## Chapter 824 – Winter in the Capital

“…!”

The Saintess, her eyes wide, stared at me with a completely flushed face. I was practically pinning her to the ground with my body.

It was an unavoidable contact while catching her from falling.

“Hng… Ah…? Ugh…?”

I immediately placed the liquor bottle on the table and pushed myself up, as if doing a push-up, getting off of her. It was about time to head back anyway. Staying any longer would just lead to more strange noises and nothing else.

With the Saintess in this state, any further dining was pointless.

I should get her back quickly.

“Look, Saintess. You’ve had too much to drink. That’s why you were, you know? About to fall. And you can’t even control your body properly. No more drinking. Understand?”

I stood in place and said that to the Saintess, who was still lying there.

“…”

But there was no response.

I wondered if she had passed out completely and was already snoring, so I immediately went between the sofa and the table to check her face.

“Saintess? Are you asleep?”
“Ah! Th-that…!”

The Saintess, making eye contact with me, startled and raised her upper body.

—*Wobble.*

The movement caused her clothes, which I had managed to arrange, to become disheveled again, exposing her bra once more. And her breasts jiggled too… It was fortunate that I was used to women. Otherwise, I would have lost my mind.

“Yes? Saintess? Are you sure you’re alright?”

But she didn’t look too good right now.

“Th-that is…”

She opened her mouth, her face still flushed red, in response to my question.

Was her intoxication getting worse?

“…I, I should go back now.”

Then she stuttered slightly and said that. No, was she regaining her senses? Perhaps she had regained some clarity and thought about going back.

That was a relief.

“Yes. You should. But are you sure you’re alright? Like, are you feeling hot or dizzy? Anything like that?”

I reached out my hand to check if she could stand on her own.

“W-wait a moment. Too close… Ah!”

—*Slap.*

“Ouch.”

The Saintess, slapping my hand away, jumped up from her seat.

So she could stand?
I almost had to carry her on my back if she couldn’t move.

“Th-that… No, that’s not what I meant to do…”

But the Saintess, after standing up, seemed a little lost. With trembling eyes, she reached out her hand to me, then retracted it, shaking her head vigorously once.

—*Tap. Tap. Tap.*

Suddenly, she walked quickly towards the door.

What, was she seriously trying to go out in that state?

Her current attire was disheveled again from the earlier scuffle.

“Hey, Saintess. Where are you going like that?”

She was completely wasted.

If the Saintess went outside in that outfit, a religious catastrophe would surely occur. Armed Holy Knights would probably be deployed throughout the area. That could never happen.

I immediately followed the Saintess, who was trying to walk towards the door, and grabbed her wrist.

“You’re really drunk. You’ll get mugged if you go out like that, you know?”
“Ah…!”
“First, put on your clothes properly.”
“Ah… I understand, so let go of my hand…!”

It wasn’t like I was kidnapping her, but she suddenly tried to shake off my hand. Her attitude was unpredictable. Just a moment ago, she was speaking imperiously, but did her judgment return a little after almost falling?

She seemed excessively anxious.

“What, did you suddenly come to your senses or something? You need to put on your clothes properly first.”
“…”

I immediately pulled her wrist, sat her back down on the sofa, and brought the coat and veil that were folded over there. The white coat was quite large. It was big enough to cover everything from her shoulders to her calves, and it was wide.

The veil also had enough fabric to almost cover her face.

“…”

The Saintess suddenly became quiet. She even closed her mouth and was slightly fidgeting, with her head slightly lowered.

I really didn’t know why she was acting like this.

“Saintess. You’re going to wear this and go back. Understand?”
“…”

She remained silent.

I had no choice but to stand the Saintess up myself, put the coat on her, and put the veil on her. Looking at her like this, her identity seemed to be hidden by more than 90%.

I could escort her to the Great Temple like this.

“Then are you going now?”
“…”

I was very disappointed in the sumptuous feast that was placed on the table, but there was no helping it today. I immediately escorted the Saintess and came out of the door.

—*Creak.*

That was when the door closed.

“Hoo…”

The Saintess, who had been lowering her head, opened her mouth slightly.

“Yes?”
“I’ll go alone… The Paladin can, go back first…”

She was going alone?

