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On the day of the festival.

Along with mourning for the dead and wishing for happiness for the living, the festival was held grandly.

“Come, come! Sit here! Today, it’s on me!”

“Ohhh, the captain is treating us?! Can we clear out a whole box today?!”

“Order everything on this list!!”

“Wooooo!!”

The streets were lined with stalls and food carts, and people laughed while enjoying food and countless games.

To forget death.

To overcome death.

For the future we will live on.

“I thought there would be a masquerade.”

The festival resembled too closely the memories I already knew from back then.

Five hundred years ago, the festival held in the Demon King’s Castle.

Magic-made water balloon rose into the sky, and each person enjoyed various attractions at the festival in their own way, each finding their own happiness.

Some enjoyed playing.

Some enjoyed eating.

And some reveled in love.

In such a situation, isn’t it only natural to have the dress code set right?

With that in mind, I clenched my fists as I saw two women far away making contact with Lucius.

“That’s it.”

The dresses of Rosmas and Droniel displayed a mature beauty without being excessive.

Off-shoulder dresses.

The hem slightly covering the thighs, and just right for wearing high heels to tiptoe towards Lucius and comfortably lean in.

Rosmas wore a dark green dress that looked like it was sewn from the night sky, while Droniel boldly revealed her femininity in an audacious red dress.

That was the ultimate dress made by the residents of Belselphia for the Hero Party that saved Belselphia.

Unlike the flashy, superficial noble dresses, this dress showcased modesty, elegance, and above all, the most important thing—sexiness.

‘Something like that is much better than dragging on the floor.’

A woman’s charm truly reveals itself in every place, and once a man is captivated by one point, he tends to like everything else about her.

Even flaws seem charming in such cases.

So….

“I need to increase the places to fall for a little. Heh heh.”

Whether it’s her face, hairstyle, figure, legs, or hip line, or perhaps some other special approach.

“Rosmas. Droniel. We agreed to share a harem, but if we don’t hold hands today, wouldn’t it be more advantageous for one of us to succeed? Heh heh.”

Now that a woman is determined to charm a man, the real internal conflict of the Hero Party starts now.

Fighting against the Demon King is one thing.

Fighting over the Hero is now the women’s battle.

“I can’t afford to miss such a fight. Hehehe.”

I was currently purifying a chunk of magic stone while using clairvoyant magic to observe Lucius’s romantic pursuits from afar.

“Master, aren’t you going?”

“I need to sort this out.”

Under the pretense of purifying a magic stone, I hadn’t participated in the festival, even though it was taking place.

“Still, you should enjoy it a bit too, right?”

“This is enjoyable for me. Go have fun. Or do you want to research this with me? This is a barrier magic that deals with fifteen barriers and surface-curved barriers, centered here….”

“…Then I’ll go out and buy something.”

“Get a melon on the way back.”

“Eh?”

“Just go down there; it should be there. It’s delicious.”

Lucius’s expression wasn’t great, but what could be done?

I needed to create an opportunity for Rosmas and Droniel.

‘If I’m too protective of my master, it’ll backfire.’

I understood.

After all, it had only been a few months since he had become the true hero who defeated the Demon King.

Thinking about the goodwill he had received from everyone in this place, Belselphia, Lucius must have been feeling rather proud.

So now’s the moment.

This very moment when Lucius is the most relaxed is precisely the perfect time to pursue him.

“Sure. That’s it. Direct assault is best against a dense hero.”

Rosmas and Droniel clung to Lucius’s sides, each taking an arm.

Rosmas boldly pressed Lucius’s arm against her chest, and Droniel practically snuggled her arm between her cleavage.

“That’s going to be awkward. It’s not like carrying around two dumbbells equal to a person’s weight.”

“Are you not going with us, Sage?”

The only one not going to enjoy the festival, Saintess Yan, entered the place where I was.

“Hmm? Saintess, aren’t you going to enjoy the festival?”

“I can’t; if I, as a saint, go in front of the Demon Race, people will be put in a difficult position.”

“The Hero of the Holy Sword is right over there getting teased about who he’ll spend today with in a flirty way.”

“The Holy Sword… is separate from the Order of the Crescent Moon Goddess.”

That was not something the Saintess should say.

I withdrew the wand I had stretched towards the magic stone and faced Yan.

“You’re surprisingly interested in the truth, huh?”

“If the things I was unaware of are distinctly different from what I already knew, it’s inevitable that my thoughts deepen.”

Yan gathered a mass of divine power in her hands.

‘Maybe?’

Is this woman here to assassinate me under the cover of the festival?

“The Blessing of the Moon Goddess extends this far. Even if it’s the deep sea, or the remnants of the former Demon King’s army reside, she has bestowed her grace here. Outside, the demons are regarded as rejected beings by the Moon Goddess, but… under the Moon Goddess’s protection, I have been able to safeguard the demons here.”

“…….”

