Translated / Edited by: Rinkage
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Chapter 6: I enquired the secret of the married couple (part 2)
With the help of Cecilia’s light magic, we proceeded ahead.
After the battle against the first wave of demons, we ventured deeper into the mine. We were attacked by demons numerous times, but we managed to defeat them without any trouble and moved forward.
Even though I was a.s.signed to protect Cecilia, all the demons were defeated before they even got to us, leaving me with nothing to do at all.
Thanks to that, Cecilia and I could take it easy, but somehow it didn’t feel right not being able to contribute anything.
Since the mine was well maintained by the workers here and we had received a map in advance, we could navigate through the area easily.
I had a feeling that we had ventured quite a long way into the mine, but we had yet to come across the demon mentioned in the request. All of the demons defeated by Sophia-san and Clayman so far were similar to the ones that we had encountered earlier.
“Hey, I think we’ve travelled quite deep into the mine now, but… we’ve yet to encounter the demon that we’re supposed to subjugate. What’s the meaning of this?” [Youki]
“Ah, we’ll probably encounter it once we reach an open area deeper in the mine." [Clayman]
“Hmm…” [Youki]
I had a suspicion that he gave me an ambiguous reply just for the sake of it, so I secretly strengthened all of my five senses. Upon doing so, I could indeed sense the smell of a demon that seemed different than the ones we had come across so far. However, I could also hear crunching sounds coming from that direction.
*crunch crunch*
It sounded like something was being munched on. It gave me an unpleasant feeling somehow, but I forced myself to move forward.
Shortly after, we finally reached our destination, but…
“Oioi, is that the demon that we’re supposed to subjugate?” [Youki]
That was quite a huge demon. It looked like an enormous version of a rock lizard, but the colour of its rocky skin surface seemed different.
“That’s a rock lizard, isn’t it? It’s a demon that eats rock as its staple food, but… the rock that it is eating now doesn’t seem to be a normal rock.” [Sophia]
“…What that demon is eating now is a magic ore.” [Clayman]
“What!?” [Youki]
Upon closer observation, I noticed that the rock eater was dexterously digging the magic ores from the wall and chomping on them noisily.
“It seems to have undergone some kind of mutation, so it began eating magic ores. A normal rock eater will only eat normal rocks.” [Clayman]
“No, save that for later. What we should do now is to defeat it quickly!” [Youki]
If that demon continued popping the magic ores like snacks, we would not have enough to fix Gai up.
However, when I tried to attack it after casting my usual body reinforcement magic, I was stopped by Clayman.
“Hold your horses. I’m not done explaining yet.” [Clayman]
“Hah?! What do you mean by that?” [Youki]
“I’ve yet to explain the condition of the request and the demon’s trait. I don’t know why you’re in such a hurry, but calm down.” [Clayman]
"…I got it." [Youki]
I decided to listen Clayman after he soothed me. If I were to make any mistake here, I would only end up troubling Cecilia and the rest.
“Then I’ll start. First of all, I’ll explain about its trait. Based on the information provided, probably due to the magic ores consumed, the attribute of the magic ore has become part of its const.i.tution." [Clayman]
“Umm, if I’m mistaken, magic ore has a magic absorbing property… in other words…” [Cecilia]
“I wouldn’t say that magic doesn’t work… but the effect seems small. It is a natural enemy to the both of you.” [Clayman]
Clayman pointed at me and Cecilia.
Immediately, Sophia-san forcibly twisted his finger upwards. Cecilia stared at the scene unfolding before her round-eyed, as it’s not every day you see a wife breaking off her husband’s finger. It was probably disrespectful of Clayman to have pointed his finger at Cecilia.
“Sophia-san, isn’t that too much…” [Cecilia]
“It’s fine. My husband’s not that fragile.” [Sophia]
As Sophia-san said, Clayman, who was on verge of pa.s.sing out earlier, seemed to have made a miraculous recovery and resumed his explanation as if nothing had happened.
