episode_0053

“Your Majesty. Are you saying that you will gather all seven other high-level adventurers and hold a banquet?”

“If you can, Saintess. They are busy with their original missions. Here, I would like to have some skilled adventurers recommended by your guild master, Glen, attend. If you can, please.”

The King’s proposal had a sense of serious significance. The seven senior adventurers rarely gathered together. No, there were only a few times when more than four people gathered together. The only gathering Glenn could remember was the senior adventurer appointment ceremony three years ago with four of his peers.

The famous inspector Slade Graham had only seen her face once by chance. The magical Roselia had left to train and was in the central continent, but he had not heard anything about her. In the first place, most adventurers were individualists, and when they gathered in groups, they often formed friendships among themselves. Glenn thought it was a miracle that he had even a friendship with the four people who had been appointed together.

“Of course, when that day comes, I won’t forget to invite you, saint.”

“It is an honor. I humbly await your invitation. Your Majesty.”

“Your acceptance brings joy to this old man’s heart. I will prepare a splendid banquet that will not disappoint my guests.”

“Is there any possibility, Your Majesty?”

Glenn was momentarily glad that the attention of the king and the royal family had turned to the saintess. As expected, he felt awkward and unsuited to places involving royalty or politicians.

No matter how thoroughly I prepared and disciplined my mind, I couldn’t open my mouth easily. If I were fighting against a demon or a demon tribe, I would be able to speak freely…

“But, saintess. Even though you have already been ordained…I would like to ask you one more question, to know your feelings…”

As the silence was so cautious and the sound of dishes clinked could be heard, a man’s voice rang out in the restaurant. It was Prince Endymian, who still had an unconvinced expression on his face.

Glenn could quite predict what the question would be, but at the same time, he wanted to look like he was going to be fed up. No, he hadn’t given up even after getting scolded in the audience room earlier. However, there was someone who stopped Endymian. It was the king.

“Endymian. I know I brought up that topic a little while ago.”

“Oh, father…Your Majesty. This time it is not like that. It is about what Your Majesty told me in a letter before the inauguration ceremony.”

“Hmm, I think I explained it to you in detail in my letter.”

“But Father… Don’t you think that a mission that involves a year-long pilgrimage is too short of companions? And besides, a trip that is hastily set off without any high-level adventurers gathered in one place… Isn’t it too dangerous?”

“I know you’re worried, but… in other words, it sounds like you’re doubting the abilities of the companion that the saintess and I worked so hard to recruit.”

“No matter how great a person is, aren’t you worried about just one person?”

Prince Endymian hesitated a little, but argued with his father with his own logic. Glenn, despite being a party to the matter, absentmindedly watched the prince and the king’s discussion. In fact, it was a question that Glenn had been wondering since he was almost forced to participate in this request.

Glenn, Briwen, a nun and a monk from the Airgrants Church, and a saint. If you include Glenn’s younger sister and a porter, there are only six people in total. With this number of people, they should first reach the Eastern Forest and meet up with other adventurers. Grimes and Tiller’s party were fine. However, the upper-level adventurers who would join them were the problem.

I was really worried whether that guy, who liked to stay in a corner even more than I did, would actually move if the kingdom ordered him to.

‘It might be a miracle if you follow me on my travels. It’s almost like me not long ago, being stuck somewhere and investing in hobbies…’

“How about at least bringing some soldiers with you, or maybe even drafting some of the knights? I don’t think it’s too late.”

“If you include soldiers on an expedition with a fixed period of time, how will you supply them? Draft the Knights? You must know their role and importance to the country. Moreover, if you include soldiers from such a country, the Northern Kingdom, which must inevitably enter the country on the trip, will not be able to stay still.”

“But… isn’t it too dangerous to set off with a number of people that are not enough to count with your fingers? If it really doesn’t work out, I’ll take the time…”

“Oh, Endymian. Don’t act rashly. If you go with me, you know very well that the Northern Kingdom will become even more suspicious.”

“But…”

Endymian made a reasonable argument, but was immediately refuted by the king. Glenn was shocked to see that the king was speaking with his own selfish motives.

Surely, all these complaints are not really because he wants to be with the saint. No, maybe this person too…

Glenn was momentarily surprised at why such a thought had come to his mind only now, but then he felt like he had realized something and turned his gaze to the saintess next to him. The saintess nodded after seeing Glenn’s puzzled face. She only moved her lips. No sound was heard.

But Glenn was able to gain insight along with a dizzying feeling.

‘Prince Endymian also had feelings for the saintess.’

