Ch.119119. Do You Like It?

“Rio Sergang, I’ve returned safely.”

“Good work. How’s Rinadiel?”

While reading a report on the southern defense line in the study, Rio Sergang returned to the family estate.

When I asked with a slight tilt of my chin, Rio gave a faint smile.

“She has such a small frame, yet eats so much… I’m amazed she doesn’t gain more weight. And Rina herself mentioned that she’s a half-blood, mixed between human and elf.”

“Weren’t you surprised?”

“I was, but I didn’t show it. I also warned Rina not to tell anyone else about being a half-blood from now on.”

This guy…

Since when did he know how to smile like this while talking about a woman?

Well, even in the original story, Rio took good care of Rinadiel.

After only dealing with Luna who was obsessed with killing, it’s natural he’d grow fond of a pure-hearted companion like Rina.

Though, Rio did have someone else he was romantically interested in.

“Do you like her?”

“…What?!”

“Soon enough, relations between elves and humans will improve. When that happens, there won’t be any problem if they marry each other.”

“Young master, why are you saying these things to me?”

“Well, as a reader, I was a shipper for you two.”

“I don’t understand what you mean…”

I waved my hand in the air toward Rio, who was tilting his head in confusion.

“Never mind. Did you find a suitable nanny?”

“Ah, yes. As you instructed, I emphasized several times that she must be especially tight-lipped.”

“If you just say it like that, she won’t listen… Wouldn’t it be easier to just threaten to kill her?”

“…Young master, you seem to have become quite aggressive lately.”

“I’m joking. Anyway, you’re sure she can keep secrets?”

“Yes, and her cooking skills are exceptional. Rina loves it.”

After putting the defense line report in the drawer, I fixed my gaze on Rio.

“But are you sure she’s tight-lipped? How is it that rumors are already spreading? I hear people saying you’ve set up house with a woman in Lake territory without even getting married.”

“W-well… Rina wanted to go to the market, so I took her there…”

“Why are you being so careless these days? You’re not Jarwill Wilson.”

“…Young master, did you just call me Jarwill Wilson?”

Rio Sergang’s mood darkened heavily.

Since this was the first time I’d seen him angry since being possessed as Selden Alphonse, I unconsciously averted my gaze.

“Ah, sorry about that.”

“While I admit the rumors are entirely my fault, your comment just now was quite harsh.”

“Yes, I’ll coolly acknowledge that.”

“Thank you.”

“But since you’ve admitted your mistake, you should take responsibility.”

“I’ll gladly accept whatever punishment.”

“It’s nothing difficult, just simple. I think you should just admit the rumors are true.”

Rio makes a face showing he doesn’t understand at all.

“What do you mean by that…?”

“There’s a rumor that you’ve set up house with a woman without having a wedding ceremony, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“Because your reputation is so good, the impact of the rumor has flowed to me. They’re saying ‘Actually, Rio Sergang brought the woman on Selden Alphonse’s orders.'”

“Ah…”

“It’s technically true, but the implication sounds strange, doesn’t it?”

Rio bows his head deeply with a sigh.

“I’m deeply sorry, young master.”

“It’s fine. Just tell anyone who asks that you brought her.”

“Understood.”

“It probably won’t happen, but if someone asks why, tell them you plan to train her.”

“A lie about training would be discovered quickly… I’d rather not answer at all if asked for a reason.”

“It’s not a lie. You’ll have to personally look after Rina now, just like you did with Luna.”

Rio looks at me with an incredulous expression.

“Train Rina?”

“Of course, you have your own training time too, so I’m not asking for much. Think of it as a replacement for overseeing Luna’s training until now.”

“Are you saying Rina has genius talent like Luna?”

“She’ll be quite good if you teach her archery.”

“Archery?”

“Yes, not swordsmanship, but archery.”

“Elves are known to be good archers, but… have I ever used a bow in front of you, young master?”

Oh no…

He hasn’t used a bow in front of me yet, has he?

I spoke too naturally because I recalled from the original story that Rio taught Rina how to use a bow.

“No, but don’t most knights basically know how to shoot a bow?”

“I have some experience from childhood, but I’m not sure about other knights?”

“Ahem! Anyway, you can shoot a bow, right?”

“Y-yes?”

“Then try teaching Rina archery. She’ll definitely have talent for it.”

At my words, Rio steps forward and continues.

“I’ve been curious about something since Luna’s time—how are you able to identify others’ talents so well?”

