Chapter 109: A Saintess’s Misunderstanding and the Battle for Caramel Macchiato

“Junior, you… you were that kind of person…? So the things you said to me… you really meant them that way…?”

Mariel’s voice wavered as she stared at me, her normally steady blue eyes darting around in confusion.

“It happens quite often, but isn’t this normal?”

It wasn’t like I never talked to other girls, and I’d heard plenty of stories about friends staying over at each other’s houses.

This wasn’t strange at all. So why was Mariel so flustered?

Then, I remembered who she was and quickly understood her reaction.

Saintess Mariel.

Unlike me, who had only recently taken on the title of Hero, Mariel had been carrying the responsibilities and duties of a Saintess for years.

She must have had friends, but with her position, she likely couldn’t play and interact with them as freely as other kids her age.

Even if she did something perfectly normal, people around her probably attached all sorts of unnecessary meanings to her actions.

She might have had more social experience than I did, but when it came to casual friendships, she was probably just as clueless as I was.

“N-Normal…?”

“Yes, normal. Senior, you shouldn’t let your title as Saintess control your entire life. Why not enjoy yourself a little? If you live too rigidly, you’ll wear yourself down quickly.”

I meant what I said—I was genuinely concerned for her.

But Mariel’s face turned as red as a ripe tomato.

Maybe it was irritating for her to hear a younger student lecturing her about how she should live her life.

Still, I sincerely wanted her to have more freedom.

Just like when I had seen her suppress her desires in the clothing store before, I didn’t want to see her holding back anymore.

She had already dedicated years of her life to serving others as a Saintess, and knowing her personality, she would continue to do so in the future.

At the very least, she deserved to be selfish every once in a while.

And if anyone dared criticize her for it, I’d be the first to stand up and defend her.

“B-But… That kind of thing is for adults… And even with multiple people…?”

“Huh? If anything, adults would be too self-conscious to do it. And so what if there are multiple people? The more, the merrier.”

If my financial situation had been better, I probably would have stuck with a single dorm room even after the first semester.

But since I started sharing a room with my friends, I’d definitely laughed more than before.

Studying together was fun, gathering around the table for tea was enjoyable, and chatting about our day before falling asleep had become a comforting routine.

I wanted Mariel to fill her time at the academy with those kinds of happy memories.

She was still in a rare period of life—one where she could experience these moments of purity and joy.

Once she graduated and entered society, she’d never be able to return to this phase again.

And if the Demon King fully emerged, even this precious time could be cut short.

Of course, political struggles and power games already existed, but at the very least, I wanted Mariel to remain untouched by them.

Looking into her eyes, I conveyed my sincerity.

“I think I’ve heard that this is common among noble children… But I didn’t expect you to be like that, junior…”

“As you know, I don’t really think of myself as a noble.”

I shrugged as I responded.

I wasn’t a noble at all—I had been raised as an assassin.

And the identity I had borrowed, Elysia Frentz, came from a fallen noble family that had lost everything.

Would nobles and commoners really be divided over something as simple as sleeping over with friends?

“Well, noble estates do have bigger beds, so it might be more comfortable… but it’s not like a bed is necessary.”

It wasn’t something that happened every day.

If a friend visited, we could just throw some blankets on the floor for a night or two.

“Sometimes, experiencing something different makes for the best memories.”

“Experiencing… something different…”

The unease that had only been in Mariel’s eyes until now spread throughout her entire body.

She was trembling.

…Okay, this wasn’t just in my head.

Anne was shaking too, and even Linne—who wasn’t supposed to feel cold—was trembling.

The café had gotten colder.

I was about to stand up and ask the staff to adjust the temperature, but before I could—

SLAM!

Mariel slammed her hands down on the table and shot to her feet.

“I-I have to go! See you later!”

As if she had suddenly remembered something urgent, she bolted out of the café.

She even left behind the ridiculously expensive drink I had bought for her.

“…The Saintess is quite pure, huh?”

Yuri’s quiet observation.

But calling Mariel pure?

Yuri clearly hadn’t spoken to her much yet—she didn’t know about the other side of Mariel.

Once she spent more time with her, she’d realize just how much the Saintess loved overcharging people.

