I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 89

The four of them went from having ice cream at the shop to hanging out together all thanks to a suggestion from Edgar.

It was what they call a double date.

The twist was that it wasn’t Ariel who showed resistance to the idea, but Shuri.

It was already embarrassing enough to be caught secretly trailing behind her master, and now they were being asked to hang out together all day?

In that situation, her mental fortitude couldn’t be compared to that of iron.

But alas, it’s the sad fate of a User to obey when the Master says to do something.

Suddenly, Ariel jumped in, claiming it was a good idea, and eventually Shuri and Ronan decided to join the two.

In fact, this was quite an unexpected outcome for Edgar as well.

Ariel generally didn’t like hanging out in groups, and he thought she would definitely prefer to be alone with Ronan.

Still, he suggested it because it might be fun to hang out this time since they could always have their alone time later.

However, the unexpected blessing was that Ariel agreed surprisingly easily.

There was just one condition: they would part ways before dinner.

“Shuri, it’s not uncomfortable to hang out with me, is it?”

“N-no way! It’s super fun…!”

While walking, Ariel casually draped her arm around Shuri’s shoulder and asked with a friendly demeanor.

Of course, that was from a third party’s perspective—Shuri just saw a typical annoying boss.

Edgar shook his head with a sympathetic smile as he watched.

At this rate, it was worrying whether they were going to have fun at all or if Shuri’s disguise would first give out.

“Looks like Shuri’s having a tough time because of a mischievous Master.”

“Not at all. Despite how she looks, I’ve heard she’s always so nice to me.”

As Edgar chuckled at the contrasting appearances of the two women, Ronan defended Ariel in his characteristic blunt tone.

It wasn’t that he felt compelled to side with the noble lady just because he was a User; he had heard enough from Shuri to understand.

“Really? It seems fortunate if she doesn’t insult you.”

“She teases a bit, but other than that, she treats me kindly. From what I’ve heard, the young master even gave her advice…”

“Advice? I just said it as a friend.”

In the past, Ariel wasn’t particularly friendly to her subordinates.

Not that she was like some villain throwing teacups or resorting to physical violence.

However, Edgar strongly felt that she had a tendency to see Users merely as subordinates by the term itself.

When she got angry, she sometimes took it out on Shuri, and her indifference was apparent too.

Edgar wouldn’t go as far as to say that was bad, but he still wanted to give her some advice.

He wished she would not regard Users as just lower people but treat them more comfortably like friends—while avoiding being rude, of course.

Fortunately, he had good examples in Helene and Shephy to cite as models for this.

Afterward, Edgar had no idea how she acted, but judging by Ronan’s comments, it seemed there had been some progress.

He thought that alone was not a bad outcome.

“Ed, where should we go now?”

“Doesn’t matter anywhere, right? Don’t you have a place in mind?”

While Edgar and Ronan were having a conversation finding common ground, Ariel suddenly butted in, holding out a piece of paper and asking.

As Edgar subtly observed, it seems they had already made some decisions with Shuri.

So, she must’ve come to inquire about the men’s opinions since she wouldn’t expect much response from Ronan.

After all, it wouldn’t be likely that Ronan would come up with any suggestions, so Edgar thought it would be better for him to take the lead and quickly scanned the paper.

“How about this? ‘The Path Traveled by Milred.'”

“Uh…? H-how did you hear me and Shuri talking?”

“No, not at all.”

And it was the truth.

He hadn’t even overheard their conversation; in fact, he was so busy talking to Ronan later that he had his hands full.

In that brief moment of reaction, Edgar realized that the place Ariel had secretly wanted to go was this one.

Coincidentally, their suggestions matched perfectly.

“I didn’t hear, but it seems like this is the place you want to go.”

“You know me too well, it’s almost irritating.”

“Just basic stuff.”

Edgar shrugged nonchalantly at her, and Ariel turned away, sharing a bright smile before twirling and heading toward Shuri.

Now that a destination was set, all that was left was to move forward, and Shuri knew that place better than anyone.

“Impressive.”

Ronan remarked with a light smile of admiration as he noticed Ariel walking ahead far enough that her voice wouldn’t carry to him.

“You learn these things over time. Don’t you agree?”

“Excuse me for saying so, but it seems we’re in quite a similar position.”

“True enough. We both have to endure a lot thanks to our childish childhood friends.”

Since there were some unspoken understandings between the guys, they formed a bond and shared a wry smile.

They both transitioned from childhood friends to lovers.

