I Can Hear the Saint’s True Feelings

“Everything’s ready. Let’s get moving again. We need to go back to the others.”

“Did you buy more food? You’re so predictable.”

In Victoria’s hand was a skewer made from the tail of a lizard. Not just one, but several, so many that it seemed like a spontaneous impulse buy.

This… is delicious…!

Victoria’s lips were pulled up in a grin, her eyes gleaming as she let out a small chuckle, clearly pleased with herself.

“Would you like some? The shadow lizard tail is quite tasty.”

Victoria mumbled as she seemed to offer a bite, but I sighed as I watched her.

“Don’t you trust my perception-altering magic too much? What if someone notices you’re a saint here?”

This was Tartarus, a place crawling with demons and monstrous creatures. It was a dangerous area we had been sent to, following the Emperor’s orders to defeat the Demon King.

“Astral, aren’t you the most powerful mage on the continent? If I can’t trust your magic, who else’s should I trust?”

Victoria flashed me a mischievous smile, making a victory sign with her fingers as if she wasn’t the least bit worried about hiding her identity.

Victoria sometimes enjoyed such moments of rebellion. She would often say that life was meant to be fun, and if you didn’t enjoy it, you’d be missing out, which was why she’d often grab my hand and lead me along.

“Magic isn’t all-powerful. In fact, it’s more like a study of failure. You improve by finding flaws and fixing them.”

I was repeating words I had learned back at the Blue Tower, lessons taught by my master, the Tower Lord, who had always insisted I remember these principles.

Magic to create fire had been born out of cold nights, and the spells to hide one’s identity had been developed because there were times when one’s life depended on it.

My perception-altering magic, too, had its flaws—if a mage of greater skill detected it, it could be undone in an instant.

“…If I hear this again, I’m going to get an earful. You really are a boring person.”

The intellectual side of you is really attractive…!

Victoria’s inner voice made me frown. The contrast between her words and thoughts was so striking.

‘Can people’s hearts be this different from their outward expressions?’

I scratched my chin, lost in thought. Even when I created mental barriers or used magic to block it, her inner voice still reached me.

Her outer demeanor was completely different from her true thoughts.

“Are you not going to eat?”

I really hope Astral will have some! Then we’ll look like a real couple…!

Victoria looked at me with wide eyes, almost pleading. Her beautiful eyes, sparkling like a starry sky, made me more aware of how much she liked me now.

“……”

I finally caved in.

He ate it…! Like a true man, so wild!

I ignored Victoria’s loud inner voice as I tore off a piece of the lizard tail skewer and bit into it. The tender meat was juicy and tasted almost like chicken.

“…Well, it’s not bad.”

I commented on the lizard skewer Victoria had bought. Honestly, it was good enough that I couldn’t even pretend it tasted bad.

“Heh, despite my looks, I know a thing or two about food. Back when I was in the Holy Kingdom, I’d sneak out and look for the best places to eat.”

The only joy in such a hypocritical place, where no one was on my side, was finding and eating good food.

Victoria’s inner thoughts froze me for a moment. As a saint, she was supposed to perform miracles, things that were impossible for ordinary people.

Restoring a crippled person to full health, or turning a beggar into a wealthy man, were feats she could accomplish with her powers.

Before I joined the hero party, I had heard rumors about her, and now I could only imagine how people viewed her.

“…What’s wrong?”

Victoria asked, noticing that I had suddenly stopped walking. Since my hand was still firmly holding hers, she couldn’t keep walking either.

“Oh, there’s some sauce on your lips. May I, for a moment, be excused to clean it up?”

Victoria seemed unaware of why I was so flustered. She slowly closed the distance between us, her movements seemingly innocent.

The distance between us was so small now, our breaths almost touching.

“Alright, we’re good now. It’s a bit silly that I have to take care of this for you, though. You’re like a child.”

Victoria stood on tiptoe, using her hand to wipe the sauce from my lips, all the while giving me the usual teasing look.

The sauce that touched Astral’s lips…

Victoria stared at her finger for a moment. Her inner voice made me uneasy, as if she had made a decision about something.

No, there’s no way.

She wouldn’t do what I think she’s about to do…

This is… an indirect kiss.

Lick.

Without hesitation, Victoria licked the sauce from her finger. She seemed completely unbothered, even boldly enjoying it.

“…What’s wrong? We’re dating from now on, aren’t we? This is a normal thing between couples.”

I hope you don’t think I’m some strange woman…? I’ll act confidently. It’s our first day today, after all. If I claim the food is too good to waste, it’ll work as an excuse.

I sighed inwardly. Victoria’s gaze, which seemed to look at me like I was the strange one, was absurd.

Wasn’t it she who did something shameless? She had broken the agreement not to engage in physical contact without consent.

“Before we engage in physical contact, we’re supposed to get permission…”

“I thought it was an unspoken agreement. It’s just because the food would go to waste, so don’t worry about it.”

I tried to argue with Victoria, but she was already prepared with a defense, acting like she had everything planned.

