Dusk was approaching.
Two people and a dog left Isol City, walking along the dirt road outside the city walls. Xiaobai was wagging his tail, running circles around the two of them, looking quite excited.
As for why Xiaobai, who had originally been carried in a certain Saintess’s arms, was now running around on the ground, the reason was a bit complicated. Simply put, the Saintess loved fluffy things, but she didn’t like the feeling of fur getting into her nose. Thus, she let the big dog go.
Returning to the present, Xiaobai’s excitement had infected Lintis. Her smile never faded once along the way. With her hands behind her back, she hummed a few tunes she had liked in her past life. Her pace was leisurely and relaxed.
Only Shilo, whose hands were full of bags and supplies, had a dark expression, looking as though he harbored deep resentment.
“Hey, hey, hey—Mr. Shilo, how did you and Xiaobai end up seeing eye-to-eye?” Lintis leaned in toward Shilo, speaking with an expectant look.
Shilo glanced at her and said irritably, “Saintess, if you have nothing useful to say, you can just stay quiet.”
How could he not hear the hidden meaning in her words?
Lintis blinked. Her already extraordinary appearance, combined with that lively little expression, looked exceptionally dazzling under the setting sun.
“Mr. Shilo really is easy to tease. Fine, fine, never mind. I forgive you, so please tell me the interesting story of you and Xiaobai, okay?”
Shilo rolled his eyes. ‘Does this girl insist on pairing me with a dog?’
“There isn’t an interesting story. That stupid dog ran over on its own and just kept staring at me. I thought its stupid face looked funny, so I played with it for a while.”
He eventually decided to tell her. He felt that if he didn’t satisfy the Saintess’s curiosity, she would nag him the entire way back.
As if sensing it had been insulted, Xiaobai, who had been frolicking around, suddenly bit Shilo’s leg. Shilo immediately shook him off with a kick.
Shilo set down the bags, rolled up his pant leg to check, and saw a row of teeth marks. There was no blood, but the sight made his eyelid twitch.
“Pffft! Hahaha!” Lintis couldn’t hold it back and burst into laughter.
“Tch… You really enjoy other people’s misfortune, Saintess. You’re the one who wanted to keep this dog, so please keep it under control. Otherwise, I wouldn’t mind turning it into stew.”
Xiaobai, who had been tossed aside, shivered. He scurried behind Lintis, staring at Shilo cautiously while baring his teeth.
Lintis crouched down, using her body to shield Xiaobai, and spoke with indignation. “Mr. Shilo, you’re a devil!”
“Heh.”
Knowing the Saintess’s temperament by now, Shilo chose to ignore her again. He picked up the supplies and continued walking toward the farm.
Sure enough, after making a fuss for a bit and finding it boring, Lintis settled down.
Strolling through the lingering glow of the sunset, the two people and the dog passed through the forest and returned to the farm.
—
Upon reaching their new home, Xiaobai immediately broke away from them and began running wildly. He urinated on the wooden stakes used to secure the fence, seemingly marking his territory.
Lintis and Shilo returned to the wooden cabin. After a simple meal of mixed vegetable stew, they went their separate ways to handle their respective business. Shilo still needed to tend to the farm. Although it wasn’t large, it still took some time for one person to manage.
As for Lintis?
After finishing dinner and resting for a bit, the Saintess went to bathe. Once finished, she changed into a white off-the-shoulder dress. The style revealed her fair collarbones and shoulder lines, with a delicate layer of ruffles along the neckline, giving her a soft, youthful appearance.
However, such a beautiful girl was currently lying uselessly on the sofa, wrapped in a deep blue blanket, looking dazed and lazy.
The sight made Shilo, who was about to head out, feel quite annoyed.
“Saintess, I recall someone saying they would work to pay for rent? May I ask why you lay down immediately after eating? Are you not planning to work? I don’t believe I’m raising a pig here.”
“Awoo, awoo! I’m a little piggy!” Lintis let out a few playful howls, acting cute.
As long as she acted shameless, no one could make her work.
‘I’ve already worked very hard today. I healed so many adventurers and was active all day long. My energy was used up ages ago.’
