Chapter 26
The plan to send Chloe to the military academy after entrusting her to the Lunaria Church has been completely revised.
According to Chloe, if she were to return to the military academy, such an incident could happen again. In the first place, they probably didn’t even consider the possibility that Chloe could come back after pulling off such a stunt.
To cover up the incident, the group of nobles who tormented Chloe would surely try something. That’s why we had to go with her and uncover the truth about the incident where she turned into a monster. Before she could be silenced and disappear without a trace.
After hearing the story from the Saint and me, Chloe asked:
“…How are you going to find evidence?”
“We’ll have to track the distribution route of the Transformational Stone. If we follow the distribution route, we’ll surely find evidence of who purchased the Transformational Stone that was given to you, Chloe. If we confirm that this Transformational Stone we have matches, it’ll serve as evidence.”
At the Saint’s words, Chloe nodded. If we have the actual Transformational Stone and find the transaction records, there couldn’t be more solid evidence than that.
And above all, the person who did such a thing to Chloe is suspected to be my childhood friend. I can’t just not go…
“I don’t want to be a burden to the Hero with something like this…”
“Burden? That’s a disappointing thing to say. I just want to help.”
“…You were just being cold a moment ago, and now you’re suddenly being kind. I don’t know how to keep up with you.”
…Chloe, don’t make this harder than it needs to be.
“You refused to accept me as a comrade, didn’t you?”
“…So you’re saying you’re not being cold anymore?”
“Huh?”
…Is that how it works?
“Alright, please help me!”
“…Uh, sure.”
Chloe smiled brightly at me. She looked as if she had found hope, her mood visibly lifted.
What do I do? I’m not into lolis…
“…Should I not help you, Hero?”
Why are you like this?
“What are you talking about, Saint?”
“…Just kidding.”
…It didn’t seem like a joke.
Whatever the reason, the Saint narrowed her eyes and glared at Chloe. Under the Saint’s gaze, Chloe suddenly clung to me and said:
“Hero, the Saint is glaring at me!”
“…Haha.”
Please just leave me alone.
“Saint, so all we need to do is go to the Church and get the priest robes, right?”
“No~♡ Since we have to cross the border with Chloe, we need something to prove her identity.”
“Is there such a thing?”
“I have a symbol that represents me as the Saint of the Church, and we need to get it from the Papal Office.”
“Do we have to go to the Papal Office?”
The Saint looked at me and flashed her usual arrogant smile.
“You dummy♡ How are we supposed to get to the Papal Office in this lifetime~? Of course, we’ll request it from the branch office and have it sent over~. Hero, you’re such an idiot for not even thinking of that♡”
“…Then how long will it take?”
“Hmm~? It might vary depending on what’s going on, but we should be able to get it within a week at least.”
“We’ll have to get to the Church branch as quickly as possible.”
“That’s right~♡ So starting tomorrow, we’ll be traveling by carriage~. What if the Hero bumps his head again~♡”
…I’d rather not.
This village is a bit larger, so there are carriages and stagecoaches that go to other regions.
Lancaster City is a big city, so of course, there’s a relay station, and we can take a stagecoach straight to Lancaster City.
“Won’t it be expensive?”
“It’ll be a bit pricey since it’s a long distance~♡ But we have no choice. Things have turned out this way, so we need to get to Lancaster City as quickly as possible.”
“That’s true.”
I glanced at Chloe, who was still clinging to me.
“…Could you let go?”
“Why?”
“Why? What do you mean why…”
“I like being next to the Hero.”
I feel like a criminal, so no thanks.
Whether she understood my feelings or had some other intention, the Saint grabbed Chloe and pulled her away.
“Eek, Saint, what are you doing!”
“What are *you* doing, you alley cat.”
“Alley cat? Did you just say that?”
…Even if Chloe is like that, why are you picking a fight?
“Uh, let’s just calm down. We need to get some rest early for tomorrow’s departure.”
“Ah, I want to sleep next to the Hero!”
Chloe blurted out something embarrassing, but her eyes were sparkling.
