Chapter 206
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 206
Chapter Title: The Girl Who Finds Through Prayer
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"Can I ask you questions from time to time if something else comes up...?"
I'd been an adventurer long enough to reach Platinum rank, so there was no way I wouldn't understand what she meant.
Cases like this had been countless up until now, and no matter what conditions they proposed, my answer had always been the same.
Except today.
'She's not even openly asking to be my disciple... Occasional advice shouldn't be a problem, right?'
Magic was out of the question from the start, so the limits of what I could help with were clear.
Gulp.
Alice swallowed nervously as she waited for my answer after asking her question.
The faint tremor in her hand gripping the glass showed she was good at expressing emotions but terrible at hiding them.
"It's fine when I have free time. I don't come to the guild that often, though."
"...!!"
Alice's mouth fell open in shock; she clearly hadn't expected unconditional permission.
Shouldn't it feel like a downpour for someone desperately grasping at a chance in a time full of excuses?
I liked her earnestness, and talking with her was interesting to me too.
-Squeak!
And Tero, hanging out with us, was cute too.
With its owner speechless, the sprout on her head shook back and forth to express its joy.
"Thank you!! I won't become a burden to you!"
As Alice's eyes sparkled with accomplishment and excitement, her discipline snapping back into place as she raised her voice.
Tero hopped down from her head, scampered across the table, climbed up my body, and perched there.
'Cute.'
Just looking at this spirit filled you with energy and got you pumped up.
"Don't expect too much. I don't have anything amazing to teach you, so dial back the enthusiasm."
She shook her head with a laugh at my words.
"Even today was a huge lesson for me."
The knot in her chest seemed to have unraveled; her face looked especially refreshed today.
With permission granted, Alice's threshold for laughter was lower than usual, and she lit up with her characteristic vitality even at light jokes.
When you get good reactions no matter what you say, it fires up the speaker too.
Exchanging pleasant chit-chat at a table wafting with floral scents, I quickly achieved my goal of killing time.
The food was finished, the glasses empty, so it was time to wrap up without lingering.
"Shall we call it?"
I needed to buy gifts and get back before the two from the academy returned.
"I got a free meal and lessons on top... It was pure bliss! Let me treat you next time!"
Scratching my chin in thought, I nodded, understanding the burden of always being on the receiving end.
"Getting treated by a Gold rank doesn't sit right unless it's Rak... But sure, you can buy once next time."
"Thank you! I'll treat you to something delicious!"
Her speech was bouncing all over now; she was just blurting whatever came to mind.
I stood up and bent my knee so Tero could hop over to Alice, whose gaze was way down low.
-Squeak!
Confirming Tero had jumped back to her head, I straightened up.
"Now that you've got new party members, heading out on requests?"
She glanced at the table with her party and nodded.
"...Yeah, we need to get our teamwork down, so I picked something we could handle even as a duo."
"You know this time there's no such thing as 'last time's coincidence,' right?"
It wasn't that I thought Alice was careless or dismissive.
I'd just expanded my usual "Don't die" into a slightly longer warning.
"Yes! See you next time!"
She understood my intent and smiled without offense.
Leaving behind "I won't die!" and her thanks, Alice headed back to her party.
"I saw it on the way and thought it was pretty, so I wanted to show you."
Three flowers, carefully wrapped.
Not a special occasion, yet her big brother would surprise her with gifts out of the blue.
She hadn't even adapted to the sudden surprises without warning; each one made emotions well up uncontrollably.
But she had definitely grown.
Chloe felt her growth in the fact that she could now receive flowers with a smile instead of tears.
"Heehee~"
She set one aside in its wrapping for her sister to see when she returned.
The other two went into a large glass vase on the dining table as decoration.
Peaceful time continued even as the sun set and darkness fell.
Rike and Chloe finished their pre-dinner training, and until Eclair arrived, they rested with Roman in the bedroom.
Each claiming one side of their lover.
Rike clung to Roman's arm like a dead rat, dozing in short bursts.
Chloe read a new novel, trying to draw inspiration.
'This one's fun, but it doesn't quite hit the mark...'
She'd been focusing on various methods to name the flower Roman gave her recently.
But no good name had come to mind yet.
Rike had found a clue in a book from her mother, and her sister had gotten help from big brother.
If nothing else worked, she'd ask him, but for now, she was trying to get a feel from her favorite novels.
'No idea...'
Naming a weapon wasn't like naming a pet; it was a luxurious opportunity, but daunting too.
She was even tempted to ask big brother for help right away...
