The moonlight gently sprinkled over the green bushes, making them sparkle like starlight. Tesilid and I walked along the narrow path, heading deeper into the forest.

Since we had already entered the forest, it seemed a shame to just go for a walk. I glanced around, scanning the surroundings for any signs of movement.

"Hmm..."

"What are you doing, kid?"

"I was wondering if we might find any wild turkeys. If we see one, we can catch it and roast it."

After all, the romantic atmosphere had already disappeared. We might as well focus on something practical, something that contributes to our livelihood.

However, Tesilid, who had been the one to kill the mood, didn’t seem too happy about me focusing on something else.

"...We're not here for hunting, though. We're on a walk."

"Same difference. My mom always used to say that she would catch a turkey whenever she went for a walk, and then she'd roast it for my dad."

"I see."

"My dad used to cry a lot while preparing them."

The thought of a naive, fragile scholar being forced into butchery made me feel a little sorry, but also caused a quiet chuckle to escape.

Tesilid seemed genuinely interested in the story about our parents.

"Then, did your mother confess first?"

"Huh?"

"Giving prey as a gift has been a traditional courting method since ancient times..."

"Wow, I’m surprised."

"Why?"

"It’s just that I hadn’t thought about it that way before."

It was a fresh perspective to interpret my mom's hunting as a primitive courting method.

I stretched my arms forward, interlacing my fingers and pulling, and then continued the conversation.

"I don't know who confessed first. Honestly, their marriage seems like something that happened by chance."

"By chance? What happened?"

"Lin, my older brother, ended up being born."

"..."

"Well, what else could they do? Once a baby’s on the way, they had to get married." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"...I see."

Tesilid's ears turned red as he averted his gaze.

Ah, how cute.

I wanted to tease him.

I wanted to wrap my hands around his handsome face and make him look at me, then quickly give him a kiss on the cheek.

Instead of chasing wild turkeys, I felt an overwhelming urge to surprise Tesilid instead.

[‘The Scales that Judge Souls’ remarks that, based on Tesilid Arzent’s reaction, it seems he knows quite well the process of making children, so there’s no need to worry.]

[‘The Eyes that Watch All Chaos’ warns not to be deceived by his holy appearance, glaring sharply.]

[‘The Bitter Tongue that Adjusts Balance’ states that it’s more disturbing that Tesilid is still so innocent despite being seven thousand years old.]

[‘The Architect of the Tower of Trials’ wonders when the next morning will come and when the sparrows will start chirping.]

[‘The World-Building Orator’ cuts through the conversation, ordering everyone to be quiet due to interference.]

[‘The Scales that Judge Souls’ protests, asking if this is some kind of gang...]

Surprisingly, the gods’ mental messages ceased abruptly after that.

So, indirect blocking through the Orator is possible. I’ve learned something new.

"We’re almost there."

Tesilid and I arrived at the main part of the walking trail.

The sky, once obscured by leaves, opened up to reveal a wide, clear view, where the full moon hung directly overhead.

Below it was a sparkling lake, formed from water filling a crater created by a dungeon burst.

At the shallower edge of the lake, colorful aquatic plants swayed in the water, creating a mystical underwater forest. It was a beautiful sight.

Tesilid and I walked along the lake’s edge, stepping carefully under the moonlight.

"Tesri, about this place."

"Yeah?"

"When you see it at night, it feels totally different from seeing it during the day. Right now, it’s sapphire blue, but during the day, it’s emerald green."

"We should come by during the day, too. The water plants look nice... Do you think there are any fish?"

"Well, this place was formed about a decade ago when underground water pooled in the crater, so I don’t think there would be any fish."

"That's a shame."

"Let's bring freshwater fish and release them here. I’ve been thinking about setting up a place for you to fish."

"Really?"

"Yeah, really."

Seeing his honest, happy expression made me feel good.

Fishing was the first hobby he ever had in his long life. I’d need to research fish recipes to make sure I cook them well—frying, grilling, and boiling them when he catches them.

‘Don’t expect too much. I’ll stick to smaller fish like minnows...’

At that moment, I noticed a small presence. Reflexively, Tesilid and I both focused our attention in the direction of the movement, and there, we saw a creature with the color of cheese.

"Oh? That’s a cat!"

"With white socks, it must be the same one we saw earlier when we were setting up the swing."

"It’s cute. Looks like it came to drink."

We quietly observed without getting too close, not wanting to disturb it. Watching the cat lap at the lake’s water, I got lost in thought.

"Hmm..."

"What are you thinking, kid?"

"I was thinking that we need to keep it away from the lake while you're fishing."

"Why?"

"I think it might catch more fish than you. What if you’re busy catching minnows and it catches a carp? That’d be frustrating, right?"

"...I think your words are more frustrating right now, kid."

I burst into laughter. Tesilid, who had been frowning, joined in with a chuckle.

