Ch.210Chapter 210: Date, Again

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The devil, Rust, was driven out of the restaurant that had been in chaos.

Thanks to the return to normalcy in the restaurant’s atmosphere, where the expression “suffocating due to his presence” had been no exaggeration.

With the cheers of the relieved restaurant staff echoing throughout the establishment as if they might lift the roof.

Glory of Morning Night was enveloped in an unexpected festival-like atmosphere.

Though he hadn’t physically harmed the staff while demanding food.

If one recalls that demons, by their very nature, exude an indescribable pressure on ordinary people through their presence alone.

It was only natural that they would go beyond sighs of relief to cheers once they confirmed he was gone.

However, my heart, which had given these employees cause for celebration, was growing heavier, contrary to theirs.

Perhaps my expression had faltered slightly due to my heavy heart.

“…Cal?”

I quickly composed my expression when Shizu, who was shyly blushing while accepting my touch, asked with concern in her voice.

Some might wonder why my expression would falter in such a positive situation, but there was a reason for it.

‘…Will we even be able to eat breakfast properly? No, breakfast isn’t the issue—it seems like we’ll have to drastically revise today’s schedule.’

The anxiety and regret stemming from our date with Shizu—a rare occasion—going awry from the very start, beginning with breakfast, was the primary cause of my troubled expression.

How long had I waited for this date?

For the past month, our schedules had strangely failed to align, and aside from having a cup of tea together in the evenings after work, we hadn’t been able to spend much time together.

Both Shizu and I had such high expectations for this date.

From the start, I had to confront a demon on my day off and inevitably expended energy dealing with him.

The time lost would have been more than enough to enjoy breakfast with Shizu, engage in pleasant conversation, and still have time left over for a leisurely day.

While it was my duty as an Imperial Knight to protect the safety of Imperial citizens who find happiness in ordinary daily life.

I struggled to suppress the bitter smile that threatened to emerge as I realized my own time for happiness had been reduced.

Moreover, there was another issue troubling my mind besides the fact that today’s schedule had been disrupted.

What was it?

“Don’t you need to submit an incident report to your sis—I mean, to the Commander about this?”

As Excel, who had been among those dispatched for support while Shizu and I were confronting Rust, said with a mix of concern and playfulness.

As Imperial Knights whose primary mission is to subjugate or capture Mains and demons, we had to take minimal responsibility for failing to fulfill our duty.

Since there had been no casualties or property damage, I wouldn’t face disciplinary action, and.

Writing an incident report wasn’t difficult either, as I’d spent three years watching others write them over my shoulder… ahem, no, that’s not right.

But what concerned me was that my sister, who was always strict about official matters, had been particularly on edge lately for some unknown reason, and if I submitted a casually written report.

-An Imperial Knight… letting a demon escape?

I worried about being trapped in her office for two or three hours, listening to a lengthy lecture from my sister who might have a similar reaction.

-As if that’s not enough! Those Royal Guard fellows keep picking fights with us, saying we do less work but get more budget than them! And my own! Brother! Is!

…Why am I suddenly hearing things?

She probably wouldn’t actually react like that, but.

Just imagining the situation was enough to make cold sweat run down my spine.

‘I’m thinking unnecessary thoughts.’

After inwardly giving a bitter smile and clearing the negative thoughts from my mind.

I shrugged my shoulders toward Excel, who was worried about me, and said:

“Come on, she’s not going to eat her only brother alive.”

I spoke with a playful voice, indirectly suggesting that nothing serious would happen.

I could see his expression subtly changing as he heard my words.

What was it? Was there something wrong with what I said?

Especially when the topic involved my sister.

Excel’s expression seemed unusually indifferent for someone who typically responded with utmost seriousness, which made me wonder.

“If you go in there thinking it’ll be easy, you’re in for a rude awakening. Just a few days ago, I went in with an incident report for a mistake I made during my dispatch duty, and I was trapped for about two hours listening to a thunderous lecture.”

I could easily understand the reason as he mentioned his own experience while making a playful expression.

As they say, it’s better to take the beating first. Having already faced my sister when she was in a worse mood than usual, he was showing this reaction out of concern for me.

Well, despite his words of concern.

Excel’s current expression was far from what one would expect when recalling an unpleasant experience.

Should I say it showed a hint of affection, with some exaggeration?

Given his tendency to romanticize any situation spent with my sister, no matter how difficult, his reaction wasn’t incomprehensible.

The point is this:

Even if you get scolded by a boss who exudes enough force to shake mountains.

If that boss is someone you like, then it’s a reward.

“For someone who got both nagging and scolding, your expression is quite bright.”

I tried to tease him subtly, pretending not to know.

“Well, for me, that’s a rew—ahem.”

…I think he was about to say “reward” just now.

[Why does he look worse than you every time I see him?]

‘Well, compared to me who sees Shizu regularly, he… Wait, what’s wrong with my condition?’

[The way both of you become idiots in front of the women you like, there’s not much difference.]

