Chapter 5 - The Favour of the Gods

Ever since the Gods’ commentary began, my Liselotte has been unbearably cute.

“Even if you are my fiancée, could I ask you to refrain from touching me so casually in public?”

『She’s putting on that grumpy face even though she’s not actually that upset! Oh, why can’t she just be honest with herself…!?』

『She is a tsundere, after all. When her embarrassment levels exceed a certain threshold, she explodes in anger. However, she’s really thinking that she wouldn’t mind that sort of thing if it were in a less public place.』

The day after the trouble in the courtyard, we met in the cafeteria at lunchtime.

Liselotte had said that coldly as she passed by me, but because of the words of the Gods in my ear, all I could do was desperately struggle to suppress a smirk.

It’s true that if I looked closely, her expression was much closer to embarrassment than hatred.

“So what you’re really saying is that you wouldn’t mind if it were only the two of us, right?”

When I asked her that with a grin, Liselotte turned a lovely shade of red again as she clammed up.

『Oooh, this is a critical situation! Liselotte has turned completely red and can’t say a wooooord!』

『As expected of Sieg. Although, it’s such a shame that, considering the atmosphere between Sieg and Liselotte, Finne-chan always has to be involved.』

As I heard Coebayashay’s words I turned my head around and saw that Finne was definitely sitting near us. But just what did the Goddess mean about Finne’s consistent involvement?

『Uhnnn, I wish we could play as Liselotte instead… Actually, if I really were a Goddess, I’d fill up Rize-tan’s 【Favour]rating with… Oh!?』

In the middle of Coebayashay’s monologue, a pillar of light struck down from the sky like a lightning bolt, heading straight towards Liselotte.

“Kyaaaa….!?”

A soft and warm light glittered brilliantly as it completely enveloped Liselotte as she screamed.

Her blonde hair and pale skin were bathed in divine light for a few seconds before the light faded away.

“Huh… What… Huh…?”

Liselotte looked at herself in a state of complete confusion.

This was the cafeteria where all of the school’s students gathered to eat lunch.

So, with everyone’s eyes on Liselotte, who had just been involved in what could only be described as a miracle, it didn’t take long for people to get riled up.

Standing up on the table, I raised my voice above the crowd.

“Just now, the venerable Goddess Coebayashay has bestowed her 【Favour]upon Liselotte!”

… I think.

I myself didn’t really understand what was going on, but I needed to say something in order to quell the unrest in the room since it could get out of hand very quickly.

No, I’m sure that’s what happened.

I think that’s what happened.

I wonder if that’s what happened…?

『Wow… The camera moved really close to Liselotte just now! This… Does this mean I’ve actually given my【Favour]to Rize-tan? Maybe that’s why Rize-tan was sparkling like that before!』

As I was anxiously pondering that, I heard the Goddess Coebayashay joyous outcry. I suppose that was it, then.

If the Goddess herself declared so, then I had no choice but to take it as the gospel truth.

“I-I have been… favoured…?”

Liselotte said that as she trembled slightly in excitement, opening and closing her palms in wonder.

The Gods who watch over our world from a higher plane rarely bestow their favour upon mortals in such a way.

It is said that my—or rather my family’s— ability to hear the voices of the Gods exists because a certain Goddess bestowed her favour upon one of my ancestors.

All of the recorded mortals in both my country and others that had been blessed by the Gods ended up developing some sort of unique power.

I didn’t know what sort of power Liselotte has been bestowed with, but it might be safe to assume that her magical abilities had been enhanced.

“As expected of Lady Liselotte…! What a blessing that the future Mother of the Nation has been blessed with the favour of the Gods!”

One of Liselotte’s friends cried that with a voice full of emotion and tears welling up in her eyes. She was vigorously clapping.

It didn’t take long for clapping to spread through the dining room, becoming awfully loud.

Liselotte, the cause of the thunderous applause, managed to elegantly curtsey with a beautiful smile, despite how flushed her face was.

『The words ‘Mother of the Nation’ made Liselotte blush! They already see her as the wife of the Crown Prince.』

Eh? Is that really true?

I quickly clasped a hand over my mouth, as it had almost blasphemously questioned the divine words of the great Endow.

『By the way, I gave my favour to Liselotte, but can you do anything like that, Endo-kun?』

Coebayashay returned to her regularly calm and serene voice when she asked that.

『Yeah, that’s right. Let’s see if I can do anything! Baldur! I want to give that guy my protection!』

Thus Endow declared. A pillar of light immediately shined down from the sky towards Baldur Riefenstahl, who was standing a little ways away from me.

