Chapter 30: The Saint Who Delivers a Bento Every Day is 100% Well-Intentioned and Troublesome

The next day, during lunch break.

At the Adventurer’s Guild’s “Mental Health Consultation Desk,” the Saint—who was supposed to be the church’s greatest fighting force and an object of absolute faith—arrived holding an adorable basket.

“Nagi-sama. Good work on your morning duties.”

Serafina smiled softly, her pure white vestments swaying.

The lost, anxious expression she wore until yesterday was gone. Her face now harbored the quiet, almost-terrifying heat of someone who had found a clear “mission.”

“Serafina-san… Is it really okay for you to be away from the church’s healing ward?”

“Yes. I’ve left it to the other priests today. My highest priority right now is supporting your healthy lifestyle, Nagi-sama.”

With a fluid motion that brooked no argument, she slipped behind the counter and unpacked her basket on my desk.

“I made you a bento. You always seem so tired, Nagi-sama, so I flavored it primarily with herbs effective for nourishment and vitality, along with easily digestible steamed vegetables.”

“Ah, no, if it’s my lunch, I can just eat at the guild’s dining hall—”

“Please, do not hold back. Come now, before it gets cold.”

Without giving me a moment to refuse, she scooped up some brightly colored soup with a spoon and brought it right to my lips.

An incredibly natural say-ahh posture.

I could tell the surrounding adventurers were getting bloodthirsty, muttering things like, “That receptionist bastard, now he’s got his hands on the Saint…” and “Put him through the Inquisition.”

“…Thanks for the food.”

Enduring the glares of everyone around me, I took a sip.

It was delicious—frustratingly delicious, seasoned to perfection so that it gently seeped into my exhausted stomach.

“Hehe, I’m glad. …Ah, please don’t move.”

Right after I swallowed the soup, Serafina stepped around behind me and gently placed both hands on my shoulders.

“Your shoulders are a little tense. Heal.”

The moment a pale light enveloped my shoulders, the pain in my neck and the stiffness from desk work vanished instantly, as if it had all been a lie.

Not only that, but the fatigue behind my eyes and the heaviness in my stomach were completely reset.

“Wha… You used the Saint’s advanced healing magic just to cure stiff shoulders?!”

“If it is to heal you, Nagi-sama, I’m sure God will forgive me. Now, please have some steamed vegetables next.”

While feeling a soft sensation and warmth pressing against my back, she brought perfectly nutritious food to my lips, one bite after another.

…Terrifying.

Is this the over-interference known as the Saint’s “unconditional love”?

Speaking in terms of psychology from my past life, she was completely experiencing a “transference of dependency.”

She used to maintain her sense of self by saving an unspecified number of patients. But now, she had designated me—the “individual” who made her realize her heart was empty—as her new target for salvation (and dependency).

If the other party were violent or making unreasonable demands, I could reject them all I wanted.

But her actions were 100% well-intentioned.

She genuinely cared about my health, asked for absolutely nothing in return, and purely devoted herself to me.

Rejecting such absolute goodwill to her face came with a psychological guilt akin to kicking a puppy. So it was incredibly hard to turn her down.

“Nagi-sama, the corner of your mouth is dirty.”

“Ah, I’ll wipe it my—”

“Please hold still.”

Serafina wiped my mouth with her soft fingertips, wearing a smile like a bodhisattva’s. That was when it happened.

“Stooooop!! Take your hands off Nagi right now!!”

Bam! The counter was slammed so hard it almost cracked, and Lise leaned over it with the face of a demon.

“Hey! You just showed up yesterday. Why are you feeding Nagi?! The say-ahh feeding role belongs to me!”

“Saint Serafina. Your unconscious use of mana and administration of calories is a severe violation of the rest protocol I established.”

Beside Lise, Fran was emitting a dangerous, grating magical light from the tip of her staff.

“I was supposed to eat lunch with big brother! No fair, no fair!”

“Daytime idiot, shut up. …You, for a clergywoman, you’re doing something rather brazen.”

Roux stomped her feet, and Luna, taking the surface for just a moment, shot an icy glare at Serafina.

They were all here.

Even though they had learned to hold back one day a week due to the “Ladies’ Agreement,” their possessiveness and territorial instincts on regular workdays were still alive and well—no, they were even sharper.

A volatile atmosphere.

Normally, this would be where the blood-soaked power struggle between heroines began.

“Everyone.”

Keeping her hands on my shoulders, Serafina turned a motherly, completely unclouded smile toward the three of them.

“I ask that you please be quiet. Nagi-sama is currently in the middle of his meal and his rest.”

“Huh?! You’re the one who selfishly—”

“Nagi-sama is terribly exhausted.”

Serafina’s quiet, clear voice cut off Lise’s yelling.

“It is because all of you rely on him, burden him, and wear down his spirit. …I simply cannot bear to see him like this. I only wish to heal his wounds and support him.”

At those words, the three of them flinched, their shoulders jumping as the words got caught in their throats.

“I have no selfish desires, such as wanting to monopolize Nagi-sama. I am simply supporting him, unconditionally. …Is there a problem with that?”

Perfect logic. And bottomless goodwill.

For the three of them, who were well aware that they were the ones draining me, Serafina’s “unconditional service” was an ultimate shield they couldn’t touch.

Not Lise attacking with emotion, nor Fran pressing with logic, nor even Luna leaning toward the use of force could find a way to strike back against this 100% pure “violence of goodwill.”

“Ugh… b-but…!”

“It is logical… but I am terribly unconvinced…”

Looking down at the three of them grinding their teeth in frustration, Serafina let out a small sigh.

“However, commuting from the church inevitably creates blind spots in my schedule when it comes to protecting Nagi-sama.”

“…Eh?”

“As I thought, it would be more ‘efficient’ to support you from closer by.”

Serafina whispered right into my ear, deepening her perfect smile.

“Nagi-sama. From now on, I will support you in everything.”

Even though it was under the effects of healing magic, my stomach began to scream in twisting pain.

Abandonment anxiety, control dependency, split personalities. And now, newly added to the mix: “100% well-intentioned over-care.”

My path to a peaceful life had sunk one step deeper into the realm of carnage.