Ch.266Chapter 266 – Trauma

The day after the intense act.

As usual, my eyes began to open slowly when the set time came.

I felt a different warmth and weight beside me, and as I gently turned my head, I saw Sera sleeping soundly.

“…Hey…”

With a peaceful expression, Sera was sleeping deeply, seemingly having a good dream.

Her face looked so cute that I almost reached out my finger to poke her cheek, but decided against it.

Rather than waking her up on a whim, it would be better to let her sleep a little longer.

“Should I ventilate the room first?”

After carefully extracting myself, I pulled the blanket up to cover Sera’s shoulders, as she wasn’t wearing a single thread of clothing.

Then, as I opened the window, clear, cold air began to flow into the room.

I started filling the bathtub with hot spring water again and slowly tidied up the scattered clothes.

Just as I was finishing the cleanup and preparations, Sera began to stir with the rustling of blankets, half-raising her body.

“…Did you sleep well…?”

A voice full of drowsiness.

Seeing her eyes only half-open, she was clearly still sleepy.

Since there was still time, I thought she could sleep more, so I laid her back down on the bed and said:

“You can sleep more.”

“…Kay, come sleep beside me too…”

With a sleepy face, Sera pulled on my shoulder, drawing me toward her.

With just a blanket between us, her body pressed against mine.

“Come on…”

“Honestly.”

Pretending to give in, I lifted the blanket slightly and lay down beside Sera.

Soon, Sera looked at me with a drowsy face, smiled, and pressed her body against mine as we shared our warmth while embracing each other.

After a few minutes.

Sera, whose blank face was gradually regaining vitality, suddenly changed her expression and bolted upright in bed.

“Huh? Ah? What??”

As if confused about the current situation, Sera made various sounds while looking around.

Her gaze moved in sequence from the ventilating room to the tidied clothes and the bathtub filled with warm water.

Then slowly, she looked at her own body, then at mine.

Soon, with a reddening face, she quietly said:

“…We did it.”

Sera spoke in a dazed voice.

“We really did it.”

Sera placed her hand on her stomach and slowly moved it downward as she spoke:

“I really did it with you, Kay.”

“Yes.”

Sera’s eyes trembled slightly as if she couldn’t believe the current situation.

I carefully asked her:

“…Did you dislike it?”

“No!”

Startled by my question, Sera waved both hands in denial.

“It’s just, well, it was actually a moment I’d been dreaming of. So it’s a bit hard to believe, that’s all.”

Sera started rambling for a moment.

Then, soon blushing, she said:

“…I’m sorry. I was too drowsy and got confused for a moment.”

“I see.”

I stood up quietly and hugged Sera.

As my hands touched her bare back and shoulders, Sera, who had been quietly accepting the embrace, soon pressed her body into my arms.

Then her hands slowly embraced my back, and soon she looked up at me and said:

“…I like you, Kay.”

After saying that, Sera raised her head and pressed her lips to mine.

After the light kiss ended, Sera gently pulled away and soon said with a playful smile:

“…Let me ask you honestly. Did you prefer Eve or me?”

“Well, that’s…”

No matter what, this isn’t something to reveal right away.

So I decided to quickly change the subject.

“More importantly, did you know about Eve and me?”

“Of course.”

Sera opened her mouth with a smile.

Apparently, after the act with Eve in Albheim,

Eve immediately informed Sera about it.

And Sera lowered her head as if embarrassed.

“…After that, Eve actually pushed me forward. Saying it would only be fair if I did it with you too…”

“That Eve.”

I found it unexpected.

I thought Eve would really hate Sera being like this with me.

And as if reading my thoughts, Sera smiled and said:

“Neither Eve nor I dislike each other that much, you know?”

“But the atmosphere between you two gets tense sometimes.”

“That’s more like competing for who gets to be the official wife…”

Sera mumbled quietly before stopping herself.

“…Anyway, Eve actually spoke up first. She said it was fairly my turn next.”

“I see.”

Perhaps Eve’s attitude toward me this time was to provoke Sera.

I thought Eve was alone in the hot spring, but maybe Sera was there with her too.

As I was about to think more about Eve, suddenly Sera tapped my chest lightly and called me.

“Hey, Kay.”

“Yes?”

“Can I ask for one favor?”

“What is it?”

To my question, Sera blushed and quietly said:

“…Just once, just here.”

Twisting her body nervously, Sera lowered her head.

“…Please say ‘I love you, honey’ just once.”

I opened my eyes a bit wider at Sera’s words.

I couldn’t believe she was asking for such a thing.

I hesitated briefly, but it wasn’t difficult to grant her request.

So I hugged Sera again and said:

“I love you, honey.”

At those words, Sera raised her head.

Her face was even redder than before.

“I love you, Kay.”

Sera’s soft words echoed quietly.

And once again, we shared a kiss.

+

After washing our bodies in the bathtub one after another and heading outside the room, Eve was waiting right in front.

And she smiled leisurely and said:

“Did you sleep well?”

“…Thanks to you.”

Sera spoke to Eve with a somewhat complicated expression.

But Eve just smiled lightly and then looked at me and said:

“I’m glad you seem to have slept well. I was just thinking about pretending to enter and surprising you.”

“Thanks for holding back. You seem to have slept well too, Eve.”

I quietly asked Eve:

“Were you keeping watch?”

“Yes. Of course, just for a bit at dawn.”

It seemed Eve had been watching in case anyone came to my room.

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“There are some people of concern, you know. Like Sia…”

Eve said that and then quietly turned her head and continued:

“…Or Christina.”

Following Eve’s gaze, I indeed saw Chris approaching with Kara.

Chris, who had been approaching with a bright face, stopped briefly at a distance, then came closer with a puzzled expression and asked:

“Why are Sera and Guild Master Eve here?”

