The Drinking Sage 31

I was in the middle of moving toward the theater after spotting it.

When I turned my head back to check on my companion, I noticed her behaving somewhat cautiously.

“…”

Eyes half-open, looking up at me.

She had been like that ever since my hand touched her ear earlier.

Silvia was twisting her silver shining hair with her hand while fidgeting with her mouth.

I wondered what words were circling in her mouth as she tried to say something but ultimately kept it shut.

I was curious about it, so I spoke first.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“…What?”

“You’ve been trying not to come closer than a certain distance to me since earlier. You even let go of my hand that we always held.”

“Umm…”

Silvia mumbled, chewing on her cheek, seemingly at a loss for words. It looked like she didn’t quite understand the reason herself.

Her lips soon revealed her inner thoughts.

“It’s hard to approach you.”

“Why is that?”

“I don’t know. Don’t ask.”

Now she’s being unreasonable.

Normally, I wouldn’t have cared and would have grabbed her hand and pressed close to this woman, but now she seemed to have realized some sort of embarrassment and wouldn’t close the distance.

I freshly realized that women are a race that changes from day to day.

I shook my head. We would soon need to buy tickets at the box office, and we should at least appear to be together.

So my hand extended without hesitation and caught her small white hand.

“Eek!”

A delicate and cute scream briefly echoed. It was the moan Silvia let out as she pressed against my chest.

The body that fell into my arms, as it had done before, was small and light, to the point where it was hard to believe she was a martial artist.

I sighed and quietly instructed her.

“At the very least, people should be able to tell we came together. Stay by my side.”

“…Is it okay to be this forceful?”

“Are you really the one to say that?”

I thought to myself that if there were a score for understanding others’ intentions, she would certainly fail.

In the midst of this back and forth, Silvia and I had arrived at the box office.

“Hey there! No cutting in line!”

“Please line up in order!”

The theater district was expansive. The bright-colored exterior was magnificently decorated with relief carvings.

In contrast, the interior was lit with dim lighting, proving it was indeed a theater, and inside, a huge crowd of people had gathered.

I didn’t specifically know where I was going, but it seemed like a rather famous place, given how many people had come. Thanks to that, the staff was busily moving about.

If I were to announce that I was a prince, I could receive tickets immediately without having to stand in line. Rather, they would even create special seats to accommodate me.

However, I wasn’t the type to show off like that, so I was about to quietly line up when—

“Oh, are you perhaps a student from the Academy?”

A female staff member passing by noticed me and approached.

I quietly nodded in response, and the staff member continued with a bright smile.

“Academy students have an alliance with our theater district, so we can guide you more quickly. Would you like to come this way?”

It was to my benefit that things proceeded quickly without revealing my royal status. I held Silvia’s hand and followed behind the staff member.

Upon reaching the counter, the staff member skillfully pulled out a pamphlet. She quickly opened it to show us the page that displayed the currently running plays.

The staff member’s finger pointed to one in the middle.

“These are the plays that are popular with customers right now. Oh, are you two a couple?”

“A couple?”

Silvia, who had been quietly standing beside me, mumbled blankly.

“Lorang, what’s a cou—”

“Yes. We’re a couple.”

I cut her off before any unnecessary misunderstandings could arise.

Though I felt considerable resistance to declaring us a couple, I couldn’t allow Silvia to say something like “What’s a couple?” here.

If that happened, I would have to endure the staff member’s suspicious gaze while explaining to satisfy Silvia’s curiosity—a troublesome task.

I could say I cut her off appropriately. As a result, Silvia puffed her cheeks, but it was a necessary sacrifice.

The staff member continued quickly with her business smile.

“Ah, then would you like to see this romance play? There are two types available right now.”

“What are they?”

“One is a cathedral romance! It’s about a secret love story with a nun. It’s very popular because it deals with a taboo subject.”

“…”

A love story with a nun, huh.

Naturally, the Saint came to mind, and my mouth closed.

I’d like to say it was completely unrelated, but I knew well that I couldn’t say that anymore.

I was about to ask about something else since I didn’t particularly want to see this play, but surprisingly, Silvia spoke first.

“And the other one?”

The tone of those few words was piercingly cold.

As if she really disliked the topic, she shot the staff member a frigid glance.

The flustered staff member quickly changed the subject.

“T-the other one is a love story with a great mage who lives in seclusion deep in the mountains! This is also very popu—”

“Enough.”

Should I say it was sharp as a knife?

Silvia cut off the staff member’s words without giving her any chance.

“I have no intention of watching such things.”

She threw out words that would hurt the heart of the staff member who was responsible for this theater’s sales.

