Chapter 48

Lee Si-yoon had never thought of himself as someone particularly impressive.

He barely managed to obtain his Hunter license. His childhood friend, Yuri, who promised to become a Hunter and travel to another world together, easily got her license and started off as a Hunter at a higher level than him, leaving him speechless.

Well, Yuri was always good at academics and sports since childhood. She had great relationships with her peers. Si-yoon was certain that not many boys around didn’t admire someone like Han Yu-ri.

Because of that, he considered joining the same association as Yuri and forming a party together to be quite a stroke of luck.

It was also a miracle that he could protect Yuri with his life and manage to survive—

“Do you want to keep calling me a bunny?”

“Then what? A deer? Do you want to be a deer? Well, it seems like the only soft spot on a deer is its tail. But even without a tail, that part might still be squishy.”

“Tail—!? No, is that really something you should say to the Saint Candidate!?”

“Huh? What’s this? Are you not denying that I’m a Saint Candidate now?”

“You were the one who suggested using this status!”

—But then, what kind of situation was this?

He knew this was a situation any man would wish to avoid.

Including Yuri—who was a really close ‘friend’ he had grown up with—he shouldn’t be having thoughts like this. But sadly, Si-yoon was still a guy, and here he was, in the same room as an elf that looked like she walked right out of a painting.

Moreover, he was sitting with the daughter of the greatest hero in the nation and a Saint Candidate who, according to the rumors in the association, could take the position of Saint without anyone daring to object.

Even though no one could imagine dating any of them, just being next to those figures was something he could brag about to his friends.

Oh, of course, the Saint Candidate and that knight didn’t seem the least bit interested in Lee Si-yoon. He was seriously contemplating whether he should intervene while watching them bicker, but oddly enough, it looked like both of them were enjoying the fight a bit.

Could he think of it as a playful quarrel between close friends?

…Somehow, he felt like both of them would deny that at the same time if he said it out loud.

“Excuse me, Mr. Lee Si-yoon?”

“Y-yes!?”

A sweet voice caught his attention, making Si-yoon jump in surprise.

It was none other than Glaria, the elf girl, calling out to him with a melodious voice.

She claimed to be a noble where she used to live, but judging by the reactions around the association, it didn’t seem like she was your average noble. After all, the one who introduced her was the Saint Candidate sitting right in front of him.

Her beautifully coiled golden hair shimmered, as if someone had taken great care to style it. It looked more like a model’s hair heavily edited for a shampoo ad than just regular hair.

“May I ask what your rank is as a Hunter?”

Her use of honorifics momentarily short-circuited Si-yoon’s brain.

“I’m at rank seven…”

Of course, he blurted out that poorly thought-out answer.

“Oh my.”

As if she found it delightful, Glaria giggled in a distinctly noble way.

Though he had spent his whole life in a nation where such explicit ranks had long been abolished, Si-yoon had no clue what exactly “laughing like a noble” meant, but he had some thoughts about it.

“I see. That is the lowest rank, then?”

“Yes, yes, that’s right…”

“I too am just starting out as a Hunter, so I will likely start at the same rank seven. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to team up with someone like Mr. Lee Si-yoon….”

And right then, he felt something blazing from the other side, making him gulp.

Just across from him, Yuri was crossing her arms and glaring at Glaria from behind him.

“Uh, um, Ms. Elf.”

“Oh my. That’s just a title for my kin, you know?”

“Who?!”

“I don’t know your name.”

“I just introduced myself as Han Yu-ri a moment ago!”

“Oh my, was that your name, Miss?”

“Si-yoon, I really think you should keep some distance from this person. She’s a noble, you know? Someone like us, who are just ordinary folks, shouldn’t be getting too close. I really think so.”

“Oh, what do you know? They say such hierarchies have already disappeared in this world.”

“In Europe, they still exist. Oh, why don’t you move to that side? You will surely receive proper noble treatment there—”

“Oh my—”

Yuri and Glaria quickly sharpened their words, continuing their conversation.

