Chapter 7 – Episode 6 – Rather Than Letting It Grow Into A Boss Monster, I’Ll Raise It Myself (3)

Episode 6 – Rather Than Letting It Grow Into a Boss Monster, I’ll Raise It Myself (3)

Washing this whiny Saintess is also my job.
…Of course, this isn’t a normal relationship between a Saintess and her Guardian. If you think about it logically, it’s completely absurd. While Diana and I are nonchalant, Irian, who’s always on lookout outside, is always on the verge of a nervous breakdown. …Is she perhaps stomping her feet out of jealousy?

The reason I can do such outrageous things is entirely thanks to the high-ranking members of the Order, who are sick of Diana’s tantrums when I’m not around, my overwhelming reputation, and lastly, the tsundere knight Irian, who acts as the last line of defense.
Oh, this is a trinity. The three of us have perfectly fulfilled our roles. Though, the result being washing Diana is a bit funny.

One of the good things about this game world is that it has a complete water and sewage system. If the bathroom attached to the Saintess’s room didn’t have plumbing, I would have had to carry water every time, struggling and groaning.
I looked at Diana, who was sitting quietly on the bedside, waiting while I filled a large water jar. She was staring intently at me.

On the surface, Diana is a flawless Saintess that anyone would admire.
Her beautiful, kind face is so fantastic that it’s hard to find even in modern media. Her divine power is increasing daily, and her divine magic, which is growing stronger without end, has already surpassed that of high-ranking clerics. On top of that, she has physical abilities superior to most holy knights, a brilliant mind that understands ten things from one, and a graceful demeanor and refined way of speaking.
She’s the perfect Saintess, as if drawn in a picture.
Above all, those breasts that seem to represent generosity, which can’t be hidden even by the baggy Saintess robes. I’m very satisfied.

According to public opinion, she’s a Saintess created by God.
The problem is that this exemplary Saintess turns into a crazy dog if I’m not around. The high-ranking members of the Order realized this fact early on and had no choice but to keep me by her side.

If I were a scoundrel or had a bad reputation, it might be different, but thanks to my efforts in image-making early on, the high-ranking members of the Order passed the troublesome Saintess onto me. Since then, she’s become so well-behaved that she’s become an exemplary Saintess. My image has skyrocketed so much that they hand over anything related to Diana to me without hesitation.

Now, everyone in the Order seems to think that Diana and I are the ideal partners. Of course, the partners they think of are in the Saintess-Guardian relationship. If they knew what kind of ‘games’ we enjoy, they’d fall over backward, wouldn’t they?

“Okay, Diana, let’s wash your face.”
“Uung.”

I move the water jar, filled to the brim, with a groan and pour some into a brass bowl. Then, I wet a clean washcloth and wipe her face. How can her face be so radiant even after waking up? No eye boogers either. After wiping her face with the washcloth, I wet my hands.

“Okay, huff.”
“Huff!”

It was dirty at first, but I’ve gotten used to this. Lately, I’ve been feeling like I’m raising a daughter while taking care of Karsilla, but the original is this one. We entered the Order together since we were little kids, and she quickly became my exclusive priestess, so we’ve been together every day. I’ve practically raised her.

Maybe it’s because she’s a Saintess, but there’s not even a single bit of gunk when she blows her nose… Is she perhaps washing beforehand before I come? I’ve washed her every time, but except for when she was little, I’ve never seen her dirty.

“Okay, your body too.”

When I take off her pure white pajamas, a breathtaking figure appears. Her large breasts should be sagging due to their weight, but they maintain an unrealistic elasticity, and her pink nipples are so plump and ripe that I want to bite them every time I see them.

Her slender waist, which makes me wonder if she can be this thin, leads to a rapidly voluptuous hip and butt line. And the golden hair. The neat golden hair, only slightly visible on top, makes me want to stroke it every time I see it, as if she’s groomed it.

“Uung~ Diana’s shy.”

What’s there to be shy about? She’s blushing and twisting her body, trying to be cute again. As I’m fondling her soft fur, Diana starts to flirt. She’s getting more cunning, and her subtle seduction skills are evolving.

“Let’s wash quickly, we don’t have much time.”

