Arundel’s party with the priests headed towards a nearby village.
During the battle, one of the front wheels of the carriage broke, but thanks to Hills’ magic, it was roughly fixed and they were able to reach the village without any problems.
The brown-haired man, as he had said, knew the village well and guided the knights to a nearby clinic.
Regrettably, the clinic was not large enough, so they decided to request a transport team and send the knights back.
Knights with minor injuries said they would stay, but.
[It’s okay, it’s easier without it.]
Hills ordered them to go back together.
Thanks to that, the knights’ shoulders sagged, but no one cared except Arundel.
Arundel felt sorry for the disheartened knights, but Hills was right. They were more likely to be a burden.
Cain seemed quite surprised by the situation he was experiencing for the first time. But Cain, who had experienced all sorts of things next to Zion, quickly regained his senses.
The brown-haired man guided Arundel’s party to the best accommodation in the village.
Of course, it couldn’t be as good as the palace, but the exterior was clean and the interior was well organized.
It was not a bad place in the current situation.
“I will go and find a place to repair the carriage wheel. We still have a long way to go, and we can’t keep it fixed with magic.”
Cain left the inn after leaving those words. Thanks to that, only Arundel, Zion, Hills, and the priests were left in the inn lobby.
The brown-haired man was the first to speak.
“It may be humble for the royal family, but this is the cleanest accommodation here.”
“Yes, it’s okay. It’s all thanks to this priest, we found the village without wandering.”
Arundel expressed her gratitude as a formality.
The brown-haired man suggested going to a nearby restaurant, and the tired Arundel readily agreed. Zion and Hills seemed to follow Arundel’s opinion.
However, both of them seemed to have been in a bad mood since earlier.
Especially Zion, who caught her eye.
‘I’m worried.’
Her heart was anxious all the way. She couldn’t help it because she had caused a problem.
In a hurry, she swung his spear. The sight of the slender Empress Irina swinging a spear bigger than her height would have been quite shocking to anyone.
Not only that, she even used her divine power in front of people. Twice at that. It was hard to insist that they saw it wrong.
Even Hills asked about what she had done.
[Will it be okay?]
Cain and the priests also seemed quite surprised. Fortunately, they did not rashly speak out.
The problem was Zion.
He was quick-witted, but it was hard to tell what he was thinking. His actions were still affectionate, but he was sparing his words, leaving Arundel to dry next to him.
“I’ll see you in a bit.”
The brown-haired man said politely with a gentle smile.
Before going to the restaurant, the party decided to unpack in their rooms and meet in front of the inn.
The party dispersed to go to their rooms, and Arundel also moved her steps.
However, not long after, Arundel turned her head at the sensation of her wrist being grabbed.
Zion was standing there.
“Sleep with me tonight.”
At Zion’s words, Arundel’s face went blank for a moment. Then, her face flushed. Arundel couldn’t hide her flustered emotions.
All of a sudden…here…?
“I’m too anxious to let you sleep alone.”
She wondered if it was a trick that men often do, but Zion’s face was really worried. Such an expression of his was not common.
“I know…it might be uncomfortable for you. But I’m too anxious, I can’t.”
At Zion’s earnest words, Arundel nodded as if under a spell.
“…Okay.”
Only then did Zion smile satisfied.
Thump, thump.
Arundel came up the stairs, cooling the heat of her flushed cheeks. She thought while unpacking next to the bed.
‘It won’t be, it won’t be.’
If he really has a naughty intention to try something… No. Zion had plenty of opportunities last time, but he wasted it.
Arundel shook her head. There was no need to doubt him first. The thing she saw earlier was definitely a worried expression.
When her mind calmed down a bit, Arundel got up to go out.
Before turning the doorknob, Arundel stood in front of the mirror for a moment. She found her hair all messed up in the reflected mirror.
Maybe because of the fuss earlier, her hair was tangled here and there. She thought about combing her hair a bit, but without a comb, her fingers hurt thus she tied her long hair tightly.
Arundel left the room after checking if there was any hair left by turning her head here and there.
She hurried down to the lobby thinking that more time had passed than expected, and everyone was already gathered.
When Arundel joined, the party set off for a nearby restaurant.
The place led by the brown-haired man was a restaurant in the village. It was not a big restaurant, but when they went inside, a delicious smell vibrated.