Clayman has an incredible recuperative power, indeed.
“If it’s still somewhat effective, wouldn’t it be fine if I attack it using advanced level magic?" [Youki]
“That would work, but that won’t do. If you use that level of magic in a place like this, this tunnel might collapse. Besides, Tarevoke Merchant Guild has made a troublesome request.” [Clayman]
"Troublesome request?" [Youki]
“Ou, that’s…” [Clayman]
According to Clayman, the hide of a mutated rock eater would make a rare material, so they wanted us to defeat it without injuring it, if possible.
That condition seriously made me feel that they were s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g with us.
“Dear… why did you accept a request with such an unreasonable condition?” [Sophia]
“Sophia, I’m not done explaini… g-give, I give up!” [Clayman]
Sophia-san put Clayman in a headlock.
Was Cecilia accustomed to this situation already? She laughed a bit as she watched the scene with a calm demeanour. Although, I was laughing, too.
…I wished they would do this kind of things at home.
After Sophia-san was satisfied, she released him from the headlock.
“O-Ouch… Anyway, it’s not like I accepted the request without first thinking through it. I have a proper strategy for this.” [Clayman]
Although he made the declaration confidently, it gave me a bad premonition.
It must be a strategy that would put me at a disadvantage.
“What kind of strategy is it?” [Youki]
“The strategy is simple. I will first wrap your body with my shikigami, then you’ll enter the demon’s body and defeat it from the inside. How’s that? A perfect strategy, isn’t it?” [Clayman]
“Stop s.h.i.tting me!” [Youki]
So that was the reason why this fellow invited me along! Was he planning to turn me into some kind of virus for the rock eater? Don’t even joke about it!
“It’ll be fine if Clayman goes, right?” [Youki]
“I have to control the shikigami, so that’s not possible. There, go. I will wrap them around you so it will be fine, probably.” [Clayman]
“You should be a.s.suring me that it will definitely be fine!” [Youki]
I flung him a retort as I watched the rock eater.
However, it was still questionable if Clayman’s shikigami could offer that much of a protection… It would be hard.
I guess I could think of it as doing it for Tiel-chan and Gai.
“I"ll handle that task.” [Sophia]
"What?!" [Youki]
While I was still conflicted about it, Sophia-san volunteered to take up the role of the virus.
It seemed that Clayman was surprised, too. His eyes were like that of a dead fish usually, but they were wide opened at that moment.
“No, no. I can’t have Sophia do this.” [Clayman]
“Youki-sama specializes in magic, so I should be a better candidate since I’m better at close combat.” [Sophia]
“W-Well that might be true but…” [Clayman]
“In the first place, isn’t this strategy itself dangerous?” [Cecilia]
Cecilia was right.
One could say that it could be likened to being eaten alive, too. After all, that demon seemed to be chewing ores easily as though it were eating candies.
“Cecilia-sama, there’s no need to worry. My husband’s shikigami is not something that"s so weak. Isn’t that right, Dear?” [Sophia]
“No, well that’s true. But…” [Clayman]
“Besides, Youki-sama and Cecilia-sama need to stop the rock eater’s movement with magic, since it will be considerably painful for the demon if I attack it from the inside. Youki-sama is capable of using stronger magic than me, too. So, he’s the right guy for the job.” [Sophia]
This was so the mine wouldn’t collapse due to the rock eater’s struggling.
Since magic wasn"t totally ineffective against the demon, we could still restrict its movement using restraining magic. There was no mistake when Sophia-san said that I could use stronger magic as well.
“Oi, Sophia…” [Clayman]
“Dear, could you please make the preparations then? I believe in you.” [Sophia]
“O-Ou, leave it to me!” [Clayman]
In the end, it was decided that Sophia-san would be the one to do it.
Clayman then started preparing his shikigami, applying all his effort in doing so. He might not have worked so hard on it if I were the one who took up that role.
