episode_0156

The date with Eden… or rather, the weekend outings continued after that. Although the clothes I was wearing changed from maid uniform to a noble lady-like red dress.

The maid uniform I was wearing until just now was scheduled to be delivered to the academy dormitory along with other clothes bought at the store.

Whether it was because I changed my clothes and walked around, the gazes directed at me seemed to have lessened compared to a while ago. Perhaps it was because of the consciousness that I might really look like a noble lady, intentionally avoiding eye contact.

Most people, if they were just commoner maids who couldn’t even escape the status of a viscount at most, wouldn’t cause any trouble by staring at me for too long. But for a woman who clearly looks like a noble, whether she’s a viscountess or a baroness, it was more beneficial not to stare for too long.

Right after coming out of the clothing store, Eden took me to a normal Italian restaurant. Of course, in this world, there isn’t a country called Italy, it just had a menu that gave off that kind of vibe.

Salad, grilled freshwater fish, light pasta, and a slightly sweet dessert as a dessert, it was a decent restaurant with a variety of dishes.

I didn’t have any complaints or objections about whatever restaurant he took me to, but even considering that, the restaurant Eden brought me to was quite clean and had a nice atmosphere.

“Enjoying the food, Lillis?”

“Yes, Eden. It’s a delicious and nice restaurant.”

I wondered if he might order wine or create a confession-like atmosphere, but fortunately, it seemed that wasn’t his intention.

No, maybe Eden wasn’t even thinking about a confession from the beginning, and he didn’t know that I might be overthinking things.

I hoped that I would just remain a clueless maid who didn’t know her own topic. It was much better than receiving an awkward confession that I might or might not accept.

“These days, it seems like you’re getting along well with Lady Blaze’s daughter. Rumor has it that even after class, you spend an hour talking about this and that.”

“Blaze seems to be lacking in knowledge about elemental studies, so I’m just helping her out. Although Blaze is the head of the Magic Department, it seems like she’s not popular with the spirits.”

“…Well, Lillis did sign a contract with Field not too long ago.”

By the way, Sally and Say didn’t join us on today’s date. They had used up quite a bit of magic during the monster practical training yesterday.

High-ranking spirit Sally was fine, but intermediate spirit Say seemed a bit tired, so I fed him enough magic and put him to sleep in the dormitory.

Since Say was staying in the dormitory, Sally, who was Say’s sunflower, naturally stayed in the dormitory as well.

…Leaving me alone with him for a day shouldn’t cause any trouble.

“Speaking of which, how are you getting along with your classmates, Eden? I heard that Sir Gethmzosh is showing quite an interest in you.”

“…Well, I don’t particularly like that guy.”

“Excuse me?”

“He’s not well-liked because of the rumors, so it’s better for Lillis not to worry about him. He’s already the kind of guy who hangs out with two girls, and recently, he seems to be hanging around with Miss Natalie and the princess.”

“Uh… th-that’s… I see….”

Natalie must have become friends with him from the moment she entered the Swordsmanship Department. It’s probably because the Natalie-Thomas couple can cover up the protagonist’s lack of skill in the middle of the story.

And it’s probably a necessary event to glance at the princess. If the goal is to clear, then he must have tried to perform the necessary event. If he carelessly leaves it out and messes up, he might not be able to use the external knowledge he knows.

I could understand to some extent why Ethan was uncomfortable with the princess’s gaze, but from my perspective, it was just a pity that this meaningless wariness existed.

“Judging by this reaction, it seems like there won’t be many opportunities to interact with the princess.”

First, he needed to resolve this wariness towards Ethan’s protagonist in some way, whether by talking or doing something, to see what was going on in his mind.

If by any chance he thought of Ethan as a villain, he would also clear up that misunderstanding.

Anyway, as we shared recent stories in that manner, Ethan and I spent time with a light walk around the wide lake surrounding the island of knowledge.

In the relaxed atmosphere after a long time, my mind also calmed down a bit.

“It’s okay, this kind of time.”

Because there had been a lot of things to do suddenly in the second semester, there had been many things that had been headache-inducing lately.

Perhaps I needed an opportunity to spend time leisurely like this.

Ethan must have been quite busy recently in his own way, so he might have been hoping for this kind of time internally.

“Did I really just imagine that?”

Maybe he suggested spending time together as a noble lady release just to create a comfortable atmosphere.

It might feel a bit frustrating to have a maid by your side until a rare day off.

Well, come to think of it, you can confess to your exclusive maid anytime, anywhere.

If he had harbored strange feelings for me, he would have been attacked as soon as we started sharing the same dorm.

I was definitely wrong to have strange fantasies that it wasn’t a date. Anyway, I really have an excessive self-consciousness.

