CH 41

41 – Saint Style Massage 1

Some time ago, I was told that I had put on a little weight.

Living life as a freeloader to my heart’s content, I did not notice my weight increasing.

I may be a freeloader now, but I’m also a Savior with the Crest of the Hero.

If you are someone who hurls themselves into battle, it is essential to understand your own body.

Eleanor and the others told me not to worry about it, but I didn’t think so.

Ever since I went camping with Leo, I have decided to put aside time to exercise once a day.

I borrow the sports ground made for Demon King Army use and just run.

I sweat buckets, refresh myself in the bath, and when I return to my room…

「Welcome back, Rainy!」

Welcoming me back to my own room is the Saint Marie.

One of the Six Saviors of Humanity.

Her long yellow hair and lustrous skin are looking healthy today too.

Her gentle eyes were happy and relaxed, and she hugged me as soon as she saw me.

I was enveloped by her warmth and flowery scent.

『You’re here again? Do the Saviors have that much free time?』

Mika said bitterly.

Ever since Marie said that she will break her, Mika just doesn’t want to deal with her.

「A-are you done with your mission?」

I asked while suffocating slightly.

「Why, of course. We destroyed the Frozen Sword General in Icicle of the north, the Plague King in Mekol of the west, and the Beast Brothers in Wykara of the south. Now that I finally have time to rest, surely there is nothing wrong with me coming to visit my beloved little brother, yes?」

There is a fixed rule when it comes to a Demon’s title.

In order of descending strength, they will have either God, King, Duke, or General attached to their name.

It’s said that Humanity, outside of the Saviors, can just barely handle General-level Demons.

In regards to the Beast Brothers, they’re probably on the level of the Big Four or The Ten.

Probably their ranking, or squad name, or group name.

「I see. Good work.」

「Thank you! And it would appear that Rainy hasn’t forgotten about the mission either, your big sis is so proud!」

The miasma, the air that fills Makai.

What came through the Rift connecting this world to Makai was not just Demons, but the miasma too.

The miasma doesn’t just drive flora and fauna mad, it also has other effects.

If you were to defeat a Demon in an area filled with miasma, you are able to obtain their strength.

Since I became a freeloader, by occasionally going out and defeating bad Demons, I have gotten stronger than before I was a freeloader.

I’m sure she can tell how much stronger I’ve gotten since the last time we met.

It’s not like it’s out of a sense of duty, but I’m not denying it either, so I’ll keep quiet.

「Mmm. There is no cure better than simply being together with you, Rainy. I just want to take you home. inhale Haaa…」

She’s taking in my scent to her heart’s content.

『Has she still not given up on that…?』

Marie let’s out relaxed moans as she rubs her cheeks against mine.

Looking at the state of her, the mission must have been pretty tough.

Marie, who usually steels herself as a Savior, sometimes gets like this.

Even in that other time she came, I was on her lap the whole time as she hugged me.

「I’m not going back, though.」

「Hmph.」

Marie puffs up her cheeks like a child.

She hugged me tighter.

Her body is remarkably soft, about as soft as a fluffy bed, but in contrast to that, she has unimaginable strength.

Just where in her slim frame does such strength come from?

…I suppose the same can be said about me, huh?

I got stronger by just training. That’s the special trait of the Humans who have the Crest of the Saviors.

It’s getting more and more painful.

「…If you’re that tired, you want me to give you a massage?」

Marie tilts her head at the words I uttered in an attempt to change the topic.

Perhaps losing her concentration, her hugging strength lessened.

I took this opportunity to escape from her embrace.

「Massage? Do you mean the service that is provided by those awfully dubious parlors that Swallow frequents?」

Marie stared daggers into me.

『It’s definitely not those massage parlors that the Swordmaster goes to.』

One of the Six Saviors, the Swordmaster Swallow.

He is an elusive man, but there is no one who can compare to him in swordsmanship.

A wielder of a cursed sword, he lost his eyesight in exchange.

Whenever we stopped by a town, he would almost always go to a massage parlor.

Everyone’s bodies were healed by Marie’s magic so it had nothing to do with his physical condition.

Marie had a grim look on her face but it then turned red, as if she came to realize something.

「R-rainy… By saying you want to give me a massage, are you indirectly asking to… We can’t! I mean, it was inevitable that you would harbor feelings of love for one such as I and I, too, am terribly fond of you, Rainy, but we are Saviors, we do not have time to get carried away by feelings of love, so we’re going to have to take this one step at a time as soon as we truly save the world…」

『I already said it’s not like that! Hey, doesn’t it feel like she’s been ignoring me this whole time?』

She probably is.

Even though she has accepted the present status, Marie does not think well of Mika, who did nothing to stop my freeloader life.

「If you don’t like, I won’t force y-」

「I said no such thing!!」

The pressure was intense.

Having said that, Marie cleared her throat.

She seems to be embarrassed over her reflexively letting out a loud voice.

「I was merely surprised to hear you offer me a massage, Rainy. Such an idea most certainly did not come from your time with the Saviors. Even with the bad influence of that sinful Swallow, it seems unnatural. In other words, if I think about it…」

Marie’s eyes dulled as a shadow was cast over them.

「…What?」

「Something happened in this freeloader life.」

Bull’s-eye.

In order to escape from Marie’s earlier embrace, I just blurted out what came into my head.

Tired. In need of healing. Massage. That’s how I connected the dots.

Just before this, a lot of things happened and I had the opportunity to receive a massage from Lejie.

I must’ve agreed to it unconsciously.

「Which is it?」

「Huh?」

「Did Rainy give the massage? Or were you getting a massage?」

Marie was smiling. A great, big smile.

But the aura rising up from behind her is from when she’s furious.

If I lie here, things will just get worse.

「I got a massage, I guess…」

「Well then, please tell me the name of this person. I will…break every last obscene finger that dared touch Rainy’s still-young body.」

「Calm down, Marie.」

「I am calm.」

You are calmly furious.

「I was interested in getting one too. You know how not everyone can be kept in perfect condition by your healing magic, right? So, I just wanted to know what normal people experience when they’re tired.」　

This wasn’t a lie.

When I said that, Marie trembled, looked like she was sulking, and shouted…

「Then it would have made sense to ask me!」