Chapter 9: Secrets of the World

"Eh..."

"W-Wait, Ars... The way you're touching me is so lewd..."

"Ah, sorry. I was just so surprised that I did it unconsciously."

I quickly pulled my hands away. Fondling them might have been unconscious, but I sure as hell enjoyed the sensation. I'm sorry.

...Wait, no. Eh... What does that mean?

As I completely lost myself in confusion, Luna began to explain, her cheeks still tinged with a faint blush.

"U-Um... I felt like it would be wrong not to tell you, Ars, after you've done so much for me... after you've protected me so much. Besides... my chest has gotten so big... I can't really hide it anymore..."

"Hmm..."

As Luna fidgeted while speaking, I couldn't stop my raging erection from the bottom of my heart.

However, being the only one expanding my junior in such a serious situation felt wrong, so I tried to suppress it with sheer willpower.

My junior voiced its displeasure, going, 'Eh? We're holding it in again?', but when I prayed to it, promising to pamper it plenty later... it went shhhhrink... and gradually deflated. Good job, my junior.

While I was having that exchange, Luna continued her explanation.

"Not the 'Holy' character, but the 'Sex/Gender' character for [Sex Saint]... That's my true Class. For some reason, I still have the power to heal... but it's a far cry from the legendary Class. ...Are you disappointed?"

...A-Are you freaking kidding me...!!

I-I wasn't the only one!!! The 'Sexual' misunderstood legendary Class!! And she was right beside me this whole time!!! Not to mention, her situation of having it completely misunderstood without anyone finding out is just like mine!!!

Whoa, I suddenly feel a huge sense of affinity with her... Or rather, isn't it amazing that she's saved so many people despite not being a true [Holy Saint]?

That just means Luna is incredible, completely irrespective of her Class.

—Wait. Isn't this a prime opportunity?

Hasn't the absolute best chance arrived for me to come out and say that I'm actually a [Sexual Knight] instead of a [Holy Knight]??

It's totally fine to just say it now, right? If Luna was different too, then we can talk about all sorts of things together... Hell, we could even use it as a common topic to get closer... We're already close enough, I guess. Sadly, I don't have the guts to step any further than this...

Now that that's decided, I should just say it right a—!!

"I could only say this... to you, Ars, because you protected me exactly like a true [Holy Knight] would... Unlike a fake like me, you're the real legend..."

Luna said, her eyes filled with adoration and profound respect.

...C-Crap. I can't say it... I definitely can't say it now.

The existence of a [Holy Knight] is probably Luna's emotional crutch right now. Of course, I don't think she's just looking at the Class, but rather my behavior up until now.

True, even I have to admit I was pulling off the perfect [Holy Knight] moves... Was I? Well, in front of Luna, I might have been able to act fairly [Holy Knight]-esque.

And so, seeing me act like that, I think Luna finally felt comfortable enough to reveal that she's a [Sex Saint].

—And, well.

What would happen to Luna if she found out that the person she was leaning on for emotional support was actually a [Sexual Knight] and not a [Holy Knight]??

Of course, considering her own situation, I'm sure she'd accept it, but she'd undoubtedly receive a massive shock, and it might just shatter her mentally.

If that happened, it'd be too tragic for me to even watch.

I-I can't say it... There's no way in hell I can tell her my true Class is a [Sexual Knight]...!!

"Phew..."

Let's cover it up for now. That's my only choice.

I feel bad for deceiving her like this, but I've been deceiving her up until now anyway, so it can't be helped.

Above all, this is for Luna's sake. I'll just have to wait for another good opportunity to reveal it...

Having made that decision, I chose to convey my true feelings for the time being.

"Luna."

"...Hk."

Luna's body jolted with a flinch.

She was probably terrified of what I might say. She must be absolutely horrified of being rejected.

Because of that, I made sure to use the gentlest tone I could muster as I spoke.

"Whether you're a Saint or whatever else, Luna, it doesn't matter. The fact remains that you've saved a lot of people up until now. And even more so if you didn't do it just out of some sense of duty as a Saint. That's an incredible thing. I could never do something like that."

"Ars... Are you sure...? You're okay with me being a [Sex Saint]...? Even though I'm a weird girl who gets... um... bigger breasts whenever she uses her skills...?"

