episode_0004

Ugh… My head… What time is it? Soon it’ll be time to leave for the expedition… Oh, right. I’m already on an expedition, aren’t I? Wait… Ugh… What happened? I can’t remember what happened before I fell asleep. Then, a woman’s voice came from beside me.

“Are you awake?”

“Huh?… Wh-what?”

Beside me, a blonde woman in worn priestly robes was roasting something over a bonfire. Wait. Priestly robes? Uh… What?! What did I do just now?! As I panicked greatly, the woman next to me asked.

“What’s wrong, Zeke-nim? It’s as if you saw something scary…”

“Huh?! How do you know my name…?”

“Oh, come on~ Zeke-nim told me~ Are you still tired?”

“Huh? What w-was th… Ah!”

I… I remember. What happened earlier, and why I suddenly passed out! I hastily examined the potion bottle that had contained the Potion of Swiftness in my bag. The inscription on the bottle shocked me so much I couldn’t close my mouth.

*Please be aware that this contains ingredients similar to alcohol.*

Aaaaargh! I can’t drink alcohol, but I drank this! And th-that… right… I think I said some embarrassing things to that Saintess?! How could I have said such things, was I crazy?! What kind of ingredient could make me so drunk…?

“Um, Zeke-nim? Is something wrong?”

“Huh? Ah… Well…”

As I stared blankly at the bottle, the Saintess beside me gently tapped my shoulder, calling out to me. What should I say? That it was just drunken babble? Should I tell her that? B-but… if I say that…

“You… you weren’t smiling when I first saw you…”

“…Ah! Hehe… Thanks to Zeke-nim’s comforting words from earlier, I think I can smile now!…. Am I making you uncomfortable…? You look so flustered…”

“Ah… No, that’s not…”

The Saintess suddenly looked like she was about to cry, which in turn flustered me. At that moment, a loud rumble came from my stomach. Ah… It seems like a long time since I last ate. It’s definitely night now. I clearly remember leaving at noon and exploring this place in the evening, but when did it get dark…? As I struggled to adjust to the time and my stomach rumbled, the Saintess beside me smiled a smile I hadn’t seen before and said to me.

“You must be hungry, right? I roasted some boar meat from the forest. Please have some.”

“Huh? But… Saintess-nim, how did you… No, more importantly, Saintesses are forbidden from eating meat…”

“The country has already fallen, so what do those rules matter? Here, take it.”

‘Uh… Huh?’

No, even if the country has fallen… isn’t that your homeland? Seeing the Saintess hand me a skewer of meat as if it didn’t matter was somehow terrifying. But more than that…

“Then Saintess-nim, please eat with me?”

“I’m fine~ Zeke-nim, please eat your fill…..”

“With how skinny you look? Would you eat with…?”

What is this? I just offered to share the meat because the Saintess looked hungry… The Saintess’s face suddenly began to turn red. Moreover, her eyes were wide open, and she couldn’t say anything. What’s wrong? Did she catch a cold because of the cold weather?

“Saintess-nim? Are you o-…”

“Of course! Can I eat with you?! Really?!”

“Huh? Well… why wouldn’t you b-…”

“Thank you, Zeke!”

“Ah… Yes…”

What is this… Is it really worth such a big reaction? Well, I don’t know… I seasoned the roasted boar meat, placed it on a clean stone, and carefully cut it with a kitchen knife. Well… we have to share, after all. But…

“Um… Saintess-nim?”

“Yes, Zeke!”

“…Do you have to stare so intensely…?”

The Saintess’s gaze was too burdensome… Honestly, wouldn’t anyone feel burdened if someone stared intensely at them for no particular reason, even if it was just cutting meat with a knife…?

“Um, Saintess-nim…?”

“Yes, Zeke.”

“You don’t have to cover your eyes though… Huh?”

When I said it was burdensome, the Saintess was covering her eyes with her hands… No, she wasn’t. She was covering her eyes with her hands, but she was peeking at me through her fingers. When my eyes met the Saintess’s, she panicked greatly. I was even more flustered… Why was she trying so hard to look at me…?

“Th-Then… can I keep looking…?”

“Huh? Uh… Yes…. Oh, and here, have a bite first.”

I picked up a piece of meat with a fork and offered it to the Saintess. Her face turned even redder. What’s wrong? Did the Saintess also drink the Potion of Swiftness to catch the boar? Her face as red as a ripe apple, the Saintess said to me.

“Z-Zeke-nim, please eat first! Don’t mind me…”

“Ugh… What are you talking about, someone so thin not eating well!”

I sighed and put the meat into the Saintess’s mouth. Suddenly, with me putting food into her mouth, the Saintess showed signs of being flustered. Then she suddenly closed her eyes and began to shed tears, which flustered me even more.

“Huh? Is it… that delicious?”

“Yes… And for Zeke-nim to put food into my mouth… I’m so moved… *sniff*…”

“…Huh? What are you…?”