Because the number of the party was quite large, they sat at the largest table. People’s eyes were all focused on Arundel’s party.
In a small village, it was hard to see beautiful men and women. They were wearing expensive clothes, and some were wearing white clothes, which made them stand out more.
One of the priests, conscious of the glancing eyes, opened his mouth.
“I never thought I would see His Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress in such a place.”
At his words, Cain replied.
“We were on our way to the eastern temple.”
“Oh! We were also on our way to the temple! We had the same destination.”
One of the priests clapped his hands with wide eyes. Then, the brown-haired man opened his mouth.
“This is quite a coincidence. If His Majesty the Emperor permits, how about going together? If the destination is the same, it would be efficient to move together.”
“Well, I don’t think it would be very efficient to move with you guys.”
Hills, who was sitting next to him, replied in a mocking tone.
Hills seemed not to like them very much. All the way, his expression was not as good as Zion’s. Perhaps it was because they were priests.
But the brown-haired man spoke calmly as if he didn’t care much.
“I know the way to the temple well. That’s why we were able to find the village without wandering, right?”
His calm tone of voice was as persuasive as his words.
“The reason for visiting the temple is also because our temple has made the most contributions in the demon subjugation. If you travel with us, it will be much more helpful in situations like earlier.”
The situation earlier was a sudden battle with demons that sprang from the ground.
The brown-haired man was right.
No matter how strong Zion and Hills are, when annoying opponents like earlier came out, it was advantageous for us to have more numbers.
As Arundel had thought, the brown-haired man drove a hard bargain.
“Danger can spring up anytime, anywhere. Isn’t it better to be prepared for contingencies?”
Saying so, the brown-haired man grinned.
Arundel stared at him. He was a man with a gentle-looking face and a calm voice, but there was nothing about him that looked easy.
The atmosphere around the table was tense, but they couldn’t refute his logical argument.
At the point where they had even sent back the knights, having more combatants would make it safer to get to the temple.
Arundel thought that going with him wasn’t necessarily bad, but in the end, the final decision-maker was Zion.
Everyone was waiting for his answer.
“I permit the companionship.”
Permission fell smoothly from Zion’s mouth. Hills looked at Zion as if it was unexpected. But Zion’s words were not over yet.
“However, personal conversations or contact during the move are strictly forbidden.”
As soon as the words ended, Hills muttered, ‘Well, that’s it.’
At Zion’s condition, the brown-haired man’s expression hardened for a moment. Looking at such an expression, Zion asked with one corner of his mouth raised.
“Do you dislike it?”
The brown-haired man shook his head. As if nothing had happened, he was smiling with his eyes narrowed.
“Okay.”
Why are both of them smiling, but the surrounding temperature felt low?
Arundel thought while looking at the two who seemed to be sparking electricity somewhere.
While a fierce conversation was going on, a soup with steam rising was placed on the table,
Followed by chicken stew, pieces of cheese, and bread. The hungry party started eating.
The sound of conversation going around the table died down, and only the sound of dishes clashing and food chewing was heard.
When each plate was about to be emptied out, the brown-haired man opened his mouth.
“Can we at least introduce ourselves?”
“Yes. That would be a good idea.”
Cain nodded and agreed. He was unnecessarily conscious of Zion, but Cain thought that at least the names should be known.
The brown-haired man introduced himself first.
“As I mentioned, I am ‘Lucas’, the chief priest of the Elbis Temple.”
She was caught off guard. As her temple was mentioned again, Arundel choked while scooping up the soup.
At that moment, Zion, who was on the left, asked Arundel if she was okay, and Hills, who was sitting on the right, handed her water.
Arundel said she was okay and drank the water. The cold water flowed down her throat with a gulp and calmed her startled heart.
As the throbbing heartbeat subsided, the words of the Pope suddenly came to mind.
[The chief priest of the subsidiary temple that has contributed a lot to the demon subjugation is also planning to visit the temple at that time.]
Lucas, it was him.
The subsidiary temple that the Pope was talking about was the Elbis Temple, she didn’t know at that time that it was her temple. If she had known then, she would never have agreed to accompany them to the temple.
Arundel’s regret came rushing in now, but she also knew that it was already too late.
