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I lightly stretched to check my body’s condition. There was nothing particularly uncomfortable. However, thinking about the battle that was about to take place made me naturally tense, but not to the point of stiffening my body. It was rather a suitable level of tension that allowed me to focus on the fight.

Looking at the other friends, I noticed Luna sharpening her weapon, Lindy checking her arrows, each preparing for battle in their own way. Of course, among them were Frecia, who transformed into a cat and was lazily sleeping, and Lilith, playing with Frecia’s tail as she held her in her arms. But since they could handle themselves well enough, I didn’t feel the need to point it out.

“Is everyone ready? If you’re not feeling well at all, just let me know. We can change the strategy and schedule if needed.”

I turned my gaze to Selian, who was sitting right next to me. Since she would be working closely with me, I needed to check on her condition carefully.

“There’s nothing particularly wrong… Ah! Now that I think about it, I didn’t sleep well last night, and my shoulders feel a bit stiff. Is there any chance you could massage them?”

“Really? Then that won’t do.”

You might think it’s no big deal just a stiff muscle, but a small difference can make a huge impact in battle. If she flinches from shoulder pain while raising her sword to block Vulcan’s attack, even a moment’s lapse could lead to something dreadful.

“Is this much pressure okay? Does it hurt?”

“Ah… just a bit harder…”

“Okay? How about now?”

“Haah…”

I placed both hands on her shoulders and pressed down to find the right amount of pressure. I had been so careful that my hands hadn’t applied much strength at all, which prompted Selian to request a firmer touch. Satisfying her request with careful attention, she soon relaxed and surrendered her body completely to my hands.

As I massaged her shoulders from behind, her beautiful golden hair tickled my fingers. Each time it happened, the urge to pet her hair surged, but knowing what hair means to women now, I restrained myself. No matter how messy her hair might get in the impending battle, it is still precious to her.

“How is it? Do you feel better now?”

How long had it been? Just as I thought it might be getting better, I lifted my hands from the area I had been massaging and asked. I wished I could see her expression, but since I was behind her, all I could see was the back of her head.

At my question, Selian lifted her arms, spun them around a couple of times, and then replied with a satisfied voice.

“Yes, this is enough. It seems like it’s much better than before, thanks to you, Elysia. Thank you!”

“Oh please, it’s just a massage between comrades. Compared to what you did for me when I had a cold, this is nothing.”

Back then, Selian had carefully washed my sweat-soaked body. Of course, I felt guilty about my own lecherous thoughts halfway through, but thankfully, she hadn’t noticed.

“By the way, where is Karina? She’s late…”

“Aaaah! A cramp all of a sudden…!”

As I wondered how long we would have to wait and was about to get up, Yuli, who had been having a strategy meeting with Linne a little distance away, suddenly crouched down and grabbed her leg. I could hear urgency and pain in her voice, so I quickly rushed over to her.

“What’s wrong, Yuli? Are you okay? What hurts?”

“I think I have a cramp in my calf…”

“Just lie down here!”

I couldn’t just lay her down on the floor, so I quickly picked her up and placed her on the bed.

“Hang in there a bit. When you have a cramp in your calf, you should do this…”

Carefully, I took off her boots, which were fitted snugly on her feet, and gently pulled her foot towards her body while holding her toes.

I also frequently got cramps in my calves while overexerting myself, so I understood how painful it could be. A light cramp in the toes is bearable, but a calf cramp is truly unbearable pain. Especially when it strikes you unexpectedly while you’re sleeping at night, it can be utterly horrific.

But Yuli’s tolerance was remarkable; even though I could barely tolerate the pain as an assassin with strong endurance, she seemed completely unfazed, not even flinching. It was surprising how she didn’t look like someone in pain at all.

“I think it’s getting better now.”

Thankfully, Yuli said she was feeling better, so I set her leg down. However, instead of getting up, she turned over and lay on her stomach on the bed.

“Well… I think my calf muscles have stiffened because of the cramp… Could you massage them out?”

“Of course. If you get tense, it could make it hurt more or cramp again, so just relax and make yourself comfortable.”

“Mhm…”

What a day it was today; having just finished massaging Selian’s shoulders earlier, now I was massaging Yuli’s calves. Wearing those tight-fitting spandex pants, her leg shape was clearly visible, making it hard to keep my gaze steady the whole time.

Even though her cramp was gone, her muscles were likely still tense, but the texture of her calves felt surprisingly soft under my palm.

“U-uh, that’s enough now!”

Just yesterday, I almost got misunderstood for touching her thighs, and I was nearly about to make another mistake. If I had been even a moment slower to realize, I might have repeated the same blunder as before.

“Hehe. Thanks, Elysia. Can I ask you again next time?”

“Helping you isn’t hard, but hoping you won’t cramp again is more important, don’t you think? Calf cramps can last a while, so be careful.”

“Don’t worry! Thanks to your massage, I’m feeling great!”

“Well, that’s a relief.”

Thankfully, Yuli was feeling great. We were truly ready to set off now…

“What’s everyone doing?”

As I broke my gaze from Yuli and got up, I saw my friends grimacing, each holding onto a part of their body, whether it be arm or leg.

“Finally, it’s time for our hero to shine! Unless the enemy has reinforcements, we definitely have the advantage in numbers. Though our numbers haven’t increased drastically, the power is real!”

It seemed like it was almost time for departure, as Karina came to call us. As she said, the difference in troop strength between us and the enemy was clear. Just yesterday—actually, until before we arrived—the demonic side had the upper hand, but with our joining, the scales had tipped entirely in our favor.

Of course, I had been spotted by Vulcan during a brief reconnaissance yesterday, but I wasn’t particularly worried. Even if Vulcan saw me, he wouldn’t know how many reinforcements I had, nor, even if he did, would it matter.

For someone like Vulcan, who’s high on fighting, he wouldn’t care if his subordinates were swept away by the difference in strength. His only concern was finding strong opponents to make his blood boil. As long as nothing interfered with his fight, he wouldn’t care about anything else. He was probably too excited for the upcoming battle to even think about asking for reinforcements. And besides, how many could arrive in just one day anyway?

Of course, I have no intention of indulging in Vulcan’s desires. A one-on-one fight might be a close match, but I certainly wouldn’t overextend myself. I have friends. I have a place to return to. I have names to remember. I have a family. I have a home.

I have an obligation to survive.

I couldn’t care less about cowardice. This is how heroes in fairy tales fight—facing the Demon King and launching an assault together with comrades.

Besides, I am an assassin. Engaging in a frontal assault does not qualify as cowardice. If someone wants to argue about cowardice before me, they should at least pull off a hostage situation first. Ah, but if they actually made one of my comrades a hostage, I wouldn’t know what I would do either.

“Now, our precious hero. Although I won’t be fighting alongside you, I hope you can manage with this.”

Mariel, who would be joining the soldiers to treat the remaining injured and prepare for the injuries that would occur in the upcoming battle, approached me. She halted in front of me and gestured for me to kneel.

As I knelt down at her gesture, I soon felt a gentle sensation touching my forehead. It was the blessing Mariel had bestowed upon me during the Celestial Festival. Though it felt somewhat playful, just like that time, I felt lighter, perhaps because of the Saint’s blessing. Though whether it was truly due to her divine power or something else, I couldn’t quite tell.

After all, a beautiful woman’s kiss is the most powerful blessing for a man.

Oh, in that sense, I could say the power of this blessing was double.

 

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