‘That’s a hurtful thing to say.’

[Oh come now, how can you call it hurtful when I’m only speaking the compressed truth?]

Though there was a brief exchange (?) with Fafnir, who suddenly read my thoughts and objected.

“Anyway, since the situation has been resolved well, I’ll go talk to your sister about it, so don’t worry and enjoy your time with Lily.”

Excel smoothly deflected my teasing and considerately suggested that Shizu and I enjoy our date, so the conversation in my head with Fafnir didn’t continue.

Well, there was no point in teasing my friend further when he was offering to speak to my sister to spare me the trouble.

And there was no reason to ignore him when he was subtly emphasizing his words and signaling me to let him go quickly so he could report to my sister.

“Thanks. Go ahead and report to ‘sister’ that nothing serious happened.”

I thanked Excel for being considerate of my date with Shizu and ended our conversation.

“That’s what friends are for. Like I said earlier, don’t worry too much about the report and enjoy your time together.”

Excel calmly accepted my gratitude and with these final words, left the restaurant with the Imperial Knights members he had brought.

After waving goodbye to him as he left the restaurant with Shizu.

While I felt relief at having one less work-related worry on my mind.

*Growl*

As the tension eased, my stomach loudly revealed my hunger.

I thought I should ask the manager if we could order something suitable, even if the breakfast course we had reserved was no longer possible due to timing.

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“Delicious…”

After savoring the food in her mouth and swallowing it slowly, Shizu’s expression was filled with ecstasy as she declared it delicious.

Having expended a lot of energy from drawing her holy sword and infusing it with power while confronting the demon since early morning.

She would likely find anything tasty as long as it wasn’t terribly bad, but.

Thanks to the ‘special’ service provided by the restaurant to the two of us who had driven away the demon that had threatened not just the day’s business but the very existence of the establishment.

Though the meal was less abundant than what we had originally reserved, in terms of taste.

“Hehe, it’s really delicious…”

Shizu was busy expressing her admiration for the food with a happy voice after each bite and swallow, showing how excellent the dishes were, prepared with all the culinary staff’s capabilities.

After we drove away the demon Rust, the manager who guided us confirmed that we were the ones who had a reservation for this morning.

He said that not only had they failed to provide proper service to their customers, but they had also been indebted to us, so he would accommodate any request within his power regarding our dining experience.

When I asked if they could provide enough food to satisfy our hunger before our next appointment, despite the tight schedule.

I accepted his proposal by compromising that we would pay for what we ate, while he offered to provide the best breakfast menu available at the main branch.

Originally, due to the awkward timing, I had thought about leaving the restaurant and grabbing some street food to tide us over until our next appointment.

But judging that street vendors wouldn’t be doing normal business in the current weather outside, we decided to spend the awkward time until our next appointment here.

So when we sat down, guided by the staff who had cleared away traces of Rust’s rampage at an amazing speed.

‘Aren’t we being inconsiderate to the kitchen staff?’

I was concerned about this.

Thinking that the fatigue of the kitchen staff who had been preparing food non-stop while being harassed by the demon would be considerable.

I had mentally prepared myself for the food to be somewhat below their usual standard and had subtly hinted this to Shizu as well, but.

The food that was actually served shattered my expectations in the best way possible, satisfying both our tongues and stomachs with a taste beyond what I had imagined.

Starting with a warm soup that seemed to consider Shizu’s strangely high sensitivity to cold.

Followed by an appetizer of bone marrow seasoned and oven-roasted, served with a fresh salad.

And a main course that didn’t fall short in quantity compared to lunch or dinner dishes.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t taste any of the desserts the place was famous for, as Rust had consumed every last bit of today’s supply before the commotion even began, which was a shame.

But it didn’t matter.

When we first met at the agreed location, Shizu had been shivering slightly from the mild cold.

And right after the confrontation with Rust in the restaurant, she had shown signs of significant energy depletion.

“Thank you for letting me eat something so delicious this early in the morning.”

Now she was expressing gratitude to me with a happy expression that could rival anything in the world.

Isn’t that enough?

Although our long-awaited date had started off a bit wrong due to the sudden appearance of a former divine agent of a fallen god in the middle of the Imperial territory.

Thanks to the goodwill of those around us, we were able to turn that disruption in a positive direction.

The unseasonable cold, the greater demon who had appeared suddenly in the middle of the Imperial territory despite being weakened.

The harbingers of disaster that would not change regardless of what might happen in the near future were gradually revealing themselves.

But with the certainty that I would support you with all my might as you hold back that disaster with a single holy sword, leading to a future better than any timeline in my memories, and.

“I have a course planned for the afternoon… look forward to it.”

Seeing how happy you are even with such small gestures.

I could feel happiness filling my heart just from knowing that I wouldn’t have to repeat that hellish life from before my regression.

Since my regression, I’ve been living quietly, wishing for your happiness rather than my own.

I’m truly fortunate to be able to share in your happiness up close like this, rather than from a distance.