SAINTESS [Chapter 141: Again??] (Patreon)

Milian, behaving like a playful little brat, was frustrated and angry that she hadn’t managed to land on Aesphyra. Instead of giving up, she became even more eager for another chance to land on her. What she didn’t realize, however, was that no one there actually cared whether she succeeded or failed, not even Aesphyra herself.

Only this kid was getting fired up, her competitive streak kicking in.

“Milian, you should keep spinning the spoon, you know?”

“Tch! Why are you rushing me? What're you so smug about? Of course I know, do you really need to tell me??” Milian gave Aesphyra a glance, pouting, then spun the spoon.

At the moment Milian flicked the spoon, Mirexia, Aesphyra, and Isatia all stared fixedly at the rotating spoon, as if it might stop the very next second.

Except for Milian, who was addicted to the game, and Shikondell, who had no idea what was going on and looked like an outsider.

As time passed, the spoon's momentum ran out and it gradually slowed.

Mirexia's breathing quickened slightly. She was starting to regret not answering Aesphyra's earlier question, and belatedly realized what was going on.

Right now, she desperately wanted an opportunity.

Aesphyra and Isatia's gazes sharpened too, as if they were about to decide a winner.

The spoon stopped spinning.

However,

The spoon's head wasn't pointing at the three most tense people, but instead…

“Wow? It landed on Little Dell?” Milian looked in the direction the spoon was pointing.

“Huh? M-me?” Shikondell pointed at herself in disbelief.

Realizing it hadn't landed on them, the other three all showed a hint of disappointment, yet when they saw it was Shikondell, they secretly let out a sigh of relief.

Anything was better than landing on someone else.

For once, their thoughts reached a consensus at this moment.

“That's right, Little Dell, it's you.”

“So, are you choosing truth, or dare?” Milian crossed her arms and looked at Winnie, asking on Shikondell's behalf.

“I'll pick the truth.” Winnie thought for a moment and replied.

If it was Shikondell, Winnie didn't really mind. She probably wouldn't ask anything too hard to say or tricky, and he didn't think Shikondell would even come up with such questions, this straightforward Moon-elf girl didn't have that many schemes.

“Alright, you said it, Little Dell. Ask him something you want to know or are curious about?” Milian sat cross-legged and looked at Shikondell."

“Something I want to know? About Winnie?” Shikondell asked in surprise.

"Yes."

"Really… Can I ask?"

“Of course. Ask whatever.” Milian puffed her cheeks, then said to Winnie, “We're playing a game. This princess answered honestly earlier, so you're not allowed to lie either, got it?”

If other people didn't answer truthfully, wouldn't that mean she'd been honest for nothing?

Wouldn't that just be plain stupid??

“Dell, ask. You can ask anything,” Winnie reassured her, seeing how conflicted she looked.

“U-um, okay.” After hearing Winnie's promise, Shikondell finally began to think.

"Winnie, you..."

"Mm."

“I-I want to ask… in your heart, what am I to you? Could you be a bit more specific?” Shikondell asked bashfully.

“…..” Winnie fell silent for a moment, while the other girls listening nearby all wore different expressions.

Isatia furrowed her brows slightly. Aesphyra seemed a little surprised as well. In her opinion, someone as hesitant and excessively reserved as Shikondell asking such a question was already far beyond what the syllabus covered.

“Mmm.” Winnie pondered for a bit. He felt it was kind of embarrassing to answer, but since they were playing truth or dare and everyone was being honest, he couldn't hide it.

It was just that, in his original guess, Shikondell would probably ask something harmless. He hadn't expected her to ask this.

“Dell, you want to know that?”

“Yes.” Shikondell mustered all her courage.

“Family,” Winnie answered seriously.

“?!” Shikondell was stunned.

'Virtue + 260.'

Current Virtue: 17269.

“Tch! What a slick-tongued guy.” Milian pouted and glared at Winnie, but he'd already told her this before, so she wasn't that surprised.

'Virtue + 100.'

Current Virtue: 17369.

'Virtue + 150.'

Current Virtue: 17519.

