"Eh? Savior-sama's reward?"
Leticia froze, not understanding Leona's hint.
"It's that thing from this afternoon~"
Seeing that Leticia usually focused on potion research and couldn't catch on quickly, Leona chuckled and opened her small mouth, sticking out her nimble fragrant tongue to her good sister Leticia.
"..."
Watching Leona brazenly display the traces of her earlier efforts, Leticia bit her cherry lips tightly, not daring to meet Hachiman's gaze. Her slender neck and white elf ears turned bright red.
This… Savior-sama hadn't even entered the tavern yet, tonight's event hadn't even officially started.
Just now, Leona and Melaise had done that outside? That was far too bold.
The princesses were still waiting inside.
———
Leona flaunted proudly before her good sister, while Melaise wore a face full of grievance.
Though one could say it was the result of both her and Leona's efforts, if Leona hadn't come, then Savior-sama's reward would have been hers alone. Her effort, her enjoyment.
"Don't worry, Melaise. Tonight we'll give you back double. We won't let you suffer a loss."
Melaise's resentful eyes were laid bare. Of course Leona could clearly feel it, but she hadn't really intended to take advantage of Melaise. She patted Melaise's delicate round shoulder generously, promising she would double the payback.
She had just failed to hold back just now, it wasn't that she wanted to steal Melaise's fruits of labor.
She could have waited. Wait until Savior-sama entered the tavern and finished all the services, then ask together with everyone else for Savior-sama's abundant rewards.
But the life force that Savior-sama radiated was too special, too alluring. The vigorous vitality he exuded was not only stronger than the natural aura the elves themselves gave off, it could also restore stamina.
After receiving Savior-sama's aid, she even felt her own strength had slightly increased, comparable to the spring water of the Elf Fountain that ordinary elves rarely even got to touch.
"No need to double it back. We can just switch over when the time comes."
"Double back? Switch over?"
Hearing Leona's earnest apology, Melaise, who almost thought Leona was like those same-village elves who couldn't bear to see her good, softened slightly.
But Leticia beside them was bewildered again. Was she really too old to keep up with the thinking of elves these days?
That shouldn't be.
Though after three hundred years she had stopped counting her age, she was certainly older than Princess Iris and Princess Lumilia.
But Leona was nearly the same age as her. The two had been playmates since childhood.
Only, she had liked reading and doing research since her student days, while Leona preferred hunting and adventure.
Could it be she really had gotten stupid from doing research, just like Leona often teased?
"It's fine, it's fine. Leticia, you don't need to understand anything. You just need to serve Savior-sama with us. Savior-sama will give us abundant rewards equally, without favoritism."
Seeing the confusion in her friend's clear eyes, Leona cheerfully put her arm around Leticia's shoulder, trying to coax her into serving Hachiman together.
She couldn't steal Melaise's hard-earned result to enjoy alone, but if the three worked together, she could help eat a little more than the others could finish.
She knew her childhood friend Leticia wasn't ignorant of everything. Leticia's home, where she lived alone, had many books on magic and alchemy. And also several that could only be read secretly under the blanket.
It was just that Leticia was always a recluse, lacking social interaction, a bit slow to turn things over in her head. One could even say she was more naive than Melaise, who had been scorned by her village and experienced the coldness and warmth of people. But Leticia looked like a mature and gentle big sister, seeming more reliable on the surface than the younger Melaise.
"Leona, what are you saying in front of Savior-sama? Can Savior-sama's blessing be exchanged like that?"
Leticia was still somewhat puzzled, but she understood the so-called "abundant reward" this time. At once she realized what Melaise and Leona had just been discussing, and blushed furiously, pushing away the careless Leona. She hurriedly turned to Hachiman to apologize for her.
"Savior-sama, your blessing is too tempting for us, hard to control ourselves. Leona just got carried away and said such things. I hope you won't take offense."
She knew well how alluring Savior-sama's blessing was.
The Savior-sama that Princess Iris had gone so far to cross worlds to find, exhausting every effort, just Savior-sama himself already fascinated them.