“The words Zeke-nim said earlier to save me when I was going crazy… I remember them all… And from the moment Zeke-nim collapsed until he woke up, I kept watching Zeke-nim, waiting for him to wake up… And faintly, when Zeke-nim’s stomach made a sound, I went to get boar meat… And now I’ve realized… that I want to repay Zeke-nim for his kindness…”

“Huh? Ah… Ah… Th-that… that thing… Actually, that thing…”

“And I also realized that I’ve fallen in love with Zeke-nim…”

“That’s not… Wait… What?”

What? What did I just hear? It can’t be what she truly feels. It must be a joke. It can’t be serious. What charm do I have for someone to love me as a lover? No, more importantly… I have no dating experience and no interest in romance?! I’m asexual!

“Let me say it again. I love Zeke-nim. When Zeke-nim gave me salvation…”

No. I have to tell her the truth! Otherwise, there are dangerous things on my expedition, and if this person worries about me too, the pressure will be immense!!!

“Um, actually, what I said back then wasn’t true…”

“I know.”

“Huh?”

…? Wait. What is this now? She knows I wasn’t sincere, but she still said she loves me?

“The Potion of Swiftness Zeke-nim drank… it contains a concentrated liquid from a plant called ‘Laternain,’ doesn’t it? And Laternain is a plant that intoxicates living beings.”

“Huh? Uh… that’s right. I think I said strange things back then because I was intoxicated by the Potion of Swiftness. I’m sorry, but…”

“They say that when a person is drunk, their true feelings come out, don’t they? That means those words were Zeke-nim’s true feelings. That’s why I fell for you at first sight~”

What kind of logic is this? So she took everything I said while drunk as my true feelings? Were the things I said so moving? They seemed like words that would only upset the Saintess! As I was confused, the Saintess approached closer to my side and spoke… with her face darkened by shadow…

“From that moment, I swore to love Zeke-nim. I will help so that no one can disturb Zeke-nim. Every time I think only of Zeke-nim, I can’t stay still from happiness, and every time I see Zeke-nim’s face, I feel like I own the world. For me, only Zeke-nim is enough…. The country or anything else doesn’t matter anymore…. I was born for this moment… to love Zeke-nim…! Hahahaha…”

Something was terribly wrong. When I realized the Saintess I saved had recovered from her madness, I felt relieved. But that wasn’t it. This woman… she’s in love with me while still being mad!

“Zeke-nim, are you perhaps thinking that I’m in love with you while being mad right now?”

What?! How did she know?! The fact that she hit it precisely was even more chilling, but her talking to me with an even darker face was more terrifying!

“Seeing your flustered reaction, I see I was right. But that’s the correct answer! I’m currently madly in love with Zeke-nim…! I want to see Zeke-nim at all times…. If there’s a woman by Zeke-nim’s side, I want to tear her away with all my might…! Only I… Only I can gaze at Zeke-nim…?”

Whoa, stop right there. Any more than this would be dangerous. Should I drink alcohol again? Even though I’m weak to it… I struggled with my thoughts and covered the Saintess’s mouth, who held a deep attachment… no, obsession for me. The Saintess seemed greatly flustered, looking at me with a bewildered expression.

“That’s not allowed. Even if you hate the world, I hope you’ll think of others besides me. Even if what I said was due to being drunk… my wish for Saintess-nim to get better was sincere, so I ask you this.”

“Ah… But… If others were to look at Zeke-nim…”

“Anyway, I’m not really famous. No one will recognize me…”

“But if some woman walking down the street looks at Zeke-nim… Aaah… I can’t stand it!!! With these hands!!”

“Let’s stop there… So let’s make a promise. Don’t kill people without reason. Even if someone just looks at me.”

“Huh? Then I have a condition too, Zeke-nim. I want to follow you on your expedition.”

“Hmm? How did you know I was going on an expedit… Ah.”

Oh, right. I showed the Saintess my expedition logbook before, didn’t I? It seems the Saintess read my book while I was unconscious. The Saintess took the book out of my backpack, opened it to the first page, and showed it to me.

“You came from Todrua, right?”

“Yes.”

“So you chose this nearby place. Ahh… The thought of meeting Zeke-nim’s parents in Todrua someday…”

“Why is the topic heading that way again…?”

“Oops!”

It was surprisingly easy to bring the Saintess, who was lost in strange fantasies, back to her senses. Whatever I said or did, she would immediately regain her composure. The Saintess collected herself and said to me.

“The records in this book are very well-made. So I’ll help Zeke-nim fill every page of this book. Of course… because I love you too~ Hehe…”

The first part of her words sounded enticing, but the latter part was a little scary. I don’t know why the shadows on the Saintess’s face deepen every time she says that. Is it because of the bonfire… or because she lowers her head every time she does that… Still, what… if she’s offering to help, why refuse?

“Alright. Let’s go together.”

“R-Really?!”

“Yes. Since we’ll be traveling together, what’s your name, Saintess-nim?”

“Ah! I’m Aria Ritt… I’m 24 years old… Please call me Aria…”

“Wait, 24? That’s the same as me?… Oops.”

