Chapter 24
“Uh..?”
I stared down at the pancake thrust in front of my eyes with a startled expression.
At some point, Lumia had speared a piece of cake with her fork and was holding it out to me.
“Oh my, aren’t you going to eat? She went to all the trouble of holding it out for you.”
I stared blankly down at Lumia as she held the fork toward my face.
Is this really okay..?
Come to think of it, the fork she was holding out to me had been in Lumia’s mouth just moments ago. If I put the fork she was offering into my mouth, wouldn’t that basically mean putting the fork that had been in Lumia’s mouth into mine as well..?
Am I.. overreacting too much..?
I hesitated and watched Lumia’s reaction.
Lumia merely tilted her head in confusion, as if she hadn’t even realized it was the fork she’d been eating with. No, there was no way Lumia could fail to notice, so perhaps she simply didn’t care.
“Uh..”
Of course, I wanted to put the fork Lumia was holding out into my mouth right away, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it because I thought she might feel uncomfortable if she noticed only later. Even as I watched Lumia’s arm begin to tremble slightly, I still couldn’t decide.
“Good grief, you’re hopeless.”
“?!”
C-Cecilia?!
Cecilia, who had approached us before I knew it, grabbed my head and pushed it toward the fork.
If I didn’t open my mouth, I would be stabbed by the fork, so I instinctively opened it, and she shoved the fork straight into my mouth.
“Mmph..”
It’s sweet.
“Now it’s your turn.”
Cecilia said with a mischievous smile.
Does a culture like this really exist..?
Of course, I was happy that this meant Lumia and I could feed each other, but she didn’t have to help by fabricating even her own country’s customs.. Wouldn’t the Holy Kingdom become a holy kingdom in an entirely different sense if this continued?
“Come on, hurry.”
“...”
...
Right.
Regardless, it was obvious that this was an opportunity Cecilia had given me.
If this opportunity hadn’t presented itself, neither Lumia nor I could have fed each other.. In a sense, I had to use the opportunity I’d been given to win as much of Lumia’s affection as possible.
I cut off a piece of pie, speared it with my fork, and carefully held it out to Lumia.
Then I suddenly realized my mistake.
It was the fork I’d put in my mouth earlier.. If she cared about that sort of thing, she might scold me for feeding her with this fork. I cursed myself for forgetting and started pulling it back so I could spear the piece with Lumia’s fork instead.
If only she had been anyone but Lumia.
“L-Lumia?!”
Perhaps she thought I was playing a prank, because Lumia kept chasing the fork with her body until she finally put my fork into her mouth.
Why is she trying this hard to eat it..
“..!”
Because she had doggedly chased after the fork, Lumia was somehow lying across my lap. The softness of her skin and the pleasant scent of her hair kept making improper thoughts spring to mind.
...
Damn it.
I realized I was screwed.
“...”
As if she sensed something, Lumia lowered her head.
I could have sworn I’d gotten it all out last time..
Of course, I hadn’t been able to fully take care of it because of where we were, but I still thought it would be fine since I’d managed to get it out once. I never imagined that simply having Lumia lie on my lap would make this happen.
Even if she branded me a pervert and cursed me out right then, I wouldn’t have had a word to say for myself.
I closed my eyes, anticipating the pain that was about to come.
However,
“Huh..?”
Lumia did nothing.
She merely returned to where she had been sitting with an intensely embarrassed expression and lowered her head.
“Oh-ho..”
Cecilia, who was sitting beside us, gave a subtle smile.
I’m going to lose it, damn it..
.
.
.
The outing had been enjoyable.
Cecilia, too, seemed to have enjoyed herself today; smiles bloomed across her face.
Perhaps because of what happened at the restaurant earlier, Lumia and I didn’t grow any closer after that and simply walked side by side.
Is she angry?
She would have every right to be.
From Lumia’s perspective, she had probably only been trying out the local custom of feeding each other, following Cecilia’s suggestion that they experience the culture. She had probably done it thinking she could naturally eat my pie as well.
