The official combatants of the Hunter Train, Teresa and Lirisia, were relaxing in the safe zone.
Lirisia wasn’t an official hunter, but she was a “Terraforming Team Leader” affiliated with the Elf Great Forest, which allowed her to ride the Hunter Train alongside Big Olgania. Teresa had boarded the Hunter Train as a ‘civilian’ accompanying Shia.
Perhaps there were various reasons for Lirisia to be on the Hunter Train, but the biggest one was probably her desire not to be separated from Eselatia and Teresa.
While Teresa spoke quite casually and lightly in front of Shia and Menelapie, in front of Lirisia she displayed the elegance of a noble young lady.
With graceful gestures to lift her teacup, slender glances, and refined eye contact, Teresa, who had lost her original body and now appeared as a young girl, carried herself with the poise of an adult.
Thanks to Teresa’s accumulated experiences from countless seasons, she could almost change her persona and present herself as a noble young lady.
“Oh my, what a sight,” Lirisia remarked.
“Indeed…”
The two simply sat back and observed the scenery outside.
The sight of hundreds of hunters setting up a base and battling against hundreds of thousands of slimes looked like a legendary war straight out of mythology.
Lightning struck, dark trees arose from the red Blood Swamp, disturbing the slime army. Somewhere, a powerful beam of mana illuminated the area, and a legion of corpses rose to protect the hunters from the slimes, followed by massive ice spears raining down.
Oh, is it dangerous?
Wow, the S-grade hunters are quite skilled.
At one moment, a hunter at the front almost died, but over four S-grade hunters quickly covered for him.
Each S-grade hunter had their own distinct personalities, but one thing was clear: protecting people was a fundamental principle for them all.
“Wow, for sure… this is impressive.”
Not just the S-grade hunters but also the A and B-grade ones were quite remarkable. Hardly anyone ran away, even when faced with the risk of fatal injuries. They understood that their comrades next to or behind them would be in danger if they backed down. Their courage to stand firm faced the enemy like an unyielding blade.
Considering that the hunters coming onto the Hunter Train were the cream of the crop, their mindset was indeed admirable.
“Sigh, if only my seasons had such people from the start, winning wouldn’t have been so hard…”
As Teresa observed the hunters’ battles, she felt she was beginning to understand a bit about the world called Earth.
After a month of being with Shia, Teresa had adapted to life on Earth and now understood why civilization was able to sustain itself despite the ongoing Great Rift and the incursions of the Demon King’s fragments.
Each one of those hunters, despite their varying strengths, was a hero on Earth.
“But do we really not have to participate?”
“Don’t worry. Our pig saint… I mean, Shia and the warrior are here; it’s over-spec. I heard there are 21 S-grade hunters, so wouldn’t that make the slimes more pitiful?”
“But I saw Isia falling out the window earlier?”
“That was just an accident. Shia wouldn’t die that easily.”
“I mean, I once tried jumping off a cliff to die, and it didn’t work out.”
At that moment, Teresa’s expression suddenly stiffened.
“…I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s really nothing, don’t worry.”
With a soft smile, Teresa handed a cup of tea to Lirisia.
“What kind of tea is this?”
“Well, it’s something Lirisia would like.”
“True, you did like tea.”
“Did I ever show that I liked tea to you, Lirisia?”
“I saw you drinking tea alone sometimes.”
“Well, during the war, it was hard to even have coffee, let alone tea.”
How long had it been since they had such a moment?
After parting…
No, she hadn’t expected to meet again under a dark star…
For both Lirisia and Teresa, this moment felt like an unbelievable miracle now.
The emotions reflected in each other’s eyes were likely the same.
That’s why they didn’t say much.
Just looking at one another, acknowledging each other’s existence was enough to make them feel good. Of course, they had many things they wanted to say, but to savor the joy of reunion, they didn’t need many words.
A cup of tea.
Their gazes.
Familiar energy.
Your touch.
My warmth.
While it might be a cliché that they lived happily ever after, for these two, that was enough, and it was all they wished for.
Teresa smiled gently and placed a hand on Lirisia’s cheek.
“Heh…”
Although it was the tiny hand of a doll-like girl, it made Lirisia flinch and close her eyes.
She, once the Witch of the Dark Star, had now become a human, fully capable of sensing another person’s warmth.
‘It’s warm…’
The snake-like warmth of Teresa’s hand lingered on Lirisia’s cheek for a while.
Although she thought she was the only one feeling the heat, Teresa’s hand was also quite warm.
Soft.
Hot.
And strangely, it was getting warmer.
The infinitely gentle touch lingered on Lirisia’s cheek before drifting slightly lower.
