Chapter 7. Favor and Calculation (4)

Usually, I was the one staring intently.

Ria had been looking at me since a while ago.

More precisely, ever since she realized that even clergy in this world dance joyfully.

No, to begin with, the clergy here don’t wear nun’s habits like we do, do they? The clothes they wear are just dresses, and their dances were somewhat different from the social dances we know.

But Ria seemed strangely fixated on that remark.

“…Ria, do you want to dance?”

My stomach was somewhat full, and I didn’t really intend to eat excessively, so I was sitting at the table, resting a bit. Naturally, since I was sitting and resting, Ria was also sitting next to me, resting.

“Is that a dance invitation?”

“No, it’s not.”

I replied incredulously and looked at Ria.

Come to think of it, what was Ria like in the original work?

…

I think she did ask Lee Si-yoon to dance. Yes. There was a scene like this. It wasn’t in the gnome country, though.

After all, the Saint wanted to be by Lee Si-yoon’s side, and Ria, who was escorting that Saint, was naturally near Lee Si-yoon. In that gap, Ria asked Lee Si-yoon to dance, and the Saint was shocked and caused a scene, a rather typical scene.

Among the hunters who followed us were naturally Lee Si-yoon’s party. Perhaps it wasn’t due to their skill, but because they were people I could speak to more comfortably, the church must have requested it.

They weren’t sitting here, though.

Gloria was sitting in a place separate from us, but she wasn’t near Lee Si-yoon either. Where we were sitting was for important people, and hunters who, despite being friendly with me, didn’t have official titles, sat a little further away, near the knights.

For now, I was relieved by that. If Lee Si-yoon and Han Yu-ri were together, it would surely help their relationship progress.

Yes, it was like that in the original work too.

I felt a little happy for no reason. After all, it was a novel I enjoyed reading until the end. Ria, who is in front of me, was not a character I disliked, even if she wasn’t inferior in terms of couple pairings.

Who wouldn’t like a character who is beautiful, has a great figure, and is also capable?

I laughed to myself and felt a bit awkward, so I looked at Ria.

“Ria, do you like dancing?”

“Huh? Uh, well, I do like it.”

I see.

It seems like asking Lee Si-yoon to dance in the original work wasn’t just a pickup line.

“Ria. You went to middle school and high school too, right?”

“Of course, I did?”

When I said that, Ria seemed a little flustered and blinked.

I spoke leisurely, keeping my gaze on the people dancing.

“Did you perhaps do any club activities?”

“Yeah.”

“Dance club?”

“Does it look like it?”

“You said you liked dancing.”

She probably learned swordsmanship naturally from her father. She might have learned a little from her mother when she was very young.

However, if you think about it, South Korea’s basic education hasn’t changed much from before the Gate incident. It’s likely that related classes were added, and content was added to existing classes.

Perhaps it was a web novel, so it might have been a more ideal school, a school good for enjoying youth.

“Ah, just in case you’re wondering, our school was an all-girls school. Both middle school and high school.”

“…Really?”

Why would she bring that up when I didn’t ask?

“I just thought you might ask about first love or something.”

At that, I chuckled.

In the original work, Ria’s first love is Lee Si-yoon. It’s explicitly stated that she had never dated anyone before that.

That’s why, although she seemed aggressive, she was also a heroine who got shy at crucial moments, so progress was slow. The Saint, on the other hand, pretended to be demure but persistently pursued him, almost snatching the main heroine’s position.

In this world, well.

It seems neither is the case. If Ria had fallen in love with Lee Si-yoon, she would have talked about Lee Si-yoon until the Saint got tired of it, just like in the original work. The Saint had said she was almost going crazy from neurosis.

Conversely, the Saint would have been the same.

“…?”

Asking someone you like to dance. Lee Si-yoon was such a kind yet oblivious guy that he naturally accepted the dance invitation.

Here.

If I don’t dance with her, she probably won’t be able to dance either. If I just keep sitting here, Ria will also keep sitting here.

That… bothers me a little.

“…I’ll ask again. Do you want to dance?”

At my question, Ria stared at me intently, and then, a little belatedly, her eyes widened.