When they approached Savior-sama and felt the life force emanating from him, their whole bodies seemed to come alive, craving touch with Savior-sama, harder and harder to restrain the closer they got.
But Savior-sama was noble of character, willing to aid them without asking anything in return. Yet Leona, out of selfish desire, had been discussing with Melaise exchanging Savior-sama's blessing.
Such behavior was far too offensive to Savior-sama.
"Leticia, you don't need to be so nervous. Isn't your purpose here to receive my aid? And I already promised to aid you. This kind of small matter doesn't need to be minded."
Seeing Leticia so anxious to apologize to him, worried he would be angry, Hachiman smiled helplessly, shaking his head, speaking to comfort her.
"Besides, I quite like Leona's passion and carefree, unrestrained nature too. With me, there's no need to suppress your personalities."
"Of course, I don't mean I don't like you. Dignified, virtuous, gentle and generous, considerate of others, always earnest. Leticia, I like you just the same."
Perhaps in Leticia's eyes, as in the others', being acknowledged by Iris and being able to save the elves made him the Savior of the elves, to be treated with utmost reverence.
But he knew he was only lucky, and naturally he wouldn't put on airs.
At first, all he wanted was to find a black-haired rich woman to keep him, so he could stay home as a househusband without having to work.
But things never developed as he expected. His childhood friends, the Kaede sisters, did not accept his househusband dream.
The love-at-first-sight Lala, Iris and Tsubaki who were willing to keep him from working were not black-haired.
Saki could count as black-haired, and quite a big one too, but she wasn't a rich woman. In fact she was introverted and self-abasing, needing his support instead.
The girl Shion, whom he took in, saw him as her spiritual support. She would certainly want to support him forever. But she wasn't rich either, and he would never let her suffer working outside to support him.
As for the gyaru trio of Yunia, the Miura Yumiko clique, and the three mermaid idols Elio.
They were all great. He liked them very much. But none of them fit the black-haired rich-woman category.
Thinking carefully, he had no truly pure black-haired rich woman around him. Instead, he was surrounded by golden-haired beauties. Even not counting the golden-haired elf girls like Iris, the ratio of blondes was especially high.
"Hehe~ Leticia, did you hear that? Savior-sama really likes you~"
Hearing Hachiman's equal-aid declaration, Leona grinned, poking her friend's cheek, blinking teasingly.
She wasn't particularly moved by Savior-sama's words of liking her now. She had already received his deep feelings just earlier.
But she really liked Savior-sama's gentle tolerance, willing to accept their different personalities.
He understood the insecure Melaise, accepted her own reckless boldness, and also acknowledged the serious, earnest Leticia.
No wonder Princess Iris loved Savior-sama so much, even having the Elf Queen select excellent elves from villages throughout the Elf Forest. Besides them, other elves were also waiting to be brought by the princesses to receive aid.
Such a Savior-sama, even if she hadn't been chosen for aid, she thought she would have liked him anyway.
"Mm… Thank you for liking such a boring, rigid me… But Savior-sama, please don't spoil Leona…", Blushing furiously, Leticia pushed away the troublemaking Leona, her eyes avoiding Hachiman's smiling gaze.
Although that afternoon at Tsubaki's house she, Leona, and the princesses had only lightly tasted Savior-sama's aid, now, being praised face-to-face so suddenly, her shame was no less intense.
She had always been called boring and rigid by Leona. She hadn't thought Savior-sama would praise her so...
Leticia suddenly understood why just now Leona and Melaise had blocked Savior-sama at the door. Facing him, it truly was hard to suppress the urge not to leap into his arms.
"Melaise and I are going upstairs to change clothes. Leticia, you stay and serve Savior-sama well~"
Looking at Leticia beside her, her white slender neck tinged pink yet still straining to restrain her desire, Leona suddenly shoved her straight into Hachiman's arms, then grabbed Melaise and ran upstairs.
"Eh?"
"Eh?"
Melaise, dragged away, and Leticia, pushed into Hachiman's embrace, both were dumbfounded.
But Melaise had no time to react, while Leticia was caught in the awkward dilemma of being held by Hachiman.