“It’s intuition, just intuition.”

“…Intuition?”

“Everyone has their abilities, right? You could say I have better intuition than others.”

Rio glanced at me skeptically, then his expression changed to one of concern as if remembering something.

“Before seeing you, I heard from the knights that Luna caused a major incident?”

“Yes, that happened because some guy took Rina to the market, causing rumors to spread.”

“I see, so that’s what happened.”

“…W-wait, are you saying you understand what I just said?”

“I assume the problem was the rumor about you bringing a woman to Lake territory.”

“That’s right, but what does that have to do with Luna causing trouble?”

I asked just in case, and Rio tilted his head.

“Didn’t you know? Luna has feelings for you.”

“How did you…”

“I’ve been personally teaching Luna swordsmanship, haven’t I? I didn’t notice at first, but as we talked, I sensed she has romantic feelings for you.”

At Rio’s words, I slammed my palm on the desk with a ‘thud’ and furrowed my brow.

“This conversation stays just between us, right?”

“O-of course. I’m quite perceptive, and there’s hardly anyone else in the mansion who has personal conversations with Luna.”

One rumor breeds another.

If the fact that Luna likes me spreads, it’s obvious how it would be exaggerated.

People would whisper that the scoundrel from the eastern continent’s edge is now even going after his former maid-turned-knight.

Just look at the examples of Leonard and Seri Familia.

“It seems you need to keep your mouth shut more than the nanny does.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Knock-knock!

Just then, there was a knocking sound.

Rio and I both looked toward the door.

“Come in.”

Padericks entered the study.

I tilted my head wondering what was going on, and Padericks cleared his throat before speaking.

“Luna has regained consciousness.”

*

“How’s your mental state?”

“…What? Young master, shouldn’t you be asking ‘How are you feeling?’ at a time like this?”

Luna asked weakly while lying in bed.

Embarrassed, I scratched my head and spoke again.

“Sorry, I’m a bit out of it. How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine. But why did I suddenly collapse? I can’t remember anything, so I asked Sir Padericks, but he told me to hear it directly from you.”

As expected, she doesn’t remember again?

Normally, I would have sighed in relief.

It would be a matter of strictly ordering the knights to keep quiet.

But.

That alone wouldn’t solve all the problems.

As I mentioned before, Luna must not activate the “Blood Slaughter” for any reason during the monster wave.

Moreover.

She’s a “crazy woman” who felt jealous even toward Lucien.

If she sees Rinadiel, she’ll foam at the mouth and swing her sword.

Though my mind was quite complicated, I maintained a calm appearance and continued.

“When did your memory cut off?”

“My memory… ugh!”

Luna Brillhart suddenly clutched her head while trying to recall what happened before she lost consciousness.

I gently placed my hand on her shoulder.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to force yourself to remember if your head hurts.”

“What happened to me?”

“For some reason, you went berserk.”

“B-berserk? How exactly did I go berserk?”

“You knocked down knights with a wooden sword. Some even have broken wrists.”

“Oh no…”

Luna fidgets with her fingers and tears well up in her eyes, looking flustered.

At first, I felt sympathy for this kind of reaction, but well…

I’ve become so used to it that I don’t even feel sorry for her anymore.

“Mental issues can be fixed. So, steel your mind.”

“…I understand. I’m sorry for always causing you trouble.”

“You can say that again. My head’s already killing me because of Rio, and now you too?”

At my words, Luna blinks her large eyes.

“Did something happen with Sir Rio as well?”

“Rio brought in a capable archer this time. The girl has no parents, so we found her a place to stay, but strange rumors started spreading.”

“What kind of strange rumors?”

“That I was the one who brought her.”

Suddenly, Luna half-rises from her bed, emitting a dark aura.

Then she stares at me with unfocused eyes.

“Who… who dared to spread such nonsense?”

“It’s fine, it’s not true anyway.”

“No. I’ll find out who spread the rumor—”

“Enough. I just need you to believe me.”

“…What?”

“I don’t care what others say. If you believe in me, that’s enough.”

Sigh…

If I’d known it would come to this, maybe I should have read some romance novels.

I’ve tried this a few times, and it seems like something a smooth talker would say.

Though the cheesy words made my skin crawl, Luna slowly lay back down on the bed with a reddened face and spoke.

“…I’m suddenly feeling tired. I think I’ll get some sleep.”