Chapter 484: A Step Forward
Chapter 484: A Step Forward
After Diana moved off of me, I also sat up, about to get out of bed.
“…Sara?”
“Wh-what?”
“You really haven’t regressed, have you?”
“O-Of course not!”
And yet, she clung to my arm and refused to let go.
…Sigh. I guess there’s no helping it.
It seemed it would be difficult to pry Sara off me today.
Not that I didn’t understand, of course.
Sara used to live alone with her grandfather. And when she lost him, she must have been devastated.
So devastated that she came all the way here from some backwater village, all alone, just for revenge.
And now, I was probably in a similar position to her as her grandfather once was.
You know how you become family when you get married? Honestly, aside from not having had a ceremony, what we were all doing was pretty much the same as being married.
So, in the sense of being her only family, I was in a similar position to her grandfather.
And this was just my own guess, but she might even see me as a pillar of emotional support, just like her grandfather was. …Or at least, I think that might be the case.
In any case, she had almost lost another person precious to her.
The memory of her grandfather's death must have resurfaced, so I could completely understand why Sara was acting this way.
So, I decided to give up on trying to get her off me.
It wasn't like I disliked it enough to want to push her away in the first place. No. Far from disliking it, I actually enjoyed it.
What man wouldn't feel good about a girl like Sara clinging to him, refusing to let go?
Plus, since she was usually so cool, the contrast made her seem even cuter.
“…Shall we go.”
“You're going just like that, without getting her off you?!”
“What choice do I have?”
“Hrmmm….”
Diana didn't know the full story about Sara losing her grandfather, so it was probably hard for her to understand why Sara was being like this.
But still, our kind-hearted grandmo—... eldest member, Diana, simply let it go without getting jealous, even with a confused look on her face.
“Hehe. Oh, Sara.”
Of course, Leia was just as kind and understanding.
Though, Leia attached herself to my other arm and pressed her chest against it.
“G-Good morning!”
“Good morning. You were all together.”
As soon as we opened the door and stepped out, Silvia and Matilda greeted us as if they'd been waiting. No, not ‘as if’—they really had been waiting.
They must have been just as worried about my condition as the three who had slept with me.
“Good morning. Yeah. Well, it just sort of happened.”
The truth is, the three of us have an official relationship. Silvia and Matilda have shown interest, but we haven't precisely defined our relationship yet.
So, while there was nothing wrong with me sleeping with just those three, I felt needlessly apologetic.
Especially since Silvia was looking at us with an envious expression, and Matilda with a slightly bitter one.
Matilda's bitter expression lasted only a moment before she reverted to her usual arrogant look, slowly gazing up at my face as if looking down on me. Even though I'm much taller, of course.
“Your complexion looks good.”
So you were checking on me! That's confusing! Look at me with a more worried expression!
Come to think of it, her pink mode hasn't activated at all since yesterday. Normally, when she looked at my face from this close, it would activate almost without fail.
…Is it broken? No, that's not a good way to put it. I meant to say, has the curse's influence weakened? Yes.
Anyway, if that's the case, it's a good thing in many ways. Should I test it out?
“You, on the other hand, still look a bit haggard. It's a waste of such a pretty face. You should eat something and get some more rest.”
“P-Pretty… You….”
Nope. It hadn't weakened at all. It seems she was just so worried about me that the pink mode didn't have a chance to activate.
That, in itself, was something to be happy about. It increased the possibility that Matilda's feelings for me were real, independent of the curse.
Anyway, when we went down to the dining hall to eat, the elder sisters of the Mage Association were out in full force.
The sight of the entire leadership of the Mage Association gathered together was truly a spectacle.
Well, I see them often at the mansion, but they're not usually dressed so formally there.
They stood out even more because the surrounding adventurers were staring at them, seemingly intimidated.
The adventurers who frequent the 4th layer, let alone make it to the town there, are a mere handful among the countless adventurers out there—people who wouldn't be outshone anywhere. But it seemed even they couldn't help but be intimidated when faced with the entire leadership of the Mage Association.
“Lady Diana! Good morning.”
And the bonus... no, wait. She's the main event.
After all, the supreme Archmage herself was here.
Come to think of it, Diana was wearing her robe, but she didn't have her hood up.
Right. She had caused a commotion by gathering all the leaders of the Mage Association. I guess there was no way her identity wouldn't be revealed.
It seems Diana sacrificed a lot more for me than I thought.
“Ladies. I heard you all went out of your way to help rescue me. Thank you.”
I placed a hand on Diana's head and stroked it once before thanking the elder sisters.
“Don't mention it. It was Lady Diana's request, so it was only natural.”
…It would have been nice if you'd said you were worried. Or that you were glad I returned safely.
We'd gotten quite close over time, but as expected, Diana was still their top priority, far above someone like me.
Anyway, we all ate together, including the elder sisters of the Mage Association, and then decided to head straight for the surface.
On our way, I saw a notice on the 4th layer's bulletin board stating that my rescue was complete.
Just like on the 3rd layer, adventurer rescue quests are posted on the bulletin board for all adventurers on that layer to see, so the completion of the rescue is announced in the same way.
This is to prevent adventurers from wasting their efforts on a rescue that's already over.
Still, seeing a notice with a drawing of my face on the bulletin board gave me a strange feeling.
Especially since it was a rescue notice.
…Huh?
“What's that over there? 'Do not take'? Who would take something like that for them to need a warning….”
“G-Guwon, you don't need to know.”
As I voiced my confusion, Sara hurriedly pulled on my arm.
