/
Time passed as we talked and Luca and the others were already back.
“I’m tired~! Bennet, get me something to drink please.”
“Good work, Nina-san. You too, Miranda-san. There’s still some time left before lunch, please get some rest until then.”
“Thanks, Bennet.”
Miranda and Nina, who came up from the terrace, went directly to the kitchen.
Cindy, who’d been working in the dining room with books spread out before her, ended up helping Bennet with the preparations for lunch.
“I’ll go help as well.” Noel, who noticed this immediately, set off toward the kitchen.
Luca came up and sat down next to me, taking her place. Saying, “Zaga~n,” in a pitiful voice, he rested his head on my shoulder.
“You worked hard, Luca.”
“I really did. Miranda’s and Nina’s fighting spirits were no joke.”
“They have a clear goal after all. It might be tough, but do your best to support them as their friend.”
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.
“Even in the last dungeon, you went off and defeated the enemies by yourself. We were mostly just tagging along behind you. Wasn’t it because you had a goal, to win against Orobas?”
It seemed they were in a kind of give-and-take situation.
“Also, you got very pent up without Zagan there and left the safe zone every night to go hunt monsters.”
“Wai– Camilla, don’t expose me like this.”
“Even if you’re you… wasn’t that kind of reckless?”
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.
“I slept properly every day. I might have cut my sleeping time a bit short, but I wasn’t pulling all-nighters like Zagan. Anyway, if you’d been there, I wouldn’t have been pent up in the first place, no?”
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 Luca’s warmth. On the other hand, it wasn’t 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.
“Sorry, Zagan. Thank you for worrying about me. I won’t do it from now on so won’t you please forgive me?”
“……Mn, I’ll forgive you,” I said since he apologised.
Luca smiled in relief and hugged me.
“I like you, Zagan. I love you.”
Since Camilla was watching us, I didn’t 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 I’d settled into a comfortable position, I called out to Camilla, who was swirling around a potion bottle.
“Camilla, I’d like to ask you something… you guys, what are you planning on getting Noel for her birthday?”
“What is this? So you knew about Noel’s birthday? If so… No, there’s no point in confirming with the person herself if you’re confident about it. Hmm, in that case, I’ll back you up.”
I tilted my head, not quite understanding the meaning behind her words, and she just waved her hand as if to say “Don’t mind it.”
“About Noel’s birthday present, everyone’s decided to get her something separately. Up until now Nina, Bennet, Miranda, Cindy, and even me – we each got a present from everyone.”
“I see. Have you already decided on something? I don’t want to get her the same thing.”
“I 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, Bennet’s going to make a birthday cake and Cindy is probably going to give her a book she thinks she’ll like, right? That’s how it’s been so far.”
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.
“Cute. It suits you, Zagan.”
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 Luca’s neck was the black turban I’d used for such a long time. It was made from magical beast materials so it didn’t 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 it’s fine since Luca’s happy.
Going back to the living room, we found Orobas surrounded by Nina, Camilla, and Cindy. Orobas had handed each of them some books.
Camilla’s were texts about alchemy, Cindy was holding more than ten volumes on who knows what, and Nina had a book called, “How to be the Perfect Butler.”
We said goodbye to them and Noel, Orobas, and Nina saw us off to the front door.
“Have fun, Nii-sama, Luca.”
“Um, have a safe trip Your Highness, Zagan-dono… like that?”
“There’s no need for that ‘um.’ And it is not ‘like that?’ it is ‘is that correct?’ Also, while you are in training, you should use polite speech. Understood?”
“Strict from the get-go, Orobas-sensei!”
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 Noel’s, a noble lady’s, side.
– 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 hadn’t 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 adventurers’ guild and looked inside stores hoping to find a birthday present for Noel.
“How about something like this? I don’t think anyone else is getting her something like this and it’s practical.”
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.
“Yup, a Zagan-like present is a good idea. Especially if it’s that black cat – Noel would be so happy.”
If Luca, her childhood friend, said so then it must be right. I’m 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, “All of our other friends are getting her something related to their hobbies, so maybe I should get her a magic tool?”
“If you say it like that, then my hobby is watching Zagan. So, if I choose a present that has something to do with Zagan’s hobby, Noel would probably think that it’s very like me to get a present like that.”
I was convinced after he explained his reasoning. Still, I think it would be best for him to find a different hobby… because I’m embarrassed just listening to him talk about it.