It was sharper and more well defined than the soft glowing light that Coebayashay had called down, slamming into Baldur and then seeping into him in an instant.

“Wha…!? Why… Why am I…?”

The man, who had no idea what was happening, was Liselotte’s relative.

He was one of the noble sons born to a branch family of the Riefenstahl house and was already serving as an apprentice Knight despite only being in his second year of schooling at the Academy.

The man, whose blonde, cropped hair and blue eyes were both slightly darker shades than Liselotte’s, was usually very calm and mild-mannered, but not even he could hide his shock at the sudden development.

『Eh, you seriously gave it to Baldur? Endo-kun, do you actually like Baru?』

『Like… No, it’s cause, y’know, he’s number two on the fatality list, right? So, I strengthened him, right? If I can do at least that much, then I should, right?』

『Uh huuuh.』

Coebayashay and Endow’s divine commentary was so lofty that I couldn’t comprehend much of it.

『Ah, right, Sieg, Baldur is destined to die protecting Finne from a terrible danger, so Endo-kun bestowed him with the strength to overcome it. Therefore, can you tell Baldur to stay close to Finne-chan and keep her safe from now on?』

As I did my best to make heads and tails of their conversation, Coebayashay gave me a divine commandment.

“Baldur, the God Endow has bestowed his favour upon you as well.”

After receiving the will of the Gods, I walked over to Baldur to tell him that, but he still looked confused.

“Just, why me…? Was it for the same purpose as Liese?”

Since Baldur and Liselotte had grown up with one another like siblings, he called her a nickname that not even I, her fiancée, could call her.

I was surprised by the wave of jealousy that washed over me for a brief moment, but I shook my head and spoke again.

“Baldur, Miss Finne will face a crisis of grave danger sometime in the future. Protect her. A God has decreed that he has granted you power for such a purpose. Make sure to always be by her side as much as you can.”

When I told him that, choosing my words carefully to make its importance as an obligation to a higher power known, colour returned to his face.

“Since Miss Finne will face a great foe in the future, I have been entrusted with her protection… So for the sake of protecting Finne, I was given power, and similarly, to protect Your Highness, Liselotte has also gained the favour of the Goddess?”

I wanted to ask exactly how he had gotten the impression that the last part of what he said was the case, but considering how grave the situation was, I just nodded without saying anything.

『I mean that being said, Finne is still basically a gorilla, right…!?』

『Well, even if he doesn’t need to really protect her from much, this should still be a nice pairing.』

I couldn’t help but admire the willpower I demonstrated by maintaining a straight face at Endow’s sudden words.

Finne is a gorilla.

At first glance, those words seemed horribly misplaced in describing her, since she gave off the impression of a small and sweet young girl, but once you realized her strength, Finne really was as intimidating as a gorilla.

Ever since the entrance examinations, Finne had easily been the best of all the first years, all of whom, Liselotte included, had been practising and studying magic for far longer than she had. More than that, even though I was the strongest amongst the third year students, I couldn’t defeat her either. I doubt Baldur could beat her; she’s just completely dominant when it came to combat magic.

Honestly, her combat ability was so extraordinary that I wondered if any of the knights directly under the command of the royal family would be able to hold a candle to her prowess.

Although, arguably the most surprising part of all that was just how poor her performance was in theory classes compared to practical skills.

“On the honour of the Riefenstahl family name, for the sake of the Royal Family, the nation and Your Highness, we solemnly swear to use this power only for noble causes.”

Saying that together, Liselotte and Baldur who had both received the favour of the Gods bowed their heads to me.

Since the House of Riefensthal was renowned for the military accomplishments of their ancestors, I knew that they were very serious.

Since it was that kind of house, both of them came from an excellent lineage. Baldur was nearly two meters tall, and Liselotte was also quite tall for a girl.

She had a beautifully straight back, with nimble and long arms and legs. That said, she seemed a little bit self-conscious about her height.

I can’t tell exactly how tall she is, but when she was wearing her high heeled shoes she must have been around 180 centimetres, if not a little shorter. I hadn’t really thought about it until now, but that body shape of hers really is beautiful… However…

“Baldur aside, being protected by Liselotte is a little bit frustrating…”

Because of the loud cheers that rang through the dining hall congratulating the two who had received the favour of the Gods and me, who had received their oaths of loyalty, no one heard me mutter that under my breath.

I guess there’s little I can do but train some more.