The Great Sword is not the Main Body!
Chapter 7 – On the Road to the Ruins (2)

The stream wasn’t far from our tent.

Did Aileen intentionally set up camp near here?

I thought we were just moving without much thought, but it seems she chose an efficient path after all.

“Go ahead and wash up, Noah. I’ll keep watch,” Aileen said, standing a good distance from me and handing me a change of clothes.

Keep watch… Not that she needs to.

If I extend my perception a little, I can sense if anything’s around us.

Though it would give me a bit of a headache…

“Okay…”

I took the clothes and headed toward the water.

The stream flowed gently—not too fast, but not sluggish either.

Oh! There are fish here!

Could I catch one? Maybe grill it later for a nice meal?

With Aileen around, I don’t even have to worry about the smell! Grilled fish during an adventure sounds so… romantic.

As I was drooling at the thought, trying to figure out which fish to catch, Aileen approached me.

“Noah.”

Her voice was… strangely somber.

Was she annoyed because I was stalling?

“Y-yeah… I’ll hurry…”

“No, that’s not it. I don’t know if I should ask this, but… Can you wash yourself? Alone, I mean.”

Huh? What?

Well… I could, if I brought my greatsword with me.

It takes longer and is uncomfortable, but I’ve gotten used to it after two months. It’s not that bad anymore, really.

“Yeah, I can wash myself…?”

“Hmm…”

Aileen hesitated after hearing my answer.

“I-I mean, really… I can do it.”

“No, let’s just wash together. I’ll help.”

Wha-? Huh?!

“W-what?!”

“There’s too much dirt and blood on you. It’ll be hard for you to clean yourself properly. Let’s get in and start washing,” she said, quickly stripping off her clothes…!

Oh no…

I quickly turned my head and narrowed my perception.

Even though I can’t actually see Aileen, it still feels… wrong somehow.

“What are you waiting for? Aren’t you going to undress?”

W-whoa…

The way she says things in that tone…

As a 25-year-old who’s never had a girlfriend, this is… too much for me!

“Should I help you undress?”

Gasp—!

S-stop it!

“F-fine, I’ll do it myself…”

Maybe I should just put down my greatsword.

That way, I wouldn’t sense Aileen’s body… in any way.

No colors, no details—just vague shapes. Maybe it’s fine?

But in the end, I couldn’t let go of the sword.

I crouched down and began taking off my shoes. Then, I tried to remove my shirt… but…

It was stuck, soaked in sweat and blood!

And trying to do it one-handed wasn’t helping…

As I struggled with my half-removed shirt, Aileen spoke up.

“Raise your arms.”

“T-thank you…”

I dropped my greatsword with a thud and raised my arms.

With one smooth motion, Aileen pulled off my shirt.

“You can handle the pants, right?”

“Y-yeah…”

I guess I’ll use both hands…

I took off my pants and turned slightly away from her.

I may not be able to see Aileen, but she can see me, and… it’s embarrassing!

“Aileen, y-you should go ahead and get in first…”

I waved my hand, still facing away from her.

Aileen sighed deeply.

Why? What?

Look, I had to max out my swordsmanship stats, okay?!

I also like… uh… having a nice, full figure, alright?!

Yeah, so what if your chest is bigger than mine? Huh?!

Sure, I’m a bit envious! But doesn’t that get really uncomfortable when you move around?!

And besides, I’m still a guy on the inside! What would I need something like that for anyway?!

Clicking my tongue, I picked up my greatsword again.

Even though I had my eyes closed, I gave Aileen a sideways glance before plunging into the stream with a splash.

“U-ugh!”

It’s freezing!

Oh, man… almost had a heart attack!

As I soaked in the cold water, Aileen followed me in.

G-gah.

Just look at that.

Nothing to cover herself with.

Everything bounces as she walks…

Wow…

I glanced at my own body.

I felt… deeply dissatisfied.

With a click of my tongue, I turned my back to Aileen.

“Okay, I’m going to pour water over you now. You’ll feel it, but don’t be surprised.”

“O-okay.”

Aileen cupped her hands in the stream and gently poured the water over my back.

“Ah—! Hngh…”

I was expecting it, but it was still cold…

She repeated the process a few times, and then spoke again.

“Now I’m going to pour water over your head. Close your eyes tightly.”

“Okay.”

I always keep my eyes closed, but I answered anyway so she wouldn’t feel awkward.

The sound of water splashing came again as cold water flowed down from the top of my head.

I was starting to get used to the cold, so it wasn’t as bad anymore.

“I’m going to start soaping you up now… What should we do?”

Huh? Soap? Just… start, right?

I tilted my head in confusion and answered.

“Go ahead. Do it.”

I heard Aileen take a deep breath.

She’s probably cold too.

I thought she’d be more used to it, but it seems like she hasn’t bathed outside much, huh?

I’m used to streams like this.

When I first arrived in this world…

There weren’t any faucets at the inn’s bath, and I thought, ‘Ah, so if you don’t have money in this world, you have to bathe outside.’ So I just washed up outdoors.

