Time passed as we talked and Luca and the others were already back.
âIâm tired~! Bennet, get me something to drink please.â
âGood work, Nina-san. You too, Miranda-san. Thereâs still some time left before lunch, please get some rest until then.â
âThanks, Bennet.â
Miranda and Nina, who came up from the terrace, went directly to the kitchen.
Cindy, whoâd been working in the dining room with books spread out before her, ended up helping Bennet with the preparations for lunch.
âIâll go help as well.â Noel, who noticed this immediately, set off toward the kitchen.
Luca came up and sat down next to me, taking her place. Saying, âZaga~n,â in a pitiful voice, he rested his head on my shoulder.
âYou worked hard, Luca.â
âI really did. Mirandaâs and Ninaâs fighting spirits were no joke.â
âThey have a clear goal after all. It might be tough, but do your best to support them as their friend.â
I patted him sympathetically and he wrapped his arms around my waist and put his weight on me. If he kept this up, I was going to fall off the couch onto the rug. I looked at Camilla, who was still there, for help and she cleared her throat.
âEven in the last dungeon, you went off and defeated the enemies by yourself. We were mostly just tagging along behind you. Wasnât it because you had a goal, to win against Orobas?â
It seemed they were in a kind of give-and-take situation.
âAlso, you got very pent up without Zagan there and left the safe zone every night to go hunt monsters.â
âWaiâ Camilla, donât expose me like this.â
âEven if youâre you⌠wasnât that kind of reckless?â
It seemed that while he was warning me not to stay up all night, he was going around and doing something similar.
I narrowed my eyes at him and he started making up excuses in a fluster.
âI slept properly every day. I might have cut my sleeping time a bit short, but I wasnât pulling all-nighters like Zagan. Anyway, if youâd been there, I wouldnât have been pent up in the first place, no?â
I had to agree with him. Even I regretted my decision a bit when I was overcome by the loneliness of not being able to feel Lucaâs warmth. On the other hand, it wasnât fair of him to put the blame on me. No matter what kind of reason he had, Luca was the one who made the decision to fight monsters by himself in the middle of the night.
I glared at him in dissatisfaction and he lowered his eyebrows in apology. Then he gave me a kiss on the cheek.
âSorry, Zagan. Thank you for worrying about me. I wonât do it from now on so wonât you please forgive me?â
ââŚâŚMn, Iâll forgive you,â I said since he apologised.
Luca smiled in relief and hugged me.
âI like you, Zagan. I love you.â
Since Camilla was watching us, I didnât respond verbally, but he could probably feel my emotions through his mana.
Anyway, at least I managed to avoid a situation where I got pushed down in front of my friends. I was relieved.
I squirmed around and Luca loosened his grip so I was able to turn my body around and rest my back against him. immediately he wrapped his arms around my midsection and rested his cheek on my head.
Once Iâd settled into a comfortable position, I called out to Camilla, who was swirling around a potion bottle.
âCamilla, Iâd like to ask you something⌠you guys, what are you planning on getting Noel for her birthday?â
âWhat is this? So you knew about Noelâs birthday? If so⌠No, thereâs no point in confirming with the person herself if youâre confident about it. Hmm, in that case, Iâll back you up.â
I tilted my head, not quite understanding the meaning behind her words, and she just waved her hand as if to say âDonât mind it.â
âAbout Noelâs birthday present, everyoneâs decided to get her something separately. Up until now Nina, Bennet, Miranda, Cindy, and even me â we each got a present from everyone.â
âI see. Have you already decided on something? I donât want to get her the same thing.â
âI plan on giving her a one-of-a-kind cosmetic product made with alchemy. Miranda is going to make her a wood carving of her choice and Nina is in the middle of making a barrette. And then, Bennetâs going to make a birthday cake and Cindy is probably going to give her a book she thinks sheâll like, right? Thatâs how itâs been so far.â
I see. I got some good information.
After lunch, Orobas came to visit with perfect timing. Not only that, but he went straight into the kitchen to make us some post-lunch tea, which we gratefully accepted. Also, I told him I was going on a date with Luca in a little while and he gave me some recommendations on where to go.
About thirty minutes later, Luca and I went back to our bedroom and prepared to head out. I put on a down jacket and a scarf. The scarf was something that Luca had brought with him from the castle.
âCute. It suits you, Zagan.â
Luca wrapped the scarf around my neck, nodded in satisfaction, and kissed me on the cheek. Then he gave me a peck on the mouth as well.
By the way, around Lucaâs neck was the black turban Iâd used for such a long time. It was made from magical beast materials so it didnât deteriorate much, and I used life magic on it every day so it should be clean. Still, it had always been wrapped around my head, so to put it around his neck⌠I guess itâs fine since Lucaâs happy.
Going back to the living room, we found Orobas surrounded by Nina, Camilla, and Cindy. Orobas had handed each of them some books.
Camillaâs were texts about alchemy, Cindy was holding more than ten volumes on who knows what, and Nina had a book called, âHow to be the Perfect Butler.â
We said goodbye to them and Noel, Orobas, and Nina saw us off to the front door.
âHave fun, Nii-sama, Luca.â
âUm, have a safe trip Your Highness, Zagan-dono⌠like that?â
âThereâs no need for that âum.â And it is not âlike that?â it is âis that correct?â Also, while you are in training, you should use polite speech. Understood?â
âStrict from the get-go, Orobas-sensei!â
It was only recently that Nina had discovered the profession of butlering, and she clearly only started wanting to be a butler after meeting Orobas. Despite that, she had already started training to become one in order to stay by Noelâs, a noble ladyâs, side.
â I will never betray you.
Being a butler is bound to be hard. Good luck Nina.
Our date went exactly as I had hoped. We held hands and walked through streets illuminated by sparkling lights. In the middle of our walk, we stopped by a food stand and got ourselves some hot coffee. As we sipped on our drinks, we made our way toward The Magic Tower, a recommended sightseeing spot.
I got excited just from the fantasy-like façade of the tower. It was also a fun attraction though, as inside there were all kinds of devices made with mana and magic tools. What fascinated me most of all was the sight of several, large, moving cogwheels floating in the air. It truly was a masterpiece and, if Luca hadnât been with me, I might have stared at it for hours.
Of course, we climbed to the top of the tower. Luca stuck to me like glue saying that he was freezing and we looked down at the beautiful town below.
After enjoying the magic tower, we walked through the shopping district on our way to the adventurersâ guild and looked inside stores hoping to find a birthday present for Noel.
âHow about something like this? I donât think anyone else is getting her something like this and itâs practical.â
The sign outside claimed that the store held animal-shaped goods, so I went inside and a cat body pillow immediately caught my eye. It was 80 cm long, soft, smooth, fluffy to the touch, and felt quite nice to hug. The design was also something that a girl her age would probably like.
âYup, a Zagan-like present is a good idea. Especially if itâs that black cat â Noel would be so happy.â
If Luca, her childhood friend, said so then it must be right. Iâm glad I could find something right away.
By the way, at a different store, Luca had purchased a stylish lamp for her.
I had said to Luca, âAll of our other friends are getting her something related to their hobbies, so maybe I should get her a magic tool?â
âIf you say it like that, then my hobby is watching Zagan. So, if I choose a present that has something to do with Zaganâs hobby, Noel would probably think that itâs very like me to get a present like that.â
I was convinced after he explained his reasoning. Still, I think it would be best for him to find a different hobby⌠because Iâm embarrassed just listening to him talk about it.