AA was momentarily taken aback by my words, then her expression soured with slight displeasure. She tapped the desk lightly and stood up from her seat. She spoke to me in a strict and strong tone.
"What do you take me for, making such a proposal?"
If she had said 'sounds great' right away, I would have had to reconsider my opinion of AA. It was precisely because she reacted so rigidly to such things that I had asked her. I waved my hand to make AA sit down again.
"Calm down, Sir Hero. I'm not trying to make a... bad, criminal proposal."
"......I have no idea what you're thinking, Sir Priest."
AA reluctantly sat down at my gesture. It seemed she was placing a sliver of hope in the faint prestige of my title as the Southern High Priest of the Archdeity Church and my threadbare moral sense. I looked around, confirmed that no one was there yet, and explained my plan.
"What?"
AA stared at me with a dumbfounded expression. At the sound of her shout, a waiter working in the restaurant peeked their head out from the kitchen and looked at us. When I shook my hand, the waiter nodded and disappeared. I lowered my voice and spoke again.
"Sir Hero, your voice is too loud."
"No, I mean... will that kind of operation even work?"
"I can't say it will work for sure. It just... increases the possibility."
AA was looking at me with eyes full of distrust. The job I had proposed was an armed robbery disguise. The specific plan was this. Robin would continue to attend Rosalyn Yuba's performances to show his face. Around the time Rosalyn Yuba became familiar with Robin's face, the Hero and I would disguise ourselves as robbers and attack Rosalyn Yuba. At that opportune moment, Robin would appear, defeat AA and me, and rescue Young Lady Rosalyn Yuba.
The two would build up favorability with each other like that. A few days later, Robin and Young Lady Rosalyn Yuba would meet at an arranged marriage meeting and fall into a fateful love.
It was old-fashioned, but in an old-fashioned worldview, it was a method you could call classic. Young Lady Rosalyn Yuba was rumored to be very kind, and judging by the nuance of Marquis Barba, he doted on her, so it was plausible enough to work.
"Will it really be okay?"
"If you and I join forces, Sir Hero, we could even rob the national treasury. Don't worry."
"No, not in that way. If things get bigger, what should we do then..."
"It'll be fine. Just trust me."
There was no reason for things to get bigger. We just had to start a quarrel with Young Lady Rosalyn Yuba, then pretend to lose to Robin and make our escape. We weren't kidnapping Young Lady Rosalyn Yuba, nor were we going to kill people and draw attention. And it wasn't like the kingdom's guards could catch a priest and a Hero over Level 50.
But AA still looked at me as if she couldn't trust this operation at all. I met AA's eyes and gave her a grin. AA shook her head and said.
"I understand. As for Mr. Robin, I've met him once before. Since you want to help with his love business, I suppose I should cooperate."
"A wise decision."
I held out my hand. AA flinched and took a small step back. I asked, sounding slightly offended.
"What's wrong? Do you not even want to shake hands with me?"
"No, it's just... it's just a handshake, right?"
It seemed this bitch thought I could get someone pregnant just by shaking their hand. I had simply held out my hand without any thought, but AA had let her imagination run wild and blushed, before reluctantly extending her hand to take mine. It was callused and rough from holding a sword for many years.
Looking closely, the contours of her muscles were flexibly revealed on her arms as well. I scanned the line from her arm to her collarbone, then stood up from my seat. AA said.
"Well then, please contact me when we're about to start."
"I will. By the way, is Princess Erina doing well? I'd like to see her face after so long..."
"No!"
AA shrieked with a flustered look on her face. The waiter, startled again, poked their head out of the kitchen to look outside. I shook my head and waved my hand, and the waiter nodded and went back inside. AA, flustered even though she was the one who shouted, looked at me and hesitantly opened her mouth again.
"Sh-She's my wife. I said, she's my wife. What would you do if I... said I wanted to talk with your wife, Sir Priest?"
"What's the problem with just talking?"
"No, I mean! That's just an expression! If I were to... do... strange deeds..."
"You're saying you'd do strange deeds to my wife?"
"What? No, that's not it... I mean..."
"You mean?"
AA tried to say something, but the words didn't seem to come out. She desperately tried to open her mouth to list the reasons why I shouldn't meet Erina, but it didn't work. She mumbled her lips, then shook her head and said.
".....Never mind. Please just go back for today."
"Understood. Then please give my greetings to Princess Erina."
".....Yes. Th-The appointment time, when should we set it?"
