## Chapter 818 – Winter in the Capital
ㅡSilence.
The Saintess’s eyes widened, and she froze.
I said it, but it was a natural reaction. Anyone would be shocked beyond belief to hear something like that. Honestly, even I was surprised that I had seven wives.
“…”
The frozen Saintess stared into my eyes, unmoving.
I slightly avoided her gaze and lowered my head a little. I had confessed my weakness for women. I wondered what the Saintess would think about this.
Of course, she couldn’t think well of it.
A paladin being a harem king? It was bound to feel like a moral and ethical problem. But I had brought immense benefits and information to the Order. The Saintess wouldn’t cut me off like a lizard’s tail. And she wouldn’t think too badly of me.
I trust the Saintess…!
Having woman problems shouldn’t matter when you’re a paladin!!!
“…”
But the silence lingered for a long time.
Ah, damn it. Is it really that bad?
“…Seven people.”
After a long silence, the Saintess finally opened her mouth.
“Did you say seven people just now?”
“…Yes.”
“Seven people… seven people, huh… That’s an unreal number. Ha. Seriously. Seven people?”
“…”
I knew it, right?
But I couldn’t figure out what the Saintess was thinking. Was she holding back to scold me? I was prepared, but my heart was pounding like crazy.
Still, I brought back information about the Spirit Realm… that should offset it a bit.
“Of course, it’s not strange for a man like a paladin to have many women. Doesn’t a paladin have that kind of ability? Just like countless men line up behind this Saintess, it’s only natural that women line up behind a paladin.”
The Saintess’s eyes narrowed as she said that.
ㅡCrunch.
Then, she started biting her thumbnail again, like before. Her red lips stood out, giving off a strange, alluring vibe.
ㅡChew, chew.
ㅡCrunch, crunch.
ㅡChew, chew.
ㅡCrunch, crunch.
She continued that behavior while staring into my eyes.
“…”
Oh, motherfucker, this is a huge problem.
She seemed to be doing that unconsciously, which meant she was taking my actions very seriously. Even though marriage was free, she clearly thought that seven people was crossing the line.
ㅡShe was shocked to see the paladin she trusted commit such a transgression.
What should I say here…?
“But.”
The Saintess, who had said it was natural for me to have many women, suddenly changed the atmosphere and spoke as if making a declaration.
“A paladin, who should be more moral than anyone else.”
“…”
“Is actually a womanizer?”
A womanizer.
See? Even the Saintess felt that way. A womanizer. It’s definitely not a word with good connotations. Even the Saintess, who was on my side, felt that way the moment she heard about the seven people, so how would others feel?
Damn it.
“A womanizer… yes, a womanizer. It’s been said since ancient times that heroes are fond of women, but I never imagined that our paladin would be like that.”
“That… Saintess.”
“Of course, this Saintess has no intention of saying anything about the paladin’s personal life. The paladin is a free man and has the right to enjoy that freedom. This Saintess certainly thinks so.”
Having said that, the Saintess became agitated and started biting her nails again.
“However, the paladin is practically affiliated with the Order. While personal life deserves respect…”
ㅡCrunch.
ㅡCrunch.
ㅡCrunch.
“Depending on one’s affiliation, actions that deviate from social norms… should be refrained from as much as possible.”
What she was saying was right.
But what could I do? My women were seven in number. I didn’t feel ashamed of it or think it was a bad thing at all.
Claudie told me to sow seeds. To spread my descendants far and wide. That was the true act of a warrior. Of course, she was thinking that way with the feeling of having someone else do it for her since she couldn’t give birth herself.
To me, Claudie’s words were absolute.
So I wasn’t ashamed. I just knew that it could be a flaw in the eyes of the general public.
I was confident.
“In that sense, this Saintess is very disappointed in the paladin.”
Disappointed…!
“This Saintess trusts the paladin. However, this matter is beyond that. A woman connected to you, seven in number… no, how can it be seven people?”
The Saintess, who had been biting her fingers, stopped and looked at me with a dumbfounded expression.
“Seven people? Have I ever seen such a womanizer?”
Womanizer again.
“Paladin. If you have a mouth, try to make some excuses. This Saintess is very disappointed in this situation, but I still feel like I should hear the story. Directly from the paladin’s mouth.”
She was still willing to hear the story, huh!
Good!
“Why aren’t you sitting down?”
“Yes. I will sit.”
The Saintess seemed angry.
That feeling was already radiating from her attitude. I immediately pulled up a chair and sat across from the Saintess.
“That, Saintess. The thing is.”
Let’s try to give a plausible explanation. I didn’t have anything prepared, but it would work out somehow.
“Since when have you had so many women?”
However, Saintess Kadia interrupted me and said that.
“It’s been a while… First of all, Saintess. Please listen.”
“It’s been a while, huh… I wondered.”
ㅡClick.
The Saintess, interrupting me again, took out a cigarette and lit it. I didn’t know how many times she had smoked in front of me now.
I waited until she exhaled the smoke. I couldn’t say anything first, because she wasn’t looking at me.
ㅡWhoosh.
Soon, the Saintess, having exhaled the smoke, looked at me again.
“…”
Did she mean for me to speak now?
“Saintess. The thing about me having seven wives… is.”
“You’d need about seven mouths to make excuses.”
“…”
“As expected of the paladin, who is good at talking, things are coming out right away. Go ahead, try to speak. This Saintess has given you a chance to speak, hasn’t she?”
Oh, shit.
