The wheels of the rickety cart creaked over the cobblestone road. Tia Lyamnsen's body lay sprawled across the worm-eaten wood like an old rag.
In case you're wondering if she was dead…
She clearly wasn't.
Neither was any of the other girls, who were huddled together at the front of the cart.
All except Kala, the youngest of the group. She was now sleeping peacefully on my back. Thanks to Aqua's healing magic, both Dikon and I had fully recovered.
"Well, it took us longer than planned, but I'm glad we managed to complete the quest, don't you think?" Aqua asked in a carefree, casual tone. The archpriest walked ahead of us with her hands behind her back, looking as relaxed as if she were returning from a pleasant stroll.
When I lifted my head, I could already see the walls of Axel in the distance. We'd probably arrive in an hour or less.
"And the most important thing is that we rescued all the victims," Dikon added. The young knight walked beside the cart, looking genuinely satisfied.
Rescued. I wouldn't be so sure about that.
Demian had done an excellent job manipulating most of the girls into wanting to marry him. But in Tia Lyamnsen's case, I was certain she had meant every word when she said she wanted to marry him and even die with him if necessary.
In fact, that last part was exactly what nearly derailed the entire mission.
To cut to the chase: the Fang Demon was dead.
The rage Aqua felt when she saw what that degenerate intended to do with little Kala was more than she could tolerate. She ended up purifying him with her "God Blow."
Though I'd say she disintegrated him more than purified him. Nothing was left of Demian—not even his cape for us to sell.
That, of course, caused Tia to take her anger out on me. She started kicking me furiously.
"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! MURDERER! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!"
And as if that wasn't enough, the spoiled brat declared she wasn't going back. She'd rather stay in the castle and die there so she could remain with her beloved forever.
Faced with her refusal—and the nonstop kicking—I had no choice but to knock her out with a clean hit to the head.
Ha…Such a great paladin I turned out to be, huh?
"Hey, Kaizer. Is something wrong? You've been quiet for a while," Aqua asked, looking at me with genuine concern.
"Ah, it's nothing. I was just thinking about everything that happened."
My companion glanced quickly toward the back of the cart, where Tia's unconscious body lay.
"Ah, so that's it. Don't let it get to you," the goddess said with an angelic smile. Her tone was warm and sweet. "I mean, yes, maybe you're a failure as a paladin… but hey! At least you did your best, right?"
"Thanks a lot, Aqua. Really. If I ever feel depressed, I'll be sure to come find you for some cheering up."
"You can count on me!" she replied, winking and giving me a thumbs-up, completely missing my sarcasm.
Even though she was a hopeless idiot, I had to admit that under the morning sunlight, Aqua looked more beautiful than ever.
Her sky-blue hair flowed majestically to one side with the breeze. Her hips swayed sensually from side to side with every step of her long, elegant legs.
It was a hypnotic, almost mesmerizing motion that drove me crazy.
"May I ask where Mr. Paladin is looking?" Aqua's lips curved into a playful smile. "Don't tell me you're having dirty fantasies about this goddess's body again?"
"Not at all," I lied.
I couldn't wait to get back to Axel.