Part 5
Having become naked, Rafleisha extended a hand to Rem.
「Since we will be praying to God, isn't cleansing the body only natural.」
「……Th, that's true.」
「Since there is a handed down tradition for the sake of the ceremony, could you do the same as me. First, from the left hand.」
「……In undressing?」
「Like this.」
Rem breathed a sigh.
「……Fuu……I understand.」
Diablo thought about making it so that he didn't see them, but Rafleisha said something outrageous.
「If you enter the 《Altar Room》, you are a ceremony participant. Since you will be standing before God, you need to similarly cleanse your body.」
「Fuah!?」
This time, Diablo let out a voice similar to Rem from just a little while ago.
「Ahh, I seeー」
Shera nodded, and placed her hands on her clothes without any hesitation. She smoothly started to take her clothes off.
Elves were a race with a prideful nature, but do they surprisingly have no opposition to being nude?
Rem blushed.
「……Shera……aren't you embarrassed?」
「Just a bit. But I bet my life and swore to God after all.」
「……Th, that's true. For me of all people to feel like that……This magic ceremony is needed for the sake of my own future……As well as for the peace of the Races. Shera had promised a large compensation, and even bet her life on it. I should not be feeling bashfulness!」
「Ahaha……It's just like bathing after all.」
「……That's true. And it's not like we're being seen by some unknown person.」
Rem also started to undress.
Diablo also resolved himself.
In this situation, he alone couldn't say "I won't participate since I'm embarrassed". He might have selfishly refused if it was his past self though……
He had always acted together with Rem and Shera ever since he came to this other world after all, and even a sense of comraderie had sprouted.
「It cannot be helped. I suppose I will accompany you as well.」
There was also a problem in terms of fighting power. When Rem didn't have her summon crystals and when Shera didn't have a bow and arrow, they couldn't fight. At a time where an accident happens when they don't have equipment, only Diablo could use magic.
He stored his War Scythe in his pouch.
He took off his mantle, as well as his top.
His heart beat accelerated.
Taking off his clothes in front of women, it really was embarrassing. He had a relationship where he went into the bath together with Rem and Shera, but it was not something that he got used to.
──Above all, it would be embarrassing if they figured out that I didn't have a normal presence of mind! At times like this, I've got to use math!
By filling his thoughts with numbers, he could concentrate blood from his lower half to his brain.
The value of pi, 3.14159265358979323846264338327950288419……
「Ugh……Next is, what was it……7? Or was it 1?」
「……What's wrong, Diablo?」
「Let's hurry up and bathe!」
Shera came and grabbed his arm.
In the nude.
And then, the enumeration of the number that he remembered from his middle school times even though he had no interest in it at that time, with the soft touch of her naked body and the skin color that filled his vision in front of him, it scattered away like a Slime that was hit with an Explosion.
Awawa.
Rem extended her hands to his belt.
「……If you are going to participate, please hurry, Diablo. In advanced Ceremony Magic, the positioning of the moon and the stars are important.」
While saying that, she skillfully took off his belt.
Placing her hands on his pants, she resolutely brought them down.
「ッ!?」
Rem even stopped her breathing. Her eyes went round. And then, her face went red, and she hurriedly jumped back.
──She brought it down together with my underwearー!?
Various things were taken out.
It was a perfect cast off.
Her back turned to him, Rem rapidly talked.
「S-s-s-sorry, Diablo! In, in any case……Please hurry!」
「U-u-umu.」
In the end, being undressed by Rem, and having his hand pulled by Shera, Diablo stood in front of the pond. Completely nude!
The atmospheric temperature was high, and since it was a locked room, it wasn't cold.
Rather, the sweating didn't stop.
Rem was to his right, Shera was to his left, and Rafleisha was in front. Small, big, and extremely big were here.
「Hohoho……How surprisingly innocent. Since they are of other races, there's no need to mind it, right?」
「You as well, do not worry about unnecessary things and just concentrate on the ceremony.」
Hiding his embarrassment, he tried to be daunting, but being completely naked, the intensity wasn't quite there.
Having a level 150 lean and muscular body was probably a saving grace.
Rafleisha crouched down, and submerged her right hand into the pond.
「Well then, could you do the same as me?」
「……I understand.」
「Un!」
Rem and Shera also crouched down. Diablo also imitated her and extended his right hand.
As expected, the spring water was cold.
He was surprised about having to suddenly undress, but the act of purifying the body was normal. They wet their limbs, washed off the sweat of their bodies, and washed their faces.
If it finished with just that, it wasn't much of a problem but……
A drop of water fell from her wet hair.
Rafleisha prompted them to the door at the back that was different from the door that they entered from.
「Well then, let us head to the altar.」
Rem blinked twice, and asked a question as if to check something.
「……U, um……What about our clothes?」
「Hohoho……What are you saying? Even though you went through the trouble of cleansing yourself, there would be no meaning if you wore impure cloth once again.」
Rafleisha opened the door.
Wind came in.
It was the outside.
The Dark Elf village.
Since it was the back of the castle, it was a different direction from where they came with the carriage, but several buildings with similar structures were lined up.
The sky had already become madder red, but it was still plenty bright.
There were Dark Elf women that were either preparing dinner at the hearths, cutting firewood, or doing maintenance to their bows.
「……We're going to walk……through here?」
Rem raised a dry voice.
Rafleisha took the lead and went outside.
「Let us hurry. This Ceremony Magic needs to start before the sun sets after all.」
「……Ah……Uu」
Not just her face, Rem was dyed red as far as the nape of her neck.
