered the inn, booked four single rooms, and each promised to meet in the morning and went to their rooms. I was just sitting quietly in the carriage, my body was sore, so I was about to take a rest...
“Why are you coming in here.”
There was an uninvited guest at midnight.
“Oppa, talk to me.”
Eh? She's angry?
“No, suddenly making me a fake saintess without consulting.”
“That's right.”
“You say you can't tell the reason now.”
“That's really not possible.”
“You haven't been talking well lately.”
“That's because you're the saintess now, so it's unavoidable...”
“Annoying the party members...”
“Hey, wait a minute. That's really not the case?”
“You’ve been pestering since the carriage ride earlier!”
“When did I? I didn't do anything like that!”
“You didn't lend me a knee pillow, didn't blow air on my face...”
“Thinking about it, that might look weird. Sorry.”
“Do you know how much it hurts to watch from the side?”
“Sorry, I have nothing to say...”
“That's right! Then would you have something to say brazenly after doing this?”
I really have nothing to say.
“Hah, lately there's no time to be with just the two of us, and we aren't even talking. Oppa, do you know? I like when you call my name, Oppa?”
“Hm, Lily, Lily, Lily...”
“It's good, good... But you don't call it like that lately! Always 'Saintess-nim', Saintess! Originally why am I a saintess!”
“Because the only one who knows healing magic is you...”
Tears welled up at the corners of Lily's eyes. This can't be overlooked.
“Hey, you...”
Suddenly Lily hugged me tightly.
“Ah, it's okay. Don't say anything. Today, I'll recharge my Oppa energy, so I'll be with you.”
“Hey, but sleeping together is a bit... It's inappropriate for a hero and saintess, and it's dangerous in many ways.”
“I'm not the saintess! Oppa forcibly made me the saintess!”
“S-sorry.”
“Let's just stay a bit and leave at dawn.”
“Yeah. Then what will we do?”
“Just... lying on the bed... I just want to hold you like this...”
“Okay, let's do that.”
So we just... held each other. Confirming each other's existence with body heat and breathing sounds.
In the time made up of ticklish breaths and sweet fragrance, we held each other like that.