The Roaring Crescent Moon Bear (1)

Regardless of how I was agonizing over the method to lose my virginity with Ethan, the final event in the Witch’s Forest was steadily approaching.

In recent days, higher-level monsters had been appearing more frequently near the altar compared to the initial stages. Well, since this is an experience event, it’s only natural that the level of monsters we face would increase.

One thing was certain-to see the ending of this “Lara’s Secret” event, we had to complete the final battle that would occur right before Lara’s witch trial ended.

In this event, there were roughly two types of monsters that could appear as the boss.

One was a pair of “Moonlight Wolves” that appeared deep in the northern part of the altar, and the other was a single “Roaring Crescent Moon Bear” that emerged from the western side of the altar, opposite the direction of the lake.

In terms of difficulty, both were similar, but if I had to compare, the Moonlight Wolves were slightly more troublesome. If the Roaring Crescent Moon Bear’s combat power was roughly 2,000, the Moonlight Wolves each had a combat power of around 1,500 + 1,500.

‘Actually, in the Lara’s Secret event, if there are more party members, the probability of the Moonlight Wolves appearing increases.’

In other words, it’s more or less established that the Moonlight Wolves are the more dangerous of the two monsters, and I’m pretty sure I wrote that in the guide I made in my past life.

And since Gyeotmwa Josyegigot had read every single one of my guides without missing a word, I could roughly predict how he would position himself.

“…Gyeotmwa Josyegigot suggested it would be better to defend both terrains where the two monsters appear. He said if we engage in battle after they appear near the altar, Lara-ssi and Lady August could be in danger.”

“That makes sense. If we start a fight near the altar carelessly, there’s a chance Lara-ssi or Lizzie-ssi could be threatened.”

Of course, this was just a convenient excuse to avoid suspicion, and in reality, it was highly likely that Gyeotmwa had made this suggestion because he didn’t want to fight near the altar.

If we fought near the altar, we’d inevitably have to witness Lara and Lizzie sitting naked on the altar, and depending on the situation, we might even have to fight while holding them or flee with them while their trials were still ongoing.

That would contradict his earlier claim of “not creating a situation he couldn’t take responsibility for,” so it was an unavoidable choice for Gyeotmwa.

“I’m a bit uneasy about being so confident that the monsters will appear from either the north or the west. If they come from another direction, our response will be even slower.”

“…You’re probably right, Hero-nim. In the future I saw with my authority, a pair of wolves appeared from the north.”

“What about the Crescent Moon Bear from the west?”

“…I’m not sure about that yet. I can clearly see the most likely future, but I can’t predict other possible futures beyond that.”

“I see…”

“Anyway, the most likely scenario is the pair of Moonlight Wolves appearing from the north.”

But that doesn’t mean we can rule out the possibility of the Crescent Moon Bear appearing from the west, she added. Ethan nodded quietly.

“Well, that’s good.”

“Huh?”

“Preparing for the Crescent Moon Bear from the west is your and Lily’s role. Of course, it’s not just the two of you-Karaham is also going that way.”

“…Ah. Prince August is somewhat reliable, I suppose.”

“I was a bit worried that the Hero might have assigned you a more dangerous mission than himself, but it seems that’s not the case.”

…Just how much does Ethan dislike Gyeotmwa Josyegigot to suspect him like this?

Well, considering the things he’s done so far, I can somewhat understand Ethan’s displeasure, but is it really necessary to be this suspicious?

Besides, not too long ago, he even helped us in the Machart subjugation. …Though he was late for the main battle, he made up for his mistake by taking down Ivelin, so we can’t deny that he did help.

‘The only reason Ethan would have to be angry is that he stopped me from transferring my Saintess qualification, at most.’

Because of that, I’m now stuck on this unwanted trip to the Witch’s Forest, wasting half of my summer vacation.

Hmm, now that I think about it seriously, that’s a pretty good reason to be angry. After all, because of Gyeotmwa Josyegigot’s stubbornness, I’m stuck here wasting a precious month with Ethan.

And if I think back to what happened before we came here, when Ethan and I tried to relieve our sexual tension at the royal villa… Yeah. That makes sense. Ethan’s reaction is perfectly normal.

If it weren’t for his suggestion, that day, Ethan and I would have crossed the line without caring about the Saintess qualification or anything else. It would have been after I had already passed my Saintess power to Celista.

We went as far as “licking the clam soup plate” and “snake tail bite,” but in the end, we stopped just short of the main event. In a way, Gyeotmwa Josyegigot’s single remark stopped Ethan and me from having sex.

‘…Now that I think about it, I’m a little pissed too.’

