The Abandoned Saint I Picked Up is a Side Character in an Otome Game and Turns Out to Be the World's Strongest Mage. I Plan to Rescue the Heroine Who Couldn't Achieve Her Happy Ending in a Dungeon. - Chapter 6

What… exactly is happening right now?

In this cramped bathroom, I’m alone with an unbelievably beautiful girl with a voluptuous figure.

This is the kind of scene you’d expect to see in an adult magazine or video—completely surreal.

“A-Ariel? Ariel-san? What… exactly is going on here?”

“I thought I’d help wash your back.”

“R-right… okay. Please… go ahead, then.”

I instinctively switched to polite speech.

I’d been trying my best not to think about Ariel in that way, but it’s absolutely impossible.

The mere thought of a stunning, big-breasted girl standing behind me with only a towel to cover herself… well, let’s just say it’s hard to stay calm.

But I am a cold, calculating magician.

I’ve survived countless challenges by staying composed no matter the situation.

Yes, I’ll admit it—I’m a virgin.

I’ve spent the past 20 years of this life honing my magical abilities, at the expense of forming meaningful relationships.

Even in this second life, I’ve never been in a real relationship with a woman.

Being alone in a bath with a beautiful girl is, without a doubt, an unprecedented trial for me.

But that’s exactly why I’ll treat this as a test of my resilience.

I’m not the kind of man who gets flustered just because I’m bathing with a gorgeous girl!

“Endo-san?”

“Ah, y-yes, what is it?”

“…I’m sorry for barging in like this.”

“N-no, it’s fine.”

As Ariel gently scrubbed my back with a towel, we exchanged stiff, awkward conversation.

“Still, I have to admit, I was a little surprised.”

“I suppose I just tend to overthink things when I’m alone… Endo-san.”

“Yeah?”

Her voice dropped slightly, and I could hear a faint tremor, as if she were nervous.

“When you asked me earlier, I realized something… I think I really hate those nobles at the academy.”

“…I see.”

“I know I bear some responsibility for being expelled, and I regret what happened. But I can’t forgive them for insulting my parents, whom I deeply respected. And trying to take my life… that’s something I can’t overlook.”

“So, are you going to take revenge?”

At that question, Ariel’s hand stopped moving.

“Endo-san… what would you do?”

“If it were me, I’d destroy the entire kingdom.”

“…Isn’t that a bit extreme?”

“Probably. But sometimes going too far is just right. Half-hearted revenge only fuels your enemies’ hatred and gives them more reason to come after you.”

“Hatred…”

There’s nothing worse than leaving things unfinished.

If you’re going to do something, you do it thoroughly, without mercy, until there’s nothing left to retaliate against.

Absolute force is what keeps you safe.

There’s a saying, ‘The best defense is a good offense,’ and while I wouldn’t say I’m completely right, I don’t think I’m wrong either.

“Ultimately, it’s your decision to make. If you want to spill the bl00d of the kingdom’s nobles or even destroy the kingdom itself, I’ll stand by you. I’ll respect whatever you choose.”

“…My decision…”

She murmured something under her breath at that moment.

“…Of all people, you’re the one who says exactly what I wanted to hear the most.”

“Huh? Did you say something?”

“No, nothing. But I’ve made up my mind. I won’t destroy the kingdom. But I will pay back those academy nobles for everything they’ve done to me.”

Her voice was steady now, even tinged with a hint of excitement.

I couldn’t help but feel a bit eager to see what Ariel had in store for them.

And then, it happened.

Suddenly, something soft and plush pressed against my back.

“W-whoa!?”

“Is something wrong?”

“I-I don’t know! It feels like something soft is pressing against my back!”

“It is. I’m pressing it against you.”

“…What?”

I couldn’t quite process what Ariel was saying.

“Endo-san.”

“Y-yes?”

“What would you think… if I said I liked you, Endo-san?”

“Huh?”

Her sudden confession caused my brain to freeze.

The softness of her chest pressed against my back and the unexpected declaration—it was too much for my mind to process.

