## Chapter 773 – Kingdom Martial Arts Tournament

The chef smoothly cleared away the empty dishes and set up the cups and liquor bottles. Unusually, he didn’t try to make eye contact with us at all, nor did he make any sounds with his mouth.

He just acted like a machine, as if he was only doing his job.

Was he specially trained not to intrude on the customers’ privacy? Is that inhuman hat proof that he completed such training? Plausible. It’s a luxurious private room-style restaurant, so it could be.

ㅡCreak, creak.

Having finished the setup, the chef silently bowed and took the cart back outside.

Wow, but this place is really nice.

They even bring the food and drinks.
I wonder if refills are possible.

“Hehehe, they even ordered liquor for us. Very good.”

Just by looking at them, you can tell they’re high-end liquors. The bottles themselves show their class. I don’t particularly enjoy expensive liquor, but if it’s good, I should drink it.

“Liquor is good. Anyway, about that martial arts tournament…”
“…”

The Saintess was just staring at me, still sitting with her legs crossed. She wasn’t saying anything, just smoking her cigarette with her arms folded.

ㅡWhoosh.

The smoke billowed out.

Could the scent be described as refreshing? It’s completely different from the harmful cigarettes on Earth. So it’s okay to puff away while eating. I don’t know if it’s good or bad for the lungs, but with the Saintess’s level of recovery, she’s probably immune to almost any poison. And it’s probably because it’s high-end tobacco.

“Saintess?”
“…”

Anyway, is she thinking about something right now?

If I participate in the tournament, I won’t be able to work for at least a month. She might be thinking about that. With the Great Demon possibly coming, she doesn’t want to lose any fighting power… or does she?

But I’m confident I can persuade her.

“So… the Paladin isn’t saying anything else to the Saintess right now. He’s simply asking for permission to participate in the martial arts tournament, is that right?”

She finally put out her cigarette in the ashtray and opened her mouth.

“Yes. That’s exactly it. To be honest, if I participate in that, I probably won’t be able to work for a month. There will be a bit of a gap in our forces during that time, but if I win, the glory of the Brass Celestial Angel Society will be greatly enhanced. And, of course, I’m confident I’ll win.”

First of all, the eligibility requirements for the martial arts tournament clearly state that participants must be under 30 years old.

Perhaps they set that condition to filter out extreme powerhouses with hardened minds or their own factions, and to incorporate easily manageable up-and-coming talents into the royal knight order. But I’m still in my mid-twenties.

That means the opponents are too.

At that age, there’s no way I’ll lose. These days, kids may be all the rage, but Kim Kat is already `flying` with the legendary Wright brothers.

No matter who comes, I’ll win.

“You’re confident of victory even before participating? You’re full of confidence. Well, the Paladin always has been.”
“There’s almost nothing I can’t do. And I wouldn’t say something like this if I wasn’t confident. If I’m going to take time off work to participate in the tournament, I have to win, right?”

I looked into the Saintess’s eyes with confidence.

I’ll win no matter what.
That tournament is only for me.

That kind of feeling was boiling within my heart right now. Yes, this is competitiveness. It’s not a slaughter where you butcher your opponent, but even though it’s a tournament where you can’t kill, it’s still an opportunity to fight strong opponents legally.

I definitely want to participate.

“Saintess…! This boiling fighting spirit! I will definitely unleash it at the martial arts tournament and achieve victory! So please, grant me permission!”
“Ugh…”

The Saintess, who had been looking into my eyes, turned her head slightly to the side and replied.

“W, well… it’s not difficult to grant permission. The Saintess is also aware of the martial arts tournament. If I write a letter of recommendation in my name, you’ll be able to participate.”
“Oh! Does that mean!”
“If the Paladin wins, the honor of the Order will surely be greatly enhanced. The promotional effect… seems like it would be quite significant. We don’t usually send holy knights to such tournaments, but the Paladin is different.”

Good!

