The Fake Saint Celista (1)

After all the acts were over, inside the bathtub.

“……”

“……”

In the bathtub filled with warm water heated by Sally, Ethan and I quietly locked eyes.

Leaning against opposite ends of the tub with our knees drawn up to our chests, facing each other.

Covering various parts of my body with my knees and the tops of my feet while subtly avoiding Ethan’s gaze.

…How did things end up like this?

Initially, it was supposed to be an act started without much thought. After all, it was just about using my ‘hands’ to relieve Ethan’s sexual desires.

But when I came to my senses, not only had I shown Ethan my naked body, but at the final moment, I’d even received the byproduct of his pleasure with my own body.

After the act was over, a cold emotion washed over me, leaving me strangely confused.

‘I didn’t plan to go this far.’

Showing Ethan my lower half naked wasn’t part of the plan.

The upper half had already been seen many times before, so showing it again wouldn’t have mattered much, but the lower half was only exposed because the towel slipped away.

If I’d known this would happen, I should have at least worn underwear underneath.

Moreover, Ethan, conscious of my reaction, deliberately removed his towel to fully expose himself, and as his exclusive maid, it would have been odd for me to pick up the towel and cover myself again.

After all, I only showed him-I didn’t let him touch me directly, so if you really think about it, it was barely within safe limits…

‘No, thinking about it, it wasn’t safe at all.’

If we keep progressing at this reckless pace, there’s a high chance we’ll cross the line before graduating from the academy.

I should have restrained myself a bit more somehow.

Maybe it would have been better to awkwardly tell him to take off his pants on the bed in exchange for the complete victory reward.

Of course, that would have been embarrassing too, but at least I wouldn’t have had to feel the shame of showing my naked body.

“……”

-Splash.

Even though covering myself at this point was meaningless since he’d already seen everything, I still tried to push my body further into the corner of the tub.

Amid the awkward silence as we continued bathing, Ethan’s voice calling my name reached my ears.

“Lilith.”

Perhaps because we were in the bathroom, Ethan’s voice sounded slightly softer than usual.

Suppressing the dazed feeling from the hot steam of the tub, I tried my best to maintain my composure as I answered him.

“Yes, Young Master Ethan.”

“…Thank you for today.”

“Huh?”

“I didn’t expect you to go this far for me. I was looking forward to the complete victory reward, but I never imagined you’d do something like this.”

Well, of course-I didn’t expect myself to go this far either.

Looking back, maybe things had already gone wrong the moment I stepped into the bathroom with just a single towel draped over me.

Lately, the reward acts between Ethan and me had been escalating, and I couldn’t help but feel it subconsciously. Even though I clearly knew in my head that this shouldn’t happen.

…I should make sure to clearly set boundaries next time so we don’t accidentally go further like this again.

“…This is as far as I’ll go, Young Master Ethan.”

“Huh?”

“Even if you win against the Master in the next sparring match, I won’t be able to give you anything beyond what I did today.”

“…What do you mean?”

“I heard that from the next match onward, the Master will be seriously using both mana and physical energy against you.”

“…That’s right.”

“Naturally, it’ll be much harder to win than before, but even if you do win, please don’t expect me to do anything more than what I did for you today.”

“…Ah, so that’s what you meant?”

“Yes. Let me say it again-I absolutely cannot allow any sexual intercourse between us before you graduate from the academy.”

“…Ah, yeah. I know, Lilith.”

Since I’d stated it so firmly, Ethan must have understood.

Given that my mental age is much older, it’s only natural that I, as the elder, should clearly draw the line in situations like this.

Maintaining boundaries while engaging in temporary lover-like behavior was truly not an easy task.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

“…Please don’t expect me to do anything more than what I did for you today.”

“…Ah, so that’s what you meant?”

“Yes. Let me say it again-I absolutely cannot allow any sexual intercourse between us before you graduate from the academy.”

“…Ah, yeah. I know, Lilith.”

Listening to Lilith’s words as she tried to sort out her confused emotions and firmly set boundaries, Ethan quietly thought to himself.

Today, he had entered the bathroom naked with Lilith and experienced the sensation of climax for the first time under her hands.

Silently reflecting on today’s experience in his mind, Ethan repeated her words.

‘So she’ll go this far for me. I thought things would just go back to groping her chest from now on…’

Unbeknownst to her, Lilith had unknowingly reignited Ethan’s motivation to grow stronger.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

A week had passed since I first gave Ethan the “complete victory reward” in the bathroom.

The second semester of the first year at Luminor Academy’s Magic Department continued to progress smoothly without any major issues.

Though Ethan and I were awkward for a while after leaving the bathroom, we returned to our usual relationship within a few days.

My potion trades with Lizzy for the final hunting festival, which had resumed after reconnecting through the student council, were also going smoothly.

