Chapter 178
The last day of vacation.
Seere, having woken up early in the morning, headed towards the next room with a bright smile. She approached Nahun, who was still sleeping soundly, and carefully leaned her head against the headboard of the bed, looking at his face.
“…Hehe, he’s handsome.”
Although Nahun was in a defenseless state, Seere didn’t cross any boundaries, as everything was now legal. There was no need to rush.
While enjoying the sight of Nahun’s sleep peacefully without disturbing him, a small white whale appeared beside Seere.
“Puu.”
“Did you sleep well too?”
Leviathan gave a slight nod up and down as if saying yes. Then, pointing with its tail at Nahun’s lips, it tilted its head as if asking why nothing was being done.
Seere’s face flushed slightly at the blatant display, and she chuckled awkwardly.
“Haha…, the Teacher said they don’t want to force it. So I’ll wait.”
“Puuuu.”
Then, Leviathan slowly approached Nahun and….
“Hmm? Wait a moment….”
Slap!
It hit Nahun’s face with its tail. Even if Seere quietly entered, Nahun wasn’t so deep in sleep that he couldn’t wake up after being slapped in the face.
“What are you doing…….”
“Puu!”
Leviathan, which had awakened Nahun, immediately ran away. Fearing a scolding, the massu hid itself. Seere chuckled at the sight and silently appreciated Leviathan’s actions.
As Nahun frowned and got up, Seere gazed at him intently. Nahun, realizing Seere’s presence a moment later, was taken aback.
“Se-Seere? Why are you here?”
“I woke up early. I was waiting for you.”
“Why didn’t you wake me…? You did this last time too, why do you keep watching me sleep?”
“I like seeing the Teacher while they sleep.”
As Seere smiled and spoke, Nahun lightly closed his mouth before clearing his throat. He seemed a bit embarrassed.
“Um, could you… step out for a moment? I just need to change clothes….”
“But there’s something I want to do first.”
“Hmm?”
Seere got up from her spot and climbed onto Nahun’s bed. Nahun, momentarily flustered, leaned back, and Seere chuckled.
“It’s not like that. I just….”
Seere slightly leaned in. Maintaining an appropriate distance so as not to startle Nahun too much.
“I want to try a morning kiss.”
“…….”
Nahun blinked in surprise for a moment, then exhaled gently and returned to his original position.
“Being clingy first thing in the morning.”
“Hehe.”
Nahun gently caressed Seere’s cheek. At the same time, he wrapped his other arm around her waist and leaned his head slightly forward.
A soft kiss briefly touched their lips before separating. The two blushed as they gazed into each other’s eyes, and perhaps feeling it wasn’t enough, Seere pressed her lips back against his.
This kiss lingered a bit longer. Since Seere held onto Nahun’s neck, it couldn’t be helped. When Seere began to feel slightly breathless, she released her arms and lifted her head.
“Phew…, you’re going to eat breakfast, right?”
“……Yeah.”
“I’ll prepare it.”
With a satisfied expression, Seere stood up and headed to the kitchen, while Nahun sat there for a moment in a daze. Then he covered his lips with the back of his hand.
“…I’m going to get used to this.”
Seere seemed in good spirits, humming a tune while cooking. The sound reached through the slightly open door.
Nahun snickered and chuckled lightly. After casually tidying his appearance and changing clothes, he stepped outside.
“When did you say you would leave today?”
“I said I’d leave by noon. It’s fine if we leave earlier.”
“Let’s eat breakfast and then depart.”
“Yes, let’s do that.”
Seere prepared a simple breakfast of French toast. Quickly made bacon and eggs, and a simple cabbage salad were ready.
“Eat up!”
“I will.”
Nahun stuffed bacon and cabbage salad between slices of toasted bread and ate. Seeing how Nahun was eating, Seere followed suit.
“Seere.”
“Yes?”
“Um… let’s go back a bit more normally.”
“Why?”
Nahun hesitated for a moment. Then he glanced at Seere and spoke.