"Th-that… Savior-sama… if you do this… I won't be able to hold back…"
Her flawless legs bent slightly, her flushed cheeks resting against Hachiman's chest. Leticia raised her head in panic, breath rapid and uneven, speaking haltingly.
The instant she realized she had been pushed into Savior-sama's arms, she wanted to get up. But who would have thought, Savior-sama immediately opened his arms and embraced her.
Although his hold was light, barely more than laying his arms across her, still, being held like this, she didn't dare break free.
Savior-sama had just said he liked her. If she pulled away without hesitation, wouldn't that be betraying his affection?
"Hold back what?"
Hachiman lowered his head, looking at the blushing Leticia who only twisted nervously in his arms, and teased with a smile.
It seemed Leona had been right. Leticia was indeed serious and rigid, a stickler for rules. Clearly he wasn't even holding her tightly, yet she made no move to struggle free.
But he enjoyed bullying just such serious elves. Strict, rule-abiding elves were the most fun to tease.
"Savior-sama… please, don't tease me…"
Leticia lowered her head, unable to meet his eyes, gripping his chest in shame and whispering pleadingly.
At such closeness, she feared she wouldn't resist making a rude move toward Savior-sama. The princesses were just in the living room next door, separated by only a wall. Even slightly louder voices could be heard there.
But now, embraced by Savior-sama, breathing in his irresistible aura with every breath, even her grip on his clothes was weakening.
"I didn't mean to tease you. I just think simple words aren't enough to show how much I like you."
Hachiman gently released his arms, smiling at Leticia, who lay pliant in his embrace, unable to resist. He slowly lowered his head to meet her eyes.
"Didn't I just say I like all of you? At the door I rewarded Leona and Melaise. Now it's your turn, Leticia."
"Mm?"
Leticia's pupils dilated sharply. She went limp, collapsing against Hachiman's chest.
Wh-what! Here?
The princesses next door would hear everything.
"Leticia, good luck~ Enjoy Savior-sama's reward well~"
From upstairs, eavesdropping, Leona poked her head out, shamelessly cheering for Leticia experiencing her first kiss.
But Leticia no longer had the strength to scold her. It felt as though all her strength and reason had been sucked away by Hachiman. The little bit that remained only let her instinctively accept his affection.
She barely knew it wasn't proper, but the thought that the princesses might overhear stripped away even that last bit of reason.
Only after quite a while, when Leticia had finished receiving Hachiman's reward and was released, did her reason slowly return.
"W-wait… please… Savior-sama… let me rest a bit…"
Legs weak, she leaned against the lush floral wall, hurriedly raising her hand to stop Hachiman, who looked ready to steady her.
N-never thought… That something as simple as a kiss could leave her like this.
She had already tried more intimate things with Savior-sama.
But now, if he touched her again, she might faint.
"Uh… alright, Leticia, be careful."
Looking at Leticia's pink-tinged skin, seeing her so afraid of another kiss, even Hachiman was puzzled.
Could it be, the more serious an elf was usually, the harder it was for them to endure once in heat?
Pure Lumilia and upright Aegis had never lost composure like Leticia.
After two minutes, finally free of Hachiman's life aura, Leticia managed to suppress her surging impulses, straightening her back. Her flawless jade feet stood firm on the slightly damp floor.
"Savior-sama, I'll take you inside now. Let's not keep the princesses waiting."
Afraid of further delay, Leticia lowered her head, avoiding his eyes, and led Hachiman, along with Hayase Saki and Naoe Kaorumi, into the living room transformed into a tavern.
Any more delay and the princesses' carefully prepared tavern program would be wasted.
But she knew full well that her and Savior-sama's actions just now had been heard by the princesses. She didn't even dare raise her head to see their gazes. Once inside, she hurriedly tried to leave.
"Savior-sama, Princess, I'll go change clothes first…"
"Leticia, don't rush off. Sit here with the president."
At the tavern bar, sitting together with Lala and Kaede, Iris smiled at the flustered Leticia, who wanted to escape like she'd done something wrong. She winked at Aegis beside her.
She had worried before that asking the president to aid four elves at once was a bit much. They had to let the president like them first, then aid them.
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