Ah, so that was the demerit.

If my skills had a feature where the more I used them, the bigger my dick got, I'd have gladly spammed them to no end. ...No, actually, it'd be a problem if it got too big to use.

But it looks like Luna goes back to normal over time, so if I think about it as getting a massive schlong for a limited time, it's totally a viable option...?

Or rather, a limited-time busty beauty is an absolute win in my book. Honestly, I welcome it, and thank you for being such eye candy... Naturally, I couldn't say that out loud, so I exquisitely hid my sexual desires as I conveyed my true feelings.

"I completely accept you. Who is it that's healing me right now? The 'Sexual' kind of [Sex Saint]? Fine by me. All I see before me is a very, very cute, normal girl."

"...Yeah. And the person standing in front of me is my cool knight, Ars... you know?"

...Dammit, I almost smirked.

It's seriously a problem because she keeps saying things that are bad for my dick so frequently... And the fact that she seems to be saying it from the bottom of her heart really moves me.

It might just just be my imagination, but Luna seemed to be blushing as she said it. Then again, my emotion checker is kind of breaking down, so it's not a reliable reference. All thanks to the expansion in my lower half.

◇◆◇

"...Thanks for telling me something so important. Still, I don't intend to change how I treat you, no matter what you are, Luna. Besides, we have to keep up the facade of the holy [Holy Saint] to the public anyway."

"Yeah. I'm truly happy about that. ...Just sharing this secret with you has made my heart feel so much lighter."

"I don't have any friends I can share secrets with, anyway. So rest easy and tell me as much as you want."

"Um... what should we do... about Mei and Reese?"

Luna said, glancing at me.

So she's asking if we should tell Mei and Reese the truth. ...Honestly, going by my initial impression of Reese, I would've thought it was a bad idea. But the current Reese is just a pervert head over heels for Luna, and it goes without saying that Mei would respect her... so it wouldn't be a problem even if we told them.

"...It's better to hold off for now. As long as the Church of the Priesthood is acting sketchy, we have no idea who might be listening and where. I think it's better if fewer people know our secret."

"...That's true. It's a little unnerving at the royal castle, after all."

"I'm not saying we should be suspicious of everything, but I think we'll need to be somewhat mindful of our surroundings."

Just imagine if the Church of the Priesthood found out she wasn't a [Holy Saint]... It would undeniably turn into an unimaginable disaster. ...Well, my vocabulary might be lacking, but if the people who treat Classes as absolutes found out that their highest-ranking [Holy Saint] was actually a different Class, it would be way beyond just 'bad'.

"...Huh? But I thought a [Holy Saint] was identified through an oracle? So why were you taken away?"

When I casually tossed out that genuine question, Luna crossed her arms in thought, going, "Hmm..."—and her enlarged breasts squished together, boldly showing off their presence... Guh, I'm being drawn in.

"...Either the oracle was wrong... or maybe someone else in my village was the real [Holy Saint]..."

"I see, that's a possibility."

Anyone could tell that a [Holy Saint] had no freedom.

It wouldn't be strange for someone to think they wouldn't want to become the Saint if someone else was willing to take the role.

Even so, it's true that the mysteries are endless.

Luna looked down in deep thought as well, before suddenly raising her face and speaking.

"I want to know too... why a [Sex Saint] has the power to heal. Why do I have power rivaling the legendary [Holy Saint]... I want to know..."

Well, yeah, it is about her own Class, after all.

Even for me, there are a ton of mysteries surrounding the [Sexual Knight]. The same goes for the Luminous Entity, and what was said about the [Hero] in that white space.

...Is finding the [Hero] the key after all?

However, it was also a fact that the only hint to granting Luna's wish right now was the words of the Luminous Entity.

I wondered if it was a somewhat flimsy excuse, but I told it to Luna anyway.

"I had a dream a little while ago. A dream where the [Hero] was still alive and appeared before you and me. It might have been a prophetic dream. At this timing, it's hard to pass it off as just a coincidence."

"The [Hero]... I wonder if it was an oracle."

Luna sank into thought, muttering something under her breath.

The whole dream nonsense was just a made-up excuse, so I really wanted her to stop overthinking it. I was going to let something slip.

