The next morning.
We began to depart for the fortified city of Algren as originally
planned, but,
"U-umm, don't you think this is a little too close…?"
"What are you saying? This distance is perfect as it is."
――Squeeze.
Since a while ago, Arca had been linking our arms, seemingly in a
good mood, without letting go even once…
Thanks to that, the gazes that the passersby gave me were
strangely painful, but could they please stop clicking their tongues or
crying for no apparent reason?
Well, I knew that Arca was a super, breathtaking beauty, but still.
――Pusu.
Oi, who was the one who shot the poison needle just now!?
"However, last night was truly a pleasant experience. I never thought
you would want me so fiercely."
"Umm, could you please stop making misleading remarks? I didn't
do anything in particular…"
"Hou? You buried your face in my breasts after you fell asleep, yet
you said you didn't do anything?"
"Ugh… T-that was…" An accident.
That was an accident, ma'am.
"Well, thanks to that, I was able to stroke the head of the man I
loved, so I was completely satisfied, but it means I've graduated from
being a wife (temp), doesn't it?"
"No, I think you're still way ahead until graduation…"
"Fufu, let's leave it at that for the time being. Now then, I look forward
to see how many days it'll take until I graduate."
"...Eh?" Could it be, you want us to sleep together every day!?
◇ ◇
While I was worried about the future, we arrived at the fortified cityof
Algren.
Algren was a mountain city built by carving a whole mountain, and in
addition to the tall circular walls that protected the castle town, there
were also walls stretched around the castle above.
It had two castle gates, in the north and the south, with drawbridges
installed on each. It was said that they would be raised in period of
emergency.
And the biggest characteristic of Algren was the huge wall standing
in straight line at the north of the city— commonly known as the
'Great Northern Wall'.
The 'Great Northern Wall' was the cornerstone of the protection of
the city. It prevented monsters that were constantly coming to attack
from the northern mountains.
Worthy of being called a fortified city.
It was a sight for sore eyes.
Anyways, since Arca was a saintess, I figured we should say hello to
castellan for the time being.
Because, that way, it would become easier for us to do activities in
this city.
So, we headed for Algren Castle.
And there, a graceful woman sitting on the throne welcomed us with
a joyful tone.
It appeared that she was the castellan of Algren.
"Welcome, Saintess Arcadia-sama. I sincerely welcome your visit.
My name is Freyr. I've been acting as Algren's castellan since the
death of my husband and the late castellan— Siegled."
"Yes, nice to meet you. I came to eradicate monsters at the request
of my husband (temp)."
"...Husband?"
Wai—!? "H-hey, you promised you wouldn't bring that up in public,
didn't you!?"
"No, but, it's better to make it clear. After all, thieving cats are
everywhere no matter where you go."
Eh, why were you turning vigilant here, then!?
The only ones here were the certainly-beautiful-but-had-lost-herhusband castellan, the brawny guards, and—
"Un?" Just then, I noticed a girl who was holding a staff that gave off
a mystical glow, standing still.
Most likely, she was just a little bit older than us.
She was a girl with a really good figure.
Looking at her outfit, she seemed to be a Goddess-faith believer— a
sister, essentially, but…
――Stare.
"Oi, where are you looking? Are you intending to cheat right in front
of me?"
"Y-you've got it wrong!? Or rather, we haven't been dating yet, have
we!? …Anyway, I was just curious about that person's staff."
"Hou?" Arca, following my gaze, seemed to have noticed something.
"H-hey, Arca!?"
She went straight to the girl just like that and said, "—Are you a
saintess?"
"Eh?" I stared in wonder.
Then, Freyr-sama nodded and said, "As expected of Saintess
Arcadia-sama. You are right on the mark. Her name is Saintess
Magmell. She was born here in Algren and possesses the "Void
Staff" skill. In other words, she is the 'Staff Saintess'."
"'Staff Saintess'…" I muttered in mute amazement.
Freyr continued, "And what she has in her hand is the 'Holy Staff'.
One of the seven legacies left behind by the ancient sage in this
world."
I see, that was the reason I had a feeling of déjà vu.
Because the staff had an atmosphere similar to Elma's Holy Sword
and Arca's Holy Spear about it.
Still, to think that three saintess appeared in the same era…
Algren was constantly being attacked by monsters, too. Just
because I had no clue about it, this world might be surprisingly
chaotic…
As my face darkened, Magmell glanced at Arca and said, "Certainly,
I'm a saintess. However, please don't put me in the same place as a
lascivious person like you."
"Hou? Did you say I'm lascivious?"
"Yes, I did. What, is there something wrong with it? To indulge in men
while being a saintess who was chosen by the Goddess, it is
outrageous. Let me state it clearly for you. You are merely a— dirty
woman."
"Uwaa…" Naturally, I was put off.