“Even if she’s the right one for this job, why did Sophia-san volunteer herself for such a dangerous role?” [Youki]
"…I don"t understand it either." [Cecilia]
“Shall I answer it?” [Sophia]
We were planning to discuss this secretly, but it seemed that Sophia-san could still hear us. Clayman was immersed in the preparation of the shikigami so he wasn’t aware of this conversation.
"Was it because I was throwing a fit?" [Youki]
"No, you"re wrong." [Sophia]
Her answer was instantaneous.
She had probably wished to throw herself mercilessly into the mouth of the rock eater.
“You’re thinking of something impolite, aren’t you?” [Sophia]
“Ah, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” [Youki]
“What were you thinking about?” [Cecilia]
There was a look of amazement on Cecilia"s face.
I should stop all the needless thoughts and ask her frankly.
“Why such a dangerous role?” [Youki]
“It’s just as I said earlier. I’m the right person for the job. Besides, it’s not dangerous. I believe in my husband.” [Sophia]
Sophia-san had a serious look on her face as she looked at Clayman, who was in the midst of preparing the shikigami.
In other words, that was all there was to it.
What kind of bond exists between this couple?
Cecilia and I were rendered silent after that. All we did was watched the two of them alternately until the preparation was completed.
The moment Clayman readied himself, Cecilia cancelled out the illumination magic and used a torch instead.
“Alright, go!” [Clayman]
At Clayman’s signal, Cecilia and I jumped out.
“《Earth Rock》” [Youki]
“《Saint Chain》” [Cecilia]
Cecilia and I cast intermediate level earth and light magic spells.
Nonetheless, probably because its meal was suddenly disrupted, it started struggling intensely, causing the chains to break and the rocks to crack.
“Oioi, we just invoked the magic.” [Youki]
“If we do not cast the magic repeatedly, we won"t be able to stop its movement.” [Cecilia]
We might have underestimated it a little. I should give my all and cast my restraining magic continuously.
“《Saint Chain》《Earth Rock》《Aqua Press》《Blizzard Gale》” [Youki]
Chains of light and spiky rocks that burst out began restraining it, and gushes of water froze its body, confining its movement. Even though Cecilia was also casting her magic repeatedly, we still couldn’t restrain it completely when the opponent started struggling.
“Vuooo———–!"
It let out a ghastly roar, possibly because it was getting irritated that it couldn’t move. The loud sound reverberated through the tunnel, causing my ears to ring.
However, it was also fortunate for us since its mouth was wide opened at that moment.
In that instant, Sophia-san, who was wrapped in Clayman’s shikigami jumped inside the rock eater’s mouth. Although the rock eater tried to spit her out after noticing that something had entered its body, it was futile.
Not long after, it began to thrash around as if it was writhing in pain. Sophia-san must have started attacking the rock eater from the inside.
“This fellow is going berserk.” [Youki]
“It seems to be quite painful. I feel a little sorry for it.” [Cecilia]
Cecilia sympathized with the rock eater. I am also a demon. While I wouldn’t say that I don’t feel sorry for it, I knew that this has to be done. I wouldn’t be able to help Gai if I were to have any uncertainty in my decisions.
I should focus on restraining the rampaging rock eater.
“Oraa, stop struggling!” [Clayman]
The moment Clayman let out an angry bellow, a huge shikigami that was as big as the rock eater appeared and began to suppress it. Moreover, there wasn"t just one shikigami, but four of them all together.
It was my first time seeing Clayman look so motivated.
“It must be because Sophia-san’s inside the body. Clayman would certainly not work so hard if I were the one inside." [Youki]
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that. He would’ve tried his best in Sophia-san’s presence, too.” [Cecilia]
“…Certainly, that might also be possible.” [Youki]
Cecilia seemed to have understood Clayman’s personality even though she had travelled with him for only a short period of time. Has she cleared her doubts concerning the maid uniform? …No, it would be better not to remind her about it again considering that the "misunderstanding" was already resolved.
