Ch.146146. Adorable Children

Vattier, Leumann, Iser, Ludovic.

Anyone who frequently visited Ritten’s cathedral would know these names.

Though they’ve all aged into elderly men now, in their prime, they were truly legendary figures.

Vattier, the legendary explorer who mapped most of the region known as the Magic Realm.

Leumann, who fought more valiantly than anyone else on the frontlines during the Holy War.

Iser, who accompanied the previous Saint on her final journey.

And Ludovic, who, though lacking solo achievements, always appeared alongside the other three in their tales.

Despite their age, their past accomplishments set them apart from ordinary people. They had experienced all sorts of extraordinary events and thought nothing could surprise them anymore.

Or so they believed.

“Why do I have to greet them when you’re the one who opened the door?!”

“Because you’re the Saint.”

“No… you could just greet them as our representative. You’re basically in charge anyway.”

“Since when am I in charge?”

“Aren’t you?”

“Just hurry up and greet them. How rude to behave this way in front of the elders.”

“Hey, wait… fine, stop pushing me.”

That was until the Saint and her group suddenly barged into their meeting room.

They were already dealing with an extraordinary situation that was giving them headaches, and now the very people responsible for it had walked right in—something completely beyond their imagination.

No, perhaps their arrival wasn’t strange, but the timing certainly was.

Wouldn’t people normally come to explain before causing an incident? Coming after everything was done felt more like simply announcing what had happened.

Moreover, they hadn’t expected them to arrive at this moment. Everything was happening at once, and events were unfolding too quickly… they felt confused.

Amidst this confusion, Lilith approached and spoke.

“Lord Vattier, Lord Leumann, Lord Iser, Lord Ludovic. It’s an honor to meet you. I am Lilith, the current Saint.”

“Hmm, you know who we are?”

Lilith responded to Vattier’s question with an awkward smile and a nod.

Of course, she didn’t actually know them. Ludion had just briefly mentioned their names, saying it would make a good impression.

But that certainly seemed to help.

“Well then. Please, everyone take a seat.”

Vattier said, relaxing slightly.

Those seated around the round table moved to one side to make room, and Lilith sat in the center of the opposite side.

Then Celia and Alkine sat on either side of Lilith… and that’s when the problem arose.

“Come, Ludion. Sit next to me.”

“Wait, Celia. Let Ludion choose for himself.”

“Even if I let him choose, wouldn’t he come to my side anyway?”

“That remains to be seen.”

Ludion was presented with a choice where either option would clearly lead to trouble.

What a predicament.

Normally, he would have reluctantly chosen to sit beside Celia. Alkine would have been disappointed but would have accepted it.

But what was scheduled for today? Wasn’t it a date with Alkine?

Even though it was just something small, he didn’t want to hurt her feelings on the day of their date. Perhaps sensing his thoughts, Alkine’s eyes showed deeper expectation than usual.

The best option would be to remove Lilith from her seat and sit there instead… but that would definitely make Lilith extremely upset, so that was out of the question.

“…Wait a minute. Why isn’t sitting next to me an option?”

Lilith belatedly realized why the two women had sat on either side of her and was bewildered. But that wasn’t the important issue right now.

After much deliberation… Ludion sat next to Alkine.

“Hmph.”

“…Wait, Ludion. Are you serious? Is this really okay?”

Judging by the reactions, he seemed to have made the wrong choice. But sensing that changing his mind now would only make things worse, Ludion could only offer a bitter smile.

And… this entire exchange was happening right in front of the four elders.

Thanks to this, whatever tension remained among them completely dissipated.

To them, these visitors were all young enough to be their grandchildren. Before thinking about the incident, their first impression was of cute youngsters.

And now they were squabbling in such a formal setting? It made them seem like pure souls not yet tainted by the world’s harshness.

Of course, the youngsters were actually quite aware and just not being cautious, but to these world-weary elders, it came across positively.

Having lived their lives constantly mindful of appearances despite their fame, they were drawn to this kind of innocence.

Perhaps that’s why…

“I apologize for the disturbance my companions and I have caused.”

“Disturbance… do you mean this love triangle playing out before us?”

“…”

“I jest. Don’t be so embarrassed.”

Vattier, who had to manage this situation, could sense that these young people weren’t acting with any hidden agenda.

