CH 19

“…Is that so?”

The force behind the hug was stronger than anything I had ever felt so I hugged him back. 

In any case, it seemed like he was very moved by the fact that I was the saintess. I felt as if I needed to comfort him. Although I knew he was a very devout believer, I didn’t know that’d he’d be this happy upon the appearance of the saintess.

“Then, Lecht is now my escort knight, right?” 

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“…Is that so?”

The force behind the hug was stronger than anything I had ever felt so I hugged him back. 

In any case, it seemed like he was very moved by the fact that I was the saintess. I felt as if I needed to comfort him. Although I knew he was a very devout believer, I didn’t know that’d he’d be this happy upon the appearance of the saintess.

“Then, Lecht is now my escort knight, right?” 

Even if I couldn’t satisfy all of the Lunar religion, I at least wanted to satisfy Lecht.

“Did I not hear it correctly? You said you’d protect me if I was the master of the holy relic.”

Although I didn’t need the life or soul he had talked about, I still would’ve been happy with his protection.

“You know you can’t go back on your own word, right?” 

As I joked around with him, the arms around me got tighter and tighter. As I was pressed closer to his body and could feel the tight muscles of his torso more clearly, my heart started to flutter.

Ah… A saintess shouldn’t be doing this sort of thing with a believer. 

Good thoughts… Good thoughts…

However, my efforts were sadly all wiped out by the small sigh he had let out near my earlobe. How could a sigh be so seductive? As I sang the national anthem in my head in an attempt to get rid of the wicked thoughts in my head, he slowly released me.

He held me by my shoulders and wouldn’t let go of me despite already releasing me from his embrace. His face was filled with more emotion than ever before. 

A slightly wrinkled brow, but a mouth that was slightly raised at its corners. It wasn’t pain, nor was it desperation either. Just what the hell is that emotion? 

To think that the emotions a believer could feel for a saintess who had finally appeared for the first time in 100 years could be so rich. Because they had been waiting so eagerly for so long.

After looking at me for a long time, he slowly said with a deep voice that seemed to have turned the temple into a cave.

“I promise1.”

I, who had been smiling in anticipation at what he was going to say to me, suddenly felt my heart skip a beat. It was because of his face. Even though he was a kind person, it felt as if he had built a wall somewhere in him. 

However, I could see all the boundaries collapsing from his face at this moment. A gaze full of tenderness and affection. A faint, but extremely captivating and languid smile. He took my breath away in a completely unexpected way.

“Until the very day the world ends.”

Badump, badump, badump.

My heart dropped down to the floor and bounced up several times, like a rubber ball.

“Until not a single one of your wishes is left unfulfilled.”

I was clearly getting a sense of how frightfully awful fanatic devotion was. So it would only be right for me to feel scared and refuse him.

“I will stay by your side and keep you from all harm, I promise.”

He covered my face, which had become the color of a peach, with his large hands. He gently stroked my cheek with his thumb, as if it had become a habit. The hard calluses on his hand felt extremely soft.

“As long as you’ll let me.”

Ah… I guess this is why people become leaders of cults2.

His frighteningly sweet unconditional declaration made my heart flutter.

* * *

pls do not share this anywhere or the transmigration gods will transport u into boku no pico !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

On the road down the mountain, I was once again forced by the eagerness of Tanma and the priests to go down again on Lecht’s back. 

Although I had struggled to calm down my pounding heart at first, my body was exhausted from just receiving the sacred relic and his broad back was so warm. Soon, sleep overcame me.

Returning to Chivan village with me, who had fallen asleep, the group soon split in two.

“Then, we will contact you as soon as the preparations for the Saintess’s proclamation ceremony are complete.”

Lydia and the priests had to go to the main temple to prepare for a ceremony to proclaim Meliara as the Saintess of the God of Night.

t/n: author inconsistency. went from god of the moon to god of night.

On the other hand, while the temple was preparing to receive her as a saintess, it was decided that Meliara would stay at Lecht’s estate. 

Of course, this decision was naturally made without Meliara. Since she had been too busy sleeping to hear. 

However, Lecht didn’t think it’d be a problem since he had already told her that he’d take her to his estate if she was the master of the sacred relic. He had nothing to gain from dawdling around in Chivan village, so he was just about to set off.

“If you’re lacking in funding, please feel free to contact us at any time.”

While Lecht laid Meliara comfortably in the carriage, Tanma discussed the schedule with Lydia.

“Then, see you soon.” 

When Tanma returned to the carriage after finishing his conversation with Lydia, he found his master kneeling on one knee on the floor of the carriage, staring intently at the sleeping Meliara.

“Here is a blanket, Your Majesty.”

Tanma handed over the blanket which had been prepared inside the carriage. Receiving it, Lecht glanced at Tanma in response. Somehow, his voice seemed to be very cheerful, and his face looked refreshed.

“You seem to be in a good mood.”

“The partner my master has been waiting for for over 100 years has finally appeared, so of course I’m in a good mood.”

“I think it’s because of a different reason though.”

Despite Lecht’s suspicions, Tanma only smiled.

“I’m looking forward to the day I can welcome the Young Miss to the Demon King’s Palace.”

Although he had spoken kindly, he had actually said in other words, ‘You left the Demon King’s Palace unattended because you were looking for her’. There was a lot of dissatisfaction in his gentle tone, But Lecht had nothing to retort.

Because of his own insistence on waiting for her in the human world, Tanma had suffered a lot, whether it be acting as the Demon King’s deputy and proxy, or as the Grand Duke’s butler.

“Would it be better to hold the wedding in the Demon Realm~?”

