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Chapter 49 Part 2

……Is it possible that Russell has feelings for me too?

No, no, that can’t be.

 

「……Alright, yeah, it’s my defeat at this point. I guess Emmy belongs to Russell now.」

 

The way he unconsciously called a girl as someone’s belonging as if she was just an object, is what I think is wrong with Vince. At least Russell treated Emmy with respect as an equal or a mature lady even.

One time, he came to me for advice and asked,『If I help someone in a pinch, does it look like I force them to owe me gratitude?』, I nearly fainted at the sheer difference in the level of consideration he has for her. When I heard that, I got upset instead, so I gave Russell a chop on his head and told him that he was worrying too much.

I wish Vince would learn one thing or two from Russell even just a little.

 

Then there’s Emmy being Emmy too…. good grief.

Boys are probably more attracted to cute girls who are a little clumsy and a bit handful…… since Russell has never helped me out as much as he helped Emmy.

As I thought, being a cute girl like Emmy must’ve been nice.

……And I’m disgusted at myself who has such despicable thoughts towards her beloved childhood friend and best friend because I grew up without having any hint of cuteness like her.

 

To be honest, I don’t think I deserve to call myself her best friend.

That’s why…… If Emmy has gotten the future she wants right now, I want to do everything in my power to protect it.

If it’s Russell, I’m sure everything will be fine.

 

I’ll leave the Princess in your hands, dear oblivious Prince.

 

……While I was dwelling in such thoughts, Katie-san returned from the bath.

She was wearing her nightgown, as usual.

 

「Are you doing this on purpose? Please put your clothes on properly.」

 

「I’m sorry, I always feel stuffy after a hot bath, you see… so I can’t help but wear this.」

 

Muu… I can’t say anything if she put it like that…

Katie sat down on the bed and began to silently dry her wet hair with magic.

…………Huh?

Did she just use her magic to dry her hair silently?

 

「Katie-san, what did do just now?」

 

「Eh? I’m just using Daily Life magic, Dry, without chanting. If it were verbal chanting then, 《Dry》.」

 

I already know that much, there’s no way that I, a Sage, wouldn’t know such basic magic.

But that’s not what I asked, what are you using such an unusual method like 『No chanting』 as a matter of course…

 

…No, that’s not it. To Katie-san, this “chantless” technique isn’t some incomprehensible technique, but 『something that everybody should already know 』.

 

「Oh, could you be talking about the chantless magic? If you concentrate and chant the magic in your head as you focus on pouring your magic power into it, you can do it too!」

 

「…..Thank you for the guidance and encouragement.」

 

「It’s fine it’s fine, it was my fault too for not properly confirming your skills.」

 

……She talks about knowledge that I never knew like it was a matter of fact and it didn’t seem like she intended to keep it to herself. It’s as clear as day she has a high level of knowledge.

She’s on a whole different level compared to me.

I’m not just talking about the quantity of her knowledge, but also the quality of it. She talked about the importance of a Healer and the necessity of a Priest in defeating the Demon Lord. That’s right… it’s as if she even knows about the Demon Lords themselves.

 

In other words… this person’s standard of 『common knowledge』 is far higher than mine.

 

——I can’t help but feel terribly incompetent after realizing this fact.

 

The sky is still crying.

There’s a saying that the weather reflects a person’s feelings, as a person’s heart is influenced by the weather.

But right now, I hope that I can be forgiven for creating the illusion that the weather in my heart is linked with the real world.

Would the Sun Goddess think I was arrogant for thinking that the sky reflects my feelings like it does to her?

 

At this point, I feel like Vince, who’s just as surprised as I am when he heard about the chantless magic, is actually the biggest support for my heart.

It’s surprisingly comforting to have a normal person next to me who is just as surprised as I am. This is the first time I felt like this.

 

「By the way, I was going to tell you about my errand today, wasn’t I?」

 

Right. Let’s leave the chantless magic aside for now and focus on what Katie-san has to say about the errand si ran this morning.

 

「As you can imagine, I feel bad and responsible for the loss of a party member because of me. So, I’m not sure if they’re enough to be a substitute for a Holy Knight, but…」

 

Don’t tell me……

 

「I wish to introduce a friend of mine to Vince-san.」

 

I could hear the sound of a warning horn blowing again in my head. 

 

Katie-san’s friend?

Then why didn’t she party up with that person instead this whole time?

Why does he show up at such an opportune moment to fill the hole left by Russell?

 

Is it a coincidence? Or is this part of her plan?

It couldn’t be… a fate disguised as coincidence, isn’t it?

 

I don’t know…… I don’t know if this question is just me being lost in a cul-de-sac, like a blindfolded idiot who doesn’t even know what am I doing myself.

I feel terribly incompetent… and ridiculous.

Emmy and Russell are no longer here. I feel a bit sorry for Vince, but I don’t think he’s the guy who I can talk to about this matter, let alone helping me to find a solution. Talking to him might be the last resort of the last resort.

Looking down on my current situation… I finally realized that I have no one left that I can lean on.

 

The sky is still raining without any sign of stopping.