◆Chapter 20: The Number-One Person I Don’t Want to See on a Day Off
◆Chapter 20: The Number-One Person I Don’t Want to See on a Day Off
SEVERAL days after going on the expedition to harvest resources, I’ve received a day off from my purification duties. I didn’t want a break—Cia asked me to take the time off. She seems to think I’ve been working too much. I feel guilty resting when everyone else is working hard toward restoration, but…the truth of the matter is that my body is aching and cracking all over from walking so much, so I gladly took her up on the offer.
That being said, I didn’t have anything in particular I wanted to do with this free time. Wide-scale revitalization of the capital has only recently been undertaken, and they haven’t gotten around to fixing up the entertainment venues. In the end, I woke up and left the castle like usual, and I’ve been spending my time since walking down the capital’s main street with Lex.
“This has kind of become our routine, huh?”
“You mean...walking around the capital?”
“Yep. Well, I don’t dislike doing it, so it’s fine by me. It’s kind of a relief to see the city gradually rebuild too.”
The cityscape changes with every visit. Walls that were missing stones and crumbling yesterday are standing tall and strong today. Structures are erected on formerly vacant lots. And it’s not just the buildings or the physical objects: as the number of people increases, so does the number of smiles. I don’t know what this city looked like originally. Maybe being here isn’t all that uncomfortable for me anymore because it feels like I am growing with the city.
“I wish you could see Grantz Kingdom in all its glory, Lady Mizuha,” Lex says sadly.
“…Lex.”
He almost makes it sound like I’ll never see the completely restored Grantz. I understand what he means by that. Even I want to see things through to the end. But—
“Miss!”
I turn toward the familiar voice and find a face I know there. It’s the first boy I healed. He’s running up to me.
“This is my thanks for last time!” He holds out the bouquet he was hiding behind his back. Quietly swaying in his hand are flowers with four large petals the same bright red as roses.
“Wow! Those are beautiful!” I exclaim.
“They were growing near my house!”
“Thank you!”
“Ehehe! I’d better get going now. Mommy will yell at me if I’m late.”
“Okay! See you next time!” I’m quietly watching the boy leave when Lex steps next to me.
“Good to see him doing well.”
“Yeah… Purification is definitely useful, but the power to heal is really handy.”
Using either one drains the life out of me, but I can regain my energy by eating and sleeping. That’s hardly a price to pay.
“And that is precisely why this holy power made its home in one with a pure and true heart—you, Lady Mizuha.”
“You think too highly of me. Even I might abuse these powers, you know?”
“I shall accompany you if you do.”
“Oh gosh, that’d make it hard to do anything bad…”
“It is that side of you, m’lady.” Lex laughs at me.
It’s one thing for me to walk the dark path, but I’d have reservations about making someone my accomplice in it. Obviously, I don’t plan to do anything evil with my powers, but I feel like I couldn’t even on the off chance I wanted to.
“Sorry about today,” I apologize. “You could have taken it easy if I had rested.”
“Thank you for being thoughtful of me. However, you can rest assured that I am barely fatigued.”
He isn’t putting up a front; this is how he really feels. Lex is full of life.
“Whenever I see you like that, it really makes you seem like a knight.”
“I train on a daily basis, after all.”
“I’m pretty confident in my stamina, though.”
“You certainly are more active, or rather, more energetic than other women, Lady Mizuha.”
“Oh, I’m sure I’m far from being a lady. Hmph.” I grumpily point my chin the other way.
Flustered, Lex circles around until he’s facing me. “N-Not at all, m’lady! I swear I did not mean it in that way! I believe it is one of your charms and— L-Lady Mizuha?”
Darn. He saw me trying to restrain my laughter. Now that the cat’s out of the bag, I stick my tongue out at him. “Sorry, I was teasing you.”
“Th-That is not very nice…” Lex places his hand on his chest like he’s thoroughly relieved it was a joke. I wasn’t randomly teasing him for nothing, though.
“That’s payback for you suddenly showing up the other day.”
“Y-You don’t leave me much room for rebuttal when you bring that up…”
“Don’t get me wrong. I’m grateful you saved me. But this and that are different, okay?”
I wanted to get revenge for the real shock he put me through. I teased him for that, but I’m not particularly mad at him. Okay, it’s time to drop this.
Faster than I can change the subject, Lex drops into a deep bow. “I have been deeply reflecting on my reckless actions that had caused you such dismay, Lady Mizuha. I am sincerely sorry for what I have done…!”
“H-Hang on, hang on! Doing that in public will only draw unwanted attention!”
Case in point, many people around us stop what they’re doing to shoot us suspicious looks.
