Chapter 106: The Unfortunate Blondie (1)

A week had passed since the duel between Berald and Raios. Now, the final exam was near, and the academy was gradually bustling with preparations for it. As for me, I had been frequenting the training ground daily to internalize the new enlightenment I had gained.

Of course, I wasn’t pushing myself to the point of exhaustion like I had last time. I didn’t want to collapse again. Since even the Blessing of Resurrection couldn’t treat the aftereffects of the Ashen Flame, I had to be cautious.

Anyway, after finishing my training with Yuren and Berald again today, I was on my way back to the dorm when a familiar voice called out to me.

“Ah, Dale!”

Turning my head, I saw Iris with her signature soft pink hair, waiting with a thick paper bag pressed to her chest.

She beamed brightly as she trotted over. “Dale, did you just get back from the training ground?”

“Yeah.”

She stared at me suspiciously. “You’re not overdoing it again, are you?”

“I’ve been pacing myself. I didn’t even stay out that late today, did I?”

“Hmph! You always say you’re fine, which makes it hard to trust you.” Still unconvinced, she tapped on her Hero Watch. “Hold on. I’ll ask Yuren to send me your recent training ground entry records.”

“What?”

Since when were they close enough to share that kind of information? I wondered.

Iris studied the records Yuren sent over, nodding to herself like she were my babysitter, tracking my daily habits. “Looks like you have been going a lot more often this past week, but at least you’re still sleeping enough. Oh, and you’ve been eating properly too, right?”

I held back a laugh. It felt like I were someone’s precious little baby now. While it seemed a little excessive, it was not necessarily bad. In a way, it even reminded me of old times.

“So, what brings you here anyway?” I asked.

She puffed up her cheeks, feigning a pout. “Hmm. Do I need an excuse just to come see you?”

“No, that’s not what I…”

Iris grinned sweetly, her pout vanishing like it had never existed. “Hehe! Just kidding. I came because I wanted to talk to you. And also…”

She glanced around to make sure no one else was nearby, then said, “Shall we head inside first?”

“Sure.”

I opened the door to my room and let her in. Compared to her dorm, mine looked so old and cramped that it could make one question whether we even went to the same academy. Still, it had the essentials.

“Tea? Or coffee?” I asked.

“Ramen, please!”

“No.”

Ramen? Right after walking in?

“You’ll gain weight if you eat it this late, Saintess,” I said to her.

“It’s fine. When I gain weight, it all goes to my chest.”

That reply left me speechless. I was pretty sure she had just declared war on half of humanity.

She strongly insisted on ramen, so I said, “Fine. Just wait a bit.”

I cooked up some ramen for her and put a plate before her.

Tasting it, she said, “Mmm! It’s so good!”

A Saintess, eating ramen in a guy’s dorm room at night. When put like that, it didn’t even feel real.

I gave a wry smile as I watched Iris devour her noodles, then asked, “Didn’t you say you had something to tell me earlier?”

“Oh, right! Are you free this weekend?”

This weekend, huh.

I replied, “I’ll probably be at the training ground most of the time. Why?”

“Remember when we went to volunteer at the orphanage together?”

I nodded, recalling the event from a few months back. “Ah, yeah. We did.”

“Things are going to get busy with finals soon, so I thought we could visit them one more time before that.”

“I see.”

“So, if you’re free, would you come with me again?”

Looking into her starry, sparkling eyes, I let out a silent sigh and thought, How could I say no to that?

Lately, I had been caught up in honing my new enlightenment, but it was not like I couldn’t spare even a day. So, I said, “Sure. I’ll go.”

Iris lit up like a blooming flower. “Really? You will? Hehe. The kids are going to be super happy!”

“But did you seriously wait outside my room late at night just to ask that?”

Wouldn’t it have been easier to just message me through the Hero Watch?

“Well… t-there’s something else too.” Blushing slightly, Iris hugged the thick paper bag she had brought with her. “C-could you step out of the room for just a moment?”

“Why?”

“It’ll only take a second!”

Before I could object, Iris shoved me out into the hallway. Perplexed, I just followed her lead and waited outside. After about five minutes, I heard her soft voice come from behind the door.

“You can come in now.”

I opened the door and stepped back inside, and there stood Iris, dressed neatly in a maid outfit. Hands folded over her white apron, she bowed with immaculate posture, as if trained to perfection.

“Ahem. Welcome back, Master,” she said.

“Iris?”

With a mischievous smile playing on her lips, she walked toward me. “Yes, Master.”

“What is this?”

“You mentioned before that you liked maid outfits, remember? So, I thought I’d try one on.”

“Oh!”

Indeed, that ridiculous misunderstanding had taken place a while ago. Since nothing came of it afterward, I had assumed it had blown over, but I didn’t expect her to show up in a maid costume out of nowhere.

“It took a while because I had to alter the chest area.” She lifted her skirt slightly and twirled in place. “So? Does it suit me?”

The motion sent her soft pink hair fluttering and a sweet scent drifting through the air. Seeing the Saintess, blessed by the Seven Gods, standing in my room in a maid outfit was so surreal that it felt more like a dream than reality.

