Chapter 178

Chapter 178

Yesterday, we were supposed to meet and fight a Heavenly King, but since that Heavenly King was Lilith, we returned without a single battle. My body and mind were fully warmed up for battle, and the fighting spirit I had built up wouldn’t just disappear without being unleashed. As a result, I woke up from a light sleep, and since I was up earlier than everyone else, I opened my eyes to swing my sword alone.

It hardly seemed meaningful to share beds anymore, as Presia and Luna were in my bed, making my worries from the previous night seem pointless. It was such a familiar occurrence that I skillfully and carefully got out of bed without waking the two of them.

“Hgeung.”

I accidentally stepped on Lilith, who was sleeping on the floor, as she might have rolled off the bed, but she only let out a strange sound and showed no signs of waking up, so I pretended not to notice and moved away.

“What are you doing?”

However, in the dark room where the sun hadn’t even properly risen, there was someone else awake and busy before me. To be considerate of my still-dreaming companions, Lindy was already fully dressed without turning on the lights. She was holding up this outfit in front of the mirror, then that outfit.

“Oh? You’re already awake? As expected, Elysia, you were looking forward to our date too, weren’t you? It’s not one-sided, I’m glad.”

“…You’re always so consistent.”

Whether it was for better or worse, Lindy was always Lindy.

“Really? I think I’ve changed a lot since meeting Elysia.”

Hearing Lindy’s words, I suddenly realized that I didn’t know much about her. The Lindy I knew was only from our first meeting three years ago; I had never heard details about her before that. At most, we had talked a few things related to the Black Moon.

Well, that doesn’t mean I feel distant from Lindy. The past three years we’ve spent working together were too clear and distinct to create such distance. If anything, we felt trust just from our current selves, so there was no need to bring up past stories.

“Hmm… I hope it’s for the better.”

At least I know one thing for sure that has changed since Lindy met me. She stopped flirting with other women. However, the fact that she now only flirts with me is a separate issue, but I can tolerate it if I think I’ve saved other women from Lindy’s clutches by becoming a hero.

“Of course, it’s for the better. Elysia, you must know this, but elves, unlike humans, have incredibly long lifespans. Even compared to other races, not just humans, elves’ lifespans are particularly long. But I can guarantee one thing. In the past hundred… long years I’ve lived, my current life, meeting Elysia, is the most valuable.”

“…Is that so? Then that’s fortunate. I’m going out to swing my sword, so if anyone looks for me, please tell them.”

It was unavoidable that I felt awkward hearing Lindy’s sudden, embarrassing confession when I had just woken up and wasn’t prepared. To avoid showing my awkwardness, I scratched my cheek lightly with my finger and grabbed my sword, heading out of the room.

Before leaving the room, I glanced back and saw Lindy’s back, still happily choosing clothes and cosmetics.

***

“You’re quite good. How many women have you charmed like this over the years?”

Contrary to my initial expectations, Lindy was very dedicated to our date. Everywhere we went, there were sights, activities, and food, so I never felt bored. Moreover, the way she walked beside me with such leisurely pauses, as if she had planned the entire date in advance, showed no gaps in Lindy’s date plan.

Even Lindy, who was the only one who knew my true identity, considered my preferences as a man and made sure I wouldn’t get bored.

“…That just now. If your goal was to make me laugh, you succeeded.”

Lindy said this with an expression of disbelief. At that moment, I realized I had made a slip of the tongue. Bringing up a past girlfriend during a date. Even I, who has never dated, know that it’s not good manners towards the other person.

“Ah! Look, that place looks good. Let’s eat dinner there!”

I wondered if I should apologize, but Lindy’s expression seemed more bewildered than angry, so I quickly pointed to a nearby restaurant and shouted to gloss over it. Lindy didn’t seem inclined to pick a fight either, and apologizing would only drag out the conversation and be more disrespectful.

“Sigh. You always get away with it like that.”

Fortunately, when I grabbed Lindy’s hand, she just sighed and followed me obediently into the restaurant.

“Order here!”

As soon as we sat down, trying to gloss over my mistake, I quickly called a waiter. Perhaps because it was early evening, there weren’t many customers, so the idle waiter immediately approached our table.

“Just one salad, and besides that, this, and this… Ah! There’s a couple’s set? Just give us the couple’s set!”

“Customer, the couple’s set is….”

I usually thought that even a couple’s set was not so much a menu for actual couples but rather a menu designed to be more profitable when two people came. However, perhaps this restaurant was unusual, as the waiter genuinely asked for our understanding, stating it was a menu for couples.

But even though I receive financial support from the Emperor, I am not so extravagant as to waste money in areas where it can be saved.

I suddenly stood up from my seat and sat down next to Lindy. Then, I pulled Lindy into a hug and said cheerfully to the waiter.

“We are a couple! Ah, could it be that this restaurant… discriminates against same-sex couples?”

Well, if I have to say it, we are on a date today, so we can be considered a couple, even if only temporarily. Therefore, I am definitely not lying.

However, seeing the waiter staring at us silently, I moved even closer to Lindy and asked her.

“Right? We’re a couple, aren’t we? We’ve been on a date all day since this morning.”

As I said that, I subtly glanced at the shopping bags we had bought while shopping with Lindy.

“Hoo, hoo… R-right. Elysia and I are a couple. Yes! We’re a couple.”

Fortunately, Lindy wasn’t oblivious either, and immediately played along with me. She wrapped her arms around me as I had hugged her and replied to the waiter with a beaming smile.

“Ah… Yes! Then I will bring you the couple’s set.”

Fortunately, the waiter took the order without any suspicion and hurried towards the kitchen. I felt a bit embarrassed by the sight of the waiter running off with a blushing face and a small squeal, but I was relieved that there weren’t many other customers around.

