I Can Hear the Saint’s Inner Thoughts

35 – A Mage Who Doesn’t Believe in Love vs. The Saintess Who Loves (2)

Led by Victoria’s hand, we arrived at a restaurant with a rather blatant sign of a man and woman intertwined.

It seemed to specialize in cooking eel-like fish, and a savory smell was wafting from the surroundings.

Normally, a place like this would cause a scandal just by the fact that the Saintess and the Mage of the Hero’s party were here.

I scattered perception-blocking magic around us while scanning the area.

“Here you go. Masks to hide your identities.”

– Let’s give Astal-nim a cat mask, since he always acts cold but saves me…!

Victoria put on a fox mask, a finger to her lips, ‘shushing’ me. I could almost imagine a tail swishing behind her back.

“…We have to wear these things even while we eat?”

The whole masquerade getup had me wondering if all this effort was even necessary. Perception-blocking magic should be enough, right?

“Yes, it’s the rule here to keep the guests’ identities a secret.”

“Then what are these names here for?”

I asked while putting on the cat mask Victoria gave me. Secrecy seemed a bit far-fetched when there were blatant reviews on the signboards.

– Eating the Jewel Eel’s tail has improved my relationship with my neglectful husband. Thank you!

– It’s my first time here with my fiancé, who I just got engaged to… It was so effective. We’ll be back.

– Before discovering this place, honestly, I didn’t know love was possible even with different species…!

Below each signboard were the names of the couples. It was like they were flaunting their relationships to the outside world.

“It’s fine. Hardly anyone actually believes the names here.”

Victoria dismissed the scene, took my hand, and stepped forward. I kept my eyes on her, not wanting to lose sight of her as she entered the crowd.

“So, you can just write down other people’s names randomly?”

“Well, yes? I guess if it came out that the Flower Saintess Victoria and the Harmless Mage Astal visited a place like this together, the continent might turn upside down.”

– That’s exactly what I’m aiming for. If I said a lie directly, you might refuse, so I’ve decided to provoke you here.

It was similar to what I had guessed. This place was also known for generating false scandals about various celebrities, making it impossible to know who actually wrote the reviews.

Like hiding a tree in a forest, the best way to hide people is in a crowd.

Numerous reviews bore evidence that various heroes had eagerly visited the restaurant.

“Are you perhaps scared that our relationship will be exposed to the world? It’ll spread within the knights’ order soon anyway.”

– Astal-nim has a strong pride. If I provoke him like this, he’ll definitely eat the food and leave a bad review.

“……”

I crossed my arms, having heard Victoria’s inner thoughts. There was something more important than trying to appease her right now.

“Kyle is holding the gate alone. Don’t you think there might be a dangerous situation?”

Unlike the continent we were on, the Demon Realm, teeming with all sorts of monsters and demons, was a dangerous place with even the slightest moment of carelessness.

To ease the burden on the hero Kyle, we had to return to the Demon Realm as quickly as possible.

“…Then, let’s get it to go. I was hoping to have quite an in-depth conversation with you in a place with ambiance, but it seems that’s not going to happen.”

– Ah, I hadn’t even thought of that…! I was just so happy and excited to be alone with you, Astal-nim….

Victoria blinked a few times, lost in thought, before finally offering a compromise. She’d seen Kyle guarding the gate, after all.

“So, what’s the deal with these ‘effects’ written on this food, huh? Enhanced libido, increased stamina, packed with protein…. What exactly are you trying to feed me?”

I swallowed hard, staring at the long list of text plastered on the restaurant’s outer wall. I was starting to get scared why Victoria had brought me to a place like this.

“I can’t tell you. I simply had a passing curiosity to confirm if you were… impotent or not.”

Victoria whispered to the employee, trying not to reveal the identity of the food she was ordering, and then straightened her expression.

“*Shhhik!* Convivium Hybridationis!”

The employee, who looked like a female orc, nodded and relayed the order to the kitchen in their dialect.

– Hybrid mating meal. It increases the chance of pregnancy even between different races. Tonight, I’m planning on seducing you as a test.

I heard Victoria’s true thoughts as clear as day. Her lack of self-control was making me dizzy.

“Why do *you* need to confirm that…!”

“Because even though we always sleep together, I’ve never seen you… you know, tending to your urges yourself, or having your *lower half* get firm, shall we say.”

– Actually, I could check when you’re asleep, but that’s too perverted! It’s much more likely that you’ll fall for me if I tease you little by little like this!

Victoria surreptitiously stroked my thigh, giving me a sly smile. I was even using magic to stop blood flow to avoid reacting.

“Look at you. If you’re like this now, wouldn’t the person you end up with later be miserable? The strongest mage on the continent with erectile dysfunction…”

“That’s absolutely not it. It’s just that you don’t make me react.”