“Both of you, don’t get distracted and keep your mind on it until that fellow stops moving.” [Clayman]
“Yes.” [Cecilia]
“I got it.” [Youki]
Even though the rock eater tried to thrash around, it couldn’t move much after we restrained it.
Cecilia appeared a little tired, but I still have plenty of energy left.
I ran up to her.
“Cecilia, great job.” [Youki]
“Good job, Youki-san… It looks like you’re still fine.” [Cecilia]
“That’s because I’m not your average kind of guy.” [Youki]
While we were having such a trifling conversation, the area around the rock eater’s mouth started wriggling and a human covered shikigami could be seen pushing herself out through the mouth.
Clayman then cancelled out his shikigami revealing Sophia-san, who looked totally unscathed with not a single bit of dirt on her body.
Cecilia called out to her and tried to approach her.
However, before she could do so, Clayman rushed over to Sophia-san and embraced her.
“Sophia, you’re safe. I’m glad.” [Clayman]
“Yes. As you can see, I’m fine. So can you please release me? Youki-sama and Cecilia-sama are looking at us.” [Sophia]
“It’s no big deal. If they want to watch, just let them watch.” [Clayman]
“That won’t do. Please release me. The request is not over yet. I still have to look for the herbs.” [Sophia]
“Uu… I got it.” [Clayman]
Clayman separated from Sophia-san reluctantly.
On looking at their exchange, what came to my mind was…
“They’re so lovey-dovey… " [Youki]
“Isn’t it?…” [Cecilia]
Cecilia and I looked at each other. Our faces turned beet-red when our eyes met.
It might be that we had felt something after looking at that couple.
“Oi, why are the two of you just standing there for? You’re here for something, right? Let’s look for it quickly so we can go back.” [Clayman]
“Ah, my bad. I’ll go now.” [Youki]
“I’ll look for them, too.” [Cecilia]
Thus, we began our search in the mine.
Nevertheless, it seemed that it had not eaten up all the magic ores, so we managed to find them easily. The problem laid in the medicinal herbs. Since stones and ores were scattered all over the places, it took Cecilia and the rest some time to look for the herbs.
By the time we achieved our objectives and left the mine, it was already dusk.
“d.a.m.n, we can’t go back today then…” [Youki]
“It’s dangerous to travel back at night and we can"t make the horse carriage go too fast, too. Well, let’s take our time and go back tomorrow.” [Clayman]
“I don’t have the leisure to take my time now.” [Youki]
We still had some time left, but I was concerned about Gai. I looked at the bag which was jam packed with magic ores in my possession.
I would be able to restore Gai’s body with these, so I wanted to give them to him as soon as possible.
“Youki-san, what’s wrong?” [Cecilia]
“Hey, can’t I just fly back by myself first?” [Youki]
I consulted Cecilia secretly.
It wouldn’t have mattered even if it was night time if I were to fly back. I should be able to make my trip back faster than a carriage.
“That would be bad. You’ll definitely be suspected later. Besides, what if by chance someone were to witness it while you’re flying?” [Cecilia]
‘The risk is high, but…” [Youki]
“Is there something wrong?” [Sophia]
While we were brooding over the problem, Sophia-san came over to us, so I tried to gloss over it hastily.
“Ahaha… I was just telling Cecilia that I was feeling tired.” [Youki]
“Is that so? I’m feeling somewhat weary, too. It’s been some time since I last did a guild request. At the moment, my husband is reporting to the mine workers about the subjugation of the rock eater and the dismantling of the materials. Once we return, we’ll rest at the inn.” [Sophia]
“Ah, yes. I understand.” [Youki]
I couldn’t say anything unnecessary in front of Sophia-san, so I decided to heed what she said obediently.
After Clayman came back, we returned to the inn where we stayed yesterday.
I had intended to sneak back to the capital at night, but when I recalled what Cecilia said, I crawled back into my bed.
