Taming the Evil Saintess

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“Here again, huh?”

“Should I not come? Don’t you need treatment?”

“…Well, it’s not like that.”

Since that day, Ophelia visited the tent where I was staying every night.

Of course, the purpose was treatment. Thanks to Ophelia’s divine power matching my body better than I had expected, I could feel my condition improving daily.

Although it might seem a bit scandalous to have Ophelia straddling my body, it was purely a medical act. It would be weirder to have any strange thoughts like the ones Emily might have.

However, there was a minor issue that followed…

“Elliot, I can’t move.”

“Again?”

“Yeah.”

“Sigh.”

After pouring all her divine power into me, Ophelia would inevitably collapse from exhaustion.

Whether it was because our souls resonated too well or simply Ophelia couldn’t control her strength, she always turned into a weakling without divine power after treatment.

“Why do you keep pouring all your divine power in? You could just use a reasonable amount.”

“B-because I can’t help it!”

“No, I’ve managed divine power myself as a knight, you know…”

“Is your divine power the same as mine? Do you want to die?”

It was quite suspicious that the so-called greatest cleric on the continent couldn’t distribute her divine power properly, but it would definitely be a malicious act to interrogate Ophelia who continuously drained herself for my sake.

In the end, there was no other way.

With a sigh, I laid back as usual.

“When you feel better, go back. I’ll take a nap.”

“…Okay.”

“Close the door properly when you leave.”

“I know.”

So it became a routine for me to lie in bed and rest until Ophelia regained her strength again.

I might have felt my heart race about sharing a bed with a fully grown woman, but it was Ophelia, after all. I was safe from losing my sense of reason.

More importantly, even though my condition had improved a bit, I still couldn’t move properly. Moreover, once I received divine power from Ophelia, an inexplicable lethargy would wash over me.

So if Ophelia intended to mess with me, it would be far-fetched to think I could mess with her in return.

As I stretched out and yawned, closing my eyes, sleep swiftly took hold of my mind.

“Elliot, are you sleeping…?”

Just before drifting off, I thought I heard Ophelia’s voice.

*

A few days later, I noticed something odd.

It started with the conversation I had with Erwin, who visited to check on me and tease me.

“Hey, half-bodied hero!”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Hahaha. But it’s the truth. You still can’t walk?”

“Well, I can walk a little bit.”

The archery master Erwin chuckled as he pulled up a chair beside me, sharing news from outside.

There were absurd tales about Black Dragon Blackie getting bigger after devouring more monsters, Emily burning down a tent while making potions, and Ophelia throwing a tantrum and making a resistance girl cry—stories I truly didn’t wish to hear.

However, the story that Erwin shared next piqued my interest.

“So, how was last night?”

“Last night? What do you mean? I just slept well.”

Nothing unusual happened last night.

I received treatment and went to sleep, after all.

The scent of Ophelia’s perfume that lingered on me every morning was just something I had to deal with.

But Erwin grinned as if he knew everything, nudging my shoulder with his elbow.

“Hey, don’t act coy. I might be an elf, but I’ve got a dark elf mindset too, you know? I heard all the juicy details from that little Emily.”

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

“Hahaha. You were pretending to be all cool, but it turns out you’re just a naïve idiot.”

Erwin laughed heartily as he patted my back. As I froze in confusion, he sniffed around me.

“Hmm, a mix of man and woman—a rather nice fragrance. For a human, it’s pretty tolerable.”

“What kind of perverted thing is that?”

“The pervert is you, idiot.”

Erwin, convinced of his own reasoning, suddenly changed his expression to a sly look and whispered to me in a low voice.

“Just don’t turn the saintess into a fallen woman.”

“What?”

Startled, I raised my eyebrows, but by then Erwin was already busy bragging to Albrecht outside about a giant catfish he claimed to have caught—though he desperately insisted it was a whale.

In the end, I didn’t get the chance to probe Erwin for details that day, but I could find some hints from Emily.

“Hehehe. Elliot, I didn’t see that coming, you’re quite the man when it counts, huh? Were you surprised?”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

One day, Emily suddenly showed up at my sickbed, nodding her head as if she knew everything without answering my question, then pulling out a vial of potion from her pack.

It contained a thick green liquid, and Emily presented that suspicious potion to me.

“I made this potion with all my heart over the past week.”

“What’s it for?”

“A strength booster.”

“Recovery potion, you mean?”

“Umm… it’s similar. You can use it on the saintess, or drink it yourself.”

It looked suspicious no matter how I regarded it.

As I stared at the vial in my hand, I suddenly asked Emily.

“Is this a fertility potion?”

“Ding ding ding! Correct, hero.”

“…”

Emily was trying hard to mimic a deep voice.

I reached out and grabbed her by the nape.

“Why, why you!”

“You’re the one who should drink it!”

“N-no! That won’t do! I wasn’t expecting that!”

I forcibly poured the potion into Emily’s mouth, and I later heard that she moaned all day inside the tent.

For the record, that potion didn’t seem to have any fertility effects.

*

Anyway, through the sequence of reactions from Erwin and Emily, along with our camp companions over the past few days, I roughly pieced together the situation.

It seemed that it wasn’t just mere rumors spread by Emily; even the other companions believed it wholeheartedly.

‘At this age full of vigor, while enjoying is good, knowing the time and place is important as well.’

Even Golden Lion Azar had thrown in such words.

So, I thought it would be time to prove my specific hypothesis.

“Another treatment today?”

“Yeah.”

As she approached my sickbed late at night with only a lantern to light her way, I straightened myself up.

Though I couldn’t see clearly in the deep darkness, Ophelia’s small face looked a bit flushed as she climbed on top of me.

At the same time, divine power flowed through me. The warm divine energy traveled throughout my body via my mana circuits and soon pooled in my chest. The divine power gathered in my heart would seep into my dantian, providing a catalyst for my body’s recovery.

And…

“…More exhaustion again?”

“I can’t help it. I can’t control my strength…”

With her forehead glistening with sweat, Ophelia collapsed right on top of me.

As I strained to lift her, she naturally clung to my back like a cicada.

The soft sensation against my skin made me acutely aware of how my body was growing numb.

“Getting sleepy. Rest well and then go.”

“Okay.”

“Close the door.”

“I know.”

Sleepiness engulfed me.

There were two main reasons, I suppose.

Whether it was because an enormous amount of divine power flowed into my body or Ophelia’s sleep magic, no one else could tell other than me.

In fact, it didn’t matter much.

But instead of slipping into sleep, I tried to keep my awareness intact.

Swoosh.

I soon heard the sound of cloth brushing.

In the fading light, I saw Ophelia cautiously rising. Considering she was supposed to be exhausted, her ability to move well in the darkness caught my eye, and before long, Ophelia squatted right in front of me.

I tightly shut my eyes.

“Are you asleep?”

Ophelia asked.

Of course, I didn’t answer and just breathed steadily.

“….”

Then Ophelia gently brushed my bangs, lightly tapped my cheeks, and stroked my nose. She even took the time to delicately tap my lips with her thumb.

After a while, when Ophelia had touched my features, she cleared her throat.

Though my view was obscured, the faint scent of her perfume grew stronger and closer…

….

I felt a gentle warm touch on my lips, which then vanished like a mirage.

In my dazed state, it seemed Ophelia fled the scene fast.

I…

“Crazy girl…”

With a blank expression, I stared beyond the tent where Ophelia had left.

“Damn it—”

I covered my face and had a restless night.