Something felt unnatural. Endymian’s criticism of the saintess in the audience room was actually an act born of such affection.

However, it seemed that Milicia was quite burdened by Endimian’s thoughts and actions. If she had the will to accept the favor, she would not have stood behind him and made claims denying Endimian’s words. And furthermore…

‘I know what kind of person Milicia is, so I can understand why she feels that way… sigh…’

“Oh my, really. Brother. How about just being honest? It’s nice to see you, beautiful saintess, after so long, but I’m worried that you’re going on a difficult journey, right?”

“What, what?”

Endymian, who had been arguing with the king for a long time, suddenly stopped at those words. The one who spoke was the girl who had been listening silently until then. It was the second princess, Luna di Alcrae.

She had almost completely abandoned the dignified posture she had held just a moment ago, and was resting her chin on one arm, looking at her older brother with a pitiful expression.

“Oh my. I didn’t want to get caught up in such a nice place, but seriously…Father, do you know? On the way here, my brother sang the song “Saint, Saint” so many times that I got sick of it.”

And at the sudden, bomb-like remark, a chilling atmosphere swept through the banquet hall in an instant. No, it was mainly only one person who was swept away. The others froze at the sudden remark, put a hand to their mouth, or groaned while holding one hand to their head.

And then, the man who was enveloped in a cold air shouted while trying to deny it.

“What, what, what, what are you talking about! Luna, you must have misheard. I never…”

“Shall I say more? The saint’s knight inauguration ceremony, I wonder what kind of appearance the idiot who will become that knight will have. If he’s not a proper man, I’ll crush him with my own hands, didn’t he say all sorts of burdensome words to the heavens? It was so loud that I was honestly embarrassed? There’s a limit to confessing love. And since he’s declaring it in front of the person who made it, I’m embarrassed.”

“Ah, no! W-What are you talking about, Luna!”

“Oh my…”

“Hoo…”

The prince, as if he had been hit with a nail-biter, repeated his denials in a visibly embarrassed manner. The queen covered her mouth, but it was clear to anyone who saw that she was smiling in interest at the situation.

The First Princess didn’t change much, but the corners of her mouth twitched slightly. Oh, that’s a laugh. And the King, as a parent, just sighed at the revelation of his son’s true feelings. As if this incident was more worrisome than the previous one.

And even in this situation, the saintess remained expressionless. No, judging from the way she clenched her left hand, which was under the table in the banquet hall, it was clear that she was holding something back.

As soon as he saw that expression, his heart seemed to twist. Suddenly, Glenn felt the urge to step forward now. What is this urge? What am I going to do if I step forward now!

Oh, wait a minute… something like this…

“Honestly, because of the proud boasts my brother made before we arrived at the palace, it was hard for me to see the saintess’s face after such a long time! Seriously. I wanted to have a friendly conversation with my fellow warriors I hadn’t seen in a long time and invite them to have tea later, but every time I saw the saint’s face, I remembered my brother’s embarrassing remark and it was hard to keep my expression straight. Ah, Milicia. I know it’s a bit much to invite you like this, but how about having tea later? I invited some nice people. Please? ”

And so, as if she were a horse unleashed, Luna di Alcrea delivered a speech that made the numerous people in the banquet hall all raise their heads in shame.

“Yes, Luna. I also wanted to meet Luna after a long time and have a comfortable conversation. If there are any people you would like to meet…are they the two I was thinking of? ”

And the saint, Milicia, relaxed her expressionless face from a moment ago and accepted Princess Luna’s invitation with a gentle face, as if she had met a savior. It seemed like a mixture of a little longing and joy,

Glenn was a little surprised. A welcome person, perhaps? And when Milicia readily accepted the invitation, Princess Luna clapped her hands and laughed heartily.

“Hehe, of course! You figured it out right away, as expected of a saint! I brought you tea and snacks as a gift on the way back, so let’s finish it all together today! Hotly!”

Huh, hot? Glenn almost slipped out of his seat for a moment at Princess Luna’s bold vocabulary. What, what is this? A royal who is so shameless? She was a truly refreshing, if not embarrassing, person.

When I glanced at him, the king was shaking his head with a slightly gloomy expression. His lips moved as if he was mumbling, “I thought I knew how to control myself a little…” The queen smiled calmly, but it was on the verge of collapse. Was it about to distort, or was it because he was surprised to see his daughter and the saint having a friendly conversation?

The First Princess, Josefina, looked at the two with half-resigned, listless eyes. She felt a strange familiarity in that face that seemed to say that it didn’t matter anymore. And the First Prince, who had become the target of the teasing(?), suddenly revived after standing stiffly.