“My eyes opened early, so I came to wake Kay up.”

Eve was calmly lying.

At those words, Chris slightly furrowed her eyebrows and soon looked at Sera and said:

“You too, Sera?”

“Um… yes.”

Sera deliberately turned her gaze elsewhere as she spoke.

And Chris looked at Eve and Sera with half-open eyes.

“…This is suspicious. It feels like you’re lying…”

Just as Chris was about to turn her head toward me,

With a clap, Eve brought her hands together once and said:

“Anyway, since everyone’s awake, shall we go eat? Let’s wake the others too.”

Eve said that while looking at me and continued:

“Since there are many people, shall we split up?”

“Let’s do that.”

“Seraphina, would you mind going to the dining hall first with Kara? We’ll wake the remaining people.”

As Eve started to change the subject, I forcibly went along with it, and soon Eve began dividing the people.

Chris seemed to want to ask something in the middle, but Eve didn’t give her a chance.

So we split up to wake people, and after I woke up Peri and Eina, who were my responsibility, and arrived at the dining hall, food started being served.

I saw Eve, Sera, and Chris beckoning to me, and seeing that, Peri and Eina looked at me amusingly and said:

“You’re quite popular.”

“If you don’t go soon, you might get smacked.”

“Shut up.”

After separating from the two who were teasing me with smiles, I soon sat between Eve and Sera.

And Chris, who was watching the three of us from across the table, narrowed her eyes and said:

“…Suspicious… Sera has a strangely sensual aura…”

Chris looked at Sera with suspicious eyes and spoke.

And Kara, who was sitting next to Chris, also narrowed her eyes and said:

“You three. What happened?”

“Nothing special.”

I answered quickly.

Even if something did happen, I didn’t see a reason to tell Kara everything.

Kara, like Chris, looked at each of us with half-open eyes.

And she quietly said:

“Those two are fine, but pay attention to Christina too.”

“Of course.”

“…Make sure you do. That’s how you can avoid incidents like the holy power pouch…”

“KYAAAAH!!!”

In the middle of Kara’s words, Chris suddenly screamed.

And with a reddened face, she looked at me and said:

“What’s wrong with dreaming… Anyway, please forget about it…”

Judging by that extreme reaction, it seemed that incident had become a trauma for her.

And Eve, startled by Chris’s scream, looked at her quietly and then, as if remembering something, said:

“Come to think of it, are you not going to do that anymore?”

“I won’t, I won’t. Absolutely not. I won’t do it. I just, I’ll just live quietly as a washboard without even dreaming. So please forget what you saw, okay?”

Chris’s words got faster toward the end.

And Eve thought for a moment and then quietly said:

“But Christina, despite appearances, you’re a god now, right? It wouldn’t be bad to care about your appearance, would it?”

“Why?”

To my question, Eve quietly said:

“Because you’re a god. Don’t people think gods are close to perfect beings? Then it makes sense for gods to maintain an appearance close to perfection. Religions gather faith by saying gods are perfect, after all.”

“In other words, religion is just image business.”

With Sera’s one comment, the status of religion suddenly seemed to be degraded.

‘…But it’s not exactly wrong.’

Even adventurers or mercenaries who aren’t gods seem more trustworthy when they’re wearing neat equipment rather than just underwear.

So it would be advantageous for gods to be close to perfection when gathering faith.

“So, you’re saying she should wear the pouch for image purposes.”

“There’s no need when she’s with us, of course.”

And Eve looked at Chris and smiled.

“But since Christina seems to like improving her appearance, if you want to gather faith, perhaps…”

“I’msorryI’msorryIwon’tmisbehaveanymoreIwon’tbegreedyaboutmybreastsanymorepleaseforgetitpleaseplease.”

Unable to endure, Chris started to shrink.

And Eve seemed to be flustered, perhaps not having intended to really tease Chris.

“Christina?”

“Stop it, Chris’s life is already at zero.”

Although Chris usually took jokes well, seeing how serious this situation was, it seemed we should be more careful about teasing her than usual.

And fortunately, Eve and Sera seemed to have similar thoughts.

“Chris seems a bit pitiful.”

“I’m sorry, Christina. I didn’t mean to tease you…”

“Let’s buy her something delicious when we get to the next destination.”

At my words, Eve nodded seriously.

‘Come to think of it, I haven’t heard about our next destination yet.’

Since the purpose was to rest, I hadn’t heard about the next destination yet.

Above all, I was also distracted by Eve’s announcement that she would come at night.

Though it was actually Sera who came yesterday.

‘Wait.’

Thinking about it, Eve said she would come at night, but she didn’t specifically say she would come yesterday.

If that’s the case…

“What’s wrong with the nun girl?”

Beatrice approached, surprised to see Chris writhing from her trauma, and asked.

“Eve triggered her trauma.”

“Trauma?”

To Beatrice’s question, I gently tapped my chest.

With just that, Beatrice seemed to understand the situation immediately.

And after looking straight at Eve, me, and Chris once each,

She said to me with a serious face:

“You’re the bad one, helmet.”

“…Me?”

Responding to Beatrice’s absurd statement, Beatrice said with a serious face:

“I think you can consider all the women’s issues in our party as your problems.”

“Why?”

“Seriously, if we trace back that pouch incident, it’s because she wanted to look good to you…”

“AAAAH!!!”

Chris immediately showed an intense reaction.

And Beatrice, perhaps thinking she had said something harsh, quickly stood up and said:

“I’ll go comfort her.”

“Please do.”

At my request, Beatrice exhaled lightly and smiled.

Soon Beatrice took Chris away quietly and began to comfort her.

And Kara, who was looking at that scene wistfully, murmured blankly:

“…You all are too much.”

At Kara’s slightly reproachful words, we all quietly lowered our heads.