Episode 14
“Ah, there she is.”
As soon as I arrived at the banquet hall, I immediately spotted Elfride. No particular reason, just that she was the only person I knew among the many attendees.
Dressed in a blue gown instead of her usual armor, she looked stunning even from a distance. And her figure… it was impressive in many ways. Who knew she was hiding that under her armor?
Elfride really must be the heroine, right? With looks like that, there’s no way she’s just an extra.
Assuming she’s the heroine, as the protagonist who’s been reincarnated, it would be good to get closer to her, wouldn’t it?
Alright, I’ll keep talking to her and get closer.
With that in mind, I was about to approach Elfride when the Saint suddenly grabbed the back of my neck from behind.
“Gah!”
Ah, my neck, dammit!
Suppressing my anger, I squinted my eyes and turned around.
“…Saint, why did you do that all of a sudden?”
“Silly♡ Your tie is crooked.”
“Huh?”
Wasn’t it you who just pulled it?
“Clumsy~♡ I’ll fix it for you, so stay still.”
“…Okay.”
…Is she crazy?
If she hadn’t grabbed my neck in the first place, my clothes wouldn’t have been messed up. What a lunatic.
Still, the Saint fixed my disheveled clothes without any further mischief. After neatly adjusting my tie, she gave me a sly smile.
“Hero, all done~♡”
“Yes, thank you.”
I don’t know why, but the Saint’s satisfied expression only added to my confusion.
…Does the Saint have a hobby of fixing other people’s clothes?
Putting that question aside, I spoke to her.
“Let’s go to Elfride first.”
“Why?”
“…Because Elfride is the only person I know here. And didn’t you tell me to avoid talking to other nobles as much as possible?”
“…You remember well.”
If I didn’t remember, you’d tease me for having a worse memory than a goldfish. I don’t know why you’re disappointed.
…Could it be because you lost the chance to tease me?
As I walked towards Elfride, the Saint sighed softly and followed.
“Elfride.”
“…Ah, Abel. You’re here.”
“Count Baterk is here too. Good evening.”
When I greeted Count Baterk, he nodded with a friendly smile.
“Welcome, Hero Abel. How do you find the atmosphere of the banquet hall?”
“It’s nice. I like it.”
Honestly, I don’t really care about the atmosphere. The food on that table looks delicious.
“That’s good to hear. I was worried you might feel uncomfortable, but it seems my concerns were unfounded.”
“Uncomfortable? Me?”
“Hero Abel, you’re probably not used to banquets, after all.”
“Ah.”
So that’s what he meant. This old man is unexpectedly kind.
To show such small considerations, it’s true that you shouldn’t judge people by their appearance.
“I’ll go greet some other guests for now. Please feel free to chat among yourselves.”
He even has the sense to give us some space. No wonder he’s the lord of a city.
With Count Baterk stepping aside, it was just Elfride, the Saint, and Saint Cynthia left.
In that situation, I boldly spoke up first.
“I’ll go get some food.”
I’m hungry.
#
“…Saint Estelle.”
After Abel left to get food, Elfride spoke to Estelle. Estelle responded with a saintly, gentle smile.
“Yes, Hero Elfride?”
“What do you think of Abel?”
“…Huh?”
Elfride was slightly surprised by Estelle’s flustered reaction. Seeing her clearly flustered, Elfride became more confident in her suspicions.
Her earlier rude behavior and the subtle way she seemed to be keeping an eye on me made me wonder…
“Are you and Abel in a relationship?”
“…If we are?”
Estelle turned her head sharply and looked at Elfride with confidence.
Despite her confidence, her face was as red as a tomato, though Estelle herself was probably unaware.
“What if Hero Abel and I have been doing all sorts of things together!?”
Doing all sorts of things? Is that something a saint should be saying? Elfride furrowed her brow.
“…Saint Estelle, you should be more careful with your choice of words.”
“…I’m sorry.”
At least she seemed to know what she did wrong.
Judging by the Saint’s tone and behavior, the idea of them being in a relationship was probably false. It was more likely that the Saint had a one-sided crush on Abel.
Realizing this, Elfride unknowingly let out a sigh of relief. Unaware of her own actions, Elfride spoke to Estelle.
“I understand how you feel about Abel. But regardless, there’s no reason for you to stop me from wanting to get closer to him, right?”
