## Chapter 832 – Winter in the Capital

“As you know, our Katt is a very wonderful and good man.”

Karin, looking at me, started touching my face. Seriously, why is the Saintess asking about this? It just makes me embarrassed to talk about it.

“…I acknowledge that. The title of Paladin itself is respected by all.”

The Saintess nodded at Karin’s words.

She always praises me as a decent guy. The Saintess is also giving me high marks.

“But he’s not a formal Paladin, is he? Even if he weren’t a Paladin, he’d still be a husband to be proud of.”
“…I suppose so.”

ㅡSlurp.

The Saintess, having another sip of her tea, replied in a leisurely tone. But usually, she’d pull out a cigarette right away, so is she refraining from smoking in front of civilians?

Truly, the Saintess.

But is Karin going to talk about that?

I can’t even guess how she’ll bring it up. Surely, when Karin took my first time… well, to be precise, when Karin forced herself on me. Anyway, the circumstances at the time weren’t something you could just tell anyone.

I can’t exactly tell her not to mention that part while she’s telling the story.

I subtly gave Karin a look, and she also looked back at me. Unfortunately, we don’t have telepathy, so I couldn’t tell what she was thinking.

Damn it.

“It’s not a very grand story, but my husband was my student a few years ago.”
“A student…?”
“Yes. He learned swordsmanship from me back then, and he was so eager to learn. He was also good at talking, so naturally, I couldn’t help but develop good feelings for him. You could say that’s how we became connected.”
“I see…”

Having heard the answer, the Saintess narrowed her eyes and took a sip of her tea. Then, having finished it, she placed the cup on the saucer and picked up the teapot next to her, slowly starting to pour.

“A student, huh… so that’s how you two were connected. And that’s how you became husband and wife.”
“That’s right.”

Karin nodded.

She’s skipping over the part where she took me by force. It’s clear that it’s not something worth mentioning.

“But… you said he’s your third wife, so does that mean Katt Paladin originally had two wives?”

The Saintess is quite curious.

“Well, that’s what it means. He originally had two wives, but it doesn’t really matter to me. He’s originally from a nomadic tribe, so there’s nothing I can do about that.”
“Indeed… I know that such a culture is common in Mirkeisha.”
“I’m half from there myself. It’s not like I can’t understand it.”
“…I see.”

The Saintess nodded.

“…If you can understand it, that is.”

Such small talk continued. In truth, she called us to thank us, but she couldn’t just do that and end it, could she? After that, the Saintess asked Karin various things about me.

And Karin answered very well each time.

But it was closer to personal questions than official ones, though there wasn’t really anything problematic. It’s not like I heard anything rude. Anyway, the two of them continued to drink tea and talk.

How much longer did they talk?

ㅡThud.

Karin and the Saintess simultaneously put down their teacups.

“Since he is a Paladin under my command, I took the liberty of asking you today. I hope you won’t take it the wrong way.”
“Why would I? It was a perfectly understandable question.”

The Saintess apologized first, and Karin replied that it was okay.

She apologized for asking about me in a bit of depth. At this point, I can’t help but know. Today’s thank-you is a bonus, and she probably wanted to find out about my usual behavior through Karin.

“To be honest, if a Paladin has many wives, it might seem a bit much in general. I heard that the Saintess was worried about that.”
“…I had no choice but to reprimand him about that.”
“It’s only natural to reprimand him.”

It seemed Karin knew that too.

“But he’s a very good man. There’s nothing for the Saintess to worry about. If you just consider the fact that he has many wives, he’s no different from other nobles, but he’s not as unrestrained as they are.”
“…Yes.”

Seeing Karin defend me like this made my heart swell. Yeah, that’s this sister’s magnanimity.

“And well… as many wives as he has, he’s also charming.”
“…Since you have such a good relationship, I feel less worried. I understand. Thank you.”

Having said that, the Saintess slightly bent her waist and placed a small box-like object on the table. Then, she pushed it towards us.

“This is a gift from the Order. We can’t let you go empty-handed when we’re thanking you.”
“Thank you. Truly, the Brass Holy Order. Oh, and I received the holy water in that chalice last time. I heard it’s very good holy water.”
“…Is that so? I’m glad to hear it.”

I immediately grabbed the box.

