Chapter 162
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 162
Chapter Title: Not Quite a Sickbed Visit -1-
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Night had fallen, and outside was pitch black.
The three women who had left Roman at the Church were heading in the same direction.
Until Roman, who had unwittingly ended up staying at the Church, was released from there, Rike would stay at Eclair's mansion as a guest.
Her lover had said he was worried about her staying alone in the outskirts where security wasn't great, especially right after such a major incident.
And since there were things to discuss in depth with Chloe, Eclair had been the first to invite her to stay at her own mansion.
The matter of Leo Floyd becoming a demon? The future movements of the Four Knights?
Right now, in Eclair's mind, such issues were no more than tiny, irritating grains of sand in her shoe—small, trivial, and nagging.
The three returned straight to Eclair's mansion and gathered in a reception room perfect for conversation.
Clink—
If there was any visual difference from last time, it was just the absence of Seria.
In the same place as before, the sound of teacups rang out.
Chloe was fumbling about, unable even to grasp the thread of her questions.
As Eclair moved to speak up first,
Rike beat her to it.
"Sorry, Chloe. Everything I haven't told you up to now is because of my personal circumstances. As for our relationship, it wasn't that your sister tried to hide it—it was me being stubborn and asking her to keep quiet."
Rike's personal history.
The first thing that popped into Chloe's head was how Rike hated even the mention of her own family.
Of course, she didn't know the details for sure.
But she wasn't completely ignorant of the rumors and events surrounding the Skadi Marquis family.
She didn't know how or in what way it tied into the present, but she knew it wasn't trivial.
"So, then... Rike and Brother...?"
Hiding her glowing purple eyes.
Rike slowly closed her eyes, then opened them and nodded.
"Right. We're officially dating and living together."
Unlike the nonchalant speaker, Chloe's face flushed bright red.
"L-Living together!! You knew too, Sis...?"
"...Of course I knew."
Eclair's answer came after a long pause, her expression a strange mix of Rike's stoicism and Chloe's embarrassment.
As one of the Empire's Five Knights, Chloe's sister, and the next head of House Dreitna, she tried to deliver the information without changing her expression.
But her cheeks burned just as red as Chloe's, betraying the chaos within.
"I was the one who seduced Eclair Sis."
"...?"
She had thought she'd finally get all the details straight and resolve everything.
But that baffling line made the Dreitna sisters' faces change in their own ways.
Chloe's gaze shifted slowly to her sister, curiosity outweighing her fluster.
Eclair set down her teacup and chuckled wryly, finding it absurd even herself.
"Let me correct that... It wasn't that Rike seduced me and I fell for it. It was just the natural flow."
Rike flashed a brief look of surprise before smiling at Eclair.
"Brother's definitely like that, right?"
"..."
Silence is affirmation, or so they say.
Her cheeks still burning hot with clear assent, Chloe's eyes widened like saucers.
Her blue eyes trembled, and like a malfunctioning magic tool, her arms twitched as she started running scenarios through her head.
"So Sis knew Rike was... dating Brother...?"
"Yeah. And it's not that weird, is it?"
As Rike answered in place of her frozen sister.
Even as dating, if it was aimed at marriage, it was unusual but nothing to be condemned later if handled with proper responsibility.
"That's... true, but...!"
She didn't really want to argue their relationship was wrong.
What right did she have anyway? She wasn't even in a position to say that.
Frustrated, she just pursed her lips when her sister took her hand.
Their renewed skinship felt less burdensome and more calming, refocusing her mind.
Her sister's gaze, gently holding her hand, turned not to her but to Rike.
"Chloe might find it hard to accept without the details, so could you explain? I know it's unreasonable and rude..."
"Given the situation, I planned to tell her anyway. It's not a big deal."
Rike gave a bitter smile, gazing at her reflection in the rippling black tea.
Eclair bowed her head and apologized sincerely.
"Thank you... And I'm truly sorry for dredging up bad memories."
"You don't need to apologize, Sis. It's not too late yet... I should tell Chloe my story properly too."
A new expression on her friend's face.
Chloe had seen her usual blank look or rare smiles, but negative emotions spilling out like this was a first.
Worried they'd touched a trauma, Chloe bowed her head low.
"You don't have to force it now..."