And even after their relationship developed, they still had similar childish traits.

Yet, despite that, they remained irresistibly charming in their eyes.

Everything was so similar.

‘The Path Traveled by Milred’ is a so-called flower-lined pathway.

However, there’s one key difference: those flowers aren’t naturally occurring but magically created.

So even flowers that don’t normally thrive in the colder north can be artificially produced, and although it’s an ordinary walking path, it has a refreshing reputation.

“It’s fascinating the more I see it. Is it really magic?”

“I was amazed when I first came too. I thought it was just some kind of illusion magic.”

Shuri passionately nodded in agreement with Ariel’s exclamation.

This was hardly surprising since the colorful flowers surrounding them were genuinely swaying in the breeze.

Which meant these flowers existed in a strange state—real yet not real.

“It’s clear we can’t touch them… How is this possible?”

As Ariel bent down to touch the flowers, they vanished like mist the moment her hands reached them.

And when she pulled back her hand, the flowers returned to their original state.

Even someone like Ariel, who was well-versed in magic, couldn’t explain it to such a degree, so the other three had no choice but to be amazed.

What struck Edgar as the most remarkable wasn’t just the magic itself, but that Ariel couldn’t elucidate its principles at all.

“It’s surprising you don’t know the principles either.”

“That’s just it; I’m not a scholar from the Mage Tower, and I’ve never researched it.”

“Indeed, that’s a fair point.”

Once Edgar grasped it right away, he nodded and tidied up Ariel’s hair, which was swaying alongside the flowers.

In essence, Ariel could deftly use a tool that someone else had created, but she had never created that tool herself.

Naturally, she wouldn’t know the materials or methods that went into making it.

Yet, that’s what allowed her to enjoy the pathway in a simple, uncomplicated way, which could be viewed as a good thing.

The pathway was long enough to circle around the town, and when they reached about halfway, Ariel discreetly looked at Edgar.

The movement was slight enough that Shuri and Ronan didn’t catch on, but to Edgar, it was quite clear.

She clearly seemed to have something she wanted to say.

“Ah, we’ve hit a fork in the road.”

Just as Edgar pondered whether he should speak up first, the path split into two directions.

Helpfully, a sign indicated that left would lead back to town, while right would allow one to enjoy more of the path.

“What will you do, Miss?”

“Oh, um…”

Ariel took another glance at Edgar, hesitated, and then let out a sound of contemplation.

She didn’t seem likely to speak up easily, so Edgar decided to take the lead and patted Ronan on the shoulder.

“Ariel and I will explore the path a bit more, so we should part ways here for now.”

“Huh? There’s no need to…”

“We’re fine with it….”

“Shuri doesn’t have the best stamina, so long walks might be tough for her. Why don’t you head back and relax over a cup of tea or something?”

With that, Edgar coaxed the two with words, indicating he would catch up quickly.

Shuri and Ronan stood there astonished, but it wasn’t a tough request, so they agreed.

Thus, the two headed left towards town while Edgar and Ariel remained behind.

Edgar didn’t pull right away but gently nudged Ariel on the shoulder, asking if she had something she wanted to say.

In a somewhat uncharacteristic manner, Ariel was shy and blushed.

Then she abruptly closed her eyes, reached out, and carefully grabbed his right sleeve.

“Um, that is…”

“What is it?”

Was there a particular place she wished to go?

As Edgar bent down slightly to match her line of sight, Ariel mumbled nervously, looking as if she were being chased.

“W-well… since you don’t like noisy places so much, I thought it might be better if it was just the two of us…”

“….”

Just the two of them.

With her straightforward yet honest admission, Edgar couldn’t help but smile.

In comparison to before, this was quite an improvement.

After all, she expressed a wish to spend time together, which was quite a feat for her.

Naturally, a reward should follow for someone who made an effort.

Edgar grasped Ariel’s hand that was holding his sleeve tightly and headed down the right path.

As he did, relief washed over Ariel’s face, but when her gaze met Edgar’s, she quickly turned her head away.

“Well, shall we quietly stroll a bit more, just the two of us?”

“Um, sure….”

Edgar perceived that even though they had all agreed to hang out together, it seemed Ariel was particularly considerate.

But in the end, she couldn’t resist wanting to be alone, so she had sent out signals.

Edgar found her urge to be endearing, and without thinking, he ruffled her hair affectionately.

He felt a bit guilty toward the two waiting for them, but it seemed they needed to have a bit more time together.