As Kael and his party entered the room, they realized the room was much bigger than they were expecting.
“He gave the biggest room to us.”
Sarah muttered as she looked around, her eyes darting towards Kael repeatedly.
“Mhm, he seems like a good man.”
Kael nodded.
“He was lying.”
A voice was heard.
The party turned around and saw Lyra, who had already taken out a mattress, two pillows, and a blanket, set it up on the floor, and was about to get into it.
“…”
Kael stared at her with a dumbfounded look on his face.
He completely ignored what the woman said since he had an entirely different question in his mind,
“Where did all that even come from?”
“I stored it in my Sanctuary.”
Lyra answered.
“And food and other supplies?”
Kael tilted his head.
Yes, almost everyone in this world had their own Sanctuary that could not just store Beasts but also store objects, however, the available space inside the Sanctuary was limited.
After all, the Sanctuary was a place where the Tamer’s Bonds were supposed to live and rest.
While it is often used as Storage, most Tamers made sure not to overwhelm it with foreign objects since that would take the space away from their Bonds.
To bring an… entire mattress…
“I only brought enough to last till I get here.
I am sure a Town would have some spare supplies for a girl who came to protect them and then send her away.”
“…”
Kael was speechless.
It was common knowledge to not consume supplies that could not be trusted during a mission.
How could…
Seeing his expression, Aria chuckled.
“Do not worry, Hero.
We have brought enough supplies for her.”
Kael turned towards the elegant mage and,
“You knew this would happen?”
He questioned.
“Yes, the Hero might find it surprising since you do not know her, but that woman loves her sleep… to a surprising extent.
You might catch her without an extra set of clothes, but that mattress? That has never left her side.
Actually, you can even bribe her with a fluffy blanket, and it would work better than bribing her with gold.”
Aria laughed out loud as she stared at Lyra, who had already tucked herself in.
“But don’t worry, I assure you she can carry her own weight when the situation asks for it. She is the best out of the three of us.”
Aria added.
“You seem to know quite a lot about her.”
Kael commented as he glanced at Aria.
“Hmm? Of course, I do. We three live together.”
The Mage revealed.
“What?”
Kael was taken aback. He turned towards Sarah, wanting to confirm if what Aria said was the truth, and Sarah nodded.
Aria, who saw that, grinned mischievously and,
“Hero Kael, does the thought of sharing a room with three single women who live together excite you, hmmm?”
She questioned.
“W-What are you talking about?”
Kael stuttered.
“Heeeh? Is the Hero blushing? Actually, does the Hero have a lover? I have a very suitable and beautiful candidate if you do not.”
Aria chuckled, and Kael could only see one way of getting out of this situation.
“Lyra, what did you mean when you said he was lying?”
He changed the topic.
Kael wasn’t a fool. He could tell what Aria was trying to do, and honestly, it wasn’t the first time the girls had tried to make a move on him.
Kael, however, had always avoided that simply because of how paranoid he had gotten when he saw the relationships around him.
Couples fighting for no apparent reason, constantly disrespecting each other’s boundaries, things like one-night stands, situationships, open relationships—those people were now introducing new terms Kael didn’t even know the meaning of!
Cheating on your partner had become commonplace, staying loyal was now a flex, and in this environment, Kael, who still foolishly hoped for the genuine love he found in novels, decided to stay away from all this and wait for his ‘one.’
“When he said he was grateful that you came here, he was lying.”
Lyra answered, still not moving her head out of the blanket.
“Well, that’s obvious, no?
Who would choose to believe a young man summoned to this world two weeks ago when the people they love are at stake here?
They were probably hoping for a General, a Commander, or someone much more capable than me to be sent here.”
Kael replied.
“But you are capable!”
Sarah was quick to answer.
“You are strong enough to defeat all three of us even if we work together. You are much more qualified than any one of them.
What gives them the right to look down on you when you came here to protect them!?”
Hearing her words, Kael smiled.
“Well, I guess I need to prove that to them by saving the families they love so much, no?”
And once again, Sarah’s frustration flushed out.
“I will be relying on you three for this mission. Please look out for me.”
Kael spoke in a light tone.
“Y-Yes, I will do my best!”
Sarah nodded, her eyes full of determination.
“I didn’t know the Hero used seduction to make people do what you want. Doesn’t sound very heroic.”
Aria chuckled.
“Where in the hell does it look like I am seducing you?”
“That’s the trick.
You never show when you try to seduce a woman and lure her into your trap. Only then would an innocent lady fall for it.”
“You—”
Snore
As Kael tried to retort, but then,
The three of them heard Lyra’s snores.
Yes, the woman had entered the dreamland without a care in the world.
“Okay, you two can sleep. I will keep an eye.”
Kael ordered. Aria, however, shook her head.
“You are the strongest of us. You need to be well-rested and prepared for everything.
You two sleep, I will keep an eye.”
Since her words were logical, Kael didn’t deny them.
He turned towards Sarah and,
“You can sleep on the bed.”
He spoke as he prepared to sleep on the floor, but then,
“Hero Kael, this is not the time to act gentlemanly or care about such things.
We are on a mission, our lives are at stake here.
I am sure you know how essential a well-rested body is in the current situation.
Please sleep on the bed, both of you.”
Aria spoke in a solemn tone, and once again, Kael couldn’t deny it.
“Alright.”
He nodded as he walked towards the bed.
As he turned around, Sarah glanced at Aria, and the Mage winked at her friend again.
And once again, her face said the same thing,
‘I gotchhu.’