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Chapter 53: Dale Han\'s Secret Personal Life (2)

"What do you mean, what?"

"What else? Every time, you stare at my chest with those sneaky eyes of yours."

Iris playfully poked my cheek, smiling mischievously.

"Every time? That’s not fair."

This is unjust.

I only look occasionally.

"Liar. Do you think I don’t notice where your eyes go every time we meet?"

"Well, that’s…"

It’s just a man’s instinct, you know… that… thing.

"Hehe. It’s okay if it’s you, Dale. You can look as much as you want."

She smiled warmly while gently caressing my cheek.

"..."

As expected, after saving her from Astaroth, Iris had become bolder in her actions.

‘She probably has feelings for me.’

I wasn\'t oblivious; I had noticed a long time ago that she saw me as more than just a friend.

‘Of course, I feel the same.’

In our previous life, we were lovers.

Naturally, I wanted to be with her again in this life.

‘But not now.’

Right now, there’s no time for romance.

Even though I defeated Astaroth and changed the future, precisely because I altered it, there’s more to prepare for the dangers ahead.

‘We can become lovers once things settle down.’

After waiting for hundreds, if not thousands of years, I could easily wait a few more.

"Ahem."

I pulled my hand back just as it was about to reach toward Iris’ chest.

‘Yes, patience.’

Blessings come to those who wait….

"Hey!"

Squish.

The feeling of heavenly softness spread through my hand, overwhelming my senses.

"A-Iris?!"

Startled, I looked at Iris, whose face had turned red all the way to her ears.

She cautiously spoke.

"You don’t have to… hold back so much."

"What do you mean…?"

"You always seem to be holding back, Dale."

Iris gazed at me with sad eyes.

"Even today, you just wanted to rest, didn’t you?"

"No, I didn’t really…"

"Liar. You wanted to rest."

"..."

How did she know?

"Anyone could tell just by looking at your face."

"…What’s my face like right now?"

"You look exhausted. Really exhausted."

"..."

I thought I was hiding it well, but apparently, my expression betrayed me.

"Sorry."

Feeling guilty for making her worry, I tried to lift my head from her lap, but—

"Stay still."

Iris gently pressed my forehead back down onto her lap.

A soft white light began to radiate from her body, surrounding us.

Her once-blue eyes shimmered with the colors of a rainbow.

"Oh, Seven Gods, please look kindly upon your child who has fallen from exhaustion."

She chanted a soft prayer, and the white light that enveloped her flowed into me through her hands.

"Ah."

A comforting warmth, like sinking into a hot bath, spread through my body, melting away the fatigue that had weighed me down.

"How do you feel? A little less tired now?"

"...Yeah."

It was like being in a trance, my mind becoming hazy as I struggled to stay awake.

"Did you suggest going out today because of this?"

"Yes. If I hadn’t, you wouldn’t have rested at all."

Iris pinched my cheek, as if to say I was impossible to deal with.

"...Thanks."

"Hmph. If you’re thankful, then rest."

Her words seemed to trigger something within me, and the drowsiness I had been fighting against overwhelmed me.

"Sweet dreams."

The last thing I felt was her gentle hand stroking my forehead before I drifted off into slumber.

* * *

The sun was shining warmly on the park bench.

"Mmm…"

Iris groaned softly as she grabbed her head in frustration.

‘What was I thinking?!’

Even if it was to help Dale recover from his exhaustion, she felt she had gone too far.

‘What if he thinks I’m shameless...?’

Her mind was flooded with worries, imagining all sorts of scenarios.

But regrets were always too late.

Now, all she could hope for was that Dale, fast asleep, would forget everything that happened today.

"Sigh."

She let out a deep sigh and looked down at Dale’s sleeping face, resting on her lap.

Or at least, she tried to.

"Ugh. I can’t see him properly."

Her view of his face was blocked by a certain… overly abundant blessing from the Seven Gods.

‘Why do men like something so inconvenient?’

Her shoulders ached, her back was sore, and finding clothes that fit was always a challenge.

It was difficult to even see her own feet.

Having a large chest had never brought her any joy in life.

‘But if Dale likes it, I guess…’

She smiled softly as she recalled how he always awkwardly averted his gaze whenever his eyes drifted toward her chest.

"If I just adjust my posture a little… there, that’s better."

Finally, she could see Dale’s peacefully sleeping face.

"Ahhh."

The moment she saw his face, a warm heat spread throughout her body.

