Did she already know what I would ask her for?

Ch 131: Did this end the way she wanted it to be, or the way I wanted it to be?

I know Alessia's last test will be any minute. But before that, I have to make the proper arrangements so I can live with both of my girls without them noticing.

"Emir! You bring a horse!" very cheerfully, Delia approached and started petting its head.

"Since I'm an unaffiliated traveler, I can't just appear directly in a city. So, it will be of great help to us on shortening trips. Can I bother you a bit and leave it in your care?"

Hearing these words, she proudly lifted her beautiful chest and said...

"Mn! Leave him to me!"

'Ahh. Her adorableness can heal anyone quickly.'

I bring my hand closer and caress her head.

'Good girl, good girl.'

Since the backyard has a small stable to take care of at most three horses, we decided to leave it there for now. Delia always cleans all the places near the Solitary Temple, so it's a good place to protect him from the cold weather. Besides, we are on a mountain where only wild animals live, and the grasslands and rivers are abundant.

"By any chance... do you have any chains leftover?"

Delia: "?????"

At first, she didn't understand my words. But then her eyes sparkled, and she nodded.

Without saying anything else to her, I remove from my inventory the two magic items [Perception Inhibitor] and hand them to her. Then, she enters her room and, minutes later, returns.

"Here you go! Here you go!"

"If I didn't know you were a Saint, I'd mistake you for a craftswoman-..." I stopped my words halfway through.

Delia understood perfectly that I wanted the two magic items to become necklaces, but what surprised me and left me speechless was that... One of the necklaces has two attachments: the magic item and a rabbit's foot.

"You are so adorable! I love you!"

I grabbed her hands and twirled her around in the air.

"Hehehehe"

If the priests of the Solus temple saw us, they would cough up blood and faint. A respected Saint is spinning in the air. Such an image has nothing sacred in it!

Once our show of love is over, it's time to enter the major business. Laying my head on her thighs and stroking her three tails, Delia entered psychologist mode.

I narrated to her the 60 vs. 1 event and about the Armored Boar...

I was about to talk about Melisa, but.... Luckily, I stopped in time.

'Psychologist Delia is to be feared… if you are not careful, you will confess all your crimes.'

She always stroked my head and made comments, sometimes worrying for me and other times smiling at my way of narrating things. It's better to look at the past with a smile than to narrate everything as a tragedy.

That day, before escaping from the 60 soldiers, I went to the labyrinth with Delia to level up. I usually update her status points at night when she's sleeping. That way, she won't notice the changes. And, even if she does, she won't know what I did to her.

[Delia] [Saint Lvl 4] [Adventurer Lvl 13] [Believer Lvl 15] [Lancer Lvl 16] [Priestess Lvl 16]

[Delia has 8 free points]

But this time I will make an exception, and for that I will have to accommodate points in places that are not easy to feel. Like the MP stat!

[Delia] [Saint Lvl 4] [Adventurer Lvl 13] [Believer Lvl 15] [Lancer Lvl 16] [Priestess Lvl 16]

HP=10 || MP=22

Agility=19 || Strength=20

Intelligence=20 || Luck=5

[Resistances]

Physical=1 || Magic=0

Poison=0 || Curse=0

Simple and straightforward. 8 points toward MP. She'll need them after all.

"Talking to you while stroking your tails feels so relaxing."

"Mn, even I feel a little more energized," she said, touching her chest as if something deep inside her had increased in intensity.

Emir: "..."

From the way she said it, I'm sure she managed to feel the increase in MP. 

'Why can't I feel it then?'

It wasn't more than a few seconds before I managed to come up with a feasible conclusion.

Saint and Priestess both need mana to activate their magic. They are classes that, in a sense, are very similar to [Mage] and require more control when casting magics.

The reason why I fail to feel the MP increase is simple. [Traveler] is my only class that requires mana. And, to be honest, this class has nothing to do with magic as a whole. If it weren't for [Space Travel], anyone would think it was an ordinary class with no use in everyday life.

