TNZKMA 135

１３５

 

Suddenly, I woke up. The world was covered in a white haze. Beneath me was black stone. I moved only my eyes to figure out where I was, and then it hit me. Right, I had spent the night in the central square.

As I started to sit up, my body froze. My whole body ached, likely from sleeping on the hard stone pavement all night.

[Ouch…]

Being careful not to strain myself, I stretched. My body creaked with the movement. It sounded like my joints were cracking all over. Back when I first reincarnated and had to sleep directly on the floor without a mattress, I didn’t feel this sore. Man, mattresses are important—seriously.

Once it felt like my body had finally “clicked” into place, like gears starting to turn again, I stood up. I spun my arms around, hearing faint popping sounds from somewhere, but it was fine. I cracked my neck and did a quick squat before stretching one more time.

[Mmm… okay, I’m up now.]

As I stretched my back with a big yawn, I heard Saine laughing from behind me.

[Did you sleep well?]

[Saine! Good morning! Oh… wait, have you been up all night?]

This was a dangerous place, after all.

[Sorry. Everyone else stayed awake, didn’t they? And I’m the only one who slept… I guess having you around makes me feel safe, even in dangerous places.]

I’m really useless, aren’t I? Even though I keep telling myself I need to try harder, I always end up slacking off. I can’t do anything, so at the very least, I should’ve stayed awake with everyone.

If someone next to me were fast asleep while I was awake, I’d probably be annoyed. But instead, Saine just laughed and forgave me. Before he stops forgiving me, I need to become someone useful. Otherwise, one day, he’ll get fed up with me.

[Where’s Olphynn?]

[He’s inside the guild. He’s checking what needs to be brought out.]

[Right, this is where the High Priest is, isn’t it? Olphynn mentioned there were a lot of books here that only the High Priest could read.]

Apparently, those books contained important information that regular priests weren’t allowed to know.

Olphynn often said he had so many things he wanted to research once he became High Priest. It might not be the best timing, but if Olphynn’s wish could come true, that would be a good thing, I think.

No matter how bad things got, I always believed that there was at least one good thing. Even if that good thing was incredibly small, if I could keep focusing on it, I believed I could get through the bad times.

Monsters attacked, many people died, and the town was destroyed. That was undeniably awful, but there was still something good.

It’ll probably take more time for Olphynn to officially become High Priest. But even now, Olphynn is reading things that only the High Priest is allowed to read. Even in this terrible situation, that’s definitely a good thing.

The Priest Guild was an impressive building. The front door was huge, adorned with intricate carvings, and thick too. As I wandered around, curious about what the inside looked like, Vyrs told me to go ahead and take a look.

[Is it okay?]

[Yeah, it should be fine. Loop and I are keeping watch outside. Besides, Olphynn’s barrier covers this place and the mansion. So whether you’re inside or out, it doesn’t make much difference.]

We’d be returning to the eastern district once the sun was overhead. It was probably around 10 a.m. right now. That meant we had about two more hours, and I felt excited at the idea of exploring the building until then.

I thanked Vyrs and headed inside with Saine.

As I had imagined, the inside was spacious. Each room was large, and the hallways were wide. Compared to the corridors in the Dalis mansion, these were probably three times as wide.

[Why are the hallways so big?]

It’s just for walking, after all. The layout was similar to the Dalis mansion. Maybe all mansions are built like this?

In the center of the building was a courtyard, and hallways surrounded it. The courtyard in the Priest Guild was rectangular, and from the hallway, you could look down into it. The rooms were arranged on the outer side of the hallways.

[This hallway’s wider than our entire room.]

I asked Saine, and he let out a small laugh.

[What?]

[No, it’s just… you finally called it your own house.]

[What do you mean?]

[You didn’t realize? You always used to say ‘Saine’s house,’ not ‘my house.’]

Is that so? I stopped walking and thought about it. Now that he mentions it, I think he’s right. I always felt like it was Saine’s house, and I was just being allowed to stay there.

[When I first reincarnated, I thought of it as someone else’s house. There were times when I was scared that Saine might sell me off, and I always felt like I was just being allowed to live there. But now, I think of it as my home. Going back there feels like the most natural thing in the world.]

I looked up at Saine and gave a mischievous grin, and he nodded with a soft “Good.”

[Hey, Saine, could you come down here for a sec?]

I stood on my tiptoes and stretched my neck up. He bent down just enough to give me a light kiss, like a breeze brushing by.

[If all of this hadn’t happened, we’d probably be in each other’s arms right about now.]

I pressed my head against Saine’s firm stomach and rubbed it back and forth. Holding back in the forest left things feeling kind of incomplete. It’s like my heart is almost full but not quite there. I hugged Saine tightly, and he gently patted my head.

[For now, we’ll just have to be patient. No way we can do anything in the Guards Guild.]

[The Priests’ Guild is a no-go too, right?]

When I first reincarnated, I was too scared of Saine to even think about doing anything like that. Actually, the thought of being with another guy repulsed me. But now, it’s tough being this close to Saine and not being able to hold him properly.

[Peace really is the best. Because when the world is peaceful, you can hold the ones you love without worry.]

I let out a sigh, and I could sense Saine smiling above me. But, as always, he stayed silent. Every time I tell him I love him, Saine never responds.

TN: Regarding Saine’s reactions whenever MC tells him “I love you”, could there be a different meaning to it in their world? Hmm~ I’m curious….