**[Level Up! Refugee relief and the rescue of Black Flame Mountain village completed. Key participants’ levels have increased.]**
**[Alice Omnia’s level has increased to Level 59; Nino Realti’s level has increased to Level 54.]**
“Phew— things here have finally settled down—” Alice let out a soft sigh, her fingers adjusting the stray hairs on her forehead before she spoke to Nino beside her.
“Nino, thank you for coming to help. With you assisting, the speed of bandaging those seriously injured people was much faster—”
“Sister Alice, you don’t need to be so polite as to say thank you to Nino.” Nino’s lips curled into a smile, her tone brimming with attachment to Alice.
Alice wiped the sweat from Nino’s forehead and said with a chuckle, “Don’t push yourself, you silly girl. I saw everything; you barely had any strength left, yet you still followed the others to carry the wounded. Look, you’ve sweated so much.”
Nino suddenly felt the light touch of Alice’s hand on her forehead. The tips of her ears instantly burned red. Time seemed to pause for nearly fifteen seconds before she snapped out of it and replied stutteringly:
“I-I-It’s fine, Sister Alice— Nino doesn’t just know healing magic. This kind of dirty, tiring work… let me do it. It’s r-r-really nothing!”
Alice watched Nino with a calm, tranquil gaze, her lips curving upward.
‘As I thought, Nino is only cute when she’s in her “sweet” state. I really don’t like that chuunibyou vibe where she speaks nonsense or that thorny “prickly” side…’
Just as Alice was thinking about how to continue teasing Nino, Catherine approached them.
“Lady Saint, I am Catherine, a subordinate of the Knight Princess. I am very pleased to meet you here. Thanks to you, these refugees were able to overcome their crisis!”
Catherine performed a knightly salute with the utmost respect. Out of consideration for their first meeting, she held back the flood of praise in her heart.
The main reason Catherine didn’t say much more was that she performed an action that left Alice, who still possessed a modern mindset, completely stunned.
Catherine knelt on one knee, her armor joints clinking softly against her body.
She pressed her left hand against the knight’s crest on her chest while her right hand carefully lifted Alice’s resting hand— the one covered by a white silk glove.
The knight’s lips lightly touched the edge of the glove. She remained perfectly proper without crossing any boundaries, yet a wave of warmth traveled through the fabric of the glove.
??!
Experiencing a hand-kissing rite for the first time in her life, a cloud of steam practically erupted from Alice’s head, her cheeks flushing a deep red.
In nearly forty years across two lives, when had she ever encountered such a situation?
Alice’s fingertips curled slightly from nervousness. As soon as Catherine finished the salute, Alice immediately withdrew her right hand.
‘What are you doing?! Is this knight lady for real? A sneak attack is really hard to guard against…’
‘Wait, are people in this Western fantasy world this open? Hmm, maybe this isn’t that open. I think there was even foot-kissing in Ancient Rome…’
‘Ahhh! Alice, what on earth are you thinking? Will your reflex scare her? Don’t use modern logic for this; it’s normal. Calm down and relax…’
Alice didn’t speak immediately. Shyness swirled in her eyes, making it impossible to hide her internal panic.
When Catherine looked up, her eyes reflected Alice’s holy figure. Her gaze was filled with the same pious devotion she once held for Lady Felicitala.
“Hello, Miss Knight… It’s, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Helping the injured is my d-d-duty—”
Alice was clearly not calm. This expression caused Catherine some confusion, but she quickly came to an understanding.
‘Of course! The Lady Saint must be a bit tired after healing the wounded. Perhaps it’s her first time seeing a group of female knights like us; that wouldn’t be strange.’
However, seeing that the blush on Alice’s face wouldn’t fade, a bolder thought formed in Catherine’s mind.
‘Could the Lady Saint be like the Knight Princess, a fellow enthusiast who likes girls? Judging by this reaction, I’d bet my life on it.’
What was that saying? Does a lily see everyone else as a lily?
Thinking this, Catherine stared intently at Alice, her brows arching as a faint smile played on her lips.
Catherine didn’t realize that Nino, standing to the side, had already sensed the potential danger. Nino’s eyes narrowed into thin slits.
‘These female knights… especially the leader, they’re up to no good. Her expression has already betrayed her goal. She’s here to steal my sister!’
“Miss Knight, your etiquette is finished. Please move your gaze away from the Lady Saint, if you would.”
“My apologies, Lady of the God Race, I have overstepped. But the Lady Saint’s radiance is just like that of Lady Felicitala— bright enough to rival the sun, moon, and stars. Don’t you agree?” Catherine finally let out the praise she had been holding back.
“Hmph, of course. My sister is of the direct Omnia bloodline, the legitimate successor to the contemporary Saintess position. Didn’t you all previously slander us as members of the Demon Race? Even if you have surrendered to Master Marcus, I must remain on guard against you after you suddenly said such things today.” Nino expressed her agreement with the praise but showed her hostility without mercy.
“Lady of the God Race, it matters not. After my colleagues and I witnessed the Lady Saint’s divine skills today, we will never again speak ill of the Lords of the God Race.” Catherine spoke with a sincere tone, then clarified her next point.
“Please allow me to serve as the Lady Saint’s guard during this period. You are more than welcome to supervise me at all times.”
…
“My sister doesn’t need a guard. Nino alone is enough.” After a brief silence, Nino flatly rejected Catherine’s request.
“If that is the case, a knight will not force the issue. However, I will provide convenience for the two of you. My colleagues and I are already familiar with the terrain of this area. We can act as guides for everyone in the near future.”
Catherine was relentless and changed her approach, emphasizing her usefulness in providing assistance.
…
“Very well. The members of the guard should all be kind-hearted people who follow the code of chivalry. Please, assist us—” While Nino was still hesitating, Alice finally spoke up.
“Sister Alice— don’t let them follow us…” Nino said with a pout.
“Nino, it’s fine. We also have Uncle Marcus protecting us from the shadows. Let’s trust them.” Alice replied with a calm gaze, considering the practical benefits.
Alice clearly hadn’t noticed that Nino was trying to guard against Catherine’s advances. Truth be told, she still underestimated the intensity of emotions between girls.
“It would be my pleasure, Lady Saint,” Catherine said, once again performing a salute with her hand over her heart.
Later, Alice and Nino prepared to return to Marcus’s temporary camp to make the final preparations for their journey to the Sela Temple.
They parted ways with Catherine’s group for the moment. Little did they know that as Catherine watched Alice’s retreating figure nearly vanish over the horizon, she finally couldn’t hold back her true feelings:
“Oh ho ho ho—” Catherine’s eyes filled with adoration as her tongue darted out to lick her lips repeatedly.
“The Lady Saint is truly such a fragrant, soft, sweet, and delicate little cake— Her looks are so sweet, her movements are always so cute… it truly makes one happy!”
“Also, the Lady Saint smells so good—”
Who knew that this subordinate of Christina’s was actually a bit of a delusional fanatic…
In reality, because Alice and Nino had spent the last few days engaged in the very grueling and dirty work of their disguises, Alice’s obsession with cleanliness had flared up. She had been bathing with extreme frequency for several days, spending a massive amount of time in the bath and using plenty of scented body washes for fear that the previous stench hadn’t been washed away.
As a result, Alice had recently been smelling quite fragrant and pleasant. Indeed, she was quite “sweet and delicious.”
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