Author: Suisei
Translator: Rinkage

Character page: Here

This chapter is the continuation from volume 3 of the light novel. -Rinkage

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Chapter 89: I tried giving it some thoughts

A few days after I returned from the guild quest with Raven and Happiness, I received an invitation from Cecilia. Since I had completed the mission, she asked if I would like to meet up. Naturally, my answer was obvious.

“You’re being used like a messenger here. Sorry about it.”  [Youki]

“…I have a day off today, and I’m not feeling out of sorts. I have things to do today as well, so you don’t need to be too concerned about it, okay?” [Tiel]

The one who was seated on a chair, sipping the tea that I had haphazardly prepared was Tiel-chan, one of the maids working at Aquarain household. Her body seemed to be getting better, a testament that Sheik’s medicine was working.

…That was probably the only life-and-death situation that happened so far.

“If you have something to do, then that’s fine.” [Youki]

I threw a glance at Gai, who wasn’t moving at all. A similar incident had happened before. At that time, her mission of relaying the message to me was merely a secondary task. Her main purpose was something else. Normally she would not pass up the chance to jump at her ‘guardian deity’ as soon as she saw him. But, that wasn’t the case this time. Did they get into a fight?

“I thought of going shopping today to get everything I need. I’ve gotten almost all my list covered except for the bulky items.”  [Tiel]

“Ah, is that so…”  [Youki]

That said, she had quite a huge bag with her. That looked quite bulky in and of itself. Jangling sounds could be heard when she put the bag down. What could the content be?

“Is there something wrong with the bag?”  [Tiel]

“No, just wondering what’s inside.”  [Youki]

“They’re souvenirs.”  [Tiel]

As she didn’t mention who the souvenirs were for, she probably meant for me to figure it out myself.

“Huh, I see. Well then, I’ll be heading out now… Take your time.”  [Youki]

The last part, which was meant for Gai, was uttered in a low voice.

I closed the door to my room and started walking off, my mind wandering. What could they be doing? I could easily imagine it, but curiosity still got the better of me, so I strengthened my sense of hearing.

“Guardian Deity-sama, Guardian Deity-sama! I was able to hold myself back and suppress my feelings as you’ve told me to. I was holding myself back from hugging you!”  [Tiel]

“Hmph, don’t get overexcited. You’ll collapse again.”  [Gai]

“It’s okay. I’m feeling better lately. More importantly, take a look here! You like magic ores, right? I’ve brought a lot of them… Heave-ho!”  [Tiel]

“Hey, don’t force yourself to lift that! You’ll hurt your arms.”  [Gai]

“These are akin to important meals for Guardian Deity-sama, right? I’ll do my best to work at the mansion, so please help yourself!”  [Tiel]

“Tiel, I’d want you to change that way of thinking.”  [Gai]

I almost burst out laughing when I heard that. Gai had turned into a complete pimp.

At any rate, that bag seemed to contain magic ores. I was surprised Tiel managed to carry it all by herself. Could that be the power of love? Regardless, I decided not to be a third wheel, so I made my way to Aquarain mansion.

…

“It feels like it has been ages since I last saw you…”  [Youki]

“Is that so? It’s only been less than a month since we last saw each other, though.”  [Cecilia]

Cecilia tilted her head in wonder as she held a teacup in her hand.

We were relaxing in her room after I arrived.

Come to think of it, I feel more at peace here compared to my room at the inn.

“I suppose the quest with Raven and Happiness was so intense that it made me feel this way.” [Youki]

“I would have joined you if I didn’t have any plans at that time.”  [Cecilia]

“You have your things to settle, so no worries. Let’s go together the next time.”  [Youki]

“I suppose so. Thank you very much. Since I wasn’t able to join this time, could you tell me what the quest was about?”  [Cecilia]

Our teatime was already prepared, with the teas and cakes nicely arranged on the table. Cecilia remained seated in front of me, waiting for me to start my story.

“Then I’ll begin. Without any interruptions, the plans we made had fallen apart. Only the two of them knew how it ended. It’s a quest revolving around the mystery of a mermaid’s song, and the disappearance of the cargo from the ship.”  [Youki]

“I suppose a lot of things must have happened, but somehow, I think I can guess why the cargo disappeared…”  [Cecilia]

Cecilia gave a wry smile upon hearing my clumsy introduction. Even so, despite my awkward storytelling, she continued listening happily and was occasionally even surprised. It dawned on me that she was indeed a goddess.

“…Well, in the end, I really don’t know what happened between them. But, according to Duke, Raven has been spacing off a lot lately.”  [Youki]

“We should give the two of them some space for the time being. While it might be good to check on them to a certain extent, I don’t think we should pry too much now.”  [Cecilia]

“I guess so.”  [Youki]

On our way back, I did try to ask them about it, but no matter what I did, they remained silent.

I guess I should really give them some space for now.

