An Eventful Date (9)
“Sorry, Faye. We finally got a chance to go on a date, but the mood’s completely ruined now. Let’s set another day and try again later.”
Theo was convinced the date had been utterly derailed. Only Theo thought so.
“Huh? Why? That was super fun! Let’s keep going!”
To Faye, the whole thing had simply been an enjoyable time. A life-or-death struggle where one wrong move could get you killed? Her heart had pounded so wildly it felt exhilarating. She wanted to fight like that every single day if she could.
In truth, Faye had been itching to jump in ever since they were watching from the spectator seats at the arena. No matter how much showmanship the gladiators put on, it couldn’t compare to fighting yourself.
Now that a perfect chance to brawl to her heart’s content had appeared—and she had taken full advantage of it—Faye was in the best mood imaginable. The sparkle in her eyes was pure, unfiltered delight. It was so genuine that even Theo, who had spiraled into exhaustion before Luna’s sharp scolding dragged him back to his senses, found himself wondering, Wait… did we just do something fun?
“Still, continuing the date like this would be pretty tough. Let’s meet again in an hour… no, make it two hours!”
“Two hours? Why would—Ah.”
Theo, who had started to ask on reflex, shut his mouth the moment he took in their current state.
Their carefully chosen date outfits, pressed and perfect at the start, were now absolute disasters from the fierce battle. Their hair and everything else didn’t even need mentioning. At least Theo, as a mage, had only been lightly splashed by the aftereffects of the final black mage’s magic. Faye, however, had been swinging her sword up close, carving through black mages and the undead they summoned. She was splattered with blood and gore, making her appearance difficult to look at from any angle.
If they tried to continue the date in this condition, they would almost certainly be hauled off by the guards as suspicious persons long before any romance could resume. Two hours was the absolute minimum needed to wash up, change clothes, and get ready again.
“Two hours from now… that’d be right around dinner time, wouldn’t it? Is that okay with you?”
“Yeah! Dinner’s the most important part!”
“Really? All right. Then let’s head back for now and meet again in two hours.”
Remembering how eagerly Faye had been looking forward to the final course ever since the date began, Theo found it impossible to suggest they simply end things here and try again another day.
Besides, even if they returned to rest, he doubted he would actually get any proper rest. At best he would just replay the day’s battles, nitpicking every misjudgment and sinking into self-blame.
Of course, reviewing fights afterward was essential for growth, but given his current frame of mind, it would likely turn into nothing more than pointless self-reproach.
With Theo and Faye’s plans settled, the party naturally split up. Claire took the severed wrist and the blood-red orb with her. She knew someone who had dealt with black mages for a long time and wanted to ask them about it.
Luna said her boots were ruined and headed off to browse the weapon shop. Of course she was just as blood-soaked as Faye, so she would wash up first.
That left Theo and Faye each returning to their own dormitories.
Faye’s mother was a commoner. But she was a rather special sort of commoner. She was the daughter of a merchant well-known throughout the region, after all.
Even among high nobility, strategic marriages between barons and the children of wealthy merchants were not uncommon. Yet Faye’s mother stood out even among those cases. She had entered the noble family through a love marriage rather than an arranged one. And it was Faye’s mother who had fallen in love first and boldly made the approach.
No matter if he was only a baron, a noble was still a noble. Outside of special environments like the academy, it was extremely difficult for a commoner to initiate contact. But Faye’s mother had done exactly that. A commoner woman had fallen for a noble’s son, made the first move, started dating, and finally reached the altar. The twists and turns involved were so extraordinary that simply calling them incredible wouldn’t do them justice, but we’ll skip over those details for now.
What mattered was that Faye had inherited every bit of that blood. On top of that, she had grown up listening to her mother’s heroic tales instead of fairy tales.
When it came to love, Faye was like a carriage that had lost its driver.
Faye recalled the conversation she had shared with her mother before coming to the academy. The advice had been simple: if you find someone you love, don’t pay attention to anything else and just act. A few extra words had been added.
“Still, you’ll feel anxious, won’t you? Mom was the same. That desire to look good in front of the person you like… it really weighs you down.”
“I can do it! I’m your daughter, after all!”
