Chapter 4. Escape and Service (14)

*

The man named Lee Si-yoon had never thought of himself as particularly great until now.

He had barely obtained his hunter license. His childhood friend, Yuri, with whom he had promised to become hunters and travel to other worlds since childhood, had obtained her license much more easily, and immediately started as a top-ranked hunter by being the head of the same team.

After all, Yuri had been good at academics and sports since childhood. She also had good relationships with her classmates. Si-yoon was convinced that there were few men who hadn’t liked Yuri since childhood.

Therefore, he considered it fortunate to have joined the same association as Yuri, and to have formed a party with her.

Being able to protect Yuri with his life, and miraculously surviving-

“Are you going to keep calling me a rabbit?”

“Then, if not a rabbit, what are you? A deer? Do you want to be a deer? Hmm, but it seems like only the tail of a deer is soft and fluffy. Hmm, even if there’s no tail, the area around it seems like it would be soft and fluffy.”

“Tail-!? No, is this what a knight should say to a Saint candidate!?”

“Huh? What, so you’re not denying that you’re a Saint candidate anymore?”

“You’re the one who suggested using this status!”

-But, what kind of situation is this right now?

He knew it was a situation he would eagerly desire as a hunter and as a man.

Including Yuri- Yuri had been a very close ‘friend’ whom he had been with since childhood, so he shouldn’t be thinking this, but unfortunately, Si-yoon was also a man- there was an elf girl from another world, who looked like she was drawn from a picture, in the same room.

Furthermore, there was the daughter of this country’s greatest hero, and a Saint candidate who, according to rumors within the association, could be appointed to the position of Saint without anyone objecting.

Even if they didn’t all intend to date, these were people who would be bragging rights to their friends just for being next to them.

Ah, of course, the Saint candidate and her knight didn’t seem interested in Lee Si-yoon at all. While seriously contemplating whether to intervene or not as he watched them argue earlier, the two of them seemed to enjoy arguing like that.

Should I think of it as close friends bickering?

……Somehow, if they heard that, both of them would probably deny it at the same time.

“Excuse me, Mr. Lee Si-yoon?”

“Yes, yes!?”

A sweet voice was heard from the side, and Si-yoon was startled.

The person who called Si-yoon in a charming voice was none other than the elf girl, Gloria.

She said she was a noble in the place she lived, but judging by the reactions within the association, she seemed to be more than just a noble. After all, the person who mediated the introduction was the Saint candidate standing before him.

As if someone had styled it, her neatly rolled-up perm shone dazzlingly golden. It didn’t feel like ordinary human hair.

If I had to compare it to a similar feeling, it would be the hair of a model in a shampoo commercial with heavy retouching.

“May I ask what your hunter rank is?”

And Si-yoon’s brain briefly froze at the sight of such a noble using such polite language.

“It’s, it’s rank seven.”

Naturally, a very clumsy answer came out in many ways.

“Oh my.”

Gloria laughed elegantly, as if those were words she found pleasing to hear.

Of course, Lee Si-yoon, who had lived his entire life in the Republic of Korea, where explicit class distinctions had long been abolished, didn’t know exactly what that noble-like laughter meant, but he felt that way anyway.

“I see. It’s the lowest rank, isn’t it?”

“Yes, yes, but…”

“I’m also just starting as a hunter, so I think I’ll start at the same rank seven. I don’t know if I’ll be able to work in the same party as you, Mr. Lee Si-yoon…”

“…….”

And, from the opposite side of that charming voice, Si-yoon felt something burning intensely and swallowed hard.

On the direct opposite side, with her arm casually linked through Si-yoon’s right arm, was someone glaring at Gloria over Si-yoon’s shoulder.

It was Yuri.

“……Excuse me, Miss Elf.”

“Oh my. That’s just a term for my race, who are you, Miss?”

“……Miss who?”

“Well, I don’t know your name.”

“……It’s Han Yu-ri, we just introduced ourselves a moment ago.”

“Oh my, was that your name, Miss?”

“……Si-yoon, no matter how I think about it, it seems better to keep a little distance from this person. She said she’s a noble, right? People like us, ordinary people, shouldn’t associate with her. No matter how I think about it.”

The phrase ‘no matter how I think about it’ was used twice.

“I heard that such class distinctions have already disappeared in this world.”

