Ch.2424. Not Entirely Welcome (3)

I felt a sudden chill. I instinctively stepped back about two paces from Daphne. But Marianne, who was receiving Daphne’s gaze, stood there with a completely unfazed expression. Daphne stepped forward and stared intently into Marianne’s eyes.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Daphne Ephiphone.”

In response to Daphne’s greeting, Marianne nodded slightly and returned the greeting. It was amazing how her expression hadn’t cracked at all until now. Fearing that Daphne might break down if I left things as they were, I quickly began explaining as if making excuses. Strange. Why was cold sweat streaming down like this?

“She’s someone sent by the Blue Orthodox Church. Her name is Marianne. She’s newly joining the hero party, and naturally, she’ll be accompanying us on our expedition.”

“From the Blue Orthodox Church, you mean she was sent by that bishop person?”

I nodded. Daphne still wouldn’t take her eyes off Marianne. And Marianne still wasn’t saying anything. Soon, the chill that Daphne had been emitting subsided, and she returned to her usual self. I watched the scene with somewhat complicated feelings.

“[Consider it your just deserts.]”

The Holy Sword spoke in a voice that seemed to be mocking me. What exactly did I do wrong to deserve being told it’s my just deserts? I sighed.

“As you know, the expedition team originally had five members, which got reduced to three, so the Holy Kingdom has taken special care of us. They assured me of her skills.”

Daphne turned her eyes back to me and nodded. Then, upon noticing the trunk in Marianne’s hand, her expression stiffened slightly again. …Come to think of it, there was still one most important fact I hadn’t told Daphne yet.

“But for someone who’s just here to be introduced to headquarters, she has quite a lot of luggage.”

Daphne seemed to think I had brought Marianne to headquarters simply to introduce her. Her purple eyes began to tremble pitifully.

“…About that. Marianne will be living here at headquarters.”

Creak.

Daphne raised her head to look at me. Looking into those eyes made me feel incredibly guilty. It’s not like I wanted her to live here. Daphne slowly shook her head. It was a gesture as if she wanted to deny reality.

“She’ll be living here? In Ilroy’s house?”

“Marianne will be staying on a different floor. It’s nothing strange, just think of us as different residents living in the same apartment building.”

I’m sorry, Daphne. There wasn’t much I could do.

“The Holy Kingdom could have arranged separate accommodations for her.”

“They said it’s difficult to find lodging, and since we don’t have much time left until we go to tackle the next calamity, they suggested we stay together to increase our time to build teamwork. They said she’s also a combat specialist, so she’ll probably be coordinating with me more on the front lines.”

When the representative of the Holy Kingdom makes such a request, what could I do? I just had to comply. Daphne looked at me reproachfully. Yes, go ahead and blame me. I’ll accept all your resentment. If Daphne had animal ears, they would have been raised in high alert earlier, but now they would be drooping dejectedly.

“I understand.”

Daphne spoke in a small voice, as if she had given up. Then she began to move her feet as if to return home. Without realizing it, I reached out and gently patted the top of her head. Daphne looked up in surprise.

“See you tomorrow. Thanks for waiting.”

With a slightly flushed face, Daphne narrowed her brow as she looked at me, then nodded and headed outside. Her expression seemed to have softened a bit, but her not answering me was probably her minimal expression of dissatisfaction. I stared at Daphne’s retreating figure as she went out through the lobby door.

“…Well, for now.”

I turned my head back to Marianne. The afternoon sunlight was filtering through the lobby windows. Marianne’s silver hair sparkled and shone as it caught the intense light.

“I’ll show you around this headquarters and where you’ll be staying.”

“Understood.”

Marianne nodded. Just now, I was actually glad that Marianne hadn’t said anything. If she had said something like “I’ve come to serve you,” I didn’t want to imagine how Daphne would have reacted or how the situation would have unfolded.