So, as if to cut Luna's thoughts short, I brightened my tone and made a suggestion.

"That's why we should go look for him. To solve the mysteries of our Classes."

"Yeah. As long as I'm with you, Ars, I'll go anywhere."

An immediate reply!! Well, that's the only clue we've got anyway. We have no choice but to patiently search for this Hero.

"Well, nothing's going to progress unless we get out of this place first, though!!"

I laughed it off, trying to sound like I was joking.

Yeah, well, it wasn't a joke at all; if we seriously didn't get out of here, we couldn't go around talking about solving the mysteries of our Classes. ...We didn't have any hints for an exit, though... What the heck were we supposed to do?

If this was an environment swarming with monsters like that Spear Knight, I'd totally propose we hole up and hide... but we have no choice but to move forward.

I really didn't want to believe it was actually such a hellish, monster-infested wasteland, though.

"...Want a piggyback ride?"

"...As expected, I'd lose all my dignity if I let you give me a piggyback ride, Luna. I'm fine, I'm fine. I'm tired, but not so tired that I can't walk. Being stalled here is just going to depress me anyway. Let's keep going forward."

Luna pointed at her own back, as if telling me to come here.

I smiled wryly and refused. It seemed my pride had somehow managed to edge out my libido in this situation.

If I hadn't expended my sexual energy using [Holy Shield] over and over, I couldn't deny the possibility that I would've gladly clung to her.

"...I see. That's a shame."

For some reason, Luna sighed in disappointment.

...Why did she want to carry me on her back? Knowing Luna, it was probably out of a desire to be of some use... or something like that, but as I said before (in my heart), her mere existence is already useful enough.

She's supposed to be the one being protected, yet she's doing a great job. It's all thanks to her inherent kindness, though.

"For now, let's search in the opposite direction. The fact that there was a structure here means it's highly likely this is the deepest part."

"...Yeah, it really felt like it was fiercely guarded."

I highly doubt they'd build the resting place of the former Holy Saint-sama near the entrance to this space.

Which means the location of the church is likely the deepest part. If that's the case, I figured we might be able to escape this place, for the time being, by simply walking in the opposite direction.

And so, we crunched our way forward.

Yesterday, the path was completely covered with an overflowing amount of skeletons, but today, for some reason, we hadn't seen a single one.

...Maybe it's the effect of defeating the Spear Knight. If those skeletons were also protecting the Holy Saint-sama in the same way, then perhaps burying their leader allowed the skeletons to pass on as well... something like that? No, that's being too optimistic.

Whatever the case, we have to stay on guard.

For now, at least, I'll just be grateful there are no monsters around and keep pressing forward.

◇◆◇

Even though the surface is far above, the sunlight shines brightly down here at the bottom of the cliff.

Untouched nature is undoubtedly beautiful, but right now, I'm just wishing for some man-made structures.

We've been walking for about three hours, but the miracle of not encountering any monsters has continued so far.

Since we've been taking breaks while walking, the fatigue from the battle with the Spear Knight has gradually faded. I think I could handle a decent amount of monsters right now.

"...It's a miracle that there are so few monsters in a place this untouched. ...Is it some sort of environmental trait...?"

"...I can sense a faint trace of magic. There might be a barrier placed over the land."

"I see. ...A barrier makes sense."

I couldn't sense the presence of magic at all, but the Holy Saint-sama from the Hero's party who defeated the Demon King might have been fully capable of setting up a monster-wardingmonster-warding barrier over the land.

Having it last for four hundred years is totally monstrous, though... There's also the fact that it's surrounded by sheer cliffs, which might physically make it difficult for monsters to enter.

...Wait a sec? If that's the case, isn't finding an exit completely hopeless? The absence of monsters doesn't exactly serve as proof that there are no exits anywhere, but still.

Do we really have to climb our way out after all...? Alternatively, if the barrier is intermittent and only keeps monsters away up to a certain area... then there might be hope.

...Even if we were to climb... making footholds with [Holy Shield] would probably push my sexual desire to its limits... No, wait a minute?

...Do I even have a limit to my sexual desire in the first place? No, no, even I have a temporary limit.

But during the battle with the Spear Knight, I thought my libido was completely tapped out, yet thanks to Luna's unintentional erotic gestures, I succeeded in charging my sexual energy back to max.

