The journey with Sierra was somewhat awkward and very quiet.

After all, we had only just met a day ago, and our first encounter had been... like that.

It was difficult to chat happily like I did with others I've traveled with before.

‘Still, staying completely silent would just make things uncomfortable.’

I carefully spoke to Sierra, who was walking with her head down, her cheeks flushed.

"S-so, when did you start working as a priest?"

I wasn't really that interested, but I didn't have any other topic to bring up.

When having a conversation, it's often better to ask questions about the other person.

If I bring up something I know, the other person might not find it interesting.

Worst case, I could end up bombarding them with boring talk.

On the other hand, asking about the other person is usually a safe bet—it’s their own story, after all, which generally flows without feeling tedious.

Even if I’m not actually interested, it's simple enough to pretend that I am.

"I’m an orphan. I've been in the church since I was a baby."

Of course, that’s assuming you don't pick the wrong topic.

"Oh... haha…"

She didn’t seem to think it was a big deal, but at the mention of being an orphan, I awkwardly scratched my head.

"……."

"……."

This was the risk of picking the wrong topic—it could easily lead to an even more uncomfortable silence.

The subject really mattered.

"Um..."

Thankfully, it seemed that the previous question had made Sierra a little uncomfortable too, and she spoke up cautiously.

I responded with a bright smile, happy that she was finally talking.

"Yes! What is it?"

"Ugh, d-don’t look at me with that smile. It’s improper."

I had never been told my smile was improper before in my entire life.

"Uh, is there something you’re curious about?"

But it was clear who had to adjust here, so I quickly wiped the smile off my face and asked carefully, following her advice.

Blushing slightly, Sierra averted her gaze and asked, "W-what is love... like?"

"…Pardon?"

Caught off guard by the unexpected question, I was momentarily flustered.

Love? Out of nowhere?

Isn't that the kind of thing a high school student might ask their new teacher? About first love, or something like that.

"W-well, I mean, it’s vulgar, but still… you’re sharing your heart with three women."

Sierra spoke while furrowing her brows, as if she were trying to hide her true emotions.

But her eyes were filled with curiosity that even a fool could notice.

‘So she’s quite interested in that kind of thing...’

Humans are creatures of curiosity.

Perhaps because she had been suppressing her emotions for religious reasons, her interest in love was even more intense.

Like they say, ‘forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest.’

It seemed that she rejected such feelings fiercely precisely because she was so curious about them.

"I don’t think you need to be so opposed to love."

"…Huh? What do you mean by that?"

"Well, you’re quite pretty, so it seems like a waste to ignore the idea of love."

Hearing my words, Sierra stared at me blankly for a moment, then, realizing what I meant, her face turned bright red. Seeing her reaction, I realized I had made a mistake.

"S-s-s-stay away from me, you demon!!"

"Ack! I’m sorry! I’m sorry, please don’t throw holy water at me!"

Recently, I’ve come to understand something.

There are quite a few downsides to being handsome.

When I was chubby Ken, I never got treated like this, and sometimes I miss those days.

After all, even when I was overweight, those three still loved me, so did I really need to look like this?

"Ugh, you sound just like Head Priest Probane..."

After pouring holy water over me as if she were purifying me, Sierra calmed down and, seemingly feeling guilty, handed me a handkerchief.

‘So Probane said something similar as well.’

Well, considering she’d grown up in the church, Probane was practically her parent.

It made sense for him to worry if his daughter-like child was at the age to marry yet rejected men entirely.

"I-I’m sure that’s why he made me come on this errand with you."

"Why’s that?"

"To, um… learn about love. He probably wants me to change my mind by traveling with you."

I was taken aback by her words and stepped back, saying,

"I-I already have three wives, you know?"

"I know! Why are you stepping back? I’m the one who wants to avoid this, you know?!"

Feeling an instinctive sense of danger, I had unconsciously backed away.

But now I was relieved.

I wouldn’t give in to lust and betray my love for those three.

I was someone who avoided situations I should avoid.

Relieved, I continued the conversation with a smile.

"But it’s strange, isn’t it? As you said, I have wives… wouldn’t that make me a poor candidate for helping you?"

If Probane’s goal was to make her interested in men, it would have made more sense to pair her with a single man.

That way, a small spark of love could ignite her romantic feelings—it would be a better approach.

"Precisely because you have wives. He trusts you won’t try anything improper."

Still slightly annoyed about my earlier retreat, Sierra crossed her arms and grumbled in response.

‘Probane really put a lot of thought into this.’

Indeed, if you think about it, placing a potentially dangerous man by his daughter’s side was risky.

So, instead, he chose someone less threatening—me—to help her slowly adapt to the presence of men.

In any case, I now understood why he had insisted on assigning me as her escort.

"Would you like me to tell you about my wives, then?"

"…Sure, do as you please."

Since Probane had gone out of his way to pair me with her for her sake, I thought I might as well help her.

It might not be much, but I could tell her stories about love.

Fortunately, despite pretending not to care at first, her curiosity got the better of her, and she listened attentively, her eyes wide with interest.

We ended up talking for quite a long time while we walked.

By the time the sun was setting, we had safely arrived at our destination village.

"Thank you again this year. The children always look forward to this day."

The donation was successfully delivered to the orphanage head.

As we sat in the orphanage as guests, enjoying some tea and a short conversation, I noticed the children peeking in with curious eyes.

They were young—probably not old enough to have started learning to read.

Knowing that these children would have a wonderful day thanks to the donations made me feel quite proud.

‘This was a good job.’

Not only did we help make the children happy, but I also managed to draw out some curiosity about the opposite sex in Sierra.

I smiled, feeling content.

But then—

"So?! What happened with Miss Raphne?!"

"Uh, well… shouldn’t we find our inn first?"

"Let’s have dinner and talk first! We can find a room later!"

Sierra, captivated by her first-ever exposure to stories of romance, urged me to continue like a child hearing Peter Pan for the first time.

Of course, the stories about Raphne and the others were quite interesting.

It wasn’t just romance; it included various adventure stories as well.

"I’ll pay for the drinks!"

Sierra was so engrossed in the story that she even offered to buy dinner just to hear more.

"Well, if you insist."

It felt good to have someone enjoy my stories, so I ended up getting excited too, and we delved into the conversation over drinks.

There were countless stories about me and the three of them, and Sierra found every one of them fascinating, listening closely.

Our drinking session went on for quite some time.

At some point, Sierra began treating me with much less hostility, becoming quite friendly.

We ended up laughing and sharing all sorts of stories together.

And thus, our dinner, marking the end of our short journey, continued for a long time.

The night grew deeper.

"…Ugh."

Chirp, chirp.

The chirping of morning birds.

I opened my eyes, suddenly feeling disoriented by the unfamiliar surroundings as I sat up.

‘Wait, I was just with Sierra...’

The last thing I remembered was chatting happily with Sierra.

Then I blinked, and suddenly everything had changed.

And the sensation on my skin—

The soft, warm touch against my bare skin.

It was familiar.

Looking down, I saw the white inn blankets.

The innkeeper had clearly washed them thoroughly for the guests—soft and comforting.

Seeing the scene before me, a chill ran down my spine, and I snapped out of my groggy state.

My eyes darted nervously to the side.

There, I saw—

A woman’s shoulder, as white as the freshly laundered sheets, and even softer.

She was lying beside me, her skin peeking out from under the blanket.

Sierra was sound asleep next to me.

It looked exactly like the beginning of those typical ‘spent the night together’ scenes.

And, just like the protagonists of those scenes, warning bells were blaring in my head.

Please support the series on NovelUpdates

Read Here for premium chapters