I Will Not Fall For the Villain’s Flirtations - Chapter 3 Part 6

Leila, who had discovered me constantly looking ahead with a curious expression, scratched the itchy spot for me.

The 34th Great Saint, Chelin Sniter.

Her husband, Commander Cederigo, had retired due to injuries, and she had announced that she would step aside as well once a new Great Saint candidate emerged.

“It’s unfortunate. She lost her friend a few years ago to dark magic, and now her husband has been seriously injured. She is still young, tsk.”

“That friend… was a former Great Saint?”

“That’s right. Only a year has passed. She didn’t become a former of her own accord either. Rumor has it that she went crazy after losing her younger sibling.”

Leila said, pretending to slit her throat.

Chelin Sniter’s best friend and classmate, Stella Ren Lione.

The 33rd Great Saint who occupied the position of a Great Saint for less than a year, but after gaining the position, she quickly gained fame by embracing dark magic that conflicted with divine powers. Although Chelin did become the next Great Saint as a result, It was known that she had suffered a great deal in her heart.

I kept stealing glances at her, with her green hair contrasting with Leila’s head.

If the Pope represents the Holy Kingdom, the Great Saint represents the symbol of the Holy Kingdom. The person who will prevent the ‘destruction’ mentioned in the prophecy.

She was one of the few people who lived with a responsibility even greater than Peidos Carmel. As such, her eyes were filled with a mix of complex emotions as she gazed upon the juniors who would take her place.

I silently gazed at her and at Prim, whom she was looking at. The current Great Saint and the next Great Saint. Characters who possessed the essence and ability of a protagonist.

My gaze led to my bead, which was still filled with dense, dark magic. The dark and somber color seemed to remind me of my position.

In any case, it was bound to happen.

Following Chelin Snyder, the person who would become the 35th Great Saint was Prim, and she was also the one who would save the crisis-stricken Holy Kingdom and even conquer romance along the way.

As a mere supporting character, it didn’t matter whether I purified a Level 8 bead or a Level 10 bead. I couldn’t even compare to Prim from the beginning.

“…I did something unnecessary.”

After uttering a bitter laugh, I let go of the bead. The flames of passion that had been burning until just now were replaced by black ashes.

The place felt even more desolate than before, leaving a bitter feeling.

Why did I forget? Duna Valorem was just a supporting character.

* * *

After a tiring day, I headed to my lodging. I was noticeably exhausted, probably because I had used up more energy than usual.

I’ll probably just pass out today.

That’s what I thought as I opened the door.

“Good evening, Du. Aren’t you excited to see me?”

“…….”

I noticed Keene lying more comfortably than me in my room. There was no need for any more words; it was a sight that made me sigh.

If my condition had been better, I would have been scared, recalling our past encounter. But I just felt annoyed, whether due to exhaustion or because he was smiling politely.

I didn’t even have the energy to react. Ignoring him, I grabbed my things and left the room.

I only had one thought in my mind: I wanted to wash up and sleep quickly. Although I heard a voice calling me from behind, I ignored it.

When I finished washing and returned to my room, Keene was sitting on the bed in a different position. His scrutinizing gaze as he observed my face was quite cold.

“Du, is something wrong?”

“…Why did you come here? It hasn’t been ten days yet.”

“I came because I missed you, Du.”

Even though I was showing signs of being in a bad mood, he couldn’t seem to give up on that joke.

Since I had no expectations that he would understand anyway, I silently grabbed a dry towel without saying anything.

While I was wringing out the water and drying my hair, he suddenly made an unnecessary suggestion.

“Come here. I’ll do it for you.”

“What? Thanks but…”

But before I could utter the word of rejection, an unknown force pulled me towards him. It felt as if I was being pushed by an invisible wind.

As I lost my balance and exclaimed, “Ugh!” Keene caught me at the right moment. He picked up the towel that had fallen on his body and started drying my hair.

“…….”

His face was too close. His focused expression, as if he were deeply concentrating on something, made me feel uncomfortable.

He’s usually so full of bullshit, and now he’s so quiet at a time like this?

I had to move my throat slowly, as though if I swallowed my saliva, people outside could hear us. Whether he knew or not about my anxious heart, he was just busy removing the moisture from my hair with a gentle touch.

“Did someone bother you?”

He finally asked after a long pause. I silently turned my head to the side.

“But why do you look upset?”

“…Because of you.”

“Lie. You were gloomy even before I arrived.”

I knew that feeling unusually low was not solely due to tiredness. He was right; I was depressed, which made me mentally exhausted.

But I didn’t want to discuss the cause of it with Keene or anyone else, for that matter. Whether it was Keene or someone else, I didn’t want to talk about living a second-rate life that had been predetermined.

“How can I make my little Du feel better?”

He grabbed my face, making me face him, and mumbled. His usually carefree attitude and handsome face seemed more obnoxious today.

“You’re so fortunate. A pagan loved by god.”

“…Me?”

Even though he never appeared in the novels I’ve read, by all accounts, he was a main character. Unlike someone like me, who has lived a perennial supporting role since my past life, he was fundamentally different.