Nevertheless, I couldn’t get to sleep at all. Even though Clayman had fallen asleep, I was still wide awake. The moment I closed my eyes, the image of Gai with cracks all over his body flickered in my mind. Then I started recalling Tiel-chan, who was worried endlessly about Gai, despite her own pain.
It wouldn’t have been a problem if I were to make myself invisible using magic, since no one would be able to see me. I should be able to return to the inn by morning without arousing any suspicion if I were to fly back at full speed.
Before I knew it, I had abandoned the idea of sleeping and started devising a plan to sneak back to the capital.
“Alright. I’ll fly back. It’s been a long time since I last do this.” [Youki]
I got up from my bed to confirm if Clayman really was sleeping.
I had been under his care this time, so I guess I should give him a good dream.
The moment I cast 《Nightmare Sleep》 on him, he started murmuring, “Sophia~” with a visible disgusting smile plastered on his face. I could easily tell what kind of dream he was having.
I then went out of the room, leaving Clayman, who was embracing his futon while wearing a silly grin.
However, in order to leave the inn, I would have to pa.s.s through the reception desk. Even though it was night time, the inn’s owner might still be awake. While I tried to think of a way to sneak through, I hid myself to observe the place first.
“Eh, why…?” [Youki]
For some reason, Cecilia was sitting on the couch at the inn’s reception area. There was a cup of tea on the table, so she was probably waiting for someone. Out of concern, I called out to her.
“Cecilia, what are you doing here?” [Youki]
“I was waiting for you.” [Cecilia]
What did she mean by that?
Cecilia got up from the couch and handed me a bag.
“These are the herbs collected today. Please give them to Sheik-kun.” [Cecilia]
“Eh, but…” [Youki]
“Please remember to ask Sheik-kun to match his story with yours if someone were to ask. Also, do tell Tiel-chan the same thing too if she wakes up.” [Cecilia]
“A-Aa, I got it.” [Youki]
I received the bag from Cecilia and kept it inside the bag containing the magic ores.
“It has been a long time since Sophia-san did a guild request, so she seemed tired. She has fallen asleep already. She will probably not wake up until morning unless something happens.” [Cecilia]
“I’ll try to come back by morning.” [Youki]
“I see. The owner asked me to call him if something happens. He has gone out for dinner, so if you want to leave, now’s the time.” [Cecilia]
It seemed that she had somehow done something about the inn"s owner, too. At any rate, it was amazing that she was able to carry it out with such outstanding finesse.
“I got it. Thank you. But, why did you make all these preparations. Just a while ago, I…” [Youki]
“I have a feeling that Youki-san will try to sneak back. Actually, it was already the third time I got the owner to leave his seat… It will indeed be too suspicious if I do it again, so if you had not come out, I would’ve returned to my room.” [Cecilia]
I looked at Cecilia as she laughed lightly. I would’ve left my room earlier if I had known that she was waiting for me. She must be have been worried about the two of them, too. Hence, after she considered the possibility that I would sneak back, she decided to aid me.
…I really need to express my grat.i.tude to her.
“Thank you very much for everything. I’ll take my leave now.” [Youki]
“Please be more careful and try not to be discovered by anyone.” [Cecilia]
“I got it. Later.” [Youki]
After bidding Cecilia farewell, I left the inn and cast 《Vanishing Wave》 to make myself invisible before leaving the village. Once I had confirmed that I was quite a distance away from the village, I reverted to my demon form.
“I won’t be able to fly at full speed if I don’t return to this form. Well… I don’t really want to go back to this form if it’s possible, but it can’t be helped. This is an emergency." [Youki]
I quipped to myself as I stood at an empty gra.s.sland.
Naturally, I hid myself before entering the inn and snuck back into my room. It was an irony that I had to sneak back into my own rented room, though. I guess it couldn’t be helped considering my current appearance.
It seemed that Gai was still alright. The cracks had spread even more compared to the previous time, but he had not crumbled into pieces yet. I could still save him.
I woke Gai up while trying my best not to shake him as much as possible.
