Warm sunlight fell over brown hair, and the human girl's small ponytail swayed against Bell's neck like a pair of playful ears.
Bell sat half on the ground, holding Elfy, whom he had only just met.
Since he was underneath her, he kept to his gentlemanly manners and remained in place as her cushion.
If Bell moved, it would be like heartlessly throwing her off. The one who should have gotten up was the human girl, yet Elfy showed no sign of moving.
"Such a refreshing smell…"
At the girl's murmur, Bell gained a deeper understanding of Elfy.
Slow? Airheaded? Unable to read the room?
None of those descriptions seemed quite right.
"Elfy, get up. This is completely improper."
Riveria's voice carried a trace of anger.
When dealing with Finn and the others, she only needed to say their names for them to understand her mood and react accordingly.
But Elfy was different.
Even within the Loki Familia, her personality was rather unique.
"Okay~"
Elfy slowly got to her feet, muttering under her breath, "So warm… So this is the warm embrace that won over Lefiya and Riveria-sama… Catching me so gallantly just now was way too OP, wasn't it? Mm… I really want to try that again…"
A suggestive flush lingered on the girl's smiling face.
"…"
Bell sensed a murderous atmosphere.
The source was the emerald-haired elf, who had fallen silent.
Was Elfy saying that on purpose?
No, he could not sense even the slightest hint of hidden malice. She was simply saying what she thought.
He could not let Elfy keep talking, or blood was definitely going to splatter onto him.
How had this human girl managed to secure a place for herself in the Loki Familia?
Did she have no attachments left in this world?
Bell pushed the retort to the back of his mind and quickly changed the subject. "Elfy-san, with that cute outfit, are you a Mage too?"
At those words, Riveria let out a quiet sigh.
While Bell looked at her in confusion, Elfy lifted the hem of her pale purple robe and spun in a circle.
"I knew it. White Rabbit is interested in my title, isn't he~"
"…"
Bell was momentarily speechless. White Rabbit meant him? And why did she deliberately spin around?
Under his gaze, a bright smile bloomed on Elfy's face.
"[A beautiful girl who gets along with everyone, a mood-maker, and a talented girl skilled in fire magic~!] That's my title."
Elfy raised her hand in front of her face and struck a pose of unclear meaning. "By the way, I'm Level 3, just like Lefiya."
"Hah…"
Bell no longer knew where to begin.
A title that long was definitely not something a God had given her. She had made it up herself, hadn't she?
And what was that hand gesture supposed to mean?
"White Rabbit, you went too far last night. Lefiya couldn't even get out of bed this morning."
Elfy carried on with the topic all by herself.
"…"
Bell was stunned into silence.
He had not expected this girl's thoughts to jump around so wildly.
"Heh. That really is an interesting piece of information."
Riveria calmly shifted her gaze, redirecting the icy arrow capable of freezing everything toward a new target.
She knew her members well. Elfy might speak without restraint, but she would never make things up out of nowhere.
Combined with what Loki had told her about Lefiya's skill, that many of her abilities rose when she had close contact with the boy,
Riveria was sharp enough to make an unfounded connection.
Could it be that Lefiya had experienced something special with the boy, and that was why such an extremely suspicious skill had manifested?
Riveria said nothing more. She simply fixed her gaze on that white hair and waited quietly for an answer.
Unlike the silent Riveria, Elfy's lips kept moving, like a forbidden Pandora's box with no intention of closing.
"Yeah. Lefiya even forgot her morning training. She was hugging a pillow and lying in bed the whole time. I don't know what it feels like, but I heard a girl's first time is always painful. White Rabbit, you should be a little gentler with Lefiya. Even if she really likes you…"
"Elfy-san!"
Bell hurriedly cut her off.
Who exactly did she get along with?
A mood-maker was one thing, but wasn't this going too far?
And as for being a talented girl skilled in fire magic, did the fire come from her wand, or from those lips?
They were clearly such cute, tiny lips, so why could so many words come out of them?
At this rate, getting splattered with blood would be the least of his problems. Bell himself might not even make it out of Twilight Manor.
Bell found himself missing Tiona's smile. They were both cheerful and both spoke without restraint, so why was there such a huge difference between people?
One was an angel, while the one standing before him was a demon who dragged people down into hell.
For the first time, Bell realized that retorts could go on forever.
"Lefiya-san may simply be feeling unwell. After all, she and I practiced Concurrent Chanting for a very long time yesterday, and in the end, I carried her back."
Bell answered.
To avoid any misunderstandings, he did not deliberately explain further. He simply stated what had happened yesterday.
Of course, Bell still hid the matter of the front of Lefiya-san's clothes being dissolved.
"…"
Riveria nodded thoughtfully, and the cold atmosphere around her eased somewhat.
If Lefiya had been completely exhausted and carried back by the boy, then the close contact from her skill, as well as the recovery of her stamina, could be explained.
Although Riveria was still surprised that love had nurtured a skill, at the very least, Lefiya and the boy had not truly crossed that line. That was good.
Wait…
Riveria furrowed her brow. She had originally wanted to bring the boy and Lefiya together, so why did she feel relieved?
Was it because Lefiya had not gotten ahead of her?
She actually had such a jealous thought…
While Riveria sank into thought, Elfy opened her mouth once again.
"I'm sorry. I said the wrong thing just now."
Elfy bowed respectfully to Riveria.
"…"
Watching the human girl apologize so sincerely, Bell actually felt a trace of relief.
So you can speak normally after all…
However, only a few seconds later, that thought was completely shattered.
Elfy spoke as though she were chanting fire magic.
With a smile on her face, she fired off several fireballs in an instant.
"I almost forgot. Riveria-sama may be in her nineties, but she's never dated a man."
"What I said just now about a girl's first time being painful must have made you uneasy, right?"
"After all, Riveria-sama likes White Rabbit too~"
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