If Celista was going to awaken as a Saintess without my help anyway, we could’ve just gone through with it that day. I should’ve just done it instead of holding back.

Then, I wouldn’t have to agonize over how to have my first experience like this now. If we had crossed the line that day, I could’ve just done it casually whenever the opportunity arose afterward.

Crossing the line for the first time is the hardest-after that, it gets easier. The restraint of the “Saintess qualification” that stood between Ethan and me, and the psychological barrier of both of us being virgins, would disappear, and afterward, neither of us would need to hold back…

‘No, no, nooo…!!’

Ugh, damn it. That was close. Why does my mind keep going there?

Of course, it’s true that I’m currently agonizing over how to exchange virginity with Ethan, but I definitely don’t plan on mixing our bodies recklessly without restraint afterward.

Doing it with Ethan is only for when he wins a bet against Harold.

…Though, to be honest, that rule has barely been followed lately. Still, it’s better to have some restraint rather than indulging in our desires without control. For both Ethan and me.

‘Even though “Luminor Academy” is an eroge, it’s not the kind of game where you level up and gain enlightenment just by doing lewd things.’

For Ethan’s sake, who will one day inherit the Blackwood family, I can’t let him grow up to be a degenerate.

His father, Harold, is one of the Emperor’s Three Swords, a Sword Master of the highest caliber, so Ethan must at least reach the level of a Sword Master.

To do that, I need to continue playing my role in motivating Ethan to focus on his training…

-Thud.

“Eek?!”

“…Hey, Lily. Have you been tired lately?”

“Huh?! N-no?!”

My voice awkwardly rose at Ethan’s sudden question as he grabbed my shoulders.

Ethan’s eyes narrowed slightly at my answer, which sounded like an obvious lie to anyone.

“You seemed distracted during the meeting earlier too. What’s been on your mind for so long?”

“Uh, nothing important…”

“…Is it because you’re worried about losing your Saintess qualification and drifting apart from Gyeotmwa Josyegigot?”

“……That’s definitely not it…”

“Then what is it? What are you thinking about that keeps pulling you into your own world? Is it a secret you can’t tell me?”

“W-well, you see…”

Of course, I couldn’t tell Ethan the truth. If I said I was agonizing over the method and standards for doing lewd things in the future, he’d definitely see me as some kind of perverted maid.

“Don’t lie. It’s obvious when you lie, Lily. If you drift off while talking to me and then lie about it, I’ll really get angry this time.”

“……”

But I couldn’t just make up an excuse in front of Ethan, who said he’d get angry if I lied.

It was probably just a bluff to say he could tell when I was lying, but for some reason, just hearing him say that made me feel like I shouldn’t lie.

‘Without lying, and without admitting to perverted thoughts…’

After removing the lewd parts from the complicated thoughts that had filled my mind earlier, only one word remained. So, with a “whatever” attitude, I cautiously revealed the source of my worries.

“I-I was thinking about you, Ed…”

“……Huh?”

“I-I was thinking about you, Ed… I-I wasn’t having any weird thoughts or anything…”

“……”

“I-it might sound a bit strange… Thinking about you while you’re right in front of me… But it’s true…”

“…Yeah, judging by your reaction, it doesn’t seem like a lie.”

My shameless answer seemed to work to some extent, as Ethan stopped doubting me and accepted my explanation.

I didn’t lie. After all, it was an undeniable fact that my mind had been completely occupied by thoughts of Ethan earlier.

…Though I did feel a little embarrassed for saying it outright, it was still much better than lying.

“S-sorry for misunderstanding, Lily…”

“It’s okay… If anything, the problem is that I keep getting distracted during our conversations. Now that I don’t have to worry about the Saintess qualification, I keep thinking about you…”

“I see. So ever since Saintess Celista became the real Saintess, you’ve been thinking about me… Huh?”

“…W-what is it, Ed? Did I say something weird?”

“……”

After hearing my answer, Ethan made a face as if he had realized something, then stared at me intently.

As I nervously met his gaze, he suddenly gave me a relieved smile.

“No. It’s nothing, Lily.”

“……Huh?”

“Right, so that’s what you were worried about. Hearing that puts me at ease.”

“…D-did you hear me correctly? You’re not misunderstanding something, are you, Ed?”

“I know. And you don’t need to worry about that. That’s something I, as the man, should be agonizing over, not you.”

“……”

Somehow, his answer felt a little unsettling. I couldn’t tell if he was responding knowing what I was really worried about or if he was just saying it without understanding.

One thing was certain-whether Ethan knew the content of my worries or not, this wasn’t a good situation.