episode_0051

“Here you go, Eric. How is it?”

“Yeah, it’s good. Glad we came.”

“Hmm, that’s a more subdued reaction than I expected.”

Well, how am I supposed to act normally when Chris is like this right in front of me?

“……”

Stab—

Stab—

Stab—

Without saying a word, Chris silently glared in our direction while violently stabbing her steak.

Unconsciously, as if wielding some kind of technique, the pierced pieces of meat broke off from the main chunk, perfectly sized for eating.

Yet, Chris herself didn’t seem to have any intention of actually putting them in her mouth.

“…I won… I won, you know…”

Muttering words that made no sense, Chris continued butchering her steak, and all I could do in front of her was become as docile as a lamb.

“You can just ignore her, Eric. Chris is just throwing a tantrum. She’ll be back to normal by tomorrow.”

“No, but even so…”

What reason does she have to sulk when she was the one who won?

“That’s… not it. It’s embarrassing to explain, and if I did, Chris would just look even more pitiful.”

And what about me, stuck between the two of you? Does no one think I’m pitiful here?

“……”

Unaware of my thoughts, Chris continued massacring the innocent steak.

Calming someone who’s screaming and shouting in anger is far easier than calming someone who stays silent. The former is just a case of failing to control their own heat and letting it explode. If you speak to them calmly—or sometimes firmly—most people will eventually find the source of their anger and settle down.

But someone like Chris right now, who’s clearly angry for no discernible reason and refusing to speak? It’s tricky. I can’t just leave her like this, but I also don’t know what to say.

“Here. How about these vegetables? They’ll cut through the richness of the steak. That’s right—just swallow it all at once.”

Crunch—

“Yeah… It’s crisp and tasty. Thanks.”

I mindlessly accepted the bite Cecilia offered, but whether that set Chris off even more, she began slicing her steak into even smaller pieces than before.

Only after seeing that did I finally snap back to my senses. Leaning close to Cecilia’s ear, I whispered what I’d been meaning to ask.

“Cecilia, just to be sure—”

“You’re asking why Chris is like this, right? I won’t tell~”

“You’re really not going to tell me?”

“Fufu. It’s partly because the reason is too embarrassing for Chris to hear from me directly… but mostly, as the loser, I want to faithfully—no, thoroughly enjoy—ah, I mean, fulfill my duties to the very end.”

Even Cecilia, whom I’d turned to for help, gave me an equally cryptic answer.

“……”

Chris, still brutally murdering her steak.

“Here, say ‘ahh~’”

Cecilia, too busy feeding me to have a care in the world.

And me, stuck between them, feeling like I was sitting on a bed of nails as I ate uncomfortably.

Honestly, if Cecilia hadn’t been feeding me the whole time, I wouldn’t even know whether the steak was going into my mouth or my nose.

“……”

“Here you go~”

“Sorry, Cecilia. Just give me a second.”

Unable to take it anymore, I abruptly stood up and sat down next to Chris. If I had to endure this awkward atmosphere until the end of the meal, the steak I’d already eaten might just come right back up.

“Wha—?”

“Come on, tell me. What’s the problem?”

“It’s… nothing.”

“Don’t lie when you’re so bad at it. Anyone can see you’re upset. Was it me coming here? If so, then there was no reason for me to come in the first place.”

If they’d just eaten together without me, this wouldn’t have happened. But they were the ones who brought me here. I’m not about to demand they take responsibility, but the least they could do is maintain some basic courtesy.

Unlike me, Chris is a noble lady—no ordinary noble, either, but the representative of the Grave Ducal House. She has to make appearances, mingle in high society—if she lets her emotions control her like this, it’ll cause problems.

“Are you even thinking? If people start underestimating you because of this, do you realize what could happen? If you’re a noble, act like one. If you’re an academy student, act like one. You could really get yourself in trouble.”

I’d hoped scolding her like this would snap her out of it, but instead, Chris smiled at me—not happily, but with an expectant look.

“You’re worried about me?”

“Of course I am. I mean, I’d rather not get tangled up with you two, but that’s not an option, is it? So yeah, I’m worried. Now, what’s the problem?”

“Well, it’s just…”

“Tell me. If there’s something bothering you, I’ll fix it.”

“Really?”

“I don’t lie.”

“That’s the least believable thing you’ve ever said.”

“…I don’t lie when it matters.”

To be precise, I don’t lie when I shouldn’t. Lies are, ultimately, the most useful tool a person can wield. Especially for someone like me, with no real strength to rely on.

That said, let me make one thing clear—I only tell white lies. I don’t lie unless it benefits them or helps the world at large. Overuse weakens their effect, after all. In my first run, my credibility hit rock bottom, so timing was key.

Anyway, the important thing right now is snapping Chris out of her sulking.

“I won’t get mad or think it’s weird. So just tell me. You don’t want to ruin this meal, do you?”

“…It’s unfair.”

“Unfair? How?”

“I feel left out! You two are all cozy, whispering to each other…!”

“Eh… That’s what this is about?”

“That’s what—? THAT’S WHAT—??”

“S-Sorry, my bad. Then… uh…”

Honestly, I had no idea what to do. It’s not like I came here expecting this—I just tagged along because the food was cheap.

It’s good that Chris is showing such a vulnerable, human side. A person who can cry is stronger than an unfeeling machine. But giving her the same punishment as Cecilia would just make things weird.

Then, looking at Chris’s already-dismembered steak, an idea came to me.

“How about I do it for you?”

“Do what?”

“Cecilia’s feeding me, right? I’ll feed you instead. That way, you won’t feel left out, and you won’t have to do anything as the winner. Sound good?”

“Wait! Eric, you don’t have to go that far!”

“I’m in! Absolutely in!”

Thank goodness. So she was just sulking because she didn’t get special treatment.

“Say ‘ahh.’”

“Here.”

As I kept feeding Chris and being fed by Cecilia, I noticed something odd.

Wouldn’t it make more sense for Cecilia to feed Chris directly? Why go through me? They could interact and bond over it.

Thinking that, I decided to cut to the chase and ask them outright.

“Hey, what if you two just fed each other instead?”

“……”

“……”

“Sorry.”

Yeah. I shouldn’t have said anything.

“Here, Eric. Open up.”

“Ahh~”

Stuck between two people who had no intention of listening, I obediently ate the steak—and kept feeding Chris in turn.

I was still confused, but if I couldn’t satisfy both, it was better to just let them both be mad.

Plus, sandwiched between them, the stares from the other diners weren’t exactly friendly.

Let’s just finish eating and get out of here.

——

“I’m stuffed.”

“Me too. This place was way better than I expected.”

“I can’t believe I didn’t know about it.”

Are you seriously asking that? I leaned in and whispered to Chris.

“This is that place. The one destroyed in the third demon wave.”

“Ah.”

Back when the alliance was in disarray, too busy chasing their own interests to unite, the Demon King’s army struck without hesitation. The Empire, the elves’ forest, the beastmen’s settlements—whenever they sensed weakness, the demons launched relentless assaults. The third invasion, in particular, succeeded in penetrating deep into the Empire, the alliance’s core.

Though the allied forces began rallying after that, the damage was immense. In a desperate move, the imperial court mages erected barriers only around the palace to protect the academy and key personnel, leaving those outside to face hell.

It was a despicable but brilliant diversion, executed while Luciella’s party fought the Demon King’s main force.

By the time we triumphantly defeated them and returned, it was already too late.

Even now, the memory of Elia wordlessly slaughtering fleeing demons is chilling.

“Now then, ladies and gentlemen. Do you have a moment?”

And now, something just as terrifying was unfolding before my eyes.