Chapter 80 |
“H-How have you been all this time?”
“Well, I’ve been managing, I guess.”
As I chatted a little more with Tiffany, I ended up getting her permission to drop formal speech entirely.
‘Honestly, I’ve always wanted to speak more casually, but it’s kind of hard.’
I was strictly trained in manners by my mother when I was young, but the truth is, I’ve never had anyone close enough to speak casually with.
If I had to name someone, it would be my younger sister and reliable ally, Cecil.
Oh, and the demon I brought to the mansion recently—I talk down to her too, since there’s really no reason to speak politely.
Aside from that, Tiffany, who just turned out to be my closest friend, is almost the only person I speak informally with.
“S-So how did you end up becoming a Hero? I mean… if you’re my partner, I guess that makes sense… hehe.”
Just as I was feeling a bit sentimental, I noticed that Tiffany’s tone had become more normal, and I asked her out of curiosity.
“Ah!”
As expected, she let out a little yelp and jumped, quickly straightening her posture.
“I-If our connection is truly fated, then this is merely the beginning! The destiny that lies ahead transcends the understanding of mere mortals…”
“You can just speak normally in front of me.”
Watching her with a slight smile, I spoke in a gentle tone.
“Q-Quit it! One must maintain proper decorum before the Guardian of Radiance!”
“Well, if you don’t want to, that’s fine…”
But seeing her face turn completely red and her exaggerated gestures grow louder, it seemed clear that this whole chuunibyou speech pattern was just unfixable.
“I just wanted us to speak casually with each other…”
I really did want to help her fix her tone for the future embarrassment she’d surely feel, but if she didn’t want to…
“Th-Then. Should I…?”
Just as I was about to give up, Tiffany, who had been quietly watching my reaction, suddenly spoke in an awkward voice.
“H-Hi.”
“So… um…”
As I stared at her blankly, Tiffany started sweating nervously and, after forcing out a normal tone, suddenly shut her eyes and began yelling.
“H-Hey there! Shadow!”
“…Yes.”
“B-Bring what I asked for, now!”
At her command, a maid suddenly popped out of nowhere, muttering with a worried expression.
“T-The head maid said to put it away though…”
“H-Hurry! Do you dare defy my words?!”
“…As you command.”
But as Tiffany practically threw a tantrum, the maid finally sighed deeply and quietly left the meeting room.
“H-How was that? I looked cool, right?…I looked dignified, right? Huh?”
Tiffany, who had been watching the maid’s retreating figure with a solemn face, turned back to me with sparkling eyes.
“You really looked cool…”
“Hehe.”
To be honest, she looked less dignified and more like a childish noble’s daughter, but I wasn’t cold-hearted enough to throw a harsh truth at my one and only friend.
“H-How do I look? Cool, right?”
“…Yeah.”
“T-This is the outfit you said looked cool when we were kids. So I kept wearing it…”
Something about her words felt oddly significant, but before I could think more about it, my eyes were drawn to what the returning maid was holding.
“I brought it, Guardian of Radiance.”
“Hand it over!”
“…Sigh.”
Tiffany also turned her gaze to the maid and quickly took what she held, then shyly offered it to me.
“Here. Take it.”
“This is… a flower?”
“Yeah. I-I grew it myself in the garden.”
Do close friends usually give each other things like this?
I’ve never had a friend, in either this life or the last, so I really don’t know.
“Wait… the Guardian just spoke normally…?”
“…N-Normally. This should be the part where she says, ‘It is the petal of darkness I once wielded in the Abyssal Garden!’ or something.”
I kind of wanted to sneak a peek at the maids gathered behind the slightly open door and ask them about this, but they all looked like they were seeing a ghost and were too busy whispering among themselves.
“Oh, but before we go back to the meeting room, there’s one thing I wanted to ask.”
Just then, as I was scratching my head and looking over the bouquet I’d received, Tiffany narrowed her eyes and tossed out a question.
“…Who’s the woman you came with?”
“Oh, she’s…”
It was only then that I realized I hadn’t explained anything about Lady Meredia, and as I quietly stroked the ring on my left ring finger and prepared to speak—
“It’s better to hear that directly from me, don’t you think?”
A sudden icy voice came from behind.
“I’m sure I said I wanted a private conversation.”
Before I could even turn my head, Tiffany’s eyes widened in surprise.
“I know. But how could I just sit still?”
“…What?”
“It seems you’ve gotten a rather ridiculous misunderstanding.”
But Lady Meredia, completely ignoring that and stepping into the room, began walking toward the table where Tiffany and I were sitting.
“You’d better listen closely, Leader of Lumen Ordo.”
“……”
“Whitney and I…”
Just as she bared her teeth and was about to say more, I quickly stood up, unable to let the situation get any worse.
“Tiffany, this is my fiancée, Lady Meredia.”
And in that moment, silence fell over the room.
“Lady Meredia, this is my long-time friend, Miss Tiffany Astelaid.”
In that silence, I put on the most harmless expression I could and leaned close to Lady Meredia to whisper softly.
……
Fortunately, after that introduction, the two of them simply stared at each other for a while.
‘Yeah. Now that the misunderstanding’s cleared up, there’s no need for any pointless conflict.’
Actually, wouldn’t this be a good chance to help Lady Meredia make a friend?
“Since we’re here anyway, I hope you two can get along well. Haha.”
