A Delightful Date and a Shocking Revelation in Bonaparte City
Before returning to the Duke’s estate with Estelle, I asked Alicia.
“Alicia, did the Demon King give you any orders?”
I deliberately showed a bit of my vigilance just in case she might speak honestly. Alicia jumped in surprise.
“Hiiik!! N-no!! If there were any, I would have told you right away!”
“Really?”
“I-I’m telling the truth! I swear!! Even though I’m terrified of Estelle just like you, I wouldn’t lie!”
“Okay.”
Even in this situation, she wasn’t lying. I trusted Alicia’s words and put away my vigilance.
“Celine, if Alicia knows anything, tell me immediately.”
“Yes, I will. Be careful, Hero-nim.”
“Okay.”
Estelle handed Celine the inn key and said.
“I told the innkeeper that Alicia is my younger sister. Celine, you can handle it similarly.”
However, Celine tilted her head upon hearing that.
“A younger sister…? You should have said ‘daughter,’ Saint-nim.”
“D-daughter!?”
“That fits better though…”
“W-well, I haven’t even gotten married yet!”
“That’s true.”
Celine easily agreed and nodded. Then she took Alicia’s hand. Watching Celine, Estelle let out a loud cry.
“Don’t tease me, Celine!!”
“Fuhah, caught. Let’s run, Alicia.”
“U-um?”
Haha, that was fun.
I watched Celine and Alicia leave and said to Estelle.
“Then we should head back too. From tomorrow, we can start…”
“Before that, there’s something you have to do, Abel. Have you already forgotten~♡”
“What?”
I wondered if there was more I had to do, but as I tilted my head in confusion, Estelle flashed her signature arrogant smile.
“This idiot♡”
“…What is it?”
“We’re supposed to go on a date with the one who’s staying behind♡ There was no swordsmanship class today, right~?”
“Ah.”
Now? When I looked at her with those eyes, Estelle lightly nodded.
“You have to play with me nicely♡”
“I’ll do my best.”
Play with me nicely…? Honestly, I didn’t know how to do that at all. But…
I carefully held Estelle’s hand and asked.
“Wait…”
“This is the basics, right?”
“…W-well~♡”
I had to try my hardest.
#
I took Estelle around various places in Bonaparte City. Since it was such a developed and vast city, there were plenty of suitable date spots here and there.
“Estelle, shall we go over there?”
“Yes~♡”
I had worried it might be boring, but since Estelle seemed to be enjoying herself, I was relieved. Sensing my gaze, she glanced back at me.
“Why are you looking at me like that, Abel~?”
“…Ah, no.”
Seeing her bashful smile made the corners of my mouth twitch almost involuntarily. She really is pretty…
The place I had invited Estelle to was a crowded plaza. Since something was happening, I asked if we could go.
“Oh, it’s a performance?”
Why were so many people gathered? There was a street performance. A comedian in a ridiculous costume and a man wearing a mask were doing slapstick gags that made everyone laugh.
The man in the clown makeup exaggerated his movements and then—SPLAT—fell over. I wasn’t sure if it was intentional, but he definitely succeeded in making the crowd burst out laughing.
Estelle, who had been standing beside me, chuckled softly.
“Ahah! He looks just like Abel.”
“…Huh?”
“You don’t remember? In the early days, Abel tripped over like that too. It was probably when you caught a goblin…”
“T-that was right when we first met!”
“Exactly. At that time, Abel was so adorable.”
…Does she still remember that incident? Honestly, I don’t remember it well. There were so many events, and it was a trivial matter from over five months ago.
Does Estelle remember every single thing that happened between us?
“Estelle. When I caught the kobold, you remember, right?”
“Yes.”
“What did I get hurt at that time?”
“Your shoulder. You got an arrow in your left shoulder. Just a kobold, though♡ Thinking about it now, Abel was so weak back then~♡”
…She remembers everything.
“You remember everything.”
“I remember every moment we spent together♡”
“…Why?”
I asked her.
“Even if small things are forgotten, no one would say anything.”
“…That’s true. But to me… it’s not small at all.”
“Hmm?”
“Memories with Abel are precious memories to me.”
“…I honestly can’t remember everything.”
“That’s fine. Since you’re an idiot, I’ll understand~♡”
“Haha…”
At times like this, I only feel sorry for Estelle. I shouldn’t keep making her apologize like this… Even if Elfride and Elena are sad, maybe I should just leave them as they are? After all, that’s their lives…
“Abel.”
“Hm?”
“No matter what you’ve decided, you have to push through to the end.”
