A Surprise Encounter in the Drawing Room
As soon as Elfride stepped into the reception room, the first thing that caught her eye was her only close friend, Abel, standing right beside him—the Saint of the Ludria Church, Celine, who clung to him like she owned him.
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Luna had voiced her confusion, yet Elfride could not fathom why Celine had attached herself so firmly to Abel. Then a memory from before surfaced.
The rumor that Abel was a womanizer. Elfride looked at him with wide eyes, thinking she must be mistaken.
But the man in question himself simply tilted his head.
“Elfride? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Abel… um… why is the Saint of the Ludria Church acting like that?”
“Eh… ah, Celine. Let go of my arm already.”
“It’s too much.”
“What’s too much about it? It’s only natural.”
Elfride watched Abel add casually that one meets people, and she felt utterly lost. What on earth was going on?
Celine was openly acting like she was on a date, yet Abel accepted it without a trace of discomfort.
No matter how inexperienced Elfride was in romantic matters, she could not help but notice the relationship between the two.
“Oh, by the way, Elfride. You look absolutely beautiful today.”
Abel had noticed how carefully Elfride had prepared herself and offered a compliment, but not a single word of praise reached her ears. All she could think about was the relationship between Abel and the Saint.
“Oh, Abel… I was just wondering, what exactly is your relationship with the Saint of the Ludria Church…?”
“Eh…? Ah, the Saint? We’re dating.”
“…What?”
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Elfride was stunned. Seeing her reaction, Abel tilted his head again.
“Why are you acting like that?”
“…Ah, no…”
It shouldn’t have been strange. Stories of heroes and saints pairing up were common. They were probably close friends, after all. Still, Elfride’s mind had grown complicated. She could not even explain why she felt this way.
Elfride pushed the confusing thoughts aside, cleared her throat, and approached the seat. She had come as the host and had to greet her guests properly.
Abel watched her sit gracefully and spoke.
“Have you been well since the last time?”
“Y-yes. I’ve been fine. What about you, Abel?”
“I’ve been doing great. Almost died, but I got through the crisis.”
“…I heard you defeated an Agares-class monster.”
“Ah, you heard? We barely managed to catch it. Well, our Saint did most of the work, though…”
Elfride nodded.
“I see. Still, it’s undeniable that you played a huge part. I even heard you took down the North Queen who ruled over the Glacier Mountain Range.”
“Ah, that was thanks to the Saint…”
“It’s not modest, Abel.”
Elfride had chuckled at Abel’s humble remark, but in truth the North Queen had been slain by Estelle. The Agares-class monster had required a lot of Abel’s involvement, yet…
“By the way, aren’t you busy preparing for the banquet? We might be keeping you from your duties.”
Celine’s words were meant to be considerate, yet Elfride felt something else beneath them. It was as if she was being restrained. Elfride narrowed her eyes slightly and answered.
“It’s fine. The preparations are almost complete. And these are our guests, so we must welcome them.”
“…I see.”
“Yes. So don’t worry, Saint Celine.”
Elfride turned to Abel.
“Where is the Saint of the Solaria Church? She was supposed to be here briefly.”
“Ah, no. The Saint is staying at the inn.”
“Hm?”
Elfride’s expression asked why. Abel explained with a laugh.
“It’s a bit complicated… haha.”
“…I see.”
Abel seemed reluctant to elaborate, so Elfride let it go. Not having Estelle around was actually a relief for her. Without Estelle, Abel would have more opportunities to spend time together.
“The banquet is in two days. Feel free to relax here until then. Consider this place your home.”
“Thank you, Elfride.”
“…B-by the way…”
“Hm?”
Elfride unconsciously twirled a strand of her golden hair with her finger. She looked at Abel and asked.
“You really think I look pretty? With my current appearance…”
“Ah, yes. You’re always beautiful, but now you’re even more so. You’ve done your makeup, haven’t you?”
“Y-yes. I had to prepare as the Hero Elfride, but also as Lady Bathory, so I took extra care…”
“Ahaha.”
Elfride added excuses as if there were any need to explain. Luna chimed in.
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“….”
Celine, seated beside Abel, gave him a slightly dissatisfied look.
