What is happening at this hour? I slowly turned my gaze and looked at Ophelia.
Is it because I was lost in admiration while looking up at the night sky? Today, her appearance seemed to shine even brighter than usual.
The platinum hair, proof of God's blessing, did not lose its brilliance even in the darkness and sparkled like starlight.
The youthful beauty that stood between a girl and a woman and the curved body that did not match it created a contradictory beauty. Indeed, if you only look at her appearance, she was definitely a dazzling beauty worthy of the title of saint…
'Me too, what do I think of a child?'
Since I knew her true self so well, my pounding heart quickly calmed down.
The girl in front of me was nothing more than a troublemaker who needed care.
Look. Isn't she wandering around alone in the middle of the night like this right now? How long has it been since you got into an accident while wandering around without an escort?
I pressed the girl in a stern voice. Could it be that she still hasn't come to her senses?
It wasn't that I didn't like being called uncle and was offended. It was just to correct her behavior.
"What's going on? It's already late at night. Why are you wandering around alone in the middle of the night? The Cardinal and the priests must be very worried."
"T-That…"
At that, Ophelia's mysterious golden eyes began to wander around without even making eye contact with me.
It was a strange attitude. It was a completely different look from the lively and energetic appearance she had shown me during the day. It wasn't a good sight to see a cute girl who reminded me of a small animal all hunched over.
Given her personality, she probably wouldn't be acting like that because I nagged her. Maybe something bad had happened. The sight of her anxious face since earlier bothered me.
"Haa, really."
At that, I came down straight from the top of the rock and stood face to face with the girl. She really was a kid who made people worry for no reason.
She was only a few centimeters taller than Agnes, with the top of her head barely reaching my forehead.
The little girl stared at me for a long time, then blushed and carefully tapped the tips of her index fingers together.
"Um, can I talk to you for a moment…?"
"Of course, if you have something to say to me, feel free to. What on earth are you trying to say?"
Anyway, I was worried, but I was also worried because I was so annoyed by the sight of her hesitating in front of someone, so I tried to politely reprimand her.
The girl soon sobbed! After taking a deep breath that was enough to make a sound, she shut her eyes tightly and shouted.
However, the words that came out of her mouth were much more trivial and insignificant than she had thought.
"Ugh... I'm sorry!"
What on earth could she be sorry for?
She couldn't hide her bewilderment at the sudden apology without any context.
"Huh? What the... Did you cause some kind of accident without me knowing?"
"T-That's not it! It's just... You're my benefactor. I feel like I've been a burden to you instead of repaying your favor. I wanted to apologize properly..."
So when she muttered in a tone of disbelief, the girl barely managed to finish her words in a hoarse voice and lowered her head.
I was a burden. I was a burden...
Come to think of it, it was true that she had experienced many serious incidents since reuniting with Ophelia. But it wasn't her fault.
My job is my job, and I get entangled in a lot of things, so there are a lot of incidents and accidents around me.
Speaking of nuisances, Alicia was a real pain in the ass when we first met. Compared to the pervert princess, this brat in front of me was nothing.
"Well. I don't remember any major damage caused by the saintess."
"No! No! I got excited because I came to interview you for no reason, so I said a lot of useless things, and I foolishly hung a monster on my head to sneak out and eat something delicious, and..."
However, as soon as she started to speak, the girl began to confess to me all the sins she had committed without me asking, with tears welling up in her eyes.
I was just embarrassed.
Well, strictly speaking, I have been in trouble with Ophelia a few times due to her immature and clumsy behavior. But I have never truly blamed her.
I have no intention of doing so, and it was not right. Rather, in the recent false reporting incident and the restaurant incident, she was more like a victim who was caught up in the control directed at me.
That is why I was worried that this sloppy brat might get into big trouble. Being a little strict with her was also part of that.
Of course, from the girl's perspective, every time she committed a minor misdeed, an incident of a scale she could not handle broke out, so it was understandable for her to feel scared and guilty.
"I am an idiot… Why did the heavens designate me as a saint?"
