Taming the Evil Saintess

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“Get off, will you? Just stay still.”

Ophelia suddenly climbed onto my body. With the hem of her holy garment rising, her pale skin was exposed, making it impossible for me to avoid turning my eyes away.

In the next moment, Ophelia, her face flushed beet red, placed her hands on me. Her bare hands traveled from my abs up to my chest and began to firmly press against my upper body.

It wasn’t painful, but the pressure made it hard to breathe.

“What the heck are you doing?”

Unable to hold back, I asked, and Ophelia frowned, bending forward at the waist.

As our faces drew closer, her long, pure white hair swept across my face. At the same time, a soft and warm sensation seemed to wash over my body.

“This is….”

There was no need to think too hard about it.

I too had trained as a knight of the cathedral.

This was divine power. Ophelia’s divine power was sweeping through my body, healing my wounds.

The amount was unlike anything I had experienced before.

“You’ve been doing this since I collapsed?”

“….”

Ophelia merely nodded slightly in response.

“Hey, but there was no need to get on top of me…”

“…This way, it absorbs better. And shut up. I’m embarrassed too.”

Puffing her cheeks, Ophelia channeled more divine power into me. After all, when I had just fought against the Plague Lord, my condition had been at its worst. I could have easily died then. Yet, surviving meant that Ophelia had been pouring her strength into me every day.

Above all, the divine power sweeping through every inch of my body felt so familiar, it felt like it belonged to me.

“This resonance…”

“We used gears together. Our souls must be somewhat fused. Right now, my divine power works significantly better on your body.”

Listening to Ophelia’s explanation, I nodded in understanding.

That blasted gear.

“Hey, but what were you thinking using that gear…?”

“Idiot, it’s because of you!”

Thwack.

“Oof.”

“You jerk, are you kidding me?! You just casually marked me and ended up a mess! Always making me clean up after you! Am I your potion? Huh? Do you want me to kill you today?!”

As I winced at the rough strikes against my chest, Ophelia suddenly stopped speaking.

Then, a soft sensation made contact with my body.

Not divine power. This was….

“…Ophelia?”

“….”

Ophelia had collapsed on top of me, completely exhausted.

The reason was obviously the depletion of her divine power. I couldn’t even begin to fathom how much she had poured out.

“Ophelia, just get up for now. Hey, hey.”

She didn’t budge even when I called her.

When I poked her cheek, she only burrowed deeper into my embrace.

The fragrant scent wafting from her pure white hair made me feel strangely elated, and I mustered up what little strength I had left to move Ophelia right next to me.

Watching her sleep soundly like a cute little bug sent a grin spreading across my face.

“What should I do…”

The sickroom bed was way too small for two people to lie on. I didn’t even have the energy to lift Ophelia and toss her back to her original tent.

“Honestly, you really are hopeless.”

Though I couldn’t deny that it had its charm.

With no other choice, I gently wrapped my arms around Ophelia and tucked her snugly inside my blanket.

The Plague Lord Vermina was dead, and her minions had become Blackie’s meal. The Erosion Zone was slowly regaining its greenery, but this was the northern continent, particularly early winter.

If Ophelia caught a cold from this chilly air, it would undoubtedly be my fault.

As I reassured myself, I closed my eyes tightly, pressed against Ophelia’s body enveloped in the blanket.

Was it the overwhelming divine power coursing through me? Or was it just Ophelia’s body smelling so good? Perhaps it was her warm temperature?

Or maybe it was all three.

In any case, sleepiness washed over me.

Was there such a thing on Earth?

Other than a futon buddy.

“Ah.”

A dakimakura.

Yeah, that’s what it felt like.

*

“….”

Where am I?

Who am I again?

The moment Ophelia opened her eyes, those were her thoughts.

“Ah, ahhhh….”

The morning sunlight streamed warmly into the tent.

However, instead of warmth, her face felt hot. Her lips trembled, and her hands shook.

