Chapter 184: Leia's Sincerity. And Diana, Once Again
Chapter 184: Leia's Sincerity. And Diana, Once Again
“Are you okay?”
“Hoo… Yes. Let’s go.”
In front of the mansion, Leia took a deep breath, her eyes shining with firm resolve. She then gave my hand, which she was already holding, a tight squeeze.
It seemed she was incredibly nervous.
I don’t think there’s any reason to be, I thought.
Still, the sight of Leia psyching herself up like that was so cute that I just watched her in silence.
But this wasn’t the time for me to just stand around feeling pleased with myself.
I had succeeded in persuading Leia, but it wasn’t over yet. In fact, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the real challenge was just beginning. The most difficult opponent was still waiting.
Diana, whose fame as the Supreme Archmage resounded throughout the world. Naturally, her pride would be off the charts.
She was not someone to be taken lightly, and I had gone and made a mistake like that. It was like I’d cranked the already high difficulty level way up.
Just thinking about having to persuade Diana now was enough to give me a headache.
But I couldn’t give up.
I just had to do it.
It was about time for Diana to return. No, she might already be back at the mansion.
Steeling my own resolve, I entered the mansion.
“…Welcome back.”
Vanessa was standing at the entrance with a stoic expression.
It was the same expression as always, but I could definitely feel it. Is she in a really bad mood right now?
“Oh. Yeah. We’re back. What are you doing just standing there?”
“…I was waiting for Lady Diana.”
“What? She’s not back yet?”
“…No.”
As she spoke, Vanessa’s sharp gaze fell upon my and Leia’s intertwined hands.
“Sir Guwon, did you not go out to find Lady Diana?”
I finally realized why Vanessa was angry.
The guy who had run out saying he needed to talk to Diana as soon as possible had returned, happily holding hands with another woman.
“Ah, well, you see. So much happened that I can’t possibly explain it all with words.”
I mumbled, slightly averting my gaze from Vanessa.
My conscience pricked me.
“B-but for her to still not be back. I thought it was about time for her to return.”
“…Under normal circumstances, that would be the case.”
Her words were incredibly sharp.
And since I was the guilty party, I had nothing to say.
“S-still, there’s a little time left before dinner, so she’ll be here soon, right? Yeah. Diana’s never missed a meal, has she?”
“……”
Vanessa offered no reply to my attempt to reassure myself.
As we passed through the garden and entered the building, another trial awaited us in the main hall.
“Oh? Gu…won. You’re back.”
Seeing my hand clasped with Leia’s, her tone clearly dropped.
“…Looking at you two, it seems things went well with Leia.”
As I’d expected. Even though she said she accepted it, seeing me with another woman right in front of her eyes seemed to anger her.
“Uh, yeah. Well, more or less. Thanks to you.”
As I stood there awkwardly, Leia stepped slightly in front of me.
It was as if she were shielding me from Sara.
“Sara. I’m sorry. I know about your relationship, but I couldn’t lie to my own heart. I hope we can get along from now on.”
“…Yes.”
Leia was strong. She wasn’t just a pitiful, delicate creature.
Faced with her firm will to confront the situation head-on instead of avoiding it, I couldn’t help but shudder.
My whole body was trembling.
And I definitely wasn’t trembling for any other reason.
I felt like sparks were flying between Sara and Leia, but that had nothing to do with my body shaking.
“Here, Sir Guwon, say ‘ahhh’.”
“Ah, ahhh…”
During dinner, Leia stuck to my side and didn’t leave me for a moment.
Of course, I was happy to have Leia dote on me like this. I was overjoyed.
However, the glares from those around me were piercing.
“L-Leia. Guwon can eat by himself…” “Still. If I leave him be, Sir Guwon only eats the meat. If you don’t eat a balanced meal, you won’t have the strength you need when it counts.”
D-did she just put a strange emphasis on the word ‘strength’?
Surely she wasn’t talking about the ‘important time’ I’d need strength for tonight, was she?
“I see. If that’s the reason…”
Suddenly, Sara also pressed up against my side and began bringing food to my mouth.
“Here, Guwon. Here. Have some of this, too.”
It was a clear move to keep Leia in check, but Leia’s reaction was unexpected.
“Oh my? Are you trying to build up Sir Guwon’s strength too, Sara? Thank you.”
“What? No. Guwon is dating me too, so there’s no reason for you to thank me…” “Still… tonight is my turn, you know.”
Leia gave a slight, smiling glance, her tail swaying slyly.
S-so it’s true?! No, I mean, of course I was planning on using my strength tonight, but for my angel to… Of course, a slightly seductive angel is the best, too!
“Ugh, ughhh!”
Having taken a direct hit from Leia’s counter, Sara shot me a look as if to demand an explanation.
Hey, what do you want me to do?
I subtly looked away, trying my best not to get caught up in the women’s war of nerves.
Right now, I am nothing more than a machine for eating.
When food entered my mouth, I simply chewed and swallowed.
For the record, Diana still hadn’t returned.
We had waited for quite a long time, but it got so late that we had no choice but to start dinner without her.
So, while I was having a blissful yet slightly chilling experience sandwiched between Sara and Leia, thoughts of Diana wouldn’t leave my mind.
She left this morning. What on earth has she been doing all this time?
It was probably a useless sentiment when it came to Diana, but I was worried.
Don’t tell me something happened to her?
No. That was impossible. This was Diana we were talking about. The Supreme Archmage, Diana.
Even if she was weakened by her reincarnation, her years of experience hadn’t gone anywhere.
There was no way anything could have happened to Diana.
