After chatting with Sieg-san for a while, I made my way down the hallway again.
It was still dark outside—it was 5 AM now… I headed toward Lilia-san’s office, where she must have been up all night. When I arrived at her door, I took a deep breath before knocking and announcing my name.
After hearing Lilia-san’s voice telling me to enter, I stepped inside.
[Good morning, Lilia-san.]
[Good morning… What’s the matter? Isn’t it still early?]
As soon as I entered, I noticed the large desk where Lilia-san was writing what looked like a letter. Upon seeing me, she paused for a moment and returned my greeting with a smile.
I could see some fatigue on her face, likely from staying up all night. However, as a former member of the Knight Order, her physical endurance was on a different level than mine. Despite the tiredness, she appeared much more energetic than I had expected.
[No, I just woke up early… Lilia-san, you really stayed up all night, huh?]
[Yes, I can’t afford to slack off with this much to handle.]
[…Somehow, I feel sorry about that.]
[You don’t need to apologize. I may have said something like that yesterday, but in truth, I’m grateful to you, Kaito-san.]
Since I’m partially responsible for Lilia-san being buried in this mountain of letters, I felt a bit guilty and apologized. But instead of an expression of annoyance, Lilia-san returned my apology with words of gratitude.
I tilted my head, surprised by the unexpected response, and Lilia-san gave me a wry smile before explaining.
Although Lilia-san had once been a princess, she had been away from the social scene for quite some time while serving in the Knight Order. Because of that, after acquiring her peerage… it seems she struggled to make the necessary connections.
Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, she suddenly became the center of attention. While it may be difficult for her, it also served as a lifeline, pulling her out of her previous troubles.
She explained that, given the current situation—where she was believed to have strong ties to both the Demon Realm and the God Realm—this was an opportunity for her to secure a very advantageous position in relation to the other nobles, and she was genuinely grateful for that.
[……Even if I were the head of my family, I’d still consider myself quite inexperienced in that role. I’m really grateful for this opportunity I’ve received… However, since I’m taking advantage of Kaito-san’s friendship for my own reasons, I almost feel like I should apologize to you instead.]
[Errr, I didn’t really do anything special, so……]
[I knew you’d say that… But at the very least, please allow me to express my gratitude. Thank you so much, Kaito-san.]
[Ah, no, errr, you’re welcome?]
[Fufufu, well, I really mean it when I say this is a bit much for my heart, so I’d prefer if you didn’t do this again next time.]
Lilia-san’s gentle smile as she thanked me, combined with her beautiful appearance, radiated a kind of captivating charm.
After exchanging a few words, I remembered the original purpose of my visit and spoke again.
[Ah, that’s right. Lilia-san, Sieg-san… Sieglinde-san has brewed me a cup from the tea that the Goddess gave me earlier. I know you’re tired from writing letters all night—would you like some?]
[Eh? Would it be alright?]
[Yes, of course.]
[……Thank you very much. I am a bit tired, so I think I should take a break.]
Yes, the reason I came to visit her was to bring Lilia-san a cup of tea. Since time doesn’t pass for the items I store in my Magic Box, I brought along the entire pot of tea that Sieg-san made for me.
No matter how well she hid it, the signs of fatigue were still visible on Lilia-san’s face. She’s a diligent person, and I’m sure she hadn’t had much of a break in the middle of her work, so if possible, I wanted to offer her a moment to relax.
Perhaps sensing my intentions, Lilia-san set down the pen in her hand, bowed to me, and began tidying up her desk a bit.
Once there was enough space, I took out the pot and a cup from the Magic Box, placing the tea and the cookies Sieg-san shared with me in front of Lilia-san.
[It smells wonderful, doesn’t it?]
[Yes, Sieg-san mentioned that it’s a tea that can only be found in the God Realm.]
I decided to leave out the fact that it’s apparently a super high-class product and simply mentioned that it’s a rare tea for now.
Lilia-san brought the cup to her lips, savoring the aroma of the tea, and after a moment, her eyes widened slightly in surprise.
[……It’s wonderful. I’ve never had tea as tasty as this.]
[The tea seems to be of good quality, and Sieg-san was quite skillful in brewing it.]
[Speaking of which, Sieg praised Kaito-san earlier.]
[Eh? Is that so?]