When the introduction of the officials was over, Cain briefly introduced Arundel’s party.
“…and finally, I am His Majesty the Emperor’s aide.”
“Okay. Although it’s a short time, I look forward to working with you.”
Despite Lucas’s friendly words, the atmosphere of Arundel’s party was cold.
Precisely, the reaction of Zion and Hills was very cold, and the rest of the people were watching their cues.
Come to think of it, Lucas did nothing wrong. Rather, he was being coldly treated even though he was helping the party.
Arundel felt this situation was a bit unfair. Of course, a little bit of selfishness about her temple people was involved.
Arundel, as if to break the cold atmosphere, reached out her hand.
“Lucas. I really appreciated it earlier, you treated the knights too. I look forward to your help on the way.”
Lucas stood up from his seat and shook hands with Arundel.
His pupils stared at Arundel as if they were momentarily enchanted.
When he didn’t seem to let go of her hand for a while, Zion and Hills both got up and pushed him away.
“Your hand will wear out.”
“Put your hand away.”
Arundel was embarrassed by the two’s too fierce reaction.
She was the one who first reached out her hand, but Lucas was the one who was scolded.
But he smiled as if he didn’t care much.
“I’m sorry. I was so honored that Her Majesty the Empress personally reached out her hand.”
Even with Lucas’s explanation, the atmosphere didn’t seem to be relaxed.
Cain looked at Lucas with an anxious look from the side.
Zion’s momentum seemed to be getting more and more fierce, and it felt like it would collapse before the departure.
Cain hurriedly broke up the tension.
“Everyone must be tired today, so let’s go back to the accommodation.”
Everyone got up from their chairs as if they had been waiting, and headed towards the lodging.
While walking to the nearby lodging, Hills approached and started a conversation.
“I don’t like that guy.”
“Who, Lucas?”
“Yeah. The way he looks at Arundel is creepy. Like a pervert.”
Hills said, glaring at Lucas’s back.
“He’s probably just grateful.”
“No. Didn’t you see his eyes when he shook hands earlier? He looked like a fanatic.”
Arundel felt irony in Hills’s complaint.
To be precise, Lucas and the priests were her believers.
But now, she was in a human body. The fact that he looked at her with those eyes was a problem. Of course, it was Hills’s personal opinion.
There was nothing wrong with being careful as Hills said. It would have been a headache if they were sensitive to divine power like the Pope.
“We’ll meet in front of the lodging at 7 a.m. tomorrow.”
Before they knew it, they had arrived in front of the inn, and Cain announced it to the group of priests. After his words, the party members each went to their rooms.
Arundel, who was about to go to her room, paused for a moment.
[Sleep with me tonight.]
But they should wash in their own rooms, right?
Washing in Zion’s room was a bit…embarrassing. It felt like preparing for a special night.
Arundel thought so and returned to her room. As her body melted in the hot water that was steaming, she felt the tension of the day being released.
Her body was very tired due to the sudden use of divine power.
‘…Nothing will happen, right?’
This will be the first time she will sleep with Zion since she drank the love potion.
Since she found out that Zion often…was in that state, it felt very awkward for the two of them to be together.
Of course, she was the only one who thought so.
Zion was the same even after that incident.
Of course, she knew that Zion would never reach out unless she wanted it.
But what she was suddenly worried about was herself. What if she fell head over heels for Zion’s magical face?
‘Yeah. I just need to keep my mind clear.’
Arundel lifted her tired body and deliberately splashed cold water on it. It was a temperature that made her mind clear.
She came out of the bathroom, dried her hair combatively, and changed her clothes. Then, with a confident stride, she headed towards Zion’s room.
‘What’s there to be embarrassed about? It’s just sleep, just sleep.’
When Arundel arrived in front of Zion’s room, she opened the door with a bang. As soon as she opened the door, the inside of the room came into view.
Arundel’s eyes widened for a moment.
“Uh…”
As soon as she opened the door, she saw a healthy male body. Broad shoulders, firm abs, and below that…
“I’m sorry!!”
Arundel quickly closed the door and came out. Then she leaned against the door and slumped down.
Arundel’s body temperature, which had cooled down with cold water, was rising again.
Along with the fierce heartbeat that seemed to burst out of her chest.
