CH 78.1

78.1  Monologue of A Certain Capture Target -Green-

“It really is a cat have~n,” Oriana said, delighted as she brushed one of the cat’s heads.

The place was just as she said. When taking a closer look at the interior of the store from the atrium, the place was indeed filled with cats, which made the guest relax upon sight. Even the atmosphere in the store was really relaxing.

Now I understand why it became a hit amongst the citizens.

Good grief, just what in the world was inside Theodore’s head to be able to come up with the idea of creating this kind of store? Well, I knew he made this cafe for Miss Muriel, but… honestly, I couldn’t fathom myself ever coming up with this kind of idea at all.

So, seriously, just what in the world was his head filled with? Could it be that he still had many ideas like this one?

“Yeah, I honestly feel defeated.”

“Although I don’t know why you come to such an outcome, don’t you think you’re underestimating your own tale~nt?

“Ri~ght,” Oriana cooed to the cat before her. “You’re the one who made the necklace for them, right, Luke-sama~? It’s thanks to this necklace that I can fluff them like thi~s without wo~rry. So, I’m really happy.”

“Sure, the magic tool is made by Bates-san and I, but the idea came from Theodore. Geez, sometimes I wonder, just how in the world was he able to get this idea? It is simple yet very useful.”

“Fufufu, it seems that is the result of him not thinking about anything difficult, thus coming up with a simple yet wonderful idea. I heard that he asked the doctor to castrate the cat in order to prevent their number from increasing exponentially.”

“And that too. Where did that idea come from? It’s simply too wicked.”

“Is i~t? But he seems to know various things too~,” Oriana said as she looked at me. “I mean, he never holds back at all when he expresses his love to Muriel-sama~. Really, I envy her so~ much.”

H-here it comes. A sudden ambush. Her eyes are looking at me as if she expects something… Dammit. This must be Theodore’s fault! Damn you Theodore~!

“Moreover, he seems to have caused another miracle~.”

Indeed, what she said was correct. That guy created another miracle during his engagement ceremony with Miss Muriel. A miracle that Bates-san, Miss Oriana’s father, and my father witnessed with their very own eyes.

Dammit. Had I known that, I should have just risked being scolded by Mother and gone there at that time. And Father and the others too, since they seemed to have taken a detour from their usual route toward their office to slip into the ceremony, they should have at the very least invited me as well. Dammit those dirty playing adults. Though, Father did get scolded by Mother when the latter heard about this matter, so there’s that I suppose.

“Uncle Bates and my dear Father, who went there and saw the miracle, both got severely scolded by my dear Mother that night. She said they’re being too rude for intruding the ceremony despite not receiving an invitation at all. Furthermore, when my dearest overly excited Father regale the story to her – one of which she took with a grain of salt – her wrath shot through the roof. Thus, right now, my dear Father is banned from doing any research and being detained in our home.”

Ah, I see. Normally, Oriana’s mother was a bright and cheerful woman, but when she became angry … She was extremely terrifying.

“But then, my father secretly broke out and ran to the magic tool distri~ct. He’s always brought back forcibly every time he does so thou~gh.”

… Maybe it was a good thing that I didn’t come with them. I mean, my own mother would surely forbid me from leaving our home as well.

“But still, seeing the miracle personally is worth the ri~sk.”

That was only natural! I also wanted to see it too. After all, Father looked really excited when he came back. In fact, even though he usually had a frown on his face, after that miracle he only had smiles on his face.

He didn’t tell me the details, but Father asked me about the situation of my magical power. My answer to that question was nothing. I mean, it took me an entire month to be able to see magical power, and honestly speaking, they all looked the same in my eyes! However, when I tried to ask my father for more explanation, all I got was:

“That’s normal. But it seems you have a huge reserve of magical power. Perhaps even bigger than mine…. With more training, being the best magician in the kingdom isn’t a pipe dream I suppose.”