Just looking at her, she seemed like a child who wanted to sleep with her dad, but knowing the reality, I couldn’t accept it that way.
I turned to the Saint and said:
“…I’ll just get a separate room.”
“…Okay.”
#
As soon as Abel left, closing the door with a *thud*, Estelle spoke to Chloe.
“…What exactly are you thinking?”
Chloe was startled by the Saint’s low, unfamiliar tone. But determined not to be intimidated, Chloe boldly retorted.
“What do you mean, what am I thinking?”
“Why are you suddenly clinging to our Hero?”
“Our Hero~? Saint, you seem to be mistaken. The Hero isn’t yours. Why are you saying ‘our’? And is there a reason I can’t like the Hero?”
Estelle and Chloe glared at each other. The tension between them was so intense that it felt like sparks were flying where their gazes met.
Between the two, Estelle was the first to snap.
“The Hero is someone I take care of and look after! So he’s *our* Hero!”
“Take care of~? From what I’ve seen, you’re just being harsh with your words!”
It hit home. Estelle had always thrown harsh words at Abel, half out of a desire to tease him and half out of embarrassment at being honest.
But even if her weak spot was hit, Estelle wasn’t one to back down. She raised her voice and spoke to Chloe.
“How I talk to the Hero is none of your business!”
“Don’t you think the Hero might be hurt by that!?”
“The Hero knows my true feelings!”
“How would the Hero know that? He’s not a mind reader! That’s nonsense, Saint.”
Estelle had no rebuttal. She couldn’t counter Chloe’s words.
Did Abel really understand Estelle’s true feelings? It was just something she guessed based on the fact that Abel didn’t seem to genuinely dislike her.
Realizing she was at a disadvantage, Estelle quickly changed the subject.
“…The Hero doesn’t like little kids like you!”
“…Li-little kid!? I’m a proper adult!”
Chloe was sixteen. In any country, sixteen was well past the age of adulthood. Though petite, she was undeniably an adult woman.
Hearing Chloe’s words, the Saint smirked.
“Just being an adult in age doesn’t mean anything. You’re small-chested, small-hipped, and have no charm as a woman~?”
“Do you think the Hero would like someone just because of their body? The Hero isn’t the type to judge women like that…”
“Yes.”
Estelle’s firm response made Chloe question.
“…How can you be so sure?”
“Other things aside, it’s certain that the Hero likes breasts. When he looks at me, and even when he met the Saint of the Lunaria Church before, he couldn’t stop staring at her chest~♡”
“…Really?”
“Yes~♡ So the Hero has no interest in someone like you, Chloe.”
“Nah, probably not~?”
“Huh… How can you be so sure!”
“Then why don’t you test it yourself?”
Estelle spoke with confidence, and Chloe trembled at her words.
“A woman’s charm isn’t just about that!”
“…That’s true. But it’s a fact that a good figure is one of the elements that can appeal to a woman’s charm. Isn’t it? Ah~♡ Maybe Chloe doesn’t know because she doesn’t have that~?”
“…What did you say?!”
“If you think I’m wrong, why don’t you argue back?”
Though she was angry, Chloe knew it too. She was well aware of how much men are attracted to a woman’s body. Unable to argue back, she just trembled in frustration.
‘I won.’
Seeing that, Estelle could smile victoriously.
#
The next morning, we stopped by the post station as planned and got a carriage to Lancaster City. Now we’ll be traveling by carriage for two days to Lancaster City. Feels like a carriage trip.
“Hero~!”
“…Chloe, what are you doing?”
“Huh? I want to sit next to you, Hero!”
“…Go away.”
I don’t want to become a criminal. At my firm response, Chloe’s face stiffened slightly, and for some reason, the Saint giggled.
…What’s so funny?
“Hero, you must be misunderstanding something.”
“Suddenly, what are you talking about?”
“I’m sixteen! A proper adult!”
…?
“I know that.”
“…Huh?”
“I know Chloe is an adult.”
“Then why are you acting like that….”
Apart from being an adult, she looks like she’s radiating criminal vibes. I don’t want to be called a lolicon.