Lecht, who was watching Tanma move away while humming a pleasant concern, turned his head again just for his eyes to land on Ara.

“…Ara.”

With her name on his lips, a tingling sensation rose from his heart and numbed all the nerves in his body. It was a pleasant sensation. 

He stretched his hand toward her face. The tip of his finger touched her forehead, then gently moved down along her face to her cheek.

“Mmm…”

Perhaps because she felt ticklish, she whined fretfully in her sleep and brushed her face with her hands. Lecht gently pulled his hand back. After rubbing her face for a while, she fell asleep again with a snore. 

A small smile crept across Lecht’s lips as he watched her fall asleep with her hand on her cheek. The past voice that had become a distant memory now echoed vaguely in his ear.

‘Just you wait! Later on, you’ll be so into me you won’t even be able to get out of it, Lecht!’

She, who had taught him compassion and affection, which he had thought to be the most meaningless and unnecessary emotions in the world.

‘You didn’t know? Lecht is very considerate. He’s a man who’s overflowing with kindness and warmth.’

She made him realize what it felt like to experience preciousness and affection when all he had known was nothing but absolute power and authority, and was the first and only woman in this world who loved and trusted him infinitely without any cost.

‘No matter what happens, we’ll definitely meet again. I know it.’

She had turned his life upside down and left it as well. She was the kind of woman who had shaken all his beliefs and so sure of herself to the point where it was harsh.

‘Then, I promise I’ll never leave you alone.’

So he had believed her. So he had waited with anticipation, leaning on that one promise which had been spoken with no witnesses or evidence, simply because it was her who had said it.

‘So please wait obediently, okay?’

As long as 100 years.

‘What did I need to be certain of?’

The fact that he had wasted his time going on about certainty was pathetic. The way she talks in her sleep, the way she seems flustered by his touch but doesn’t reject it, the way she sees things as she pleases and acts brightly.

‘So clearly, this is all you.’

Although the color had changed, the loveliness contained in those copper eyes looking up at him was exactly the same as that contained in those black eyes.

There was no part that wasn’t her.

“This time, I’ll definitely protect everything.”

Lecht whispered softly, hoping she could hear him in her dreams.

Even your laughter. Even your tears. I will protect all of your hopes, dreams, and happiness.

“Just stay by my side.”

Just like you promised.

‘Then, I promise I’ll never leave you alone.’

Even if it’s a promise only he remembers.

“That’ll be enough.”

As long as he didn’t have to fall into the swamp of waiting for a long time again, then there was nothing tough about it.

The 100-year wait was a suffocating amount of time, even for a Demon King with a long lifespan.

* * *

I seem to have had a very happy dream. 

Although I couldn’t remember it very well, already having received a great welcome to the morning, I lay down and stretched. The feeling of the blanket on my body felt very pleasant today. It was soft like silk and cool like 100% cotton.

“This place uses nice blankets…”

Mumbling as I hugged the soft blanket, I suddenly thought of what happened last night and opened my eyes.

“Heok. How did I even get to this room?”

The last thing I remembered was that Lecht’s back was extremely large and warm. It seems like the tension I had in the temple had probably been melted by Lecht’s warmth, so I had fallen asleep on his back.

Recalling the embarrassing incident last night, I suddenly came to my senses, thinking that I should at least apologize to him for causing trouble.

“Huh? This isn’t my room though?”

As I got up, I realized that this wasn’t the room I had unpacked in when I had arrived at Chivan village. Then, whose room is this? Wait, no, is this the right room? Even the size of the bed I was lying in was bigger than the room I had unpacked in.

The first thing that came to mind was Meliara’s room back in the Duke’s estate. It was around that size, wait, no, even bigger than that room. 

However, unlike that room which had felt empty and deserted at that time, this room was filled to the brim. Of course, not only was the furniture pretty, but every single one of the ornaments were simplistic yet grand. It was a poised, yet luxurious room.

‘I don’t think this is our accommodation’s room.’

I went to move in order to confirm it. 

But then, I ended up kicking Kelber, who was lying at my feet.

“Kking?”

t/n: onomatopoeia of dog whining

Kelber, who had been sleeping, suddenly woke up at the poof sound that came from my kick. He shook his head, then stuck out his front paws to stretch.

“Woof! Woof!”

Kelber jumped out of bed and gently wagged his tail at me, as if telling me to follow him.

“Kelber. Where are we?”

I followed after him. As soon as my feet hit the floor, I heard a knocking sound.

“May I come in, Miss?”

“Yes, please enter.”

Since they were probably an employee of the accommodation, I answered. It was a woman who was dressed neatly and wearing an apron that came in through the door.

“If you’re awake, would you like me to draw the curtains now?”

“Oh, yes, thank you.”

Although I thought they’d ask me, “What time would you like me to come in for housekeeping today?”, I still nodded, bewildered that they’d even draw the curtains for me.

As they pulled the thick curtains aside, the sunlight that had been hidden behind it poured in. I frowned slightly at the sudden brightness in my vision. As I blocked the sunlight with my hands and walked to the window, my squinted eyes suddenly widened again at the scenery outside the window.

“What is this…?”

[1] 약속하마 lecht uses the ending ‘마’ which is used as a final ending to a sentence to promise something to the listener so he basically double promises her AHHHH

[2] 광신교 refers to ‘fanaticism’ but i’ll be using it interchangeably with ‘cult’ depending on the context since they both do fit. i’ve referred to it as ‘cult leader’ just because it’s more understandable in english and also because meliara is referring to the blind affection and devotion cults lavish onto their leader or god (i.e. ymir in attack on titan)

[3]