Her voice sank into the pitch-black forest.

The surroundings were pitch-black as if an echo would return, but it was quiet all around as if the darkness had swallowed even the sound.

An atmosphere where one couldn’t be sure whether a ghost or a person would come out.

Ugh, scary. Rukna rubbed her goosebump-covered arms and shouted once more.

“I know you’re there, so come out.”

At the same time as those words, there was a sound of something falling behind Rukna’s back.

Aaaah! Rukna was startled and turned around.

The divine power she emitted in all directions from the shock briefly illuminated the dark forest.

In the place where the light disappeared, Matian was visible. He was standing about five steps away, looking awkward.

Ahem, Rukna tightly closed her mouth that had been screaming and lowered the staff she had been pointing at him.

Anyone would be surprised if such a large man suddenly popped out in the middle of the night.

“Y-you, why are you there?”

Matian was silent, rubbing the back of his neck.

Rukna put her hands on her waist, pretending not to be surprised. It was like a scared small animal puffing up its body.

“I asked why you followed me.”

At her question, Matian’s lips quivered and he opened his mouth a beat late.

“Mother is recovering at a fast pace. As soon as she regained consciousness, she was worried about you first. I wanted to let you know this.”

Matian first conveyed the empress’s condition.

Rukna’s eyes trembled and were dyed with relief. It was something she already knew after hearing from the substitute official, but hearing it directly from him put her mind at ease even more.

Thank goodness. She was silent for a moment, then came to her senses, thinking, ‘This isn’t the time.’

“I, I’m sure I clearly told you not to see each other until the war is over?”

“I had no intention of showing myself to you. I was confident I wouldn’t get caught either… Actually, it seems you didn’t even know I was here until just now.”

Matian tilted his head.

He was genuinely curious how she was so sure of his presence when no one with average skills could have sensed his presence.

“How could I not know! Don’t you see how I laid out this sleeping bag? That’s the evidence.”

Rukna pointed to the wider than usual sleeping area.

Matian tilted his head to the side and frowned. He couldn’t understand what she meant at all.

“How did you know I was here?”

“A priestess traveling alone and no one sticks to her.”

“…?”

“Originally, I should have encountered monsters or bandits three or four times.”

In fact, even if she had encountered them, it wouldn’t have been much of a problem. Although she couldn’t get rid of them as quickly as Matian, she had enough skills to deal with them.

“But there hasn’t been a single dangerous moment. Does this make sense? No matter how lucky, it can’t be this safe.”

So she knew. That someone was protecting her. It was obvious who it was.

“I told you to fulfill your duty as a hero. The empire is in danger everywhere, so what are you trying to do with the hero being here?”

“I am fully carrying out that duty. What’s so special about being a hero? It’s about protecting the person I love.”

Matian answered like that while roughly throwing the holy sword at his waist behind him.

It flew away with a swoosh and got stuck somewhere in the forest. It seemed the holy sword was also nagging him.

“You have more important things to do, Matian. You can’t be here just to protect me alone. At this very moment, tens and hundreds of imperial citizens will be waiting for you.”

“I don’t care. I really don’t care anymore, Rukna.”

Matian blurted out a cold answer.

“If I can’t protect the person I want to protect, I’d rather not be a hero. I don’t need that damn holy sword either.”

He seemed to have completely forgotten the time when he was desperately searching for the holy sword.

He also said that the time he endured to be treated as a hero rather than a demon and the effort he desperately put in were insignificant.

“I know. I think I’m weird too. But my mind is filled with only you. The blood flowing from my heart boils up, telling me to think only of you. What should I do about this?”

Matian confessed his desperate feelings.

Rukna was flattered but also troubled. Her small, pretty lips kept trying to say something and then swallowing it.

Matian intuitively sensed that it was close to rejection and smiled bitterly, raising the corners of his mouth.

“I know what worries you have and what you’re thinking.”

He could guess what she was thinking with that little head of hers.

She would be blaming herself for Teacher Gale getting hurt at the imperial banquet, the attack on the grand duke’s residence, and the empress’s injury.

She would want to isolate herself and throw herself into the battlefield because she didn’t want to see anyone get hurt. As if reflecting on her own existence.

“Okay. I’ll act like a hero as you wish.”

Matian readily spat out the answer she wanted.

Rukna, who had been avoiding his gaze, looked up at him with sparkling eyes. He unknowingly reached out and cupped her face.

“However, only after making sure you arrive safely at your destination.”

Matian lowered his head like that. Their lips were about to touch.

“…Okay.”

Rukna nodded. It was ambiguous what she was answering to, but Matian kissed her like that.

His lips gently touched hers and parted.

Then her slightly parted lips let out a regretful sigh.

Matian slightly tilted his head and stared intently at Rukna.

Was it because of the moonlight? His blue eyes, filled with direct desire, were vivid like a hunting beast.

It made it impossible for her to run away from his true feelings.

Rukna closed her eyes, gripping the staff with both hands.

At the same time, hot breaths rushed in between her parted lips. The polite kiss gradually became rough.

