“What kind of ridiculous thing did you pull this time?”
The day after taking care of the Creature Abandoned by God, Lize barged into my room.
Her chest, covered by a thin white cloth, bounced violently with each step, clearly displaying her emotions. Lize had an expression as if she was completely fed up.
“I wasn’t doing anything much different than usual. Why? What happened?”
“There’s a lot.”
With an exasperated sigh, Lize flopped down onto the bed and pulled the pillow by her head into a tight embrace. Her chest pressed against the pillow, making it bulge out to the side.
She was acting completely unapologetic, as if my presence didn’t matter at all. Naturally, I found myself perched in front of Lize, who was lying on her side, staring at me.
“What’s going on?”
“You know how you told the battle nuns from the Holy Kingdom to call for help if they needed anything, right? Well, they have been waiting nearby.”
“I know. But why?”
“Since last night—no, precisely since you returned, Delta. For some reason, they’ve been acting way more intense than usual. And what’s with this nonsense about changing their clothes?”
“…They said they would change their clothes?”
Instinctively, my gaze drifted down towards Lize’s body. She wore a short sleeveless top that revealed her toned abs and blue dolphin shorts that could easily pass for underwear.
‘What’s with that attire?’
The Knight Commanders were only dressed in sleeveless tops and dolphin shorts. The issue was that there was no underwear underneath.
Even though it was an outfit that could be easily removed in about 10 seconds, the very idea that they wanted to change clothes was absurd. Honestly, it sounded ridiculous even to me.
Well, the Knight Commanders had a strangely warped sense of awareness regarding their outfits, so they might not share my thoughts.
“What’s this, Delta? Are you interested in my clothes too? Want to take them off?”
Had I been thinking too long? Lize seemed to catch my gaze and, with a mischievous grin, tugged at the neckline of her sleeveless top.
The garment slid downwards, revealing a deep cleavage pressed against the pillow. I quickly turned my gaze to meet Lize’s eyes.
“Just explain what’s going on.”
“Tch, you’re no fun.”
With a pout, Lize let go of the fabric. The pink bud that was almost ready to pop out vanished behind the white sleeveless top.
Did she really plan to go all the way if I hadn’t told her to stop?
“So I barely managed to send the nuns back and had a gut feeling. Ah, Delta must have done something spectacular in the Holy Kingdom.”
In reality, it wasn’t just that—it was a matter that was tied to the fate of the Holy Kingdom. However, spreading news about that monstrosity wouldn’t do me any good.
It was enough for the Knight Commanders to only guess that I had done something impressive. Not for my sake, but for the Pope’s sake.
To explain the dangers of the Creature Abandoned by God, I would inevitably have to mention the sacrifices made by the Pope of the Moon.
I couldn’t just blurt out such confidential information. The Popes should say it themselves or grant permission for it to be spoken.
“But why? Changing clothes would be comfortable and good.”
I forced a slight smile and changed the subject. Asking what kind of mess I had stirred up would definitely lead to awkward conversations.
“What nonsense is that? Having someone else touch my body feels oddly strange, you know?”
“Didn’t you constantly try to get me to touch you?”
“Are you saying I’m like those other people?”
As she said that, Lize buried her face into my pillow and took a deep breath. I heard a soft suuuu sound, and her hips, slightly lifted, trembled. It was quite a risqué sight.
I was afraid that the flesh under her bottom might show. However, with Lize, it wouldn’t be strange at all if she were intentionally displaying such behavior to tease me.
“Besides, we can change our clothes perfectly fine on our own.”
“Really?”
“Really, what? Are you kidding me?”
Lize shot me a glare but suddenly wore an expression full of mischief, revealing that she had come up with an amusing idea. It was the kind of smile she wore when teasing me.
“Alright. How about we make a bet?”
“A random bet, out of nowhere?”
“I’ll take off all my clothes right now. You have to guess whether I can put them back on by myself. If I win, I’ll make you do whatever I want.”
“And if I win?”
“You can make me do whatever you want.”
With a playful grin, the straps of her sleeveless top began to slide down. Was she really going to take it off? Her right arm lifted, revealing her flawless armpit.
It was blatantly provocative. Ever since she confessed that it would be hard to hold back once the line was crossed, Lize had always been teasing me with such fines.
I could feel my patience reaching its limit. I used to think I could handle it, but that was no longer the case.
“Doesn’t it seem like the outcome is the same regardless of who wins?”
“Well, it means both of us will be happy, right?”