“Oi, wake up, Gai!” [Youki]
But, there was no response. Was he just in a deep sleep, or could it be that….
“Am I too late…!?” [Youki]
Gai had not crumbled into pieces yet, but could it be that he was already dead? No. I should still have two more days.
“Oi. Stop sleeping and wake up. Ahh jeez, move! You lolicon stone statue! I found a way to save you. All you need to do is to eat this magic ore!” [Youki]
“….!”
I noticed Gai’s body twitching.
He might get up if I were to continue waking him up like this.
“Get your lazy a.s.s up! I’ll tell you this first. I’ll not let you die just like that after you"ve deceived an innocent girl like her. That"s why…" [Youki]
“Eei! You’re noisy!” [Gai]
Just when I thought of spouting whatever came to my mind, Gai opened his eyes.
As expected, he had not died yet.
“Thank goodness. So I still managed to make it in time.” [Youki]
“What are you feeling glad about, brat? Why the heck are you disturbing my sleep for? This might possibly be my last sleep. Besides, it seems that you were having fun blabbing all those things while I was asleep, weren’t you?” [Gai]
“Eh, so you heard me? Since you did not wake up, I thought…” [Youki]
“I was awake! But, my body is at its limit, so it took me some time to move my body.” [Gai]
It appeared that he had heard everything.
“Alright. Then why don’t you eat this?” [Youki]
If he was awake, then he must have heard what I said earlier about the magic ore. I didn’t have time to give him a detailed explanation, so I took a magic ore from the bag and forcefully shoved it into his mouth.
“Oi, brat. What are you… mugu–?!” [Gai]
“I’ll explain later. Eat this, quick!” [Youki]
Gai reluctantly crunched the ore and ate it, but before he could finish the first one, I thrust another magic ore into his mouth.
“M-Mu, mguu, mguu.” [Gai]
Gai stuck his hand out, looking as if he wanted to tell me something.
“I don’t get what you’re trying to say… Wait a minute!” [Youki]
When I looked at his arm, I noticed that the cracks from before were gone. It seemed that his body was recovering thanks to the magic ores.
“Mm!? Mmguga…” [Gai]
Gai appeared to be surprised when he saw the state of his own arm, too. He should have realized the effect of the magic ore by now.
I kept stuffing the magic ores into his mouth until half the contents of the bag were gone. At that point, all the cracks on his body had completely disappeared.
“There’re still half remaining… Even so, I could at least feel relieved now.” [Youki]
“…Oi, brat. Don’t forcefully thrust them into my mouth like that. I saw the cracks disappearing from my arm, so I understand the effect of this stone! Let me eat them slowly." [Gai]
“Ah, my bad, my bad. I was too impatient earlier. I thought it would be bad if I didn’t feed them to you soon.” [Youki]
“Hmph, it’s good that you understand it… There’re still some left, right? Why don’t you let me finish them all?” [Gai]
Gai s.n.a.t.c.hed the bag from me and stuffed the remaining ores inside his mouth.
However, it reminded me of the rock eater when I looked at the way Gai ate the magic ores and swallowed them all.
“Oioi. Aren’t you eating too much? Will you be all right?” [Youki]
“Hmm… They’re quite tasty. Could you bring me more?” [Gai]
It seemed that he has taken a liking to the magic ore’s taste.
However, I wouldn’t bring any more to him. It was troublesome enough to collect them.
I received the bag from Gai and confirmed the content.
The medicinal herbs should still be inside the bag.
"Hmm…?" [Youki]
There was something else inside the bag besides the medicinal herbs.
When I took it out, I noticed that it was something that resembled a nail, but its colour was similar to a magic ore.
“Mm? There’s still another one left? Give me that!” [Gai]
“Ah, wait a minute!” [Youki]
Gai disregarded my warning and stuffed it inside his mouth.
I might have mistaken it for an ore and collected it.
…He might have not realized that it was actually a nail. It was unsettling, though.