…Is that how well she reads my thoughts?
“…That’s something Estelle doesn’t want.”
“That’s okay. I don’t like it a little, but that’s the kind of Abel I like.”
“……”
Now I understand. How overly much she has given to me. How inadequate I have been compared to the attention she pours into me.
I lifted the hand I was holding.
“I’m sorry.”
“Why are you apologizing, Abel? That’s not like you♡”
“It’s just… I keep making things I’m sorry for.”
“You noticed?”
Ugh.
Estelle giggled and pointed at her own lips.
“Then, to make up for it, kiss me.”
“…That should be about a hundred times, right?”
“…Have I made you apologize to me that much?”
“N-no, I was joking.”
Estelle took me away from the plaza and into a quiet alley.
“Estelle?”
“Let’s do it here. In a crowded place, it might be a little embarrassing, right?”
“…I’ll do it as much as I want, okay?”
“Yes~♡”
Estelle leaned against me, head tilted up, eyes closed. Her neatly arched eyelashes were beautiful. Her straight nose and pink lips remained charming.
I carefully kissed her lips once, short and sweet. The moment our lips met and parted, Estelle’s lips curved slightly upward.
Of course, I had no intention of stopping after just one. But this time, I kissed her cheeks, which were beautifully flushed. Because the sensation was different—coming from a place other than the lips—Estelle’s eyes opened a little.
“…Hmm?”
While Estelle tilted her head in confusion, I lowered my head again. This time, my lips brushed her forehead, then her cheeks, and finally her lips. I swept her hair aside with my hand and traced her neck.
“Huuet, Abel…?”
SPLAT—thick, dense kisses landed on her neck. As if engraving that this person was mine, I left a deep mark.
Then I raised my head and covered Estelle’s lips again. Deeply exploring her lips, I slowly extended my tongue and intertwined it with hers.
Estelle naturally released the arm she had been supporting me with, stood on tiptoe, and wrapped her arms around my neck. I held her slender waist and slowly pulled my lips away.
I gazed into her eyes as if seeking permission. Estelle exhaled a warm breath and said.
“More…♥”
#
Abel and Estelle left the alley and tidied up their appearances. Their faces were far more flushed than when they had entered the alley.
No matter what they had done, their breathing was ragged and sweat poured down. Estelle’s legs were slightly trembling.
“…Estelle, shall we head back now?”
“…Y-yes.”
Wiping sweat from her face, Estelle looked up without thinking and then widened her eyes in surprise.
“…Hmm?”
“Why?”
“Abel, over there… you look a bit strained.”
Estelle pointed in a certain direction, and Abel followed her gaze. Estelle had pointed because men were groaning and carrying something into the alley, but Abel saw something different.
“That…”
Abel clearly saw it. A tattoo on the forearm of the man struggling to push a heavily loaded cart. It looked like a simple tattoo, but Abel recognized the pattern—he had seen it before.
It was…
“…Why are they here?”
When Abel was tracking the Mutation Stone distribution route in Athens, he had seen that exact symbol. Estelle asked, noticing his unusual reaction.
“Why?”
“…Those from Athens. They have the same tattoo on their bodies.”
“…You can see it?”
“Yes?… Yes, I can.”
Estelle roughly estimated the distance between the alley the men entered and their current location.
‘…Are they visible from here? Did the divine power affect Abel’s body too much?’
Estelle set aside that thought and asked Abel.
“…Anyway, if they’re from Athens… they’re the group distributing Mutation Stones, right?”
“Yes, they have the same tattoo.”
“Then the cart that just entered…”
It meant the group from Athens distributing Mutation Stones had appeared here. That fact pointed to one conclusion.
“Mutation Stones are being distributed in Bonaparte City.”
“How did those guys end up here? Did they sneak in like in Athens?”
Estelle tilted her head slightly at Abel’s question.
“…That’s impossible.”
“Hm?”
“Bonaparte City is a city directly managed by the Bathory family. If illegal Mutation Stone distribution was happening here, the Duke who oversees everything would have known…”
“Estelle, that means…”
The Duke wouldn’t have known. That meant one thing.
“The Bathory Duke…!”
Mutation Stones. A horrifying thing that could turn even a healthy human into a monster. Whether the Duke was involved in their distribution or simply ignored it, either way was unforgivable.
Abel frowned, and Estelle whispered softly.
“…A third option has appeared.”
“Huh?”
“It seems I’ll have to go out often even after returning to the Duke’s estate.”
Estelle smiled at Abel and said.
“This way, we can secretly investigate.”