OMS Chapter 16

“By ‘interact,’ you mean…?”

“A kiss, or something more intimate. The level of interaction changes the strength of the blessing. That’s how the heroes received blessings and defeated the Demon Lord.”

“…I suppose the heroes did all marry the holy maidens. I never realized that was the reason, though…”

“If people knew that sleeping with the holy maiden gave blessings, who knows what could happen. It’s a secret only passed down to previous holy maidens and heroes.”

I stopped rubbing my forehead and cautiously peeked at Viirant’s expression.

I thought he’d be more shocked, but he seemed more curious. He was mumbling something under his breath, probably thinking things over.

I absolutely didn’t want to tell him, but maybe it wasn’t as big a deal as I’d thought. Based on his reaction, he’s probably not going to say anything crazy. I mean, sure, getting blessings from a holy maiden is one thing, but in this case, it’s a guy in his forties. Even if it’s for the job, no one would actually want to go through with it.

“See? Now you understand, right? You wouldn’t be able to do anything with me just for the sake of a blessing, right?”

It might be different if the holy maiden were Emilia, but I can’t exactly say that out loud. In any case, giving someone my blessing is out of the question, but I have enough power on my own. I’ve never fought a demon beast before, and I’m not sure I can come out unscathed, but I probably won’t die. That’s much better than risking anyone else.

Just as I was about to tell him to stay here and wait quietly, I glanced up at Viirant’s face—and my mouth fell open.

—It was red.

His pale skin made the change in his complexion even more noticeable. His eyes, his cheeks, the tips of his ears… even his neck. Every inch of his thin skin was flushed bright red. Even the edges of his grape-colored eyes were tinged with red, and his irises quivered slightly, glistening.

He covered his mouth with his hand, but it was far too late to hide it. His face was completely red.

What’s up with this reaction? Is he embarrassed because I said something so blunt?

…No, when I explained about the blessing earlier, he seemed more intrigued than anything.

So, what is this? Why is he turning red?

“…You’re not lying about this, are you?”

“Why would I lie?”

“Maybe because you’ve realized how I feel… and you’re testing me…”

“How you feel? Testing you about what?”

I had no idea what Viirant was talking about. Why would I bother telling some weird lie? What feelings? Testing? What’s this all about?

Isn’t this supposed to be a simple conversation about how ‘even if it’s to protect the holy maiden, kissing an old man is too much, so I give up’? Wasn’t it supposed to end there?

As I stared up at Viirant in confusion, he knelt down smoothly. Now, he was kneeling on one knee directly in front of me, sitting on the couch. When a good-looking guy does it, it sure looks cool.

Well, except for the fact that his face is still bright red.

“I never intended to say this aloud, but… I’m in love with you.”

“…Huh?”

“Even if it’s to give me a blessing, if it means being allowed to touch you… that would make me so happy.”

…What did he just say?

Did I mishear?

He said he loves… who?

No way. Me?

No, no, no, no. That’s impossible. Absolutely impossible. There’s no way.

Why would a handsome, promising young knight fall for a middle-aged man like me? Sure, I didn’t gain much weight because I couldn’t afford to eat a lot, but even so, I’m just plain and ordinary. My hair and eyes are nothing special—just a dull brown—and I’m not good at talking. There’s nothing interesting about me at all.

In the village, there weren’t many women, so men marrying men was common, but even then, I was never involved. I was always on the sidelines.

And now Viirant, of all people? A serious, honorable knight, who turns heads wherever he goes, is saying he’s in love with me?

That’s just not possible.

Even if I misheard, that would still be unforgivable.

“I don’t… really understand what you mean.”

Before I could finish my sentence, Viirant grabbed my hand. His hands, rough and calloused from wielding a sword, didn’t match his refined looks. They were much larger than mine, but they cradled my hand gently.

Dazed, I followed his arm with my eyes and saw that Viirant was looking straight at me. His grape-colored eyes shimmered with an unreadable emotion, his cheeks still flushed red, and he gazed at me seriously.

