I Can Hear the Saint’s Inner Thoughts

46 – The Sleeping Cinema’s Wizard (1)

* * *

Due to the Heavenly Deity’s sudden revelation, Victoria Everhart’s mind was filled with confusion.

“You’re telling me to kiss Astal right now…?!“

Her face burned. A desperate urge to hide somewhere, to flee this very spot, surged within her.

Victoria saw Astal’s lips glistening in the glow of the cinema screen, and a strange, almost lascivious feeling washed over her.

“Even if this is a rescue operation, that’s just… completely unbelievable!”

Victoria shouted loud enough for the celestial being above to hear. Why on earth would she need to kiss him to enter the dream demon’s realm?

She’d heard stories of some regions where people lightly peck each other on the cheek as a greeting, but this was not that kind of situation.

She knew that a proper, tongue-in-mouth kiss was something lovers did right before… well, *that*.

It was clear Victoria’s knowledge of intimacy had a rather twisted edge. Spending her time in the Holy Kingdom, she’d devoured one too many romance novels, getting a warped education from all that spice.

“T-that’s something people do when they’re in love! Astal and I… we aren’t there yet…”

Victoria’s hands curled into fists, sweat beading on her forehead, her voice trembling.

She was desperately searching for any alternative to kissing him. Truthfully, she was yearning to do it, but feared the possibility of earning Astal’s hatred later.

Even if it was part of a rescue mission, taking the first kiss of an unconscious person felt unforgivable.

– [But aren’t you two dating in the contract? What’s wrong with that?]

The celestial being spoke to Victoria with an air of nonchalance, as if there was no problem at all. After all, under the terms of their contract, Astal and Victoria *were* lovers.

“But Astal-sama hates me…! And didn’t you say that I’d lose my holy power and cease to be a Saintess if I lost my purity?!”

Victoria challenged the celestial being. That was why the Pope and the Holy Knights in the Holy Kingdom had never laid a hand on her.

Historically, if a man defiled a Saintess and took away her purity, she would lose her holy power and become an ordinary person.

Victoria’s eyes darted around as she considered her past transgressions. Even if she couldn’t go all the way, she’d tried to provide a way to satisfy her s*xual urges.

Now, though, they were on an important journey to defeat the Demon Lord,

‘Of course, I would give up my status as Saintess if it was for Astal-sama…’

She also had the thought that it would be nice if Astal, driven to the end of his patience, would just overwhelm her and make her the mother of his child.

-[A little kiss is fine, isn’t it?]

“…Huh?”

Victoria’s mind went blank at the celestial being’s response. It was like all the common knowledge she’d trusted was being shattered.

Lumina, the celestial being, was supposed to be the primordial light that banished darkness, a God who spread peace and love, leading people to prosperity.

“Then how do you explain those Saintesses from history who lost their powers and became ordinary people?!”

– [Well? Why don’t you try it out for yourselves if you’re so worried? Let’s see how far you can go before you lose your Saintess status.]

At that moment, the celestial being Lumina sounded more like a scheming instigator whispering in her ear.

“Celestial being…! Now is not the time for jokes…!”

– [Haha, sorry. Actually, seeing Astal taking care of you is making me rethink things. Back then, I thought he was just a bad boy who couldn’t quit drinking and smoking…]

The Celestial was still channeling her divine pronouncements to Victoria, a soft, chuckling laugh escaping Lumina.

– […I’m even starting to think now, that I might be okay entrusting my daughter to him.]

She spoke with a gentle tone, her voice kind, as if acknowledging Astal.

– [Normally, a succubus needs direct mucosal contact to steal a man’s essence, so if we exploit that, we can reverse the process and enter his mind.]

“If you put it that way, it’s certainly… persuasive.”

– [You better hurry. The longer you hesitate, the more that disgusting demon hag will tamper with Astal’s memories.]

Victoria bit her lower lip, watching Astal sweat profusely, his face contorted in pain. What the hell was happening to him in that dream to make him look like this?

“I understand. I’ve made up my mind.”

Seeing her beloved in such agony, she felt disgusted with herself for hesitating over a mere kiss.

“…Astal, please hold on a little longer. I will save you, I swear.”

Victoria brushed the sweat-dampened hair from his forehead with her palm, preparing to enter the phantasmal dream he was trapped in.

‘Actually, I wanted to do this at a better time, in a more romantic setting… What a pity.’

Victoria swallowed hard, her gaze fixed on Astal’s lips. She’d always secretly desired to steal a kiss, but not in a situation as urgent as this.

Victoria had wanted more time, more care for a kiss like this, not a rushed one.

A passionate kiss, so intense they could melt into each other.

She’d wanted to devour him with her mind filled only with love, lust, and raw, carnal desire.

‘Not with my mind clouded with worry and concern, watching you in pain. That’s just not my style.’