For the record, Sara was still clinging to my arm. She had been during the meal, too.
“What? What do you mean, I don't need to know? What is….”
“Guwon-ssi. The teleportation circle is this way.”
Ah, yes, my angel. I can see that unique pillar of light, so I know where it is.
“Come, come! Let's hurry! You need to get plenty of rest at the mansion, don't you!”
In the end, without ever finding out the truth, I was ushered onto the teleportation circle and sent to the surface.
And in front of the Guild, Vanessa was already waiting with the carriage.
To be honest, I had a huge amount of Magic Stones to sell, so I was planning on having a quiet chat with Rachel while they were being appraised.
But with the preparations for our return home this thorough, I couldn't have a leisurely talk with Rachel.
Besides, with Sara clinging to one of my arms, it wasn't the right time for that kind of conversation anyway.
“Rachel. Thank you so much for rescuing me this time.”
“No, not at all. Even if I hadn't found you, I'm sure you would have made it to the town on your own. You were right nearby, after all.”
“No, no, not at all. There's no need to be so modest. You're my savior. I'll have to set aside a day to treat you to a meal as thanks.”
I sent the message in a way that only she would understand.
Another meal together. But this time, I sent her a strong gaze, implying it would be quite different from the last.
“You don't have to go that far, but… I'll be waiting, without getting my hopes up.”
But I couldn't tell if she understood the meaning behind my gaze or not; that was all she said.
In the end, I figured appraising the Magic Stones would take too long, so I didn't do it. After a simple word of thanks, I got into the carriage and headed back to the mansion.
“Trying to sweet-talk another woman about treating her to a meal right next to me.”
“She's my savior. It's the least I can do.”
The sharp-witted Sara said that, as if something was bothering her, but I just brushed it off for now.
Of course, I planned to get the girls' approval before I treated Rachel to that meal, but there were many other things to do first.
“Welcome back, Master Guwon.”
When we arrived at the mansion, Vanessa, who had left the carriage to another maid, opened the front door and gave me a deep bow.
Of course, it wasn't the first time Vanessa had welcomed me back, but it was the first time she had greeted me like this—addressing me by name—even with Diana right beside her.
This must be Vanessa's own way of congratulating me on my safe return.
“Yeah. I'm back.”
Even though she usually treats me a bit strangely, it seems she's not entirely without concern for me.
I accepted her greeting with a warm feeling.
Only after I acknowledged her greeting did Vanessa slowly straighten from her bow.
As she raised her head just now, her eyes seemed to flash with a sharp glint for a moment. …Must be my imagination, right?
“Now then, you are to do nothing today and get plenty of rest. Understood?”
As we entered the mansion, Diana looked at me, placed her hands firmly on her hips, and gave the order.
Seeing her like that, it seemed I didn't have the right to refuse.
“Yes, Diana. Ah, but I have a question.”
“Hm. What is it?”
“Does playing count as resti—... I will get plenty of rest.”
“Hmph.”
Diana, who had frowned slightly at my question, finally nodded in satisfaction when I obediently agreed to rest.
But it wasn't even lunchtime yet. Lying still in bed would probably just make me feel restless.
“Well then, I'll go to my room….”
“Wait a moment.”
“Hm?”
“Miss Sara. How long do you intend to keep that up?”
After stopping me, Diana spoke to Sara, as if she couldn't stand it any longer.
“Wh-what do you mean?”
“Don't 'what do you mean' me. You've been like this since this morning, through breakfast, and even in the carriage. I let it be, thinking you'd stop after a little while, but… I, too, am desperately holding back my desire to cling to him. Don't you think we should let him rest properly right now?”
“B-but….”
“No 'buts.' Isn't that enough now? You. Why don't you say something?”
“Well, the thing is.”
If I try to force her off now, she'll probably panic.
Wouldn't it be better to just leave her be for now? She looks fine on the outside, but seeing her act like this, the shock must have been immense.
“Hm?”
I have no choice. I can't exactly explain the whole complicated story about Sara's grandfather. It would be faster to just show her how Sara would react.
I took advantage of Sara's unguarded moment to quickly pull my arm free and sprinted away from her.
“N-nooooo! Guwooooon! Don't goooo!”
After a moment of stunned silence, Sara immediately burst into tears and latched onto me again.
Then she started rubbing her face against my body.
“Hic… Guwooon… Guwooon…. Whyyy… why did you try to leave…?”
“…See?”
I said, with a 'see-what-I-mean' expression.
Honestly, Sara's reaction was much bigger than I'd expected, so I was secretly surprised myself.
I thought she'd react to some extent, but I never imagined it would be this much.
Sara. And you said you hadn't regressed.
It seems the experience of almost losing another precious person had left a rather deep scar on her heart.
“Wh-what is this….”
“Well, let's just let her be for now. She'll probably calm down after a little while.”
“I-is that so….”
Diana looked at Sara with a complicated expression and nodded.
“You know what? Let's just all stay together. You too, Diana and Leia.”
“Hm? But you need to rest….”
“I just slept soundly until a little while ago, so it's not like I can fall right back asleep even if I try to rest. It's fine, isn't it? Don't you want to see my face too, Diana?”
“W-well, that's….”
“You too, right, Leia?”
“Yes! Of course!”
“It's settled, then. Let's all spend a relaxing day together.”
“M-mmh….”
It seems Diana had only been acting like the responsible elder. Deep down, she wanted to be pampered by me just as much as the others.
And so, we all decided to spend the day together.