Yet he didn’t act like a ravenous beast.

He adjusted the pace while engraving her every reaction in his eyes. His actions showed the persistence of a model student trying to find the right answer.

Rukna looked up at him, breathing heavily. Just from kissing, her legs were trembling.

Of course, there was no way she would fall. Strong arms were supporting her back and waist.

“…What are you trying to do, looking at me like that?”

Matian let out a deep sigh. It’s not like she looked at him to do something. Rukna touched the tip of his ear that had turned bright red.

Twitch. His large body trembled greatly as if he had been stabbed with a knife.

His face revealed in the moonlight was flushed like a red radish.

“Puhaha!”

That sight seemed so cute to her.

Rukna immediately tickled his body. It was fun to see the man said to be the strongest in the empire trembling at her touch.

“…Rukna, please.”

Matian stopped her, feeling restless.

Rukna, stop. It’s no good anymore. It’s dangerous, so don’t do it.

A trembling voice tried to dissuade her, but Rukna didn’t stop because even that reaction was fun to her.

“Enough.”

Matian, unable to endure it anymore, grabbed her wrists and lifted them up.

Huh? Rukna, pushed by his strength, took a few steps back until her back touched a tree trunk. It wasn’t just the trunk that touched her.

“…!”

Her body stiffened rigidly. A man as big as a mountain looked down at her and let out a long sigh.

“So… I told you not to do it.”

“S-sorry. I thought you were ticklish.”

“I’m not very ticklish. It’s just that… I like your touch.”

“Ha, haha.”

Silence lingered for a moment. The night breeze in the forest was quite chilly, but his body temperature was so high that she didn’t feel the cold at all.

The bodies that were pressed tightly together slowly parted.

The cold wind that blew in between took away her body heat.

As Rukna shivered, Matian immediately took off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders.

“Wait here for a moment.”

Matian turned his back. Rukna grabbed his shirt.

“Wh-where are you going?”

“…To wash up.”

“In this weather?”

“Yeah.”

“What if you catch a cold washing in cold water?”

“I need to cool down a bit.”

Matian spoke indirectly. Rukna, understanding his meaning, awkwardly laughed and let go of the shirt she was holding.

“Go to sleep first.”

Matian smiled slightly and headed towards a nearby stream.

The sound of insects pierced the quiet forest. Rukna, who had been listening to that sound endlessly, suddenly opened her eyes.

‘Why isn’t this guy coming?’

She wondered if he had fallen into the stream. She was worried because he couldn’t even swim.

Rukna abruptly got up from her spot. And as she was about to go look for him…

“Where are you going?”

His voice came from above her head. Rukna raised her head. Matian, wearing only pants, was sitting on a tree branch.

“You surprised me. Make some noise when you move around.”

“You were asleep.”

Matian conveyed that he didn’t want to disturb Rukna’s light sleep.

“When did you come?”

“Just now.”

While saying that, Matian dried his wet hair with the shirt in his hand.

“Why do you wash for so long? You’re such a clean freak.”

At those words, Matian paused for a moment and then continued wiping his body.

“It always takes me a long time. You know that too.”

At those words, Rukna blinked her eyes rapidly.

“R-really? But you, are you going to sleep on the tree?”

“Yeah.”

“What if you fall off?”

“It’s fine. I often did this on the battlefield.”

“Come down and sleep. I’m worried.”

She couldn’t let the person who had been protecting her all the way here sleep like that.

Rukna went back into the sleeping bag and tapped the spot next to her.

Matian, who had come down from the tree, looked at her and asked, “Are you joking?”

“No? I’m serious? I originally laid it out wide knowing you would be here.”

Rukna answered with her eyes wide open.

“Sigh, Rukna Closet.”

Matian pressed the corners of his eyes as if fatigue was washing over him.

“Don’t say things you can’t take responsibility for.”

“What responsibility are you talking about, making people feel burdened?”

“I have to. You should feel burdened. Do you know what kind of things I might do?”

“It’s better than you sleeping in wet clothes in the cold and your mouth twisting.”

“…”

“I’m cold.”

Rukna tapped next to her once more.

Although a true knight should politely refuse such a lady’s offer, Matian was not the type to act polite even at night.

He took the spot next to Rukna. The space that seemed wide enough for two people to lie down was narrower than he thought.

‘Or maybe Matian’s shoulders are just too wide.’

Rukna, feeling uncomfortable being so close to him, wriggled her body.

Matian, who had his arms crossed, frowned. Then he let out a long sigh.

“You seem uncomfortable, so I’ll leave.”

“Wh-where are you going?”

“To wash up again.”

“Are you going to wash for a long time again?”

Rukna tightly grabbed his hand. Matian widened his eyes and stared intently at Rukna.

“You, could it be…”

“Could it be what? You’re so clueless.”

Rukna crashed her lips against his like that.

Despite her mischievous words, the contact was so pure that Matian burst into laughter.

“Who knew the priestess was so bold?”

Matian fixed her chin with one hand. And after biting her cheek with a “hup,” he kissed her like that.