“Hehehe, thank you, Saintess.”
“Paladin. You should know that it’s a gift from the Order to Karin, who is a collaborator. You could say it’s a kind of additional reward.”
“Yes. I understand. Truly. The Saintess who takes care of things like this is the real Saintess.”
“Well… anyway, the Paladin will be using it together. I’m glad you’re satisfied.”

Looking at it, what’s inside is also holy water. It seems to be of slightly lower quality than what was in the chalice, but still, holy water from the Brass Holy Order is very effective.

The conversation ended there.

We got up from our seats.

“Well then, I have another appointment. Today’s meeting was enjoyable. I’ve eased some of my worries, and I’d say it was a good meeting.”

The Saintess bowed to Karin.

“I was also pleased to meet the famous Saintess. Finally, I’d like to tell you that there’s no need to worry about our Katt’s character or usual behavior. Actually, you called me here to confirm that, rather than to thank me, didn’t you?”
“It wasn’t that blatant, but I can’t deny that I had that purpose in addition to thanking you. I apologize for that.”
“Of course, I understand that you might do that.”

I didn’t really open my mouth while they were talking. Then we went down to the first floor together, said our final goodbyes, and parted ways.

“I thought you were someone else entirely, sis.”

Walking, I said to Karin.

“I’m good at being polite too. Anyway. She’s a surprisingly beautiful person, isn’t she? Indeed. She’s comparable to Claudie.”
“Hehehe, but she can’t beat an elf, can she? And you’re prettier, sis. If you entered the kingdom’s beauty contest, you’d be one of the top ten beauties.”
“Kyahaha, you little flatterer. Is that so? Ah, but why does my husband attract so many beauties? Is he a born womanizer?”
“No, I’m not a womanizer.”

It’s true that there are many beauties around me.

“…But you know.”
“Why?”

Karin started to say something, then touched her lips.

“Um…”

An action that seemed like she was thinking about something.

“Well… never mind. Let’s skip this.”
“Why, what is it?”

What is it?

“Nothing. Just a thought I had.”
“Is that so?”

Having said that, Karin pulled on my cheek and continued.

“But it seems like she’s still worried about you having many wives. It seems like the purpose of calling me today was more about that than thanking me. Didn’t we talk about that last time?”
“I guess so. We finished talking about it.”

Still, she probably wanted to see Karin’s face and hear about my usual behavior in person. The conversation was over, but she could still find out while she was thanking us.

Certainly, if you say I’m promiscuous, I have nothing to say, but it’s not unethical. And Karin spoke very politely. It was an impeccable attitude.

“Since he’s a direct subordinate, she’s probably worried about this and that. She didn’t seem like a bad person, though. She even gave us a gift.”
“Hehehe, yeah. If they give us something, they’re all good people.”

Isn’t that right?

“Anyway, sis. Thanks for speaking well of me.”
“It’s only natural. I guess she was trying to find out what kind of person my husband is through me. So I had to tell her good things. We’ll be working together in the future, so a good impression is important.”
“I’ve already built up a good impression while working together, so don’t worry.”
“That’s a relief. Shall we go back now?”
“Yep.”

I immediately returned home with Karin.

* * *

“Karin, how was it?”

When we returned, Winia asked.

“Um, it was just normal. It felt like we just received greetings and thanks?”
“Is that so?”
“But she was really pretty. She had the image of a Saintess.”
“Really? Was she that pretty?”
“It seems the saying that she’s one of the three beauties wasn’t just empty words.”
“Were there any other impressions?”
“I don’t know… I’m not sure. She seemed like a good person.”
“I see…”

Besides Winia, the other wives also asked Karin about the Saintess. I also gave them answers, but perhaps they wanted to hear it from Karin, who is also a woman, rather than from me?

Anyway, that’s how it felt.

* * *

The very next day, I went to the Great Temple for attendance check-in. As usual, I entered the audience chamber and greeted her, and the Saintess, smoking a cigarette, said.

“Did you get home safely that day?”
“Ah, yes. Did you get home safely too, Saintess?”
“I had to deal with the backlog of work as soon as I got back.”
“Oh dear.”

The appearance she showed when she was talking with Karin was nowhere to be seen, and she immediately returned to speaking informally. Yeah, it suits the Saintess to be like this.

“Well… after talking to her, she seemed like a very good woman.”
“Ah. Are you talking about Karin?”
“…That’s right.”

