Chapter 56

“Oh my…!”

Celine covered her mouth with both hands as her eyes sparkled.

“…”

Squeeze.

Feeling overwhelmed by the intense sparkle in her eyes, I tightly clutched the hem of the nun’s habit and avoided her gaze. But her eyes stubbornly held onto me, refusing to let go.

Sneak—

Only after I hid behind Joanie was I finally able to free myself from her penetrating gaze.

“What an adorable little sister! Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you joined the Edel Church just as you are?”

“Ah, no way…! Kana decided to travel with me!”

“Oh my, you can still travel even as a sister.”

“…But if you become a sister, you have to wear the nun’s habit all the time, right?”

“You can dress comfortably when you’re resting, but when you’re active, yes, you have to.”

“Then it’s still a no. I can’t deny that Kana looks adorable in the nun’s habit. But it would be a waste to limit Kana to just one type of clothing.”

“I see… If that’s the reason, then I suppose it can’t be helped.”

I could assure you that whatever the two of them were talking about would be of no benefit to my mental health if I listened.

So, instead of trying to understand their conversation, I just kept fiddling with the hem of the nun’s habit.

I’ve never worn anything like this before…. S~eaʀᴄh the Nôvel(F)ire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

I mean, I’ve never worn something that’s meant exclusively for women.

…Why does it have a slit on the side of the skirt?

If there’s a slit, then what’s the point of having a long skirt?

Complaining about it wouldn’t change the fact that I was wearing this outfit, but if I didn’t at least grumble a bit, I felt like I’d lose my mind.

“Don’t worry. It suits you.”

“…I’m not worried.”

I never wanted it to suit me in the first place.

I felt sorry for Joanie, who was clearly excited to enjoy the festival, but I needed to finish my business here as quickly as possible and leave.

I tugged at Joanie’s arm.

“Huh? What’s up?”

“Pass on a message for me.”

“A message? Oh, to Celine?”

“Yeah.”

After hearing what I said, Joanie flashed a mischievous smile.

“Say, ‘Please, big sis~,’ and I’ll do it for you!”

“…”

So the translator I brought along for this kind of situation broke down.

Facing an unexpected obstacle, I tilted my head in confusion.

Uhm… What should I do?

As I pondered, a memory from the past came to mind.

‘Oh no…’

‘What’s wrong?’

‘Oh, Vice-Captain. As you can see, the magic device is broken. If we continue like this, the mission will be impossible to proceed with… Should we retreat?’

‘Move aside.’

‘Excuse me? What are you… No, Captain! That’s an expensive item! You can’t just touch it recklessly!’

‘You said it was broken anyway.’

‘But hitting it like that…! Maybe a technician could’ve fixed it, but if you keep pounding on it….’

‘…Just fixing it.’

‘How is that fixing?! You’re breaking—’

‘There, it’s done.’

‘…What the…? How is it working again? It shouldn’t be possible…’

‘If it’s broken, just hit it.’

—That’s right, that’s what happened.

The reason I remembered that incident was probably because I was meant to use the lesson I learned from it now.

Yeah. That must be it.

“W-Wait! Let’s just talk this out!”

One thing’s for sure, her ability to sense danger is unparalleled.

I hadn’t even raised my fist yet, but Joanie had already sensed my murderous intent and fled like a ghost was chasing her.

Pretending to be disappointed, I looked away and nonchalantly asked.

“Why did you suddenly run away?”

“…Don’t act so innocent! I clearly felt it! That murderous intent from Kana…!”

“It’s just your imagination.”

Even if I wasn’t particularly observant, there’s no way I’d commit murder over something like this in the heart of the Holy Kingdom.

“…Where am I supposed to start with that?”

‘Over something like this’? Or maybe the part where I said ‘in the Holy Kingdom’?

Joanie muttered quietly to herself.

“Ugh, forget it! So, what’s this message you wanted to pass on?”

“Oh, it’s fixed.”

“Huh? Fixed? What’s fixed?”

“It’s nothing. Just ask if I can use a private prayer room.”

“A private prayer room?”

I nodded.

“Yes.”

Given the time and content, using a private prayer room would be better than the public chapel, where others could see and hear. Of course, there was no guarantee that Edel would answer my question… But if that’s the case, there’s nothing I can do about it.

“Is Kana really that devout…?”

Although she murmured skeptically, Joanie relayed my message to Celine.

Celine, who listened intently, responded with a serious expression.

“It’s usually only open to church members… but I’ll see if I can make an exception.”

Joanie imitated Celine’s tone as she delivered the response.

Hmm, was that too much to ask for?

Feeling a bit guilty, I glanced at Celine, only to be met with the same serene smile I’d seen for the past few days.