‘Why is he so cute?!’

No matter how generously one might view him, "cute" wasn’t the word most people would use to describe Dale’s face.

However, to the eyes of a woman blinded by love, even a mole can appear as adorable as a hamster.

‘Ugh, I even love this ashy hair, the slightly sharp eyes, and that firm jawline! I\'m going crazy!!!’

She knew that the more time she spent with him, the more "Dale Han" was growing inside her.

‘But still... it wasn\'t like this before.’

The decisive turning point was the recent demonic beasts incident.

After seeing Dale protect her with his life that day, his presence, already growing inside her, exploded and filled her entire mind.

‘These days, whenever I have a moment, I keep thinking about Dale.’

At first, she tried to push away the feelings that had started to settle in her heart, thinking they were inappropriate emotions for a saintess of the Holy Kingdom.

But now, she had long since changed her mind to "Well, just because I\'m a saintess doesn\'t mean I\'m forbidden from falling in love, right?"

No, in fact, she\'d recently gone further, thinking, "Didn\'t the Seven Gods say, \'Love one another as I have loved you\'? This must be following the will of the gods."

‘And I think... Dale likes me too.’

Why else would someone risk their life to protect another person if they didn\'t have feelings for them?

"Hehehe."

As she was daydreaming about a rosy future with Dale in her mind—

"Ugh."

Suddenly, she recalled the "unfortunate accident" from a few days ago.

‘Elisha Baldwin.’

The special lecturer who had been invited to the academy after the monster incident suddenly stole a kiss from Dale under the pretext of an investigation during class.

Grit.

Recalling that memory made her seethe with sorrow and anger.

"...Hm?"

Then her eyes landed on Dale\'s lips.

"Ahem."

She let out an awkward cough as she lightly poked Dale\'s sleeping lips with her finger.

The soft texture that spread from her fingertips made it hard to resist the urge bubbling up inside her.

"Ahem."

Iris\'s gaze wandered around and landed on the cookie she had left at the café earlier.

Carefully, she opened the wrapper, picked up a few cookie crumbs, and sprinkled them near Dale\'s lips.

"Oh dear~ Dale, you\'re so careless. You got cookie crumbs on your lips."

With no one around to see, Iris put on an exaggerated (albeit clumsy) performance, glancing around furtively.

Gulping, Iris slowly leaned in, her lips hovering just above Dale’s.

Ding!

"Eek?!"

The alarm from Dale’s Hero Watch suddenly went off, making Iris jump like a startled fish.

"Mm...?"

"Ah, y-you’re awake, Dale?"

Still half-asleep, Dale groggily checked the message on his Hero Watch before collapsing back onto Iris\'s lap.

"I\'ll just sleep a bit more…."

"Y-yes. Please, rest well."

Iris froze, unable to move, fearing that the loud pounding of her heart might give her away.

\'He couldn\'t have seen me, right?\'

She glanced down at Dale in a panic, but he was sound asleep, unaware of her earlier crime(?) of almost kissing him.

"Phew."

Finally, she let out a sigh of relief.

"Hm?"

At that moment, her eyes caught sight of Dale’s Hero Watch, which had been left on.

The holographic screen showed a message from someone named "Juliet Kang."

[When should we meet today?]

Reading the message, Iris\'s brows furrowed slightly.

\'That’s… another third-year candidate, right?\'

She hadn\'t had any classes with him, but she had seen him a few times in the main dining hall.

She vaguely remembered Juliet as a somewhat unpleasant-looking, blonde guy.

\'I don’t think he\'s a good friend for Dale.\'

The only things Iris knew about Juliet Kang were that he was from a prominent family in the Republic and that his behaviour was less than exemplary.

No connection between him and Dale came to mind.

[Can you give me a hint about what you wanted to talk about? I need to mentally prepare myself.]

Something important to discuss?

Mental preparation?

‘What kind of relationship do they have to exchange messages like this?’

She looked down at Dale, still fast asleep, but there were no signs that he would wake up anytime soon.

“Well… I’ll ask him later.”

With that, Iris tried to turn off the Hero Watch’s power.

Her intention was innocent, just to help him.

Beep.

“Oh.”

But she accidentally pressed the wrong button.

The holographic screen changed, and a folder labeled "Photos" appeared.

Inside, there was—

“Huh?”

A photo of Juliet Kang dressed as a woman, striking a flirtatious pose.