I Can Hear the Saint’s True Feelings

As I followed Victoria, who was running away as if in a panic, I stepped outside to see that our companions were already prepared to leave and waiting for us.

Among them, one person, unable to suppress a grin, draped his arm over my shoulder.

“Did you sleep well last night? Judging by your expression, it doesn’t seem like you did.”

Kyle Dragonica, the Warrior of Flames, alternated his gaze between me and Victoria, asking the question as if trying to provoke me.

“Don’t even ask. Our esteemed Saint here wouldn’t let me sleep in peace.”

I answered honestly. The truth was, Victoria, unable to sleep without her teddy bear, had clung to me tightly all night, robbing me of rest.

But to avoid embarrassing her by exposing her habit, I intentionally phrased it indirectly.

“What…? Don’t tell me you two…?”

“Is that really true… what you just said?”

All eyes turned to me. The Spirit Summoner stared at me with disbelief, while the warrior looked utterly shocked, his mouth hanging open.

“I always suspected this would happen between you two. If there was truly no interest, you wouldn’t bicker so much,” muttered the archer, Talion, nodding to himself as if he had just witnessed something delightful.

“Victoria, is this true? You’ve only been dating for a day, and you’ve already gone that far?”

“……”

No, we didn’t do anything like that! We just held hands while sleeping! Although… I did hug you, but still…!

Victoria stayed silent at Anima’s question, simply blushing as she stared at me. The way she covered her mouth and avoided eye contact gave away her inner turmoil.

“Answer me! You once said you’d rather die than date a pathetic magician like him!”

Why was everyone reacting like this? From Anima’s murderous glare, I realized something was amiss.

Objectively speaking, Victoria and I weren’t even close enough to be mistaken for lovers. I hadn’t expected anyone to take my words seriously.

“You seem to misunderstand. We literally just held hands to sleep. It was because Victoria—”

I was about to explain the truth. If the misunderstanding grew any larger, it would become irreversible.

But then…

“We absolutely didn’t kiss. I’m saving that for someone I truly love. Astral isn’t that person yet.”

I’ve only hugged him so far, not kissed him. But I’ve practiced plenty in my imagination…!

Victoria’s shocking confession landed like a bomb. Her naive mindset, equating physical intimacy with kissing, was now fueling everyone’s misconceptions.

The pure imagination of the sheltered saint was more than enough to deepen everyone’s misunderstanding.

“What? So you did other things? You two just started dating…!!”

“…I’ll leave it to your imaginations. I’d rather keep it a secret between us.”

If I say this, they won’t misunderstand, right? I mean, I do want to use our fake relationship as an excuse to kiss someday…!

I pressed my hand to my forehead, overwhelmed. Saying something like that would only make everyone think we’d already crossed the line.

The romance novel said it’s important to move your tongue in circles. I’ll lead Astal with confidence next time…!

Her inner thoughts were genuinely terrifying. Victoria seemed determined to conquer me within the one-month time limit.

“Listen, you’re all misunderstanding something. Victoria and I didn’t do anything.”

I tried to redirect the conversation and explain the truth about last night—that she had scolded me for sneaking alcohol and cigarettes.

But then…

“Then who was the man who saw me naked last night? I distinctly remember it was Astal.”

“That’s because you came out of the shower wearing only a towel—”

“You only remember that? What a pervert. So, did you enjoy sharing a bed with the most beautiful saint on the continent?”

Victoria smiled mischievously, throwing her teasing remarks. Everyone fell silent, waiting for my response.

“…It was the worst.”

“Was it? I thought it was wonderful. I didn’t know human warmth could be so comforting.”

Victoria softened her gaze, pretending to be unbothered.

I loved it so much I’d like to sleep like that every night… Was it because I hugged him? Did he dislike it? Even though my chest is my pride… it should’ve felt soft…

She really was overwhelming. Her embrace last night had felt almost violent, enough to wake me despite being drunk.

“I’m never sleeping with you again.”

“Are you perhaps afraid of desiring me? From what I saw this morning, you seemed to wake up just fine. Isn’t that a natural physiological reaction?”

At least from what I confirmed this morning, he’s definitely not impotent. But why isn’t he falling for me? Is it the underwear? Or could it be… does he prefer smaller figures?

“How can a saint say something so lewd?!”

Unable to suppress the heat rising to my face, I yelled at Victoria. Her unabashed inner thoughts, spoken without regard for time or place, were constantly testing my patience.

“Is there a law that says saints aren’t allowed to say such things? You really show how inexperienced you are with women.”