Of course, it doesn’t work on me. What are you doing, trying to be cute?
I’m not an easy man to fall for seduction. …Actually, I want to fall for it right now. If I weren’t really short on time, I’d at least fondle her.

I quickly wiped Diana’s whole body with a washcloth. Of course, her crotch too. Ugh, it’s torture to hold back when the meal is already set. Is this endurance training the reason my divine power is increasing so rapidly?

Usually, I dress her in the clothes that a Saintess wears, but today, since there’s holy knight training, I dressed her in training clothes. She just sits on the bed, staring blankly, like a doll.

It’s all my fault for raising her like this, so who can I blame?
After finishing the preparations and opening the door, Irian greets us. As usual, she has a polite expression for Diana and a smirk for me.

Irian is the number one contributor to allowing Diana and me to enjoy our ‘games’ in peace, so I’ll let her snarky remarks slide. That girl, from the moment she first saw Diana, she was smitten and would do anything Diana asked.

Was it ten years ago? When Diana said, ‘Sir Irian~ I’m sorry, but could you keep watch while I play with Yurian?’ she happily agreed to keep watch.

Thanks to that, she must have been able to hear Diana being trained in real-time.
…Oh, thinking about it, she must have felt like she was being NTR’d for ten years? I understand why she’s so prickly with me. Of course, I understand because she’s a beauty; if she were a man, I wouldn’t let it slide.

When we arrived at the training grounds, an old knight was standing there with his arms crossed, dignified.

“You’re on time.”
“It’s been a while, Sir Jacob.”
“Hmm.”

Jacob, an old knight who nods heavily. He’s a named NPC from the Holy Order in the game. If you chose a female character, you could even romance this old man… Cough, let’s stop thinking about that. No matter how gracefully he’s aged, I hate guys.

“Yurian. You’re still weak. Let’s see if you can last today.”
“It’s just my constitution… Could you please go easy on me?”
“Hah! Isn’t it because of that weak spirit that your growth is slow! Today, I’ll fix that mindset of yours!”

This old man has been our exclusive instructor for the past 15 years, so he’s practically our master in holy knight training. He knows about my slow growth, so he’s always been determined to fix my constitution. I’ve been trying to avoid him, but…
How did it come to this?

“Uwaaak! What does mindset have to do with it! It’s not like I’m not trying hard!”
“Hmph, still! You don’t have it. Guts!”

This is crazy. He’s bringing up that guts theory again.
This isn’t some shonen manga, where you power up after almost dying. Why does he keep trying to kill me?

“Sir Jacob. You don’t have to worry about treatment. I’ll be on standby at any time, so please take good care of Yurian today.”
“Hmm! Leave it to me, Saintess!”

Diana says with a composed smile. …Huh!? What the hell is this? According to the schedule, holy knight training was only supposed to be in the morning?

“S-Saintess? I’m sorry, but the training schedule is only until noon.”
“My precious childhood friend is weak, so I was worried. I’ve decided to participate in training for the whole day, just for Yurian.”
“Oh, when did you make that decision… I didn’t hear about it.”
“I told you last night, but it seems the message was delayed in reaching Yurian. Oh dear.”

That girl. Her eyes aren’t smiling. Why did she suddenly turn dark?

“Of course, don’t worry about sparring, Yurian. I’ll ‘personally’ keep you company.”

And Irian, the annoying one, is joining in. These guys are planning this.

“Oh my. It seems Yurian’s ‘ward’ is worried. There’s no choice. I’ll take care of her for a while.”

I stared blankly at Diana’s softly smiling face. I didn’t think it was really this. She’s jealous of a kid!

“Okay, Yurian. Pick up your sword.”
“Huk, huk. J-Just a moment, let me catch my breath…”
“No one will wait for you on the battlefield!”

What a sneaky girl! I dodge, matching my movements to Irian’s attacks. A sharp sword strike grazes past me. Ugh, annoying! That girl is deliberately not hitting me.

“I see progress. Faster!”

That wicked girl. She’s smiling as she swings her sword, but considering Irian’s physical abilities, there’s no way I can dodge. She’s deliberately not hitting me, just making me keep moving.

My breath is coming in gasps, and I want to collapse right now… But if my movements get sluggish.
Thwack!

