Chapter 140 – The Saintess and Her Guardian (18)

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Knock, knock, knock.

“Estelle, open the door.”

What should I do about this?

My mind was in turmoil.

Even if the world were ending right now, I didn’t want to open that door.

I had reinforced it with magic circles, fearing Edel might force it open… but that was only a temporary measure.

I told him to go ask the Saintess about this and that, so why in the world did the topic shift to chests of all things?

And then, out of nowhere, he turned the conversation toward me and had the audacity to start pounding on my door, clearly intending to sexually harass me again—

BANG, BANG, BANG!

At this point, the way he was knocking with enough force to break the door down made the future all too clear.

“I’m coming in.”

I had locked the door, but Edel phased straight through the wall, dusted off his clothes, and appeared before me as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Edel…? Can you calm down first?”

“I am perfectly calm.”

Calm, my foot.

He was staring holes into my chest.

The sheer embarrassment from his gaze alone was indescribable.

“S-So, how was the Saintess?”

“Hmm…”

I already knew the Saintess’s progress through my magic circles, but my desperate attempt to change the subject was in vain.

Edel completely ignored my words, letting out a low hum, his eyes still fixed on the same spot.

“My chest isn’t sagging! Got it?!”

Might as well get this over with quickly.

I defiantly thrust out my chest—proudly showcasing the flawless, gravity-defying curves I had maintained through over a century of meticulous self-care.

“The Saintess said I would understand if I touched it.”

“You insane bastard, do you really think I’d let you touch me?!”

T-Touch?! Touch what?!

Was this guy out of his mind?!

I was already sensitive enough that I didn’t even let Josie near them easily—there was no way I’d permit Edel to lay a finger on them.

…Well, maybe if he had asked in a more romantic atmosphere.

But did he seriously think I’d just allow him to grope me out of nowhere?

Holding arms or interlacing fingers was one thing—that was just for studying romance! It didn’t mean I was giving him free rein!

“What would make you let me touch them? If I let you touch mine first, would that count as the ‘give and take’ you mentioned?”

“You—!”

Did he think I was insane enough to engage in some kind of chest exchange?!

As Edel began undoing his buttons one by one, I instinctively covered my eyes with my palms.

“…You bastard.”

Peeking through the gaps between my fingers, I caught sight of Edel’s chest—sculpted with such dense muscle that it radiated sheer, terrifying destructive energy.

The well-defined abs beneath his pecs, the intricate web of lean muscle, the scars scattered across his body like battle trophies—it was an overwhelming display of raw masculinity.

Gulp.

I swallowed hard without realizing it.

What the hell was wrong with me, reacting like this to a man’s body?!

One thing was certain—the stimulation was too much.

Maybe just once wouldn’t hurt…?

…Just one little poke.

A light tap with my finger—nothing more.

It’d be so firm that I probably wouldn’t even feel anything.

Before I knew it, my finger was slowly inching toward Edel’s chest—

“NOOOOOO!!!”

Have you lost your mind, Estelle?!?! Get a grip!!!

I barely managed to regain my senses and shook my head violently. I had almost fallen right into Edel’s trap.

Instead, I reached out and rebuttoned his shirt, then let out a deep, exhausted sigh.

“Haa… Why are you so fixated on touching them? You can see them just fine. Is it that important?”

He’d had plenty of opportunities during our dates, yet he had been so careful not to let his hands wander—so why was he suddenly so insistent now?

I didn’t understand why I even had to argue with Edel about my chest… Was it because his ideal type was a woman with a chest like mine?

“The Saintess said that area must be difficult for you to maintain. That it’s heavy enough to cause pain just from walking… Surely, it must be the weight of a true warrior. To think you defeated me while carrying two of them—I was merely curious.”

Edel was dead serious. Whether this was harassment or some bizarre form of praise, the sheer sincerity in his voice made it sound almost profound.

If an orc had spouted this nonsense, I would’ve cut them down before they could even finish their sentence. But coming from Edel, it somehow felt like genuine curiosity.

If it wasn’t just base desire driving him, but this kind of reasoning…

“You can’t touch them.”

“I see. A shame.”

Still, no touching.

Edel lowered his eyes, shoulders slumping like a dejected puppy.

“If not touching…”

There were plenty of other ways to gauge their weight.