It felt weird, but I stayed in such cheap inns that I just assumed they didn’t have plumbing.

It was kind of cold back then, so I didn’t bathe often…

I must’ve been so filthy that the innkeeper eventually brought me warm water herself.

She told me to just ask for it next time… Apparently, that’s how it works in most places?

Anyway.

That’s why I’m used to washing in streams!

Haha! Aileen, you amateur!

“Alright, I’ll start now.”

“Okay.”

Aileen’s trembling voice came, and I heard the sound of her working the soap into a lather.

I squeezed my eyes shut to avoid getting soap in them.

But then…

“Ah?!”

Aileen’s hands didn’t go to my head. They went to my waist.

“W-wait… what…?”

Even though I was making strange noises, Aileen didn’t stop. She kept rubbing the soap over my body.

Each time her hands brushed across me, I flinched and had to suppress a yelp.

“Just hold still… It’ll be over soon.”

Her skilled hands washed every corner of my body with meticulous care.

But… but… I wanted to tell her to stop…

Why is she so good at this?!

This is weird… She must have serious skills…

Is she a professional…?

“Alright, all done. Now we just need to rinse.”

I-I wanted to say, just a bit more, but… my last bit of pride as a man kept my mouth shut.

“Haaa—!”

I plunged my head into the water to cool off my dizzy head.

As I felt the bubbles rising from my mouth, I recalled Aileen’s soap massage from earlier.

Is this what it feels like to be scrubbed down in a bathhouse?

Maybe I should just keep pretending I can’t wash myself…

The battle between my last shred of manly pride and my base instincts raged on.

***

I watched Noah shiver while drying herself off with a towel and quietly murmured to myself.

“Is she… really the same person?”

I closed my eyes and recalled the scene from earlier.

The way she had ripped apart the Black Bear with blood splattered all over her body.

When Noah was hunting… she had become a completely different person.

Her usual smiling face had been full of hatred and anger.

Behind her perpetually closed eyelids, I had seen hollow, emotionless red eyes.

The body that would shrink under my nagging didn’t flinch even in front of that powerful beast.

And her fighting style was completely unlike her normal self.

People who use greatswords usually rely on powerful, single strikes, retreating in between.

But not Noah.

She never stepped back, even when close enough to touch her opponent. Instead, she pushed forward.

If her sword was blocked, she attacked with her shoulder, her fist, her legs, her head.

Without hesitation, she used her entire body to hunt that beast, like an animal herself.

At a glance, it might’ve seemed like the greatsword was controlling her small body, but it wasn’t.

Instead, she used the momentum to launch even stronger attacks.

This was no ordinary combat.

It was the result of innate talent.

That’s what I had believed—until I saw Noah’s body.

Despite the summer heat, she always covered herself completely.

Her body was covered in scars—so many that it would’ve been quicker to find an unmarked patch of skin.

A priest’s healing leaves no scars.

That means those scars came from wounds treated only with potions.

Two months.

She’s been an adventurer for just two months.

Of course, she has natural talent. But she didn’t rely solely on that talent.

What could have happened to her?

What has she been through to live so desperately?

I couldn’t understand.

According to Hermilla, Noah doesn’t have any family.

Is she someone who has experienced the same kind of pain as I have?

Did she lose everything she held dear, and that’s why she can live like this?

If so, what will happen if Noah learns about the darkness of this world?

What if she finds out about the filth of humanity?

If she has to sacrifice her life to save this world—even the wretched people in it…

What choice will you make?

I want to know.

But at the same time, I don’t want to know.

I hope you remain untouched by this filth.

I hope you don’t lose that light.

I opened my eyes.

Noah, still clumsily drying her hair, came into view.

The way she was doing it would leave her hair all tangled.

A quiet chuckle escaped me.

Really, you’re good for nothing except hunting.

You can’t even take your clothes off properly.

You said you could bathe yourself, and yet you were so flustered when I offered to soap you down.

Were you that starved for human warmth?

It was a bit of a hassle, but thinking of my sister made it bearable.

Sigh.

Fine. Just a little bit longer.

In case, by some chance, I disappear from this world.

So you can manage on your own, I’ll help you just a bit.

“Noah.”

“Y-yeah?”

“I’ll dry your hair for you. Come here.”

“I-I can do it myself…”

“Come on, I’m faster. Just come over here.”

“O-okay…”

Hunched over, Noah cautiously shuffled toward me.

“P-please take care of me…”

I hate using the “divine power” that the Goddess gave me, but…

Drying hair and blocking odors… Well, it makes things easier for both of us, so I might as well use it.

I invoked my divine power to create a warm breeze.

“Huh…? A-Aileen! What is this…?!”

“Heh. Noah, aren’t you supposed to be an adult?”

“I-I mean, but… Aagh…!”

A bit of healing as well.

I didn’t want to waste a potion.

Those potions in my bag… I could sell them later.

They’d fetch a good price.

Once more, I used my divine power, healing the small wounds from her battle.

“Huh…? Healing?”