A cold breeze swept past, yet the warm breath by his ear showed no sign of fading.
Lefiya seemed to gradually grow used to the embarrassment, and she became much quieter.
Every time she opened her mouth to complain at the boy, she drew the eyes of passersby and invited even more suspicion and gossip.
The passersby took their exchange as flirtatious banter between lovers, which only fueled Lefiya's shame even further.
After a few rounds of that, Lefiya chose to keep quiet.
Since the embarrassing situation could not be avoided anyway, the safest choice was to keep other people from talking about it.
"..."
Bell cooperated and said nothing more.
He silently carried Lefiya on his back, doing his best to keep the ride from jolting her.
The sun had already sunk into the distance. Magic Stone lamps along the path lit the way ahead, and crisp footsteps echoed across the clean stone road.
Leaves rustled as a woman in a hood and silk scarf approached from the front.
Judging by her luxurious silk clothing and faint divine presence, Bell guessed she was a Goddess.
He did not pay her much attention and walked straight past. Just as they brushed by each other, she softly called him:
"Scumbag."
The Goddess's voice was quiet, yet it seemed to hook into the soul, filled with grief and anger. She did not linger or look back, leaving in a hurry like a passing breeze.
"Ugh... Was that a Goddess just now?"
Lefiya frowned.
"Yeah..."
Bell did not call out to stop her. Orario had plenty of Goddesses, and some of them found the so-called harem declaration hard to accept. Getting cursed at once or twice was only natural.
As the Goddess passed, the presence of several powerful people had appeared not far away. Most likely, they were her guards.
Since the Goddess had left in a hurry and clearly had no intention of showing herself, Bell had no plans to make an issue out of the insult. If he forced her to stay, it might draw in her guards and cause a confrontation, which would only bring trouble for Lefiya.
"What did you even do? She was just passing by, and you still managed to get cursed at by a Goddess..."
Lefiya had not seen the Goddess's face clearly.
She had assumed the woman was one of the boy's lovers, and that after seeing the two of them so close together, she had gotten jealous and blurted that out. But judging from Bell's reaction, the Goddess and the boy did not know each other.
"If I weren't carrying Lefiya-san on my back, I definitely would've gone over, pulled off her veil, and gotten a good look."
Bell answered jokingly.
Why had that Goddess cursed him just now?
And why had she brought guards to such a remote place?
Judging from the location, this place was not far from the agreed site of the Goddess tea party. The scenery in that area was beautiful, so it would not be strange if other tea parties were being held there too.
Still, if she had been attending a tea party, was there any need to leave by a side path?
There were too few clues for Bell to reach an answer, so he simply kept it in mind and stopped dwelling on it.
"Ugh... Don't dump the blame on me. It's definitely because you're always running around in heat that you got cursed by a Goddess."
Lefiya said it with a resentful tone.
For an accusation with no evidence, it was surprisingly convincing when aimed at a boy who flirted wherever he went.
"I'll say it again. The one calling other people a permanently horny rabbit is the one who's actually in heat. After all, just now..."
Bell changed the subject.
Before the boy could finish, Lefiya cut him off with a complaint.
"W-watch it, or I'll bite you! I told you not to feel anything!"
The golden-yellow elf's shame swelled beneath the night sky, drawing a teasing remark from another girl.
On the secluded path, Syr approached the two of them with a smile, dressed in casual clothes.
"Bell, while I wasn't around, you actually carried another girl on your back and went home all lovey-dovey together..."
A trace of jealousy colored Syr's gray eyes.
"Ugh... Syr-san, why are you here?! This is just a misunderstanding. We weren't doing anything weird!"
Lefiya had never expected to run into the boy's girlfriend in such a remote place.
Sensing Syr's gaze, she instinctively hugged Bell tighter to keep her current state from being exposed.
"Oh?"
Syr looked at Lefiya's actions with amusement, as if taking them as a jealous provocation.
"Syr, what are you doing here?"
Bell sensed the mood turning strange and quickly steered the conversation elsewhere.
"It's my day off, so I came to enjoy the scenery and try some sweets."
Syr lightly licked her lips. "I won't disturb you two, then. Remember to come to my place later, okay?"
"Ugh..."
Lefiya timidly lowered her brows.
Strange...
Why did she feel like she had lost?
Lefiya clutched the boy's shirt, her heart full of complicated feelings.
When Bell answered his lover and said he would definitely visit her tonight, Lefiya's chest tightened.
Just lying on his back and listening to their conversation gave her an inexplicable sense of defeat.
"L-let's hurry up and go."
Lefiya urged him.
"Sorry. I didn't know you were in such a rush."
Syr gave Lefiya a meaningful look, then waved goodbye to the boy.
"Oh, right. I don't think there's anything wrong with doing it outside, but you should still wipe off what needs to be wiped off. Otherwise, it might leave a bad impression."
"Uuu..."
Hearing the tavern girl's sweet voice, Lefiya almost wanted to cry.
She and Bell Cranel were not in that kind of relationship!
Lefiya could not shout those words, so she could only swallow the grievance brought on by her shame.
Not long after, the two arrived at Loki Familia's headquarters, Twilight Manor.
"Hurry up and go in already..."
Lefiya had already fallen into the depths of shame and urged the boy on in complete resignation.
"Isn't this a little inappropriate?"
Bell looked at the open gate and spoke softly.
Ais, Riveria, and the others were inside. If he carried Lefiya in like this, it would definitely turn into a hellish scene.
"Ugh... We're already here, so what are you still hesitating for? There are plenty of men in our Familia. Do you want me to go in by myself and let them see everything?"
Facing the boy, Lefiya had nothing left to lose.
Even if her Familia companions misunderstood, she could only see this through to the end.
"I understand. Leave it to me."
Bell stepped forward with firm resolve.
"Go left, then ahead to the right, turn right at the next corridor... Huh? Why are you sneaking around like that?"
Lefiya guided the boy toward her room.
She was the one who should have been worried about being misunderstood, yet the boy kept avoiding other people's presences.
Did Bell Cranel hate the idea of others misunderstanding that he had done something shameful with her that much?
Be a little happier about it!
"Hss..."
Lefiya sucked in a sharp breath, startled by her own terrifying thought.
It had to be because this chain of embarrassing incidents had clouded her mind...
Loki Familia was about to set out on an expedition, so most of the members had increased their training and were not staying inside Twilight Manor.
Thanks to luck, Bell did not run into anyone else and made it all the way to Lefiya's door.
"This is far enough."
Lefiya spoke in a hurry.
Just as she was about to get down, a blonde girl's voice called from the corridor.
"Lefiya, you're back?"