“You have a good-looking face, plenty of money, and you’re skilled in magic to the point of being untouchable. You’re the one who’s loved.”

“……”

Keene blinked his eyes as if he had heard an unfamiliar foreign language. Due to the sarcasm in my tone, it seemed like he was confused as to whether it was a compliment or not.

But his following response was rather surprising.

“Well then, what should I do? I can’t even make Du feel better.”

“…….”

His affectionate tone, as if we were lovers, made my heart flutter unknowingly. It was both confusing and, at the same time, arousing sudden emotions within me.

It seemed that the more I looked at him, the more excited I got, as if he wasn’t even smiling as he usually does when he throws a joke like this.

Speaking on the subject of hypocrisy, while you sat there threatening me with my life.

“Do you like moon-watching?”

“……Moon-watching?”

My eyebrows raised at his sudden suggestion. Moon-watching? Why all of a sudden?

“Would you like to go moon-watching with me?”

Keene asked again, his eyes narrowing into crescents.

“……Huh.”

It was an absurd offer. To suggest going moon-watching like a tourist to someone who had just taken a bath. Did he forget about the ridiculous threat he made just a few days ago? Did he erase it from his memory?

Besides, at this moment, all I wanted was to sleep as soon as possible. What I needed, as someone physically and mentally exhausted, was not the moon but sleep. I shook my head as if it were a hassle.

“Ah, I guess you don’t like flying.”

Fly? The following words caught my attention, and my gaze immediately followed. It was a powerful statement that could momentarily halt the whirlwind of depression.

“You fly? Are you saying you can fly in the sky?”

“Yes. When you receive the night air from the sky, it can change your mood.”

“……”

Flying in the sky.

In a world without magic, everyone dreams of it at least once.

Thanks to being born after the 20th century, I did enjoy modern culture, including airplanes. But free-flying, without getting on a large aircraft, was a true romance. In this world where magic exists, flying was also close to romance. Not only were magicians rare, but as someone with no special background, I had no way of getting close to those rare magicians.

“Isn’t it… dangerous?”

Upon hearing that, Keene smirked. Carefully, he took my hand and narrowed his eyes as he whispered.

“Do you think I would endanger you?”

“……”

He’s a truly mysterious person.

If I had to choose the most dangerous person for me right now, I would not hesitate to pick the man in front of me. Setting aside his status as someone from the Magic Tower, he was the one who shook and threatened my life despite being the person who should keep the imperial defense the safest, like a private fortress.

But then again, it’s strange…

“No.”

“That’s right. Let’s go.”

It didn’t seem like he was lying, and I truly felt like he could protect me easily.

You’re obviously dangerous, but I really don’t know you at all.

A bright light enveloped my body. When the familiar dizziness subsided and I opened my eyes, I found myself floating in the middle of a dark, pitch-black sky.

“Ahh!”

Realizing there was nothing beneath my feet, I was so startled that I instinctively clung to the person next to me. Keene chuckled softly and pulled on my shoulder.

“Don’t worry. You’ll get used to it soon. Are you okay with this height?”

Upon closer inspection, I noticed a transparent barrier-like structure below my feet, supporting my weight. Feeling somewhat relieved, I swallowed hard and straightened my body.

I saw a low hill and a distant mountain. Judging by the current height, it seemed to be as tall as a large evergreen tree. Gazing down at the grassy field where the shapes of leaves and empty spaces were clearly visible, I timidly voiced my opinion.

“We could be a bit higher.”

“Haha, really?”

He suddenly hugged me after saying that. I reflexively held onto his neck, startled by the unexpected princess-like gesture. Keene locked eyes with me and whispered.

“I’ll just hold on for a moment.”

I felt a familiar energy enveloping my body. And before long, we soared even higher.

“Huh.”

I realized why he hugged me. Although I didn’t have a fear of heights and felt fine at this altitude, the speed of our ascent was fast, creating significant resistance. It not only made it difficult to breathe but also gave me the thought that if I accidentally let go, I might be carried away by the inertia.

“Alright.”

Not long after, he released me, and I descended. It was slightly scary since I couldn’t see the ground, but he gradually let go while I firmly held onto his clothes, and everything went smoothly.

As I belatedly regained my composure, I noticed that his clothes were all wrinkled and the area around his neck was slightly stretched. I noticed it out of humility, but he didn’t mind it and only lightly chuckled as usual, as long as it wasn’t related to our situation. Feeling somewhat relieved, I cleared my throat and looked around.

“It’s so peaceful here.”

The grass now looked as if it had gathered into a single green plain. Even the trees were clustered together, resembling broccoli. As I climbed higher, I realized that this place was truly a remote area without any nearby villages. No matter how much I looked around, I couldn’t see anything beyond the darkness-filled vegetation.

I tried pressing my foot against the pointed tips of the protruding trees, testing them. It was fascinating to feel the transparent barrier automatically bounce my foot back. Keene, who had been quietly observing my playfulness, asked with curiosity.

“Is it fun?”

“……Ah, well.”