“Hey, what are you talking about! Luna! Over there, the escort knight! Red-eyed Glenn! You must know what is worrying about this situation. Then prove it yourself!”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

Glenn asked Endymian, who had been resurrected and was shouting at him without hesitation, with pure doubt. Prove it? What and how do you want me to prove it? And when Endymian burst out with words next, Glenn almost frowned openly for a moment.

“Prove your skills, your skills as a knight who can protect the saint! Now, it’s a duel! The knights’ training grounds are empty, so prove that you can protect the saint by yourself, without any help! ”

“No.”

“No way.”

“Yeah, that won’t work…? Saintess? Father?”

Endymian’s spirit, who had boldly challenged Glenn to a duel while pointing his finger at him, was instantly drained. This was due to the harmony of the two people who had rebelled against him.

In addition, the queen said with a small smile, “Even this mother wouldn’t tolerate such a thing,” and Luna looked at Endymian with an expression of open disappointment, which made him feel even more depressed.

“Endymian. Stop being reckless. What’s the point of a duel in this happy place? Besides, have you already forgotten that tomorrow is the departure ceremony? What are you going to do if the escort knight gets injured before he can even complete his mission? Arthur.”

The king comforted his son, not belittling Endymian’s reckless actions, but not belittling his skills. Glenn felt a little hurt by the tone of voice that said he would definitely get hurt if he dueled Endymian, but he didn’t show it. Instead, he felt that the king was a very wise man. At those words, Endymian’s expression really wavered.

“Ha, but…”

“I cannot help but admire Your Majesty’s foresight. Lord Endymian? I will have a tea party with Princess Luna shortly, and then I will return to the mansion to prepare for the departure ceremony. And my knight, Red-Eyed Glen, must stay by my side and fulfill his duty without fail after the inauguration ceremony. I repeat. Red-Eyed Glen must always be by my side to assist and protect me. In other words, I cannot afford to lend you my knight for a moment.”

“What, what? You’ll stay by my side without missing a single moment? Se, saintess…are you serious?”

“I don’t know how long I have to keep repeating the same thing, Prince Endymian.”

“Ugh, ugh…!”

In the end, the first prince, Endymian, who had been stranded until the last attempt, sat down in frustration. No, he was almost lying down.

At that moment, Princess Josephine’s voice was heard in Glenn’s ear. It’s finally quiet. Like a colt that has let loose. Startled by those words, Glenn turned his head to look at Josephine, but Princess Josephine just kept her gaze on Glenn with a faint smile on her face.

No, soon the corners of her mouth opened slightly.

“Oh my…”

It was an exclamation. What was it? What was it that made her exclaim in admiration? Glenn noticed that Josephina’s eyes were turned to his right.

‘Ah, ahh…’

In an instant, blood rushed to his face. He felt his whole body flush with heat. No, it really did. It was the feeling that a person who was not aware of it feels when they become aware of shame, and it penetrates his whole body. It had been a long time since Glenn felt the need to curse his unconsciousness.

“What…”

Soon, the reactions of several others who had noticed Glenn and the saintess’s actions came into view. Princess Luna, who was sitting across from Glenn, noticed it in an instant and opened her mouth wide.

“Oh my, oh my…two people already…”

The queen, sitting across from Milicia, looked back and forth between Glenn and Milicia with a curious expression on her face.

Glenn was embarrassed, but he had no intention of stopping his actions. Because no one would be so foolish as to brush away the beautiful left hand of the Saint Militia Airgrants that overlapped his right hand.

“…”

With a slightly trembling expression, Milicia Airgrants held Glenn’s right hand with her left hand while she spoke. And Glenn, who was not aware of it, almost instinctively took her hand. Like precious lovers supporting each other.

‘Uh, ah…’

Thanks to that, I became sensitive to the reactions of my surroundings, and the food in front of me didn’t enter my mind at all. Only the feelings about the hands I was holding in my head began to tangle. Should I think that the confidence in Milishia’s statement came from here? Should I be convinced like that? Ha, but. If that’s the case…

After realizing his shame, Glenn tried to regain his composure, but he just couldn’t. At least if he let go, it might be possible, but it was impossible. How could he?

The person he loved was leaning on him. He needed him to support him. Glenn felt as if his whole body was going to squirm with embarrassment, but he never let go of his hand.

In that way, the dinner continued, appreciating the two people who were expressing their innocence with their whole bodies, leaving the frustrated person alone. Glenn and Milicia lowered their heads and almost buried their noses in the food, not saying a word for long throughout the dinner. It was an embarrassing and precious time.