“No way, are you going alone? I know you’re not feeling well.”
“B-but this Saintess is fine… Don’t worry about me…”

Drunk people always say they’re fine.

“Don’t say such nonsense. What do you mean you’re going alone? You can’t go alone. If you don’t move, I’ll just carry you on my back.”
“But… I’m telling you I’m f-fine…”
“Tsk tsk.”

Let’s go down to the first floor first.

—*Grasp.*

“Ah…!”

I immediately grabbed the Saintess’s wrist and walked.

“Let’s go. I’ll escort you to the Great Temple.”
“N-no! I’m fine! I can go alone, so let go of this hand…!”

But she, who usually showed her bare skin without any hesitation, was reacting too sensitively. For a moment, I wondered if I had done something wrong.

“Saintess? Have I done something inhumanely wrong?”
“It’s not that… It’s just a little…”
“A little? D-did you perhaps become embarrassed to walk with me!!!!”
“No! It’s definitely not that…!”
“Then why are you acting like this? As I said, I’m not a womanizer, but a faithful Paladin!”
“…”
“So believe me. I’ll take you to the Great Temple. Do you think I’m going to kidnap you or something?”

Anyway, as I was about to move again, the Saintess suddenly screamed.

“Th-the Paladin’s consideration is appreciated!!!!”
“Gasp.”

What?

“Stop for a moment…!”
“Yes?”

A feeling as if she was trying to squeeze out her voice. The Saintess, her face flushed, seemed restless, slightly pulling her pelvis back.

“…”

Her thighs moved slightly, trembling.

“…”

A moment of silence fell.

Ah.

I realized one fact that was a little difficult to say. As soon as I realized the fact, I quietly closed my eyes and sat down on the chair that was placed next to me.

…The Saintess really drank too much.

She drank seven bottles straight… It was understandable that she was in a hurry.

“…”

The Saintess’s footsteps moved away. How far away was she? I heard the sound of the bathroom door opening, and waited a little longer in that state.

—*Tap, tap.*

The sound of footsteps approached.

“…”

I stood up from my seat without a word.

The Saintess’s face had returned to normal. And her usual composure and flawless impression had also returned to normal.

In addition, her attitude seemed much calmer.

“…”

We went down to the first floor of the restaurant without a word. As we went down, I put down the key I had received at the counter. Then I stood next to the Saintess and went outside.

—*Swish.*

As we went outside, the cold air unique to winter touched my skin. It felt very refreshing. Even though it was daytime, I really liked the temperature.

“…Saintess.”

I called out to the Saintess heavily.

“…Why?”

The Saintess also answered heavily.

“I’ll escort you to the Great Temple.”
“…That’s obvious.”
“Can you walk properly?”

After a moment of silence, the Saintess slowly began to walk.

—*Tap, tap.*

She seemed to be able to walk. Still, she might fall like before, so I stuck close to her side and moved.

—*Stagger!*

Throughout the walk, the Saintess staggered from time to time and entrusted her body to me. As expected, it seemed a little difficult to wear high heels while drunk. So I occasionally held the Saintess’s waist to stabilize her as we moved.

How long did we walk in silence?

The building of the Great Temple began to appear in the distance.
I looked at the Saintess who was walking next to me.

—*Halt.*

The Saintess also stopped, as if she had confirmed the temple building.

“That, Paladin.”
“Yes.”

She slowly opened her mouth.
I focused on her words.

“…Your body.”
“My body?”
“Your body is quite heavy.”

Weight, I haven’t exactly measured it, but I think it’s increased quite a bit lately. A body full of muscles is inevitably heavy.

“That’s true.”
“As expected, you must be training very hard on a regular basis.”
“I always work hard on my days off.”

What was this sudden topic all about?

Since I was one step behind, I couldn’t see her face properly.

“That’s a very good attitude. Well… I showed a slightly disheveled appearance today, but anyway, I know that the Paladin is innocent.”

The Saintess, speaking in her usual tone, passed me and walked away.

“So go in and rest. Let’s part ways now.”
“Ah, yes. Please go in safely.”

—*Tap, tap.*

Like that, the Saintess’s back disappeared into the distance. Her pace was twice as fast as the speed she had been walking with me. And she didn’t stagger, as if she had regained some of her senses while walking.

“…”

What to say.

It was a very long morning.
And my body felt hot too.