“I’m a bit unsure. I don’t have the confidence to handle that situation….”
“Is that code for saying you’re embarrassed?”
Nahun made a face that seemed caught off guard. Seere found his reaction cute, smiling and nodding her head cheerfully.
“Okay. Since it’s the Teacher’s request, I’ll do it that way.”
“…Thank you.”
Feeling a bit shy about the fact that he made that request out of embarrassment, Nahun lowered his head while finishing the rest of his meal. Seere smiled at Nahun’s innocent reaction, feeling very pleased.
#
After hearing Seere’s story, Rea and Cecili’s eyes sparkled.
“Our Majesty has finally found light!… So that’s why you kept a bit of distance when you came in.”
“I told you, Nahun is weak to gentle teasing. He’s shy, you know?”
Rea and Cecili were delighted as if it were their own matter. Both of their faces wore bright smiles for the first time in a while. As two people who had always wished for Seere’s happiness, they appeared even more joyous than at their own affairs.
Seere felt unexpectedly embarrassed by their reactions and awkwardly smiled back.
“Don’t you both like it a bit too much? You’re making such a fuss.”
“How long our Majesty has waited! How can we not make a fuss?”
“That’s right. Our Majesty was also worried that you would wait too long like Cecili.”
Seere blinked slightly. Who had Cecili loved? It was a question she had been curious about for a while. Yet she hadn’t asked before because it seemed like there was no one next to Cecili now.
Seere recognized it was a sensitive topic. However, as the conversation kept turning in this direction, she thought it might be necessary to delve into it for better understanding and decided to ask.
“You’ve mentioned that Cecili waited a long time. What do you mean by that?”
“Oh, our Majesty doesn’t remember? Well, you were very young back then, after all…”
Rea glanced at Cecili. Then, as if signaling that it was okay to speak, Cecili slightly wagged her tail.
“Altair. Do you remember, Majesty?”
“Altair!?”
An unexpectedly surprising name popped up. There was no way Seere could have forgotten that name.
“You dated Altair?”
“Yes. Surprising, isn’t it?”
“Um… yes, it’s not that Cecili is lacking but….”
“I understand that it’s surprising that Altair would date someone. I was shocked too when I first heard the news from Cecili.”
Altair.
He was once the first of Seir’s four swords and was also known as the “Divine Sword”… an extraordinary being who had repelled top-tier demon kings in the body of a demon.
Moreover, he was a genius swordsman that Seere had looked up to and aimed to emulate while honing her swordsmanship.
Seere now understood why Cecili always said, “He’s too dull,” or “It was hard to tempt him because he was such a dork.”
Altair was a remarkable swordsman worthy of being called a divine sword, and naturally, his strength was impeccable.
But he had a personality that was somewhat difficult to approach; he spoke little and showed little emotion, making it hard to discern what he was thinking. Furthermore, he had no close acquaintances and was incredibly cold…
Seere realized that she didn’t recall much about Altair’s everyday demeanor, except for his skill with a sword.
“That Altair dated a woman….”
“Do you have any idea how hard that was for me?”
“Cecili suddenly seems admirable. But why do I feel like I’ve never seen that side of him?”
“Because he was shy, he only did those things when we were alone.”
“Oh….”
Seere instantly understood why Cecili knew various ways to tempt someone and such. And…….
“…Are you okay?”
She also realized why there was no one next to Cecili. Upon Seere’s question, Cecili widened her eyes slightly before smiling gently.
“I’m fine. It’s been a while since that happened… he fulfilled his duty to the end and passed away.”
“…I see.”
Except for Lin El Lazine from the current Fourth Legion, all the other legion commanders, including Altair from the First Legion, had perished alongside Seir.
“I’m always grateful that they were with my father until the very end.”
“Gratitude isn’t necessary. It’s the natural duty of a vassal, and as a soldier, it’s our role. We will live and die alongside our Majesty.”
“Thanks for saying that, but please, don’t.”
While she said that, Seere felt pleased by their loyalty and broke into a light smile.