In the process of calming down, even the complicated worries I had been holding in my head flew away, so thanks to that, my mind became even more relaxed.

So, as we spent time together, when the light lunch was somewhat digested, Ethan cautiously made a suggestion to me.

“…So I introduced the sei I signed that day to Blaze, and suddenly she said something to me and ran off somewhere…”

“…Lilith.”

“Yes?”

“If it’s okay, would you like to take a short break on that bench?”

“Are you tired, Ethan?”

“Not so much tired, but I just found a cheese shop on the way here. If it’s okay, how about taking a break and having a picnic?”

“….”

Until we started talking, I didn’t have any particular thoughts, but after hearing Ethan’s words, I felt a little hungry.

It might be because I was relieved and my tension was released.

Until just now, I was on edge, thinking that Ethan might confess to me in a mood, so maybe that’s why I feel a little hungry.

Or maybe it’s because the lunch itself was a light menu, so my stomach might be empty from walking.

“If that’s the case, I’ll go get it. Ethan, take a break.”

“Oh, no. I brought it up, so I’ll…”

“You paid for everything at the clothing store and the restaurant today, right? If so, at least let me buy some snacks.”

“But still…”

“Didn’t you tell me to act like a noble lady? Or is the ideal noble lady that Ethan wants a shameless lady who just takes and eats without opening her wallet from start to finish?”

“Alright, Lilith. I’ll leave it to you then.”

Edan eventually nodded his head, allowing me to open my wallet, as he seemed to have deemed further persuasion futile due to my firm attitude.

It’s absurd that even buying a few snacks requires such persistent permission.

“I saw a cheese shop on the way here, so I’ll be back soon,” I assured him.

“Okay, be careful,” Edan replied with a slight nod of his head.

After answering Edan, I retraced the path I had just walked on.

It’s not like there’s anything dangerous on this island of knowledge, anyway.

***

“Beautiful lady, is there anything you need?” the somewhat burly cheese shop owner asked.

“Could I have a piece of Gouda and Cheddar cheese, one of each? Just enough for a simple snack,” I ordered, listening to the shop owner’s words.

I only knew about Gouda and Cheddar cheese in terms of food, so that’s all I asked for. I wasn’t particularly interested in trying Blue cheese raw, and they didn’t seem to sell Ricotta or Emmental in this shop.

“It seems like you’re going on a picnic with your fiancé. I saw you passing by earlier,” the shop owner remarked.

“Uh… he’s not my fiancé. We are planning to have a picnic, though,” I clarified.

“Are they a family member?”

“It’s… complicated to call them family. It’s a bit of a complex relationship,” I explained.

Well, not only in academia, but nobles often had various complex family relationships.

Bringing heirs from different families, siblings born from remarriages between noble families, or children born from incestuous relationships, and so on.

It was useless to delve too deeply into such knowledge.

And the shop owner, upon hearing about my complicated relationship, seemed to be conscious of my gaze, quickly packaging the menu I had ordered and handing it to me.

“It’s two silver coins, miss.”

“Thank you. Have a good day!”

The bag with two pieces of cheese felt oddly heavy, as if they had added something extra as a service.

It wasn’t strange to think that such events occurred frequently when your charm level was high. My charm had surpassed three digits since the recent level-up.

“In a typical game, the heroine would be kidnapped when the protagonist is separated like this,” I thought.

Of course, I had learned some dagger skills, so instead of being kidnapped, the person rushing towards me should be careful of their own life.

I realized that the dagger would still be in the maid’s pocket when I changed clothes earlier.

I had planned to take it with me when changing again, but I forgot in my haste.

Well, it should be fine. It’s not like anything would happen without a dagger.

Still, the absence of the dagger from my pocket made me feel strangely uneasy, so I returned to the lakeside bench, the meeting place, while keeping an eye out.

Fortunately, I didn’t encounter any kidnappers or robbers on the way back.

“Oh, Lillith. You’re back?”

“Yes, Edan.”

“Why are you walking so anxiously? Did you encounter someone strange…?”

“No, Edan. It’s nothing, so you don’t have to worry.”

How would Edan react if he knew I was anxious because the dagger was missing from my pocket?

With that thought in mind, as I approached Ethan holding a paper bag with cheese in it, my gaze fell on the long cork bottle in his hand.

The moment I saw that, my guard against Ethan, which I had momentarily let down, was triggered once again.

“What’s that, Ethan?”

“Oh, this? I bought it while Lillis went to get some snacks. It seemed a bit empty without anything to drink, so I thought wine would go well with the cheese.”

“…I see. So you’re drinking…”

“Is Lillis going to drink too?”

“Well, I suppose. Since you made the effort, it’s only natural.”

…Whether it’s a kidnapping event or whatever, the real target to be wary of might be someone else.