“It seems like a good opportunity to show off the power of the Order.”
“So you’ll write me a letter of recommendation?!”
“How could I not, when the Paladin is asking?”

The Saintess chuckled and crossed her legs to the other side as she continued. As expected! If I ask, she’ll grant it!

“The Saintess is willing to grant anything the Paladin asks for… Of course, if you ask me like that, I have to write a letter of recommendation. As you said, you’re making great contributions, so it’s the least I can do. It’s not like anything will happen if you can’t work for a month.”

Permission granted!

“As expected…! Exquisite beauty! Even your heart and generosity are beautiful!!”

Overwhelmed with emotion, I immediately jumped up from my seat and bowed 90 degrees to express my gratitude. To think she trusts me this much, I have no choice but to win and enhance the honor of the Order!

“I will definitely win and promote the Brass Celestial Angel Society. From today, I am Verde Ambassador Kim Kat! I will contribute to world peace through unlimited service!”
“You’re really full of enthusiasm. Well, that’s enough with the greetings, sit down. We can’t leave good liquor unattended.”

ㅡSqueak.

The Saintess picked up the liquor bottle and opened the lid.
Is she thinking of pouring me a drink?

“Hehehe, I understand.”

I immediately grabbed my glass and politely held it out.

“The Saintess isn’t particularly strong with liquor, but I’ve decided to treat the Paladin, so I can’t leave out the liquor.”
“To think you’d consider even such small details…! As expected, not just anyone can become a Saintess! Deep insight and wisdom! The spirituality that is demonstrated through them! Truly, it can be said to be the strongest brain in humanity!”
“Heh, the Paladin is really good at saying things that are pleasing to the ear.”

ㅡPour.

The Saintess smiled and slowly poured me a drink. The color of the liquor was a deep orange. I don’t know all the names of the liquors or fruits in this world, so I don’t really know what it is, but from the scent, it seemed like some kind of fruit brandy.

It looks strong.

But my enhanced physical abilities have made even my liver strong, and these days, no matter what kind of liquor I chug down, it doesn’t really affect me much. As I get stronger, not only my body and stamina, but also the abilities of my internal organs are all improving.

Anyway, I don’t know if it’s etiquette, but the Saintess poured the liquor very slowly. She had only filled about half of the glass.

“Haa… do you know, Paladin?”

The Saintess, who had been pouring the liquor, sighed and opened her mouth.

“It seems that the Paladin is the first man that the Saintess has ever poured liquor for directly…”
“T, that inhuman honor…!”

Pouring liquor for the first time…! What an honor! Just as I trust the Saintess, the Saintess trusts me!

“Thank you!!!!!”

I put a little more strength into the hand holding the glass.

“…It’s a more glorious and grateful thing than the Paladin thinks.”

The Saintess continued to pour the liquor slowly.

“Do you think there’s anything more valuable than the act of the most beautiful Saintess in the world pouring you liquor directly?”
“Hehehe, it certainly seems rare. Since it’s your first time, this is an honor that only I can feel! I’m extremely moved!!”

The first time ever!

That’s how my glass was filled.

“Then I should return the honor and pour you a drink. This is, well, you could say it’s just sharing the honor. Just as the Saintess has appointed me and made me glorious, I too will dedicate my loyalty and work for the Saintess’s glory.”

I naturally took the liquor bottle and poured it into the Saintess’s glass.

“How long does the Paladin intend to dedicate his loyalty to the Saintess?”
“I think I’ll keep dedicating it unless something happens. Everything I’ve done so far has been fine. Don’t you think so? There are hardly any people who treat their subordinates as well as the Saintess. I have to be loyal in proportion to the treatment I receive.”
“Yes… that’s a very good way of thinking. The Saintess likes that.”

After pouring all the liquor, I put down the bottle. And without either of us saying anything, we held out our glasses and lightly clinked them together. There’s a toasting culture here too. I was going to turn my head and drink after clinking the glasses, but I decided to just drink.

“Then I’ll partake of the blessed drink!!”
“You don’t have to report everything.”