"I'll come to pick you up tomorrow since we need to briefly review the plan."
I left the inn, humming. With Hero AA, a master of the sword strike, even a roadside robbery was nothing to be afraid of. I was so excited for The Great 'Make Her Fall in Love' Operation that would take place in a few days.
****
"Hoo..."
AA sighed and stared in the direction Lusius had disappeared. Peta Lusius. The High Priest of the Archdeity Church, and the priest who had defeated the Demon King alongside AA. AA still remembered the comradeship he had shown back then, and his steadfast figure as he fought Eve to save her.
Back then, Lusius was truly like a saint sent from the heavens. A saint sent from the heavens to help her, who would defeat the Demon King and bring peace to the world.
"AA. Did someone come?"
"No. It was just a noble."
AA went up to the upper floor. Erina had finished her bath and faced AA wearing only a bathrobe. The contours of her firm thighs, voluptuous breasts, and her belly, beginning to swell with pregnancy, were visible. AA looked at that belly with a complicated state of mind. Lusius's child was probably in that womb.
But AA didn't resent Lusius. If Lusius hadn't saved her, AA would have died twice. By saving her once from the Demon King and once from Eve, Lusius had changed AA's life.
When Erina was anxious because of her absence, the person who stayed by her side was also Lusius. That was why AA couldn't bring herself to just resent Lusius.
"AA, today, let's..."
Erina rubbed AA's shoulder in temptation. But AA gently pushed Erina's hand away and stroked her belly. From AA's perspective, a pregnant woman was a being to be protected, not an object of sexual love. Though she loved Erina, she thought it wasn't good to have sexual intercourse in her current state.
"You're pregnant. You need to take care of your body."
".....Right. I... I suppose so."
Erina nodded with a flushed face. AA sat in a chair and looked at Erina. Erina lay down carefully on the bed and asked.
"AA. Are you really okay?"
"Eung? What are you talking about?"
"AA. I hope you'll continue to love me."
AA let out a chuckle at those words. It was because Erina's worry sounded so meaningless. For AA, her only love was Erina. Erina rubbed her thighs together and looked at AA again. Despite that lewd movement, AA endured her desire and covered her with a blanket.
"You'll catch a cold, Erina."
"......Okay."
Erina nodded with a slightly gloomy expression. AA stroked Erina's head and lay down beside her. Erina carefully opened her arms and came closer to AA.
"AA. I want you to hold me."
"Here..."
AA felt that Erina seemed depressed. She patted Erina's back and whispered.
"It's okay. Eung? You know I love you, right? Erina?"
"Yes, I, I love you the most too, AA... So, please, stay by my side."
"Of course."
Hearing AA's low voice, Erina swallowed her tears. She fell asleep, held tightly in AA's arms.
The morning sun rose. When Erina got out of bed, AA was already dressed and preparing to leave. Erina asked AA.
"AA. Where are you going?"
"Erina? You're awake? Ah, I was invited by the Knight Order to oversee some training. I think it might take a while today."
"Is that so..."
Erina felt a little lonely. She wanted to hold onto the departing AA right now, but she also knew she shouldn't. AA stroked Erina's head and kissed her on the forehead. Erina's body trembled with joy at even that small skinship.
"I'll be going then."
"AA. Come back early."
"I will."
AA stroked Erina's head one more time and left. The moment Erina heard the sound of the door closing as AA left, she lay down on the floor again and sighed. Her sexual frustration had been getting very serious lately. AA, claiming to be considerate of her pregnancy, would either only use her hands very slowly to have sex, or not have sex at all.
No matter how much Erina tried to tempt her, AA would just shake her head like a block of wood and cherish her. After her relations with Lusius, Erina's body had become one that could no longer be satisfied by masturbation or ordinary sex. For such a woman, AA's skinship was not enough.
Erina became aware of herself unconsciously thinking of Lusius and shook her head. If she kept spacing out while lying in bed like this, she'd end up having strange thoughts again. Erina changed her clothes and prepared to go out. She thought it would be good to do some sightseeing while looking at the wonderful scenery of the city.
When Erina went downstairs, a restaurant employee greeted her familiarly.
"Oh, Princess. You've come. Sir Hero has already left."
"I see. Who did she leave with? Did someone come to get her?"
Erina asked while looking at the menu. It was a question asked without much thought. The employee also answered without much thought.
"An Elf in a priest's robe came to get her. His name was... Lusius... I think he said?"
"What?"
Erina felt her mind go blank.