The fact that she’d looked so happy while eating the pie made that almost certain.
I looked back at Lumia.
I couldn’t tell what Lumia was thinking.
What did Lumia think of me? Last time, she’d said she recognized me as a party member. I thought that meant we’d become close enough, and even though something like this had happened today, Lumia hadn’t said a word.
Normally, even if two people were in the same party, it would hardly be strange for members of opposite sexes to despise one another. But Lumia hadn’t done that. I couldn’t help worrying that perhaps she was angry but was holding it back simply because I was the Hero.
“Hmm.. I suppose we should be parting ways soon..”
Cecilia said as soon as we arrived in front of the Grand Cathedral.
“I suppose so..”
Just as she said, the sun was already setting, and it would be dangerous if we didn’t head back soon.
In fact, there was a good chance that the people inside the cathedral had already realized Cecilia was missing and were searching for her in secret.
“Thank you so much for today. If it weren’t for you two, I’d have had to leave on the journey without properly enjoying the festival.”
I nodded at Cecilia’s words, spoken with a smile.
Of course, it was still difficult to say she’d truly enjoyed herself, but as the Saintess, she normally wouldn’t even have been able to walk around a city preparing for the festival. From her perspective, that alone was probably enough to make her happy, even if it wasn’t the day of the festival itself.
After all, she had only wanted to see the people preparing for the festival; she hadn’t wanted to enjoy the festival itself.
“Now I have to go back.. Tomorrow, I’ll welcome you as the Saintess.”
“There is no need for that.”
..!
That voice?!
“?!”
“G-Grandpa?!”
P-Pope..?
He should have been in his office, not here. What was he doing here?
As I stared at the Pope in shock, he startled and looked around, then made a shushing gesture and asked us to lower our voices, explaining that he had snuck out as well. Cecilia and I promptly shut our mouths.
“I’m sorry. It’s difficult to talk outside in a place like this.”
Grandpa said that with an awkward smile.
The fact that he was here meant he’d found out about our outing too.
“So.. you knew..”
“You don’t need to tell me. I know you snuck out to visit a town preparing for the festival.”
“Mmph..”
“Wouldn’t it be strange if I failed to notice, when you sneak out so often? Hehe..”
“You knew all along..”
Cecilia lowered her head with a stunned expression.
She was probably going to get scolded.
I was worried because things were unfolding rather differently from the past I knew, but judging by the atmosphere, he didn’t seem likely to scold her. The Pope in my memories had been an exceptionally kind man who radiated a warm, comforting presence.
Sure enough, Grandpa merely smiled.
“You have nothing to blame yourself for. I didn’t come out here to scold you.”
“Huh..?”
“Seeing you today.. made me wonder whether I’d kept you cooped up too much..”
“...”
Cecilia wore a sad expression at the Pope’s words.
It probably hadn’t been intentional, but being the Saintess wasn’t child’s play; she was one of the faces of the nation and had to be the first to step forward whenever something happened. Naturally, that meant going out for fun or anything like that was extremely difficult.
As the Saintess, she would attract people’s attention merely by stepping into the streets.
“I’m sorry..”
“Now, now, didn’t I say you have nothing to be sorry for? I didn’t come out here to scold you.”
“Huh..?”
Then what..
“Here. Take this with you.”
The Pope said that as he handed Cecilia the bag he’d been holding since earlier.
“It’s an extradimensional bag. It contains everything you’ll need for the adventure.”
“This is.. Grandpa?”
“Go on ahead.”
As he said that, he reached up and stroked Cecilia’s head.
“Just don’t die. Be sure to defeat the Demon King and come back.”
“Grandpa..”
“I’ll take care of things tomorrow.”
The Pope—or should I call him Grandpa?
How could I call him Pope so stiffly after seeing something like that?
“You must.. come back alive..”
“Yes.. Grandpa..!”
I smiled as I watched Cecilia and the Pope cry while embracing each other, seemingly having forgotten even that we were there.