LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 57 - Chapter 57: Break
Chapter 57: Break
After Lancelot left us, nobles who were interested in the Saintess approached us. There were various motives behind their actions, from those who harbored hopes of welcoming the Saintess into their households to noble daughters who didn’t like seeing a country girl being fussed over.
Since I had been asked to escort her, I couldn’t avoid it and even had to utter some forced lines just to somehow protect the Saintess. My energy was reaching its limit, so I suggested to the Saintess that we take a break in the garden.
“The magical lights make the night garden beautiful too.”
So please let me rest. While hiding such true feelings, I invited her, and the Saintess readily agreed.
“That sounds nice! …But I have a bad feeling about going alone to the ladies’ rest area.”
That’s right. Ideally, it would be fine for everyone to relax in their respective rest areas, but I think the Saintess wouldn’t feel comfortable at all. Nobles’ daughters who as if asking her to come to the back of the school building with their intense gazes, had been watching her since earlier. That’s why I invited her to the garden.
“Such instincts are important to heed. Especially this time, your instincts are probably correct.”
As I headed towards the large window leading from the hall to the garden, I was called out to. Normally, I’d pretend not to hear and leave, but it was my parents who called out to me.
“Long time no see, Father, Mother.”
“Huh!? Are you the parents of Knight Commander Justin!? Um, um, um, nice to meet you, sir, madam. My name is Eleanor. Pleased to meet you!”
Hold on, that way of speaking might lead to misunderstandings! Look, Father is making eye contact to confirm the relationship between us!
I shook my head slightly but quickly.
“Nice to meet you, Saintess. It seems you’re getting along well with our son. We look forward to your continued friendship.”
“Yes! Same here!”
In a state of complete relaxation, thinking we could take a break, I felt like a bomb had been dropped on me. While the Saintess might be saying it purely as friends, my parents seem to be hoping for something more. Although we were chatting lightly, as soon as there was a break in the conversation, I excused us from the scene to give the Saintess a break.
At this rate, rumors about the Saintess and me might spread. But well, once this evening gathering is over, unless something extraordinary happens, the Saintess and I won’t be together anyway.
“Wow… It’s so cold outside! It was almost too hot in the hall.”
“The hall’s temperature is managed to accommodate the ladies in their dresses.”
Now that the sun has completely set, it’s so cold outside that you can see your breath. Unlike men who are wearing coats, women in dresses look visibly cold, so I took off my coat and draped it over the Saintess’s shoulders. Maybe it’s because of my past life memories before I remembered, but I’ve always been the type to seek comfort, so both my shirt and coat are enchanted with temperature regulation magic.
“It’s warm… Thank you!”
“The clothes themselves are enchanted with temperature regulation magic, so they’re high-performance enough to endure both heat and snow with just one layer.”
“Hehe, you seem like a child boasting about a treasure.”
“…! It’s not like they’re treasures or anything, but I do like magical tools. Especially enchantment magic like this.”
Whether in my past life or now, that hasn’t changed. If I didn’t have the talent to become a knight, I might have been involved in work related to magical tools. Maybe being able to see through the depths of someone’s heart or core is the specialty of the latter half heroine.
Ernest seemed to like the appearance, but the other characters in the novel were supposed to have been soothed by conversation and enlightened by various things, gradually becoming enamored with the Saintess. The purer the noble, the less likely they are to both guess what’s in the depths of someone’s heart and not imitate such behavior.
Concealing one’s true feelings and being friendly is exactly what nobles do when socializing. If I, Justin, didn’t have memories from my past life, I might have been drawn to the Saintess, saying something like “Only this woman understands me~” or something like that. But that’s not the case now.
Perhaps due to the cold, there was no sense of people in the garden. Only the crisp sound of footsteps on the lawn could be heard. Thanks to the lights in the hall leaking through the window and the magical tools placed in the garden, there was no trouble moving around.
“Saintess, you’ll probably be taken out more often in the future for subduing the evil god. Even though you’ll be protected by holy knights, it’s better to train a little so you can move more quickly in sudden situations. Since there are no female holy knights, there will definitely be moments when you’ll be alone, right?”
I thought I was giving advice out of kindness, but when I turned around, the Saintess’s mouth had formed into a clear pout, just like earlier in the hall. Is it that she doesn’t want to go for the evil god subjugation, or does she dislike the idea of training?
“Why are you reverting to calling me ‘Saintess’ now!? Normally, you should call me by name when we’re alone!”
Oh, is that it? That’s what I was about to blurt out, but somehow I managed to stop myself.
“Alright, alright. Sorry, Eleanor. Is this better?”
“Hehe, that’s more like it. It’s fun to talk without formalities! I hope I can make more friends.”
It’s unfortunate, but the noble daughters I saw in the hall didn’t seem like the type to say, “Let’s be friends.” It seems like Eleanor’s quite oppressed in the temple, so I’ll have to find someone else for her to unwind with, besides me.