I took Marianne up the stairs. This five-story building was unnecessarily large. Not just Marianne, but five or six more people could move in and it still wouldn’t feel crowded. When I was interviewing to recruit Daphne, it could easily accommodate dozens of people.

“Now, on this third floor.”

The third floor was mostly empty. There were guest rooms scattered here and there like a guesthouse, and as for amenities, there was one large bath. I secretly hoped she would show an impressed expression when I showed her the bath, but Marianne just acknowledged it with an “I understand.”

“You can go into any room you want. They’re all vacant.”

I said after showing her each room. Marianne just stood in the middle of the hallway, holding her trunk with both hands, staring blankly at me. She looked just like a well-crafted doll.

“I will go wherever you assign me.”

…So not defying orders means she only moves according to my commands? I suddenly recalled Bishop Andre with that unpleasant smile on his face. I gestured for Marianne, who was standing there with an innocent expression, to follow me.

“In that case, a room near the bath would be convenient.”

“Is that so.”

“When you come back from training, you’ll feel grimy, right? It’s tiring and bothersome to gather your things and go to the bath. It’s better to wash up quickly and return to your room to lie down.”

Marianne nodded lifelessly. Well, you don’t look like someone who would sweat anyway. I crossed the hallway and opened the door to the room right next to the bath.

“You can stay here from today. Starting tomorrow, you’ll be training with the others, so just keep that in mind.”

Marianne nodded as she put down her trunk. The room was literally equipped with just the necessities. A bed with bedding, a small desk, a chair. One built-in wardrobe. The space, about five pyeong (about 16.5 square meters), didn’t look particularly spacious, but it didn’t look cramped either. I gestured for Marianne, who was still standing blankly, to sit down.

“You can rest comfortably. I won’t ask you to do anything today.”

Only then did Marianne go to sit on the bed. The bulging blanket sank in with a soft thud.

“Ah, no. Maybe I should show you the office first.”

Marianne stood up again with mechanical movements. The way she moved briskly with no emotion reminded me of a private responding to a senior officer’s call.

“…On second thought, you don’t really need to come. Let’s just see the office tomorrow, shall we?”

Marianne sat back down. Her sculpted expression remained unchanged, not even a slight frown. Rather, her lack of response made me feel strongly guilty again. It felt like I was somehow the bad guy here.

“[This looks entertaining.]”

…I ignored the sadistic Holy Sword’s voice that sounded amused. If it were up to the Holy Sword, it would probably make Marianne stand up and sit down repeatedly until it got bored.

“[What exactly do you think I am?]”

I think you’re my reliable comrade. I said that in my heart and looked at the clock on the wall. The hour hand was passing 4. It seems I had been collapsed with that crown on longer than I thought.

“Rest here until dinner time. I usually eat dinner at 6, so you can come down to the dining room on the second floor around that time.”

“Understood.”

I stared at Marianne as she nodded. I wondered what story that person, who had her head cut off by the protagonist in the original work, might have had. Marianne blinked as she looked back at me. At least this time, she would escape that death.

“…You’re not a vegetarian, are you?”

I suddenly thought of Bishop Andre happily eating chickpeas. Was vegetarianism part of the Blue Orthodox Church’s doctrine? Marianne tilted her head very slightly, then shook it.

“No. I’m not.”

“See you later.”

I said as I closed the door and left. It felt awkward to think that someone else would be living in the building where I had been living alone until now. I’ve never cooked for two people here before. I tilted my head slightly in thought as I slowly began walking down to the second floor.

==

Cooking.

Honestly, I didn’t know how to make many dishes. Among those, even fewer were ones I could confidently serve to others. Maybe just one or two at most. Even those I wasn’t very confident about.

“…Maybe I should have suggested going out to eat together.”

I frowned as I looked at the soup boiling in the pot. It was a soup that tasted good to me, but since I had the kind of appetite where I could eat just about anything, I wasn’t sure if it would satisfy Marianne’s palate. Judging by her appearance, she seemed like she might have very particular tastes, but seeing how well she followed my words, she might just eat without saying anything.