“Majesty, what is it that Nahun insists we need to hear?”
“Hmm? I haven’t heard it yet. He said he would tell me when he got back and organized his thoughts…”
“It’s clear it’s something serious enough to consider advancing our relationship, but what could it be?”
At Cecili’s question, Seere tilted her head. Then, suddenly, she had a thought.
“C-Could it be…!”
“Why do you say that?”
Nahun was originally a Demon King. A being so powerful and unrivaled that he was referred to as the strongest of Hell. Could it be that he hadn’t had any rational approaches until now?
“…Is he married to someone else?”
“…Yes?”
“…What did you say?”
In an instant, the expressions of Rea and Cecili grew cold. Their glances bore the implication of daring to think of Seere as a second wife—an heir.
No matter how strong Nahun was, the two women’s eyes grew fierce at the thought that he might have a primary wife.
Seeing the increasingly intense looks directed toward her, Seere shook her head.
“Th-That… I was just speculating without any basis, so don’t be so fierce. It’s scary for me too…”
“Ah, I thought you were hearing something. Though, considering Nahun’s reactions, it doesn’t seem like he has much experience.”
“Right?”
Nahun’s responses seemed so innocent that Seere thought they were cute. He did not give off the feeling of an experienced married man with a primary wife.
“So what could it be? He explicitly said I need to hear it.”
“Hmm….”
Cecili and Rea also tilted their heads. There was nothing expected about the situation. It was something Seere had to hear, yet it was unclear what he would say before thinking about a romantic relationship.
“The clue is too vague for me to understand.”
“Yeah….”
At that moment, while the three women pondered over Nahun’s story, there was a knock at the office door. Just before the door opened, Eldein’s voice was heard from outside.
“Head Maid, is Her Majesty here?”
“I’m here. Why?”
“Oh, Your Majesty.”
Eldein entered, bowing politely. Even though the three were superiors, he only greeted Seere, the owner.
“Nahun wishes to see you.”
“Hmm?”
“He said he has something to tell you.”
Just when they were discussing that topic, it seemed the conversation had wrapped up quicker than expected. Or perhaps Nahun had thought about it even before returning.
“…I understand. Let’s go right away.”
“I will guide you.”
With a slightly tense heart about what Nahun was going to say, Seere followed Eldein out.
#
“Have you arrived?”
“Yes, Teacher. But….”
Seere glanced aside. Earlier, apart from Nahun and Seere, there were others in the office.
Specifically, Ersha and Lin.
“While I can understand Ersha being here as the Teacher’s assistant, why is Lin, the Commander, here?”
“Your Majesty.”
Lin bowed respectfully before explaining to her.
“Nahun said this is a story I need to hear as well….”
“Hmm?”
“More precisely, it is a representative of the military, so Commander Lin is here to listen. Ersha, being my aide, needs to know some details.”
Upon Nahun’s explanation, Seere slightly nodded. She had expected to be alone, so with a somewhat disappointed look, she took a seat on the sofa.
“Do not disclose the conversation we’re about to have to outsiders. You mustn’t disclose it for some time.”
“!”
While Nahun’s words might sound like a simple request, they were far more serious than that. As he spoke, a contractual magic activated. A contract that forbade them from revealing anything, stating that he could impose penalties if they violated it.
“For the safety of our ranks, accept this for now. I will nullify the contract at an appropriate time.”
“…Yes.”
Seere, Lin, and Ersha all accepted the contract. The marks were engraved on their palms.
“Know that everything I’m about to say is true.”
“Yes.”
Nahun lightly closed his eyes before opening them again. Sighing deeply, he looked at Seere.
“If, after hearing this story, your feelings for me remain unchanged….”
Nahun spoke in a quiet voice.
“You may continue our relationship.”
“…Really?”
Seere steeled her heart. She vowed inwardly that she would not waver regardless of what was to come.
“The story I’m about to tell is….”
Nahun began the tale. All three of their gazes were fixed on him.
“It is the story of the death of Seir von Debata.”