"No strain at all—it lets me reminisce about meeting Brother. Want to hear?"
"..."
Her face brightened as if the gloom was a lie.
Mentioning Brother brought vibrancy to her friend's features, beautiful enough to make Chloe's heart skip—even to her own eyes.
Her looks were stunning regardless, like a flower fully bloomed on a spring day.
How deep must those feelings run to cause such vivid mood swings?
Unable to contain her curiosity, Chloe nodded.
Was it because of the massive donation made while entrusting Rike and Chloe to them?
The single room provided by the Church was spacious enough for sounds to echo.
Among the irregular patterns on the ceiling, one resembled a smiling puppy, so he scanned for others before suddenly realizing.
'It's so quiet.'
The bed was nicely soft, and even the clothes hung loose on his frame, making movement easy.
Since the three had stayed until late last night before leaving, the silence felt even more profound.
'I wonder if those three are talking things out okay.'
Their relationship was still a tangled mess like knotted yarn, unresolved.
He appreciated that they didn't let it show around him.
It had been a morning of deep lingering thoughts from Eclair promptly inviting Rike to the mansion before he even brought it up.
'Never thought dating good women would bring this much peace of mind.'
He had hoped—and said—his women would get along.
Beyond this era's lonely norms, feeling his ideal picture slowly taking shape let him smile contentedly even from his sickbed.
He was a bit worried about what might unfold at the mansion with the three.
'But those two will explain it well to Chloe.'
Far smarter than him, he'd trust them to sort it out.
Knock! Knock!
The knocks on the thick door carried raw power.
Less emotion, more brute strength making the door vibrate.
"Yes~?"
The first through the door was the burly woman who shadowed the Saintess.
The Saintess followed with demure steps.
"Adventurer, how are you feeling?"
"As I said yesterday, no problems. Mana's fully recovered—I could leave right now."
Despite his gruff tone, she smiled brightly and countered.
"Didn't you promise those ladies you'd stay until before Academy classes?"
"...I'll keep my promise."
These types were especially awkward to talk to.
They twisted any words toward the positive.
People who served for free stood in total opposition to his sleazy self chasing comfort and self-interest.
"I'm heading to the Imperial Palace today to report in detail on Leo Floyd."
"Leo Floyd...? Who's... Ah!"
Reporting to the Palace brought one figure immediately to mind.
He clearly recalled he was a son of the Four Knights.
Now he remembered that demon host whose head had flown yesterday bore that name.
Her smiling lips twitched slightly in embarrassment as she continued.
"As you requested, I won't name who executed it. For the parts involving you and the knight, should I report it vaguely as 'handled'? If witnesses saw, say it was minor assistance."
Satisfactory handling, just as he'd asked.
"The Emperor, that old raccoon... er, I mean...!"
"...Raccoon?"
Catching his slip and glancing aside, he saw the two staring wide-eyed at the unfolding lèse-majesté, smiles gone.
His goal wasn't some flashy hidden hero known only to insiders.
Keeping black mages' eyes on the familiar Church while funneling imperial support and credibility to strengthen it benefited him and his women.
"Ahem! Anyway, if the Palace pries, say the Church's Holy Knights and priests stepped up. They actually shielded the powerless citizens, didn't they?"
Packaged nicely for his aims, but no lie.
Even if overexertion could save them, he wouldn't sacrifice himself for strangers.
To him, lives weighed differently—never equal.
That creed held this time too, across both his lives so far.
But many in the faith-bound Church were sincere about service and devotion.
People existed who could genuinely weep over strangers' deaths with true professional spirit.
He respected what he'd never do himself—admirable, impressive.
A brief silence followed, then the Saintess habitually curved her lips, clasped her hands, and expressed thanks in the Church's formal etiquette.
"...The Platinum Adventurer acknowledging the Church's efforts will delight everyone."
"Is that so."
"I have a schedule, so I'll leave now. If you're uncomfortable or need anything, ring the bell."
After the burly woman and Saintess departed, boredom struck, so he pulled out Gleipnir and muttered to it; time swiftly neared noon.
Lunch distribution brought liveliness to the Church, faint sounds leaking from beyond the door.
His assigned priests visited his room too, receiving meals without exception.
As he hesitated over the Church's outwardly pristine meal,
Rike arrived with a lunchbox.
"Brother~"