Lize smiled brightly. I reached out and tousled her hair affectionately.
“Stop talking nonsense. So, why did you come to my room? Just to hang out? Or do you have something more important to do?”
“Huh? Ah, right. I came to tell you something. I almost forgot because I was so busy chatting with you.”
“You came in and started complaining about how the battle nuns were crazy right away?”
“I was going to talk first because I hadn’t seen you in a while. And when did I say they were crazy? I said they were intense. Don’t make it sound like something it’s not.”
Is this situation where the straps are halfway down and showing the underarms that isn’t a misunderstanding?
I pulled my hand from her head. Lize buried her face deep into the pillow, peeking out with only her eyes, gazing up at me.
“The Popes are holding a banquet, apparently. It’s the night after tomorrow.”
“A banquet? The Popes?”
“Yep. Especially you, Delta, they insist that you attend. How wonderful, right? The Popes themselves are inviting you to a banquet. What kind of amazing thing did you accomplish?”
Lize poked my side with her finger. I grabbed her hand, and she immediately intertwined our fingers. Our hands locked tightly together.
Grinning, Lize lifted the corners of her mouth.
“Lize. So you were here after all.”
Suddenly, the door burst open. Someone walked in, trailing long silver hair with a gruff voice. It was Iris.
As soon as Iris entered, she stiffened at the sight of Lize’s strap halfway down and our intertwined hands, realizing that the situation wasn’t as dire as she feared and stepped forward again.
“Hey, Iris? What are you doing here?”
“…Why is it you, Lize, asking that instead of Delta?”
“Right? Why are you asking instead of me?”
Now that I think about it, this was my room. Lize made herself so at home that I got a bit confused too.
Receiving our gazes, Lize wore her usual playful smile. Iris shook her head and then opened her mouth again.
“Anyway, I also have something to convey. I initially intended to send Lize, but she didn’t come down despite the time passing. Delta, you heard from Lize that there’s a banquet the night after tomorrow, right?”
“I just heard.”
“It’s related to that. Could you come out to the lobby?”
“Right now?”
“Claudia and Erica are waiting as well. I’d like you to hurry, if possible.”
“Got it. I’ll be right there.”
After finishing her sentence, Iris glanced at Lize for a moment before closing the door and leaving. I pulled myself up from the bed. I didn’t know what it was about, but if they wanted me outside, I should go.
Lize wriggled, burying her face into my pillow once more, then tidied up the bedding and stood up to follow me. I watched her closely.
Noticing my stare, Lize tilted her head.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“You just tidied my bed. I thought you weren’t the type to do such things.”
“…Why do you also sound exactly like Erica?”
Lize protested but then clung to my right arm, wrapping it with hers. I had grown so accustomed to this that I felt no particular emotions about it—except for the soft sensation of her chest against my arm.
Since there was quite a height difference, Lize practically dangled from my arm as we made our way to the lobby. The lobby was noticeably bustling more than usual.
The first to spot me was Claudia, who waved her hands enthusiastically with a bright smile. Beside her, Erica nodded her head slightly as a form of greeting.
In front of them stood Stella and Selene. Stella and Selene silently stared at Lize, who was cuddled against my arm, before bowing politely towards me.
“Welcome, distinguished guest.”
“Hello, honored guest.”
The two of them were much more courteous than yesterday, and the Knight Commanders shot me sharp glares. I tried my best to ignore those stares and sat down on the nearby sofa.
“Now that everyone is here, let’s get started. I’m sure you’re all aware that the Popes have invited distinguished guests to the banquet happening two nights from now.”
The eyes directed at me only disappeared once Selene began her explanation. After confirming that four pairs of eyes were gone, I let out a sigh of relief internally.
“Before that, may I ask until when you plan to stay in the Holy Kingdom?”
“I intend to leave at least by four days from now.”
That was the conclusion I reached after discussing it with the Knight Commanders. I would only be staying for roughly a week, so the Popes would surely be disappointed, but there was a reason I needed to hurry back to the Empire.
Kaiquilia.
It was the Empress of the Aiternum Empire, Kaiquilia, who was the problem.
Considering that Selene had even personally gone to find the Empress before we headed towards the Holy Kingdom, staying any longer might lead to unexpected developments.
“Understood. Then let’s get to the main point.”
Selene and Stella simultaneously turned their eyes towards me. Following suit, the Knight Commanders also redirected their gazes towards me, now a total of six pairs of eyes watching intently.
“Regarding the banquet, may I request something from you, distinguished guest?”
