Chapter 134

Chapter 134

The Heroine of the 1st Playthrough Remembers My Training.

Episode 134: The Brainless Saint’s Mating Season (2).

The deserted path stretched on for quite a while before finally reaching its destination.

“…Phew.”

Beyond the field lay an expanse of gravestones.

…This was a cemetery built to console the souls of those who had lost their lives at Carnea.

The sight of numerous gravestones conveyed that Carnea had once been not an academy, but a training camp for soldiers destined for the battlefield.

“…”

Taking a few steps forward, I spotted a gravestone that looked unusually new amid the weathered stones.

【Emery Sylvester】

【Winfred】

【Eloise】

The moment I saw these familiar names, suppressed memories started creeping up from the depths of my heart.

─Are you tired? Want me to give you a massage?

─Studying? Don’t lie. If you studied so hard, why are you ranked 144th?

Clenching my fists, I forced the memories back into the depths once more.

‘…Don’t lose sight of your purpose.’

I didn’t come here to apologize to them.

There was no need for apologies until I had brought a happy ending to this world.

The reason I came here was to find the corpse that could become the host for the ‘Resurrected Corruption.’

It might seem easier to just destroy all the bodies so that none could act as a host in the first place…

However, if a corpse was too damaged, the corruption would simply find a new host, so the best solution was to subtly alter things—like a leg bone or an arm bone—just enough to cause a sense of disharmony.

“…Phew.”

Pulling a shovel from my bag, I began walking slowly.

Given my limited magical sensitivity, I had no way of knowing how long it would take to locate the host in this vast cemetery.

“Well then… Let’s get started.”

Even if it raised the odds of success just a little…

I was willing to do whatever it took.

“Sigh…”

Marjan glanced at Lilith, who let out another deep sigh.

‘…Something’s wrong with the Saint.’

During the first few days of the new semester, the Saint had constantly visited Marjan during breaks, chatting non-stop without a moment’s rest.

But now, she just stared blankly at the ceiling, looking as if her soul had drifted away.

‘She seems troubled again.’

If this had been their first encounter, Marjan might have thought the Saint was deeply worried about something serious. But by now, Marjan knew better.

…This Saint was a tremendous fool.

‘She’s probably wondering whether to dip the sauce or pour it… It’s obvious you’re supposed to dip it, after all.’

Marjan shook her head lightly before flashing the Saint a bright smile.

“Lily…?”

“Oh… Marjan… Haa…”

At Marjan’s words, the Saint let out another deep sigh.

“Lily, is something troubling you?”

“…Could you tell?”

“Yes, you’ve been sighing constantly these days.”

“…Mmm… Marjan…”

Lilith shut her eyes tightly before collapsing onto the desk.

Marjan pulled a chair over and sat beside her, continuing the conversation.

“Isn’t it better to talk things through with a friend than to worry alone?”

“…But… I feel bad about it.”

“You don’t need to feel bad. We’re friends, aren’t we?”

At the word “friend,” the Saint blinked her large eyes in surprise.

“F…Friend?”

“Yes, a friend. Or… do you not want to be friends with me?”

Lilith shook her head so vigorously it seemed it would make a buzzing sound.

“N-No! We’re friends! Right? Marjan and I are friends!”

“Thank goodness. Now, tell your friend what’s bothering you.”

“Do… Do you think it’s okay?”

“Of course!”

“…Then… I’ll tell you.”

Lilith’s face tensed as she nervously bit her lip.

‘…How cute.’

Though Marjan was certain it would turn out to be a trivial issue, she suppressed a grin and kept a serious expression.

“Phew… The thing is…”

After a long hesitation, Lilith finally spoke cautiously.

“W…What is love?”

…It was a far more serious question than expected.

A Few Days Ago.

Lilith stood in the middle of her room, which had become such a mess that there was barely any space to step.

“This is strange… How did it end up like this?”

She couldn’t understand how her room had become such chaos, especially since she used to live just the same way at the Parthenon.

…In truth, the reason was simple.

At the Parthenon, whenever Lilith left her room, the maids would clean it up for her.

Unaware of this, Lilith believed herself to be someone who was good at keeping things organized.

“Well! I, Lilith, will have no problem cleaning this up! Once it’s tidy, I’ll reward myself with a snack!”

Lilith diligently tidied the room for hours, or so she thought, but somehow it only got messier.

