Help! My Overprotective S-Rank Master Who Loves Me Too Much Won't Let Me Go on Quests! - Chapter 47: Etenela-san Has Fallen for Me!

Chapter 47: Etenela-san Has Fallen for Me!

“Hah… hah… hah…”

After exhausting all my magic during training with Aria-san, I felt my body weaken and I almost collapsed. Aria-san, with a gentle smile, caught me and said:

“Good job, Adin-kun… Let’s rest for today.”

With that, Aria-san laid me down on her lap, offering me a lap pillow on the grassy field. As she cradled my head, she lightly wrapped her arms around my torso.

…She had given me lap pillows before, but recently, the way Aria-san behaved while doing so had changed. Before, it felt like she just wanted to help me relax, but now, there seemed to be a warmer, deeper emotion behind the gesture. I could feel it, and as I relaxed into the moment, I remembered something and decided to ask:

“Aria-san, about that monster horde from before, why do you think they were trying to invade the town?”

“Oh… well, I think that succubus who’s been absent for a while is finally coming back after finishing her business. I honestly wouldn’t mind if she didn’t though…”

“…Huh? Etenela-san?”

What could Etenela-san possibly have to do with the monster horde?

“Adin!”

Speak of the devil—the moment we mentioned her, Etenela-san came flying straight towards us. Aria-san saw her approach us with cold eyes, and cast a wind spell just as Etenela-san was about to embrace me. The spell altered Etenela-san’s course, sending her spiraling off in a different direction. Though she nearly flew off somewhere else entirely, she quickly regained control and returned to us, protesting:

“Aria Feruste! What was that for?!”

“Obviously, I was going to stop you if went to try to hug Adin-kun. Anyway… did you sort things out?”

“…As expected, you knew. Yes, I handled it.”

Handled…?

They seemed to have a mutual understanding about some situation, but I had no clue what they were talking about. So, I couldn’t help but interrupt.

“Uh… I’m not really following. What exactly did you handle?”

“Oh, don’t worry about it, Adin. The fact that Aria Feruste knew about it without me explaining anything is the weird part! So, you know how the monster horde was trying to invade the town the other day? Yeah, that was actually my fault.”

“Wait… your fault?”

“Technically, I didn’t directly do anything, but it was because I was staying in that town.”

“What do you mean?”

“The story’s pretty simple. The Demon Lord’s army found out I was in the town, and they mistakenly thought that I’d been captured by the humans. So, they came to ‘rescue’ me.”

“I see…”

That made sense. If a high-ranking member of the Demon Lord’s army, like Etenela-san, suddenly stopped reporting her activities, and they discovered that she was staying in a human town, it would be natural to assume that she had been captured.

“So, when you said you ‘handled it,’ does that mean you explained things to the Demon Lord’s army?”

“Yep! Although, I couldn’t exactly tell them I’d fallen for a human like you, so I told them I was infiltrating the town instead.”

“…What?”

Aria-san’s expression twisted with confusion at Etenela-san’s words.

Claiming she was infiltrating to cover her presence in a human town seemed like a clever plan to me, but why was Aria-san looking so perplexed?

“What do you mean by ‘fallen for’? You’re just using Adin-kun because he’s conveniently kind and gives you magic, right? I mean, I’d rather believe that than the alternative.”

“Well, he’s kind and gives me magic… which is exactly why I’ve fallen for him.”

“…”

I tried to calm the tense atmosphere swirling between Aria-san and Etenela-san. Though I couldn’t convince Aria-san entirely, I managed to distract her by suggesting we go out to eat something delicious together. That seemed to do the trick—at least for now, she let go of her hostility toward Etenela-san.

In any case, it was a relief to know I could still get along with Etenela-san going forward. Feeling reassured, I went out to eat with Aria-san. She was closer to me than ever before, reducing the distance between us in a way that was impossible to ignore.