But if that was the case, it presented a problem in its own right.
It meant that Diana was staying away from the mansion of her own free will.
“What happened to Lady Telluna? I haven’t seen her all day.”
Even after dinner passed and the sky turned completely black, Diana ultimately did not return to the mansion.
By then, the Mage Association had also begun to stir.
And with every growing murmur, my own anxiety steadily grew.
What do I do? What should I do?
This can’t be, but still… No, right?
I tried my best to deny it in my head, but one possibility kept surfacing.
She… didn’t run away from home again, did she?
“…Hey, Leia. I’m really, really sorry, but.”
“…I know. You’re worried about Diana, aren’t you? Are you thinking of going out to look for her?”
The moment I started to speak, Leia looked at me with an expression that said she understood everything.
“Yeah. I can’t just leave things like this. If I do, I feel like I’ll be disrespecting not only Diana, but you as well, Leia.”
If I were to hold Leia now, my mind would surely be filled with nothing but worry for Diana.
I felt that would be disrespectful to both of them.
“…Alright. You should go.”
Leia said, her expression sad but resigned.
“Are you sure?”
“…Yes. I understand how Diana feels. Please find her quickly and comfort her.”
“Leia… thank you.”
“It’s fine. I’ll be bringing this up for the rest of our lives, you know. Just you wait. The grudge of a woman who gets stood up on her very first night together is a scary thing.”
Leia winked and spoke in a joking tone, perhaps trying to lift the burden from my heart.
How could she be so kind? She said she wasn’t an angel, but Leia was definitely an angel.
“Leia! I love you!”
“Yes. I… um… I l-love you, too…”
I pulled Leia into a tight hug.
I remembered what she had said earlier in the day. To be unable to kiss her like this was so frustrating.
Leia seemed to feel the same way, looking up at me with a sorrowful gaze.
Then, she raised the index and middle fingers of her right hand to her own lips, then gently pressed them against mine.
“I’ve reserved the night, you know. You can’t stand me up just because things go well with Diana.”
“Of course not! As if I would! I’ll be back!”
I grasped Leia’s hand that was touching my lips, planted a deep kiss on her fingers, and then stood up.
“Yes. Be safe.”
Leia said, seductively licking the spot I had just kissed.
Seeing that, I wanted to be with her right this instant.
To do that, I had to find Diana as quickly as possible.
Alright. Let’s get this over with quickly.
Just you wait, you runaway girl… well, you’re a bit old for that, but whatever!
No matter where you’re hiding, I will find you!
After rushing out of the mansion, I stopped for a moment to think.
Since I couldn’t expect to find her by asking around, I had to think about where Diana might have gone after leaving the house.
Diana had run away because of me. If so, could she have gone to a place that held some kind of memory for us?
It might have been presumptuous of me, but it was the only idea I could come up with.
I decided to check the places I could think of, one by one.
The inn where I first met Diana. The clothing store where I first bought her clothes. I meticulously searched every place that held a memory of us, but I couldn’t find a single trace of her.
So things aren’t going to be that easy, huh?
But besides these places, I really had no other ideas.
I only knew the Diana that I had seen.
I didn’t know a single thing about where she had been or what memories she had before meeting me, or where she would go in a situation like this.
Dammit. Did I really know so little about Diana?
As I stood in the middle of the plaza, tearing at my hair, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind.
Wait a minute. Why did I assume Diana went somewhere far away?
This was Diana, who could wield all sorts of magic at will. Hiding herself would be a piece of cake.
If that was the case, then instead of going far, wasn’t it possible she was watching from nearby to see what I would do?
I took a long, deep breath and shouted loud enough to make the plaza ring.
“DIANAAAAAAA!”
It was nighttime, but this was a dungeon city.
There were quite a few people passing by, but I paid their stares no mind.
A moment of embarrassment was nothing if it meant I could find Diana.
“DIANAAAAAAA! I KNOW YOU’RE WATCHING, SO COME OUT ALREADY!”
But, as expected, there was no response.
Then again, if Diana had been watching me this whole time, that would mean she saw everything that happened with Leia this afternoon.
But after being with Leia, my Assassin level had gone up.
It wasn’t certain yet, but I was guessing that the condition for raising the Assassin level was to have sex secretly, without anyone finding out.
In other words, if my guess was correct, it meant that no one had seen my encounter with Leia.
But it felt like too much of a waste to give up now.
It was possible she had left in anger but started watching me after I returned to the mansion.
Alright. Let’s try one last time.
I decided to shout something that, if Diana was listening, would leave her no choice but to reveal herself.
“The Supreme Archmage! Diana Telluna! Is an old m—!” “Are you Guwon, the clan leader of the Saviors?”
Before I could finish shouting, someone spoke to me.
However, it wasn’t Diana.
No. It was someone I had never even seen before.
I could guarantee it. I wouldn’t have even passed her on the street.
Because if I had seen a woman this beautiful, I wouldn’t have been able to forget her even if I tried.
The person who spoke to me was a female knight of such considerable beauty.
She was wearing thick knight’s armor, so I couldn’t tell what her figure was like, but the face revealed above the armor was quite pretty.
Perhaps because of her profession as a knight, her expression was blank. No, this didn’t seem to be because of her job.
It was a little different from Vanessa’s expressionless face.
If Vanessa’s expression was a stiff, hardened mask, this knight’s was… yes. It was one of sheer boredom.
In any case, this was a female knight whose beauty was such that I, whose standards had been raised to an impossible high thanks to Sara, Diana, and Leia, judged her as pretty at first glance.