Chapter 87
Yuna, Yustia, Hera, Franz, Arian.
The five of them sat around the table.
It was quite a bizarre combination; though they had met individually, this was the first time they had all gathered together.
'Is it still okay…?'
Franz sipped his tea and gauged the mood out of the corner of his eye.
Everyone maintained their silence, merely sipping their tea.
However, a strange war of nerves was playing out among them, so he couldn’t just relax.
It might have been a little more comfortable if they were openly bickering instead.
How much time had passed like that?
“Franz, how was the party? Was it fun?”
Perhaps unable to endure the heavy atmosphere any longer, Yuna suddenly asked.
“It was fun…?”
Franz answered a question with a question.
He had been quite pestered by other people, so he couldn’t exactly say it was fun, but he had still enjoyed it in his own way, so he couldn’t say it wasn’t.
It was ambiguous to give a definitive answer.
“I see. Should we throw a party next time too?”
“Well, sure. But do you have anyone to invite?”
“R-right…? I don’t really know many people…”
“Well, it doesn’t necessarily have to be a lot of people. It’s nice to just gather modestly.”
It would be a modest gathering with only close friends, like the birthday parties he used to have with friends when he was young.
Then there would be no need to meet a lot of people, which was highly welcomed by Franz, who found large crowds uncomfortable.
“Ah, right. Come to think of it, there was something I wanted to ask you.”
Yuna clapped her hands as if she had remembered something she had forgotten.
“What is it?”
“I’m going to be staying at your mansion, right? Maybe I can make a pond…? I want to catch fish from the river and raise them.”
A pond…
It was an idea typical of Yuna, who had grown up in the countryside.
“Do whatever you want.”
Franz readily gave his permission.
It didn’t matter if a single pond was added to that vast piece of land.
He was a little worried that Yuna might create an ecological wetland park instead of a pond, but he figured she would moderate herself well enough.
It seemed the conversation was about to wrap up like that, but,
“Wait a minute. This is the first I’m hearing of this…?”
Arian spoke with a rather serious expression.
As if she had heard something she wasn’t supposed to hear.
“First you’re hearing of what?”
“That the Hero will be staying at the Magic Tower Lord’s house.”
Did I not mention it…?
Franz traced back his memories, but he certainly hadn’t brought it up to her separately.
However, there was no reason to specifically mention it either.
It would be ridiculous to go around blabbing everywhere about letting a friend stay at his own house.
But there was one thing Franz had overlooked, and that was his promise with Arian.
“We agreed to get married in a year, didn’t we?”
Saying so, Arian observed the reactions of Yuna, Yustia, and Hera.
It was obvious they had feelings for Franz.
She was incredibly curious about what kind of expressions they would make.
It was the composure of the one who had mustered the courage to confess first.
Of course, that too was only a half-measure of courage, but she was, in fact, the furthest ahead among the four of them.
At Arian’s boast of 'I am the future official wife' -, the other three naturally put on blank expressions.
Because it was such an abrupt and shocking statement.
Thinking she had finally dealt a blow to these scheming wenches, Arian smirked, laughing without realizing it.
“Wait, Franz. What is this about? This is the first I’m hearing of this.”
The first to speak up was Yustia.
She furrowed her brow deeply and asked as if interrogating him.
“She said we should do it if neither of us has anyone to marry in a year…?”
“And you accepted that?”
“Well, I plan on getting married too, and I don’t have a suitable partner either…”
Franz was merely puzzled even as he answered.
After all, he was being interrogated despite having done nothing wrong.
“How can you take marriage so lightly…!”
Yustia almost raised her voice, but she belatedly came to her senses and stopped speaking.
'Why am I even getting angry in the first place…?'
There was no reason for her to care whether Franz got married or not.
Right, that should definitely be the case, but she felt strangely displeased.
As if she actually liked him.
In the end, after some thought, Yustia spoke in a much softer voice.
“Anyway, think carefully.”
“Huh? Saintess, aren’t you being too harsh? The Magic Tower Lord made his decision after thinking it over too. And I don’t think it’s something for the Saintess to interfere with so much.”
