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It was a few days after Tatsumi and Calcedonia had officially become engaged.

He was on his way home from the temple, as usual. Uncharacteristically for Tatsumi, he was taking a detour.

Perhaps clarifying his relationship with Calcedonia had given him some peace of mind.

Tatsumi headed for the central square in the city. There, peddlers from all over the Kingdom of Largovere had set up their stalls.

They sold everything from food and medicine to jewelry and clothing, as well as weapons and armor—and even items whose purpose was unclear to him.

As Tatsumi walked aimlessly, gazing at the many stalls, he suddenly stopped in front of one.

At first glance, it was a stall selling items whose purpose was unclear; displayed at the front were mysterious crystal balls, cracked pots, and other objects that looked like nothing more than junk.

“Welcome, mister. I see you’ve taken an interest in my wares—you’ve got quite the eye for quality, don’t you?”

A middle-aged man who looked every bit the shady vendor was grinning broadly.

“Everything I have here is, without exception, genuine Magic-Sealing Apparatuses. For example—”

The vendor rummaged around and pulled out a well-worn longsword.

“This is the holy sword once cherished by an Exorcist of age long past—one who was even given the epithet ‘Hero.’ That holy sword goes for just 70 silver coins. What do you say? A real bargain, isn’t it?”

On the Zoisalite Continent, where the Kingdom of Largovere is located, the continent’s standard silver coins are used as currency.

There is no specific unit of currency; when making purchases, people simply say things like “X number of silver coins.”

Incidentally, the daily living expenses for the average citizen are about 10 silver coins. A longsword like the one the shady street vendor just showed would generally cost between 100 and 200 silver coins. Of course, this doesn’t apply to masterpieces crafted by renowned artisans.

If a single longsword costs 70 silver coins, it’s certainly a bargain.

That is, assuming the sword is actually fit for practical use.

“Could I take a look at that sword for a moment?”
“Sure thing. Take a look as much as you like.”

Tatsumi took the longsword from the vendor and tried to draw it. Or rather, he tried to draw it.

But the sword wouldn’t come out of its sheath; no matter how much force Tatsumi applied, the blade never made an appearance.

“…………Isn’t the blade rusted shut or something?”
“Not the case, Mister. Didn’t I tell you? This is a holy sword. That means it chooses its owner. Looks like you weren’t chosen by the holy sword, huh? So, what’ll it be? Gonna buy it?”

No matter how he looked at it, the whole “holy sword” thing was obviously a lie. In fact, the longsword gave off the smell of rusty iron.

“I don’t want it. What am I supposed to do with a sword I can’t even draw?”
“Well, even if it doesn’t work now, maybe the sword will accept you in the future?”

Handing the sword back to the vendor, who was grinning broadly, Tatsumi turned his attention to the other merchandise.

“Hm? Don’t tell me, is that…”

Something caught Tatsumi’s eye.

It was a painting.

It was a portrait of a woman, framed in a frame that looked cheap at first glance.

“Oh, you’ve got a good eye for this one, Mister. I mean, that’s impressive. That’s a portrait of the ‘Holy Maiden’ of the Temple of Savaiv, who’s all the rage these days. What do you think? It looks just like her, doesn’t it?”
“Does it…?”

Furrowing his brow, Tatsumi studied the portrait closely.

The hair and eye colors certainly resembled Calcedonia’s. But, to put it another way, that’s the only thing they have in common.

Her face doesn’t look like hers, and the contours of her body are somehow off.

To put it bluntly, it’s the kind of painting you’d expect from someone who’s just started learning to draw—a piece with a distorted composition that can’t be called good by any stretch of the imagination.

What’s more, the Calcedonia in that painting was wearing a flashy, crimson dress that the real her would absolutely never wear.

That dress, with its plunging neckline, was certainly provocative. However, even to Tatsumi—who had no eye for art—the painting was so poorly executed that it ruined the effect of even the most provocative dress.

Whether he was aware of Tatsumi’s feelings or not, the vendor, still wearing that smug grin, leaned forward sharply, bringing his face close to Tatsumi’s.

“And you know what? There’s something about the red dress the ‘Holy Maiden’ is wearing in the painting—”

A sly grin. The vendor’s lecherous smile deepened even further.

“—When midnight strikes, the dress becomes see-through, and the ‘Holy Maiden’ in the painting ends up completely naked.”

.

“You’re a man too, Mister. You’d want to catch a glimpse of the beautiful ‘Holy Maiden’ naked, wouldn’t you? Of course, I feel the same way. But there’s no way we’d ever actually get the chance to see the ‘Holy Maiden’ naked, right?”

“That’s not true,” Tatsumi argued inwardly.

In fact, he had once accidentally stripped Calcedonia naked during an “Instant Teleportation” experiment.

Besides that, it wasn’t uncommon to catch a glimpse of Calcedonia’s deep cleavage through the low neckline of her sheer nightgown after she’d taken a bath, or to wake up in the morning to find the hem of her nightgown had ridden up while she slept, completely exposing her white, soft-looking, healthy thighs.

That said, there was no way he could bring that up here, so Tatsumi listened silently to the vendor’s pitch.

“But you know what? If you buy this painting, even though it’s just a painting, you’ll get to see the ‘Holy Maiden’ naked, right? Any guy would definitely buy this, no? Eh? Don’t you think so, too, Mister?”

A painting with clothes that become transparent late at night.

Having thought up to this point that something so magical couldn’t possibly happen in reality, Tatsumi suddenly realized something.

“…………I see. Magic exists in this world…”

If magic were used, perhaps what the vendor described might actually be possible.

That said, Tatsumi had no idea what kind of magic—or from which linage—would be needed to make something like that happen.