'Virtue + 200.'

Current Virtue: 17719.

Then, after Winnie answered, there came another round of Virtue gains.

Watching the Virtue rise, Winnie knew he'd hit it big, he'd never seen this much Virtue before.

But when he thought about how he was still on the “battlefield,” he didn't dare let his guard down.

“Family…?” Shikondell blankly confirmed again.

“That’s right, Dell. Although we’ve known each other for less than two years, I came to think of you as family a long time ago,” Winnie said with a smile. “I haven’t had any relatives for a long time, and I’ve been alone in this world. That’s the honest truth from the bottom of my heart.”

“These past two years, your simplicity, kindness, and the way you've cared for me in every little detail… all of it has moved me.” Winnie continued.

"Hmm!"

'Virtue + 200.'

'Current Virtue: 17919.'

'Virtue + 100.'

'Current Virtue: 18019.'

'Virtue + 120.'

'Current Virtue: 18139.'

Shikondell, embarrassed, covered her face.

“I-I feel the same, Winnie. I'm the one who should be thanking you for always taking care of me.”

“Actually, I… I already thought of you as….”

“Alright, alright, Little Dell, stop!” Milian cut in. “How can you say those things out loud? Is that even a question? Naturally, it should be when it lands on you and he asks!”

“H-huh? Is that how it works?” Shikondell, hearing that, nodded dully, thinking she'd broken the rules and not daring to continue.

The other three, after hearing her words, all looked different, each not knowing what to think.

“Okay then, Milian, your job's back again.” After Shikondell finished asking, Aesphyra said softly.

“Like I need you to tell me!” Milian snorted. “Just you wait, I'm not giving up on landing on you!”

She was still competing with Aesphyra.

This time, Aesphyra couldn't even be bothered to reply. Her eyes stayed on the spoon at Milian's fingertips, silent.

“Starting again?” Milian spun the spoon once more.

Winnie thought, there was no way it would land on him again, right?

Two times in a row, the spoon stopping and pointing in the same direction, those odds were way too low.

But reality proves that whether you were unlucky or on a streak of dumb luck, low-probability events could keep happening to you over and over.

The spoon stopped.

Winnie held his breath, then went a bit speechless.

The spoon's head was pointing at him again.

What was this supposed to be??

Was he some kind of spoon magnet or something? But the spoon wasn't even metal!?

“Aaah.” Milian glared unwillingly at Aesphyra. “How is it always just a little short again??”

“Milian, keep going.” Aesphyra didn't even bother with her. At this moment, the other three were all staring at the spoon, no one cared what Milian was saying.

“Tch.” Seeing that annoying woman not even designed to respond, Milian felt even more indignant. She could only keep spinning the handle.

The spoon slowly came to a stop.

“Tch! How can this be?!” When it stopped, and Milian saw who it was pointing to, she broke down.

Seriously, when it should point to her, it never does. When it shouldn't point to her, it just has to point to her!

Milian stared at the silver-haired girl sitting beside her, lips curving upward, and felt even more unwilling.

“Many thanks, Milian~” Aesphyra was very polite, and even remembered to thank Milian.

That thanks made Milian so furious her blood boiled, yet she still couldn't do anything about Aesphyra.

“Winnie, truth, or dare~?” Aesphyra first gave a playful glance at Isatia before moving her eyes to Winnie.

“I'll choose the truth.” Winnie figured it was just a sentence, what could happen?

Knowing this furball’s personality, choosing “dare” could result in something completely outrageous. It was far too risky, so it was better not to take the chance.

“Oh, truth?” Aesphyra smiled like a cunning fox seductress, as if she'd already guessed he'd pick that.

It gave Winnie a bad feeling.

Landing on this girl was bad news in every sense.

“Then I’ll ask. But first, let me make one thing clear, this has nothing to do with anyone’s position, and it doesn’t involve anyone else. I’m just asking out of curiosity. Winnie, do you prefer the girl you met first, the girl you’ve known the longest, or the girl who constantly keeps your emotions on edge and surprises you time and time again?” Aesphyra asked with a smile, her eyes fixed on him.