“I didn’t say much, did I? I just told him to think a little more carefully since marriage is irreversible. And isn’t it weird in the first place to have a condition about not having a partner in a year?”
Arian’s words hit Yustia’s sore spot, and Yustia’s words hit Arian’s sore spot.
Having exchanged a blow each, the two glared at each other, pondering what to say next.
It was then.
“But that’s void if a marriage partner appears within a year, right.”
Yuna accurately pointed out the loophole in the promise.
It was a much sharper move than when she subjugated the Demon Lord.
“That’s… well, technically true, I guess…?”
Franz also agreed with Yuna’s words.
Because honestly, it was a truth with no room for refutation.
“Magic Tower Lord?!”
“Oho, I see.”
Arian spoke in a fluster with her eyes wide open, while Yustia nodded with narrowed eyes.
Somehow, it looked as if the Hero’s Party had united to bully Arian.
“Hera, why don’t you say something too?”
Perhaps thinking this was her chance, Yustia spoke to Hera, who was quietly sipping her tea.
At that, Hera offered a benevolent smile.
“I am fine… A slave merely does as her master commands. It doesn’t really matter to me who Franz marries.”
“Are you really okay with that? If you’re going to serve him anyway, isn’t it better to be a wife than a slave?”
“That’s…”
Hera trailed off and gauged Franz’s reaction.
Because it sounded plausible now that she heard it.
'How on earth did it end up like this…?'
Franz was simply bewildered by this situation.
He couldn’t understand at all why talk of slaves and wives was suddenly coming up.
But even so, he couldn’t just leave this situation be.
Because it was happening over none other than himself.
“Should we stop here for now and have a meal?”
Franz declared a temporary truce.
Everyone seemed overly excited, so they needed time to cool their heads.
If they ate something delicious, they might feel better and stop fighting.
Fortunately, everyone accepted Franz’s suggestion.
No, in the first place, there was no one who would refuse Franz’s suggestion.
Because there was no reason to needlessly get on his bad side.
Even this was an extension of their war of nerves.
It was the moment the conversation was about to wrap up.
Yuna spoke.
“Franz, you said the food I made before was delicious, right?”
“Yeah, it was delicious. But why?”
“I was thinking of making it again if I could just borrow the kitchen. I wanted to feed the others too, and everyone happens to be gathered right now.”
Yuna’s food was definitely delicious.
It felt like eating a really delicious home-cooked meal.
But was there a reason she had to make it right now?
Since they came to the North, it would be better to just enjoy the North’s food comfortably.
Especially since it would be made by the Duke’s chef, no less.
He should probably tell her to cook next time.
It was the moment Franz, having finished his thought, was about to speak.
“Magic Tower Lord, you ate food made by the Hero?”
Arian said, thrusting her face close to Franz.
The deep crease between her brows showed her feelings.
It seemed she had another complaint.
“Well, it just happened that way.”
“Is that so. I suppose I can’t just sit still then.”
What on earth was she trying to do now?
Recalling the day she was completely drenched in water, Franz felt needlessly anxious.
And as expected, his ominous premonition did not miss the mark.
Arian whipped her head around, glaring at Yuna as she spoke.
“Yes, I’ll gladly lend you the kitchen. But I will cook as well. Opportunities should be fair, shouldn’t they? And not just you, but the others should all compete with me too. I’ll have to use this opportunity to determine who is the most excellent bride.”
Good heavens, a cooking showdown.
…There was simply nothing to rejoice about in this situation.
'Well, they’ll figure it out…'
Franz was now in a state of simply giving up.
Since it seemed like nothing he said would get through to them anyway, he decided to just leave them be.
“Magic Tower Lord, please wait here. We will go and cook.”
Arian took the other three, excluding Franz, and went outside.
Left alone in the room, Franz blankly watched their retreating backs before turning his head toward the window.
The snow-covered mountain was beautiful whenever he looked at it.
The mountain at the end of the peaks especially was magnificent even when looking at it again.
Slurp-.
Seeing as the tea was delicious even though it had gone completely cold, it seemed to be of quite high quality.
'I’m hungry.'
I wonder when they’ll be done.