Ophelia desperately shook her head, trying to regain her composure.

When flustered, one loses.

Let’s calmly assess the situation.

She found herself lying in bed. That wasn’t a problem.

However, right next to her, almost touching, was Elliot.

Yes, that Elliot.

“D-Did I…?”

She hurriedly checked her attire.

There was no issue.

No, was having no issues itself a problem?

That couldn’t be.

“I didn’t… accidentally sleep like this… did I?”

She remembered pouring her divine power the previous night, and losing her temper due to pent-up emotions, causing her to unleash more divine power than usual. In the end, exhausting herself and collapsing onto Elliot, falling asleep with him…

“…Shit.”

She really didn’t want to remember what came next.

That Elliot was not only staring at her sleeping face but had actually tucked her into the same blanket!

Let’s just state the facts.

Last night, Ophelia slept with Elliot.

In other words, they shared a bed.

“…”

This was an experience she’d never had before. They had always slept in separate sleeping bags during camping trips, never this close.

Her face was burning; she felt as if it would explode.

Ophelia shuddered in humiliation, being careful not to wake Elliot, and cautiously swung her legs out of bed.

Fortunately, it seemed Elliot was still in poor condition, deep in sleep despite her movements.

As she silently planned to leave the tent, Ophelia stopped and turned around to glance at Elliot’s sleeping face.

“…I’m going to eat you, huh?”

That sudden thought must have come from Emily’s influence!

Right now, Elliot wouldn’t wake up no matter what. Thus, whatever Ophelia did would be no problem. Emily’s words about the perfect environment to devour a man rang true.

“….”

Ophelia approached Elliot cautiously.

She gently brushed his bangs away.

“Did he always look this innocent?”

That face, which usually looked grumpy, seemed gentle when asleep.

Was that why?

She did something she would normally never have done.

After a moment’s hesitation, Ophelia pressed her lips against Elliot’s forehead.

Of course, that was her limit.

*

“Let’s talk about the late night out.”

Emily Barried spread her imagination like wings inside her tent.

Last night, Saint Ophelia visited Hero Elliot in the sickroom and never came back.

The weight of those two words, “late night out,” was indeed heavy.

It was different from that time they had rushed to attack the Resistance’s secret base together. They had spent the night in the same bed.

“…No way.”

She did joke about “devouring” him, but could it be that it actually happened?

Of course, that couldn’t be true, but if it was…

“Hoh.”

Swallowing her breath, Emily suppressed her fluttering heart.

Just imagining it made her feel like a nosebleed was about to burst forth.

“Where’s my napkin? Where did I put it…?”

As Emily hurriedly searched for the napkin she had left on the shelf, Ophelia’s figure appeared at the entrance of the shared tent.

“Ah, Saint!”

“…Ah, hello.”

At Emily’s words, Ophelia awkwardly smiled, raising one hand.

The raised hand trembled, her fingers unable to straighten, and her face was as red as a ripe tomato. Her lips trembled suspiciously.

No, this was just lewd.

“Saint, you didn’t….”

Emily felt something, some kind of incident had occurred.

“Did you really go all the way?”

“W-Well….”

“What do you mean ‘well’?”

“Ahhhh….”

The Saintess of the continent, Ophelia Meredein, couldn’t continue her sentence. As she stepped into the tent, she covered her face with her hands and squatted down.

Out of shame and perhaps due to her youthful nature, her shoulders trembled wildly.

Emily’s eyes widened.

“…You really did, didn’t you? For real?”

Ophelia, that dear Ophelia, had done nothing but pour her divine power and fainted in exasperation. But when it came down to revealing that she’d only pecked Elliot on the forehead while trying to muster courage, she couldn’t bring herself to openly admit it.

All Emily could do was naturally think that something had happened.

“…Hahaha.”

Chuckling, Emily shyly opened the tent’s window and fanned herself.

“Haha… For some reason, it feels so hot… like spring is already…”

But it was winter.