“Come on, Mister. If you’re hesitating, that means you’re interested, right? Then go ahead and buy it. I’ll give you a good price.”

With a smirk still on his face, the vendor kept urging him to buy it.

Listening to the vendor’s words, Tatsumi agonized over the decision for a long time before finally reaching a conclusion.

.

“…And you ended up buying it? A painting that suspicious?”

Calcedonia stood before Tatsumi, her expression a complex mix of exasperation and anger.

In the end, Tatsumi decided to buy the painting in question. Since it was fairly large, it would be difficult to hide it and bring it into the house.

Sure enough, the moment he got home, Calcedonia discovered the painting.

Tatsumi hadn’t intended to hide it in the first place, so he honestly explained the circumstances that led him to buy it. The result was Calcedonia standing right in front of him, wearing that complex expression.

The room they used as their living room. Night had completely fallen outside, and warm flames danced in the fireplace.

However, an indescribable chill seemed to hang between Tatsumi and Calcedonia.

Seated across from each other at the table they always used for meals, Tatsumi and Calcedonia sat in their chairs. Suddenly, Tatsumi noticed that Calcedonia had lowered her head and was trembling slightly at the shoulders.

“Uh, um… Calcie…?”

When Tatsumi cautiously called out to her, Calcedonia raised her head from where it had been resting.

And upon seeing her face, Tatsumi gasped in shock. For in both her eyes, transparent tears were glistening.

“Darling… Am I… Am I really that unattractive as a woman in your eyes…?”
“Huh? What!?”
“I mean… I mean, you’re basically saying my body is even worse than this crude drawing, aren’t you!? You’d rather look at the naked figure in this drawing than see me naked in person… that’s it, isn’t it!? That means my body is so pathetic that I’m not even as good as this drawing…!!”

Calcedonia cried out weakly, her voice breaking with sobs.

Seeing Calcedonia cry so pitifully for the first time, Tatsumi found himself staring at her, transfixed. But he quickly snapped back to his senses.

However, even if he said something cliché like, “The real Calcie is more attractive than this crude painting,” she probably wouldn’t listen.

For that reason.

For that reason only, Tatsumi steeled himself and resolved to tell her the truth.

The true meaning why he bought such a crude painting to begin with.

.

“………………ted the thought of if……”

Caledonia, who had been crying with her face covered by both hands until then, suddenly looked up as if startled, her cheeks still wet with tears.

“D-darling… w-what did you just say……”
“I said… I hated the thought of it!! Even if it’s just a painting… no matter how poorly drawn it is, if by some chance this painting really were enchanted and the clothes in the painting became see-through… and to think that some random man might see that… I… I just couldn’t stand the thought!! Even if it’s just a painting, I-, I don’t want anyone to see my Calcie naked… I want you to be mine alone!!”

His face bright red, and though he was looking averting his gaze, Tatsumi declared it clearly.

“D-darling…”

Calsedonia’s face, which had been sad until then, transformed in an instant into one of pure bliss.

“I-I’m sorry, okay!! I-I’ve got my share of possessiveness, just like anyone else!”

Tatsumi added, spitting out the words in a fit of desperation.

After that, the living room was enveloped in silence—but it wasn’t an awkward silence; it was a pleasant one, filled with a sense of happiness.

How long had they been immersed in that sea of silence?

Suddenly, Calcedonia broke that blissful silence.

“W-well, in that case…………………………………………………………w-would you like to… l-look at me… n-now?”
“Huh?”
“W-well… if that’s what you wish, husband………… a-and, i-if you don’t mind seeing someone like me naked………… w-would you like to look…………?　……If it’s you, darling, whenever you wish………………」

Calcedonia’s face was truly bright red as she said this.

And Tatsumi was well aware that his own face was just as red as hers.

Tatsumi’s throat involuntarily made a gulping sound.

He was a man, after all. There was no way he wouldn’t be interested in seeing the naked body of the woman he loved.

“N-no, well… I’d love to, but… if I actually saw you naked, Calcie, I’m sure I’d… I’m not confident I could control myself… s-so…”

Even at a time like this, Tatsumi was more concerned about her than his own desires. Calcedonia was truly touched by that thought.

So she told him. She told him exactly what she was feeling right now.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to hold back… W-well, we’re officially engaged now, and since it’s you darling, and you have plenty of income, I think we’ve already achieved our goal of being able to support a family. S-so…………”

She looked away, yet still stole glances at Tatsumi.

“…It’s been over half a year since I started living with you, husband. I-I’ve been thinking it might be okay to take the next step soon…”

Hearing her say that much, Tatsumi’s self-control reached its limit.

“I-Is that okay…? I-I’m a man, after all… If you say something like that, I won’t be able to stop myself…? No matter how much you cry out in pain… I have no confidence that I could stop myself.”
“Y-Yes, it’s fine. After all… haven’t I belonged to you since before I was even born? Please… do as you please… Make me… truly and completely yours…”

The two hands resting on the table gradually closed the distance between them, their fingers intertwining.

What began as a simple intertwining of fingers soon turned into a firm clasp of hands, and without a word, they both leaned across the table and pressed their lips together.

Naturally, it wasn’t just their lips that met; their tongues, too, began to battle as if striving to subdue one another.

Which of them, in the end, emerged victorious from that battle?

No, whether Tatsumi won or Calcedonia won, their happy time together remained unchanged.

.

That day.

Tatsumi and Calcedonia grew even closer than they had been before.

And as for that magical painting… As expected, or perhaps unsurprisingly—even late into the night, the clothes in the painting didn’t become see-through.

But that, too, didn’t really matter.

After all, this painting served as the catalyst for Tatsumi and Calcedonia to grow even closer; to them, it was undoubtedly a magical painting. ¹