Chapter 68
"Phew... I might have eaten a bit too much... My chest feels tight."
After finishing their buffet-style meal, Clael and Reina returned to their room.
Clael, who had overeaten and suffered from heartburn, lay down on the bed and loosened the front of his jacket.
Normally, he wouldn't eat without restraint... but today, influenced by Reina who kept eating endlessly, he ended up overeating.
"Are you alright, Lord Clael? Shall I cast a healing spell?"
Reina leaned in, looking worriedly at Clael's face.
Reina had eaten at least five times more than Clael... yet showed no signs of heartburn and remained completely composed.
(Seriously, where does it all go...? It's a wonder she doesn't gain weight...)
Reina's waist was slender—so much so that it seemed it could break if hugged tightly.
He wondered what dimension all the food she had just eaten had disappeared into.
(And yet, her chest is even fuller than before... No, I should stop thinking about that.)
"Um... I think I'll rest for a bit. What about you, Reina?"
"I'll go for a short walk around town. I felt like getting some fresh night air."
"A walk...? In that case, I'll come with you."
He couldn't possibly let a young woman walk alone through the town at night—it was far too dangerous.
Clael tried to get up, but Reina stopped him with both hands.
"I'll be fine, even on my own! Please rest, Lord Clael!"
"But still, I can't just—"
"I'll really be fine... I'm not alone, after all."
'Kuma—'
'Nyaa—n'
Two plushies bounced up from behind Reina.
They were a bear and a cat plushie. Both had been gifts from Clael to Reina.
"These little ones are with me, so there's no problem no matter what happens! So please, Lord Clael, just relax and take it easy!"
"............"
When she said that, he couldn't argue.
After all, those two plushies were far more capable in combat than Clael, who was just a priest.
(Honestly, I'd probably just get in the way if I went with her...)
"Alright... Just be careful not to go anywhere too deserted."
"Yes, of course. You're always busy at the shrine, Lord Clael, so please take this chance to get some proper rest!"
"............"
She really is a good girl. Truly.
Clael felt tears welling up from the warmth of her kindness.
"Well then, I'm off!"
Reina took the hotel key in hand and left the room.
Left alone in the room, Clael stared at the closed door for a while... but there was no point in doing so.
Since he had made Reina worry, he decided to get some proper rest.
"Phew..."
Letting out a long breath, he rolled over onto his side.
When he turned his face toward the window, he could see stars floating in the night sky.
Since this was a tourist area, many shops remained open at night, which meant there were fewer visible stars... but every time he saw a star chart different from Japan's, he was reminded that this was another world.
(I died without saying goodbye to my family or friends... I wonder if everyone cried at my funeral?)
He had never married and had little experience with romance.
After working himself to the bone at a black company, he died from overwork (?) right after quitting.
He never even got to play the games he had stocked up on. He had often wondered what the point of his previous life even was.
(But... because I was reincarnated into this world, I was able to meet Reina. I was able to find meaning in my life.)
Including his previous life, he was now past sixty years old.
Even so, he had no spouse or children, but he had managed to raise Reina well.
He felt that this life was truly fulfilling.
(The only regret is that I probably won't get married again... but I guess I'll just take it easy.)
"Ahh... If only a lovely bride would fall from the sky or something... Hm?"
As Clael gazed up at the night sky, he suddenly noticed something.
Something was flying across the night sky.
It wasn't a bird, insect, or bat. It was much, much bigger...
"...A dragon?"
It was the dragon he had seen earlier that day.
With the moon at its back, it flew toward him... but then—
"Ah..."
It was struck by something that shot up from below and crashed down.
If Clael wasn't mistaken... the 'something' that took down the dragon looked like an angel with wings.
And if he wasn't mistaken again, it also looked like a buff, muscular man with the face of a rabbit plushie...
"...It's just my imagination. Just my imagination."
Clael pulled the blanket over himself and decided to go to sleep for real.
There's no such thing as a rabbit angel that can shoot down a dragon.
Clael's eyesight was over 2.0, but it was night and dark, so he must have been mistaken.
Clael fell asleep to escape reality, even before Reina returned from her walk.