The Gloomy Saintess Obsessively Clings to Death

Fortunately, the biggest nuisances—the dust and spiderwebs—were gone.

Thanks to that, the filthy room had become much cleaner.

I managed to get rid of the scattered corpses and stains on the floor as well, but unfortunately, there was still much to be done.

Mold clung to the walls in every corner, and the wallpaper was torn.

The old windows creaked, and the torn curtains only added to the desolate ambiance.

Even worse, the long neglect had caused a nasty stench to linger.

But…

Had I overexerted myself using strength I didn’t intend to? Everything suddenly felt too bothersome.

‘…Let’s just do a half-hearted job of this.’

Even so, the old furniture had to be cleared away.

The furniture here was all worn out and creaking, looking about ready to fall apart any second.

I slowly flexed and stretched my right hand.

It wasn’t completely unusable, but the movement felt very unnatural.

Then a wave of lingering pain surged in, twisting my face for a moment.

“Waah─. Not a speck of dust left. Even in the corners.”

Fortunately, the saint was distracted by inspecting the room.

She would have undoubtedly worried if she’d noticed.

I smiled faintly as I watched the saint checking for dust on top of the wardrobe while tiptoeing.

“Saint, there’s a bug up there on the wardrobe…”

“Kyaa─!”

“What were you going to do about it?”

The saint, startled, took a step back and then shot me a glare with her lips jutting out.

Her pout was simply adorable, making me want to laugh.

“Honestly, I was scared thinking it was real.”

“Ah, but it’s real. Let’s see…”

“…uhh.”

The saint crept closer and clutched my clothes while asking.

“…is it… many? Big?”

“Hmm, not that big, as far as I can tell, but it’s bigger than usual.”

“What, what?! That’s nothing.”

“Over there behind you.”

“Kyaaa ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─!”

The saint screamed and embraced my waist tightly.

I suppressed my laughter while teasing her playfully.

“Did you really think there was one behind you?”

“…Mr. Death!”

The saint shook my clothes in protest, then jabbed my side lightly, as if planning a small retaliation.

“Ah.”

“Normally, I’m not scared of bugs. I just got startled because this one was too big.”

“Ah, I see…”

“…it’s true.”

The saint bowed her head slightly with a puffed-up expression.

Her slightly swollen cheeks reminded me of a small animal.

Seeing her face, I momentarily had the urge to tease her further…

‘But she’d really get upset then.’

Since the saint was nearby, I’d better check something that had been bothering me.

I knelt and inspected her legs. She promptly grabbed the hem of her skirt with both hands and looked at me with wide, surprised eyes.

“Hiee─?! Wh-why?!”

“Hm? Why, you ask?”

I tilted my head, puzzled by her sudden reaction.

“Your clothes are stained with bug fluids. I was just checking if there were any abnormalities.”

“That—that’s not an excuse to do this suddenly! I-I’m wearing a skirt…”

…Is it wrong to look at someone’s legs when they’re wearing a skirt?

Judging from her face turning red again, I must have made some kind of mistake.

I asked cautiously.

“Then, shall we not check?”

“Aaah… Ah… No, it’s fine. You can….”

She answered in a small voice while bowing her head.

Seeing her like that, I felt a pang of guilt and checked her condition as quickly and carefully as possible.

“Hmm…”

“Fortunately, there doesn’t seem to be any injury or abnormality.”

“I told you I’m sturdy…”

The saint kept her gaze lowered and fidgeted with the hem of her skirt with her fingertips.

I glanced at her while concentrating on the inspection.

“Even so, I know this extremely strong person who was mortally wounded by an arrow in the heel. It never hurts to be cautious.”

“…Umm… Oh…”

After finishing the check, I stood up, only to have the saint suddenly grab my right arm.

Caught off guard by the sudden pain, I involuntarily let out a soft groan.

“…Ouch.”

“Just as I thought. I was worried when I noticed your right arm wasn’t moving properly.”

The saint gently held my arm and looked at me with concern in her eyes.

“It’s not me who’s injured but you, Mr. Death! Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Well, it’s just a side effect of using too much force, so I didn’t think telling you would do any good…”

“You should have told me anyway!”

The saint’s shout echoed throughout the room.

I froze, not because of the volume,

But because the worry and hurt in her voice hit me clearly.

The atmosphere in the room suddenly grew heavy.

The saint wouldn’t let go of my right arm.

The tears collecting at the corner of her eyes fell drop by drop, wetting my sleeve.

Seeing her like this made my chest feel heavy.

I raised my left hand carefully and wiped the tears from her eyes.

“Saint, I’m fine. I’ll get better soon, so please don’t cry.”

“It’s not fine at all! Not fine at all!”

She wouldn’t calm down like usual.

The saint squeezed my right arm with more force.

Soon, a soft light emanated from the tips of her fingers, signaling the manifestation of divine power.

‘She’s going to heal me…’

I sighed and tried to stop her.

“It’s useless, Saint.”

