From next door came the lively voice of a girl. No matter how Kamito tried to suppress it, the demonic spirit within his body refused to settle down.
"Forget it, that's enough for today!"
The sounds from the other hot spring grew louder, and Kamito truly couldn't control his restless heart any longer. Soon, he left.
"What's wrong with me today? Why do I feel so strange?"
Meanwhile, Elise, who was still inspecting Est's body, twitched her ears slightly. Narrowing her eyes, she turned toward the wall separating the two baths.
"I thought he'd last a bit longer. Hehe."
"But still…" Elise looked at her hands, then at her reflection rippling in the water. "I underestimated this body's charm…"
Demonic Holy Charm.
This was one of the innate gifts Elise's body possessed.
It granted her a charm far beyond that of ordinary people—enough to reach a demonic level—yet at the same time, it brought others a sense of holy healing. A contradictory gift, to say the least!
...
"Eh? I'm sleeping in the same room as you, Elise?"
Kamito looked awkwardly at the key in Elise's hand. He hadn't expected that after knowing this beautiful girl for less than half a day, he would already be sharing a room with her?
"The number of rooms wasn't enough, so only one was left." Elise toyed with the key in her hand. "But don't worry, Mr. Kazehaya."
"It's a double room with two beds. Est and I will share one bed!"
"It won't feel crowded."
No, no, no! That wasn't the issue!
Would any ordinary girl share a room with a boy she had only just met a few hours ago?
Especially with him being a vigorous young man!
Thinking of Elise's reputation, and also worrying he might lose control, Kamito hesitated for her sake.
In his eyes, Elise—so wealthy and well-mannered—was surely a noble from some kingdom, wasn't she?
And noble young ladies cared deeply about their reputations!
"There's no need to stay at an inn. I can rough it outside under a tree. It'll be fine."
During his journey searching for Restia, Kamito had endured far harsher conditions. He could easily manage.
But if you run off, how am I supposed to have my fun?
Elise seemed displeased with Kamito's restraint toward her, so she quickly stepped closer.
"Kamito!"
"Y-Yes, I'm here!"
Elise made a slightly angry expression and fixed her gaze on him. Even with her eyes covered, Kamito still felt the pressure!
"The weather has been unpredictable lately! What if it suddenly rains? You'd definitely catch a cold!"
"H-Hey! This is a desert! How could there possibly be—"
Rumble—
Thunder rolled outside the window.
Huh? It's really raining?
Shocked, Kamito turned his head toward the window. Rain poured down in sheets.
"Hmhm, looks like the weather is on my side, Kamito. And besides…"
"If I let you stay outside alone, I'd feel terrible!"
"Not to mention, didn't you promise to protect me?"
"If you're outside and something happens to me, then what?"
"At that time, who would pay you your gold coins?"
Elise's words silenced Kamito once again. Even now, she cared about paying him?
Then he would…
"I understand, Elise! I will protect you!" Kamito's expression turned serious as he gave his promise as a man.
"Good! That's more like it! Then let's pinky swear!" Elise extended her little finger, hooking it with Kamito's. "Pinky swear, hang it on the hook, no changes for a hundred years!"
"You must protect me, alright? And in return, if you encounter any trouble, I'll help you too!" Elise's promise wasn't just empty words—she always kept her word.
Elise knew Kamito Kazehaya felt some affection toward her. With her ability to sense faith, she could clearly feel the faith emanating from him!
Though small in quantity, its quality was astonishingly high!
Could this be the faith of a protagonist?
How overwhelming!
Thus, Elise began to plan the next steps, gradually forging a bond with Kamito.
Afterward, she kept teasing him, flirting with him again and again. But each time, just as things reached a certain limit, she would stop.
As expected, Kamito's favor toward her increased. The faith power that had once been no thicker than a thread now steadily expanded.
She harvested no small amount of faith from the male protagonist!
And in the process of teasing him, Elise began to feel something strange…
Though she couldn't explain why, it just felt good!
Refreshing!
Her recognition of Kamito Kazehaya, this main character, was gradually rising as well.
Though he was the protagonist of a harem story, meeting him in reality… he really did have the kind of charm that could move a girl's heart!
Unfortunately, Elise was not purely a girl herself.
She could only admire Kamito, nothing more.
Night fell quietly. Strangely, the rain outside seemed to have stopped right after Elise and Kamito made their promise. How coincidental that it rained only then!
Elise lay on the bed. Est, nestled tightly against her side, seemed to be fast asleep. But Elise herself had no desire to sleep yet.
"Kamito, are you asleep?"
Though she already knew the answer, Elise still asked the question.
"Not yet, Elise. I can't fall asleep." Kamito replied quickly. After all, he was sharing a room with a stunningly beautiful girl—how could his restless heart possibly calm down?
"Me neither…"
"How about we chat a little to pass the time?"
"No problem!"
Elise knew well that sharing secrets could strengthen trust between two people.
"You must be very curious about my eyes, right, Kamito?"
"I noticed many times before—you wanted to ask, but never did. Were you being considerate of me?"
"Th-That's right."
After all, Elise acted no differently from a normal person. There was no sign of her vision being hindered, even though her eyes were covered. Could she really be blind?
Kamito was deeply puzzled. The girl before him didn't seem like someone pretending to be blind.
"Thank you, Kamito. But I must make it clear—I'm not pretending. It's because of some special reasons."
"It seems to be an ability I was born with. If ordinary people see my eyes, the result would be disastrous for them!"
"I didn't want anyone else to be harmed, so I chose to cover them."
That… sounded fake!
Kamito found the matter bizarre. But considering that spirits existed in this world, perhaps it wasn't so strange after all.
Just as he was about to ask if there was any way to resolve it, a sudden disturbance came from outside the window.
Bang—
The wooden window shattered under an unknown attack.
They were under assault!