episode_0214

And, on that night.

It was late when Edan, Cerista, and all the other visitors, including the mysterious figure, had returned to their respective places. The hospital room was now left with only the original occupants, me and Agnes.

The second preparation for removing the MacHeart had not been discussed yet. It was a matter that should be kept to a minimum number of people, so it was not something to be discussed in front of everyone.

The story about the holy maiden could be discussed later when Cerista was alone. If necessary, she could even call the knight.

Anyway, there had been a lot of exhausting events yesterday and today, so my body was reaching its limits in many ways. The real evaluation match I had with Agnes, where we fought with all our might, was just yesterday, and today, due to the long meeting, I hadn’t rested until late, so physical fatigue had accumulated quite a bit.

“I need to rest well and recover quickly. If I want to participate in the noble social gathering that MacHeart is attending this vacation…”

With such thoughts in mind, as I was slowly drifting off to sleep, Agnes’s voice calling my name from the opposite bed suddenly snapped me back to reality.

“Lilith, are you asleep?”

“I was just about to fall asleep.”

“Sorry, should we talk about it tomorrow?”

“As long as it’s not too long, it’s fine. If we postpone it to tomorrow, I might forget again, so just tell me now.”

“…”

In the quiet silence, only the sound of breathing continued without a response.

Just when I started to wonder if she had fallen asleep due to fatigue, Agnes’s voice cautiously reached me again.

“I’m sorry for fighting sincerely during the match yesterday.”

“What?”

“You said Lilith had no ill intentions, but I did. …So, I’m sorry.”

“…Come to think of it, you did mention something like that.”

And right after hearing her words, I was engulfed in Agnes’s fiery explosion. So at that moment, I didn’t immediately understand her words, but it seemed like saying there was ill intent was not just a casual remark, but a genuine confession.

I don’t think I ever said anything that would warrant her resentment. Maybe I teased her about her magic etiquette as part of her final assignment, but Agnes, with her high magical refinement, wouldn’t genuinely get mad just because I criticized her magic.

The only other thing that might have upset her was teasing her about her physical features during our conversation about height and chest a week ago…

“Did you really get angry because of the height and chest conversation we had a week ago?”

“You didn’t know?”

“…No.”

Agnes looked at me with a helpless expression, as if she couldn’t believe it.

I had thought that her acting of being really angry was so convincing, but when I realized it wasn’t an act, I actually understood it better.

“I didn’t know you would be genuinely hurt. I’m sorry, Agnes.”

“No, it was my fault for bringing up the chest topic first. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”

“Still, things worked out well in the end, and we ended up sharing the same hospital room. So let’s think positively, shall we?”

“…So, are we reconciling?”

“Huh? Reconciling?”

“…Are you still mad?”

“It’s not that. I never really got mad at you, Agnes, right? We’ve always been friends from the start. Isn’t that right?”

“…Yeah, you’re right.”

With those final words, Agnes quietly closed her eyes, turning her reddened face away.

Understanding that she had said enough and meant to end the conversation here, I also closed my eyes and quietly drifted off to sleep.

The day when Agnes and I have been hospitalized at the Academy Church for two weeks.

Two days have passed since the meeting, and Agnes quietly got up from the bed opposite mine, with her luggage, ready to leave the room.

Today was the day Agnes, who shares the same hospital room as me, was going to be discharged.

“It seems like the Elizabeth family’s carriage has arrived, Agnes.”

“…Should I stay a little longer?”

“What do you mean?”

“You never know. McHart might attack you when you’re alone.”

“McHart Prince has already returned to the palace, as I heard from the Knight Commander through Seraphine Princess. It’s reliable information.”

“…Still.”

“And I’ll be discharged in a day or two as well. And Ethan will visit until the day of discharge, so you don’t have to worry that much.”

“….”

“The carriage is waiting outside, Agnes.”

Agnes still had a slightly worried expression, but she seemed to have made up her mind after my firm attitude and nodded quietly.

“Alright. I’ll go first. Take care.”

“Be careful going in.”

I was still under Serista’s care, as she advised me to continue treatment a bit longer.

Even though I was the one who took the brunt of Agnes’s explosion magic during the duel, the size of the injury I sustained was more severe than Agnes’s. Therefore, I had to stay at the church longer. That’s how powerful Agnes’s explosion magic was.

Maybe Agnes putting her own staff between my chest during the final moments of the duel had a significant impact. Considering the size of this lump of fat that I can’t help but notice every time I stand in front of the mirror, I might have absorbed some of the impact of Agnes’s explosion magic.