“I love you. I don’t expect you to accept me. But please… please grant me your blessing.”

“…No, I’m not planning on giving anyone—”

“I can’t stand seeing you in danger again. I can’t bear going through that again. If you don’t want me, then at least choose one of the other two, but please, bring someone with you.”

Viirant squeezed my hand tightly, his face twisting as if he were about to cry.

…This expression really isn’t fair.

If looking at him like this means all I need to do is give a blessing, then I want to grant him as many as he wants. I’ll need time to prepare myself for anything more, but I could handle just a kiss.

Out of the three, I’d rather give Viirant the blessing. He’s saying I could choose one of the others, but he doesn’t actually mean it—he just wants me to be safe.

…If possible, I’d like to see that smile of his again, like the one I saw in the carriage.

“…Fine, fine, I got it.”

I ruffled Viirant’s hair with my free hand and gave him a short answer. I turned my eyes away, avoiding his gaze, but I could still feel his eyes on me the entire time.

✢

Now that I think about it, when was the last time I kissed anyone? I remember being kissed by a girl two years older than me when I was five or six, but after that, there’s nothing.

By the time I started noticing girls, they already had boyfriends. I didn’t want to mess with anyone’s relationship, and I wasn’t particularly interested, so this is just how things turned out.

After my parents passed, I was too busy surviving to even think about romance. It’s no surprise I’ve barely got any experience… or at least, that’s what I’m going with.

―I never imagined I’d be kissing Viirant.

We sat side by side on the sofa, twisting our bodies so we could face each other. It was awkward being this close, but strangely, it didn’t feel too bad. Maybe I’d developed some resistance after being carried around in his arms so many times, or maybe it was because Viirant’s face was prettier than most women’s.

He timidly touched my cheek, his face inching closer to mine. It was embarrassing to watch, so I shut my eyes, waiting for the kiss.

What felt like an eternity passed before something soft touched my lips. I flinched, but Viirant’s hand stroked my cheek gently, and he adjusted his angle, pressing into the kiss a little deeper. His lips were hot and soft, and being touched by them felt better than I’d expected. I opened my eyes, wondering if he was enjoying this too, only to find myself looking directly into his grape-colored eyes.

―His eyelashes are long.

The calm gold of his lashes cast a shadow on his flushed cheeks. When did he get so red again? You’d think he’d be used to kissing, but maybe it feels different doing it with an old man like me.

The kiss slowly deepened, and his tongue parted my lips. My own tongue shrank back nervously, but Viirant didn’t push for more. He gently traced the inside of my mouth with his tongue, lightly tickling the roof of my mouth.

I can’t really tell if he’s good at kissing or not, but it feels even better than before. I’m starting to forget the actual reason we’re doing this.

Cautiously, I pushed my tongue forward, brushing against Viirant’s. I started channeling my holy power through the connection, and Viirant gasped softly.

What does it feel like to have holy power flowing into you? I couldn’t ask since our lips were locked, but I hoped it didn’t hurt as I rubbed our tongues together. Viirant furrowed his brows but returned the motion, tangling his tongue with mine.

How much time passed like this, I couldn’t tell. When I could no longer channel any more holy power and started running out of breath, I pulled back. A thin string of saliva stretched between us before breaking.

I thought a kiss would be no big deal, but this feels oddly embarrassing. The blessing isn’t permanent, so we’ll have to do this again before it wears off. Will we have to go through this every time? Maybe I acted too rashly.

“How do you feel? Any pain or discomfort?”

“No, rather… no, nothing at all. I’m fine.”

“‘Fine’ isn’t exactly what you look like.”

In a word, red. His normally porcelain-white skin was as flushed as an apple. His eyes were wet and glimmering—it was not a face I could show to the outside world. I’m not sure if this is the right way to describe a man, but in one word, he looked seductive. It felt like I was seeing something I shouldn’t have.

“…I’m fine. Let’s go.”

Though he didn’t look fine at all, I followed Viirant and stood up. I couldn’t waste too much time here, considering the impurities we were about to face.