“They still exist in Europe. Ah, thinking about it, why don’t you move your residence there? You’ll be properly treated as a noble there-“

“Oh my-“

Yuri and Gloria were quickly exchanging barbs and continuing their conversation.

The Saint candidate and her knight, openly fighting.

And for some reason, the noble lady and the childhood friend who started a verbal duel with Lee Si-yoon in the middle.

Lee Si-yoon felt like his stomach was about to develop a hole.

*

“My throat… my throat… it hurts…”

“Yeah, you were shouting so much, your throat was bound to get sore.”

As I muttered with a slightly hoarse voice, Ria said with a smirk.

“It’s because of who-! Ouch, ouch.”

“Water here.”

“Thank you… No, it’s all because of you, though.”

However, I didn’t refuse the water Ria offered.

It was lukewarm water, not too cold. Ria had taken it out since we got on the bus, and by the time we arrived near the church, it had cooled down to lukewarm.

Come to think of it, she might have deliberately held it by the window in the heater’s airflow, making it lukewarm. So, drinking the water didn’t make my throat feel any more irritated.

…….

Surely she didn’t deliberately hold it under the heater? Because my throat would hurt…

No, it can’t be.

Thinking of Ria staring intently at my backside earlier while searching for the deer’s tail, I quickly shook my head and dismissed that absurd thought.

To avoid that gaze, I spun around in front of people, and Ria spun around me-

I covered my burning face with both hands.

“No, but why are you reacting so enthusiastically?”

“No, but if you hadn’t done that, would there have been a reason for me to react like that?”

And yet, you’re blushing too. What’s up with that? Did you really forget everything else while teasing me?

“Haa… Well, it’s fine. Thanks to Ria, the conversation ended well. I’ll let it slide this time.”

“Mmm.”

At my words, Ria’s eyes widened slightly, and she replied,

“No, but why are you the one forgiving me? I did all the work?”

She asked again, returning to her usual expression as if something was strange.

“Tsk.”

“Tsk, that’s not right, hey.”

Ignoring Ria’s bewildered and incredulous question, I turned my head to the other side.

Gloria was sitting there.

In the original novel, Gloria ended up staying at the association building. She ate and slept there, and whenever Lee Si-yoon appeared, she would stick by him and try to get his attention.

However, this time, perhaps thanks to me, Gloria didn’t settle into the building. Well, at least we were returning to the church.

“Hoo hoo hoo…”

However, as if to mock my thoughts, Gloria laughed like that.

Her eyes were flashing strangely. Her sapphire and emerald eyes stared intently ahead. It was as if she could pierce a hole in the chair.

“Indeed, I see. That’s right. How could there not be someone captivated by such a beautiful person?”

Gasp.

“Han Yu-ri, was it? Hmph, a commoner who cannot match her nobility, sticking so close by her side.”

“…….”

“Well, it doesn’t matter. If it were my homeland, I could overlook having one or two concubines, but in this world, if you’re not the legal wife, you’re just an adulterer, you know? Hoo hoo hoo.”

Gloria’s eyes flashed strangely.

“Therefore, I will fight my best. Well, they say you should watch people, but to watch them, occupying the seat next to them is the priority.”

No, that’s not it at all.

Whether I’m here or not, it’s just a reaction of falling in love at first sight based on appearance.

“……My nanny is hospitalized, so I can’t easily move my position for now, but that’s fine. After all, you two are my collaborators.”

After muttering that, Gloria looked at me.

Those flashing sapphires and emeralds looked directly at me.

There was a seductive smile on her lips- well, honestly, it was more scary than pretty.

“So, please, can I ask for your cooperation?”

……Did you say that so I could hear it?

Looking at those eyes that stared at me across the aisle in the middle, I shifted my gaze back behind the seat in front of me.

And I covered my head with both hands.

“Sigh.”

For some reason, Ria stroked my head.

And somehow, the surroundings felt a little brighter, so when I looked up, light was shining on me from the bus ceiling.

“Are you teasing me now!?”

I shouted that and quickly dispersed the holy power shining on my head with both hands.

“It’s all because of Ria!”

“No, why me?”

Because while arguing with you, I completely lost track of the situation!

But at least, this situation itself was entirely my fault.

I can’t tell anyone else about this plan.

In the end, unable to say anything to the bewildered-looking Ria, I grabbed my head again and rested it on the seat in front of me until we arrived at the church.