“Support is enough for now. I can walk the rest of the way just fine.”
The moment we stepped out of the inn, I quickly distanced myself from Lindy and spoke.
That’s because, at first, she had innocently supported me by placing my arm over her shoulder, but soon her hand that was holding my forearm began tenderly stroking the back of my hand, and the other hand supporting my waist started inching downwards.
She’s someone who shows her interest quite clearly, and although it might not cause harm, she’s certainly someone I can’t let my guard down around.
“Alas, as much as it’s disappointing… there’s nothing to be done.”
“Then, I suppose you’re heading back now that your errands are done?”
“Ah, you sound disappointed. However, as I said earlier, I plan to enjoy the festival as well. I don’t think I’ll return until after tomorrow’s closing ceremony, and likely not until the day after.”
She really was just here for enjoyment. Thinking back, she was wandering around the streets with skewers in both hands before she accidentally ran into me.
“If you ever need anything, feel free to stop by the general store. If it’s inconvenient to come by, you could always send a message through the Adventurer’s Guild. We can even arrange a special service, an exclusive offer for our business partner.”
I contemplated suggesting she acquire a proper set of communication spells, but then remembered two things: revealing this elf’s true identity to my friends could be problematic, and Lindy might misuse it in some unexpected ways. Considering that, I swallowed my words.
“Thanks, anyway. Enjoy the rest of the festival.”
I gave a small wave as she waved at me, then headed straight to the café where my friends awaited.
Since it wasn’t far, I arrived in under five minutes. However, just before entering, I paused briefly.
I glanced at my reflection in the café’s glass door, subtly adjusting my expression to ensure there wasn’t any awkwardness. Though my headache hadn’t fully disappeared, it was tolerable enough not to show on my face.
Keeping a smile, I pushed the door open, accompanied by the soft jingle of bells.
“Ah, El! Over here, over here!”
Apparently alerted by the sound of the bells, the friends spotted me before I could find them.
Anne was seated at a table within the café, vigorously waving at me. It was so typical of her not to notice how her enthusiasm drew glances from those around her.
“Sorry for being late. Did you guys wait long?”
“No, not at all. It’s only been, hmm… 21 minutes, 32, 33, 34 seconds since El left his seat.”
“Ah… You don’t mean you timed that, do you? Sorry.”
“Haha, I’m just kidding. How could anyone time it so accurately?”
Oh dear. Selian’s expression was so serious for a moment, I almost believed her. Looks like she’s quite the actress, just like me.
“So, did things go well?”
As she asked, Yuli slid a piece of cake toward me, untouched, as though she had ordered it beforehand knowing I would come.
“Yeah, thanks to you.”
With a new fork in hand, I took a bite of the cake and answered Yuli.
“Hey, I’ve never seen an elf before! You must have met one earlier, right?”
Anne’s eyes sparkled with excitement as she recalled the elf she met earlier—Lindy.
Of all the elves, it had to be Lindy. Knowing Lindy’s true nature, I had so much to say, but decided against ruining Anne’s innocent impressions of elves.
“Have either of you, Selian or Yuli, seen an elf before?”
“Maybe. I’ve heard that elves have visited our territory to meet my father, but I’ve never seen one myself. What about Selian?”
“I haven’t seen many, but I’ve seen a few.”
As expected from the champion candidate, Selian had clearly seen more and dismissed any novelty about it.
“Is that so? Do elves usually have a specific… temperament or something?”
In an effort to cleanse the tainted image Lindy had left on the perception of elves, I asked Selian to describe them.
“Hmm… Well, since all elves gather under the World Tree, despite individual differences, their basic values are mostly similar. Though they’re idealized in textbooks, I think the depictions match reality fairly closely. Surely El knows this after meeting the elf earlier?”
“Yeah… I guess.”
So, Lindy must be an unusual elf.
An omnivorous, flirtatious, capable lesbo elf who runs a general store in the underworld—putting it all together like this makes it even more absurd. Except for the meat-eating part, Lindy herself might be considered a one-of-a-kind existence rather than an unusual elf.
Thinking of Lindy, I was reminded of the information she had given me.
I stopped eating the cake Yuli offered and turned to face each of my friends: Selian, Yuli, Anne.
So… Selian, Yuli, and Anne aren’t just my same-age friends; they’re actually two years older?
Considering that, it made me feel a little embarrassed knowing I’m surrounded by attractive older sisters. Come to think of it, the memories Yuli often mentioned involving ‘Alicia’ and ‘Zeno’ were in fact my own.
When the time comes, I should ask Yuli to share these memories with me.
While this makes sense for Selian and Yuli, Anne… well, it’s still a bit unbelievable.
“Hm? Is there something?”
Anne, who had been drinking her chocolate shake through a straw, noticed my gaze and looked up, straw still in her mouth.
“No, it’s nothing. I just like seeing Anne enjoy her food.”
Of course, I couldn’t tell her that I was actually admiring how young and cute she looks, not her small… assets.
But Anne seemed to take my words seriously and pushed the shake toward me after letting go of the straw.
“Well, I can give you a taste…”
I knew how much Anne loved chocolate, so I fully understood how big a decision it was for her to share even a sip.
Recalling how earlier I had inadvertently made Mariel run off by declining her kindness, I decided not to reject Anne’s offer.
“Thanks, let me try a little?”
I tilted slightly forward in my seat and took the proffered straw in my mouth, drawing a tiny sip. It was enough to taste.
Seeing that the amount hadn’t visibly changed, Anne’s face lit up with happiness.
“Anyway, shouldn’t we start preparing for the finals soon? Your confident demeanor is reassuring, but still, don’t get complacent.”
“Hmph! El still doesn’t fully trust me! You’ll see. I’ll definitely win.”
“That would be great. It’s always nice to give awards to someone you know rather than a stranger.”
“Rest assured, there’s no need to worry. From what I know, the opponent in the finals is similar in style to Anne.”
That being the case, I don’t have too much to worry about. I’m confident that within this academy, there is no one stronger than Anne in her fighting style.
“I guess I should speak with Saint Mariel beforehand then.”
“Huh? About what?”
“I mentioned a friend participating in the tournament before. Mariel said if I win, she would give special blessings.”
“Blessings… you mean the kind she gave at the opening ceremony?”
“Something like that.”
Recalling the opening ceremony, Mariel blessed me with a kiss on the forehead while I kissed her hand in return.
So Mariel would kiss the winner on the forehead like she did with me? The thought of someone else receiving Mariel’s blessing made me feel strangely uneasy. There’s another reason to cheer Anne on.
“Wait, wasn’t El supposed to present the award alongside Saint Mariel?”
“Yeah, we practiced pretty intensely for it.”
“I’ll absolutely win!”
“Good, good. I’ll look forward to it.”
Whereas earlier she was cocky, now she radiated determination, which was truly admirable.
“Hmph… Didn’t see that coming. If I’d known this, I would’ve participated.”
“Yeah, same here. If only we had Linne’s help, we could’ve managed somehow…”
Even though they were unfazed about not competing earlier, now they regretfully expressed their disappointment that they couldn’t now take part after learning about the Saint’s special blessing. It’s too bad, but the opportunity has passed.