“Or, could it be that your heart is racing?”

I hope your heart is racing for me.

I was at a loss for words. Could it be that Victoria was intentionally revealing her true thoughts? I began to wonder if this was part of some plan.

The thought of dating Victoria, the saint, had never crossed my mind in my life. Yet, I was starting to feel that something was off, as she was becoming more and more assertive.

“Even though it’s a contract relationship, don’t forget that today is our first day. Please be a little more considerate of the other person.”

Victoria seemed to see right through my thoughts, enjoying the moment while fiddling with her hands.

“If you do fall in love for real, it will be a problem for me.”

I’m going to make you look back at me.

She was determined, it seemed, not to let me go.

We walked toward the place where the rest of our party members had gathered. It was a shabby, old inn, far from the demon-infested streets of Tartarus.

The room was small enough that when all five of us were gathered, it felt cramped, but it was the only option to avoid the eyes of enemies.

“Welcome back.”

“Welcome back.”

Our companions, already seated at the table and chatting, greeted us.

“You’re finally here. Why are you so late… huh?”

Kyle Dragonica, the warrior with red hair, tilted his head as he looked at us, as if something strange had caught his attention.

“Why are you two holding hands?”

Kyle was the first to notice the change between me and Victoria. He let out a small gasp and grinned, clearly amused.

“Ah, it’s just that Victoria said her hands were cold…”

I stammered, trying to make an excuse, but Victoria firmly grasped my hand even tighter.

“…We’ve decided to start dating from today!”

Victoria boldly declared to the rest of the party that we were now in a relationship, not letting go of my hand.

“Victoria, you…”

“Why are you so embarrassed? Be proud that you’re now the partner of someone as devout as me.”

Now that it’s publicly known, you can’t deny it later!

Even though this was just a one-month contract.

“What? Are you serious?!”

Kyle and the others were stunned by Victoria’s declaration.

Given how often Victoria and I fought and had a tense relationship, it was only natural for them to react this way.

“Of all people, how did our Victoria end up with someone like Astral…”

“After a fight, the ground hardens. Maybe you two actually get along better than anyone else could have guessed.”

Anima, the spirit mage, and Talion, the sharpshooter, offered their thoughts. While Anima’s response was optimistic, Talion’s reaction was filled with disbelief, as if she couldn’t accept it.

“Well, we all have someone, so I thought you two would get together eventually…”

Kyle patted my shoulder as he spoke, looking at me with a somewhat pitiful expression, though he couldn’t hide the smirk that was creeping onto his face.

“Just yesterday, you two couldn’t even stand to look at each other! Life sure is unpredictable!”

Had that really happened? We had been so used to sniping at each other that I didn’t even remember the last time we’d fought over something trivial.

The first impression between Victoria and me was the worst, and from that moment on, the sarcasm and insults between us seemed like they could go on forever.

“No, I think you’re both lying.”

At that moment, someone stood up.

With orange hair and eyes, and bear ears on top of her head, it was Anima Silverbroom, the esteemed elemental mage.

“How close do you think I am with Victoria? Do you have any idea how much she’s cursed you out for not liking you?”

Anima’s expression was filled with suspicion about the relationship between us. As the only two women in the party, we were bound to be close.

Unlike me, who indulged in alcohol and cigarettes as if they were water, it was no surprise that the saint, who lived a life of abstinence, would frequently curse me out.

“……”

I remained silent. I didn’t like Victoria, and to be honest, I only felt a sense of pity for her.

Our lives had been so different, and it seemed we both had painful wounds that made it hard to understand each other.

“This isn’t a lie, Anima. Astral and I are dating from today…”

“…Then, who confessed first? Let’s count to three and say it at the same time. If our answers don’t match, I’ll know you’re lying.”

“W-well…”

Victoria was flustered at Anima’s probing. She looked at me with wide eyes, unsure of what to say.

What should I do? I didn’t expect this… No, I was only trying to get closer under the excuse of a contract relationship, but if this keeps going, it might drive us further apart…

Victoria’s internal voice echoed loudly in my mind. Even though we were in front of everyone, I could still hear her thoughts clearly.

I’ll say I confessed… Or maybe Astral will say he confessed…

It didn’t seem like this was some kind of magic or curse. If it were, I would have heard everyone’s thoughts, not just hers.

Actually, I’d prefer to say Astral confessed, but… I don’t know. He’s so stubborn, he might not agree.

Victoria was silently wrestling with herself.

“One…”

I could feel something welling up inside me as she continued to try to protect me.

“Two…”

As a man, my pride wouldn’t allow it. Even if it was just a contract relationship, I couldn’t back down.

Oh, Astral?! Why are you suddenly…?

In that moment, understanding Victoria’s internal conflict, I assumed she would say I confessed and intertwined our fingers.

“Three!”

“I confessed first.”

“Astral confessed to me.”

Thanks to that, before Anima could even finish her countdown, Victoria and I managed to match our words.