But I couldn’t let her see how flustered I was. A flustered magician is doomed to ruin and failure.

“S-such jokes aren’t funny, Ariel.”

“This isn’t a joke. I’m in love with you, Endo-san.”

“L-love!?”

I doubted my own ears.

W-why!? How could the heroine of Under the Starry Night fall for some insignificant side character like me!?

“…Are you really that surprised?”

“I mean, come on, it’s absurd! We’ve only known each other for a day!”

“People always say that time doesn’t matter in matters of the heart.”

“There’s a limit to everything!”

“Then take a moment to think about it rationally.”

While my heart pounded wildly, Ariel remained calm and composed.

“I had lost the will to live, ready to give up on everything. And then you approached me, saved me from the assassins, and offered me a safe place. …Isn’t it more unnatural not to fall for you?”

“Well… I guess that makes sense…? But it’s still way too sudden!”

“…I’ll admit it’s sudden. But seeing Kon made me panic a little.”

“Seeing Kon? Why?”

Why was she bringing up Kon now?

Sure, the misunderstanding with Kon had been cleared up, and I knew she was grateful to me for freeing her from the spirit’s control.

But what did that have to do with Ariel feeling panicked?

“It’s a woman’s intuition. Kon likes you, Endo-san. As a man.”

“Likes me? But she’s still technically a monster!”

“That’s exactly why. As long as you don’t notice her feelings, it’s fine. But if you ever realize them, things could get complicated. So I decided to confess first. Besides, I wouldn’t wash the back of someone I didn’t like.”

Well, that… made sense.

“Also, Endo-san, you like big br3asts, don’t you?”

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“I saw what you hid under the sofa. There’s no point in denying it.”

“Wha—!?”

How did she know about my stash under the sofa!?

No, wait. It’s not too late to salvage this.

“T-that was left behind by a magician friend of mine. I forgot to return it!”

“…I see. But that book had a very strong scent of you, Endo-san.”

“A scent!? You could tell!?”

“I’ve always had a keen nose. So, am I not your type, Endo-san?”

“N-no, it’s not that…”

Who in the world wouldn’t like a big-breasted, long-haired beauty like Ariel? That man wouldn’t exist in any universe.

“Wait, that’s not the point!!”

“!”

“Stop teasing me! If I weren’t a rational and gentlemanly person, you would’ve been in serious trouble the moment you barged into the bath!”

That’s right.

It was time to call her out for barging into the bathroom where a grown man was.

I stepped toward Ariel, unintentionally pinning her against the wall in a textbook kabedon position.

This was good. She needed to understand how terrifying it was for a young girl to provoke an adult man.

“That’s fine by me.”

“…Huh?”

“If it’s you, Endo-san, I don’t mind.”

“…Huh!?”

Before I could react, Ariel grabbed my hand and guided it to her chest.

My fingers sank into something impossibly soft.

It was so large it seemed like it might spill out of my hand, yet it had the perfect elasticity to hold its shape.

Ariel looked up at me with a seductive, teasing gaze, her lips curling into a mischievous smile.

“If you’re the one doing it, Endo-san, I’d be happy.”

That was the final blow.

My already unsteady resolve shattered completely.

The “partner” I had been desperately trying to keep under control had reached full charge.

It pressed insistently against her lower stomach as though drawn to her.

“A-ah♡… Y-you’re so… big…”

“If you say no now, I won’t be able to stop myself.”

“I-I’m not saying no, just… um…”

“Just what?”

Suddenly, Ariel’s bold demeanor gave way to shyness as her cheeks flushed a deep red. She lowered her gaze and stammered,

“I-it’s my first time… so please be gentle♡.”

“…I can’t promise that.”

“E-eh? Ahhn♡!”

I abandoned reason and intellect, giving in to my primal urges as I devoured Ariel.

At that moment, I finally understood why the capture targets in otome games would abandon their fiancées for the heroine.

This was beyond rationality.

If someone like Ariel came onto you so strongly, any man would fall for her in an instant.

In the end, men are shallow, pitiful creatures.