The way his eyes immediately lit back up made me sigh in exasperation.

Is this really okay?

If I refused and he ended up groping some other woman’s chest… Just the thought of the pure love seedling I’d carefully nurtured corrupting was enough to make my heart ache.

Better to let him train with mine—for the sake of his romantic education.

With that in mind, I grabbed his hand, sat him down on a chair, and stood behind him.

“Just once. I’ll rest them on your head. Haa… What am I even doing? Who in their right mind would offer this kind of ‘service’ over such ridiculous nonsense? I’ll be lucky if this doesn’t spell trouble somewhere down the line.”

“Understood.”

Should I just punch him?

One good knockout punch, and I could probably convince him that was the weight of my chest.

But no—this was all for Edel’s romantic development. The pure, untainted romance I had painstakingly cultivated from the ground up.

With that in mind, I deactivated the magic circle reinforcing my clothes.

The weight settling on my shoulders was one thing, but the moment I cupped my chest in both hands—firm yet yielding—I tensed up.

Even seated, Edel was tall enough that I had to rise onto my tiptoes to rest them atop his head.

This wasn’t even touching—just placing them there—so why were my palms sweating so much?!

Please tell me sweat wasn’t pooling underneath…

If they left an imprint on his head from the pressure, I might just die of embarrassment.

“Haaah…”

I took a deep breath, steadying my trembling nerves.

It’s just like when we held arms, Estelle.

You’re just resting them on his head, that’s all.

We’d already had skin contact before—this wasn’t any harder. And unlike interlacing fingers, there was no risk of anything happening.

Or so I thought—until the strain of holding them up without magic started making my arms ache.

A clear sign it was time to stop.

I’d never paid attention to their weight before, but now that I was conscious of it, they felt substantial.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I removed my hands—

KABOOOOOM!!!

A deafening explosion rocked the room, far too loud to have come from my chest simply settling on Edel’s head. The entire building trembled from the force.

Any concern over how Edel’s head felt beneath me or the sensitive stimulation from contact was instantly forgotten.

“So this is the sound Estelle makes? Impressive. Truly formidable.”

“That wasn’t me!!!”

Sure, my chest was heavy, but if it made a noise like that, his head would’ve exploded! How was that even possible?!

The timing had just been a coincidence—the real source of the explosion was elsewhere.

Not here, but another part of the cathedral.

Because aside from Edel, two other people were present in the cathedral right now.

The Saintess and her Guardian.

Unless he’d been fed blood, there was no way the magic-sealed Guardian could’ve gone berserk—so this had to be the aftermath of the Saintess invoking a miracle.

“Well? Did you get a good feel for the weight?”

“Hmm… More than enough.”

If not for that explosion, I might’ve left them there indefinitely—so I quickly lifted them away and reactivated the reinforcement magic on my clothes.

Edel looked disappointed, but right now, identifying the source of that noise took priority.

I unfolded a magic circle to check if the Saintess had indeed invoked a miracle.

“Huh?”

If she had, the surroundings should’ve brightened beyond daylight—yet the magic circle displayed only a grayscale image.

Shifting it toward the hallway, I was met with a thick haze of dust obscuring the screen.

Had the Saintess thrown a tantrum or something?

If her wings had fully awakened into two pairs, she could forcibly command the angel.

Maybe she’d decided invoking miracles was impossible and opted to flee with her Guardian in the dead of night.

If Edel hadn’t been so fixated on my chest, I could’ve monitored the situation in real time and prevented this explosion.

“Is something wrong?”

I shot him a glare, blaming this whole mess on him, and he subtly checked my expression—as if sensing my irritation.

Ugh. It’s not really Edel’s fault.

I could’ve just coldly refused, but in the end, I was the one who indulged him in some form.

Back then, things like holding hands, linking arms, or this would’ve been unthinkable.

But now, bit by bit, Edel’s pursuit for pure love was chipping away at my defenses.

I didn’t like it.

At this rate, I might actually end up letting him touch them someday.

“Something’s wrong with the Saintess. I’ve invested three days into this—if she’s trying to escape now, we’ve got a problem.”

Even if she hadn’t fled—even if Vempir inside the Guardian had caused trouble—it wouldn’t be anything major.

Dismissing it lightly, I took Edel’s hand and stepped out of the room.