“I won’t listen. I’ll keep going until you’re healed. Until it works.”

“It’s useless. You’ll only tire yourself…”

That was strange.

As her divine power seeped into my arm, the pain gradually subsided.

‘There’s no way this should happen…’

Suspecting it might be a mistake, I quickly flexed and stretched my hand.

It moved naturally now, unlike before.

Surprised, I looked at the saint.

She appeared unaware of my improved condition, continuing to pour divine power into me.

‘Did she take my symptoms onto herself…?’

Anxious, I quickly grabbed her shoulders to stop her.

“Saint, stop now! Are you feeling any pain anywhere? Any sudden twisting in your stomach or dizziness…?”

“…Eh? I’m fine. Really, what’s wrong?”

Her wide-eyed confusion then shifted to my right arm.

Her round eyes grew even wider and sparkled.

“Eh? Eh?! Mr. Death’s arm─! What, what? Is it getting better?!”

“…Ah.”

“Let me check, just a moment!”

The saint started pressing various spots on my right arm.

I felt no pain at all, confirming it had healed.

Seeing I didn’t react,

The saint’s gaze turned more serious, and she pressed my arm harder.

“You’re not faking it, right? You really feel better?”

“Yes, I’m fine now. But how about you? Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah, I’m perfectly fine.”

Examining her expression closely, she truly seemed unaffected, looking even brighter and happier than before.

The saint then looked up at me with shining eyes, and before I knew it, she embraced me, burying her face in my chest.

“I’m glad. I’m so glad. This time, my healing actually helped you…”

“…Ah, thank you.”

When I expressed my gratitude, she held me even tighter and whispered softly.

“If that power is so painful, don’t ever use it again. …Okay?”

“…What if another big bug like that comes?”

“Bugs? A hundred or even a thousand wouldn’t matter. I’ll get rid of all of them.”

Looking up slightly and meeting my gaze, the saint declared firmly.

“It’s nothing compared to seeing you in pain.”

“Ah…”

Why was it?

Somehow, hearing her words made a sharp ache pierce my heart.

Trying to hide my reaction, I forced a smile and replied.

“If you say so, Lady Saint, I’ll think carefully before using it next time.”

“It’s not ‘think carefully.’ It’s ‘never’! Never! Got it? …Please.”

Her firm but slightly trembling voice left me no choice but to nod.

And yet, I felt strangely ticklish inside.

It was so awkward and uncomfortable I had to change the subject quickly.

“Anyway, Saint, shouldn’t we start tidying up the room soon?”

“Oh, you’re right! We should tidy up!”

The saint seemed startled, releasing me and stepping back.

Finally, I could breathe a sigh of relief.

I rolled up my sleeves and put on gloves.

“First, let’s move the furniture one by one. I’ll move the wardrobe, so you take care of the chair, Lady Saint…”

“What? What are you talking about!”

The saint widened her eyes and placed her hands on her hips.

“You were in pain just moments ago. You absolutely shouldn’t overexert yourself!”

“But, I’m fine now. Besides, I should be the one to lift the heavy objects, not you…”

“No way! I’ll handle everything. You just stay there. You mustn’t lift anything, even if it’s light!”

Before I could refute, the saint picked up the wardrobe as if it were an empty box.

‘…So that’s why I couldn’t budge when she held me earlier.’

With the wardrobe in hand, the saint spun around and placed it back down neatly without a single wobble.

Impressed despite myself, I murmured.

“S, Saint. You’re incredibly strong.”

“…Hehe, I told you I’m sturdy. So Mr. Death, you just stay there, got it?”

There was an undeniable sense of authority that made me nod before I realized it.

Satisfied, the saint beamed.

The wardrobe rose into the air with ease once again.

“Yoo-hoo─.”

“Saint, don’t overdo it. Tell me if it’s tiring. Okay?”

“Don’t worry. This is nothing.”

I anxiously kept an eye on the saint.

Watching her skillfully move the wardrobe, I felt relieved until her hand slipped and a wardrobe door suddenly creaked open.

“Ah?”

“Eh?”

Clothes of various kinds tumbled out of the wardrobe.

Among them, something small and white fell toward me.

The round, rolled-up white cloth slowly unfurled in front of me and laid flat on the floor.

I instinctively looked down at the object.

The saint followed my gaze, bowed her head, and froze.

“…Eh.”

“Kyaaa ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─!”

The saint let out a deafening scream and snatched the item in the blink of an eye.

She then stared at me with both hands gripping the object tightly.

“…You, you saw?”

“Yes. The rabbit design is cute.”

Just answering her question made the saint’s face turn even redder.

Worse, tears started welling up in her eyes as if she was about to cry.

Unable to stand it, I flailed my hands.

“It’s, it’s fine! Right?”

“Ugh, Mr. Death, you should stay somewhere else!”

Suddenly, the saint began to push me away with her small frame.

“Hold on, Saint!”

“I’ll clean by myself─!”

In the end, I was ushered out of the room by the saint.

---