Last night, with the help of Nino’s sleep-inducing massage, Elliris finally enjoyed a rare, good night’s rest.
When she woke up in the morning, she gave a long, deep stretch, feeling completely recharged. Her body felt like it was at full power; the soreness in her feet from walking had significantly lessened, and her mind felt exceptionally clear. Because she had fallen asleep earlier than Nino, Elliris got up first to freshen up, moving quietly to avoid waking the other girl.
Standing before a small mirror, Elliris picked up a small hairbrush and began to deal with her messy bedhead. There were a few stubborn cowlicks that she had to press down for a long time, eventually using special magic water to finally tame them.
As the cherry-blossom white tips of her hair slid over her shoulders, she took the opportunity to comb them straight. The ends had a slight, natural curl, and overall, her hair quality remained excellent.
At fourteen years old, Elliris was slim and elegant, with long hair reaching down to her waist.
Although the God Race was a long-lived species and ten years was considered adulthood by their standards, Elliris still looked forward to what life would be like after she turned eighteen…
She was becoming more and more familiar with this body. Having been in this world for six years, any sense of discomfort or rejection was now negligible. Her current height of 1.5 meters and her unfortunately flat frontal armor were things she cared about deeply. She truly hoped that in a few years, she could reach her mother’s height of 1.7 meters and her regal stature…
However, for some God Race women, physical traits like height basically stopped developing at the age of fourteen. Those people would maintain the physique of an adolescent girl forever. Was it possible she would be like that too?
…
‘No! Matter determines consciousness, and consciousness reacts back upon matter. Elliris, you can’t let your thoughts wander! If you keep thinking such nonsense, you really won’t grow any taller…’
“Since I woke up first, I’ll go make breakfast and bring a portion back before waking Nino up,” Elliris murmured to herself. Her mood was wonderful this morning, and she wanted to repay Nino in this way.
Opening the tent flap, she sought Marcus’s permission to use the temporary kitchen.
“Feel free to use it, Saintess. Treat this place like your home. The Paricio family will unconditionally fulfill all reasonable requests of the Omnia God Race,” Marcus agreed with a hearty laugh.
“Thank you, Uncle Marcus,” Elliris replied immediately, showing her gratitude.
“Saintess, when the dawn finally returns to this continent, all the people will thank you. I firmly believe that day is not far off.”
Uncle Marcus delivered his opinion with solemn sincerity, instantly elevating their conversation to a much higher level.
“You’re being too kind, Uncle Marcus. However, I will certainly work hard! Please, lend me your strength!”
“It is my duty, Saintess.”
To be honest, in this Western-style fantasy world, who wouldn’t like a Knight Commander who embodied courage, loyalty, and protection to the core? Elliris believed that Marcus would surely be a massive help in overthrowing the Pope’s influence in the future.
Besides, with such a handsome, well-maintained blond hunk like him, most young girls would probably turn into fangirls at the sight of him. Any young girl who didn’t blush when looking at Marcus probably wasn’t a girl at all.
Cough. Elliris couldn’t help but let her imagination run wild. She hurried toward the kitchen, intent on making a meal she could be proud of.
Taking nearly two times as long as Sophia would have, she finished a decent-looking vegetable salad and two egg sandwiches. Elliris ate one of the sandwiches and savored the flavor; it was a noticeable improvement. It seemed that when a girl was in a good mood, her culinary skills truly did skyrocket.
After quickly finishing her own breakfast, Elliris carried the remaining half portion of salad and the other egg sandwich back to Nino.
“Hi, Nino. Are you up? I’ve made breakfast, come and eat,” Elliris said with a beaming smile, only to find that Nino was already up and grooming herself.
“Eh! Sister Elliris! Wow! Is this for me?” Nino tilted her head, her eyes wide with surprise.
“Hurry up and eat once you’re ready. Don’t let the food get cold.”
“Pfft… Sister Elliris, I’m a little skeptical of your skills. Have you tried it yet?” Nino’s “little devil” side took over. Her tone was playful as she decided to tease Elliris to see her reaction.
“Hmph. I’ll bet you it’s the best thing I’ve ever made. Stop talking and come eat.”
Nino didn’t want to be rude, so after finishing her morning routine, she sat down at the small wooden table to begin her taste test.
…
“Mm! Sister Elliris! Your skills have actually improved! If you keep practicing, you’ll be as good a cook as Sister Sophia. If you can capture someone’s stomach like this, your future sweetheart will be very lucky.”
Nino spoke with a mischievous, meaningful tone.
“What? Swe-Sweetheart?!” At Nino’s teasing, Elliris’s heart skipped a beat. “Don’t joke around! Don’t say such weird things!” Elliris tried to maintain a calm facade, but the rosy flush on her cheeks betrayed her.
“Will Sister Elliris marry me in the future? Or will you marry Sister Sophia? I really want to find out,” Nino asked playfully, resting her chin on her hand after putting down her utensils.
“Cough… Ah! Don’t you think it’s too early to ask things like that? Who… who said I’m getting married? I have no such plans.” Elliris quickly picked up some freshly warmed black tea, pretending to drink calmly while looking away. Her face, however, was completely red.
“You… you! Cough, just hurry up and finish eating. There’s a lot to handle today. I’ll listen to your gossip after we’re busy. Wait, no! Even after we’re busy, you’re not allowed to gossip about me!”
“Oh… so that’s how it is. I understand now,” Nino said, drawing out her words as if she had reached a profound realization.
“Understand? Understand what? I don’t understand anything… What on earth do you understand? You’re so annoying!”
Elliris could only remain in a state of confusion. In her past life, she had been a man, and in this life, she had tried her best to integrate into female society. However, while her IQ was always high, her EQ fluctuated wildly, and she never seemed to hold the upper hand.
“Sister Elliris, Nino slept so soundly next to you last night that I was practically in a daze. Besides, your sleeping face is something I could never get tired of seeing. One could say that by watching you sleep, I even have sweet dreams. Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of you from now on.”
In today’s battle of wits, Nino had held the absolute advantage from the start. Elliris had been struggling to defend herself early on, and now, facing Nino’s fierce offensive, she was completely at a loss.
“Nino… I was asleep, what were you doing…” Elliris finally gave up her resistance, no longer arguing or defending herself, her face burning with embarrassment.
Lately, Nino knew that Elliris had bought quite a few new shampoos and body washes. Because of their recent disguise mission, both of them had essentially crawled out of a pile of mud, and it seemed her older sister’s germaphobia had flared up.
On the day the disguise mission ended, Elliris had probably taken three baths. For the next three days, she had maintained a routine of bathing two times daily, once in the morning and once at night.
Unlike the osmanthus-scented body wash that Nino liked, Elliris had recently been using a jasmine-scented one. Jasmine, known as the “King of Fragrant Flowers,” hadn’t been Elliris’s first choice, but Nino had recommended it strongly.
To Nino, the current Elliris—who insisted on using that body wash—was basically a walking air freshener. The jasmine scent became even more potent at night, and Elliris was quite satisfied with it as well.
A young girl’s blush was more eloquent than any words. Seeing Elliris’s incredibly bashful expression, Nino finished her breakfast happily. The two then prepared to depart for Sela Temple.