As worry made pure enjoyment from the book impossible and a slight headache crept in, Chloe decided to end her reading for the day.
She bookmarked the novel, closed it, and burrowed into Roman's arms like Rike.
"Hngh..."
Moving her stiff body from reading elicited a soft sound.
Swish.
His eyes were closed, but was only Rike asleep?
As she snuggled close, big brother's sturdy arm gently wrapped around her.
"Hehe."
A large hand kindly stroked her back.
Her complicated mind cleared in an instant.
'When will sister be back today?'
The Dreitna sisters practically lived here now.
Her sister only spent time at the mansion when she had to visit the study.
The rest was here.
Even with the Dreitna sisters, big brother, and Rike, they all got along happily without conflict—that was the most surprising and satisfying part.
Time alone with big brother, which she'd thought impossible and given up on, happened occasionally too. It was paradise itself; nothing more to wish for.
'Is it okay to be this happy...?'
Indulging in happiness brought thoughts of parents or noble society she'd have to face someday.
Even with reliable big brother and sister, she knew surrounding gazes would be more annoyed than celebratory.
Pure malice was frightening.
This dreamlike reality was happier than any future she'd imagined, so she feared it crumbling.
She desperately wished for this daily life to last forever.
To combat that anxiety, all she could do was swing her sword, attend the academy diligently, ensure everyone's safety and happiness, and increasingly visit the Church for peace of mind.
"Big brother..."
"Yeah?"
Everyone in the bedroom had eyes closed, but the reply was clear.
"Can you come to the Church with me tomorrow?"
"Of course."
A crisp answer without a second's hesitation lifted the corners of Chloe's mouth softly.
He didn't even ask why.
Chloe peeked up and called to Rike, eyes closed on the other side.
"Want to come too, Rike?"
Rike slowly opened her eyes, rolled her purple pupils, smirked, and shook her head.
"I have academy assignments. You two go."
····
To dispel a speck of anxiety buried deep within, Chloe visited the Church with Roman.
She found her fearful attitude—dreading the loss of happiness the more she had—ridiculous.
On the way, big brother listened to her worries, smiled kindly, and said it was natural for anyone.
Someday, she'd turn it into pure motivation for great things.
"It's so quiet; nice."
"It is."
The prayer room emptied as parishioners left en masse at the set time.
Sitting there, she closed her eyes to hide her blue ones and earnestly beseeched the Goddess, over and over.
Not devout or particularly faithful, yet she prayed.
She had nothing grand to offer a transcendent being, just her wishes.
"Hoo..."
As Chloe finished her focused prayer, clearing stray thoughts, the prayer room's occupants had increased while her eyes were shut.
Eyes like a clear sky, soft hair the same hue.
A woman with a benevolent smile, flanked by a steadfast paladin guarding her. Chloe knew them by sight.
"S-Saintess!"
"It's been a while."
As she jumped to her feet, the Saintess gently pressed her shoulders to sit back down.
While she'd been lost in prayer, big brother had apparently finished greetings; the Saintess's gaze was fixed on her.
"Watching Lady Chloe pray moved me deeply. Your devout and earnest prayer will surely show you the righteous path from the Goddess."
Praised for her sincere prayer, Chloe's heart flushed with embarrassment.
"I came for stability in my daily life and selfish desires... I don't think it qualifies as true prayer, ah, no."
Atra smiled softly at Chloe's honest, pure words.
"Lady Chloe, prayer isn't exclusive to the Church."
Sitting beside her, Atra gently took Chloe's hand and spoke in a soft voice, eyes closed.
"Long before language for communication existed, we faced the Goddess's vast mercy and profound mystery like this, palms together."
With Chloe's hand between them, Atra clasped her own in prayer, holy power glowing faintly.
"...!"
"The Goddess understands your earnest heart even without words."
In the brief exchange with the Saintess that followed.
And the conversation with her lover on the way back, Chloe's eyes lost their speck of foreboding and regained vitality.
··
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Amusingly, Chloe found her answer not in books, but at the Church.
Returning home hand-in-hand with Roman, she gazed at the flower rippling with blood and mana, lost in thought.
'Prayer isn't the sole domain of the religious...'
The devoted love from big brother and her sister.
The unparalleled resolve and humanity from Rike and Seria.
She had always pressed her palms together while witnessing them, seeking inner peace.
How long had it been?
The process of finding and realizing what she needed when shaken had taken the form of prayer.
Holding the flower in both hands, Chloe closed her eyes and named it.
"Pray."
Hearing Chloe's voice, the flower began to transform dramatically.