“This one has a different taste… What"s this? My body feels hot!?” [Gai]
“That’s why I told you to wait. That’s not a magic ore!” [Youki]
I watched over Gai, waiting to see if anything would happen.
Shortly after, the area where his arm and wing were missing began to expand.
"Hot! Hot!" Gai writhed in pain as he cried out, while I stared, fixated at the phenomenon happening before my eyes.
Eventually, both his wing and arm were regenerated completely when the areas finished expanding.
"…." [Youki]
"…." [Gai]
Both of us were at a loss as we stared at the newly grown wing and arm.
“…Don’t think too much about it. I’m short of time. I still have another place to go, so I’ll be leaving first. See ya.” [Youki]
I left the room secretly, leaving Gai who was still confused there alone.
Following that, I sneaked into Aquarain’s mansion the same way, and located Sheik by strengthening my sense of smell.
It seemed that he was inside Tiel-chan’s room. He was leaning against the back of the chair as he slept. Was he on standby here in case her condition worsens? Or was it because of his concern for Tiel-chan?
I praised him silently in my heart as I woke him up.
“Uuu~ it hurts… who"s that?” [Sheik]
“Keep quiet. It’s me.” [Youki]
“Eh? Captain’s current form… Oh, it’s still night time? Night night~” [Sheik]
“Don’t go back to sleep!” [Youki]
I felt uneasy since I wasn’t sure if he was still half-asleep. Hence, I woke him up forcibly with my water magic before explaining the circ.u.mstances to him. In the end, even though he was still rubbing his eyes sleepily, he managed to prepare the concoction after I brought him the materials.
“I’ve prepared it.” [Sheik]
“Alright. Now let her drink it as soon as possible.” [Youki]
I made my body invisible just as a.s.surance when Sheik made Tiel-chan take the medicine. I had a feeling that his expression became somewhat gentler, though.
“Sheik, I’ll leave first so I won’t arouse any suspicion.” [Youki]
“Un. If Tiel-chan asks me about it, I’ll tell her that what she drank earlier was just nutrients for her body. Bye bye~” [Sheik]
I made myself invisible and flew back at full speed so I could hurry back to the inn where Cecilia and the rest were.
I landed at a place not far from the village and got rid of my horn and wings, reverting to my usual form. By the time I was done with everything, it was almost dawn.
“This is bad. I need to hurry!” [Youki]
I made myself invisible and returned to the inn without being noticed by anyone.
When I entered the room, I noticed that Clayman was still asleep with the futon in his arms. I shot him a sidelong glance before crawling back into my bed.
“I’m tired… I can finally sleep…” [Youki]
I soon drifted into the dream world, but…
“Youki-sama, Youki-sama. Please wake up.” [Sophia]
“Unn, eh? Why is Sophia-san in our room…” [Youki]
“We have been waiting for some time for both of you to get up. So, I came to wake you two. The carriage is already ready outside, since you said that you’d like to return to Minerva as soon as possible.” [Sophia]
Did I say that yesterday?
By the way, Clayman was woken up with his usual beating.
At that moment, I was probably still half-asleep with half of my consciousness still in the dream world, so I ended up hugging Sophia-san unintentionally. I was blown off instantly, though.
At any rate, we got into the carriage after that and took off immediately.
“Youki-san, are you alright?” [Cecilia]
I could hear Cecilia’s voice. I guess it was natural since she was sitting next to me.
The reason to that was simple. I was sleepy.
“Oioi, didn’t you sleep last night? What were you doing the entire night? Good grief!” [Clayman]
“Dear, are you in the position to say that? You’ve overslept, too.” [Sophia]
Clayman and Sophia-san were performing their husband and wife comedic routine, but I didn’t have the energy to laugh or retort at all.
“Sorry, please let me sleep…” [Youki]
I collapsed sideways as it is and fell asleep.
The first thing that I noticed when I opened my eyes was Cecilia’s face above of me.
My brain was still foggy, probably because I had just woken up. Regardless, I decided to get up.
