Author: Suisei
Translator: Rinkage
Character page: Here
Chapter 138 – I carried on the search with the girl I like
“Magic Knight-san, how about asking the knights on patrol? They might have some useful information.” [Cecilia]
“Indeed, since they’re running around Minerva every day, they might have some leads. All right, let’s start asking them.” [Youki]
It was easy to find a knight on patrol. If we were to ask enough of them, we would eventually find someone who had seen him.
“Um, are you sure about this? If you’re going to approach the knights, I think it would be better if you change out of your current clothing.” [Cecilia]
“What are you talking about? Today, I’m Magic Knight of Black Lightning. While I may pretend to be someone else, I’ve never been ashamed of who I am. I’ll go with my chest held high!” [Youki]
“I was advising you for your own good. You always end up regretting it in the end.” [Cecilia]
“Yeah, I do.” [Youki]
“You do? So, you actually understand that.” [Cecilia]
“That’s all part of being Magic Knight of Black Lightning!” [Youki]
“I’ve warned you…” [Cecilia]
Seeing as Cecily had given up on persuading me, I decided to resume our search. Our next target would be the knights on patrol. Since areas with heavy foot traffic were prone to problems, the majority of the knights would be patrolling there.
“All right, I spot a knight! Charge!” [Youki]
I was fired up for the investigation.
“We’ll just go normally. What’s the point of charging in?” [Cecilia]
Cecilia commented, looking somewhat exasperated as we approached the knights.
“Sorry to bother you, but I’d like to ask you something.” [Youki]
“Sure, how can I help you?”
“You’ll listen to us? I apologize for taking up your time when you’re busy.” [Youki]
“No need to apologize. Listening to the concerns of our citizens is part of our duty as knights.”
Since he was wearing a helmet, I couldn’t see his expression, but this knight definitely had a charismatic aura. It was probably irrelevant, though. His partner, who seemed to be suspicious of us, started whispering to him, likely in doubt because I was in the Magic Knight of Black Lightning outfit. It seemed that Cecily’s hunch was spot-on.
“Sorry, but could I check your identification? Not that I’m suspicious of you, but it’s part of our job.”
“Is this okay?” [Youki]
I was expecting to face more difficulties, but if all they wanted was to check my identification, I was fine with it. A guild card was handy at times like this. Naturally, the guild card I handed him belonged to Magic Knight of Black Lightning, and not ‘Youki’.
“An A-rank adventurer, Magic Knight of Black Lightning. Everything checks out. Apologies for the inconvenience.”
“An A-rank adventurer… So you’re someone with considerable skill.”
The knight, whom I assumed to be good-looking, looked surprised as he handed back my guild card. It seemed that an A-rank adventurer was someone even knights regarded with respect.
“Well, something like that. So, I wanted to ask if you’ve seen anyone around here dressed similarly to me.” [Youki]
“Someone dressed similarly… Hmm, now that you’ve mentioned it, I’ve seen someone like that a few times over the past few days. That person seemed to be catching drunks or pick-pockets. Normally, that’s our job.”
“Yeah, it’s fine if they’re helping with the pick-pockets, but I wish they wouldn’t rile up the onlookers afterward. Because of that, new disturbances arose, and similar incidents happened in various places. We had to allocate personnel to quell them. As a result, it would’ve been less chaotic and less work if we had just handled all the things he did from the start.”
Despite his composure during his explanation, fatigue was clearly visible on his face. He must have been running around a lot these past few days. If I were to steer the conversation the wrong way, I would probably get into hot water. The other knight, the one who was undoubtedly popular, probably had plans that got disrupted, too. Raven must be having a hard time as well. It was only a while ago that he started dating Happiness, so these disruptions would probably put a damper on their time together.
“I see, so that person’s actions have been affecting so many people.” [Cecilia]
Cecily had a complicated look on her face. She was probably debating if she should apologize to him, or give him a good talking to if we found him.
“Are you two acquaintances with the one who calls himself the Steel Arms of Azure Flame?”
“Of course not. We’re just looking for him due to certain circumstances. So, have you seen him today?” [Youki]
“We haven’t seen him in the area we’re patrolling.”
“That’s right. Over the past few days, we’ve seen him multiple times a day, but strangely, we haven’t seen him at all today.”
“It’s possible that he simply hasn’t appeared in our assigned area.”