Is it this difficult to speak?
“That, well, Saintess.”
“Haa. Wait a moment. I can’t calm down at all.”
“…”
She exhaled smoke again and held her head with her hand. My heart was also becoming more and more uneasy. Was she taking it this seriously? And on top of that, the fact that I had made the Saintess this upset made me uncomfortable. The Saintess was practically my benefactor.
“Ah.”
Then, the Saintess made a sound as if she had figured something out.
“Could it be that?”
“Yes?”
What?
“The paladin was from Mirkesha, right?”
Then, she continued as if talking to herself.
“Yes, that was it.”
Why my origin?
“It was natural because you were from Mirkesha. You grew up in a culture where it’s common to have many wives. Mirkesha tribes often have powerful warriors with multiple wives.”
The Saintess, who had been talking to herself, nodded as if she had come to a positive conclusion.
“If you grew up in such a culture from a young age, it’s natural to feel and act that way. It would have been common sense for the paladin. This was a cultural difference. Because of the paladin’s skillful attitude, I sometimes forget that you’re from a different culture.”
“…”
“Is that right?”
It was as if she was defending me.
Could it be that she thought about the reason and convinced herself? After briefly organizing the words in my head, it seemed that way. She told me to make excuses, but she trusted me from the start, so she thought of a convincing reason herself.
Being from Mirkesha was helpful at times like this. It was actually somewhat similar. Of course, it was different, but it would be strange to bring up the topic of Claudie at this timing, so I should just let her convince herself.
Just like how I convinced the knights who believed the Spirit King was a high-level spirit.
“…Yes.”
Having made up my mind, I nodded with a gloomy expression. In any case, I had to show a remorseful appearance for the Saintess to be convinced.
“That’s right.”
“I knew it.”
The Saintess nodded at my answer.
“That’s a bit… right. Having many wives is so natural in our culture… In fact, it hasn’t been that long since I learned that this polygamy could be criticized by many people.”
I thought it was a good reason.
“Don’t people here also often have many wives or husbands if they’re nobles? So I just thought it was natural.”
In reality, nobles had many spouses. The more capable they were, the more they had. This was the same in Earth and this world. Still, it was enough to point fingers at in general.
“That’s what it was.”
The Saintess’s eyes, which seemed to be convinced, seemed to soften a bit. Her voice, which had seemed sharp, also changed to a flat tone. She was convinced of the reason.
The Saintess nodded in that state and said.
“Yes… If it’s a cultural difference, I can’t help but understand… Really, this is… Haa…”
Then, she sighed once.
ㅡTap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
Still, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy, so she tapped the desk with her finger. I looked at the Saintess’s eyes and said carefully.
“Saintess. Are you… very disappointed because of that?”
“…Of course, I can’t help but be disappointed. Although you’re not an official paladin of the Order, the fact that you won the martial arts tournament has made it publicly known that you’re this Saintess’s direct paladin, and now it’s been revealed that you’re a womanizer. If anyone finds out about this, it will clearly damage our external image.”
That was right.
“Of course, that doesn’t negate the fact that the paladin has done very positive things for the Order. It’s just that ordinary believers may feel it in a bad way.”
“I can’t deny that either.”
Because it was true.
“This Saintess is disappointed. But this seems to be a matter of not considering the cultural difference… Haa. The paladin is right.”
The Saintess, who had been speaking in a soft tone, covered her eyes with her palm.
“I won’t say anything more since you recently learned that it’s something to be criticized, but this Saintess was quite shocked by this matter.”
“Saintess.”
“What is it?”
“I’m really sorry. I made the Saintess disappointed with my actions.”
I bowed my head and apologized in a sincere tone.
“Still, my heart to serve the Order and the world is genuine, so please forgive me.”
“No, I know that well. This Saintess knows the paladin’s thoughts very well… so raise your head and…”
As I raised my head in that state, our eyes met again.
“…Hmm.”
Did I get through this well? This time, the Saintess tilted her head slightly when our eyes met. She wasn’t in the same mood as before, scolding me.
She was convinced because of that Mirkesha thing just now.
“Haa… If it’s a cultural difference, there’s nothing I can do. I won’t blame you for this matter, so there’s no need to feel too guilty. I think this Saintess spoke too hastily.”
Her voice also changed as if comforting me.
“Thank you for saying that. Still, I can’t help but feel guilty. I vow to serve the Order more devotedly in the future.”
“Ugh…”
As I repeatedly apologized, the Saintess shook her head once.
“That’s enough. It’s okay. Let’s keep this matter between this Saintess and you.”
“…”
“Still… I want to see them once.”
“What do you mean?”
What did she want to see?
“The paladin’s wives. In this context, it seems like you received their help, so shouldn’t I thank them if I have the chance? Really, seven people, it seems very complicated.”
Ah, that.
“And today, this Saintess is very upset… so it’s hard to talk more. I won’t say anything separately about this matter, but the paladin needs to have a deep conversation with this Saintess once.”
“Yes.”
“Tomorrow. No, the day after tomorrow.”
The Saintess said while looking into my eyes.
“Come to the restaurant we went to together last time that morning.”
“In the morning?”
“I think we need to have a long talk. I’ll be waiting… if you don’t come.”
Oh no.
“I’ll probably get angry.”
“…”
The Saintess’s eyes, which I thought were genuine, narrowed again. I greeted the Saintess, who had issued an eviction order, and came outside.
Ah, damn it, I’m more upset now.