“…”

I rubbed my forehead with an empty hand.

Though it seemed unlikely, if the reason Silvia didn’t want to watch these two plays was because of the “female protagonists,” it would be awkward for me to intervene.

To console the dejected staff member, I brought up a different topic.

“Is there anything other than romance? Something like comedy, for instance?”

“Ah, ah! Yes, there is!”

The staff member’s finger pointed to a different spot.

“It’s a harem story about a man who enters an imperial guard knights corps that only has women! If you think of it as a comedy, it’s really funny. So…”

The rest was omitted, but it was probably a plea to please watch it.

Glancing at Silvia, she also seemed quite pleased with the idea.

‘Perhaps she’s satisfied with the mention of knights.’

Considering that knights typically use swords… No, never mind. Let’s stop unnecessary thoughts. My head hurts.

I nodded and said, “Then we’ll go with that. I’ll purchase two tickets.”

“Thank you!”

The staff member, now responsible for the theater’s sales, bowed with a bright smile.

 

Around the time the performance was about to begin.

Silvia and I entered the theater, holding hands amicably.

The interior was dark, with dim lighting. Far away, the focused lighting on the stage was set up to allow concentration on the play.

It seemed there were no designated seats in the audience area, allowing viewers to freely choose their places.

“Is there a seat you prefer?”

“Hmm…”

Silvia mumbled in a dazed tone.

“The very back is good.”

“Understood.”

I shifted my gaze to the very back. There, I saw a religious person wearing a veil.

It seemed to be a woman. Was she a nun?

‘A nun watching such a vulgar entertainment play.’

That was quite peculiar. A nun watching such a ridiculous love story was hard to imagine.

Anyway, there was no need to acknowledge her, so I moved in that direction. As the nun was sitting at the very edge, I was about to pass by her to enter when—

“Oh?”

A familiar voice was heard. Yes, it sounded like that strange woman who smoked cigarettes despite being called a Saint.

The nun raised her head to look at us. Her face was faintly visible through the veil.

A white face with ash-gray eyes. Ash-gray hair flowing to the side.

It was the Saint, Rinet Michaela.

Rinet opened her eyes wide. She seemed quite surprised to meet me here.

“Prince? How curious to meet you in a place like this…”

However.

Upon noticing the small-statured girl following behind me, her tone immediately turned fierce, and she shut her mouth while quietly glaring at Silvia.

“…”

Meanwhile.

Silvia, having heard Rinet’s voice, reacted differently.

She had a somewhat dazed yet simultaneously relaxed demeanor. As if suggesting that since their first meeting, only Rinet had remained unchanged, not herself.

Rinet’s lips twisted awkwardly. It was a clearly uncomfortable smile.

“My, how curious. Why would the Prince come here with the Sword Star?”

“…”

“Didn’t the Sword Star say something about being a ‘blank slate’? Yet here you are, going around together, almost like it’s a date. Oh? What could this be? How strange~?”

Rinet’s white face was clearly displaying a beautiful smile, but.

Somehow, her voice filled with that smile was so sharp like a blade.

Though she wasn’t saying it directly, her subtle voice of reproach was quite pressuring.

I was considering what to say in response, knowing that this wasn’t proper behavior when I had a woman who had already confessed to me.

Once again surprisingly, it was Silvia who spoke first this time.

“Don’t be like that.”

Her dazed tone was infused with genuine emotion, trying to dissuade Rinet.

Being the type who wouldn’t miss this, Rinet also looked at Silvia with a slightly suspicious gaze.

‘What kind of game is this?’

Though she didn’t utter it out loud, she was clearly sending Rinet a suspicious look.

“I went this time, so you can go next time.”

“…What?”

“Date, was it? Hmm, I’m not quite sure what that is. But it’s something you want to do, right?”

I did it first, so you can do it second.

Silvia said that and then closed her mouth.

As if a superior was giving scraps to a subordinate.

No, to be more precise in the analogy: like a legal wife specially yielding her husband’s side to a concubine.

Only then did both Rinet and I clearly understand.

The reason Silvia tried to stop Rinet.

It wasn’t with an argument like “let’s all get along.”

To put it directly.

‘Because she knew she was the first one to go on a date.’

It must have been a statement born from overwhelming confidence.

Things are becoming truly complicated. This girl, who was once pure to the point of innocence, is now navigating through women’s jealous fights.

Without even knowing what a date is, she had figured out her own position based solely on the other’s reaction.

I wondered if I had taught the Sword Star something wrong.

In any case, Rinet’s reaction to Silvia’s statement was simple.

“Do you want to die?”

Along with her words.

Flash!

Holy power illuminated the dark interior of the theater.