"Ah."

  I couldn't help but let out a sound.

  Shi—shit... We've noticed each other's presence...

  On the other hand, Lia looked surprised when our eyes met, but she quickly switched her expression.

  "My, my? Is something the matter?"

  Lia showed me a dazzling smile, as if to emphasize it. Her face was as perfectly sculpted as a delicate doll, and her ample chest was noticeable even through her nun's habit. Above all, her entire body was perfectly proportioned.

  It was as if she embodied everything that made a woman attractive.

  Huh? Wait, what am I suddenly thinking about?

  Snapping back to my senses, I realized—

  Lia had cranked the output of her skill, **Charmed Affection**, to an absurd degree. An ordinary person would’ve been easily swayed, but—I have that skill to counter it .

  Thanks to that, I could regain my sanity.

  "Lia. Sorry, but I saw it." "Saw what?"

  Lia’s radiance intensified. Not metaphorically—it was as if an actual halo had appeared behind her. But no matter how blinding, it had no effect on me.

  "Your... attitude was a little different just now..."

  I deliberately softened my words, but—

  "No, nothing like that happened, okay?" "......"

  She smiled sweetly. A breathtakingly beautiful expression. Except her eyes weren’t smiling at all. In fact, I could’ve sworn there was a hint of panic in them.

  At this point, there was no turning back. I decided to be honest with her.

  "You probably know this already, but my skill makes me immune to yours. Even if you crank up the output." "...Tch. Seriously? I maxed it out, and it still didn’t work? What a pain of a skill." "......"

  The change in her demeanor was staggering. At a gnce, she was a beauty, but her attitude was... well, hard to describe. Not that I was disappointed, though.

  If anything, this made her easier to talk to.

  "By the way, wasn’t the paperwork too quick?" "Your skill helped speed things up." "I see. Should’ve factored that in. *Sigh*... So, what now? Gonna attack me? Or just leave? Disappointed that the Saintess is like this?"

  Her tone was dripping with self-deprecation, almost like she’d given up.

  "Nah, I’m not disappointed." "Hmph. Oh—!"

  Suddenly, she perked up as if remembering something.

  "Right, you’re an adventurer, Yuri?" "Yeah." "And you have that skill , right? That’s the skill that makes people feel fear?" "Sure is." "Perfect. How about being my bodyguard?" "Bodyguard? Something happen?"

  Well, this escated quickly.

  I decided to ask for details.

  "Actually... I’ve been feeling like someone’s been following me tely..." "A stalker?" "Maybe. That griffin incident felt a little suspicious too..." "You think it was human-made?" "No proof, but yeah. Just a hunch." "Hmm..."

  I stroked my chin, deep in thought. It *was* strange for a griffin to appear in that forest.

  Griffins aren’t the type to actively attack humans. They usually live deep in the mountains or dungeons, far from vilges.

  Now that she mentioned it, it *could* have been orchestrated.

  "Look, I’m, like, *super* gorgeous, right?" "Well, I won’t deny that." "Maybe someone’s after my beauty." "Could be."

  It wasn’t impossible, but... that seemed a bit extreme.

  This exchange also gave me a clearer picture of her personality.

  "You’d be perfect for scaring people off, and your skill doesn’t work on me. So? I’ll pay you well." "Alright... Fine. I’ll take the job." "Yes!"

  Getting to the kingdom was important, but helping Lia wasn’t exactly low priority. She’d be a valuable asset in the future. For the day that’s coming, I needed all the preparation I could get.

  "By the way, I’ve never seen you around... Where are you from?" "A vilge in the south." "Got a pce to stay yet?" "Yeah, already booked one earlier." "Cancel it." "Huh?"

  The unexpected suggestion made me blurt out in surprise.

  "If you’re my bodyguard, you’ve gotta stick close, right? I was gonna have you stay at my pce anyway. You’ll be living here for a while." "You sure? I mean... a man and a woman living together might raise some eyebrows." "What? Are you pnning to do something to me?" "No. Absolutely not. Seriously, no. I swear to god."

  I denied it vehemently—*vehemently*.

  If things went *that* way, I’d be sprinting straight into a death fg. It’d be literal suicide. I vowed never to do something that stupid.

  "...Being rejected *that* hard kinda stings, you know."

  Pouting, Lia looked genuinely displeased. Being *that* btant about avoiding her probably didn’t leave a good impression...

  Ugh... This bancing act is tough.

  "Sorry, but I’ve got my reasons." "Whatever. Let’s go. First, the inn." "Right."

  Following her lead, I trailed behind.

  At the inn, I canceled my reservation. Thanks to my skill , the process was quick.

  "Done?" "Yeah." "Then let’s go. It’s a bit of a walk." "Got it."

  A short distance from the church stood a massive mansion.

  The exterior was eerily picturesque, as if plucked from a dream. White stone walls, weathered with age, bore patches of moss. Grand arched windows were adorned with delicate tticework.

  The roof was covered in reddish-brown tiles, with sharp spires melting into the night sky.

  Come to think of it, I knew nothing about Lia. Why was she here? Why did she live in this house?

  "Here we are." "Damn, it’s huge." "Yep. The church arranged it. I’m a Saint candidate, after all. Well, around here, they just treat me as the Saintess." "A Saint candidate, huh. Makes sense."

  As the name suggested, Saint candidates were those in line to become the next Saintess. So Lia wasn’t officially one yet.

  The Saint wasn’t hereditary—it was always the purest woman of the era.

  I gnced at Lia.

  "What’s with that look?" "Just thinking... *You* as the Saint, huh..." "Being a Saint is just about having the right skills. Personality doesn’t matter." "That’s... brutally honest." "Everything in this world is like that. What matters isn’t the inside—it’s the outside."

  Her words, spat out with bitterness, carried a hint of loneliness.

  But she wasn’t wrong. *Personality doesn’t matter for the role*, huh? For some reason, that stung a little.

  I was then led inside.

  "Whoa... Impressive."

  As I stepped in, lights flickered on—probably magic tools. Automatic lighting was convenient.

  The hall’s ceiling was high, with an extravagant chandelier hanging in the center. Crystal shards caught the light, scattering glittering reflections across the ceiling.

  "Your room’s this way. Plenty of unused ones here." "You live here alone?" "Yep. Just me."

  The hallway was long, dimly lit by faint mps. Each step produced a faint creak. The mansion had clearly seen its share of years.

  The walls were a pale cream, dotted with aged paintings.

  The air was chilly, carrying a quiet, almost unsettling atmosphere.

  Living here alone... must’ve been lonely.

  "It’s the farthest room from mine. You’ll stay here for a while. Feel free to use anything inside." "Thanks. I appreciate it." "...Oh, and if you try anything at night, I won’t hold back."

  Lia gred at me, half-lidded.

  "Don’t worry. When it comes to that, I’m the *st* person you need to worry about." "Hmph. Well, if you try anything, I’ll kick you where it hurts."

  Scary. I knew *exactly* where she meant—just imagining it made me break into a cold sweat.

  "I’ll be waiting in the dining hall. Straight past the main hall. Drop your stuff and come when you’re ready." "Got it. Thanks for everything. Really helps."

  Smiling gratefully, I watched as Lia’s eyes widened in surprise.

  "W-Well, this is just a professional arrangement, got it?! D-Don’t get the wrong idea...!"

  With that, she stormed off. Cssic tsundere line, huh.

  Not that I expected any *dere* directed at me, though.

  And with that, I stepped into the room I’d been assigned.