At first, Lirisia felt uneasy, thinking Teresa treated her like a pet, but how could she refuse the touch of Teresa—Eselatia?
In the end, Lirisia decided not to reject that warmth and willingly closed her eyes.
Just recently, could she have ever imagined receiving such a touch?
Would she be able to relax?
Those worries had just appeared not long ago…
“Heh…”
“Yikes!”
However, the moment Lirisia closed her eyes, Teresa’s playful side emerged, as she slipped her tiny finger between Lirisia’s lips.
Poke.
Poke.
Yet Lirisia instinctively clenched her lips shut, and Teresa giggled with a look that seemed to say ‘See this?’ as she tickled Lirisia’s lips.
“Heh…”
“Haha…”
Oh, are you still not going to open up?
Not this?
Still not?
Poke poke.
“Esel…mmp…”
There’s a saying that the most sensitive and sensory-rich area of the human body is the lips, and as Teresa continuously tried to slide her finger between Lirisia’s lips, Lirisia, unable to hold back her giggles, finally parted her lips slightly.
Teresa seized that moment and managed to slide her finger inside Lirisia.
“Ah, ugh…”
“Hehe.”
Teresa grinned and playfully stirred her index finger inside Lirisia’s mouth.
Not too aggressively.
Gently.
Scratching inside her cheeks with her finger, teasing her tongue softly.
“Esel, Ra…Hia…what are you…”
“Hehe, it’s been so long; it’s fun! Just stay still, Lirisia.”
“L-Let me go…”
“Good, it seems fun, doesn’t it?”
If someone who knew Lirisia’s personality were here, they would be astonished that the once Witch of the Dark Star was behaving so meekly and gently.
But Lirisia, as per Teresa’s instructions, obediently remained quiet…
Like a soft and gentle little lamb, she made no sound as Teresa’s finger delved deeper inside her.
Just a bit more.
Deeper…
Wuuuung~
“Huh?”
“……”
The ringing that erupted seemed like a large alarm resonating throughout the train and dungeon.
At the same time, both Teresa and Lirisia turned to look outside.
[Wave Ended]
[Wave Ended]
[Wave Ended]
[Injured persons should undergo immediate sterilization and treatment!]
“Oh my, that ended quicker than I thought.”
“Phew…”
As the situation outside the train calmed down, Teresa adjusted her doll-like eyes to assess the situation.
Normally, she would enhance her senses with magic, but there was hardly any magic left in this tiny doll body, so she made her doll’s eyes perform to improve her sight instead.
“If anything happens, I was going to go out, but luckily both I and Lirisia could stay here.”
“Stay…here?”
“Yes, I heard others are also—humans and the elves who brought Lirisia, and Shia and Menelapie too… they won’t be coming in here for a while.”
Just because the wave of slimes in the Blood Swamp had been defeated, it didn’t mean the situation was resolved.
They still had to hunt the boss monster maintaining the dungeon and discern the environment inside the dungeon, the ecology and properties of the mutated slimes, as well as select hunters with high contributions.
In fact, defeating the wave was just the beginning.
“It could take months… or at least a week, unless an emergency occurs… non-hunters like us can relax here.”
“I see…”
“Oh my, oh my. Lirisia, why do you keep avoiding me? Do you dislike me?”
“That’s impossible!”
“Then you should stay still.”
Even as she said that, Teresa snickered at Lirisia’s slightly reddened face.
“I guess you must know what I’m trying to do, huh?”
“………”
The once naive saint had now matured into an adult who seemed to understand everything.
Teresa raised her finger again.
It looked like she wanted to tease Lirisia’s insides once more.
“Ha. What if someone finds out…”
“Oh my, have we done something we shouldn’t have?”
In a previous world, Teresa would have been considered a complete noble young lady, but it seemed she had much more mischief in her than expected.
No, it might be better described as sadism.
“Ugh… there are no humans on this train, but there are other elves too. I saw Olgania dressing the elves in some sort of hunter suits and getting them ready for battle…”
“Not a demon lord; those are hunter suits.”
“Anyway, she told them to wait dressed like that. Now that things have calmed down, they’ll come soon.”
“I don’t care, let them see if they want.”
“Is that how you usually are…?”
The Lirisia who Lirisia knew as the noble young lady Eselatia didn’t have this kind of personality.
Was it because they were too busy during the war against the Demon King that she hadn’t noticed?
“Hehe, the personality, hobbies, and likes or dislikes of a person can change quite a bit, you know?”
Her elegant gestures were pure noble young lady, but the smile on Teresa’s face held a lurking sadism like a shadow.
“Who knows when we’ll meet again?”
“…….”
At those words, Lirisia’s face, which had been trying to distance itself from Teresa, stiffened slightly.