If that's the case, it might just be possible to construct [Holy ShieldsHoly Shields] all the way up the cliff by replenishing my libido while creating the footholds.

No... or perhaps, by fondling Luna's breasts as we climb, we could create a perpetual motion machine of sexual desire...!?

"No, there's no way in hell I can do that."

I muttered to myself, dismissing that idiotic plan.

Just because I got to fondle them once doesn't mean it's okay a second time. After she placed her trust in me, I definitely can't do something to betray it... I just can't!!

Besides, it goes without saying, but I have to refrain from acting in ways that would out me as a [Sexual Knight]. There's no way I could say, "Please let me climb the cliff while fondling your boobs."

In that case, staying right on the line of not being exposed as a [Sexual Knight]... and exploiting Luna's innocence... using the exact same gestures as during the fight with the Spear Knight would eventually get "boring," and I wouldn't be able to recharge my sexual energy halfway through.

...To sustain [Holy ShieldsHoly Shields] all the way to the top of the cliff, it would likely require 32 uses... Whoops, that doesn't really translate. It would take four times my daily maximum sexual desire capacity.

In other words, I would have to run out of sexual energy and recharge to max four separate times.

If I could seriously recharge my libido four consecutive times, I'd already be a sexual monster... the Hound of Libido, definitely pretending to attack all the girls in my vicinity. Ah, I'm a virgin, so of course I couldn't actually lay a hand on anyone.

...And on top of that, if I fail to recharge my sexual desire halfway through, we'll plummet headfirst to the bottom of the cliff, resulting in a total checkmate.

The penalty for failure is way too severe; executing this plan is impossible.

I sighed in my heart.

I thought I saw a ray of hope for a second, but it seems it won't be that easy to escape.

"A-Ars. Over there..."

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, Luna gave my sleeve a tug and pointed at a patch of tall grass up ahead.

When I looked, the grass was rustling, and I could sense someone—or something's—presence.

"...Stay back. ...Looks like a monster finally decided to show up."

I drew my sword and took a central stance.

Judging by the rustling, the monster was decently large... At the very least, it seemed a bit bigger than the skeletons we had been burying.

As I cautiously approached the tall grass—Boing! A massive pair of boobs appeared.

"—I have come to your aid."

—No, wait, it's Mei!!!

◇◆◇

Side Mei

"...Tch, they have already passed through here as well."

Spurring a fast horse, I began to sequentially visit the planned pilgrimage route I had secretly obtained.

I had considered calculating their schedule and cutting them off, but if there was any chance they had been delayed somewhere, I felt it was necessary to check every single location.

My current location was the Commercial City, Iriastella. According to the itinerary, it wouldn't have been unusual for them to be staying in Iriastella... but after investigating, I found out that Luna-sama's party had already departed.

Furthermore, it had been quite recent.

In that case, if I rushed from here, I might be able to catch up to them on the way to the next pilgrimage site.

"...This bad premonition won't go away. If nothing has happened... it will be fine, but..."

If I was just overthinking things, then so be it.

I have the authorization papers to accompany them, so I could just join the escort fair and square.

...But if something were to happen to Ars-sama...

Would I be able to forgive the perpetrator? ...No, that would be impossible. I answered immediately in my heartheart.

I could absolutely never accept that such a noble person, who had cast aside everything and continued to exert so much effort for Luna-sama's sake, would suffer harm simply by getting caught up in some worthless ideology and conspiracy.

"...Phew. Let us calm down."

Entertaining bad thoughts is never good, I told myself, placing a hand on my chest and taking a slow, deep breath.

And so, after riding my horse for several hours, I arrived at a region of sheer cliffs known as the "Hero's Graveyard."

It was a dangerous area where accidents happened endlessly, but as long as one stayed vigilant against aerial monsters, it shouldn't have posed a problem.

They shouldn't have been delayed here, so I decided to hurry forward—but at that moment, I heard a faint groan of "Ugh..." coming from behind a rock.

"...Who is there?"

I dismounted my horse and cautiously checked my surroundings, only to see a bloodied young man crawling out from the shadow of the rock.

...If I recall correctly, he was one of the coachmen provided by the Church of the Priesthood...