“You’ve finally woken up. We’ve already arrived at Minerva, Youki-san.” [Cecilia]
It seemed that I had slept through the entire journey.
At any rate, why was Clayman looking at me with that huge smirk across his face?
“You have an enviable life as well, don’t you? You"ll get stabbed by the young lady’s fans if they saw that." [Clayman]
“What are you talking about? …Did I do something?” [Youki]
“…You’ve been sleeping on Cecilia-sama’s lap the entire journey.” [Sophia]
“Seriously?!” [Youki]
Have I finally become a riajuu? I was resting my head on the lap of the girl I like – was what I thought for a split second, but I immediately ceased that thought.
If I remember correctly, I had collapsed and fallen asleep earlier, so she was probably just being considerate.
“I don’t really mind it, so it"s fine. Besides, a lot of things happened yesterday, so… right?” [Cecilia]
Cecilia winked at me.
…I shall accept that as my reward then.
Gai’s body was restored and Tiel-chan should be fine if I leave her to Sheik.
“Alright, I guess I’ll sleep once I go back.” [Youki]
“What? You’re going to sleep again? You’re even lazier than me.” [Clayman]
“Leave me alone.” [Youki]
The two female members laughed upon seeing at my exchange with Clayman.
That was my thought as I returned home in the carriage.
Two days later, Gai and Tiel-chan, both of whom seemed to have made a full recovery in a short period of time, were the first two beings that greeted my sight in the morning.
“I’m glad. I’m so glad. Guardian Deity-sama! Even though Guardian Deity-sama was in such a predicament, I wasn’t able to stay by your side.” [Tiel]
“You’re in a terrible condition yourself, girlie. So, don’t mind it at all. Rather, sorry for making you worry even though you’re unwell.” [Gai]
“How could… There’s no need for Guardian Deity-sama to apologize for something like that.” [Tiel]
“Sigh… Then both of us don’t need to feel bad about it. I hadn’t expected that we could talk with each other like this again.” [Gai]
“Yes. Same here. I’m glad to be able to stay by Guardian Deity-sama’s side and talk with you like this.” [Tiel]
“Aa. I must really thank the brat for this. No, it’s not just the brat. I should thank the cleric girl and the feathered brat, too.” [Gai]
“Yes. I will be expressing my thanks to Cecilia-sama and Sheik-kun on behalf of Guardian Deity-sama, too.” [Tiel]
“Hmm, I got it. Brat, thanks.” [Gai]
“I’d like to express my grat.i.tude as well, Youki-san. Thank you very much.” [Tiel]
The two of them lowered their heads at me.
I’d like to think of this as my reward for doing my best for them, but…
“…The two of you. First of all, good morning.” [Youki]
They were deeply immersed in their own two worlds, engaging in such displays of affection since just now.
I had been pretending to be asleep, but I had reached my limit.
“Mm, that’s right.” [Gai]
“What do you mean by ‘that’s right’?! Tiel-chan, when did you come here?” [Youki]
“I came here around two hours ago. I didn’t get the permission to leave yesterday, so I came here to see Guardian Deity-sama as soon as I could today.” [Tiel]
It amazed me that a girl with weak const.i.tution like her was able to summon up that much energy. The door was supposed to be locked, so I guess Gai must have opened it for her.
“Two hours ago?! The play you guys put on just now made it look like it was such a touching reunion!” [Youki]
“After crying for two hours, I embraced Guardian Deity-sama. Guardian Deity-sama was also embracing me closely.” [Tiel]
“Oi, Tiel. Don’t tell him about that.” [Gai]
What had you two been doing while I was asleep?
Gai clasped his hand over Tiel-chan’s mouth. However, probably because Tiel-chan had misunderstood it and thought that Gai was holding her close, her cheeks turned red.
“…I’ll be going out.” [Youki]
I quickly got myself ready, grabbed my valuables then left the room.
“Wait, brat. Listen to–” [Gai]
*Bang*
I closed the door.