I couldn’t tell if she wasn’t troubled at all or if she was just hiding it well.

Unable to gauge her true feelings, I simply lowered my head and expressed my gratitude.

“Thank, you.”

“Thank you, yea.”

“Thank… you?”

“Haha, it’s nothing. But first….”

Celine laughed and waved her hand, then pointed to one side.

“Shall we have a meal first?”

***

“Mmm~! This is delicious…!”

“Is it to your taste?”

“To my taste, you say.”

Joanie put down her fork in response to Celine’s question.

Then, with raised eyebrows and a serious expression, she declared:

“Who could possibly say no to such exquisite food?”

Celine’s mood lifted as she laughed at Joanie’s playful comment.

“I was worried it might not suit your palate, but I’m relieved.”

“Not only did you provide us with a place to stay, but you’re also treating us to such a fine meal… I feel like I’m indebted to you.”

“As I mentioned before, the favor you two have done for me is far greater, so please don’t worry about it. If anything, I feel sorry that this is all I can offer.”

“What do you mean, ‘all’? If it weren’t for Celine, Kana and I might have ended up huddled together on the cold, hard ground for the night… Although, when I think about it, that doesn’t sound so bad either, does it?”

Joanie trailed off mid-sentence, lost in thought.

Kana watched her with a look of pity as she munched on a piece of bread.

“Judging by the fact that she’s eating without complaint, it must be to Kana’s taste as well. You might not know it, but she’s actually quite picky.”

“Oh, really?”

“Don’t get me started. She has the palate of a child and won’t even touch vegetables. Do you know what she said last time? She said—”

With her mouth running, Joanie went on and on.

How much Kana disliked vegetables, how much she loved sweet things.

After listening to Joanie’s lengthy lecture on Kana’s tastes, Celine’s reaction was simple.

“She’s adorable.”

“Eh—?”

“Don’t you think she’s cute?”

“…Well, if you put it that way, she is kind of cute.”

Whether it’s the way she pouts at the sight of vegetables or the way she loses her mind over chocolates.

The gap between her usual demeanor and these reactions only accentuates her cuteness further…

Joanie reluctantly agreed with Celine’s words but couldn’t hide her disappointment at not getting the reaction she wanted.

Celine looked at Kana with warm eyes.

“I know how you feel, Joanie. You’re worried about Kana’s health, right?”

“Well, that’s not exactly—”

Who’s worried about whom? There are others to be concerned about, not me.

Joanie was about to deny it jokingly, but Celine’s next words came faster.

“We have children we take care of who are like that too. At first, I worried about them just as much as you do, but with time, they naturally overcame it. I’m sure Kana will be the same.”

“R-right….”

Joanie broke out in a cold sweat at the unexpectedly serious response.

“That child over there, staring at us, was one of them too.”

“Celine…!”

A young nun, who had been sneaking glances at Joanie’s group from a nearby table, blushed deeply and ran off when Joanie looked her way.

Watching her with a gentle smile, Celine turned back.

“So, don’t worry.”

“Hmm…”

It’ll improve over time, huh.

Joanie mulled over Celine’s words and looked at Kana.

Her expression was the same as always.

But Joanie noticed it clearly.

‘The angle of her eyebrows has risen by about one degree, and her lips are slightly more pouted.’

And when she brings food to her mouth, unlike when she eats meat, there’s a very brief pause before she eats.

Putting it all together, Joanie came to the conclusion that Kana was currently displeased…!

It was a conclusion drawn from Joanie’s near-obsessive level of observational skills, which only activated when it came to Kana.

Brrr—

“…?”

Kana shuddered slightly and looked around, seemingly sensing something off. Unable to find anything, she soon returned to eating.

Joanie, anxious about her thoughts being exposed, finally let out a sigh of relief.

“I hope so.”

Though, judging by how much she dislikes it, I’m not so sure…

Crunch.

Joanie swallowed her words along with the vegetables instead of voicing them.

“By the way, about what Kana asked for earlier. I found a solution.”

“What? Already?”

It was good, but wasn’t this too quick?

Thinking so, Joanie relayed the news to Kana.

“But, I’m not sure if Kana will like it…”

Celine’s gaze shifted to Kana.

More precisely, on the nun’s habit Kana was wearing.

“What’s going on?”

“Well—”

Celine hesitated, unable to speak freely.

Growing frustrated, Joanie urged her to continue until she finally heard the answer.

Upon hearing Celine’s ‘solution,’ Joanie’s thoughts were:

“…Will she accept that?”

“I’m not sure…”

No one could say for certain.

Kana, who had no idea what they were talking about, tilted her head in confusion.