"Y-You are the Black Knight-sama... correct...? Why are you here...?"

"Are you alright? What on earth happened here... What happened to everyone else?"

I quickly rushed over and gave the young man a potion—a medicine used to heal wounds that I had brought just in case. He lightly coughed and choked, spitting up some blood, but after his wounds finally stabilized, he began speaking with a desperate expression.

"...A monster threw the Holy Knight-sama and Luna-sama off the cliff...!!!"

"...Th-That's impossible..."

The color drained from my face, and a soft gasp escaped my lips. ...It was a known fact that at the Hero's Graveyard, anyone who fell down the cliff would never return.

The most plausible reasons for that were that the valley was so deep you couldn't see the bottom from the top, and that climbing down the cliff was the only method of entry.

This entire region was surrounded by cliffs, and it was estimated that there were no exits whatsoever.

The only way... would be to use a magic tool called a Teleportation Stone to warp to designated coordinates and escape... but neither Ars-sama nor Luna-sama would have one on them.

...Thank goodness... I brought along three Teleportation Stones just in case. If I can find the two of them, escaping won't be an issue, but... it would be a problem if the other guards fell as well.

"Still... how could such a thing happen with Ars-sama and that mage named Kalmia present?"

When I asked him that, the young coachman wore a terribly frustrated expression as he slammed his fist against the ground and spoke.

"It was... our fault...!!"

"What on earth do you mean by that?"

A voice far colder than I expected came out.

But there was absolutely no way I could ignore those words. ...Whose fault did he say it was?

"...We members of the Church of the Priesthood were making preparations to use this official duty to assassinate the Holy Knight-sama. The inhumane plan was to show him an illusion magic here at the 'Hero's Graveyard' of the Holy Saint-sama falling down the cliff, to trick him into jumping after her..."

"...My bad premonitions are always frighteningly accurate, it seems."

To think they had orchestrated such a despicable plot.

I was already unable to suppress my seething anger towards the members of the Church of the Priesthood, to the point where my blood felt like it was boiling.

However, I understood that this young man was somehow different.

If he were truly on the side of the Church of the Priesthood, there would be no need for him to speak so honestly and in such detail, and I could read intense remorse from his expression.

I decided to listen to a little more of his story.

"...But I couldn't endure it. I couldn't betray the Holy Knight-sama. ...Right before Kalmia cast her illusion magic, I got off the carriage and warned the Holy Knight-sama. I told him they intended to kill him."

"...I see."

"...However, in that exact moment, a monster suddenly swooped down from the sky... and it pushed the carriage with the Holy Saint-sama over the edge... and the Holy Knight-sama chased after her."

I see. That makes sense.

There shouldn't be any lies from this young man. For one, assassinating the [Holy Knight] had already been achieved the moment he fell off the 'Hero's Graveyard.'

But if they had already accomplished their goal, there would be no reason for him to foolishly tell me the truth. ...However, if the Holy Saint-sama had fallen as well, it would be a catastrophic failure for the Church of the Priesthood.

"What about those wounds?"

"...After the two of them fell, I tried to fight... but in the end, I couldn't do anything. ...Since they lost the Holy Saint-sama as well, the mission was a failure. Kalmia and Galia probably can't show their faces in the Kingdom anymore. ...In fact, they were so desperate to flee that they didn't even want to spare the time to finish me off."

"—They are not lost."

"Huh...?"

The young man looked at me, my firm assertion kindling a glint of hope in his eyes.

He really did well, this young man.

If he hadn't mustered his courage, Ars-sama might very well have fallen for that cowardly illusion magic and plummeted down the cliff all by himself.

But in a way, Luna-sama falling with him might actually be a blessing in disguise.

"—Ars-sama will undoubtedly protect Luna-sama... the Holy Saint-sama, until the very end. He is a man who never goes back on his word, no matter the circumstances. This time will be no different; Ars-sama and the Holy Saint-sama must both be alive. All that's left is for me—to find them and bring them back."

I placed my absolute trust in those two.

They must be safe. There is no doubt that Ars-sama has protected Luna-sama and they are both safe.

I have proof. After all, Ars-sama has never once broken a promise to protect someone until now.

