Running Interference (2)
Following Selena's departure to attend to her family's affairs, Ash also returned home after a long absence.
Loitering around Avalon offered little to do, and above all, Ash's standing posed a delicate problem. Given her prominence, being away from the Empire for too long invited suspicion. Heading secretly into foreign territory without notifying anyone was, to Ash, nothing more than a casual excursion, but to the imperial upper echelons, it was grounds for high alert. If she were to defect, the Empire would effectively be robbed of its paramount strategic asset right under its nose. Consequently, even for an unofficial visit, a formal report to the imperial authorities had been unavoidable.
Though I never told them what Selena was up to…
Ash herself harbored not the slightest intention of causing trouble, but politics was inherently paranoid. In a world where individual combatants functioned as strategic military assets, meticulous caution was mandatory. Lingering abroad was far more trouble than it was worth; returning to the Empire was the wiser choice.
"So, did you meet a nice young man in the Holy Kingdom?"
"Ah, Mother. I told you, I didn't go there to meet men."
"I hear the paladins of the Holy Kingdom are exceptionally fine, decent lads."
"I said no, really."
Maybe I should have stayed in Avalon after all. Ash felt a heavy wave of fatigue wash over her under her mother's relentless prodding. Today, in particular, the badgering seemed unusually persistent. Normally, her mother brought up the subject once every three days. Now, she was asking daily—no, multiple times a day—until Ash was thoroughly fed up.
"What has gotten into you? There's still plenty of time before the youngest has a baby."
"You silly girl. I have watched you for over thirty years. Do you honestly think I wouldn't recognize a shift in your expression?"
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"You've found a man you're interested in recently, haven't you?"
Ash flinched at the question, stealing a guilty glance at her mother. No matter how the world revered her as an invincible Swordmaster, she was still her mother's daughter. A mother could read her child's heart from a mere twitch of an eyebrow.
"…No, I haven't."
Ash offered a flat, resolute denial, but the Countess's smile only broadened. Her mother's expression held a touch of relief, bordered with fond pride—a complete contrast to the stern, nagging face she usually wore when pushing Ash to marry.
"Don't give me that. Your mother has never seen you wear an expression like that in your entire life."
"I've been steadily keeping an eye out for a husband, you know."
"And not a single one has ever satisfied your standards, has he?"
"……."
Ash was utterly struck dumb. Parents rarely lost against their children, and no child could surpass a parent's lifetime of seasoned intuition. Ash had climbed from commoner origins to the rank of countess purely through her peerless martial talent, accumulating vast wisdom and experience along the way. Her mother had watched every step of that journey from her side. Paying keen attention to every minor shift in her daughter's demeanor, the Countess found it child's play to see right through her.
"So, who is he? Tell your mother just a little bit."
"It's nothing like that."
"To see my tomboy daughter acting so shy…! Ah, your mother is truly delighted. Take your time; you can tell me later."
Having said her piece, the Countess swept gracefully out of the bedroom. Ash let out a deep sigh at the whirlwind that had just passed through.
She really has no shame, Ash thought, though her gaze drifted involuntarily toward the mirror.
Was it really that obvious on my face?
Ash lightly traced her fingertips over her cheek. Thanks to the Golden Apple and the supernatural honey Grylls had shared with her, her complexion radiated youthful vigor. Even before, her unique constitution—which passively gathered mana with every breath—had kept her remarkably youthful, but now she was genuinely rejuvenated.
Every time I look, I have to admit I'm quite a looker.
Her face caught the light first: shimmering silver hair tinged with a faint, iridescent blue, framing eyes as azure and deep as the open sea. True to Western bloodlines, she possessed a dazzling, striking beauty paired with an enviable physique. Honed through endless years of rigorous training, every curve was taut and well-defined, easily capable of setting any man's heart ablaze. Her appearance proved that age was merely a number. It wasn't purely maternal anxiety that drove the Countess to nag her into marriage; her mother simply found it an intolerable waste for such breathtaking genes to go uninherited.
Would he even like someone who looks like me?
The trouble was, she had no inkling of Grylls's personal taste. Conventional wisdom held that men went weak at the knees for a gorgeous woman, yet men could be shockingly particular when it came to personal preferences. One couldn't afford to be careless; plenty of men found ostentatious glamour overwhelming, favoring unassuming, gentle beauties instead.
During that 'versus' debate in the Gallery a while back, he stayed completely neutral, didn't he?
Perhaps he had genuinely been uninterested, or perhaps his desperate survival circumstances had simply forced him to disregard such trivialities. More concerning, however, was the palpable interest Selena had been showing him lately. Ash couldn't quite tell whether Selena's feelings were merely boundless gratitude toward her savior or something romantic.
…What on earth am I daydreaming about?