‘This semester will probably end without any problems.’

After all, it was the hero and his companions who were supposed to face endless incidents and hardships-not me.

Even though I’d possessed Lilith, the current me was neither Ethan’s slave nor a tragic heroine.

As long as I didn’t interfere with the main story, I should only experience events befitting an ordinary academy student. …It’s just that things had been going awry lately, putting me in one crisis after another.

Defeating the Abyssal Kraken was something the hero was supposed to do-it had nothing to do with me…

‘Come to think of it, is the hero doing alright?’

By defeating the Abyssal Kraken myself, I’d unintentionally stolen a major EXP event from the hero.

Of course, even without the Abyssal Kraken subjugation, there were countless other ways to gain EXP in [Luminor Academy], but who knows if Gyeotmwa Josyegigot would see it that way.

And if the hero was targeting Agnes, missing out on a major affection event might make him resent me and Ethan.

‘I wish I could somehow find out what that hero guy thinks about me and Ethan right now.’

With that thought in mind, as I walked toward Ethan’s Swordsmanship Department building after finishing morning classes early, the most familiar member of the hero’s group coincidentally appeared before me.

Her pink hair and pure white priestess robes were striking, so I deliberately greeted her cheerfully and approached from behind.

“Haaah… How can I reveal that Lilith is the real saint without any problems…”

“Hello, Saint Celista.”

“Eek, Kyahaaak?!”

“…Eek?!”

The moment I called her name and approached from behind, Celista jumped in fright, her body jerking backward.

Her reaction was so exaggerated that I instinctively stepped back in surprise.

With an expression ten times more startled than mine, Celista clutched her chest with both hands and stared at me.

“Haa, haa, haa…”

“…Saint?”

“D-Did you hear that?”

“Huh?”

“…Ah, no! If you didn’t hear it, then i-it has nothing to do with you, Lilith…”

It seemed like she had been muttering something to herself, but apparently, it was something she didn’t want others to hear.

Maybe she was agonizing over confessing to the hero she had a crush on or something.

Given Celista’s personality, it wouldn’t be surprising if she had been muttering something like that. The shy demeanor of a girl in love was the essence of her character.

Remembering her appearance from the original game, a fond smile naturally formed on my lips.

-Smirk.

“Eek?! S-Sorry…! Y-You did hear it after all?!”

“…Huh?”

“W-Well, lying under the name of the Goddess is wrong, right? W-What I’ve done so far can’t be helped, but I-I should confess my true feelings as soon as…”

“P-Please calm down, Saint! I don’t know what’s troubling you, but for now, please place your hands on your chest and take deep breaths!”

“Huff, huff, huff…”

“More slowly, please, Saint. More slowly.”

“Huuuu… Huuuu…”

…Did I do something weird to her while staying at the church?

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t recall anything. I remember just quietly receiving treatment and leaving as soon as possible.

Or maybe she’s acting like this because she thinks I overheard her muttering just now, whatever it was about.

For the sake of smooth conversation, calming her down seemed like the priority.

“I really didn’t hear what you were muttering earlier, Saint Celista, so you don’t need to worry.”

“Huh? T-Then that smile just now…”

“It was just a natural smile because I was happy to see you. After all, Saint Celista is my life’s benefactor.”

“…Ah, aah… S-So that’s what that smile meant… Whew, huuu…”

“If my approach made you uncomfortable, I apologize, Saint Celista.”

“N-No…! I-It was just my misunderstanding. Haha…”

…For some reason, her reactions today feel particularly awkward.

Just looking at Celista’s flustered expression, it seemed like she was hiding something from me.

And given her personality-unaccustomed to hiding things-it was highly likely that she actually was.

She was one of the easiest characters to read in the game, after all.

Though she was a character who pretended to be Lilith under the title of “Saint of Prophecy,” if Celista were truly a saint, a title like “Saint of Purity” would suit her better.

…Well, whether Celista really has something she doesn’t want to tell me or not, it’s not something I need to worry about.

As I always say, I have no intention of getting unnecessarily involved with the main characters of [Luminor Academy].

The hero is the same, and Saint Celista is also a first-class danger to me right now.

The only reason I’m approaching her now is for confirmation.

To casually ask if Gyeotmwa Josyegigot harbors any ill feelings toward me and Ethan because of what happened before.

If I don’t clarify this now, the hero might unintentionally hold a grudge against us later.

“Um, Saint Celista. Since we’ve met like this, would it be alright if I asked you one question?”

“Y-Yes…? A q-question…?”

“Yes. If it’s uncomfortable, you don’t have to answer.”

“Ah, y-yes…”

“…Actually, it’s more about the hero than you.”

“……”

“By any chance, has the hero mentioned anything about me or Young Master Ethan recently? I just wanted to ask about that.”

“…………Huh?”