Chapter 70

EP.70 Cafe Bene (2)

Don't hit people.

That's what the Master advised.

Raniel looks straight ahead.

In front of her sits a prostitute with pink hair. As she gazes at that detestable face, Raniel thinks.

‘Is this crazy woman not even human?’

Isn't it okay to hit her?

Rattle.

Raniel's fingers moved.

2.

Sarah doesn't notice the change in the girl's expression.

She continues with a smile.

"By any chance, are you a follower of Delohim?"

"I am an atheist."

However, the voice that returns is cold.

"···What? What did you say?"

There is no answer.

The girl, with a scrunched-up face, passes by Sarah and starts to place her order with the owner.

‘···Huh?’

Sarah tilts her head.

Sitting in her seat, she stretches out her arm and grabs the girl's sleeve.

"Excuse me? I'm currently···."

"Ugh."

Swish, the girl swings her hand.

As if swatting away a clinging bug, she shakes off Sarah's hand.

‘Ugh? Did she just say “Ugh”···?’

By then, Sarah notices.

This isn't a reaction of someone who likes it. It's one of disgust, a look as if she's seeing something revolting.

"Ah?"

Sarah smiles.

‘What is this woman up to···?’

The girl continues to place her order, ignoring Sarah. Sarah's lips tremble at the sight.

It happens sometimes.

Atheists or unbelievers who don't worship Delohim show their disgust towards her.

And in such situations, Sarah, the Holy Maiden, always takes off her mask. She reveals her true self.

"Oh!"

So, this time, she did the same.

"Mistake."

Swish!

She swings the coffee cup. She finely adjusts the angle, and the coffee splashes onto the girl's clothes.

A black stain appears on the pristine white shirt.

"What do I do!"

Sarah pretends to be startled and pulls out a handkerchief from her bosom. She pretends to wipe but doesn't actually touch the clothes.

"Sorry! My hand slipped···."

Then, she slowly lifts her head to observe the girl's reaction. No matter how much an atheist or unbeliever might hate her, they wouldn't dare curse a Holy Maiden outright.

A look of suppressing anger.

That's what Sarah expected.

But···.

"Huh."

Her expectations are soon betrayed.

"This crazy woman?"

"···What did you say?"

Sarah's eyes widen.

The girl calmly replies.

"I called you a crazy woman."

Sarah realizes.

The girl in front of her is a crazy woman who doesn't care about such things. Sarah jumps up from her seat.

"Isn't that too harsh? You're···."

"Calling a crazy woman a crazy woman, what else?"

"Ha, I'm really at a loss!"

Sarah raises her hand.

She pretends to be angry, but her steel-like mind is unshaken by such trivial insults.

Thanks to a certain magician, she developed a resistance to insults.

However, she pretends to be angry on the surface.

That way, the violence would seem justified.

Sarah swings her hand. A perfectly calculated slap heads towards the girl's cheek. The sound of a slap is clearly heard.

Snap.

However, her hand never reaches the girl.

The girl stretches out her hand and grabs Sarah's wrist.

"You made the first move."

One word.

Then, she stretches out her hand. It heads towards Sarah's head. Sarah smirks and starts to chant.

Divine-Protection.

Light envelops Sarah.

Even though she didn't fully chant, the shield is strong enough to defend against a slap from such a girl.

‘She's going to slap me, but it will only hurt her hand.’

Sarah calmly watches the approaching hand.

After all, that hand won't touch her.

Rip!

"Uh?"

Once again, her expectations are shattered.

The girl's hand easily breaks through the shield. The magic power in her hand makes it possible.

Sarah stumbles back in shock.

However, the girl never intended to slap her.

Crack.

Her hand grabs Sarah's hair.

"Ah!"

Pulling Sarah's hair, the girl stretches out her hand and grabs a freshly served coffee cup.

"Let go of that! What are you doing···!"

Holding the girl's wrist that's grabbing her hair, Sarah looks up at her. And she sees it.

The coffee-stained collar in the girl's other hand.

The steam is rising from the coffee cup.

"Wait, you're going to···?"

"Oh."

The girl mutters expressionlessly.

She yanks Sarah's hair. Sarah is pulled, and her neck is exposed.

"Mistake."

Drip, drip, drip.

She doesn't pour it all at once.

The girl maintains a perfect angle and lets the steaming coffee flow down Sarah's neck.

"Ah! Crazy woman! This crazy woman!"

Sarah screams.

She writhes, but the girl's grip doesn't budge.

"Ah! Ahhh!"

Of course, she doesn't get burned.

A Holy Maiden's body, while not as strong as a hero's, is still quite resilient. Her healing ability is unparalleled.

Even with boiling coffee poured on her, no burn marks remain. It heals immediately.

However, no matter how quickly it heals.

It's still hot.

"Ah!!!!"

Her fair skin turns red.

It's hot. Moreover, her clothes are stained black. The newly bought black mage tower priestess uniform is now stained with coffee.

‘My uniform!’

Sarah glares at the girl with a pained expression.

The girl continues to pour the coffee. Sarah could break free with force, but···.

