The Reward for Saving The World is a Husband - Chapter 18
‘She’s going to cry…….’
Of course, whether she did or not, I kept my mouth shut and stood quietly. I wasn’t about to reveal my hand first, especially when I wasn’t sure what was going on.
“I… I heard… you were badly injured…”
The saintess, with her gaze awkwardly fixed around my waist, cautiously spoke.
“Well, just a bit.”
Elias raised his eyebrow sharply, clearly displeased with my choice of the word ‘bit.’
Considering that I woke up bandaged and in new clothes, they must have checked my wounds, directly or indirectly.
‘But I’ve already healed a lot.’
Thanks to multiple experiments and modifications at the lab, my enhanced healing ability was exceptional even in the world I came from. I knew Elias would find it suspicious.
However, I couldn’t hide the peculiarities of my body from my lifelong partner.
“Then, for now… how about receiving treatment first?”
Instead of answering the saintess directly, I looked at Elias. It was my first time receiving treatment with holy power, so I needed his advice.
“Let’s do that.”
Elias nodded, glancing down at me before trying to let go of my hand.
When I tightened my grip, a low sigh fell on the top of my head.
“To receive treatment, you’ll need to change clothes and soak your wounds in holy water.”
“…..”
What does that have to do with letting go of my hand?
Seeing that I didn’t seem to understand, he added an explanation.
“You have to take off all your clothes. Even your underwear.”
He said this in a lowered voice, and I stared at him. His neck, glimpsed through his collar, was flushed red.
He seemed embarrassed or angry, so I finally let go of his hand.
“Alright. But will you stay close by? Don’t leave me alone, okay?”
“We haven’t even started talking yet, so where would I go?”
Seeing his incredulous expression made me feel more at ease. At least he no longer seemed to consider me as someone irrelevant to him.
“Please follow me.”
As I left Elias behind and walked further into the temple with the saintess, I looked back at him several times.
Each time our eyes met, I would smile brightly, causing his expression to change slightly. Judging by the deepening wrinkles on his forehead, it wasn’t a change for the better.
After Elias was completely out of sight, I waited a moment before asking the saintess.
“Are you afraid of me?”
“P-pardon?”
Her shoulders jerked up, startled that I had spoken to her after being silent for so long.
“You’ve been trembling since earlier.”
“I’m just… a bit shy around strangers…”
She knew it was a poor excuse, and her face showed a look of self-reproach.
“Did the god you serve say something about me?”
The saintess’s eyes widened, and her pupils shook.
“Why? What did they say?”
“N-no! Even if they did, I’m not supposed to speak of it.”
She shook her head vigorously and hurried ahead, almost running away. I followed her leisurely. There was no need to rush since I could pick up a few clues just by observing.
‘I have nothing to lose on my end.’
We arrived at a simply decorated room, probably used as a changing room. The saintess handed me the clothes I was supposed to change into.
“After changing, you can exit through the opposite door.”
As I took the clothes from her, she quickly left the room, almost fleeing.
“Hmm…”
She didn’t realize that acting like that only made me more curious to follow her.
Recalling what Elias had said, I took off all my clothes, including my underwear, and put on the garment the saintess had given me.
Good things, virtuous things, pure things.
In my world, white usually signified those meanings, and it seemed to be the same here. Everything, from the buildings to the guest robes, was white.
‘It doesn’t suit me.’