Chapter 278: Chapter 278: Turning Point

The morning sunlight streaming through the window naturally woke me up.

The first thing I saw was Solari, naked, sitting on top of me, staring down intently.

“…Did you wake up first?”

“Yes, I woke up first, brother.”

“……”

Wait. Is that Helena?

The last traces of sleepiness vanished instantly.

Now that I looked closely, her lion ears and tail were gone, and her golden eyes had returned to normal.

Helena had said it would take about three days for her to fully wake up… and today was the third day. Yep.

“Sister Helena… is that you?”

“Yes. If you’re talking about the Helena who feels sore all over after an intense night of passion she didn’t even know about, then yes, that would be me.”

“Are you, by any chance, angry?”

“Angry? Me? No, of course not. After all, it’s not like the God I’ve believed in and followed my entire life used my body to make love to my future husband without my knowledge. That’s a good thing, right? Yes. A very good thing.”

“You’re definitely angry!”

I quickly sat up and hugged Helena tightly.

We were now hugging face to face. I rubbed my cheek against hers, spouting the things I’d thought about yesterday in a flurry of words.

“You see, I got a bit injured while breaking through to here, and in order to heal it… well, it wasn’t just for healing, but that’s how it started. And since I took Solari’s—uh, the Righteous Radiance’s—first time, I felt like I had to take responsibility. And though the Righteous Radiance didn’t bring it up, she didn’t seem like she wanted it to end just like that, so, um, well…”

Even I wasn’t sure what I was saying, but Helena, who had been silently listening, suddenly burst into laughter.

“Pfft…!”

“…Sister Helena?”

“When you think about it, it seems odd to act all formal now, doesn’t it? You should just call me Helena.”

“Oh, okay. Helena.”

“Good. After all, you’re now the partner of the Righteous Radiance. It wouldn’t be proper for you to speak so formally to her saint.”

“Helena. Please…”

I looked at her with pleading eyes, hoping she would stop and spare me. Helena’s smile only grew wider.

“Heheh. I’m joking. In fact, the Righteous Radiance already told me. Everything, including how you came to save the church… and us, and everything that happened afterward.” ṛ𝔞𝐍ɵᛒÊṧ

“Huh?”

Helena chuckled, saying it was a shame she hadn’t been awake to see my heroic efforts herself as she pulled her cheek away from mine.

“As I watched you sleep, I had many thoughts. Part of me wanted to just…”

“Just… what were you thinking of doing?”

“Don’t be too scared. I just thought about, well, pouncing on you and getting pregnant. After all, the first woman to bear a man’s child is special, isn’t she?”

“……”

A pregnancy attack? That’s terrifying in its own way.

“But I gave up on that. After thinking it over, I realized you already have many other lovers. I came into the picture later, so it’s not something I should worry about too much.”

“Well, I mean…”

As my words trailed off, Helena gave me a warm smile, typical of a priestess.

“So, there’s no need to feel too guilty. Just treat me the way you normally do.”

“Got it.”

The way I normally treat her, huh? How would I have acted normally in this situation?

After a brief moment of thought, I spoke up.

“Well, it’s been a while since we last met, so how about we start the day with some casual sex?”

“……”

The warmth in Helena’s gaze suddenly turned cold.

But she said to act as I normally would!

Unfortunately, Helena declined, saying she wasn’t feeling well.

It wasn’t just a polite way of saying I should be considerate of the mood; she had genuinely been overexerted the day before and was physically exhausted.

After all, most of what happened with Solari had been experienced through Helena’s body, except for a few things.

Afterward, I explained the situation to the other women, who thought I had just spent the night receiving treatment.

Carla, as usual, said she didn’t care as long as she remained by my side, no matter who I was with.

Elisha, on the other hand, was flustered, asking how in the world I had managed to do such things with the renowned Righteous Radiance.

Iona was simply happy, asking if she could start feeding on me again.

Iris… seemed a bit shocked, but not because there was a new woman in the mix. It was more like she had witnessed something of extreme potential.

Hmm. I recall she once mentioned seeing the actual body of the Evil God, the Tainted Union, during the Great War.

Maybe she developed some kind of fixed belief about gods back then. After all, even gods could die when the time comes.

Well, that was something I could address gradually. The important thing was that despite her surprise, she decided to accept my relationship with Solari.

Of course, aside from Iona, the others didn’t really have a choice, but it’s always better when they understand and accept it themselves.

I’d have to explain everything to Faye separately later, though.

After discussing what had happened and what would come next, we wrapped things up for now.

Normally, I would spend some time chatting with the newest member of the group or maybe engage in a fun group activity at night to bond with everyone.

But this time, things were a bit different.