The Saint Candidate and that knight were openly fighting.

And somehow, these two ladies were having a verbal duel, with Lee Si-yoon caught in the middle.

Si-yoon felt like he was going to have a hole in his stomach.

“My neck…my neck…hurts…”

“Well, with all that shouting, how could it not?”

As I muttered in a slightly hoarse voice, Ria chuckled and replied.

“And who’s fault is that!— Ow ow ow.”

“Here’s the water.”

“Thanks… No, it is all your fault though.”

But that didn’t stop Ria from refusing the water she offered.

The water was lukewarm, not too cold. Since Ria had left it out since earlier when they were having tea, by the time they reached near the church, it had cooled just enough to be warm.

Now that he thought about it, it probably got warm because he held it intentionally by the window, so the heater would warm it up a bit. So drinking it didn’t make his throat hurt at all.

…

There’s no way she held it under the heater on purpose, thinking it would help with my sore throat… right?

No way.

Thinking about Ria, who was literally staring at his rear end while searching for a deer tail, he quickly shook his head to get rid of that absurd thought.

In order to dodge her gaze, he twirled around in front of others, and Ria twirled around him too—

He covered his burning face with his hands.

“Wait, why are you reacting so much?”

“Well, if you hadn’t reacted, why would I?”

And here she was, turning red herself. What was that about? Did she completely forget the surroundings while teasing him?

“Sigh… well, whatever. Thanks to you, we managed to settle this. I’ll let it slide this time.”

“Uh-huh.”

At my words, Ria widened her eyes and replied, then added, “But wait, why are you the one letting it go? I did all the work!”

She asked with an expression that was a bit strange, returning to her original demeanor.

“Tch.”

“That’s not what I meant, hey.”

Ria, looking incredulous, asked back in disbelief, which he ignored as he turned away.

There was Glaria sitting there.

In the original story, Glaria ends up staying put in the association’s building. She would eat and sleep there, always clinging to Lee Si-yoon for every minute he appeared.

However, probably thanks to him, Glaria wasn’t staying there this time. Well, at least they were heading back to the church together.

“Hehe…”

But it seemed like Glaria laughed at his thoughts.

Her eyes sparkled suspiciously, sapphire and emerald-like, piercing through him. It felt like she could drill a hole in the chair.

“Indeed, that’s true. There’s bound to be someone captivated by such a beautiful person.”

Cough.

“Was it Han Yu-ri? Hmph, a commoner who cannot compare to her nobility, clinging so closely.”

“…”

“Well, it doesn’t really matter. If it were where I lived, I could forgive having a concubine or two, but here, it’s just an affair if you’re not the proper wife, right? Hehe.”

Glaria’s eyes sparkled oddly.

“If that is the case, then all I can do is fight my hardest. They say you should wait and see, but to wait, that side seat is a must, right?”

No way, it’s not like that at all.

This was clearly a reaction based on looks alone, just judging by appearances.

“…I’m stuck in a situation where I can’t move carelessly due to my mother’s wish, but fine. Since you two are in a cooperative relationship, there’s no problem.”

That was the last thing Glaria mumbled as she looked at me.

Her sparkling sapphire and emerald eyes were locked onto him.

A mischievous smile danced on her lips—it was honestly more scary than beautiful.

“So, please, may I request your cooperation?”

…Wait, was that supposed to be something to hear?

As I locked eyes with those fair eyes staring through the aisle, I shifted my gaze back down the seats.

Then, I wrapped my hands around my head.

“Sigh.”

Ria, for some reason, patted my head.

Feeling a bit brighter, I looked up to see light shining in from above in the bus.

“Are you messing with me!?”

Shouting, I quickly dispersed the Saint Power I had been pouring over my head.

“It’s all Ria’s fault!”

“Wait, why is it my fault?”

Because I was too busy arguing with you to notice what was happening!

But at least the situation itself went completely wrong because of him.

In the end, having nothing to say to Ria, who looked at him in disbelief, he slumped down with his head resting on the chair in silence until they arrived at the church.