Because of that, since they lack a way to return, I will simply track them down and pick them up. That is all there is to it.

"...Please, Black Knight-sama. You have to bring them back safely...!! I will gladly accept any punishment...!! I don't care if it's the death penalty! So please... I beg of you to save those two."

"...Of course. I swear upon the name of the [Black Knight] that I will rescue them both."

With that, the young man let out a relieved sigh, and then collapsed as if his strings were cut, immediately beginning to softly snore.

...It seems the tension holding him together finally gave out.

"Let us go."

Amidst the howling wind, I suddenly peered down into the valley, but only a pitch-black abyss spread out before me, stirring up an instinctual fear.

...However, the thought of losing those two terrified me countless times more.

"[Black Dance]—Maximum Output."

A black aura enveloped my body.

Furthermore, I decided to discard my heavy armor to reduce the strain upon landing. ...My clothing is a bit lighter than usual... but it will do.

My preparations were complete.

[Black Dance] was a skill that heightened one's physical capabilities to the absolute limit. I would leave the shock of the fall entirely to my physical abilities.

"I am coming to save you now."

Without an ounce of hesitation or doubt, I threw myself off the cliff.

—BOOOOOOM!!! A violent crash echoed out.

I abruptly sat up and stepped out of the human-shaped crater in the ground. ...It didn't hurt as much as I expected. I did expend a considerable amount of magic, however.

"So this is the Hero's Graveyard... Though it seems quite mystical for a graveyard..."

I couldn't sense any monsters at all.

Lands completely untouched by human hands were prone to spawning monsters, but at the very least, my perception skills picked up zero signs of them.

...This increased the likelihood that the two of them were safe even further. So long as there were no powerful monsters, Ars-sama should have been able to handle a mere fall.

"...Are there any footprints nearby... Ah, there they are. Footprints belonging to two people... Phew... Haa..."

Suddenly feeling relieved, I let out a rather unguarded breath.

It wasn't that I doubted their safety. But seeing actual proof that they were fine made me feel the tense atmosphere around me slowly loosen.

I then took off running, following their tracks.

In order to catch up to them as quickly as possible, I dashed through the area, leaping from tree to tree.

"...Oops, it seems I strayed from the path slightly. I might as well get ahead of them."

I had lost sight of the footprints, but after confirming from above the trees that the path merged into a single route, I decided to jump down and cut them off. It was at that moment—

"...Hk!"

FWUMP!! I ended up getting completely tangled in a patch of very deep grass, unable to break free.

"Nn... These vinesvines..."

The tree vines had perfectly tied my body up, making it impossible to slip out. Kuh... This is tight.

If I stay like this, I will end up greeting the two of them in such an unsightly state...

I quickly began rustling the grass as I struggled to pull myself free.

And then, I could feel Ars-sama and Luna-sama's presences gradually approaching.

"I have to hurry..."

After struggling like that for several minutes, a section popped loose, and I finally succeeded in escaping from the grass.

Standing before me were Ars-sama and Luna-sama, looking a little battered but completely unharmed.

Thank goodness...

"I have come to your aid."

With a smile of relief, I was safely able to welcome the two of them back.

◇◆◇

T-That scared the crap out of me...

I thought a massive pair of boobs went Boing! out of the grass, only for Mei to pop out... Wait, why was Mei even here? Was this an illusion?

If it was, it'd be an incredibly welcome illusion, but it seemed Luna's eyes were widewide with surprise as well, so it didn't look like I was the only one seeing her.

Luna quickly asked Mei a question.

"M-Mei...? Why are you here?"

"...I had a bad premonition, so I chased after you. When I arrived here, I heard the full story from the red-haired young man at the top of the cliff..."

"Rowen... So he's alive... Thank god..."

I see. So she heard what happened from Rowen at the top of the cliff.

According to Mei, he was battered and on the brink of death, but she managed to heal him. ...He must have fought with his own hard-earned strength after we fell. Honestly, that's incredibly admirable.

I really wanted to praise him for a job well done.

...Well, if that's the case, Kalmia and Galia must have undoubtedly fled the scene.

If they had only assassinated me, it would be one thing, but getting Luna wrapped up in it meant that their mission wasn't just a failure—heads were absolutely going to roll.

