Chapter 21: The Lightly Dressed and Defenseless Saint

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When he stepped out into the yard, Lloyd picked up his axe and propped a log onto the chopping block.

The axe he had found yesterday—its blade chipped and worn—had been beautifully restored by Lusha’s repair magic. It felt smoother in his hands than before, and the blade cut far cleaner. There was no doubt the firewood work would progress far more efficiently today.

Beside him, Lusha had just finished hanging the laundry. With the household magic tool—the Elemental Gem imbued with wind—and the clear sky’s sunlight shining down, the two of their clothes swayed gently back and forth.

A breeze brushed against his cheek. Today the sky had been clear since morning. With just a bit of movement he was likely to start sweating, and the laundry would dry in no time. Lusha crouched down with her knees drawn in, staring absentmindedly at Lloyd as he worked. Noticing her figure, Lloyd sent a glance her way, only to quickly avert his eyes.

I really don’t know where to look…

Lusha’s current outfit was extremely defenseless.

Her robe and shirt were hanging to dry. Apparently she had even washed her upper underwear, so all she wore now was a thin inner garment and a mini skirt. And that inner layer was an off-shoulder white linen top, decorated subtly with lace and embroidery at the collar and cuffs. Her shoulders, nape, and collarbones were exposed, and with how thin the fabric was… Depending on the angle of the light, even the modest curves of her chest seemed like they might faintly show through.

Please… Please, I’m begging you, be a little more cautious!

He knew he shouldn’t look, but his gaze kept being drawn to her on its own. Why were men such simple creatures? The faint pink of that briefly showed through the fabric of her inner garment and at that exact moment, Lusha met his eyes.

With a puzzled expression, she responded to his gaze with a gentle smile. She likely understood nothing about the meaning behind his stare. Innocent unawareness… What a terrifying thing. And at the same time, he felt a crushing guilt toward himself for harboring such impure thoughts about such a girl.

“Lloyd, I want to try that too.”

Completely oblivious to his inner turmoil, Lusha suddenly stood up. Lloyd hurriedly jerked his eyes away.

“You mean… Ah, the firewood chopping. The axe is pretty heavy, you know? And dangerous.”

“Everything starts with trying. I don’t want to leave all the work to you.”

She showed her eagerness by clenching both of her fists adorably.

“If you insist that much… Go ahead.”

Lloyd hesitated, then handed her the axe. However, he kept his gaze angled downward, doing his utmost not to look at her body.

“Hm…? Thank you very much.”

Lusha tilted her head slightly at his strange behavior, but she accepted the axe with both hands. And then—

“Wah. It’s heavier than I expected.”

The unexpected weight made her eyes widen. She attempted to lift it overhead, but… The axe wobbled, and she nearly lost her balance.

“Heave… waah!”

“Whoa—careful!”

Lloyd rushed over and grabbed her shoulders. They narrowly avoided her falling, but the axe fell heavily onto the ground. There was no way he could let those delicate arms handle labor like this. If word got out he had let the White Saint injure herself, he’d be cursed for generations.

“See? Now you understand. Switch with me.”

“I’m sorry…”

“There’s no need to apologize. You don’t have to force yourself to do things you’re not good at. I don’t know the first thing about different kinds of wild plants either. We just make up for each other’s strengths and weaknesses.”

Lusha blinked in mild surprise, then nodded with a soft smile.

“You’re right… I understand. I’ll leave the heavy labor to you, Lloyd.”

Picking up the axe, Lloyd glanced her way. He was glad she understood that, but there was something else he very much needed her to understand too. She was still completely defenseless, and he didn’t know where to look. But his instincts as a man kept wanting to look anyway. Truly troublesome.

“Lloyd, what’s wrong? You’ve been acting strange. Is something off about me?”

Lusha tilted her head, confused by his darting gaze. So she really was unaware. He figured he should tell her. This was something important if they were going to live together.

“Ah—well. You see, it’s… I mean, it’s kind of hard to say.”

“Yes? What is it?”

“…Saint-sama, you’re extremely lightly dressed right now. Um… I don’t know where to look, so it would help if you stayed still.”

At those words, Lusha blinked once, then glanced down at her outfit. Her face immediately flushing bright red. She crossed her arms over her chest in a panic.

“—! I-I’m so sorry! I didn’t realize it at all! I’ve shown you something so indecent…!”

“N-No! It’s not indecent at all! More like, I’d like to see more—!”

“…Eh?”

“N-Nothing! Forget that! That was just me being stupid!”

Lloyd grabbed the axe in a fluster and pretended to return his focus to the firewood. Lusha, still red-faced, retreated back to her previous spot and sat with her knees hugged again. The gentle sunlight and the quiet time meant just for the two of them seemed like it would continue for a while longer.

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