“If the Goddess had thought of the demons here as rejects, as heretics, and deemed them necessary to disappear for the peace of this world, she would not have acted this way. However, since the Moon Goddess has commanded me to protect them, she has loaned me tremendous strength. With that strength, I was able to protect them. Of course, it’s not comparable to the Power of the Holy Sword, but…”

“The fact that the Saintess of the Order of the Crescent Moon Goddess has protected the demons is significant.”

Yan is caught in her own contradictions.

Because of the experiences before becoming a member of our Hero Party and experiences gained within the party, her thoughts have become confused.

Because of the inherent complexity within the Order of the Crescent Moon Goddess.

Because of the identity of a religious organization hiding the truth.

“I understand. There was someone like you long ago.”

“…Who?”

“Yeah. Your ancestor from 500 years ago, Tsundere Saintess.”

Just hearing that name brings back memories.

“As you know, she sought to reject the demons who tried to claw or bite humanity. But after the Demon King’s defeat, the Saintess stepped in to calm the people, right? Recklessly slaughtering life, staining our hands with blood is not what the Moon Goddess desires.”

“…She did. People said she was an idealistic saint, spouting nonsense from the perspective of the Order.”

“How is she evaluated by the Order regarding your ancestor?”

“She made significant contributions to maintaining the legacy of the Goddess. But many also said she hesitated at the critical moment, leaving demons to remain on this land.”

She had taken on infamy for trying to stop the victorious Human Alliance from slaughtering the remnants of the Demon King’s army.

“She was the one who suggested the Northern region be exiled….”

Perhaps she believed she was compensating for what she had received from me during the war with the Human Alliance, but it might be her excessive consciousness.

The origin of tsundere could potentially lie with Tsundere.

“Sage. What should I do?”

“What about?”

“I will surely be tormented when I return to the Order on the surface. I don’t know how to explain what I saw here.”

“Does it really matter? Even if the existence here is known, unless one possesses the Power of the Holy Sword, they won’t be able to come here….”

In the Order, there’s Liriez.

“…Are you worried that the Order might attack here?”

“The Order might think of this place as a cult, as remnants of the Demon King’s army, and could potentially launch a holy war to eliminate them.”

“What do you want to do?”

“…I don’t know. Since the Moon Goddess has shown kindness to them, I hold no thoughts about purifying or eliminating them. However…”

“The old-timers in the Order might think differently? I understand. People who’ve held power tend to act out without understanding the divine will.”

Not that every religion is this way, but the Order of the Crescent Moon Goddess shows these phenomena most strongly when religion has power.

“When it’s difficult to decide what to believe, seeking advice from the Sage is good. I’m someone who can provide appropriate insights in such situations. However, what I say is merely advice; you have to make your own judgment.”

“Me…?”

“Yeah. You’re the Saintess. The fact that you possess the most divine power doesn’t mean it’s the will of the Goddess, but doesn’t it happen? Sometimes, you strongly feel that you should do something.”

“That’s….”

“That’s the voice of the Goddess. It doesn’t manifest in any special form or matter, but she certainly offers you direction.”

People often refer to that as human will, but a human with divine power is different.

“The Goddess whispers so you may thrive. It’s just that you fail to notice and make wrong judgments. So, what do you want now?”

“…I thought I should keep this place hidden.”

Yan clasped her hands in prayer.

“If the Order finds out about this place, a battle greater than against Demon King Leviathan will surely ensue. More blood will surely be spilled. Such a future must be avoided.”

“Then you have to keep it a secret for life?”

“…That seems likely. Every day, in front of the Statue of the Goddess, I will likely ask to forget the experiences I saw and went through here.”

“If that’s your choice, I will respect it. That could be the will of the Goddess, or perhaps it could be your choice against the Goddess’s will.”

…Sage?”

Yan smiled a hollow smile.

“You just said my choice was the will of the Goddess, and yet, saying it that way, what does that make me?”

“But what you truly wish for now isn’t that concern, right?”

“…….”

Yan’s expression hardened.

“Right now, Lucius will be over there in the west area with the other two.”

“Sage, I…”

“Your ideal man is playing with two other women; even if you’re a saint, is it fine to remain still?”

I approached Yan and firmly grasped her shoulder.

“Here, you don’t need to be a saint. If the Order thinks of this place as a heresy, and this heretical representative is the saint, then doesn’t that mean you, who sees this place as cherished by the Goddess, not a saint?”

“…….”

“As far as I know, there’s no law in the Order that says women shouldn’t marry.”

I patted Yan’s shoulder and waved my wand toward the air.

“I’ll lend you this. Go out and have fun.”

“This is…?”

“Hm… the Saintess Robe from 500 years ago?”

It’s the Saintess Robe worn by Tsundere.

Overall white, accentuating the body’s curves, and the leg portion is quite revealing, showcasing an elegant beauty that in no way loses to the two outside.

“Go on. I hope for your happiness.”

“Sage….”

“You’re not a Saintess right now….”

Tap, tap.

“You’re just a woman. Got it?”

Go.

Dear woman.

To seize love.

 

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