Victoria looked at Astal with sorrowful eyes, gently stroking his cheek. She was heartbroken she hadn’t known about this hidden past.

“How much pain have you been swallowing all alone…?”

Victoria bit her lip, trying to suppress the tears welling up, but sobs still escaped through her clenched teeth, out of sync with the moment.

“How much sadness, how much torment must you have endured…, that your past still won’t let you go?”

Victoria saw a reflection of her own past in Astal’s struggle.

The time when she was imprisoned in her village as a child, when she had begged them to just kill her. The moment she had lost all hope, believing nothing good would ever come of her life.

Astal had saved her from her past.

He hadn’t asked for anything in return, simply sharing and easing her pain.

“You’re truly a kind person. You could have asked me for something more, you know.”

Victoria spoke, moving her lips closer and closer to Astal’s face.

She’d secretly watched him sleep before, but each time, she lacked the courage to take this step.

“This isn’t due to a celestial order, but by my own pure will. Consider it an honor…”

Each breath felt like a scorching flame, the pounding of her heart was deafening, and she deliberately uttered these words to try and suppress the overwhelming sensations.

Because, in her head, she was already automatically imagining which way to angle her tongue, how to intertwine and suck his tongue, whether to lightly bite his lip with her front teeth.

“My personal desires, they aren’t involved at all. It’s just a simple rescue operation.”

*‘Astar-nim’s probably having his first kiss just like me. Maybe it’d be good to take it slow, test out everything I learned from books… No, what crazy things am I thinking when the person I like is in pain!’*

Victoria’s reason kept crumbling as she looked at Astar’s lips.

Soft, plush-looking male lips. How ecstatic she’d feel if she teased those with her tongue, bit them, sucked on them – her dark desires kept surfacing.

“…So, that’s it. This is all your fault. The problem is that you’re not falling for my seduction.”

Therefore, Victoria ultimately chose self-rationalization.

After all the self-promotion she had done, the problem was Astar for not even initiating a simple kiss.

“Haup…”

Victoria’s lips met Astar’s, a gentle pressure leaving a soft sensation. The intense feeling of exchanging their first kiss felt so good it was like burning her brain white-hot.

Hot and sweet. It felt as though no dessert in the world could match this rapture.

“Mmm…. Chuup…”

Astar had been cutting back on alcohol and smoking as much as possible under Victoria’s watch, and just before that, he had shared popcorn with her.

So rather than the unpleasant taste of cigarettes or alcohol, it tasted sweet, like the very taste of love.

“Heup…. Chuueup…”

Victoria was getting bolder, the pleasure enveloping her body. She was taking small sucks on Astar’s lips, forcing her tongue through his teeth, and taking action.

She exhaled into Astar, filling his mouth as if to claim ownership, and she seemed determined to make it all hers.

“Mmm…. Huhu…. Heueup, chuup.”

Victoria tightly hooked her arms around Astar’s neck and pressed her tongue against his, or swirled it around in circles, teasing and playing with it like a toy.

She unknowingly did something shameless, inching her hips closer, shifting them, as if she wanted to devour all of Astar’s body.

“Umchu, chuueup… gulp.”

The obscene sound of saliva mixing with saliva – Victoria was enjoying the ecstasy of the kiss like a baby bird drinking Astar’s spit.

“Haa…, I guess I still feel a little lacking…. It’s not you, it’s me, though.”

How much time had passed? Victoria pulled her face back slightly from Astar’s, regaining her breath.

Even if she was a mixed-blood dragon with an intense possessive nature, she almost kissed him long enough to suffocate him.

The moment she thought it was obscene, the silver thread connecting the two of them and the shared scent coming from their bodies.

“Behe…♡ Now, really… You’ve had your first kiss with me, Astar-nim.”

With flushed breaths and burning eyes, Victoria looked at Astar, opening her mouth, sticking out her tongue and showing off the trail of saliva between them.

“Huhu, just from a kiss, my back feels like it’s going to break… How much of a thrilling pleasure have you gifted me? You truly are a scary man.”

Victoria recalled the kiss from just moments ago, then licked her own lips, remembering the slightly sweet taste.

“Because… just like you saved me, I want to save you too.”

*Chomp, smack…♡*

This time, as if flaunting her presence as a lover, Victoria was deliberately making noise as she tried to kiss Astal.

“Although I don’t have the courage to say it now…”

With a gaze that was hotter and softer than anyone else’s, she was trying to say something as her nimble hands skillfully unfastened the front of the man she loved.

“If you insist on asking for a reason for this behavior, I’d like to confidently say later that it’s love.”

Love, that was actually the only reason.

After leaving those words, Victoria plunged her tongue into Astal’s mouth again, giving him a deep kiss, this time with a lascivious tongue dance that further touched his weakness.

She thought that was the only way to convey the feelings she couldn’t put into words.

Astal and Victoria’s first kiss tasted sweet and salty, like caramel popcorn.