“No! Your knight Lex Irvine shall not back down until he receives Lady Mizuha’s pardon!”
Lex is totally serious, unlike me. And that’s exactly why this is in bad taste.
“Okay! I understand your point of view, so stand up already!”
“Pardon my rudeness, but I cannot accept your pity!”
“I’m really not angry at you!”
“Then you forgive me, m’lady?!”
“I forgive you! I forgive you!”
“…Thank you very much!” He finally rises.
Sheesh, I better be careful when I tease Lex in the future. At the very least, I’d better pick my spot. Having gained control of the situation for now, I sigh with relief.
“MiZUha…? Are you not, MiZUha?!”
I know of only one person who says my name in such a funny way. I can’t believe he’s showing up at a time like this. I look in the direction of that voice, feeling like a teacher just sprung a surprise test on me. The young man—Keith—welcomes my look with a pointlessly sparkly smile.
“What a coincidence, running into you here. Or mayhap, it’s fate.”
“You’re launching right into that drivel the second you open your mouth, huh?”
“You look down, MiZUha.”
Because I ran into you of all people.
“Would you like to join me for a meal?”
“I heard none of the restaurants are open yet.”
“How about a stroll, then?”
“Sorry, I want to take it easy today.”
“It can’t be helped, then. How about you join me at m-m-m-my m-mansion…?!”
What can’t be helped? Huh? Besides that, I seriously wish you’d not sidle up to me with a face that’s got your ulterior motives written all over it plain as day. Yick.
As I’m stuck between being exasperated and totally turned off, Lex smoothly steps between me and Keith.
“You are troubling Lady Mizuha, Lord Rowadan.”
“How am I troubling her? She looks terribly delighted to me.”
“No, not the least bit delighted,” I say, bluntly letting him have the truth. Unfortunately, Keith seems to possess the inconvenient skill of allowing what I say go clean in one ear and out the other, for he looks unfazed by my curt rejection. To make matters worse, he’s even threatening Lex, who’s blocking his way to me.
“You were here, Lex Irvine?”
“Yes, the whole time.”
“I see. Is that what’s going on here? MiZUha is dispirited because of your presence!”
Taking him seriously, Lex turns an unconfident gaze my way. “Is that…true?”
“No. Relax, it’s not true at all.”
“You heard what the lady said.”
“To protect this failure of a knight… How kind MiZUha must be.”
It’s no use. Nothing I say gets through this guy’s thick head.
“So be it. MiZUha and I are about to set off on a journey of love. Go somewhere else, fly.”
“I cannot do that.”
“You dare continue to interfere? I’ve looked into you. Turns out you have no connection to MiZUha whatsoever, fly. Do you have fair reason to stand in my way?”
“I do,” Lex asserts, proudly tapping his chest. “After all, I have become Lady Mizuha’s official knight.”
“Wh-What did you just say…?”
“I am Lady Mizuha’s knight, Lex Irvine.”
Is it just me hearing that hint of pride in his voice? I don’t know Keith’s true intentions, but he’s definitely suffering a great deal of damage from that admittance. He looks imploringly at me with misty eyes like he still can’t believe it.
“Does he speak the truth, MiZUha?”
“Y-Yes, for now.”
“AUGH.” Keith falls to his knees. I hope he’ll give up now. But I guess I thought that too soon, because he bounces back on his feet—literally and figuratively. “I will never, ever give up! You hear me, LEX IRVINE?!”
“I am a knight. I shall neither run nor hide.”
Overwhelmed by Lex’s imposing confidence, Keith resentfully says nothing more. He turns his back on us and runs.
“He never learns.”
“Lady MiZUha…”
“Lex, you’ve picked up his weird way of saying my name.”
Lex smiles wryly as he looks in the direction Keith left. “A mind of steel. It is one of Lord Rowadan’s good points as well as bad.”
“Whoa. Don’t tell me you acknowledge him now?”
“No, that was the nicest thing I could come up with after racking my brain.”
Lex can say some pretty cruel stuff too. Then again, since I’m of the same opinion, I agree with him. “You can say that again.”
“Good grief… I guess I should be thankful the holy priestess is easy to find,” an exasperated voice says directly behind me. I turn around to find just who I expected to be there.
“Pino!”
“I see you continue to excel at drawing attention.”
“Ahaha… It’s a coincidence. A coincidence, I say.” Ninety percent of it is Keith’s fault. “Anyway, what are you doing here? It’s rare for you to come all this way.”
“I had something I need to tell you now, so I looked for you myself.”
“Could it be—”
“Yeah,” he nods. “I’ve pinned down where the black fog is coming from.”