“Yes. If there’s another disturbance in another area and additional personnel are needed, the headquarters would send reinforcements. It might be that we haven’t received any updates yet.”
Based on their explanations, it would be a better idea to head to the knight’s headquarters directly to see if they have any information. At the very least, it would be more efficient than asking every knight on patrol.
“I see. Sorry to have taken up your time. Let’s go, Cecily.” [Youki]
“…Understood.” [Cecilia]
We parted ways with them and headed towards our next destination.
“So, where’re we going?” [Cecilia]
“Ah, to the knight’s headquarters. I’ll get the information directly from Raven. He’s probably the one in charge.” [Youki]
“We’re going to see Raven-san? Then I need to change clothes. If we visit dressed like this, we might not even get a proper reception.” [Cecilia]
“…What?” [Youki]
“Isn’t it obvious? Raven-san doesn’t know that you are the Magic Knight of Black Lightning. Explaining the situation to him would take much longer than just changing and meeting him in person.” [Cecilia]
I couldn’t argue with Cecily’s perfectly reasonable point. It seemed that my brief stint as Magic Knight of Black Lightning had come to an end. I was originally planning to lure the Steel Arms of Azure Flame out with my chuunibyou aura, but my attempt yielded no result. In addition, I could constantly feel cold stares directed at me. It was probably because the Steel Arms of Azure Flame had been causing such a commotion. I couldn’t afford to be associated with the likes of him.
When I find him, I’ll make sure to settle the score. Until then, he’d better watch out.
“My declaration is over. Let’s get changed!” [Youki]
“Declaration? What kind of declaration was that?” [Cecilia]
I ignored her remark intentionally and carried Cecilia to a secluded place.
The old church we used before is now under renovation, so where should we change?
“Magic Swordsman-san, couldn’t we have found a better way to move around?” [Cecilia]
I was running across the rooftops while carrying her in my arms. The moment we were out of sight, I used ‘Vanishing Wave’ to make our presence vanish, so there was no risk of causing a commotion.
“Isn’t this our usual way? Also, if you talk at the wrong time, you might bite your tongue.” [Youki]
“I don’t think it’s good to make this our usual way…” [Cecilia]
“Is the way I’m carrying you the problem?” [Youki]
“Just forget it… Let’s hurry up and get changed.” [Cecilia]
There was a look of resignation on her face when she said that. I decided that I would try a different approach if there were a next time.
“All right, I’ve found an abandoned house that doesn’t seem to be in use.” [Youki]
I could tell there was no one inside from my strengthened sense of smell and hearing. In addition, it was located quite a distance from the other buildings as well, making it the perfect place for us to change. After entering the house in a haste, I set down Cecilia.
“I’ll stay on guard, so you can change without worry. Well, I’ll probably finish changing fast, so I’ll keep watch near the entrance.” [Youki]
“We’re completely trespassing. I’ll go change quickly.” [Cecilia]
I changed out of my outfit on the first floor, while Cecilia used a room on the second floor. Unlike a certain lucky-lewd hero, nothing happened while we were changing. If it were him, it would probably develop into a romantic comedy scenario. As those thoughts crossed my mind, I began removing my helmet and outfit.
And then, about ten minutes later…
“I warned you that you’d regret it.” [Cecilia]
When Cecilia came downstairs, she found me rolling on the floor in embarrassment.
“Please don’t rub salt in the wound. Just give me five minutes, just five minutes, and I’ll be back to normal.” [Youki]
“You said something about that earlier, didn’t you? And you even expressed it boldly.” [Cecilia]
“Is there any way to treat this?” [Youki]
“Unfortunately, I don’t have anything that could help.” [Cecilia]
I knew the answer all along, but I still ask despite it. However, even knowing that it was my own fault, I still desperately seek some kind of comfort.
“Cecilia –no, Holy Maiden, please save this wretched soul…” [Youki]
“…Honestly, there’s no helping you, is there?” [Cecilia]
Cecilia seemed willing to help, albeit reluctantly. She crouched down in front of me as I sat on the floor. Then, she suddenly clasped my hand, giving me a jolt. Wait, what was she planning to do? My heart started pounding for a different reason, and while my mind began anticipating what would happen, I swallowed nervously. As her face drew closer…
“Get a grip!” [Cecilia]
She ended up giving me a reality check. All I could do was respond with a nervous, “Yes…” as I fidgeted.
RinkageTranslation 
Thank you!
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