"Here, saintess. Are you trying to confess to me? It seems like our positions are reversed."
Ophelia, who had been spewing out obsessive apologies for a long time, finally shed tears like beads.
As she spoke, she seemed to be overcome with various emotions.
What should I do with this crybaby?
"There are many people who are much more excellent than me. A mere low-ranking priest, and a lacking child who only causes trouble to her benefactor... Why on earth..."
"Haa... What should I do with this."
Somehow, it hadn't been long since we last met, but I had already seen her cry twice.
In my experience, when women were sad or depressed, most of the time, if you held them in your arms and gently comforted them, they would calm down in a few minutes.
However, Ophelia was a precious saint of the Church of Heaven, and the aftereffects of the scandal that had spread between us some time ago were still lingering in people's minds.
Even if the article turns out to be a complete false report, regardless of the truth, negative perceptions of others tend to linger in people's minds for a long time.
What if my subordinates or priests of the Church of Heaven see it… I hesitated for a moment, but that was a useless worry.
The useless worry didn't last long.
—Pok-ok
"Huh? Oh, sir…?"
"Come on, calm down for a moment. You're not a kid. How many times have you cried in front of me? Any woman looks bad when she frowns."
Rather than such trivial things, it was much more important to comfort the girl crying in front of me.
I gently wrapped the girl's head in my arms and began to carefully stroke her back. I had been holding women so many times that it had become natural for me to do so.
Ophelia's crying in my arms gradually stopped. This method works really well for women.
"You weren't angry with me?"
"Yes. Not only were you not angry in the first place, but it's really admirable that you deeply reflect on even the smallest mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes."
"...Thank you, sir."
Alicia, Agnes, and Master. It was the turn of the hands that had been verified by three women to do their best.
Slowly sweeping from top to bottom, centering on the center where the spine is located, and then lightly rubbing the area just above the buttocks. Everyone liked this place without any particular likes or dislikes.
"Ah, hmph...?!"
"Shh. Excuse me for a moment."
The sunken side between the ribs and the pelvis is the part that the master is particularly satisfied with. Since she reacted particularly well, I focused on that area and she trembled. It seems that she likes this place too.
"Hhhh... Ah, sir? I feel weird… I feel like I'm going to fly… "
Ophelia, who had been leaning against my abs and chest and accepting my touch completely, began to let out a gasp.
"Ha, mister, your big hands feel good… haaah…"
"That's right. You're not crying anymore."
That's enough.
Ophelia's expression completely relaxed, so I stopped stroking her waist and looked down at her with a satisfied expression.
"Huh…? Jo, just a little more… Why are you stopping…?"
"That's right. Now, aren't you feeling better?"
Then, the girl who had her upper body pressed against mine and her waist and buttocks were strangely shaking made an expression as if she had lost everything in the world.
Did something go wrong? I guess not, judging from the way she was enjoying herself.
Surely, she wouldn't have gotten excited because of my hands calling her "Mister" with her own mouth.
In the first place, if you feel a strange feeling to the extent of having your back and waist stroked, then you're not a saint, but a saintess.
I chuckled and erased the ridiculous imagination from my mind. Even if I'd met three women, that was excessive self-consciousness.
"Oh, oh...! I'm crying again?"
"Don't talk nonsense. It's already late at night. If you don't have anything else to say, then go to sleep. The two of you have already spent quite some time together, so if you leave any longer, you will arouse unnecessary suspicion."
"T-That's right!"
"I will check the subordinates' alertness and take you to the campsite. Now, let's go."
I politely grabbed the brat's wrist and dragged her back to her quarters.
As expected of a saint, she uses better magic tools than mine. This is probably the latest model. There must be furniture inside.
"Well, good night."
"...Hmph. You idiot!"
Just before we parted ways.
She glanced at me and puffed out her cheeks as she grumbled, showing that she was completely relieved.
Yes, except for the confession incident that wasn't Ophelia's confession, this mission, which felt like a picnic, seemed to be going smoothly and peacefully.
Until, early in the morning, something suspicious was discovered.
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