“Just to be clear, by ‘like,’ I mean romantic feelings, not the kind of affection you have for a friend. And you can’t get around the question by saying you like all of them. You have to choose just one.” Apparently determined to leave Winnie with no escape, Aesphyra deliberately added the clarification to close every possible loophole.

?!

Hearing this, Winnie drew a sharp breath, momentarily struggling to breathe.

What?

This was “unrelated to any position” and “doesn't involve anyone”??

Was she kidding?

Even he could hear the hidden meaning, alright? It couldn't be more obvious!

Winnie swallowed nervously and cautiously edged to the side, but whatever he saw frightened him so much that he quickly looked away.

Just as he expected.

Mirexia, Shikondell, and Isatia were all staring at him intently.

Yes, even Shikondell, that little airhead, was included.

No, seriously. Asking that was basically the same as directly asking who he liked.

This question was just…?

Winnie's seventh sense as a man told him that if he picked one and said he liked her, no matter which one it was, the scene would erupt into chaos.

He'd thought he could lie down and rake in Virtue today. Sure enough, there was no way Virtue would let him earn it that easily.

This silver-haired furball opened with an ultimate move.

“Speak the truth, Winnie,” Aesphyra reminded him with a smile. “Because I think it's not just me, there are a lot of people who want to hear the honest answer to this~?”

“So, you understand, right?”

“Gulp!” With pressure piled on him like crazy, Winnie was sweating buckets.

And sure enough, after Aesphyra said that, everyone present fell into a tacit silence. Even Milian did, looking over seriously, waiting for his answer.

No, why did the pressure suddenly get this heavy??

Earlier, saying he was 1v 5 was just a joke. But now…

Winnie felt he truly understood the pressure of “Winnie” in the game's plot, facing the five chosen heroines' relentless gauntlet like getting beaten around even while eating.

Damn!

Really, if he, Winnie, could survive today in one piece, then whatever he did in the future, he'd succeed at it.

S-so…

Which one did he like the most?

If it was about that kind of attraction and a deep impression…

So, in the end, wasn’t it those intense emotional surges and that unmistakable heart-skipping feeling that had remained the clearest in his memory?

Winnie couldn’t resist stealing a glance at the silver-haired girl beside him, who was kneeling with her legs tucked beneath her in a bathrobe. The moment he realized he was looking, he quickly turned his eyes away and acted as though nothing had happened.

Ahem!

This situation was way too explosive, way too complicated!

He'd better think of an answer that would keep him alive and reduce the pressure!

“Cough, about that question!”

“Mmm.” Aesphyra propped her cheek with one hand and nodded.

"I think..."

“So?” Isatia leaned slightly closer.

"In the end it's…"

Mirexia said nothing, her expression remained unchanged, but her fingers were twisting her own hair as she stared at him.

Shikondell looked just as nervous, like she was facing a formidable enemy.

Milian's cheeks puffed out; for once, she stayed quiet.

Waah!

No, could someone save him?

In despair, Winnie never imagined that one day even Shikondell, who used to support him unconditionally and trust him, would stand on his “opposing side.”

He was done for.

Where was Vanessa? Save him!

Hurry up and use that super brain of yours and help!

But reality was that no matter how Winnie screamed inside his head, it was useless.

If, if Vanessa were the one facing this question, how would she answer?

Winnie swallowed and forced himself to stay calm.

“Cough. This question… I think it has no meaning,” Winnie answered.

"Oh?"

“Hear me out first! What I mean is, everything you listed isn't directly related to love, only indirectly.” At the critical moment, Winnie's brain begins operating at overload.

“What do you mean, Winnie?” Shikondell asked, confused.

“It’s like this. When it comes to love, what matters most is the feeling itself,” Winnie explained. “Developing feelings for someone is already something incredibly mysterious. A person’s appearance, behavior, and personality can all have similarities with others. Meeting someone first, spending the most time with them, or being surprised by them again and again, those things can happen with anyone. What truly makes love different is the feeling you experience when you’re with that particular person.”