“She does have some… strong misconceptions. But that’s all thanks to El.”

“Well… that’s part of El’s charm, though.”

“Huh? How did this suddenly become about me?”

Their words were so unexpected that I wasn’t even sure whether they were compliments or insults.

But before I could ask—

Mariel suddenly burst back into the café.

“I’ll enjoy the coffee! A-And… I’ll think about what you said and give you an answer later! See you, junior!”

She grabbed the drink she had forgotten and ran off again.

At least it wouldn’t go to waste now.

If Mariel hadn’t taken her drink and it had gone to waste, I would have been just as devastated as my wallet had been.

I waved lightly in the direction Mariel had disappeared, even though she was long gone.

Meanwhile, Anne was still muttering something to herself.

She probably needed sugar—considering how much she loved sweets, her low energy was likely due to a sugar crash.

Without much thought, I took the straw from my caramel macchiato, which I had barely sipped from, and placed it into Anne’s mouth.

Still mumbling, Anne instinctively bit down on the straw and began sipping the coffee.

With each sip, as the sugar entered her system, her eyes gradually regained their usual brightness.

However, when I tried to retrieve my drink from her, she refused to let go.

In the end, I gave up on reclaiming my coffee and turned to Celian and Yuri.

“Since we happened to run into each other at the café, why don’t you two order something? It’s on me this time.”

Anne would be fine with my caramel macchiato, considering I had only taken one sip.

However, instead of responding, both Celian and Yuri silently stared at Anne’s drink.

They seemed fixated on the caramel macchiato, as if they wanted it.

Without waiting for a response, I got up and went to the counter.

“Two caramel macchiatos and one iced Americano, please.”

Given my unexpected expenses, I opted for the cheapest drink available—iced Americano—for myself.

Rather than returning to my seat, I waited at the counter until my order was ready.

With some practiced balance, I carried all three drinks in both hands and walked back to the table, only to be met with an unexpected scene.

“Anne? You’re a good girl, right? Just let go of the straw for a moment.”

“Hey, Anne? I’m really thirsty—can I have just one sip?”

For some reason, both Celian and Yuri were attempting to take the caramel macchiato from Anne.

Yet Anne, unwilling to part with it, simply shook her head while keeping the straw firmly in her mouth.

Anne’s obsession with sweets was truly unbeatable.

“Alright, alright. Stop bothering Anne. Here, these are for you two.”

I placed a caramel macchiato in front of each of them and took a sip of my iced Americano.

However, despite having craved Anne’s drink just moments ago, neither Celian nor Yuri touched the caramel macchiatos in front of them.

Instead, they both fixated their gazes on me.

“Come on, I just felt like drinking something bitter all of a sudden. Don’t worry about me—just enjoy your drinks.”

Was it that obvious that I had gone for the cheapest option?

Even as I tried to brush it off, their silent stares made me uncomfortable.

Fortunately, Yuri broke the silence first.

“El, I only need a sip to quench my thirst. Why don’t you drink this instead? I’m not really in the mood for something sweet.”

With those words, she slid her untouched caramel macchiato toward me.

“Really, you don’t have to—”

“Are you going to drink it or not?”

Flinch.

A strange sense of déjà vu washed over me as Yuri smiled at me.

For some reason, I could almost taste the nonexistent scent of apples lingering in the air.

“Uh… okay. Thanks.”

The unknown pressure surrounding me compelled me to accept the drink.

Yuri, now satisfied, took my iced Americano and began sipping it contentedly.

Meanwhile, Celian kept glancing back and forth between Yuri and me.

She turned her head so rapidly it was almost dizzying.

“Celian, what’s wrong?”

I tilted my head, confused by her behavior.

But Celian gave no response.

Even Anne and Yuri were too focused on drinking their coffee to say anything, leaving only my voice echoing across the table.

How long did the silence last?

Finally, Celian stopped shaking her head and spoke up.

“El, would you like to swap drinks with me, too? I’m not really in the mood for this…”

Just like Yuri, she slid her untouched coffee toward me.

However…

“That’s… the same caramel macchiato I’m already drinking.”

At my words, Celian’s expression crumbled into one of utter defeat.

Did she… really not want to drink the caramel macchiato that badly?