Flattering herself like this was utterly pointless. Unless Grylls escaped the wilderness, it was all castles in the air. Chatting enthusiastically on the Gallery was one thing, but true 'special feelings' could only form once two people stood face to face.
If it comes down to sheer emotional depth, Selena's feelings are bound to be much more poignant.
Selena owed her very survival to Grylls's kindness. Naturally, she harbored profound gratitude. But what about herself? Setting aside the fact that she had offered him martial tips, she shared no such life-altering debt. One could say she lacked a definitive spark. What she felt wasn't so much romantic longing as covetous desire. It was embarrassingly unsightly; anyone watching would have told her to snap out of it.
Even so, one thing was undeniable.
He's someone I truly want to be close to.
She liked Grylls as a person.
He was a rare soul, hard to find not just on an eccentric forum like the Gallery, but in reality as well. Anyone else in his position might have taken what they needed and slammed the door shut, yet he constantly fretted over how to return every favor. When his martial might developed along bizarre, unintended paths, he merely laughed it off with good humor, enduring countless ordeals with unshakable grit. Where an ordinary man would have succumbed to despair long ago, he quietly pressed forward.
Ash was drawn to his character, not merely his gender. If he was this decent behind an anonymous screen, he had to be an even more upright man in person.
If only someone like that had been by my side…
Ash looked back upon her past—a life already spanning more than thirty years. Throughout that entire journey, she had never possessed a chosen 'partner' outside her blood family. Blessed with peerless talent by the heavens, nearly everyone who approached her harbored some hidden agenda. Whether those motives were benevolent or malicious mattered little; the mere existence of an ulterior motive filled Ash with deep revulsion.
Because she was strong—far too strong—she had been surrounded exclusively by people who wanted something from her, forcing her to mature in solitary isolation. Her stubborn refusal to settle for just any husband stemmed from that exact reaction. She had yearned intensely for a true companion for life, not a transaction. Though that cursed talent had rendered all her courtships fruitless, looking back, she considered it a blessing in disguise. Had she compromised out of sheer loneliness, her life would have been steeped in misery.
She had fallen into an involuntary distrust of humanity, and the resulting disillusionment had driven her into seclusion. While her reasons differed from the usual sort, she had essentially followed the textbook path of a shut-in hermit. Conveniently, the Gallery existed, providing the perfect sanctuary for an introverted recluse.
If we had known each other since childhood, I might have fallen head over heels for him for real. Well, hypothetically speaking.
Even if she told herself she wasn't romantically in love, she was so drawn to his character that he lingered in her thoughts constantly. She had boasted to Selena that she would make him her husband no matter what, but she needed to rein herself in. If Grylls finally made it out of the wild only for her to instantly holler, "Marry me!", she risked losing a precious friend before anything even started. Romantic attraction was something that bloomed naturally when a man and a woman met in the flesh; right now, her priority was helping him escape.
Still, I can't help being curious.
Rolling onto her stomach across the mattress, Ash pulled up the Gallery interface and drafted a message to Grylls. She had often sent playful messages telling him to become her husband, and while Grylls had laughed them off each time, today was different.
Look at that. Just how much had she pestered him for that to be his automatic, conditioned reflex? Belatedly realizing her own shameless antics, Ash felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment. The bitter sorrow of an aging spinster weighed heavily on her chest, but she forcefully tamped it down. Right now, she had a question to ask not as an aspiring suitor, but as a friend.
…Does Grylls even consider me a friend?
After that brief moment of self-deprecating doubt, Ash cautiously broached the topic.
A sort of golden rule, then. Ash nodded to herself. It sounded simple in theory, but putting it into practice was exceptionally difficult. Far too many people took everything they could while struggling, only to turn around and pretend nothing happened once their bellies were full.
Seeing how many people fail to uphold a virtue decreed directly by the Lord God… it just proves how rare it truly is.
Grylls was an extraordinary case, but at present, he held absolute leverage over everyone. Simply listing his stockpiled Mithril on the auction house was enough to throw the entire continental economy into chaos.
He sits in a position where he could indulge in zero-consequence hedonism if he wanted. Yet he steadfastly continues to extend goodwill.
And that was while trapped in the Forest of the Four Seasons—a perilous domain where no law could reach him, no matter what madness he chose to commit. It spoke volumes about what an upstanding person Grylls was, and how heavy a sense of responsibility he carried.
"Ah…!"
The moment the word 'friend' appeared, Ash let out an adorable squeak. She instinctively whipped her head around to scan the room. No one was there to overhear, of course, but she couldn't help feeling sheepish.
Why am I getting so nervous over this?
Clearing her throat, she did her utmost to compose herself. Her cheeks flushed with subtle anticipation, though she remained oblivious to her own reddening face as she typed her reply.