“Oh, is that so?”

*Squeeze, squeeze*.

Victoria was probing, as if she were looking for my weakness, her hand inching further and further up my inner thigh.

“If that’s really the case, it does wound my pride a little…”

– Your thighs are as hard and stiff as rocks… You really have been constantly training to fight the monsters. If I were pinned under a body like this, how hard would I struggle to resist the pleasure…

“…Where exactly are you putting your hand right now.”

I grabbed Victoria’s hand, which had ventured into a very… *restricted* zone. While a man who was enamored with her might welcome this kind of physical contact, *I* was not that man.

“If you were uncomfortable, I apologize.”

– Was I repugnant to him? Maybe he thinks I’m a girl who only cares about this kind of thing… I’m only like this in front of you…

Victoria’s eyes flickered, and she seemed to tremble. She wanted to seduce me, but she dreaded being hated even more.

“It’s not that. You should do that kind of thing with someone you truly like, not just some guy you don’t have feelings for…”

“…So, you’re saying it would be okay, if I had feelings for you?”

– I’ve fallen madly in love, but I’m so afraid of being rejected. The thought of not even being able to remain friends and distancing ourselves is the scariest thing…

Then, Victoria, emboldened, let her feelings slip out. It was a roundabout way of saying that she liked me.

“Like I said again, we’re in a contract relationship. Once we take down the succubus queen, or after a month passes, we go back to being strangers.”

I said, grabbing Victoria’s shoulders. I could tell she kept trying to close the distance between us, and I wanted to tell her to stop.

If this kept up, I really felt like I’d cross a line.

I never wanted to experience losing someone precious in front of me again, and I couldn’t think I was even allowed to love someone.

Maybe I was just scared that Victoria was trying to change me.

“So, are you scared that you might fall for me?”

“……”

Victoria looked up at me from below. The starlit eyes hidden behind the fox mask met my gaze, and it even felt like time had stopped.

“Shall I tell you a secret? Astar?”

“What is it, why again.”

I thought she was about to confess, and I was preparing to refuse, listening to her words.

“You know, I’m actually quite shy, so I have a hard time getting close to people.”

But,

“…You? Really?”

What came out of Victoria’s mouth was quite unexpected.

“Yes, I’m actually very passive and have a fragile side. I have deep trauma from the past, so I have a hard time trusting people.”

“But you’ve never been like that with me…”

I couldn’t easily believe the words that held Victoria’s sincerity. She’d always shown me a thoroughly cold side, or would play excessively rough pranks.

Right now, her inner thoughts are calm. What she shows and what she feels are the same.

“It’s quite a curious thing. You, the man, always have something that makes me smile. Honestly, even when you’re angry, it’s not scary.”

“Hey, is that a compliment or an insult?”

“Who knows? What do you think? You’re free to interpret it as you wish…”

-It’s a compliment. If it wasn’t for you, Astar, I wouldn’t let anyone else cross the wall I set up for people.

Victoria chuckled with a meaningful smile, and then she brought over the finished food, and linked her arm in mine.

“One thing is certain…”

Victoria pressed her chest against my arm once more, bringing us closer.

“…Being with you, a part of me truly feels at ease.”

-Because I like you.

“……”

Hearing Victoria’s inner thoughts, I momentarily hesitated. She didn’t outwardly say that she liked me, or say anything resembling a confession.

“That’s the kind of thing a guy could easily misinterpret if he heard it…”

It was a statement that a stranger would easily mistake as her liking me. She was probably planning to use this to gradually pull me over to her side.

“Well, if that’s the case, that’s a relief.”

To avoid such a shocking statement, I turned my gaze away and spoke. If it were the usual me, with no hidden thoughts, I would’ve definitely said something like:

“Looks like the food’s all wrapped up, so shall we head to Kyle?”

The most perceptive way to act is usually to pretend to be the most clueless person.

“You really are terribly dense.”

– I poured all my courage into saying that…!

Ignoring Victoria’s puffed-up cheeks, I walked out of the shop towards the spatial teleportation gate.

* * *

Having emerged again from the spatial teleportation gate, and arrived in the Demon Realm.

“…So, you were just getting takeout and that’s why you’re so late?!”

Gasping for breath as he looked at us, we were reunited with the hero Kyle, who had slashed down every demon and monster nearby.

“I’m sorry.”

“We apologize…”

We bowed our heads to Kyle in apology, and seeing this, the hero sighed deeply, adding a single line.

“…Alright, I just wanted to see you two get along better. But next time, don’t be this late without any contact.”

Seeing Kyle, who was now smiling brightly as if his previous hardship had vanished, I began to fear the day I would have to part with Victoria.

This guy is really going to be furious later if he finds out it was a contractual relationship.