“I like women over 160 cm.”
“…Huh?”
“…Huh?”
…Why are there two responses? Besides Chloe next to me, the Saint sitting in front also asked.
“…Saint, why are you suddenly asking that?”
“…Is height important to you, Hero?”
“Well?…Yeah.”
If you ask if it’s important, I guess it is. Someone as small as Chloe is a bit… too much like a crime.
But for someone like the Saint, even if she’s not 160 cm, considering other factors, she’s still a very attractive woman.
…Don’t get me wrong, I’m only talking about looks, not personality.
So if you ask if it’s important or not, of course….
“It is important, right?”
“…Is that so?”
The Saint’s always confident shoulders slumped. Chloe next to her also couldn’t hide her disappointment.
…Was I too harsh?
Even if not as much as Chloe, the Saint is also on the shorter side, so I didn’t think she might have concerns about her height. So I quickly changed the subject.
“…But I think there are more important things than height.”
“…!”
“…Like what!?”
The Saint perked up, and Chloe outright asked.
What is it? Well, there are many, but the most important thing is….
“A kind heart. And a pretty face is a bonus.”
Looks and a good heart are the most important, right? I think this applies to both men and women.
Then Chloe clung to me.
“…Hero, don’t I have a kind heart?”
“I think Chloe is pretty kind.”
“Then am I not pretty?”
Pretty? Well, her face is pretty. Her purple hair and sparkling amethyst eyes are quite attractive.
“You are pretty.”
“Then why not me?”
“…Well, we haven’t known each other that long….”
…Why won’t she give up?
Honestly, Chloe isn’t my type. Objectively, she’s pretty, but her body type and height are a bit… I prefer women like the Saint or Elfride.
That doesn’t mean I like the Saint. Again, I’m just talking about looks.
But it’s a bit awkward to say it outright, so let’s try to talk around it. Just as I was about to speak, the Saint sitting in front firmly said.
“Enough, Chloe. You’re making the Hero uncomfortable.”
Wow, she’s helping me. I was worried she’d team up with Chloe to tease me.
“…What, Saint? Are you trying to block me now?”
“Why would I need to block you?”
“Because you like the Hero….”
《Holy Chain》
“Ugh!”
…Excuse me?
“Saint, what are you doing using a Sacred Artifact on Chloe?”
A small chain of light was sealing Chloe’s mouth. She used the Sacred Artifact without any casting motion.
“…She was about to say something unnecessary.”
“…?”
Unnecessary?
Thinking about the Saint’s actions until now, her reactions to my comments and her sharp remarks to Chloe.
…I think I know what Chloe was about to say.
“Saint.”
“Yes~?”
“…Just wondering.”
“Why are you hesitating~? Don’t act like an idiot and just say it~♡”
“…You don’t like me, do you?”
After Chloe’s bombshell yesterday, the Saint’s strange behavior and flustered expressions. Enough to make me suspect.
Hearing my words, the Saint’s eyes widened.
…Huh?
The Saint was flustered. We’ve been together for a while? Not that long, but recently we’ve been sticking together. Her expression changes were easy to notice.
‘…No way?’
I really thought so. And just as that thought was turning into certainty, the Saint smiled arrogantly and said.
“Suddenly saying such things~♡ As if I’d like someone as lame as you, Hero~♡ You’re overestimating yourself, that’s it♡”
…Wow, that woke me up.
Yeah, someone who talks like that wouldn’t like me. Who would talk like that to someone they like?
I awkwardly smiled and apologized.
“…Yeah, I guess so? Sorry, I must have misunderstood.”
“Don’t tell me you’ve already thought of our grandchildren’s names in your head~? Kyah♡ That’s so gross~♡ Marrying a Goblin Hero, no way~♡”
“…I never thought that far.”
“Liar~♡”
…Damn it, I hate you too!
#
At Estelle’s sharp remark, Abel seemed upset and turned his gaze to the window.
But Abel didn’t know. That Estelle’s cheeks were flushed red as she harshly criticized him.