“[Just tell her to eat whatever. She’s a child who follows your words well anyway, isn’t she?]”

The Holy Sword said mischievously. I chuckled and shook my head.

“To be precise, she obeys my orders. That’s not the same as following my words.”

“[Anyway. Is there really a need to be so considerate? She can just eat what she’s given.]”

“Food is the most important thing for people. Did you know that people get angrier when they’re not fed than when they’re told to work late?”

I said as I ladled the soup. Still, with the Holy Sword by my side, I didn’t feel lonely or bored when I was alone like this.

“[If you’re grateful, treat me well.]”

I’ve never once said I was grateful. Don’t read my thoughts, just speak with words, you cowardly sword.

“…Come to think of it, you said reading my thoughts was simple.”

“[Indeed it is.]”

“But you said not all thoughts are audible to you?”

“[When people think of something, they don’t always think in language, do they? Sometimes they recall moments, or smells, or sounds. The only information I can receive is what you think in ‘words’.]”

So you weren’t hearing all that talk about the original work, possession, and whatnot. Still, being the Holy Sword, you probably know to some extent. You might be deliberately not mentioning it to me. I shook my head to scatter the random thoughts that were popping up.

“[As I said, once your resolve hardens and you reach a certain level, even I will find it difficult to read your thoughts. If you don’t want your thoughts to be read, train diligently. I’ll teach you a good method to train your mental strength soon.]”

The Holy Sword added.

The soup was boiling. I tasted it once and then left it to boil more. The taste was as usual.

.

When I brought the food out, the table was already set. Marianne had prepared everything, even fetching water, and was standing in front of the table waiting for me.

“What can I help you with?”

I shook my head at Marianne, who had taken off her hat.

“Sit down. You’ve already helped and prepared everything.”

Of course, Marianne didn’t sit down until I had finished all the preparations. After waiting for Marianne’s brief pre-meal prayer to end, I slowly began to eat the soup. Glancing discreetly, I saw that Marianne had also picked up her spoon and started eating.

There wasn’t much conversation. I was starting to feel tired, and Marianne didn’t initiate conversation in the first place. The only interaction between the two dining people was my occasional glances at Marianne to see if she disliked the taste.

Clank.

As I was closing my eyes for a moment after finishing my meal, I heard Marianne putting down her spoon. Fortunately, she hadn’t left any food and had emptied her bowl cleanly.

“…How was the taste?”

To my cautious question, Marianne looked down at her plate and answered.

“I enjoyed it.”

Then she mechanically got up from her seat and began collecting the dishes one by one. As she moved the dishes to the sink, Marianne suddenly looked at me and spoke.

“I’ll prepare breakfast tomorrow.”

…This is definitely a subtle criticism, right?

“[She’s definitely criticizing you.]”

The Holy Sword confirmed my anxiety.

==

The breakfast Marianne made was delicious beyond words. It was food made with really simple ingredients, but the details of the food were different. The degree of cooking, the exquisite combination of ingredients. If we were to go on an expedition, the party’s cooking role was definitely decided. I feel like I unnecessarily volunteered to cook yesterday.

“I’ll serve you coffee.”

Marianne set down a cup. The pantry was Daphne’s territory. I hope this doesn’t cause a fight. I closed my eyes as I drank the bitter coffee that was steaming.

“Ilroy, I’m here. You should also start getting rea—”

George, who burst through the door, frowned. In George’s hand was an elegant envelope I had seen not long ago.

“What is it this time?”

“Marianne Prim. A new colleague. As you can see from her attire, she was sent by the Holy Kingdom.”

“…Nice to meet you.”

Marianne simply nodded in response to George’s greeting. George turned his face back to me with the same frown. He seemed to be trying to take things in stride now, no matter what happened.

“Regardless, the date for the departure ceremony has been set.”

George put the envelope down on the desk.

“It’s time to really go tackle the fourth calamity.”