ㅡGulp.

The sensation of the liquor going down my throat was quite nice. Is this because it’s expensive liquor? A burning sensation travels down my esophagus and pools in my solar plexus.

ㅡIt’s getting hot, I tell you.

But there’s not much of a problem.
I could empty this whole bottle without any trouble.

“The liquor tastes quite good.”
“How could it not, with the Saintess in front of you?”

A beautiful woman is a good side dish.

“To enhance the taste of the liquor…”

ㅡThud.

The Saintess, who had been continuing the conversation, put down her glass and naturally raised her arms, starting to stretch. Because of that posture, her fair and clean armpits were clearly visible.

“Ugh… Haa… There’s nothing better than a beautiful woman, you know.”

Because she’s wearing an off-shoulder sleeveless dress, the side of her full breasts is completely exposed, and her collarbones are emphasized as well. And not only that… her cleavage is also moving wildly.

“I’ve been focusing only on work lately, so my back hurts and my shoulders are stiff. There’s no one to massage me, so the suffering is immense.”

The Saintess slowly and carefully loosened her body as if her shoulders were stiff, and even turned her neck.

Her figure is quite good.

“If you’re in pain, you can have the nuns do it, can’t you?”
“Would I be able to do such private operations?”
“Hehehe, is that so? Anyway, you’re going through a lot.”
“Ah, having big breasts is also quite inconvenient.”
“Because your shoulders are stiff?”
“Because they’re quite heavy.”

They certainly look heavy… No, but how long are you going to keep stretching?

“But Saintess. Well, that… isn’t it a bit too obvious that you’re stretching? Your armpits are too visible.”
“Hoo?”

It’s quite an embarrassing situation. This older sister always enjoys exposing herself like this. This has happened before, anyway. I should stop her.

“The Saintess doesn’t mind at all. Surely the Paladin isn’t bothered by it?”
“How can I not be, huh? Stop teasing me. Shouldn’t we focus on drinking?”
“Hehehe, of course we should. It would be a big problem if your vision was obscured because the Saintess is too charming.”

So I emptied the liquor bottle while talking to the Saintess. The conversation was mostly about participating in the martial arts tournament and the story about the demon. Like that, the liquor bottle was emptied.

It was quite strong liquor, but there was no problem. There was no feeling of my body floating, just the feeling of my liver working hard.

“…”

But the Saintess’s face was quite flushed.

Still, she was emptying her glass with a calm attitude.

“Haa…”

She sighed, a little tired.

“Oh dear. Are you having a hard time? Didn’t you drink too much?”
“No, it’s not that.”
“Then?”
“It’s just… I feel stuffy because I’m wearing clothes that don’t suit me. It’s the first time I’ve worn clothes like this, so… I guess I’m a little nervous.”

The Saintess, who had sighed, gently pulled at the chest area of her dress as if she felt stuffy. Because of that movement, her cleavage was further emphasized… I almost saw her bra, but unfortunately, I didn’t.

“It doesn’t not suit you. Well, this might sound a bit explicit, but it suits you quite well. No, anything would suit you if you wore it, Saintess.”

It actually suits her well.
When I said that, a smile returned to her face.

“Hehe… the Paladin seems to be very good with words. I had that feeling from the first time I saw you. Are you used to this kind of thing?”
“Hehehe, I’m quite confident in flattering people. But what I’m saying to the Saintess isn’t flattery, it’s the truth.”
“Is that so.”

Kim Kat’s mouth is getting stronger day by day.

“By the way… Paladin.”

Anyway, as we were talking, the Saintess suddenly put down her glass and looked into my eyes.

“You said you have a woman.”

I had mentioned it before.

“Yes. That’s right.”

When I replied, the Saintess smiled provocatively and continued.

“Then why are you drinking liquor here with the Saintess?”
“Well, is there a problem with drinking with the Saintess? Between us.”

I didn’t even know I would be drinking like this today.

“Hmm…”