Before he then eloquently said, “But maybe you won’t be able to reach that magical power’s state. To be exact, it’s impossible for both you and me to reach that state― Now listen, don’t force yourself to do the same thing as him. You have your own way, while he has his own. He just happens to find it faster than you, that’s all. THAT is an exception amongst exceptions. Thus, just ignore those noisy opinions and find your own way.”

I honestly did not understand half of the things he said to me, but I guess the ‘THAT’ he referred to was aimed at Theodore.

That one I somehow understood. That guy was different from us. Although I don’t exactly know what made him different, I could somehow feel it. He was different. He could read ancient letters — something that caused me to wonder where he gained such knowledge from.

And that came from me who read a lot of books. He was able to easily wield knowledge that didn’t exist in the National Library or my father’s library, yet he had zero knowledge about magic tools jargon. Still, despite his lack of magic tools jargon, he knew how to explain their function when he came to ask my help to create a magic tool.

So, from what Father revealed, it seems that THAT GUY was special even from his perspective, huh. It was vexing, but I had no choice but to admit it. I lacked that kind of knowledge and ingenuity he had. That’s why I tried desperately to learn from him.

Fortunately, that guy was kind of an idiot. He wasn’t petty in regard to sharing his knowledge with others, so I could learn. Still, if it was me, I wouldn’t recklessly tell others about that kind of knowledge like that. As if it was common knowledge people ought to know!

Then again, if he wanted to act like that, then fine. I would pretend to know it. I would do anything to learn everything he knew after all.

“Oh my~, what a wonderful smile you got there~. You must be thinking of something really bad, ri~ght?”

“You bet. By the way, what do you think about the saint? Do you want to become her attendant?”

“E~h? Me~? What should I do~? When I look at Katrina-sama… well, she’s wa~y too forma~l. Plus, becoming an attendant seems like a cho~re. I rather remains as bystande~r.”

“Thank God. I really can’t express my love like Theodore did after all.”

The moment that remark slipped out of my mouth, Oriana’s expression changed and she puffed her cheeks. Eh?

“I see~. Sure enough, I’m inappropriate as Luke-sama’s fiancee~.”

How come it comes to tha~t?!

“EH? NO! How come—? What I want to say is— I can’t create a miracle in the same way as him! Look, you have to express your love to the saint in your own way, right? I respect Miss Katrina, but I really can’t see myself expressing my love to her. I mean, look, it’s kinda rude of me to express love to the saint when I have you as my fiancee, right? That’s why, I would rather stop being the descendant of the Six Gods than having to confess to Miss Katri— Eh? Wait a minute, is that why the miracle happened? And it happened even though the one that Theodore loves is… Miss Muriel?”

Honestly, I had yet to fully understand. Those words of true love were an absolute necessity to activate the Saint’s Ornaments. If that was the case, then could it be that the saint wasn’t Miss Katrina, but Miss Muriel all along? But wait, if that was really the case, then what about Miss Katrina’s prediction? She was regarded as the saint precisely because of her prediction, right?

“Fufu.”

“Is something the matter?”

What was happening here? How did Oriana’s bad mood resolve itself?

“Even if I don’t wish to become Saint-sama’s attendant, I have no intention to give up on you, Luke-sama. I mean, I know just how much effort you pu~t. I think, if we compare the trouble of staying by that person’s side, it means nothing if you can stay as you are, Luke-sama~. Moreover, Luke-sama is the best when it comes to magic to~ol. Even if Luke-sama mimicked Theodore-sama’s way, in my opinion, the result will be much bette~r. I can guarantee tha~t.”

When she said that, with a bright smile on her face to boot, I felt extremely embarrassed. But, yeah, she got a point there. I was confident of my ability when it comes to magic tools.

“And it turned out, I’m ri~ght, am I not? Isn’t that why he comes to you when he needs your help to create this choker? It’s proof of his trust in your ability, Luke-sama~,” Oriana added while patting the head of the cat on her lap.

She was right.

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“Bumi~.” Before I knew it, a fat cat was purring right by my side. The cat raised his right foreleg and patted my lap, as if he was saying, “Do your best, Young Man!”

“Thanks, Oriana. I’ll do my best.”