And the villain in front of her actually wanted her to work. He really was a devil!
Looking at the Saintess who refused to budge from the sofa, Shilo was speechless for a moment. There were so many things to criticize that he didn’t know where to start.
“First of all, Saintess, that didn’t sound like a pig. If you’ve never heard a pig squeal, please go outside and listen. Also, your skin is truly thick…”
“Hehehe.”
“I wasn’t praising you!”
“Fine, fine… Here, this is for you.”
Shilo froze for a moment because the Saintess was handing him an entire bag of copper coins. He knew where these coins came from; they were the “medical fees” she had collected from healing those adventurers.
He remained silent for a while before slowly saying, “Isn’t this your reward? Why don’t you use it to buy things for yourself?”
Facing Shilo’s question, Lintis blinked and let out a soft “Hmm…” as she thought. Then, she said somewhat uncertainty, “I don’t think I want anything. For now, having pretty clothes to wear, enough food to eat, and a place where I can lie around lazily all day is enough for me.”
“Besides… I did promise you I would work, Mr. Shilo. If I don’t work, I have to give you something else, right? This is all I have on me, unless…”
As she spoke, Lintis looked down at her own impressive chest. Her cheeks slowly flushed red, and her gaze shifted away from Shilo. Her pink lips parted slightly.
“Mr. Shilo… do you want me instead?”
The moment those words left her mouth, Shilo snatched the money bag from her hand. He lowered his head and walked out quickly—so quickly that Lintis almost didn’t notice the boy’s ears were bright red.
Lintis blinked, lying on the sofa with her chin resting on her hands. Her small feet kicked back and forth. She watched the direction the boy had gone with a smile on her lips, looking to be in a very good mood.
On the other side, the boy’s ears were burning fiercely. The flush spread from his cheeks to his neck, revealing the innocence fitting for a boy his age.
The large dog nearby let out a few barks as if mocking him. This made the boy feel particularly embarrassed, even though his audience was just a dog and not a person. He chased the dog, running around the farm.
By the time the sky grew dark, the boy and the dog collapsed together in exhaustion. Only then did the boy snap out of it, falling into deep thought as he looked at the unfinished work on the farm. Ultimately, he sighed as if admitting defeat and carried the big dog back into the cabin.
He had intended to complain to the Saintess about her dog, but he saw that the girl had fallen asleep on the sofa.
Lying on a pillow, she had closed her eyes defenselessly. Her long eyelashes trembled occasionally, and her small mouth was slightly open, letting out soft “whoo, whoo” breaths. That cute face, which was usually either smiling or wearing a mischievous grin, was exceptionally peaceful now.
“She’s actually quite docile like this,” the boy whispered. His lips curled up slightly, a change he didn’t even notice himself.
But soon, his brow furrowed slightly because the girl on the sofa moved. Sensing the chill, she curled further into the blanket.
The boy hesitated for a moment. He crouched down, found a place to grip, and finally gave the exposed shoulder a gentle nudge.
“Saintess, please wake up. If you’re going to sleep, go back to your room.”
His voice wasn’t quiet, but it was useless. The Saintess let out a disgruntled “Mmm…” and rolled over, burying her head into the inner side of the sofa.
The boy’s lip twitched. His expression turned solemn as he finally reached a decision. He reached out and lifted the girl into a princess carry.
‘She’s so light… she feels far too light…’
‘Did she use some kind of technique back then?’
The boy thought this, but a few seconds later, he shook his head to clear his wandering thoughts. There were more important things at hand. He had expected this big movement to wake her, giving him a chance to explain, but the Saintess naturally leaned against his chest with no sign of waking at all.
Shilo thought, ‘She really is a pig, isn’t she?’
He sighed. He felt like he had sighed more in the past few days than he had in an entire year. He didn’t stay frozen in place; the sensation and the fragrance coming from his arms made it difficult for him to stay calm.
He carried the Saintess back to her room, covered her with a blanket, and left. Afterward, he walked out of the cabin and sat on the steps, quietly feeling the wind under the cool moonlight.