Yes! He’s reacting! So Astral has no immunity to this kind of thing, just like me. This is the first time I’ve seen him blush!

Victoria, thrilled with the reaction, didn’t stop teasing me. Even though a saint like her, practically revered as a deity in the Holy Kingdom, saying such things would unsettle anyone.

“You two, save your lover’s quarrel for later. Sorry we didn’t catch on earlier….”

Even Kyle, the warrior, tried to mediate, thinking our argument was a lover’s spat. To an outsider, it probably did look that way.

“It’s not like that.”

“It’s not a lover’s quarrel. Just a typical argument.”

For a moment, I even forgot we were in a fake relationship and instinctively denied Kyle’s words. The idea of having a lover’s quarrel with someone like Victoria was absurd.

“Alright, fine. Let’s focus on the destination. You all know the next place we’re heading to, right? The so-called ‘Village of Liars.’”

Kyle pointed to a spot on the map of the demon realm etched onto the wall of the inn, tapping a location not too far away.

“Yes, the village where people lose their way in the thick fog and are deceived by demons disguised as familiar faces, losing their lives in the process.”

The Village of Liars—a place notorious even in the demon realm. It was an unavoidable stop on the path to the domains of the Four Demon Lords.

Taking out the Demon Lords before fighting the Demon King was essential. It would not only prevent them from hindering us but also allow us to rescue innocent people under their control.

“Originally, we planned to use Astral’s magic to stick together while moving, but after hearing what the innkeeper said, we might need to adjust our strategy.”

Kyle nodded at my suggestion, glancing at the innkeeper—a humanoid with a pig’s head—cleaning glasses at a nearby table.

Due to my perception-distortion magic, even humans looked like demons to us. Kyle must have tipped the innkeeper with his blood as payment.

“They said no magic, holy power, mystic arts, spirit summoning, or even my holy sword would work to reveal the imposters.”

“…What? Is that even possible?”

I couldn’t believe my ears. If that were true, not just the Demon King but also the Four Demon Lords could potentially use such tactics.

We’d faced foes with high resistance to magic or immunity to physical attacks, but this was the first time we encountered something that neutralized all our specialties.

“The one occupying the village is the Chameleon Dragon, also known as the Void Dragon.”

Kyle raised a finger as he introduced the foe we were about to face. Dragons were entities considered unbeatable by humans.

“We initially suspected doppelgangers or invisible creatures, but the situation has changed.”

It was no wonder Kyle’s family, renowned as dragon slayers, had a reputation for specializing in defeating dragons. Without such expertise, killing one would be nearly impossible.

“Both its offspring and adult forms are indistinguishable from the real thing. It replicates its target’s memories and habits, acting exactly like them.”

“So, we can hurt the real one by mistake? But if it’s exposed as a fake, our attacks will work, right?”

“Exactly. Normally, you’d aim for the muscles under a dragon’s wings, but this one moves on the ground, like a giant chameleon.”

Kyle’s knowledge about dragons was extensive. As he shared his insights, I began to think of ways to counter the Chameleon Dragon.

“What if we tied invisible threads to each other? That way, anyone without a thread would immediately stand out. My eyes can read magical flows.”

“No. The Void Dragon copies the magic of its target, including any spells placed on them.”

“Then what’s the solution?”

“Well….”

Kyle looked at me and Victoria, then smirked meaningfully.

“If couples pair up, it might be easier to tell the fakes from the real ones.”

“What…?”

“Why should we do that? Didn’t you say the enemy perfectly mimics its target? Staying together as a group would be better.”

I was dumbfounded by Kyle’s suggestion, while Victoria vehemently rejected the idea, her reaction so strong that even I felt a slight sting, despite knowing it was a fake relationship.

“Listen, the Void Dragon can only read memories up to a week prior. It will fabricate lies based on outdated information, so spotting inconsistencies will be key.”

Kyle sighed, rubbing his forehead as he explained further. It would mimic memories before Victoria and I started our fake relationship, meaning we could exploit that gap.

Indeed, if a mere monster didn’t have such a flaw, it would surpass even the Succubus Queen in cunning.

“So, does this mean I can question Astral to test the imposter? This could be fun.”

Ah, I finally have a legitimate excuse to ask Astal about his ideal type! Thank you, Chameleon Dragon!

Victoria grinned slyly, clearly plotting something strange.

To prepare for the Void Dragon, it seemed she was planning to ask me all the personal questions she had been curious about.

“…Hey, can you tell me your ideal type? For reference.”

Deciding to act first, I threw the question at her instead.