Chapter 79: Imperial Capital Edelmarion (7)

    ‘Curious about how it tastes’ What kind of question is that even supposed to be?

    Well, wouldn’t it taste sweet? It’s candy, after all.

    Maybe there’s a hint of fruitiness mixed in.

    I’m not particularly fond of candy, so it was just a casual answer I threw out without much thought.

    Especially since I’m the kind of person who avoids sweet things late at night.

    As I blankly stared at Sirien, the corners of her mouth curved up into a sly grin, the candy still perched between her lips.

    “Do you want one too, Razen?”

    “Do you even have another one?”

    “Who knows? I don’t feel like telling you after you teased me earlier.”

    Smirking, Sirien rolled the candy over her tongue.

    A faintly sweet aroma wafted from her slightly parted lips.

    Her crescent-shaped eyes gleamed like a predator that had just found the perfect prey.

    Her playful voice continued to tickle my ears.

    “You know, most people just call it sweet and leave it at that. But in reality, there are so many kinds of sweetness. And this one? This is my absolute favorite. It’s almost too good to keep to myself.”

    “...?”

    “I bet you’d be surprised if you tried it. But here’s the thing—this is the last piece of candy I have, and I’ve already had plenty of it. So, what should we do?”

    “I-I don’t mind not having it.”

    “Nope, that won’t do. It’s too good to enjoy alone. I’ll share it with you now, so make sure to accept it properly.”

    Without warning, Sirien grabbed my head and leaned in close.

    It wasn’t just a kiss—it felt more like an ambush. Her soft, rosy tongue slipped into my mouth, delivering something sweet onto my tongue.

    I felt a tiny, glassy orb.

    ...Peach-flavored.

    The candy, already melting in Sirien’s mouth, flooded my senses with a violently sweet taste.

    It was strangely luxurious yet intense—a subtle fragrance that left my mind hazy.

    The sticky mixture of saliva entered my mouth with a faint, wet sound.

    It felt like the world had suddenly transformed into a dream, with an ethereal scene unfolding before my eyes.

    Sirien’s face, with her eyes gently closed, was serene.

    Her snow-white eyelids looked so clean and pure, like eternal frost.

    Amid this surreal moment, faint, slightly indecent sounds echoed.

    “Mmm, ngh. Smack, slurp.”

    As if forbidding me from escaping, Sirien’s hand gripped me tightly.

    Once again, I found myself powerless against that gentle strength.

    The kiss wasn’t too short, nor was it overly long.

    Finally, Sirien lightly nibbled on my upper lip before pulling away, looking triumphant, as though she’d scored a major victory.

    I sat there, dumbfounded, as she bade me goodnight.

    “Well, I’m off now. Sleep well. Sweet dreams. It’d be even better if you dream about me.”

    “Oh, uh, okay...”

    “Pfft. Cute, my little knight. If only you’d show me that face every day.”

    I heard the door click shut.

    I stayed seated, unmoving, until the candy in my mouth had completely melted away.

    Today, it seemed, was my complete and utter defeat.

    ****

    The meeting place the dwarf had given us yesterday turned out to be a graveyard near the capital.

    “Tsk. I didn’t think Count Eloran would just sit quietly, but it seems he’s decided to take a more violent approach.”

    “True. In a place like this, no one would find it strange if a few people ended up dead.”

    Sirien clicked her tongue.

    Her delicate brow furrowed, and dark divine power surrounded the man’s lifeless body.

    I didn’t feel particularly sorry for the man.

    After all, it was his schemes that unleashed demons upon us, leading to countless deaths and tragedies. He deserved the consequences.

    Even so, Sirien guided the man’s soul to rest.

    It was her duty as a saint.

    Each god has their own divine power, and for priests, this power defines their purpose.

    For instance, a priest of Hibras gains strength by guiding souls to rest.

    Conversely, abandoning lost souls without reason comes with consequences—it’s considered a form of blasphemy.

    Not that the gods are entirely inflexible, of course.

    Hibras, in particular, had a reputation for being relatively lenient.

    “Let’s check his belongings.”

    “I’m not expecting much. Be careful, though—there could be poison or traps.”

    “Would they really go for such a cheap trick?”

    All we found on the man was a small amount of money and a single dagger.

    The fact that the money was still there indicated this wasn’t a random act or a robbery.

    Whoever killed him had plenty of time to dispose of the body.

    Leaving the corpse here could only mean one of two things: it was either a warning or bait for a trap.

    In this case, it was clearly the latter.

    “In the end, you were right yesterday.”

    “About what?”

    “You said things would get dangerous starting today.”

    “Didn’t expect the first threat to come from humans, though.”

    We had company.

    They weren’t here to exchange pleasantries. If anything, this was going to be an ugly conversation—one with weapons involved.

    They were trying to approach unnoticed, but Sirien and I had both been active soldiers just weeks ago.

    Even demons, with their invisibility magic under the cover of night, never managed to sneak up on us.

    Simple concealment spells wouldn’t work on us.

    Sirien gathered her divine power. In one hand, she conjured a glowing lantern; in the other, she held an axe.

    Naturally, I drew my sword as well.

    Without a word, we instinctively stood back-to-back.

    “Six? No, seven of them.”

    “Seven, indeed. What do you think, Sirien?”

    “Killing them all at once isn’t feasible. It’ll be tedious, but fighting is the better option.”

    A sharp whistle pierced the air from the distant forest.

    It was their signal to engage.

    As the enemies charged toward us, I couldn’t help but smirk.

    “They don’t seem to know anything about us, do they? Of all places, they chose to pick a fight in a graveyard.”

    The graveyard itself was a place of death—a symbol of final rest, where spirits leave everything behind.

    Sirien’s divine power spread across the graveyard.

    The sun hadn’t fully set yet, but an early nightfall seemed to have descended over the area.

    [TL: Join Patreon to support the translation and to read up to 4 chapters ahead of the release of "I Became a Childhood Friend With the Villainous Saintess" and 5 chapters ahead of the release of "I Accidentally Created a Villainous Organization": /Jade43 ] r?a?o?bE?S