Sitting down beside her, I pick up the necklace that only possesses the magic item and carefully place it around Delia's neck.

"Huh?"

"Do you want to heal the wounded from the war?"

Delia: "!!!!"

Saint hasn't leveled up, even when she has the 60% discount active. Maybe if she has the 90% discount activated and we enter higher floors of the labyrinth, we could forcefully increase its level by bombarding it with experience.

But we are still far from it, so the only solution we have at hand is to perform the main task of a Saint. And that is... Helping those in need.

"This magic item will make people not recognize your face. They won't know you are a Saint. And even when my boss is annoying, he won't hesitate to accept extra help. If I tell him you are a Priestess, he will accept you with open arms. But to do so, you must not allow your identity to be verified."

For extra security, I could change her active classes. And I could try to see if I can change her name… The user interface is all powerful when it comes to [Status] changes, and the name is also part of it, so there is a good chance that something can be done.

"Do you want me to do it?" she asked me with a serious expression.

"I'm asking you. Don't answer me with a question," I said, smiling.

"Helping in the war is an obligation of the Solus Temple, and I promised to be only your Saint. People die every day. And, even if I did my best, I couldn't help them all. Even though I am no longer bound to the Temple, I still keep their beliefs with me, so..."

She paused and then said, "A Saint helps more by her mere existence. Religion is more than saving people one by one."

Sometimes, I forget that she lived a lifetime as a Saint in the Solus Temple because she is so adorable. But, as she said, her beliefs are too deeply rooted.

'Well, let's change our point of view.'

"Do you feel happy helping those in need?"

"Yes." She nodded without hesitation.

"Then I want you to come with me."

I didn't say it as a command but as a request, as I patiently looked at her, waiting for her response. At the same time, I stroked her cheek gently.

"Mn, okay" She nodded with a victorious smile.

'Wait... Did this end the way she wanted it to be, or the way I wanted it to be? Well, whatever. The result makes both of us happy, and that's what matters.'

To change the subject, I remove from my inventory one of the storage rings I bought from old Gerald, and I take Delia's right hand. I remember reading in a book that a ring on the left ring finger means marriage and the right ring finger means engagement.

Without hesitation, I put the ring on her right ring finger.

"Our relationship will be hard to believe for the whole world. That's why this will be a token of our relationship. But you don't need to say anything to anyone, because from the beginning other people's opinions don't matter to us."

For a few seconds, she kept silent, not knowing what to say. But as she stayed quiet, her face shyly started to blush. And, once her cheeks couldn't stand the warmth, she said...

"Although I should have no attachment to earthly objects, I can't help but love this ring as a precious object. Thank you, Emir."

With such words, she approaches me and kisses me.

It is a simple kiss where our lips touch. There is no lust behind this act but only deep affection for each other. I know Delia doesn't love me yet, but I'm the closest to her heart, so I don't worry. Sooner or later, she'll tell me those words.

'Now then… Is it too late to tell her it's a storage ring? Hm... I'll tell her later.'

"As for the magic item, you must use your mana to control the intensity of the effect. Now, you can try to use it. After all, in the army, you'll have to use it so you won't be recognized."

"Mn!"

With more energy than ever, Delia allows the magic item to consume some of her mana, and then... something strange happens.

Her face suddenly lost connection with my memory of Delia. It's as if in front of me is a person I've never seen before. Logically speaking, I know she is Delia. But I can't associate her actual face with the one in my memories.

If she were walking with two people beside her, I would not know which of them is Delia.

"I am letting the object consume my mana to satiation. How is the effect?"

"Unbelievable. I know it's you. At a glance, I don't recognize you."

"I see, then... How do I lessen the intensity?"

Emir: "..."

After much trial and error, we found out that we have to rub the magic object to get the mana back. And with that, the effect decreases.

'Next time, I'll ask for an instruction manual.'