With that wish, I gave them my brightest smile.
***
‘…A long-time friend, huh.’
Meredia had stormed into the room to correct the rude misunderstanding of Tiffany Astelaid, the leader of Lumen Ordo, after getting permission from the Elder Council.
‘And that suspicious smile. What is he scheming this time?’
However, at Whitney’s words, she briefly shut her mouth and once again studied the wicked expression on his face, falling into deep thought.
‘This guy charmed even the Saintess with just his words and wits. He’s definitely scheming something again.’
To the current Meredia, Whitney was the kind of person who could be dropped in the middle of a desert kingdom and still find his way back to the mansion within a week.
Seeing him flash that characteristic smile again and send a subtle signal—Meredia could no longer brush it off lightly.
“Engaged…? You’re saying he’s your fiancé?”
“Yes, my fiancé.”
And, of course, at those words—while tilting her head slightly—Tiffany’s expression grew curious, and Meredia’s gaze turned oddly focused.
“W-What does engagement mean?”
It was at that moment that Meredia realized the eccentric girl, who had spent her whole life learning white magic and culture, had a fatal flaw: a lack of basic common knowledge.
“Hey, Shadow, do you know what it means?”
“U-Um… well…”
Normally, this wouldn’t have been much of a problem.
If she didn’t know something, Tiffany would just ask the maids—whom she had renamed “Shadows.”
“It’s sort of like a spiritual union…”
“A spiritual union?”
But this situation was a little different.
“It means they form a deep bond, both physically and emotionally.”
“Hmmm.”
“I-It’s kind of like a contract, or a social promise…”
Because the maid couldn’t handle the disaster that might come from fully explaining the meaning of “fiancé,” she ended up twisting her words around.
“Aha, so that woman is your vassal!”
“Sorry?”
Thanks to that, Tiffany—after thinking hard for a moment—reached that conclusion and shouted with a bright smile.
“Wait, I think you misunderstood something…”
‘Hah, so that’s what this is.’
Realizing Whitney’s plan, Meredia glared sideways at him as he scratched his head and mumbled, quickly organizing the situation in her mind.
‘To think he’d pull such a bold con in the stronghold of white magic…’
Apparently, her devious fiancé had now extended his claws toward the leader of Lumen Ordo.
‘…How outrageous. And this guy’s supposed to be a hero?’
Meredia felt slightly annoyed that Whitney had devised this scheme without even discussing it with her, but that irritation quickly evaporated from her mind.
“Tiffany, what being engaged means is—”
“Right, it’s kind of like being a vassal.”
In any case, gaining the cooperation of Lumen Ordo was essential for Whitney’s future plans and for finding a way to break the curse on Meredia.
“Whitney Lingard and I belong to each other—legally and privately. So in a sense, you could say we’re bound like master and vassal.”
“O-Oh! I knew it! That’s what it was!”
In that case, rather than trying to assert ownership over a little girl and boost her pride, it was better to go along with the little charade for now.
Because no matter what the eccentric girl misunderstood, the fact that Whitney was Meredia’s fiancé wouldn’t change.
If anything, when the poor girl found out the truth later, she might grow disillusioned with Whitney for using her misunderstanding to his advantage.
Considering all that, it was clear that cooperating quietly with Whitney’s scheme was the smartest move for now.
“Then, allow me to introduce myself. I am the head of Lumen Ordo, the Guardian of Radiance, the one who holds the secrets of the heavens, heir to the great mage who rules over the seven stars, and—”
But just as Meredia, who had already made up her mind, furrowed her brows slightly, she quietly walked over to the sofa where Whitney was sitting modestly.
“And Whitney’s one and only. Wait. What are you doing?”
A moment later, in the middle of her grand introduction, Tiffany’s eyes widened like a startled rabbit as she saw the scene before her.
“What?”
“W-Why are you sitting next to Whitney?”
Meredia, who had suddenly seated herself right next to Whitney, responded with a bold expression.
“I’m sitting next to my fiancé. What about it?”
“Th-That’s not what I meant…”
“Fiancés are supposed to do this. Is that a problem?”
“A-Ah… Is she the type of vassal who shares her strength with her master…?”
“Well, you could say that.”
“Ugh… Then I suppose it can’t be helped.”
Though Tiffany looked a bit uncomfortable, she nodded as if she understood, trying to continue her explanation.
“Anyway, I’m Whitney’s one and only—Hey!”
“What now?”
“Y-You’re leaning too close, aren’t you!?”
As Meredia, who had been gazing sideways at Whitney, suddenly leaned her head on his shoulder, Tiffany’s face turned bright red and she burst out yelling.
“Haha. Tiffany, fiancés are allowed to do this.”
“T-They are…?”
But contrary to her earlier assertiveness, Tiffany shrank back the moment Whitney spoke with an innocent smile, defending Meredia.
“Still… y-you’re m-my boyfriend…”
“What was that? I couldn’t hear you.”
“N-Nothing…”
The maids, who had been silently watching from the back, all squinted their eyes and began murmuring among themselves.
“He’s a bad guy…”
“I knew something was off. Too normal for a white mage…”
“So he’s finally revealed his true colors…”
Meanwhile, Whitney, who believed he had restored peace with his cleverness, remained completely oblivious to the maids’ evaluation—and smiled brightly.
(To be Continued)
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