Ch.199Side Story 2. The Story After, Irina (2)

# The Story After, Eirene (2)

Eirene’s expression was the very epitome of a pitiful young girl. Should I say it evoked a protective instinct that made one want to embrace her?

Is this an act? Is it sincere? Unable to determine the answer, I hesitate.

Even if this is an act, she looks so pitiable that I want to be deceived.

That fatal charm.

I can’t tell if her displaying this now is simply coincidence, or if she’s hiding something and using it as a ploy to reel me in.

If this is simply meant to seduce me, depending on the situation, I wouldn’t mind falling for it.

But I’ve recently experienced the madness of Tina and Millia.

And I’m sorry to say this, but Eirene also harbors madness no less than those two.

I think she’s kind and lovely, but…

I can’t say I haven’t seen the other sides she occasionally shows.

“…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to put you in a difficult position.”

“N-No, not at all. I was just thinking you might have been thinking that, but that would never happen!”

Despite being as careful as possible, my mouth reacted first to her guilt-laden words.

But it should be fine, right?

It’s just a few words.

“That’s a relief. I thought Lug might have lost his affection for me…”

“That’s impossible! How could I not love you, Eirene?”

“Is that so?”

Only then did Eirene smile.

By this point, does it even matter what mistake I made?

She’s so happy now.

“Haha! What a relief!”

“Indeed, the Saintess must truly be blessed by God!”

“Yes! Absolutely!”

“…”

For some reason, the noise outside the carriage increased.

It’s as if they had been listening to our conversation in silence from the beginning, and now they’re all talking at once—making me wonder if this was Eirene’s plan all along.

Public acknowledgment in front of many people.

They might even be recording this.

That’s Eirene’s specialty, after all.

Since she often appears in public, she seems to place great importance on crowd psychology.

Of course, it’s clear that I care for her regardless…

But she might be using this to keep others in check.

“…How embarrassing.”

Looking at Eirene’s reaction, I’m confused again about whether this was orchestrated or coincidental.

Each of her expressions conveys such clear emotions that I wonder if they might be fabricated.

Eirene’s acting is so perfect that it’s impossible to distinguish.

While others might reveal suspicious undertones behind their smiles, Eirene doesn’t.

I’ve never not fallen for Eirene’s schemes.

“Ah, shall we stay here tonight? You might not be sleepy since you just woke up, Lug, but I think we should set up camp soon.”

“Oh, I’m fine. You don’t need to accommodate just for me…”

“…Lug, you’re the Demon King now. You haven’t forgotten, have you?”

“Ah, right. Ahem… Still, I’m fine. No problem.”

I’ve been so busy working that I forgot I was the Demon King.

How could I suggest not caring about me when that might cause problems for disrespecting a country’s king?

I really don’t mind, but I know well that such consideration can be poison to those who don’t know me well.

The very reason I wanted to quit the hero’s party was because of that cursed ‘consideration.’

I couldn’t bear that pretext. Of course, now I know it was all deliberate…

But I couldn’t doubt it then.

Others would likely feel the same.

“Then I’ll let them know they can set up camp now. Lug, please rest here. Ah! Just in case I should mention…”

“I won’t run away.”

“That’s good. If Lug suddenly disappeared, everyone here would have no choice but to search for you.”

“…”

“Because Lug is a king of a country.”

Is this it?!

Is this why she brought the holy knights and priests? To control my every move?!

I feel a chill down my spine as I belatedly realize Eirene’s clever move.

Desertion is inconsiderate. I knew that, but I did it because I had suffered at the hands of the hero’s party.

Escaping from those who tormented me wasn’t desertion—it was escape. It wasn’t inconsiderate at all.

But these people are different.

They’re just devout religious followers who came with Eirene.

Some even appear to be elderly pilgrims.

If I were to run away from here…

“Cough! Cough!”

“Ah! Priest Sistus! I told you not to come!”