As expected, even Shera's eyes were spinning in bashfulness.
「Fuwahー!? Are we going to go while naked!?」
「If you're having second thoughts, I don't mind if only Rem-san comes along, you know?」
Giving off a nonchalant air, Rafleisha looked over her shoulder. Since it seemed that cleansing one's body at this place and then walking to the altar was a custom, she was probably used to it.
Rem asked a question with a voice that sounded like she was squeezing it out.
「……In, in this village……there are only, Dark Elf women, right!?」
「Yes, of course. The men, when they reach the age where they can hold a bow, their fathers or older brothers take them away as trainees after all.」
「……Is that so.」
Rem resolved herself and went outside.
Immediately near her, there was a Dark Elf woman carrying a bundle of branches on her shoulder.
「Hyah!?」
No matter how much of a custom it has become, as expected, being completely naked on the roadside is surprising.
That woman saw the appearance of the rest of the group, and seeming to have understood that it was for the sake of the Ceremony Magic, she made way after making a bow.
Rafleisha started walking unashamedly.
Having turned red, Rem and Shera followed after her.
──This sure has turned into something mean!
Since he couldn't turn back now, Diablo also moved his feet forward.
The village woman dropped her bundle of branches and a *gashan, bara bara* sound was made.
「Hii!?」
She raised a small scream, and staggered back. That gaze of hers, no matter how he thought of it, was concentrated on one point on Diablo.
──Is it my horns!? Is the the horns on my head!?
Diablo had only the 《Distorted Crown》 equipped. This alone was something that he could not take off no matter what happened. There was no way he could say something like "actually, it can be taken off" at this point.
It was a defensive armament that had a highly efficient ability called Automatic HP Recovery, but it also had an effect of "looking like you are growing devil horns".
Since it was not a trait found among the Races, it couldn't be helped that she was surprised.
He felt that the Dark Elf woman's gaze went relatively down as well but……That was surely his imagination.
The villagers turned their heads this way wondering what was happening.
「Ara ara!?」「Oh my!」「Kyaー♡」
Since this was a precession headed to the altar, many of the residents couteously knelt down and saw them off.
However, among the women, there were some that stared.
Even though he was bad with being showered with attention even under normal circumstances, having his nudity exposed to unfamiliar women, he had a hard time preserving his sanity.
When he suddenly looked forward, Rem was sweating to the point that it was abnormal.
「Haa……haa……haa……」
「Oi, are you alright?」
「……Eh? What is it, Diablo? Is there some sort of problem? Me, of course, I am fine.」
While breathing roughly, she answered like that.
Sweat was gushing out as if she had run a marathon or something, and was streaming down her flushed skin. Transparent drops fell down along the inner part of her thighs.
Her knees trembled.
She was muttering something.
「……I, I'm being seen……Me……In the nude……In front of people……This……this sort of……」
Contrary to what she herself had insisted, she didn't look fine at all.
Even Shera who was walking next to her was worried about Rem's state.
「What's wrong? Does your stomach hurt or something?」
「I, I'm……fine.」
She said that but Rem was clearly in a state where strength wasn't going into her knees. She was walking unsteadily.
「……Ahh……They're watching. That person, at……me……just, staring……watching……This, is, embarrassing.」
Rem's foot was caught on some undergrowth, and she was about to fall over.
Diablo extended his hand.
「Watch out!」
He grabbed her shoulder.
At that instant, Rem raised a high-pitched voice.
「Hyah!!」
「O, oi……?」
*Biku biku!* As if she had received an electric shock or something, Rem's body trembled.
「FUNNNNNNUUuuuu……ッ!!」
──This is, could it be?
Diablo froze up while still gripping her arm.
The amount of drops that spilled out from her increased.
「Ah……gu……Fuu, fuu……Diablo……C, could you……haa……not touch me……so suddenly?」
Rem was even shedding tears.
While being overawed by that state of hers, he replied with only words.
「In, in that case, hold a dignified appearance and walk.」
「Hafuu……Of course……I am, fine……I won't……be that strange……at all.」
With her whole body flushed, Rem started walking again.
Even Shera's face had gone red.
「Hafuu~」
「Make sure that you don't go strange too, got it, Shera?」
While being watchful, Diablo walked immediately behind them.
The nature of people was varied.
This meant that Rem was weak with walking down the street in the nude more than other people……
It looks like she's gotten a bit of a strange feeling, doesn't it──as he thought that, he drove his thoughts into the abyss while stepping on the liquid that had fallen little by little on the ground.
They arrived at the east end of the village.
In a floor-raised building, it seemed that it was used as a granary. Climbing up a ladder, the second floor was an 《Altar Room》.
A purple carpet was spread out, and several mysterious tools used in rituals were lined up.
At the back of the room, there was an old silver holy symbol placed down.
In addition to sweat, tears and other things, Rem had suffered various terrible things but……
「Haa……haa……」
「Now then, Rem-san, go to the center of the magic formation. Could Princess Shera and Diablo-san sit behind her? Try not to doze off.」
「Of course……I will, be fine.」
Rem made a deep breath.
Rafleisha turned to the symbol and started to offer her prayers. Although solemness could be felt, in short, she was reciting the scriptures. He had gotten bored with just five minutes.
Shera groaned.
「This, is it going to continue until morning, Diablo?」
「So it would seem. Do not fall asleep.」
「I might be hungry.」
「Endure it.」
「I, I need to pee.」
「!?」
Thinking "this has turned into something terrible", Diablo and Shera went pale.
Although various things had happened……
The Ceremony Magic was held without incident.