“Your bag looks heavy. Shall I carry half of it for you?”

“The patient? Mind your own business.”

“I’m just worried you might trip and fall down the stairs.”

“Do you think I’m a child?”

Honestly, just by looking at her appearance, you could believe she was a middle schooler. Well, it’s ridiculous for a patient like me to help Agnes, so I just waved quietly as I watched her leave.

“…See you at the promised day in the palace.”

“Yes, Agnes.”

-Drrrrk.

After confirming Agnes leaving the room, I woke up one of the two spirits sleeping next to me and asked them to accompany Agnes to the church entrance.

If I didn’t help directly, Agnes wouldn’t refuse, I thought.

“Say, would you accompany Agnes to the church entrance? It would be nice if you could use wind magic to lighten the weight of her luggage.”

‘…Okay. Got it.’

Watching Say secretly follow Agnes, I looked around the empty room for a moment. It felt a bit cramped when the two of us were using it, but now that I was alone, it felt empty.

While waiting quietly for Agnes to come out of the window, the door suddenly opened, and Serista, who was currently in charge of my treatment, entered.

“Oh, how are you feeling today, Lillis?”

“Thanks to the Saint’s care, I’m feeling better. I think I could run around right now.”

“Still, you know you shouldn’t be running around in your current condition, right? I’m sure Lady Lillis will be feeling better by tomorrow or the day after, so please bear with it until then. Your injuries were already more severe compared to Agnes.”

“…Yes, thank you.”

I thought seriously to myself as I looked at Cerista, who was checking on my condition.

For some reason, I couldn’t help but ponder on the title she used to address me as ‘Lady Lillis.’

Up until now, I had tried my best not to pay too much attention to it, but no matter how much I thought about it, the fact that she was addressing me with such a prestigious title seemed very strange. In the story, Cerista rarely used the title ‘Lady’ to address anyone, except for characters like the protagonist, Aurelia, who is revered by the Church of Aurelia, the high-ranking church elders, and the nobles who are addressed with honorifics by everyone.

Of course, it’s not that Cerista didn’t use formal language with other people. When speaking, she always used honorifics, whether it was a child or an animal.

However, when addressing others, she usually used more common titles like ‘Miss’ or ‘Mr.,’ and using ‘Lady’ was reserved for individuals with a significant difference in status.

Even if it was a high-ranking member of a noble family like Etan, there was no reason for her to elevate the conversation by using the title ‘Lady.’ Yet, Cerista was using the title ‘Lady’ only with me.

“Moreover, all my attempts to correct it were rejected.”

So, in the end, there was only one reason. Cerista had a dramatic reason to address me as ‘Lady.’

I had some vague idea of what it could be. I remembered that there was a time in the story when Cerista addressed Lillis as ‘Lady Lillis.’

It was an event that could rarely be experienced in the game. The ‘Maiden Awakening’ event in the story usually happened before Lillis, as Cerista performed it first.

Cerista had been a character accompanying me since the middle of Part 1, so our experience points had been increasing proportionally. However, Lillis only joined around the end of Part 2, so naturally, there was a difference in accumulated experience points between Cerista and Lillis.

Although Lillis started at level 15 upon joining, she had to reach around level 20 by the middle of Part 2 to defeat Etan, the mid-boss. Even with the support of a level 15 Lillis, Etan was formidable, so it was necessary to level up to at least 20 to stand a chance against him.

During the leveling process, Cerista’s level naturally increased as well, and it was common for her to be higher level than Lillis upon joining in ‘Luminor Academy’ gameplay.

“And I wasn’t just an ordinary player in ‘Luminor Academy.’”

I was determined to try various strategies to achieve the ‘Lillis Virgin Ending,’ including awakening Lillis before Cerista.

In the early part of Part 1, the protagonist character was made significantly stronger by making them grind endlessly alone before joining forces with Serista. By using this method, it was not impossible for Serista to face Edan with her level lower than Relis.

And by having Relis join the party in this way, it was possible to awaken Relis before Serista up to Part 5, so I remember that for a short period of time after Serista awakened, she addressed Relis as ‘Lady Relis.’

And if, by some chance, this hypothesis that just popped into my head applies to the current situation…

‘…It must mean that Serista already knows that I am the true Saint.’

If she really knows that I am the Saint, there is no reason to hesitate any longer.

There is not much time left for me to have a conversation with Serista alone in the future.