“What the hell.”

I was also very hungry, and I couldn’t even ask if the armor could be repaired. Should I go back to the restaurant now and eat what’s left?

I think it would be okay now.

I didn’t have much appetite earlier because I was being scolded and interrogated, but now that I’ve regained some of my senses and she acknowledged my innocence, I felt much more at ease.

I immediately returned to the restaurant, but I was turned away, saying that they had already cleaned up the food.

Damn it.

* * *

The day after tomorrow.

“Paladin, are you here?”

Even though such a thing had happened two days ago, the Saintess’s attitude was no different than before. As soon as I entered the Saintess’s audience chamber, she greeted me with the same attitude as usual.

“…”

I tensed up for a moment and examined the Saintess’s condition. That thing from two days ago… Was she okay? If she remembered it properly, there was no telling what she would say.

“Yes… Did you get back safely that day?”
“…”

When I asked carefully, the Saintess paused for a moment.

“…When I came to my senses, I was lying in bed. I remember it in fragments, but I don’t remember it properly. I’d rather ask if the Paladin got back safely.”
“I got back safely. I even escorted you last.”
“Ah, that’s right. Wait… I don’t remember it very well. Can you explain it to me?”
“Explain?”
“Yes. Did this Saintess, who was drunk, perhaps show any strange behavior? It’s rare, but my memory is fragmented… It might have happened a little.”

Did she have a blackout?

That was rather fortunate.
So I decided to tell a white lie.

“Nothing that strange. You were just a little drunk and staggered a bit. You also scolded me a little about the womanizer thing. But there was nothing else.”
“…”

The Saintess stared into my eyes for a moment.

“…That’s a relief then.”

Then she lowered her gaze to the documents on the desk and answered.

“But the thing is, my memory is fragmented… very unclear. Didn’t the Paladin roughly grab this Saintess’s hand or something?”

That was certainly true.

“I just caught you from falling.”
“Hmm… I see. Well, that’s fine then.”

—…

After that, a moment of silence fell.

—*Slurp.*

The Saintess took a sip of tea.

“Well, sit down for now. Shouldn’t we talk since you’re here?”

The Saintess, saying that, took out another cup and poured tea. I also pulled up a chair and sat opposite the Saintess.

“You said the Paladin escorted me. I should thank you for that. To be honest, this Saintess isn’t very strong with alcohol… I unintentionally showed a disheveled appearance.”
“It’s okay. It wasn’t a big deal.”

Let’s keep the Saintess’s striptease a secret.

“…By the way, aren’t you cold?”
“I’m not particularly cold. Why, are you concerned about this Saintess’s attire?”

Today, the Saintess was wearing an outfit that wasn’t her usual attire, but something like the summer version, exposing her skin. She wasn’t wearing a veil, and she was wearing a snow-white off-shoulder outfit that exposed her shoulder line, collarbone, and even her cleavage.

“Hmph, when I think about it, I went there in a rather daring outfit the day before yesterday. So I’m asking, what does the Paladin think of such clothes?”

The Saintess subtly asked, as if she had no idea that she had done something similar to a striptease in that outfit.

“From the viewer’s point of view, I thought it was very good.”
“Really… Is that so.”

The Saintess smiled at my answer.

—*Rustle.*

Then she got up from her seat and approached me. Wondering what was going on, I immediately got up from my seat as well.

“Anyway, the Paladin has suffered a lot.”

Wondering what was going on, the Saintess gently grabbed my left hand with both hands and said that to me.

“But I’m sorry that you didn’t have a proper meal. If there’s a chance next time, I think it would be better to treat you again.”
“No, you don’t have to go that far…”
“This Saintess is saying it because I’m uncomfortable. The Paladin said you were so loyal to this Saintess, so I should definitely treat you. You didn’t even eat properly that day.”
“That’s true.”

So she remembered that far.

“Anyway, Saintess. Well, is there any news today?”
“Well… It doesn’t seem like there is yet. Above all, I can’t send you on the next mission until the reward for the Paladin is properly settled.”
“Is that so?”

Well… It was roughly like this.

Fortunately, I had a long chat with the Saintess, who didn’t properly remember what happened the day before yesterday. She said there wasn’t any particular news, and I was only able to return home in the afternoon.

The womanizer incident must be over with this, right?