“Even so, a mermaid… I would like to meet her after listening to your story.”  [Cecilia]

“I was really moved by the last song. I hope I can meet them again, but I’m sure they’re currently living happily in their own homes.”  [Youki]

“…That’s true. But, I’m glad they could return to their homes, too. You all have saved them after all, right?”  [Cecilia]

“Ah, we had also talked about how things might go wrong if someone other than us had accepted that quest.”  [Youki]

Considering Shike-chan’s ability, we might have been defeated due to her song at that time. However, if a party that could defeat that said skill had accepted the quest instead, Shike-chan would… It made me shudder to think about it.

Only a bad ending awaits if we had not accepted that mission.

“It’s outrageous that they used demons for their personal gain. And when things went south, they were planning to let the mermaids take the blame. I think you all have gained a very important experience from this mission.”  [Cecilia]

“An important experience?”  [Youki]

“The thieves this time were not the only ones using demons for their personal gain. Even now, there might be others who exploit demons like what happened to the mermaids.”  [Cecilia]

“That is certainly true…”  [Youki]

You can see elves and demi-humans walking around the city normally now, but it used to be different in the past. I think Sheik was the one who told me this? Or was that something that I had read from the book I borrowed from Tiel-chan? Regardless, racial issues are not something that can be resolved easily.

“Even if we are the only ones now, if we were to receive such a mission again, let’s try to find a solution to it.”  [Cecilia]

“Yeah, I have also learned a lot from the trip this time, so leave it to me!”  [Youki]

“I’ll help out as well the next time.”  [Cecilia]

Her hands were clasped tightly, possibly as a showcase of her determination. Although, that gesture of hers looked cute in my eyes.

“A-Ah, yeah. I’ll be counting on you then.”  [Youki]

“Yes. Ah, would you like a second serving of tea? There are cakes as well, if you’d like.”  [Cecilia]

“I’ll have some then…”  [Youki]

It seemed that I had unknowingly finished my tea as I talked. As Cecilia began her second tea serving, our conversation started again. Our topics naturally centered not only around Raven and Happiness, but also on the recent circumstances concerning Sheik and Tiel-chan. There were also occasional stories about the carvings I made out of Gai.

Time flew by as we talked and laughed with each other, and before we knew it, the sky outside the window was a sea of orange. It was already dusk.

“Ah, it’s this late already.”  [Youki]

“It seems that way. I was so absorbed in the conversation that I didn’t realize.”  [Cecilia]

“I’ll be going home now then. Sorry, I didn’t know that we’ve been having our teatime till now.”  [Youki]

I finished my remaining tea and hurriedly got up from my chair. Cecilia smiled and waved her hand as I left her room. She was probably intending to say, “See you again”, but, as I was too flustered, I lost my chance to reply.

As I walked on my lonesome, the road that I normally took felt endlessly long. The time passed so fast when I was talking to Cecilia earlier, but it feels like an eternity now. Just, what is this? The hazy emotions swirled inside me as I made my way back to the inn.

…

When I entered my room, Tiel-chan was no longer around. Only Gai was in the room motionless, or to put it literally, as still as a statue. Upon closer inspection, his face looked worn out, but his body seemed to be bigger. It was probably due to the magic ores brought by Tiel-chan. I decided that there was no need to wake him up unnecessarily, so I jumped onto my bed.

Even though I hadn’t had dinner yet, I decided to put that thought aside. I began pondering over the relationship between Raven and Happiness. I didn’t know what happened at the end, but it was clear that something important had taken place. However, it also resulted in an awkward relationship between them.

On the contrary, what about me? I had a great time chatting with Cecilia at teatime as usual. However, I kept my thoughts to myself the whole time. Even when I thought she was cute, and even when she saw me off with a smile, I ended up chickening out. Not only did I give myself the excuse that I was concentrating on our conversation at that time, but I also couldn’t even react when she waved at me, returning home in a daze instead. Was that okay?

In the end, my self-reflection session made me forget about my dinner entirely and I woke up in the morning, feeling disgruntled.

“Hey kiddo, did something happen? You got dark circles under your eyes.”  [Gai]

“Ah, I was thinking too deeply about my future that I couldn’t sleep.”  [Youki]

I rubbed my eyes as I stood in the middle of the room, looking dazed.

“I don’t know what happened last night, but it’s bad for your body if you don’t sleep. I can put you to sleep by force if you’re having trouble.”  [Gai]

“Maybe I should ask for your help then…”  [Youki]

I didn’t have the energy to accept any quest from the guild anymore. I was dead tired from my contemplation session.

It’s strange, but the moment you think you can finally sleep, you’ll start feeling sleepy for real.

My eyelid became heavy and I slowly lost consciousness.

“You seem to be tired lately. Since I am in a good mood today, and my body feels great, I’ll do this for you. Kiddo, have a pleasant dream this time.”  [Gai]

I could only manage a reply, “Shut up”, before I got dragged off to my dream world.

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