Even before the real conversation had begun.

He felt certain of it.

///

Ritten is home to many religious figures.

Not counting heretics, there are quite a number of genuine clergy in the city.

However, few choose to settle in such an outlying city, making it difficult to predict who might be there besides the regular fixtures.

Conversely, those regulars were easy to predict.

The Four of Ritten’s Grand Cathedral.

Vattier, Leumann, Iser, Ludovic.

All of them were incredibly powerful individuals with remarkable achievements.

All four were masters in their own right, but… the person to speak with right now was clearly Vattier.

Vattier. A man who believed that surviving numerous brushes with death was all due to divine miracles.

With his deep faith, he served as the bishop here, so naturally he had to take the lead in this situation.

The other three showed no particular interest in speaking, and honestly, neither did our side…

So the conversation continued primarily between Vattier and Lilith.

Introductions, greetings, and various other topics were discussed.

“So, what exactly happened today? Can you explain?”

“Ah… well… Lu-Ludion?”

“You can tell them. We have nothing to hide.”

“Ah, yes. So what happened was…”

Except for the few times Lilith glanced at me uncertainly, wondering if certain details could be revealed, only their two voices were heard.

Surprisingly, she explained well. Unlike me who tends to over-explain everything from start to finish, she had a natural talent for summarizing just the key points.

…You know how students who struggle academically sometimes have impeccable note-taking skills? I wondered if there was a connection. Lilith’s test scores briefly crossed my mind, but I decided not to mention it.

After all the explanations were complete.

“So it wasn’t intentional.”

“That’s correct.”

“But will you be alright? After going that far, I doubt they’ll leave you alone.”

I was worried that our first impression—fighting over something strange—might have ruined things, but fortunately, they seemed to have taken it well.

Perhaps they understood we had no intention of causing trouble, as they were now even expressing concern for us.

Lilith, receiving this concern, seemed to consider it with a “Really?” expression, but after glancing at me briefly, she answered.

“I don’t think you need to worry too much. We’re quite capable ourselves.”

“True. At your age, I was merely hunting monsters. I’m in no position to worry about you.”

That concluded their conversation.

And as if he had been waiting for this moment, Ludovic, who had been quiet until now, spoke up.

“Excuse me for a moment. You there, Ludion, was it?”

Hearing my name suddenly called, I instinctively looked up and our eyes met.

Wow. What an intense gaze.

I immediately understood what he was trying to do. Ludovic had the ability to see a person’s sins by making eye contact.

He was probably trying to determine whether I was a bad person or not.

I must have seemed suspicious, leading these three well-known figures around.

Especially since Lilith had shown signs of dependence on me. He must have had some concerns.

Ludovic, having lived as a wanderer for a long time, was sensitive to such matters.

Since I had anticipated this, I wasn’t particularly offended.

Moreover, since this body wasn’t originally mine, I was curious about what results his ability would show.

So I calmly maintained eye contact with Ludovic…

“Gah?!”

Something suddenly covered Ludovic’s unguarded eyes.

Caught by surprise, he momentarily retreated.

Wait. That was…

“Is there some problem with Ludion… no, with our companion?”

Not magical power but divine power. It was Lilith’s doing.

I knew exactly what she had done. It was the technique I had taught her—projecting light to momentarily block vision.

It wasn’t particularly lethal. Just a minor technique to disrupt sight.

However… it wasn’t something that should have been used in this situation.

Why? With that thought, I looked at Lilith…

“Please explain. What was the purpose of your action just now?”

She was smiling.

More precisely… only her expression was smiling.

She was clearly smiling, but what I felt wasn’t warmth but hostility.

What could it be? I’d never seen Lilith like this before.

While this was new to me, stopping her seemed the priority.

“Lilith. I’m fine, so please calm down.”

“Really? He was directing something unpleasant at you.”

“I don’t know what he saw, but it’s nothing harmful, so don’t worry.”

“When did I say I was worried… Fine, I understand.”

I don’t know what the problem was that made her act this way, but she seemed to calm down at my words, backing off slightly and returning to a more composed demeanor.

“I was being overly sensitive. It would be awkward for me to continue talking after that, so you take over now.”

And then she said that.

…Could she have done all that just for this purpose?

I truly couldn’t tell.