"Hello, I’m Maria, the former Saintess who’s now just an ordinary villager. Though it’s only for a short time, I look forward to being in your care."

With those words, Maria bowed her head politely.

On the way to the city of Ishtert, she decided to accompany us for now. It seemed the plan was to judge her character along the journey.

"Neighhh!"

A sharp crack of the whip cut through the air, and the horse whinnied loudly. The carriage began to move forward—or at least, it was supposed to.

[All aboard, let’s get moving!]

"Neiiighh!?"

"Whoa, hold on! Calm down!"

Perhaps overly excited, Sanshita joined in, mimicking the horse's cries. Startled, the horse began to buck and panic. It probably never expected the Sky Sovereign to chime in from the side.

Despite the coachman’s best efforts, the carriage started to sway wildly.

"Eek!"

"Whoa!"

As the carriage tilted, Katya and Maria let out startled cries, unable to stay upright. Both toppled over to one side.

"Gotcha!"

Two small frames were caught securely—not by me, but by Shannon.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes!"

"Thank you so much…"

Shannon’s expert catch managed to calm the situation. Meanwhile, the horse finally settled down, seemingly because Sanshita had taken the hint and flown up into the sky.

As Shannon approached me, who had done nothing but sit idly through the commotion...

"Sorry, Bruno, I seem to have stolen your lucky perv moment."

"…I don’t need that kind of luck, thank you."

"Want me to tell you how their butts felt?"

"No, thanks!"

While Shannon teased me, the carriage finally set off properly.

Perhaps because of the initial mishap, the atmosphere in the carriage was surprisingly relaxed.

"Maria, you’re even more beautiful than I imagined. Not even the painter Marcello could fully capture your charm in his works."

"Oh my, thank you so much for the kind words."

"Indeed, if I were a man, I would’ve tried to make you mine without hesitation. That’s how stunning you are."

While I wondered whether that was truly a compliment, Maria’s smiling face suggested she took it as one.

The complexities of a woman’s heart. Maybe I’ll try using that line myself someday. Just kidding, of course.

Maria and Katya quickly started chatting. Katya’s straightforward personality seemed to resonate with Maria, and the two warmed up to each other in no time. Shannon, their knight in shining armor, listened attentively as he sat between them.

By now, I was used to being in spaces largely dominated by women. I was no longer the overwhelmed version of myself who used to get mentally exhausted just talking with the three members of Lapis Lazuli. In that sense, I’ve grown a lot.

Still, having nothing to do didn’t change, and I didn’t have the courage to intrude on their lively girl talk. So, I decided to spend time with Ivy instead, poking her cheek gently.

"Chon chon."

"Mii!"

Ivy seemed to be in a bit of a bad mood.

Her demeanor said, "Don’t just start bothering me because you’re bored!"

Now that I think about it, I hadn’t spent much time with Ivy recently because of how busy things had been. I decided to use this rare free time to bond with her.

"Tickle, tickle."

"Mii!"

When I tickled her belly, Ivy squirmed, clearly ticklish. As I kept tickling, she eventually flipped onto her back, showing her belly to me.

"Mii~"

She seemed to relax, letting her body flop onto my hand. I gently stroked her belly. As I petted her, her eyes narrowed with visible satisfaction.

"Mii!"

Just as Ivy finally seemed to forgive me, the sound of wheels clattering reached my ears. Sunlight streamed in through the window, signaling we’d left the city and were now on the main road.

The warmth of the sun and the gentle rocking of the carriage were like perfect lullabies.

"Fwaaah…"

"Mii…"

My eyelids grew heavier. Ivy curled up on my lap, shrinking to a size that fit perfectly. Resting her head on her paws, she slowly closed her eyes.

I, too, surrendered to the drowsiness, leaning back against the carriage.

"…Zzz…"

"…Mii…"

Katya and the others’ laughter became a distant hum as my consciousness slipped away. Under the inviting warmth of the sunlight, we succumbed to a midday nap.