“Kuh!”
“You’ve slowed down! Again!”
“J-Just a moment!”
“Arms! Legs! Torso! Shoulders! Legs! Not legs, arms!”

Have you ever seen such a bitch! She changed her trajectory in the middle!?
I ran around, trying to avoid the crazy girl who was swinging her wooden sword with a cheerful smile, but in just an hour, my whole body was covered in bruises.

“Ugh… I-I think that’s enough, Sir Jacob!”
“Far from it! You still have strength left! Proper tempering requires you to squeeze out every last bit of strength. Guts! Show me some guts!”

You crazy bastard! I told you, this isn’t a shonen manga!
I had to throw my aching body around again. Because Irian was running at me with a bright smile. Ugh, I’ll get my revenge on that girl someday. I’m going to spank her butt so hard.

“Don’t just dodge! Pick up your sword!”

At the old man’s shout, I raised the wooden sword with trembling hands. I could feel Irian’s sharp gaze scanning me as she stood still.

I’ll land at least one hit. I’ll give up a bone to take a life!
I’ll disregard defense and focus on landing just one hit! My spirit! I’ll bet everything on this one blow.

Extreme concentration slows down time. The sight of a leaf falling slowly. Even the air brushing against my skin seems tangible… Ugh!

“Idiot.”

I collapsed backward, hearing Irian’s low voice filled with ridicule as she brushed past me. Of course, time didn’t slow down at all. A leaf, falling slowly because of the wind, landed on my forehead.

“Yurian, are you okay?”
“…Do I look okay, Saintess?”
“Oh dear. You seem to be in a lot of pain. I hope this will ‘educate’ you a bit… But I wonder.”

Look at this girl. Now she’s trying to get the better of me.
It feels like just yesterday she was clinging to me, calling me Yurian~ Yurian~, but she’s grown up to be so cunning. Kugh… Is this the heart of a father! It’s both good and scary!

“Just heal me quickly. I’m really in so much pain.”

If Diana doesn’t heal me, I’ll die from the pain. I think I have a hairline fracture. Irian is controlling her strength to some extent… But she’s only preventing major injuries, and she’s cleverly targeting the most painful spots.

I glared at the girl who was giggling behind Diana, but she just stuck out her cute tongue. …Fine, laugh all you want. The more you do, the more I’ll torment Diana. Go ahead and get excited listening to Diana’s moans from outside the door.

“Ugh. Sir Jacob. Is it over now?”
“Hmm? What are you talking about, Yurian?”
“……?”

I got up, feeling refreshed after Diana’s treatment, and the old man was already approaching. But what did he say?

“Didn’t I say it clearly? That I would fix your mindset today.”
“…Huh?”
“Now, let’s start again! Show me some guts!”

Uwaaa, you crazy bastards! I’m going to die!

* * *

Fortunately, I was able to keep my promise to meet for lunch. Karsilla, whom I met again, still had a stoic expression, but she subtly waved back at the other kids who were waving at her. How cute.

“Was it fun?”
“It was okay, I guess. …What did you do?”
“Uh, um? Well, I just… worked.”
“Hmm. You’re doing manual labor here too.”

She looks at my dusty and sweaty appearance and makes a pitiful expression, misunderstanding something.

“You’re working hard to feed me. Don’t worry, I’ll feed you when I grow up.”
“……Yeah, thank you. Please keep that in mind.”

Then, Karsilla looked at Diana strangely and cowered. She even hid behind me, avoiding Diana, who was smiling brightly. …What the heck did she do?

“Hello, Karsilla?”
“H-Hello.”
“Come here. I’ll hold your hand.”

Karsilla’s hand, which was holding onto my sleeve, tightened. Her eyes, looking up at me, were very pitiful. Seriously, what did she do to her?

“Come on, hurry. You’re a good girl, Karsilla, right?”

Karsilla, who was hesitant due to the strange pressure, took Diana’s outstretched hand. As I watched the backs of the black-haired and blonde-haired girls walking ahead, I saw Karsilla looking back with a pitiful expression.

‘I’m sorry. Daddy has no power.’
“Did your legs give out? Why aren’t you walking faster?”

At Irian’s grumbling, I took a heavy step forward.
Just wait until training is over, just wait. Ah, damn it. After lunch, I have to run around like a grasshopper again. Is this hell?