“Uh, you really want to dance?”

“I don’t want to dance,”

I deliberately widened my eyes. I didn’t want my answer to sound too serious about not wanting to dance.

“Well, if someone asks me to dance, I might be forced to dance. There’s a saying, ‘When in Rome, do as the Romans do.'”

“Huh.”

Ria laughed as if it were absurd.

But then she got up and came in front of me.

And held out her hand.

“Do you want to dance with me?”

“I’m warning you, I’m really not good at that.”

I said, lightly placing my hand on hers. It was a soft yet slightly firm hand. The hand of someone who fights.

“You don’t have to worry about that.”

Ria said, lightly gripping my hand and pulling me.

“I trained you, didn’t I? You’re not without talent.”

“…?”

Even if you praise me so suddenly, nothing comes out.

I pouted for no reason and followed her hand, standing up.

*

The pleasant scent, is it because of the holy power visible on Anna’s body?

Chae-eun thought as she gently led Anna, with her hands on Anna’s waist.

There was a very faint floral scent. I thought it was shampoo, but Chae-eun uses the same shampoo and body wash as Anna. Since it wasn’t a particularly expensive product, there was no reason to feel anything special.

Anna was looking up at Chae-eun slightly, her face slightly flushed.

She was still wearing a veil on her head, but of course, it was still just casually placed.

Her shining blonde hair and the highlight streaks were clearly visible.

Those highlights are a bit unusual. Anna seemed to want to appear like someone who plays around, but she completely failed to maintain that demeanor.

Her body felt soft to the touch. Even though I could guess her figure from the nun’s habit she usually wore, which was slightly fitted, her waist was thinner than I imagined when I placed my hand on it.

Where does all that food go?

…

Chae-eun narrowed her eyes.

A faint light flickered on Anna’s face. It didn’t seem like the light from the chandelier reflecting.

A faint light of holy power.

Right. This must be it. Isn’t it taxing on her body?

Anna, perhaps feeling the light falling on her face a little belatedly, instinctively tried to wave her hand, but realizing her hand was firmly held by Chae-eun, she blushed.

She seemed so flustered that she didn’t even think about removing her other hand placed on Chae-eun’s waist.

Finding that a little amusing, Chae-eun moved her thumb on the hand placed on Anna’s waist. Anna’s body trembled slightly, following the movement.

Zzzzt.

Anna glared at Chae-eun.

Honestly, she’s so sensitive everywhere.

Chae-eun smiled and tilted her head slightly towards Anna, bringing her face closer.

“…!?”

Anna’s eyes widened considerably.

Seeing her terrified reaction, she must have imagined something strange.

“You dance well.”

Chae-eun said that and smiled.

Whatever she was thinking, Anna’s face slowly turned red from her neck upwards. Then she quickly bowed her head, and then raised it again.

If she bows her head like that, her chest will be visible.

Well, it’s completely covered by the somewhat loose nun’s habit- Hmm, is she conscious of the contact with her body?

It was somewhat amusing to see one of the most chaste women in the world thinking all sorts of strange things in her head.

Lately, Anna had been teasing me first, so it felt like that was being resolved a bit.

“…?”

Anna’s face shifted through various expressions, as if she didn’t know how to react, and finally, she chose to glare at Chae-eun, looking up.

Seeing that expression, Chae-eun snorted.

Of course, Chae-eun was the one who suggested dancing first, but Anna herself accepted it, didn’t she?

The atmosphere felt awkward to say anything, and for some reason, wanting to enjoy this atmosphere a little longer, Chae-eun led Anna slowly, holding her hand.

As Chae-eun expected, although Anna was a bit awkward at first, she eventually followed Chae-eun’s movements well.

If she practices, she’ll be able to move her body much more gracefully.

Talent, she definitely has it.

Watching Anna, who had no talent in either area, Chae-eun thought to herself.

“…?”

Anna maintained a red face all the way to the tips of her ears.

Seeing that, Chae-eun thought it was fortunate.

Because Chae-eun’s face probably wasn’t as red.

Even if others saw it, it would probably look like only Anna had turned red.