“…Hero Elfride, why do you want to get close to our Hero? Surely there are plenty of people who want to be friends with you, even if it’s not Hero Abel.”
Elfride answered honestly.
“Because Abel is a good person.”
From what she had seen so far, Abel was definitely a good person. He didn’t flaunt his status as a hero, was polite, and had the skills to back it up.
Even with that lack of skill, the determination to save people was there.
Elfride’s attitude was completely different from Levius, the hero she personally disliked.
But then, Estelle said something unexpected.
“…Our hero is kind?”
“You don’t think so?”
“Hero Elfride, you don’t know anything~.”
Estelle’s eyes curved like a crescent moon.
“Hero Abel is a pervert and trash♡”
“…Saint Estelle, I don’t understand why you’re saying that.”
“It’s because Hero Elfride doesn’t know~. Our hero is a beast♡”
Abel? Elfride couldn’t easily imagine it.
…But those were the words of the saint who was always with him. Even if it wasn’t entirely accurate, there must be some truth to it.
“The hero always looks at me with lecherous eyes~♡”
“…Abel said that?”
“Yes, of course~♡”
“…What are you talking about, Saint?”
Elfride and Estelle turned their gazes at the same time. Where their eyes landed, Abel stood with a dumbfounded expression, holding a plate full of food.
#
It seemed like that girl was spouting nonsense again. You could tell just by looking at the flustered expressions of the saint and Elfride.
“You were saying weird things again, weren’t you?”
“…Me? When?”
“Don’t play dumb.”
The saint pouted her lips. Damn it, trying to act cute to smooth things over? Even if you’re cute, I won’t fall for it.
After putting the plate down nearby, he spoke to Elfride.
“Everything the saint said was a joke, so just let it go in one ear and out the other.”
“…Is that so?”
Her reaction was strange. He narrowed his eyes and pressed Elfride.
“Elfride, you don’t actually believe that, do you?”
“Ah, no. Of course, how could you be like that?”
…She seemed to half-believe it.
“Elfride, I swear to God, I’ve never done anything weird to the saint.”
“Ah, I see. I’m sorry for misunderstanding. Really, I’m sorry.”
Elfride apologized to me, and I turned to look at the saint.
“…Saint, what exactly did you say?”
The saint glanced at me, then quickly turned her head away.
Look at this girl?
“Apologize, to me and to Elfride.”
“…I’m sorry.”
The saint bowed her head. Surprisingly, she apologized readily.
…It was a bit noisy, so I stopped loading the meat and came back, and it seems like it was the best choice. If I had come back a bit later, what would Elfride have thought of me?
When I looked at the saint again, she avoided my gaze, as if she felt guilty.
This girl, never letting her guard down. You’ll really get what’s coming to you someday.
…Someday.
#
“Did you say you were going to the guild?”
“Yes, I have to.”
The day after the banquet, it was time to set off on our respective journeys.
Elfride and Abel, who had come out of the count’s mansion, stood at a crossroads and looked at each other.
“Where are you going, Elfride?”
“I think I’ll head towards the Vesta Kingdom. I have some family matters to attend to. You’ll be staying in the Mars Empire for a while, right?”
“That’s the plan. I need to take on some guild requests to save up some funds.”
“Right, I see.”
Elfride said to Abel.
“Ah, right. I had something to give you.”
It was Elfride who had stopped Abel and his party from leaving without attending the banquet yesterday. In exchange for not taking on the request, Elfride had promised to give them five times the reward and now pulled out a pouch from her pocket.
“Ah, you’re really giving it to me? Are you sure…”
“I made the offer, so I have to keep it.”
Abel’s eyes widened as he received the pouch from Elfride. It was heavier than he expected.
“You didn’t have to give this much…”
“It’s fine. I received plenty of funds during the recent Regular Reporting Meeting. Think of it as encouragement for a junior hero.”
Elfride chuckled as she watched Abel, flustered by the sudden large sum.
“Well, I’ll be off then.”
“Yes, I hope we meet again.”
“…Yeah, see you.”
Elfride and Cynthia walked away from Abel. Watching Elfride leave, Abel also set off with the saint.
“…….”
As she walked, Elfride suddenly stopped and looked back. Cynthia asked the momentarily still Elfride.
“Elfride?”
“…No, it’s nothing.”
The radiant golden-haired hero moved forward again, thinking.
‘Abel. I look forward to the day you stand by my side.’