"Let’s hold hands, kid."

"Okay."

The warmth from his palm reached me, and suddenly, I wanted more. I longed to be closer, to feel more connected.

Without thinking about who would initiate it first, I interlaced our fingers tightly.

It felt good to have our fingers entwined, fitting perfectly together.

Tesilid and I continued walking, but the conversation tapered off. Still, the silence wasn’t uncomfortable. The faint, noisy songs of the insects, the scents of grass and trees that drifted to our noses, the moonlight casting shadows at our feet, and the thoughtfulness that matched our steps—it was all so lovely.

We were too busy feeling the sweetness of the moment to think of anything else.

Of course, it would have been even better if a nice deep voice echoed in my ears.

Just then, Tesilid seemed to have something on his mind and spoke up.

"Hey, kid."

"Yeah?"

"Earlier... in the divine realm..."

He hesitated, then carefully brought up the subject.

"That baby... was really cute."

"Yeah, it was cute."

The vision of the two children, given to me as spoilers by the inspector, came to mind again.

The combination of cherry blossoms, the sea, a crescent moon, and new sprouts—they truly felt like a perfect blend of me and Tesilid, half of each of us.

I muttered with a bit of awe.

"It’s amazing. So, if we combine... that’s how it happens..."

"Yeah. If we combine..."

"Yeah, if we... combine..."

"..."

"..."

"Hmm."

"Uh-huh."

We both averted our gazes, acting as though we were distracted. But for some reason, our grip on each other’s hands tightened.

Thoughts flooded my mind, and I wondered why we were already thinking about childbirth.

The inspector had said that we’d have children three years after marriage, so we’d have a child in the second year of our honeymoon.

Now that I think about it, at our age, it wouldn’t be odd to be married, right?

My eyes sparkled. Just as I was about to take the initiative...

"Fuh..."

"Tesri?"

Why did he sigh suddenly?

Hadn’t we just been excited thinking about those beautiful children?

Tesilid, with a {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} gloomy expression, let out another sigh, this time with a reason.

"You’d be in so much pain when giving birth..."

"..."

"Isn’t there a way to use the guardian of your ears to take away some of the pain? If I could transfer some of it to me, it would be better."

He was seriously searching for a way to relieve the pain of childbirth.

"Tesri..."

I found myself falling in love with him all over again.

How could there be such a handsome and noble man in the world?

It was so touching that I nearly covered my mouth and teared up.

‘Wait, hold on.’

Why are we already thinking about childbirth?

We’ve skipped a few important steps. Shouldn’t we be thinking about making a child first?

"Tesri, I think you’re getting ahead of yourself. There’s no need to worry about that yet."

"Oh, sorry. Right. It’s not something to worry about at this stage."

"Yeah, at this stage."

"Right, at this stage."

"..."

"..."

We stood there for a while, gazing at each other with lost expressions.

Then, just as we were lost in the moment, a sound—of someone swallowing dryly—echoed near our ears, and we both quickly turned our heads away, completely embarrassed.

My face felt like it was on fire.

‘What, what was I just thinking?!’

In that moment, I realized how shameless my thoughts had been, and my conscience screamed in protest.

How could I have such impure thoughts while looking at that pure, handsome face?

I had never even read a book like 50 Ways to Corrupt the Pure Knight, let alone understand it.

On top of that, I had interfered in the tutorial, twisting the original story. Now, he was in no way involved with Muriel Filize.

He was a seven-thousand-year-old, chaste and holy knight, and I shouldn’t be having those kinds of thoughts about him.

The unbearable guilt made my conscience ache.

‘I can’t take this. Tomorrow morning, I’ll go confess to Hilde...!’

Meanwhile, my restless state seemed to be showing through in my actions.

I was repeatedly pressing my palm against my forehead and cooling my face with the back of my hand, probably looking very odd.

Tesilid, still unable to calm down himself, cautiously spoke up.

"Kid, what are you thinking...?"

Though his tone was careful, there was a clear hint of curiosity in his question. I defensively responded.

"Don’t ask. What about you, Tesri? What were you thinking?"

"..."

I had meant only to defend myself, but it seemed my response had turned into a counterattack.

Tesilid looked flustered, his eyes trembling, and he covered his mouth with one hand, pretending to wash his face.

"Tesri?"

Unable to find a place to look, he finally dropped his head, and then he said...

"I’m sorry."

"...."

What? Why is he apologizing?

"What, what is it? What were you thinking?"

"...I... have something in mind."

"Tell me. I’m curious."

"No."

"Yes."

"No, really..."

He was blushing all the way to the back of his neck and his ears.

I really wanted to know, but I decided to hold back.

I couldn’t tease him. I was resolved to only shower him with love, to avoid turning into my old self from when I was 100 iterations in.

But fortunately, he did give me a small hint.