“Hehe. That’s right, isn’t it? Mom believes you’ll do just fine, Faye. But if you ever get anxious and start hesitating…”
Faye’s mother had handed her a potion.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a courage potion. Drink it when you feel anxious or worried. It will give you courage, Faye.”
“Ehh~ I don’t think I’ll need it?”
The Faye of the past had said so even as she accepted and carefully put the potion away. She couldn’t imagine herself hesitating just because she had found someone she liked, but it was something her mother had prepared for her.
In the present, Faye had praised her past self countless times for properly accepting that potion instead of turning it down.
When the promised two hours had nearly arrived, Faye—now fully refreshed and dressed once more—stared quietly at the potion in her hand.
As expected, Mom was right.
Love had made even Faye hesitate. That was the truth.
Theo had been extremely surprised and flustered by Faye’s direct expressions of affection, but in reality his hesitation had only amounted to a bit of embarrassed awkwardness.
And the potion in her hand was a magical elixir that would erase even that hesitation.
Faye popped open the lid and drank it in one gulp.
The taste was simply a little sweet… exactly like the honey tea her mother used to make.
Of course it was. In fact, this “potion” really was just honey tea.
Though it contained a few extra ingredients for long-term storage, it was ordinary honey tea with zero magical effects.
Yet at the same time, it was indeed a magic potion that granted courage.
After all, after drinking the honey tea, Faye had gained courage.
She turned the bottle upside down, making sure not to waste even the final drop, and felt her hesitation melt away as her mood lifted.
Having drunk something sweet, it was only natural for her spirits to rise.
Faye licked the last traces of honey tea from her lips and smacked them with satisfaction.
Now only the final course of the date remained.
The carriage that had lost its driver had now shaken off its reins and even discarded the carriage itself. All that remained was a wild horse racing madly ahead. But since it could run fast and thrillingly, the small details hardly mattered.
The place Faye led a freshly met Theo to was a restaurant.
“Theo, Theo! Try this. It’s incredibly delicious!”
Faye, who had been slicing into the freshly served, piping-hot meat, exclaimed in admiration and thrust her fork toward him. If he sat still any longer, the meat on the fork looked ready to smear itself all over his face.
Having no desire for a meat-juice facial, Theo obediently ate the offered piece.
“…Oh. This really is good.”
He was genuinely impressed.
The restaurant Faye had reserved and dragged him to possessed outstanding culinary skill. To Theo’s palate it was on the same level as the academy’s meals.
Saying it was similar to the academy cafeteria might make it sound ordinary, but the opposite was true. The Imperial Academy was the finest educational institution, attended by royalty and members of imperial families from every nation. The kitchen staff who had to satisfy such refined tastes were nothing short of first-rate experts.
Of course, with so many students, some compromises in quality were unavoidable during mass preparation. Still, while the flavor was comparable, the atmosphere at the restaurant Faye had chosen was far more pleasant than the noisy academy dining hall.
And above all else, a beautiful girl was sitting right across from him, smiling innocently and eating with pure happiness. All things considered, it was more than worth coming all the way here just to share a meal.
Even if that beautiful girl was effortlessly slicing through thick cuts of meat with a single flick of her knife, anything a beautiful girl did tended to look charming. To some people, the sight would probably be worth trading places with Theo even if it cost a million gold.
However, Theo’s mind was elsewhere.
Self-blame for letting the man escape? No, that wasn’t what mattered right now.
“Hey, Faye.”
“Yeah! What? Should we order more meat?”
“No, the meat’s plenty. We’ve already gone through five plates of meat dishes. There’s just one thing I’m curious about.”
“What is it?”
“What’s that?”
Theo pointed toward one side of the room.
The place where they were eating was a restaurant, but it was also a private room. The staff brought the food directly to them. That in itself wasn’t especially unusual. Most inns would deliver food to your room for a small tip, and when he had once arranged a secret meeting with a count’s daughter, they had used a soundproofed chamber.
What Theo found strange was something else entirely.
A bed placed along one wall of the room. A very large bed. Precisely the size that seemed perfect for one healthy adult man and one healthy adult woman to lie down together.
“Aha! That?”
Faye looked where Theo was pointing and spoke with her usual bright, cheerful expression.
“We’re sleeping here tonight!”
Her small tongue darted out to lick her lips.
“Though I’m not sure we’ll actually get any sleep!”