We didn’t have moments like this even back when we were lovers. Then, we were in the midst of an intense war with the demons. We barely had time for sweet, couple-y events, much less ones involving maid cosplay. Seriously, I was glad I came back in time.

Seeing me overwhelmed with a flood of emotion, Iris asked, “Does it not suit me?”

When I didn’t give much of a reaction, she looked at me nervously. Then, I gave her a thumbs-up.

Her face immediately brightened as she pointed to a nearby chair. “Come, have a seat, Master. I’ll give you a shoulder massage.”

“You don’t have to go that far.”

Iris tapped the chair with a firm look on her face. “Shhh! Just sit.”

Who’s the master here, I wondered.

Chuckling awkwardly, I gave in and sat down.

She moved behind me and placed her hands on my shoulders. “Hehe. Let me know if it hurts, okay?”

An indescribably soft sensation brushed the back of my head.

“How’s that? Feeling better?” she asked.

I couldn’t even tell if it felt better, as there was no way I could focus on my shoulders right now. So, I just stayed silent.

Iris said, “Hmm! Maybe I’m not applying enough pressure?”

“No, it’s not that.”

“Not what?”

I didn’t reply. How was I supposed to say the answer aloud? That the divine softness brushing against the back of my head was so blessed, I couldn’t care less about my shoulders?

With a focused huff, Iris pressed harder into my shoulders. “Alright then, I’ll try putting in a bit more strength.”

As she leaned forward with added pressure, the heavenly sensation at the back of my head only intensified.

Wait a minute, at this point, she has to know what she’s doing, I thought.

As my reason teetered on the edge, I heard a faint mumble right next to my ear.

“Tch! Weird. Usually, this is when they cave. Is this bastard a eunuch?”

It was so quiet that I wouldn’t have caught it if I hadn’t enhanced my hearing after becoming a furnace.

I turned around and asked, “What did you just say?”

Iris tilted her head with wide, innocent eyes. “Huh? I didn’t say anything!”

She then said, “Well then, that’s it for today.”

The Saintess lifted her hands off my shoulders and covered her mouth with her fingers, flashing me a wink. “I’ll dress up for you again sometime, okay, Master?”

I guessed that just because she was a Saintess, it didn’t mean she had a pure heart.

***

On Saturday, I headed to the meeting spot where I was supposed to meet Iris. When I arrived, Camilla was already there.

I waved as I approached her. “Long time no see.”

However, she just crossed her arms and glared at me. “Hmph! You’ve barely been showing up to class lately. Heard you got suspended? Typical behavior for a delinquent.”

“What, were you worried because I was missing and went asking around about me?”

Flustered, Camilla shouted, “W-who said I was worried about you?”

I snorted and glanced around. “Where’s Iris?”

“The Saintess is still getting ready. She’ll take a while.”

“Huh? Getting ready for what?”

Camilla sighed heavily, pressing her forehead like she had a headache. “You tell me. Since dawn, she’s been fretting over what outfit to wear, whether her hair’s frizzy, what makeup looks the most natural… It’s been hours, I swear!”

Poor thing!

I gave her a wry smile and averted my gaze to avoid her glare.

She then said, “Anyway, it looks like she’ll take a while longer. I’m going to stop by the academy store first.”

“The store? Why?” I asked.

“Father Antonio asked me if I could bring some of the Hero Academy’s bread for the kids. Apparently, they’ve been dying to try it.”

“Ohh.”

Now that I recalled, the academy store also sold a lot of limited-edition bread that couldn’t be found elsewhere. It was a place where cadets from all three nations gathered. So naturally, it offered a variety of snacks and items from all three different food cultures, among which some items were rare to find outside.

“How many do you need to buy?” I asked.

“Hmm! Maybe around fifty pieces, considering the number of kids? Might even need more, depending on their appetite.”

That was quite a bit.

Camilla said, “Let’s head out before it’s too late. The competition for those limited-edition breads is no joke.”

“Nah, no need to go ourselves for that.”

She tilted her head, confused. “Huh? What are you talking about?”

I raised my wrist with the Hero Watch, smirked, and replied, “I’ve got a friend, my personal bread shuttle— I mean, friend. He’s a master at getting them.”

As Camilla just looked at me, speechless, I powered on the Hero Watch and sent a message to my friend.

I said, “See? All it takes is a simple click…”

As I chatted idly with Camilla, killing time, a blonde, pretty boy came running toward us from afar, making a racket. On his back was an enormous backpack, the kind one would expect a traveling merchant to carry.

Jules dropped the backpack full of bread and panted heavily. “D-Dale! I-I got the bread!”

Soaked in sweat, he walked over and held out his hand awkwardly. “A-and here’s your change…”

“Come on, what kind of friend asks for change? Just keep it,” I replied.

Of course, I hadn’t actually given him any money in the first place.

I grinned and casually threw my arm over Jules’ shoulder. “See? Told you he’d bring them in no time.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep