I Can Hear the Saint’s Inner Thoughts

Episode 11 – Who is the Liar? (3)

How long did we walk holding Victoria’s hand like that? This time, we ran into an unexpected person.

“You’ve got some nerve. How dare you even think of impersonating me?”

“That’s what I should be saying. You filthy, demon-worshipping b*stard…”

A man with blue hair and eyes, wearing a deep hooded robe. It was the image of the strongest mage on the continent, known by the alias, the Innocent Mage, right before my eyes.

To put it simply, it was as if there were two Astar Kaisaros’s in this place.

“This is unexpected. I didn’t think there’d be another piece of trash in this world that was thought to be unique…”

– This is my chance…! Since the imposter’s dragon form has similar memories and emotions as Astar, I can find out what he really thinks of me!

Victoria gave the other me a wry smile, brought her hand to her mouth, and as if struck by a brilliant idea, took a large step forward.

Unlike before, where the fake appeared before I grabbed her hand, this time the fake appeared while I already had her hand, so there was no way I’d be mistaken.

“Astar, what do you think of me? Answer honestly. It’s an important matter that will help determine the fake from the real.”

Victoria was asking the imposter who looked exactly like me, something she had been curious about.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“I’m doing the same thing Astar just did to tease me. Don’t you think it’s incredibly unfair that only I get teased?”

What if she gets bitten or attacked while she’s doing that? I had no choice but to layer multiple defense spells on Victoria.

“…Honestly, I think you’re a bothersome and annoying woman.”

“Is that the truth? You can give me a bit of praise, you know, calling me the most noble and devout Saintess of Flowers…”

“You’re not that for me, though, are you? I know you sponsor orphanages and secretly take care of the sick, but still.”

His face looked as if he was looking at something less than an insect.

Surprisingly, the fake me didn’t know Victoria’s true nature and was genuinely disgusted by her.

“It’s not like you treat me like your personal punching bag, you know. It’s always been my job to put up with your abusive language and violence.”

“Th-that’s…! It’s all because I care about you…!”

Victoria couldn’t hide her fluster while listening to what the fake was saying. Those weren’t the words she wanted to hear.

“Even if medicine tastes bad, people still have feelings… Listening to those harsh words all the time can’t help but make them upset.”

Surprisingly, the fake me seemed to have all the same memories and emotions, and he didn’t back down to Victoria at all.

Good, that’s good. Just like that, make her completely sick of me.

I don’t even know why she’s still holding onto me, a guy who doesn’t like her at all. Victoria doesn’t deserve to waste her emotions on a guy like me.

“Astell, sir, do you really think that of me? Don’t you feel there’s anything that sets me apart from other women, anything good about me?”

Victoria kept repeating the same question, as if she couldn’t believe the current situation.

“Nope? Sure, objectively speaking, you’re pretty, but what really matters is a person’s heart.”

The illusory dragon, disguised as me, was either oblivious or just plain mean, relentlessly crushing Victoria’s expectations.

“Pfft, hehe… I must have treated you so badly all this time…”

I couldn’t hold back the laughter welling up inside, barely managing to cover my mouth with my hand. It hit me how negatively I had thought of Victoria a week ago.

Back then, I couldn’t hear Victoria’s thoughts. Our misunderstandings had run so deep that it took mind-reading to know her true feelings.

“Don’t laugh! Astell, sir, do you really think so badly of me all the ti—”

At that moment, a flickering flame caught my eye behind Victoria, a fake preparing to unleash its breath.

*Wham.*

Seeing that, I grabbed Victoria and pulled her into a hug, creating a magical barrier to protect her.

My superhuman dynamic vision – another weapon of my special eyes that could see magic.

“…It’s dangerous. Even if it looks like me, it’s still a dragon.”

“Oh, uh… Ah?”

– Astell, sir, hugged me. Astell, sir, hugged me. Astell, sir…

I sighed with relief, looking down at Victoria safely nestled in my arms. She had a tendency to not be scared, even when facing demons or monsters.

Victoria was that naive saint who would speak of the enemy as a pitiful, abandoned lamb of God, in need of salvation.

“How do you have zero learning capacity? I always tell you to never trust demons or monsters.”

*Thwack*—!

I lightly flicked Victoria on the forehead to snap her out of it, her ears flushed red, eyes darting everywhere as she struggled to find a place to look.

“Ugh… I let my guard down. I guess I just thought it was a great opportunity to tease you for the rest of your life.”

She complained, rubbing her forehead, her head hanging down with a hint of disappointment.

“From the start, I don’t think so bad of you. Try to distinguish between real and fake.”

I purposely tried to praise her to cheer her up.

From the start, Victoria was a woman befitting the title of Saint.

She would shed tears for children who had lost their parents on the battlefield and never hesitated to care for the unfortunate as she wandered through the slums.

A foolish woman who readily used the miracles that gnawed away at her body and mind for the sake of people more pitiful than herself.

That was Victoria Everheart to me.

“…Is that true?”

“If it was a week ago, maybe not, but being around you so much has changed my perspective quite a bit.”

“Unexpected. I figured, looking at me, you’d think I was some slut whose brains all went to her tits, or a viper, constantly plotting to badmouth and insult you.”

– Is this contract dating thing really working? Guess the saying about getting closer physically to get closer emotionally was right…!

Victoria barely upturned the corners of her lips at my compliment, showing no particular emotion, but inside she was practically giggling.

She was frighteningly expressionless, her face rarely changing like she was wearing a poker mask.

“More importantly, your chest. It’s been touching me this whole time….”

“…Ah, sorry.”

“It’s fine. It seems you do react, thank goodness. Guess there’s no helping a virgin wizard.”

Victoria’s chest was overwhelmingly shaped, unlike most others, so accidents like this were unavoidable.

“Or, perhaps, are you feeling a tingling down there because of me? Your movements seem more sluggish than before.”

My face flushed, I unwrapped my arms from around Victoria, and she stuck her tongue out a little, looking provocative.

As if she were disappointed I wasn’t touching her.

“…Don’t talk nonsense.”

“Kyaa, the brave party’s wizard is gonna ravish me…. Crush me under the enormous magic tower hidden in his pants…. I’ll become a fool who only knows Astal…♡”

Victoria spoke in a slimy, sticky tone, deliberately letting her breath brush against my ear.

– If I talk like this, he’ll be stimulated enough, right? It’s what was written in those banned books the Vatican confiscated. I heard that guys fall for this kind of talk….

Contrary to her efforts to shake my heart, her inner self was more innocent than anyone.

“Stop it. You’re a virgin too, you know. What’s with a saintess who serves the heavenly gods talking filth?”

I pressed my fingers between my brows, suppressing my annoyance. Where the hell did she pick up this stuff? She always had this knack for putting people in awkward situations.

“Heh heh, I’m just teasing you because I know you won’t touch me even if I say these things.”

– That’s exactly what’s infuriating. How can someone so pretty not get a reaction from you when they’re actively hitting on you?

It’s because she’s Victoria Everhart. I didn’t want to date anyone right now, but if it was her, it was an even bigger no.

I couldn’t even imagine what she’d do if she were actually going out with me, especially since she was constantly getting under my skin even now.

“I’m a man, too. Even so, you should watch your mouth. You never know when it’ll come back to bite you.”

I moved my lips to try and calm down and advised Victoria. If she ends up with someone to marry later, all of this is going to become a black mark on her history.

I guess that’s what contract relationships are like. A fake can never become real.

“Oh my, so you are a man? I thought you were just a rock on the street since you haven’t reacted to me at all for the past year.”

– That’s why I want to tempt you even more. Because I’m sure you’d never cheat on me with other women.

Victoria made a cold, sneering face at me and pretended it didn’t bother her.

– I want to make your noble eyes look only at me, desire only me, make you someone who can’t live without loving me….

But the emotion held within was greater than anyone else’s.

Love is heavy. Like my body is crushed by the surging guilt. Eavesdropping on someone’s inner thoughts feels more burdensome than I imagined.

“Even a stone knows that you, Victoria, are a kind and beautiful person. It’s almost a waste that I’m playing your fake lover.”

I stated my feelings about Victoria matter-of-factly. I felt like I had to do it.

“…Huh?”

“I mean, thanks for always taking care of me! If it weren’t for you, I’d be a drunken, nicotine-addicted wreck in this expensive Demon Realm.”

I scratched the back of my head, enduring the shame that was rising, at the nonsensical, cringe-worthy words.

“I must have misheard. Could you say that one more time?”

– What? What did I just hear?! Could it be that Lord Astar is also thinking positively of me? Is this a real possibility for romance?!

“It seems both my ears have gone deaf just now.”

Victoria blinked her eyes repeatedly, showing that she couldn’t believe what she had just heard.

I’m never saying it again.