INTERLUDE: SCENE 1

—Aqua-sama, I won't let him escape!

Alcanretia, the City of Water and Hot Springs.

In the city center stood a great cathedral.

In this place, where nobody except Axis Cultists would come close—

"May I help you? Do you wish to join the Axis Cult? Or are you just here for a chat? You look quite handsome, so I will permit you to give me a treat. But don't think I'm a frivolous woman, it's just a treat, okay?"

"No, I'm not here for a chat. I'm here to find a healer to join my party. Our goal is to defeat the Demon King."

The youth said something really strange.

"What a fresh way to strike a conversation. There's a nice café nearby, let's go there to drink and chat. Ah, my name is Cecily, the beautiful priest of Axis Cult."

"Eh. Hm, Miss Cecily? I said I wasn't here to chat…"

Then, I noticed there was something hanging by the waist of this cool youth.

"Oh. Is that a magic sword hanging by your waist? …To possess a magic sword. Are you a powerful adventurer? You should be quite rich then… I love Tokoroten slime. It's sticky, mushy, and soft, so delicious."

"Uh, no… I'm here to look for a companion…"

"By the way, I like handsome guys who are younger than me. Of course, pretty girls are fine too! A handsome young man with a magic sword like you should rate even higher!"

"…No, sorry, uh, sorry for bothering you…!? Ce-Cecily-san!? Can you take your hands off me?"

I didn't understand why the magic sword guy wanted to run away.

"Just call me Cecily-nee!"

"Sorry, I have to go… Ce-Cecily-san! Please let go of me. I will give you money to buy Tokoroten slime!"

He said and tried to remove my hand from his cloak with some difficulty.

"I won't let my handsome magic swordsman escape this easily! After bulk ordering all the tokoroten slime two days ago, I'm bankrupt! But it was a limited edition wind grape flavor, so it couldn't be helped! Although I love tokoroten slime, eating it daily is still unbearable! I want to eat some solid food! As a priestess of the cathedral, I get a monthly salary, but this also means I am not qualified to receive the charity of the church to the poor!"

"I know! I know! So stop pulling on my belt! My pants will drop! Really will drop…!"

The youth hurriedly grabbed hold of my hands as I held on to his belt to prevent him from escaping.

But he didn't run away or remove my hands. His resistance was weak.

"Eheh. You say that, but your body is honest to what it wants! Why aren't you resisting!?"

"Be-Because a powerful diviner in the Crimson Demon Village once told me, 'You will meet a priest from the Axis Cult, who will become an important person to the fate of the world. You must protect this person at all costs.' Otherwise, I would have run away long ago!"

"…A diviner in the Crimson Demon Village said so? You will meet a pretty priestess who will become important to you? She'll become someone you must protect at all costs?"

"No, how do I say this, the details are a bit different… The divination didn't mention 'pretty' and it wasn't someone 'important to me'…"

I held onto his hand with both hands.

I won't let you escape.

Definitely not.

"Uh, Cecily-san, are you listening? She only said 'An Axis Cult priest that I will meet'; it does not necessarily mean it is you…"

"Ah, Aqua-sama! You have gifted me with this rich, handsome guy just as I'm low on cash! I'm so blessed! I will let him feed and take care of me!"

The youth dislodged my hands and ran away. I pursued with all my might.

—Aqua-sama, I won't let him escape!