[Yes, she mentioned that if you need an escort next time, she’d like to be the one in charge…]
[……Well, I’m honestly quite grateful for that.]
As Lilia-san took a break, we exchanged some light conversation for a while. Not wanting to be a hindrance after having touched some of the papers on the desk, we eventually left the room and found a more suitable spot to enjoy our tea.
I can’t say for sure, though it might just be a hunch, but I still get the feeling that Lilia-san is also tired.
If you think about it, something unusual happened right when she took charge of summoning the heroes for the first time in decades, and on top of that, she’s been facing one strange situation after another recently.
From our perspective, Lilia-san is a knowledgeable and reliable authority figure, but if you strip away the fact that she’s from another world and part of the nobility, she’s only a year older than me… She’s not some being beyond human understanding, nor is she a superwoman who defies common sense. In terms of personality, she’s probably the type to keep her painful thoughts to herself, which is a little concerning.
I wish I could help her, but I’m not sure how, given that I still lack a solid understanding of the common sense in this world. I feel useless…
As I was lost in thought, I suddenly glanced out the window leading to the outside corridor, and, almost instinctively, an idea came to mind.
—It’s going to rain by noon.
I’m not sure why I thought that. The sky, as the sun begins to rise, looks like a normal, sunny day, yet for some reason… a feeling of near certainty settles in my mind.
But in the end, I can’t quite place what that feeling is, so I push it aside and return to my room.
[It’s true that Lilia-chan seems like a serious person, and she might be the type to bottle up her fatigue.]
[Yeah, so do you have any ideas on how to help her vent?]
As noon approached, I asked Kuro, who was lounging on the sofa in my room, absentmindedly moving her legs, about Lilia-san.
A day had passed since she visited the mansion, and Kuro had started showing up around noon as well. To be honest, I’ve gotten used to her sudden appearances, so I didn’t even feel the need to make a tsukkomi.
[Hmmm, let’s see~~ How about going out for a change of pace? Maybe a festival or something like that could work.]
[A festival? Is there a place hosting one around this time of year?]
As I eat my baby castella, I think over the words Kuro suggested to me.
Indeed, a change of pace sounds like a good idea. Lilia-san, in particular, has been keeping a close eye on us lately, so she hasn’t had much chance to go out and have some fun.
But would there even be a festival nearby?
As I pondered this, I asked Kuro, and after a moment of surprise, she clapped her hands as if something had clicked.
[Ah, I see. I must not have mentioned this. During the Festival of Heroes, besides the main event held in the City of Friendship, Hikari, there are many other festivals held throughout the year here and there. If you include the ones in the Demon Realm, God Realm, and the smaller village festivals, it’s like there’s a festival every day somewhere.]
[Heehhhh… I see. In that case, maybe I should suggest it to her…]
[Unn, unnn. If it’s a festival in the Demon Realm, and I’m free, I’ll show you around~]
[That’s reassuring to hear. Then, I’ll be counting on you when the time comes.]
This may not have been entirely my own decision, but thanks to her good suggestion, it should be easier to discuss things with her.
What’s more, this could even be considered a bit of cultural sightseeing for us, so I feel like Lilia-san is more likely to take us up on the suggestion. Once again, I realize how effective this idea really was.
First, though, we need to find out what kind of festivals are taking place this time of year, so I’ll have to ask Lunamaria-san about that.
[Hmm? Looks like it’s raining, huh~~]
[……Eh?]
As I was thinking about what to do next, Kuro muttered while gazing out the window. The sky, which had been clear not long ago, was now overcast, and I saw a small drop of water—rain—hit the window.
Just as I thought earlier this morning, is it really raining? This might be too much of a coincidence…
When I saw the rain begin to fall, just as I had instinctively expected it to in the early morning, the question I had pushed to the back of my mind resurfaced, and at the same time, another thought entered my head.
—The rain stops at night.
It happened again… I don’t know why these thoughts keep coming to me, but there’s this lingering sense of near certainty that accompanies them. What is this…?
[Arehh? Kaito-kun… It seems like you can finally release your “magic power,” huh.]
[…Eh?]
[Yeah, I’m sure. It’s not just a faint feeling—you looked like you were completely surrounded by magic. It seems like you’re finally ready to use it.]
Dear Mom, Dad—I’ve felt some strange intuition since early in the morning. It appears that inside of me—It seems like my magic power has awakened.