“Hero-nim.”
“Hm?”
“How do I look today?”
“Celine… you’re just as beautiful as always.”
“Really? The Hero doesn’t even try, yet he still looks handsome?”
“Of course.”
Celine had known exactly how Abel would react. Still, she asked the question purely to restrain Elfride Bathory, a woman whose beauty left her breathless.
Elfride could not miss the obvious intention. She frowned and said.
“By the way… when exactly did you become so close with the Saint of the Ludria Church, Abel? I heard rumors you were a womanizer. Have you started showing public affection now?”
“…Eh?”
“I only heard it in passing. Apparently the rumor started in the Apollo Kingdom.”
“…Hmph.”
Abel cleared his throat as if something was bothering him. He had intended to gently warn Celine about the conversation, yet here he was stumbling over his words.
Elfride felt a strange displeasure at his awkwardness.
“…Abel, as a hero you should refrain from such behavior.”
“…I’m not doing anything wrong… maybe just something that could be misunderstood.”
“Misunderstood?”
“…Hmph.”
Abel cleared his throat twice in an attempt to dodge the question. Elfride narrowed her eyes. She realized he had no intention of continuing and let out a soft sigh.
Why did it bother her so much…? She could not say, yet the discomfort lingered. Elfride voiced one thought.
“If the Saint of the Ludria Church is your lover now, what happened to the Saint of the Solaria Church? She probably wouldn’t have let it slide so easily…”
Estelle had always opposed even Abel becoming friends with Elfride. How could such a woman simply accept Abel dating another woman? It made no sense.
“Ah, that’s fine. She gave me her blessing.”
“…Huh?”
Blessing? The Saint of the Solaria Church had explicitly approved of their relationship? It was even more shocking than Abel’s earlier words.
“I promised I would always put her first. That was the blessing.”
“…?”
Elfride could not understand. First…?
Luna immediately started making a fuss inside Abel’s head.
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The words echoing in her mind unsettled Elfride. She dismissed Luna’s words in her mind and asked Abel with a trembling voice.
“Oh, Abel… what exactly does that mean?”
“Eh…? Oh, I forgot to mention.”
Abel laughed foolishly and said.
“The Saint of the Solaria Church is my first girlfriend. And the Saint of the Ludria Church here is my second.”
“Hero-nim, saying it like that makes me sound like a mistress.”
“You don’t think that. It’s just jealousy talking.”
“I should have helped the Saint of the Solaria Church from the start. I should have been first.”
“Haha…”
While Abel and Celine continued their playful banter, Elfride stared blankly at Abel.
No, she had to. What had he just said?
Once she had finally recovered, Elfride asked to confirm.
“…What did you just say, Abel?”
“Hm?”
“The Saint of the Solaria Church is your first girlfriend, and the Saint of the Ludria Church is your second?!”
“Eh… yes. That’s how it turned out. Since polygamy is practiced in my homeland, there’s no legal issue, and both Estelle and Celine agreed…”
Elfride’s arms began to tremble as the reality of the rumors about Abel being a womanizer finally sank in.
“…Elfride?”
“Y-yes. That’s wonderful… congratulations.”
“Ah, thank you…”
Abel thanked her while looking at Elfride.
*Why does she keep trembling?*
Just as Abel felt uneasy, Elfride’s shaking stopped.
“You seem really happy these days, Abel.”
“Y-yes. I feel like I’m receiving too much love.”
“I see… I see.”
Then, suddenly, Elfride smiled brightly. Yet the smile carried a terrifying edge that sent a chill down Abel’s spine.
*Why… why is she doing this?*
Abel could not decipher Elfride’s strange expression. She continued smiling at him and said.
“Abel, since you defeated an Agares-class monster, your strength must have increased a lot, right?”
“…That’s probably true.”
*Why bring that up suddenly?* Abel was about to voice his confusion when Elfride’s next words made him jolt.
“So, how about we spar?”
“…Eh? But Elfride, right now—”
“It’s fine. After all, I can just change my clothes.”
Elfride was still smiling brightly.
“Deal?”
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“I promised I would always put her first. That was the blessing.”