‘If I do, my hair will be a mess.’

Clothes or hair.

She has to choose one.

Just as Sarah is deeply considering this.

Ding.

"Sarah, why are you taking so long···."

Someone enters.

Sarah, with her hair still being pulled, turns to look at the door. There stands her lover, the hero Kyle.

"Kyle!"

Sarah shouts at the sight of Kyle.

"Get this crazy woman off me!"

3.

Kyle blinks.

‘What am I seeing right now?’

Sarah's hair is being pulled by some girl.

The girl looks familiar. She's the one who resembles Raniel, whom they met in the forest a while ago.

The girl is still pouring coffee down Sarah's neck while holding her hair.

"What are you, damn it."

"Ah! Kyle, ahhh!"

Kyle, who got cursed for no reason, blinks.

In this unprecedented situation, even the hero Kyle is momentarily frozen. Still, he feels he should do something and takes a step forward.

He grabs one of Sarah's arms.

He can't bring himself to touch the girl.

"Let go."

"Why should I?"

"···Please."

"Then why, damn it."

Kyle hesitates.

Sarah, with her hair still being pulled and one arm grabbed by Kyle, glares at him.

"Kyle, what are you doing right now!"

"···Just wait a bit."

"No, is that what you should be saying···!"

Sarah is utterly bewildered.

What is going on here? As Sarah blinks in disbelief, Kyle's response is disappointing.

Kyle, hesitating, cautiously extends his hand. It's a movement to block the girl's hand.

"Hands off."

Snap!

The girl slaps Kyle's hand. In the process, she loses her grip on Sarah's hair.

But, just as Kyle is about to pull Sarah away, something else is grabbed.

"·····."

The girl grabs Sarah's collar.

The collar of the priestess uniform that she was just pouring coffee into.

"Take her away."

And she says that.

Sarah, clenching her lips, looks at Kyle. She mouths the words.

‘Do something, quickly!’

Kyle closes his eyes for a moment.

It's time to make a decision.

Should he touch the girl?

Or should he pull Sarah away, even if it means tearing her clothes? He weighs the options in his mind.

‘···I think it has automatic repair ability.’

He remembers that the clothes have such a feature.

The hero makes his decision.

"Sorry, Sarah."

"···What?"

"Just bear with it."

Rip!

The clothes tear. Sarah is shocked. Kyle, sweating, takes off his cape and wraps it around Sarah.

"Phew."

Then, the girl bursts into laughter.

She taps the stained part with the back of her hand. The embedded spell in the clothes repairs it instantly.

The stain disappears without a trace.

With a neat appearance, the girl turns to the owner and continues.

"Mr. Allen, sorry. Can I have another cup of coffee?"

"Uh··· uh···."

"Oh, there it is. I'll take that."

It was originally ordered by Sarah to take out.

The girl quickly grabs it. Before the owner Allen can stop her, she takes it along with her own and waves goodbye.

"See you next time, Allen."

Then, she calmly walks out of the cafe.

Kyle doesn't stop her.

Sarah, with wide eyes, alternates her gaze between Kyle and the girl.

"Kyle?"

She looks at Kyle with a betrayed expression.

"Kyle, what are you doing right now?"

"···If you touch a professor from Aphria···."

"That's not what I'm talking about."

Sarah's eyes widen.

She shakes off Kyle's hand and moves away.

"I'll sleep separately tonight. I'm disappointed."

Sarah turns her back, looking sulky.

Watching her go, Kyle thinks.

‘···I'll sleep with Remia tonight.’

It's not a bad thing.

4.

Resti Eleonora.

She has been glaring at Professor Rania, who has been sipping coffee with a smile.

It's as if she's blooming with laughter.

Seeing that perfectly clear smile, Resti thinks.

‘···Did something good happen to her?’

She has been unusually happy since returning from the cafe. Did something happen at the cafe?

"···Did something good happen?"

"Yeah? Just feels good inside."

Saying that, Professor Rania shakes her coffee cup.

The angle is very precise. Resti just tilts her head.

"Oh, right."

Then, as if to share her joy, she smiles brightly and speaks.

"Resti, have you heard of garments with enchantment circuits?"

"Ah, the ones being developed by the Black Mage Tower···."

"Right, there's a secret about those."

Professor Rania stretches out her hand to show. In it is a piece of fabric that looks like a collar.

"Those garments usually have circuits concentrated in the 'collar.' It's most efficient to engrave circuits in the fabric that covers the neck from there."

"Hmm··· because it's easier to extract magic power from that part?"

"Right, exactly."

Professor Rania nods.

Then, she shakes the piece of fabric in her hand.

"In short, if you just tear this off, the circuits in the clothes won't work."

"···Is that so?"

"Yeah, you might find it useful later."

···Where would she use that?

Resti doesn't voice her sudden doubt.

Just, I guess.

She just sips her coffee, thinking that.

The coffee seems a bit hotter than usual today.

Author's Note (Author's Postscript)

First double update after 106 days of serialization!

It went over 10,000 characters, so I split it into two!

I feel like two parts will be more satisfying :D