Ah, I made a mistake. I have no dating experience, but I knew instinctively. If I said that, the Saintess… no, Aria, would definitely start fantasizing again! Sure enough, upon hearing my words, Aria suddenly grinned widely and began to fantasize again!

“U-Um, anyway, I look forward to working with you…”

“Zeke-nim… You can use informal speech with me… But I’m comfortable using formal speech, perhaps because my previous life as a Saintess melted away… Is that alright?”

“Uh… Yeah… Whatever’s comfortable…”

When I used informal speech, Aria fell into another fantasy. Ugh… No, no. There’s no cure for this… Ugh… I sighed deeply and pulled a black garment out of my backpack. Then I took out some bread and a bottle containing some liquid from deep inside the backpack and said to Aria.

“Take it off.”

“Huh?! Ah… A terrifying giggle… Zeke-nim, you tease…”

“No, I don’t mean everything… Take off those priestly robes… That’s your outer garment, isn’t it…?”

“Tsk.”

What was that? Did I just hear something? Did Aria click her tongue just now? Was she seriously planning to take *everything* off?! As I panicked greatly, Aria took off her priestly robes, which were her outer garment, and handed them to me. Aria seemed peeved, looking at me with a sullen expression. What sin did I commit, ugh…

“Here you go. But what are you planning to do with this…?”

“Just wait a moment… You’re not going out like that, are you? Besides, if it gets out that you’re the last surviving Saintess of Esrad, there might be a commotion outside…”

“Huh? But what is it you’re going to…?”

I placed my black clothes on a stone. Then I stacked Aria’s worn priestly robes on top and sprinkled a small amount of the liquid from the bottle. Aria kept watching me, curious about what I would do. Hehe… Just try not to be surprised! I slapped the pile of clothes with my palm. The liquid I had sprinkled on the clothes began to bubble and boil, then it swelled from my palm. Seeing that, Aria, startled, said.

“What is this?!”

“Mending fluid. Just watch!”

As the mending fluid swelled enough to cover the pile of clothes, I slapped the pile again with my palm. The liquid then began to disappear from the spot, and in its place, the white priestly robes had turned black, and my clothes were gone. That’s because I mended Aria’s priestly robes with the mending fluid! The problem was that only black clothes were possible, so the priestly robes turned black…

“There. I combined my clothes to mend your priestly robes. Hmm… About the black color… Huh?”

As I was about to hand her the priestly robes, Aria suddenly started crying again. Then she rubbed her face against the robes I offered and said.

“Zeke-nim’s clothes are on my clothes…! I can wear this?! I don’t care! I can die without regrets!”

“There she goes again… Ah, Aria. Bend at your waist here for a moment and put your hand on the stone. Let’s dye your hair too.”

“Ah… Yes!”

As Aria bent at her waist and rested her arm on the stone, I washed her hair with clean water. Then I sprinkled the leftover mending fluid on Aria’s hair and rubbed it in. Mending fluid normally only works on clothes, but by occasionally using magic to change its purpose, I made it possible to change a person’s hair color with it. Through this, I began to change Aria’s hair color. But…

“A terrifying giggle…. A chilling cackle…”

Every time I massaged Aria’s head, a terrifying giggle began to emanate from somewhere. This… this is definitely Aria’s voice… Once the dyeing was somewhat complete, I showed Aria a mirror.

“Through mending magic, I permanently turned your hair black. All my clothes are black, and the mending fluid is black too, so I couldn’t help it…”

“I liked having the same hair color as Zeke-nim… But still, thank you for choosing it for me, Zeke-nim! And this outfit too!”

Aria, wearing the black priestly robes I had just mended, spun around in place, showing me her new look. This… black clothes, black hair… she’s become completely black.

“I love it! And it’s great that I can travel with Zeke-nim like this! Ahhh… To be able to see Zeke-nim’s face every day… I can die without regrets!!”

“R-Right… Anyway… you’re completely black… Isn’t this like a completely black Saintess?”

“Hmm~ People rarely wear black priestly robes… But I love Zeke-nim even more than God, so I could wear a thousand more outfits like this…!!”

She’s still a bit scary, after all. And so, I now have a terrifying but reliable…

“And because of this, I also learned that Zeke-nim is weak to alcohol… A chilling cackle…”

…Ugh, whatever. Anyway, I gained a companion. It’s worrying because she’s scary and might do strange things sometimes… but… well, it’s better than traveling alone. Please take care of me.

The Black Saintess, Aria Ritt.

“Agh…!! Agh…!”

“Ugh… Mmmph…”

The next morning. I didn’t sleep well. The reason was simple. I was sleeping in the tent with Aria, and Aria was staring at me with wide, glittering eyes, never getting tired of watching me with my eyes closed. Moreover, I could faintly hear Aria’s terrifying giggle, and the great fear from her terrifying gaze made it impossible for me to sleep at all… I deeply regretted gaining a companion. Or perhaps, I regretted accepting Aria as a companion…