Solari had been pushing herself too hard in her divine form recently, using up energy to heal me, and then spending the night with me. As a result, she was unable to come out in her physical form.

It would be possible to communicate if Helena acted as a translator, but that would be a hassle in its own way.

…Even if there were no issues with communication, it wasn’t like we could just chat casually.

After all, Solari was a goddess.

Though my other women had fallen from their previous positions, each of them had once been powerful in their own right.

As a result, they rarely feel intimidated by anyone. But when it came to the Righteous Radiance, things were a bit different.

At the very least, they wouldn’t be able to approach her as easily.

But with Solari’s personality being as kind as it was, I was sure they’d get along in time. Whether it was because she was a lion or because she held onto some old-fashioned values, she seemed rather open-minded about polygamy.

And lastly, this was the most important issue… the monsters were still surrounding Solari just outside.

In other words, there was no time to sit around laughing and playing.

“So, I came up with a great idea. A way to bond without feeling too much pressure, while also solving our immediate problem!”

“Wow! As expected of Master! You’re amazing! So cool! So smart!”

Carla’s shower of praise came just as expected.

Even though I knew it was flattery, my shoulders couldn’t help but lift with pride. No wonder kings throughout history liked sycophants. But Carla was too cute to be called a sycophant, so I just patted her head.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Next to me, Elisha asked in a blunt tone.

“So? What’s this brilliant idea of yours?”

“Oh, it’s nothing much. We’ve rested well, haven’t we? Let’s go hunt some more monsters.”

“I thought we’d already killed a ton of them while breaking through to here. Wasn’t that enough? Especially since it’s all for the Righteous Radiance, and…”

Elisha gave me a look like I was some kind of lunatic. How cruel.

As I was feeling a bit down from that, Iris cleared her throat while sitting on my lap.

“Ahem. I think Master’s plan is fine.”

“Teacher?! Have you finally been corrupted by being around Yandel too long?”

“Elisha, think about it. Sometimes, even when Master’s words sound insane, they often turn out to be right.”

“Well… that’s true. This time, he’s probably trying to create some common ground with the Righteous Radiance while also taking care of the monsters.”

“Exactly. You understand well.”

Elisha pouted, and Iris, who tried to pat her head, failed since she couldn’t reach from my lap.

Watching her stretch her arms and tremble slightly, I couldn’t help but find her cute and pitiful at the same time.

Eventually, Elisha sighed and offered her head to Iris, allowing her teacher to pat her with a satisfied snort.

“Ahem. Now that it’s settled, let’s set off immediately! Everyone grab what you need, and we’ll meet back here…”

There was no opposition, and even Helena looked somewhat eager, so Iris was about to wrap things up when—

Thud! Thud! Thud!

“Righteous Radiance!”

A sudden knock on the door, followed by the voice of a paladin, interrupted her.

I gently massaged the back of Iris’s stiffened neck as Helena took the lead and spoke.

“Come in.”

“Yes, I’ve come to report the enemy’s movements… Saintess?”

“The Lord is resting now. Speak to me instead, as I’ve already awakened.”

“Understood.”

The paladin flinched momentarily but, upon noticing Helena’s lack of lion ears, realized he was addressing the Saintess and not Solari. He offered her a respectful salute instead of the prayer usually directed at the Righteous Radiance.

“The Righteous Radiance had commanded us to monitor the enemy and report immediately if there were any unusual movements.”

“You’re saying something strange has occurred?”

“Yes, Saintess. Until just a short while ago, the monsters were relentlessly pounding at the barrier, even with broken hands. But suddenly, they’ve started retreating.”

“…Give me a moment.”

Helena clasped her hands together and began to pray. Watching her gently emit divine power, I figured she must be communicating with Solari.

After a moment, Helena opened her eyes and, now acting as Solari’s mouthpiece, relayed her words.

“The Lord says that although we are surrounded now, reinforcements will arrive soon, and then the enemy will be the ones surrounded. The cultists must have realized this and are pulling their monsters back to avoid being trapped.”

“…What does the Lord wish for us to do?”

The paladin knelt, lowering his head reverently as Helena firmly gave her command.

“Of course, we should pursue them and reduce their numbers as much as possible. Prepare for an immediate sortie.”

“Yes!”

The paladin made the sign of the cross before swiftly exiting the room. Beyond the door, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed away.

Helena, who had been standing quietly for a moment, turned to face us.

“This works out perfectly! Monsters are known for not easily being scared or running away, so if they’re turning their backs now, they’ve lost their true strength.”

With a happy smile, she pulled out a cloak that was practically the symbol of the saint.

“Shall we make a bet on who can kill the most?”

See? I told you, hunting monsters together was the fastest way to bond.