“Nobody knows when we’ll part. And even if we do meet again, who knows how long it will last?”
It was an amusing situation.
Even while facing each other, they lingered in nostalgia, anxious about when misfortune might strike and separate them.
Teresa and Lirisia likely shared the same sentiment.
“Then we should enjoy ourselves while we can.”
But that wouldn’t last long.
[KYAAAAAAAH!!!!]
“Damn it.”
Looking at the boiling kettle, Teresa knitted her brows and cursed.
Opening the kettle’s lid, she shouted with irritation and rage.
“Can’t the Demon King withstand even 100 degrees of boiling water?!!”
[Try it yourself, you wicked black witch!! KYAAAAAAH!!]
“Do you want to change from a tea bag into a broth bag?! If you make one more noise, I’ll toss you in a bone broth and simmer you for over 20 hours!”
[Kill me instead, you damned women!]
“Later.”
Bang!
“Ugh. What kind of Demon King whines so much? What a wuss.”
Irritated, Teresa closed the tea kettle, only then realizing she was in front of Lirisia and turned her head away.
“Pfft…”
“…Ahem.”
Teresa waved her hand as if to say not to mind it.
“Should we just pretend we didn’t see that, Lirisia?”
“Pretty nice. Eselatia.”
“What’s so nice about it? Uh, sorry, I promised to be Eselatia in front of Lirisia…”
“Either way, it’s still you.”
While noble young lady Eselatia was great, “Teresa Kaitlyn” who spoke her mind was also nice.
Saying that, Teresa climbed onto Lirisia’s thigh.
Feeling the slight weight, Lirisia had no choice but to look down at Teresa with a somewhat stiff expression.
Indeed, Teresa’s face was filled with mischief and sadistic delight as she buried her face between Lirisia’s breasts.
“Definitely, still… nice.”
“…….”
Yes, this moment was nice.
Bang!
“Hey, guys!”
“Whoa, what the—!”
“…What is it?”
The moment the firmly closed door swung open, Teresa and Lirisia jumped in surprise, shaking their bodies.
“Want some cold noodles?”
“………”
“………”
It was Shia.
She had definitely said something about falling out of the Hunter Train earlier, and now she was back surprisingly quickly…
If this were a variety show, a caption saying [Meat Fairy Appears★] would definitely pop up.
Teresa and Lirisia sighed deeply and then shared a chuckle.
“Did I interrupt something..?”
“Yeah, you totally interrupted.”
“…I mean, uh…”
“No, it’s fine. Since you interrupted already, let’s eat together.”
Well, she probably didn’t come in intentionally to interrupt…
Although bringing up cold noodles at this moment was absurd, what could they do? She had come with an offer to eat together.
‘Though I always call her the pig saint, expressing affection by asking to share food with Shia is unparalleled.’
With that thought, Teresa rose from Lirisia.
“Alright, let’s eat.”
“Hehe, it’s going to be delicious! Oh, Lirisia, you should join us too.”
“I won’t decline.”
As Teresa distanced herself from her, Lirisia’s eyes looked a little disappointed, but soon it seemed her interest was piqued by the “cold noodles” that Shia brought.
Although she’s now human, Lirisia is still Shia.
Loving food is a shared trait.
Before they knew it, Shia presented a beautifully plated bowl of cold noodles right in front of Teresa and Lirisia.
Teresa was seeing cold noodles for the first time, but from looking at its appearance, she could deduce how to eat it, while Lirisia remembered what kind of dish cold noodles were.
Slurp.
Slurp.
“Oh, the taste isn’t too bad.”
“Wow, our pig saint made such normal food…”
“Hehe, Teresa. I can do things when I try, you know?”
As the rave reviews continued, Shia shrugged her shoulders proudly.
“But you said you got lost? Where did you make this?”
“Oh, this? I took care of some slimes on the way and made this awesome cold noodles from their remains…”
*PFFFFF!*
The moment Teresa heard that it was made from slimes, she immediately spit out what she was eating and, like an ace pitcher hurling a fastball, grabbed the bowl and threw it at Shia.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
“Eat it yourself, you pig saint!!!”
“……”
Did you really have to cook it using slime as some kind of waste cleaner?!!!
Teresa knew that slimes were the bottom-feeding monsters of the ecosystem, the janitors of bodies and filth.
Since Shia hadn’t clarified which kind of slime it was, Teresa clearly misunderstood that Shia had jokingly given her a filthy dish to eat.
‘…Slurp. But it’s quite tasty?’
In contrast to Teresa, Lirisia, rather than spitting it out, was happily chewing away.
‘Gulp, but can I pick that up to eat?’