“…Can you let go now?”

“Tch. I should have ordered more.”

Anyway, I thought she was being quiet today, but Lindy, seizing the opportunity, couldn’t break her habit and put her hand on my butt.

I returned to my seat and sat facing Lindy. If I just look at her face like this, she’s like an ideal elf.

“Don’t you think it would be better to fix that habit of flirting and making sexual advances whenever you see a pretty woman?”

“Oh my. I stopped doing that three years ago. Have you seen me flirting with other women recently, Elysia?”

At Lindy’s words, I thought hard and tried to recall.

“Didn’t you hug a sleeping Luna and touch her butt recently?”

“…That was because I was asleep and mistaken. Besides that!”

“Hmm… Then what about when you secretly picked the lock and entered Luna’s shower last time?”

“That was because Elysia was too fast…! No, pretend you didn’t hear that.”

Lindy gulped down water, slammed the glass down, and shouted again.

“Anyway! I’ve really stopped doing those things now, so I hope you don’t misunderstand. I’m only interested in Elysia.”

“Speaking of which, why me when you like women so much? If it were someone else, fine, but Lindy, you know my true identity is a man.”

The fact that my true identity is Zeno Frentz is a fact that even Celian, who remembers the previous life with me, doesn’t know. The Goddess probably knows my identity easily, but at least in this world, only Lindy knows my identity.

However, Lindy’s preference is only for women. For her, there’s no reason to like me, whose inner self is a man.

“Or perhaps, because I am actually a man, you think it would be convenient for both of us since I like women?”

Indeed. Homosexuality isn’t common, so from Lindy’s perspective, my existence must have been quite welcome.

Even though my appearance is clearly female, and for different reasons than Lindy, I also like women.

Well, I don’t intend to criticize Lindy for that. There are people who get married without love in the world. Even though I’ve never dated, I know how absurd pure love is.

However, it does feel like I’m being used.

That’s why, even though I like women, I kept my distance from Lindy in that regard. Lindy is trustworthy as a friend, but when it comes to romantic relationships… no, same-sex relationships, I consciously or unconsciously pushed her away.

“…Did you think of me like that all this time?”

However, at my question, Lindy asked back in a cold, unwavering voice. In the three years I’ve known Lindy, I’ve never seen her angry, but I couldn’t possibly not know that she was angry right now.

While I was flustered by her angry expression and voice, which I was seeing for the first time, she continued, perhaps not waiting for my answer.

“It’s true that I’ve flirted shamelessly with many women and been cursed by women who weren’t my type. But that doesn’t give anyone the right to curse my current sincerity. Even if that person is Elysia.”

Our eyes met. I must have made eye contact with Lindy countless times before, but for some reason, it felt like this was the first time I was meeting her gaze.

“I don’t like Elysia because she’s actually a man, or because she only looks like a woman. If you think I like Elysia simply because it’s convenient, then you’re insulting the time we’ve spent together over the past three years.”

Lindy looked directly at me and slowly opened her mouth.

“I… I like Elysia as a person.”

Her voice, which had been cold, had become serious. And within it, a faint tremor was hidden.

***

After she said that, Lindy showed her usual behavior throughout the meal, flirting and joking.

But I couldn’t just smile and converse with her either. She showed me her true feelings, despite her fear. I couldn’t ignore her courage.

“…I’m sorry.”

On the way back to the inn, walking side-by-side on the quiet night street, I quietly apologized to Lindy.

“I thought I knew a lot about Lindy, but it seems I actually knew nothing.”

As she said, she must have changed a lot too.

“I probably won’t be able to give Lindy an answer. At least not until I’ve defeated the Demon King.”

Therefore, I had no choice but to hurt Lindy again.

But there was no reply. Worried that I might have hurt her with my answer, I turned my head to look at her, but instead of being hurt, she had a thoughtful expression on her face.

“Lindy?”

Even when I called her name, she was so lost in thought that she didn’t answer at all. When I gently raised my hand and shook her, Lindy finally looked back at me.

“Yeah? Did you call me?”

“What are you thinking so hard about?”

“It’s nothing! You don’t need to worry about it.”

I carefully examined her expression, wondering if she was deliberately pretending not to hear my answer, but her face was definitely not pretending ignorance.

“Come on, come on! Let’s go!”

As I was wondering if I should say something else to Lindy, she started walking ahead without giving me time to think. I wondered what she was thinking about that she couldn’t even hear me, but I suppressed my curiosity and followed her.

“Lindy? Are we going this way?”

However, on the way back to the inn. Perhaps because it was a dark night, the way back to the inn looked different from during the day.

“Of course. We’re going to the inn, so just trust me and follow.”

Well, since Lindy has been leading me around all day on our date, I should just follow her obediently. After walking for a while, we finally arrived at the inn.

“…Lindy?”

“Yeah? What? This is an inn too, isn’t it? I said I was going to the inn, I never said it was the inn we were staying at originally.”

However, in front of us was a completely random inn, not the one where Presia and Luna were waiting.

“Honestly, you…”

“Why! What! If it’s a date, then that kind of thing can happen! This isn’t strange, you know?”

“That’s enough, today’s date is over! Come on, let’s go back to the inn.”

Anyway, I can’t afford to show any weakness in front of Lindy. Leaving Lindy, who was trying to drag me into the inn, behind, I turned my steps towards our original inn.

“Tch.”

Finally, Lindy seemed to have given up, as I heard a short click of her tongue from behind.

Many things have changed, and many more will change. But she was still Lindy, and she would always be Lindy.

With that unchanging demeanor, I smiled secretly, unseen by her back.