Either way, they have no place in the Royal Capital anymore.

I've definitely earned their grudge after this incident, and we might just cross paths again someday... but since I was completely caught in the crossfire, I'd really rather they leave me out of it.

"Still, how did you get down here, Mei? Is there another entrance or something?"

At that, Mei gave me a blank look and spoke.

"I descended from above. By jumping."

"“Eh...”"

Luna and I exchanged looks, completely utterly appalled.

Just what kind of physical prowess does she have to jump from that height and walk away unharmed...? A high-level [Black Knight] isn't just for show... She probably used it in conjunction with her Class skills, but that level of durability is still absurd.

...Wait, how are we supposed to get back up?

"We're in the middle of looking for an exit, but do you know how to get out of here, Mei?"

"The Hero's Graveyard is completely surrounded by cliffs on all four sides. Because of that, it's said that the only way in or out is from above, but... the sole way to escape is by using this Teleportation Stone."

Mei pulled three blue stones from her pocket.

Teleportation Stones... Ah! Right, those were a thing.

You can only teleport to a location recorded by the stone, but they're an ultra-luxurious magic tool that lets you warp instantaneously from your current spot.

Due to their rarity, teleportation magic tools are traded for outrageously high prices.

A Teleportation Stone... If I recall correctly, a single one is said to cost as much as building a mansion in the most prime location of the Royal Capital. And she has three of them...

"Mei...! Thank you..."

"Not at all, Luna-sama. Besides, these Teleportation Stones were given to me by Reese just inin case."

"She did? ...Well, I guess I have to genuinely thank her this time."

"Yes, she was also the one who requested permission from the King for me to chase after you two."

"Reese..."

Luna stared off into space with a deeply moved expression.

I'm pretty sure just that alone would make her weep tears of joy.

I really hate owing her a favor, and if possible, I wouldn't want to thank her at all, but this time around, I can't afford to be so ungrateful.

I guess I'll thank her with the resolve to do whatever I can. Ah, except for castration, of course. If I tell her I'll do anything, she'll definitely ask to castrate me.

When it comes down to it, she really is way too obsessed with my dick.

"Shall we head back, then? To the Royal Capital."

"Ah, what about Rowen at the top of the cliff?"

"Rest assured. I entrusted my horse to him and told him to ride it back to the Royal Capital."

Mei had completely covered all my concerns.

She's just far too competent at her job. Normally, if she hadn't popped out chest-first and instead just gave a sharp, cool look while saying, "I have come to your aid," I might have seriously fallen for her. Too bad the sheer impact of her boobs completely blew away any romantic feelings and converted them straight into sexual desire.

While pondering such ridiculous things, I grasped the Teleportation Stone and poured my magic into it.

Suddenly, my vision began spinning as if space itself was warpingwarping—and before I knew it, I was standing at the back gate of the royal castle.

"Uwaaaaaaah!! People just appeared out of nowheeeere!!!!"

"Yo, Richard. How's it going?"

"Holy Knight-samaaaaa!?!?"

This guy is so damn loud.

When I casually waved and greeted the guard defending the back gate, Richard, he leapt into the air, screaming as he jumped back. What an exaggerating guy.

...Well, I guess anyone would be startled if people suddenly teleported right in front of them. ...Mei and Luna are with me too, but he hasn't even noticed them... Let's just casually slip on through.

Leaving the freaked-out Richard behind, we passed through the gate, and the usual scenery filled my vision.

"...Somehow, this feels safe..."

"Location-wise, it's the last place we can feel safe in, though."

I chuckled, "Hahaha," though this really wasn't a situation to be laughing about.

This whole incident made it crystal clear that the Church of the Priesthood finds my existence to be an eyesore, and thugs targeting the [Holy Saint] could be lurking anywhere.

Just because we're at the royal castle doesn't mean we can drop our guard.

"Please rest assured. Ars-sama will protect Luna-sama... and I will protect you, Ars-sama. —I would rather sacrifice myself than let anyone else get hurt..."

Mei said such things in an incredibly heavy, intense tone. Isn't Mei being a bit too heavy-handed here?

...True, it seems like I caused her a lot of worry with this incident. Still, having Mei protect me would really damage what little pride I have left, so I wish she'd give me a break.