Part Two, Section One: “Saints And Devils”
Chapter Fifty-four
“Say, Miss Philia. Are you getting along well with Miss Elsa? I heard she brought a devil along. If that bothers you, I can arrange a separate lodging for her.”
Prince Oswald, while engaged in farm work, brought up the fact that Elsa had become a part of my guards and was living in my estate.
He was talking about Mammon, right? I was confident that with Elsa holding his reins, things would be fine.
“Well, Ms. Elsa is acting under the command of Clamu Pope, so forcing the issue may cause a backlash. I should be fine. Mr. Philip and everybody else are also protecting me.”
While taking notes on how the new fertilizer turned out, I tried to reassure the prince.
The Saint Summit was set to begin in a week, so from now on, saints and their escorts from all over the continent would start arriving.
Hence, there was concern that Asmodeus might cause something, so Prince Oswald was likely even more worried about my safety. We must be extra vigilant.
“Philip, huh? That guy seemed down. He said he messed up against Mammon, while you single-handedly subdued the devil. It’s a blow to his pride, you see.”
Indeed, Philip had looked down since that day. I, too, wanted to cheer him up, but being awkward with words, I was not sure how to approach him.
“But you also aren’t good with words, right? You probably can’t say something tactful to him.”
“Yes, actually, I’m in a bit of trouble. Since coming to this country, I’ve become involved with more people, and while I want to express my gratitude, it’s a challenge.”
“Haha, I didn’t expect such a deadpan response to my attempt at a joke. Miss Philia, you’ve become much better at talking than before. Take your time, don’t rush it, and keep putting your true feelings into words.”
It was a joke? What part was the joke…? Expressing honest feelings in words… it’s challenging, isn’t it?
Honest feelings… yes.
“Your Highness Oswald, thank you. I’m happy you care about me. I always look forward to your visits.”
“…Whoa! What? Suddenly saying that… You surprised me!”
“I tried expressing my honest feelings. Was that not okay?”
When I put my feelings into words, the prince looked surprised and ended up dropping the vegetables in his hands.
A failure… right? Straightforward communication is obviously difficult.
“N-no, it’s not bad at all. In fact, I’m happy to hear such words from you, Miss Philia. I’m grateful to you too, and… just working on the field like this is enjoyable.”
“Is that your honest feelings, Your Highness?”
“…Yeah, that’s right. I’m strangely getting embarrassed. How about we have lunch soon? I’ll take some vegetables to Leonardo and have him cook something.”
Prince Oswald scratched his head with a somewhat awkward expression.
I look forward to it since Mr. Leonardo’s cooking is superb.
◆ ◆ ◆
“Sister Philia! Long time no see… well, not exactly, but how have you been?”
“Judging by your appearance, it looks like you’re keeping up with your daily training, Philia.”
After having lunch and sipping the tea Lina brewed for me, my sister Mia and Hildegarde, who is not only my aunt but also my mentor, came to visit me from Girtonia.
Hildegarde had taken responsibility for Mia’s upbringing and became her foster mother. Mia, in her letters, often vented about the demanding daily training.
“Great Saint, who are these ladies?”
“Ooh, more beauties arriving, huh? High magic power too, quite alluring…”
“Sis, who are these people? They give off a bit of an unusual vibe.”
“One of them is not human, it seems. His flow of magic is similar to that of demons…”
Sensing the presence of Mia and Hildegarde, Elsa and Mammon, who were my guards, came over.
What should I do? I’m not good at introducing unfamiliar people to each other…
“Um, Ms. Elsa, these are my younger sister Mia and my aunt Hildegarde. Both of them are saints and have come here for the Summit.”
“Sister? Ah, from the kingdom of Girtonia…”
“Mia, Aunt Hilda… these are Exorcist Elsa and her follower Mammon. They have been assigned to protect me by the decree of the Pope.”
“Exorcist…? So, does that mean her follower is a devil?”
“Oh, impressive, ma’am. You’re quite sharp. How about a meal with me sometime—guh!”
““…””I tried my best to introduce them to each other, but Elsa severed Mammon’s head with her crimson falchion as usual… freezing the atmosphere.
During the week leading up to the Saint Summit, there was a continuous increase in visitors to my residence, starting with these two.
If I knew this would happen, I should have trained in more refined ways of greeting.
When I mentioned this to Prince Oswald, he laughed and said, ‘You might be too serious, but that’s one of your virtues,’ and nodded to himself… then he patted me on the shoulder.
For some reason lately… there have been more days when I feel warmth in my cheast.
Hildegard is Mia's foster mother, not stepmother.
ReplyDeleteOh, thank you for finding the error. It's such an obvious error, T_T.
Delete