The Saintess looked into my eyes.

“She’s skilled, has a high level of culture, and a righteous character. And she’s beautiful, isn’t she? You could say she’s a very good match for the Paladin. Indeed, a trustworthy Paladin has a trustworthy spouse.”
“Hehehe, isn’t that right? Karin is pretty.”
“…”

ㅡCrunch, crunch.
ㅡCrunch.
ㅡCrunnch.

Suddenly, the Saintess stopped smoking and started biting her thumbnail. What, why? Suddenly.

“Well… I guess so. She was certainly a woman of outstanding beauty… But the Paladin has six other wives besides her, doesn’t he?”
“Yes. I’m embarrassed to say this, but they’re all beautiful. About the same as Karin.”
“…”

ㅡTap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

The opposite hand placed on the desk. That finger started tapping on the desk. What’s going on? This is an action that shows she’s uncomfortable.

“Indeed… I think I know very well why the Paladin can maintain his composure even when looking at the Saintess. Surrounded by such beauties, you could say he’s immune to most desires.”
“Hehehe, is that how it works? No, but it’s true that the Saintess is really beautiful.”
“…You know that much.”

ㅡStop.

The Saintess nodded, and at the same time, her finger stopped. I don’t know if that’s just a habit or what.

“Ah, but Paladin. There’s something I’ve personally become curious about… It’s a question that arose after meeting Karin yesterday.”
“What is it? Please tell me.”

The Saintess, slightly narrowing her eyes, said that.

“It’s nothing much, but usually, doesn’t polygamy require the permission of the first wife? I’m quite curious about that. Is the Paladin’s first wife open to such things?”

She was asking if Claudie was open-minded.

Well, in the first place, Claudie is encouraging it and telling me to do it. Now I also think her idea is right.

“Oh my.”

Is it because she’s at an age where she’s thinking about marriage? Of course, she’d be curious if there’s someone around her with many wives like me.

“I didn’t know the Saintess was so interested in the marriage system.”

When I said that, the Saintess frowned and stared at me.

“I’m just curious because the Paladin is such an amazing man. This womanizer doesn’t seem to realize that it’s all his fault. The Paladin has seven wives, so of course, I’d have questions about that, wouldn’t I?”
“Hehehe, I was just saying. No, but didn’t you acknowledge last time that I’m not a womanizer anymore?”
“I was just saying too. There’s no malice, so the womanizing Paladin should just ignore it.”
“Oh dear. I understand.”

Is it almost fixed?

“Anyway, if you ask if she’s open-minded, I’d say she definitely is. She also thinks that a strong warrior should have more wives.”
“Hoo…”

The Saintess nodded at my words.

“I see… so that’s what it means… It’s natural for a strong warrior to have more wives… Could she be from Mirkeisha too?”
“No. She’s a woman from the Shurdic Great Desert.”
“The Shurdic Great Desert?”

The Saintess tilted her head.
Certainly, it’s a very distant place.

“She came from a very distant place. Did she come across the Merkudia Kingdom?”
“Looking at the map, it seems so.”
“Are the customs there similar to Mirkeisha?”
“I don’t know the details, but I heard that the environment there is harsh, so many people believe in the warrior god. She also believes in that religion.”

Claudie believes in Hel-Kan. But she’s already made it clear that I’m more important than that religion, so she doesn’t really show it.

“The warrior god of the Shurdic Great Desert would be Hel-Kan, wasn’t it? I think there was something like that.”
“Oh, you know about it?”
“Would the Saintess not know about that? But I think this is the first time I’ve heard about the culture of his believers. It’s interesting, so continue.”

As expected of the Saintess, she knows everything.

“There’s not much to continue. She just believes in that god, so naturally, that kind of thinking has become ingrained. So she’s a very open-minded woman about my wives increasing.”
“…I see. Well, I understand. It seems the Paladin has become a womanizer due to various environmental factors.”
“Is that a positive thing to say?”
“Then would it be negative? Anyway, it seems I’ve asked too deeply about the Paladin’s personal life. I hope you won’t be uncomfortable about this.”
“No, it’s not like the Saintess and I are strangers. I don’t mind that kind of thing.”
“Hmph, yeah. The relationship between the Paladin and the Saintess, you mean…”

The Saintess, trailing off, gently touched her lips and looked into my eyes.