“This is a place to serve God. Though I am old and decrepit, how could I miss such a precious opportunity?”

“But Priest! Your back is in bad shape, and even riding in the carriage is difficult for you. You might really die at this rate!”

“What is there to fear in death? Even if I die, I’ll simply enter the cycle of reincarnation. This old body has already fulfilled a lifetime’s dream just by being able to serve God closely, so don’t worry about me.”

“…”

Voices suddenly reach my ears.

No.

No, really.

Are they deliberately letting me hear this?

Did they plan all this from the beginning and bring these people for this purpose?

This way, even if the time comes when I should escape, I can’t.

How could I run away and leave behind someone more vulnerable than myself?

Especially when they came to see me!

This is impossible. Though I’ve already given up on the idea of running away, Eirene’s methods frighten me.

“Saintess, there’s a lake nearby. We’ve already drawn as much water as needed, and there’s no one around, so you can perform your purification ritual.”

“Is that so? Thank you for letting me know. As one who serves God most closely, I should keep my body and mind pure. I’ll go right away.”

“…Yes!”

Eirene answered in a businesslike yet gentle voice.

The female devotee’s voice outside was filled with joy.

The hero party’s Saintess, who has overwhelming trust from religious figures.

That’s Eirene’s current position. That’s what she wanted, after all.

“Well then, Lug. Would it be alright if I step out for a moment?”

Eirene said this with a grin. But that smile was quite different from the pure and pitiful girl’s smile she had shown until now.

It was somewhat suggestive.

“…”

Gulp.

I swallow dryly, easily inferring the meaning of that smile, which contrasts with her usual demeanor.

This is seduction.

An invitation suggesting that if I want to see her in a place where no one is around, I can come.

And if I move in Eirene’s direction, that incident will surely become gossip among people.

“But…”

It’s not necessarily a bad thing, is it?

Even if rumors spread about us being close, we’re already married.

There’s no problem if we’re rumored to have a good relationship.

Perhaps this is even helping Eirene. Yes, if showing our good relationship in front of many devotees raises her position within her order…

There’s no harm in helping.

“Ahem!”

“Ah! Divine God! Do you have something to command?”

The moment I left the carriage with my decision, all the devotees bowed their heads in unison.

When I first met them, I felt intimidated, but now I wonder if they were just lined up in formation to greet me.

But this is a bit excessive.

My heart sinks seeing an old man not just bowing his head but prostrating himself on the ground.

Isn’t that the person who complained about his back pain earlier?

“…I’m just going for a short walk.”

“I see! An escort will be nece— Ugh?!”

“Have a good walk, Divine God!”

A holy knight who thoughtlessly declared escort duty collapses.

Looking closely, a female devotee was standing behind him.

Recalling her voice, it’s the same devotee who reported finding the lake to Eirene earlier.

Did she hit him? To shut his mouth from saying unnecessary things?

With this level of planning, I should play along. This is unavoidable.

I trudged toward the lake where Eirene had gone for her purification ritual, using a walk as my excuse.

***

Although I hadn’t been told the lake’s location, finding it wasn’t a problem.

The path was neatly arranged, so I just had to walk along it.

Upon arriving at the lake, I saw Eirene.

“Wow, you came.”

Eirene giggled.

Her smile simultaneously conveyed a girl’s mischievousness and a grown woman’s seductiveness.

As I’ve been thinking, her expressions are too easy to read.

Astonishingly so.

“It’s burdensome, isn’t it?”

“…”

“This is the current situation of the Divine God Order. They’ve become arrogant. But, Lug, I think this way.”

After a moment of silence accompanied by the dripping sound of water, Eirene spoke.

“It’s time for the Divine God Order to disappear.”

“…”

“Don’t you think so?”

“Pardon? What did you say?”

“…”

I’m truly sorry, but I couldn’t hear because I was distracted by the flesh-colored skin visible through her thin, wet clothes clinging to her body.