“…Huh? Why isn’t anything changing? No… It feels even dirtier than before… Hyaaa!”

Thud—

Lilith tripped over a pile of clothes, and a book with a purple cover caught her eye.

“Huh…? What’s this…?”

As she stared at the cover, memories of the library suddenly came flooding back.

“…Ah.”

It was the book she had grabbed in her panic when she ran away.

Beads of cold sweat trickled down Lilith’s forehead.

“W-What should I do? I… I stole something…”

She hadn’t intended to commit theft. All she wanted was to play a little prank.

“…I-I have to return it…”

However, the thought of going back to the library terrified her—what if she ran into the ‘Great Detective’?

Hadn’t the Great Detective always said that a culprit would return to the scene of the crime?

Plop—

Lilith slumped to the floor, covering her face with her hands, her teeth chattering in fear.

“A-Am I… going to end up in prison…?”

A saint committing theft—how could she ever face the Goddess again?

Just then, an idea popped into Lilith’s mind.

“…Yes! If I personally return it to its owner… that’ll make everything okay, right?”

The book had no name written on its cover, but Lilith thought there might be a hint inside, so she began flipping through the pages.

Rustle—rustle—

The more pages she turned, the slower her hands became, and her face grew a deep shade of pink.

“Hiccup…”

Eventually, Lilith clutched the book tightly to her chest and pulled her blanket over her head.

‘…How, how, how could… such a book… exist!!’

At the Parthenon, where gender segregation was strictly enforced, Lilith had little contact with men due to her position as a saint.

This meant she had no resistance to such content, and the explicit material in the book hit her like a sledgehammer.

‘…Words like meat toilet… and climax… I don’t know exactly what they mean, but… they’re terrifying.’

Lacking an understanding of sexual concepts, Lilith couldn’t comprehend many of the words. However, every time she read them, her breathing became unsteady.

Had the book ended here, it might have just been an unexpected introduction to such matters for Lilith.

But…

—The moment his touch grazed my skin, my lower abdomen tightened painfully, and my heart raced wildly… This was love.

That description was the real problem.

“Love”

Even though she was ignorant about sex, Lilith knew how sacred love was.

She had read countless fairy tales in which a hero defeats the villain and saves the princess, believing that to be the essence of love.

“…Is this… really love?”

As she read further, her heart began pounding just like in the story. Her body grew hot, her legs tingled, and her lower abdomen throbbed with a desperate ache.

Instinctively, she rubbed her legs together and whispered in a small voice.

“…What do I do… I think… I might be in love…”

“W-What is love?”

“…”

Before Marjan could respond, Lilith continued with a face full of curiosity.

“…Uh… Have you… ever been in love, Marjan?”

“L-Love…?”

The sudden seriousness of the topic was far beyond what Marjan had expected, and cold sweat trickled down her forehead.

‘…Of course not.’

Before meeting Lady Lucia, life in the slums had been a constant struggle for survival—either killing or being killed for a single piece of bread.

In such a life, there was no time for something as soft and fluffy as love.

Even after being saved by Lady Lucia, things hadn’t changed.

She had spent all her time desperately learning etiquette and skills, doing everything she could to remain by Lucia’s side despite being from the slums.

If there was any man Marjan had even the slightest connection with…

—That earring looks good on you.

It was none other than Yujin Calliope.

‘T-To think I entertained such disrespectful thoughts about Lady Lucia’s husband…!’

Blushing to the tips of her ears, Marjan stammered out her answer in a small voice.

“N-No… I don’t think I have.”

“…Marjan. I think I’ve fallen in love.”

“…! L-Love?”

Marjan swallowed hard at Lilith’s words.

‘T-This is serious.’

Lady Lucia had specifically told her to keep a close watch.

Who could this scoundrel be that managed to steal the heart of the saint?

“W-Who… Who is the person?”

“Well… He comes from a distinguished family, has black hair, and sad eyes.”

Thinking of the male protagonist described in the book, Lilith smiled dreamily.

‘B-Black hair?’

Marjan swallowed again.

Black hair was exceedingly rare in Carnea.

And if he was from a noble family…

‘N-No way…’

Only one person came to Marjan’s mind.

Desperately hoping she was wrong, Marjan asked cautiously.

“H-How old… is this person?”

“Well… He’s… a year older than me.”

That confirmed it.

Lilith was in love with Yujin Calliope.