It was a duty she never wished to endure again. The sheer misery of the shift right before the final one—the dreaded penultimate watch—was impossible to describe in words. On top of that, because Ash had been a commoner, she had frequently been strong-armed into taking that exact shift. Since it was an assigned duty, trading was technically prohibited, but… that was just how the military operated. While her superhuman constitution had allowed her to power through it, the sorrow and indignation she had felt back then remained vivid in her memory.
"Oh, my…!"
Ash let out an uncharacteristically demure gasp, clamping both hands over her mouth. Anyone who had ever served in uniform understood how agonizing that duty was, and how colossal an offer he had just made. The emotional impact hit her with double the force; it felt as though she had just received a heartfelt romantic confession.
Why on earth? What did I even do to deserve that?
A flutter seized Ash's chest for the first time in ages. Was this that famed art known as flirting? In the real world, countless high-ranking nobles and knights had courted her, yet coming from Grylls, the sentiment felt entirely different. Up until now, she had always been the one playfully teasing him; having never been on the receiving end, she had virtually zero defenses.
You see this? What does it look like to you?
"Khh…!"
Ash clenched both fists, letting out a strangled, giddy squeal. A thrilling shiver surged through her entire body. She had received a similar reply before, but this hit on a completely different dimension. Gratitude, admiration, affection, an overwhelming rush of emotion—all swirled together inside her chest.
He could have just tossed it away, but he kept it all this time? This man is seriously…!
He knew all too well how to bewitch someone's heart. No wonder Selena carried such deep, tender feelings for him.
Ash exchanged a few more casual messages with him before quietly closing the Gallery. Grylls had his own survival tasks to manage, and she couldn't keep monopolizing his time.
"Ehehe."
Even so, Ash remained adrift in a sea of giddy euphoria. An impeccably tailored metaphor, flirting that struck an entirely different chord, and finally, tangible proof of his gratitude. With all three elements aligning flawlessly, she found it impossible to calm down. To experience this kind of sweetness without even dating!
No wonder my younger sister looked so happy every single day.
How wonderful life would be with a partner like that by one's side. Her mouth practically watered at the thought. But she had to restrain herself. She couldn't afford to make an unsightly fool of herself again. Teasing him playfully once in a while was fine, but the moment she laid on genuine pressure, things would turn awkward between them.
There are still plenty of chances. I just have to put in the effort from now on.
Ash felt like she was floating on clouds. She was certain this buoyant mood would last for at least a week.
[You have been appointed as a Deputy Moderator.]
At least, until she was slapped with the Blue Tag.
It happened just as she was setting out for the Mercedes Ducal Territory, preparing to return to the Holy Kingdom soon. The sudden news that she had been forcibly drafted as an assistant manager—a Blue Tag mod—struck Ash like a bolt out of the blue.
Wait. Why on earth?! It was just my usual teasing. It's not like I crossed the line!
Ash couldn't fathom it in the slightest.
The Juddak—Don't Abandon the Hero—had issued a terse decree telling her to stop bothering people and start working for free. But had she truly been bothering Grylls? She had thrown a few playful advances his way, but she had never once harassed him. She had no idea what the problem was. It couldn't possibly be petty jealousy, so she was at a complete loss.
If I ignore it, she'll probably ban me… Gah, seriously. What kind of person is she?!
Ash scratched her head in utter exasperation. While it was true that she usually had time to burn—enough to rival the vast wealth of a Setan tycoon—that wasn't the case lately. She had been running all over the continent assisting Selena; she hardly had the leisure to moderate an entire forum.
If I get banned over this…
That outcome had to be avoided at all costs. It would sever her sole direct link to Grylls. Even if Selena remained connected to him, Ash wanted to maintain her own personal bond. Cornered into biting the bullet, Ash released a long, despondent sigh.
I need to discuss this with Selena first.
How would Selena react upon hearing that Ash had been conscripted into unpaid labor as a Blue Tag? Preoccupied with a swirl of chaotic thoughts, Ash arrived at the Mercedes Ducal Territory. Thanks to prior official notices, her entry was expedited smoothly.
Beyond the Gallery, I also need to hear about the Heavenly Demon Cult. His Imperial Majesty has already taken an interest in the situation, after all.
Though they had parted ways only recently, a mountain of topics had already piled up. Following an attendant, Ash made her way to the reception parlor where Selena awaited her.
"You're here?"
"…Selena?"
"Yes. What's the matter?"
In that moment, Ash truly understood what the people of the Central Plains meant when they spoke of a celestial maiden descending from the heavens.
"Are you about to sprout wings and fly off into the sky?"
"You mean fine feathers make fine birds? Thank you. Fufu."
Ash could only marvel anew at the breathtaking sight before her.