Young Girl

Take off the obstructive cloak and gloves of the adjudicator and "place them" on the water surface - the magical effect of "walking on air" still applies to non-human objects. Roll up his sleeves and take off Eve's shoes, then loosen the straps of her overly loose dress and lift her hands up to take it off.

Eve was not wearing any underwear, as her age and breast size did not require such things according to common sense, and as a man, Cross did not have the delicate understanding of these matters as women do.

"Let's begin."

With one hand supporting Eve's slender waist and the other slowly pushing her into the water, her delicate body trembled slightly as soon as her jade feet touched the surface - the temperature of this "holy water" was really too cold in this weather.

As the depth of the water was a bit too much for Eve, and there was nothing to hold onto, Cross, who was unable to enter the water due to his clothing, had to support her with one hand under her buttocks to prevent the girl, who couldn't swim, from sinking.

"It's been a long time since I've had a proper bath."

Usually, it was just a quick rinse with water, and most of last week was spent on the carriage, with no leisure to take a bath.

"..."

Eve's bath had always been taken care of by Cross. She couldn't wash herself properly, which was quite appropriate for her outward appearance. Of course, even in her previous life, she had relied on servants for this.

Cross carefully cleaned every part of Eve's body, a meticulousness he had never shown even when treating his own body. From every toe to the thigh, and then to the upper body, even the girl's intimate areas were washed.

Under the special effect of holy water and Cross's precise magic operation, Eve was now completely clean.

Although the careful cleaning was time-consuming, it was not a "troublesome" task. The soft touch that came from rubbing the girl's body, if not for Cross, an ordinary person might not be able to hold back - after all, Eve's body had already reached the age of twelve, which was the age to marry and have children in this continent.

Finally, it was time to clean her hair. This slightly naturally curled long hair would tangle together once it got wet, and it required patience. While Cross was washing Eve's hair, he suddenly felt someone approaching from behind him - the steady flow of magic and the ripples created by moving in the water...

This familiar aura, could it be...

"Hmm? Cross...?" A gentle questioning voice came from behind. Turning around, he saw a blue-haired girl with sky-blue pupils, delicate snow-white skin, and a beautiful body that wasn't particularly seductive but was still captivating. Only one person in the entire Holy See had such a perfect temperament: the princess of the Holy See, Eda Terry.

"I'm sorry, Eda... no, Your Highness, for using this place without permission." Harlan, who hadn't paid much attention before, apologized.

"No, it's okay. You can still call me 'Eda.' I didn't use a title for you either, so we're even. You're the second chief adjudicator of the Holy See, Cross Astoros," Eda said with a sigh of relief upon learning his identity. She sat on a nearby rock, her feet casually splashing water, and even the hand she was holding over her chest relaxed.

For Eda, who had been blind since birth due to the "cost," there was no problem with others seeing her body, which was only meaningful in terms of sight. But with her extraordinary perception, she knew the horror of "men." Even the bishops who had trained for many years had some improper thoughts about her. These internal changes that did not manifest themselves physically were almost like "expressions" to Eda's highly sensitive perception, and it was one of the reasons why she did not like men.

However, Cross was completely different. He had always been so calm towards her, and even now, he remained the same. "You really trust me, Eda."

Cross was still carefully washing Eve's hair, showing little interest in staring at Eda's body.

"Hmm, you seem to have no special thoughts about me... you're completely different from everyone else," Eda said, wondering if she wasn't charming enough to impress this black-haired man. After all, even her breasts... Eda shook her head, realizing how silly her thoughts were.

"Maintaining this calm is the only way to continue watching your charming body, isn't it?" Cross replied nonchalantly, brushing off Eda's thoughts.

"Hmph... It's not that I'm not interested, there's no need to console me like this. Anyway, I don't have anything particularly eye-catching." Eda sighed and slightly annoyed.

"No, having big breasts doesn't necessarily mean it's good. At least I once met a female swordsman with magnificent breasts. Although her swordsmanship was much better than mine, when I thought I couldn't hit her, I accidentally left a lifelong scar on a certain part of her body... Besides, everyone has different aesthetics."

Listening to Cross's words, Eda couldn't help but shiver. Did that female swordsman's breasts get... hurt by the "Demon Sword Emperor's Edge"?

"Why can you say such a terrible thing so calmly!"

Eda kicked up many splashes of water, wanting to "retaliate" against the man with black hair.

"Sorry, I'm not very good at joking."

Cross neither avoided nor defended himself, letting the water splashes hit him.

"So that was a joke..."

"No, the story I just told was true."

"Who was it in the end..."

Gosh, it's been a long time since she had such a happy conversation. Everyone in the Holy See is so boring. To be able to chat so freely and joke around... it's really a luxury...

Thinking of this, Eda couldn't help but softly say thank you to Cross.

But at this moment, Cross's expression wasn't good either. Because of this relaxed conversation, he couldn't help but think of the times when he was with Leo and Kate, when he was responsible for adjusting the atmosphere between the silent Kate and the introverted Leo who didn't have the courage to express their feelings...

A moment of silence.

"Going back to the previous topic, those people have special thoughts about you, Eda, because they haven't found something they really like. They are a group of people who have never 'seriously' tried anything. If they have 'that kind of person', they won't be able to fall in love with anything else..."

Cross spoke these words that made him uncomfortable in a calm manner.

"Is it...Eve? The person you like."

"Not entirely."

Cross did not give Eda a clear answer because she did not understand herself at all. Of course, Cross did not want to explain too much to her either. He did not want to seek sympathy from others, and even if he said what he had to do, it would not change anything.

"I have always been curious about something I sensed from Eve. Why is your magic exactly the same as hers... even blood relatives, even twins, won't be exactly the same."

To this, the black-haired man just smiled, "Do you know about artificial humans?"

The girl shook her head.

"That is a magic that is extremely difficult to master even among senior magicians. You must have a deep understanding of the body's structure and use the most basic elements to build the body step by step, constructing blood vessels, meridians..."

Eda listened carefully to Cross's explanation. From the change in Cross's magic fluctuations at this time, it seemed that this artificial human, Eve, might be the most important person to him... a substitute.

"That's amazing, to create an artificial human at such a young age."

"No, it's actually embarrassing. If it weren't for Harrison's help, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to complete Eve in my lifetime."

"Harrison? One of the Seven Heroes? Almost forgot, you're also one of the 'Seven Heroes'..."

The girl remembered what Harlan had said back then.

"Well, Eda..."

Cross helped Eve clean her body and put on her clothes while calling Eda's name.

"Yes?"

"It's getting late. I still have to go see Harlan. I won't disturb you any longer. Goodbye."

He had unintentionally wasted too much time, but luckily the meeting place was not far from here, and it might not matter if that man had to wait for a while.

"Oh... right, come to think of it, I didn't wash up at all because I was too focused on chatting."

Eda remembered her original purpose for coming here only now.

"Okay, see you next time."

Cross picked up Eve and waved to Eda, even though she could not see the gesture.

"Goodbye."