CH 67

“Oh? Did that really happen?”

“Yes. I never expected to be suddenly proposed to like that either.”

During the lunch break after the long weekend, Kanata and Maria were having lunch together.

Alphana was taking a break for a few days to prepare for the Harvest Festival, so Kanata and Maria were likely to spend some time together like this for a while.

As it had been a few days since they last saw each other, they talked about what they had been doing during that time. Maria mentioned that she had been proposed to by the leader of White Fang.

“As expected of a high-ranked adventurer. If he’s that impressive, he could even propose to a princess, couldn’t he?”

They were undoubtedly heroes, having achieved what anyone could not accomplish until now.

However, from what he heard, the king rejected the proposal, and the man called Matt went back with his shoulders drooping.

“Well, maybe it’s because my father is a doting parent, but it bothered him that Matt thought he could marry me.”

“… That’s no good at all.”

Matt may have been a little carried away. He was celebrated by the guild and even invited to the castle, so it was natural for him to think that he could possibly win over Maria, whom he had fallen for at first sight.

Well, in the end, his wish didn’t come true, and he ended up facing reality.

“My father said…”

“What?”

“If it’s someone like Haishin-sama, it’s okay to marry me.”

“!? *Cough cough* !?”

That was a shocking statement to Kanata.

He almost spat out the bread he was eating but managed to hold back and calm down with Maria rubbing his back.

“Sorry about that ♪.”

“… Geez.”

However, those few words were a shock to Kanata.

It was unknown what the king really thought, and it may have just been a joke or an example, but he did declare he would marry her to someone like Haishin.

In other words, it was nothing but a fact that her parents had openly recognized him.

“Fufu, what will you do if you can marry me, Kanata-kun?”

“… What do you mean?”

Marrying Maria. How many men would wish for it? Marrying into the royal family is in a way, a promise of the future, with no problems with money or housing. Above all, having a beautiful girl like Maria as a partner would make any man happy.

“If I could marry someone like Maria, it might be happiness. However, being royalty might bring some trouble.”

Upon hearing this, Maria shook her head and said, 

“That’s not true. I’m the Third Princess, so my sister can take care of the country, and my brother is also there to help. If I marry you and leave the castle, there will be no problem, you see?”

“I see… You’re quite persuasive,” Kanata commented as Maria moved closer to him, urging him not to escape.

“Don’t run away.”

“… Well, it’s not strange for a man to step back when a woman approaches him.”

“Hmm? Is that so… Even though we slept together?”

“T-that… That was definitely an accident!”

Kanata insisted it was not his fault since it was clearly an accident.

Maria also didn’t think it was worth teasing him about it, and she just wanted to make fun of Kanata a little bit.

(… Is it because Alphana is not here that Maria is getting so close to me? And the way she’s looking at me is different from usual.)

Feeling a little confused by the slight difference, Kanata still firmly looked back at Maria’s face.

“… Kanata-kun, you often look into people’s eyes when you talk, don’t you?”

“Huh? Well. If I feel embarrassed, I might look away, but I think it’s important to look into the person’s eyes when you talk.”

“That’s true. I love these moments when I’m looking into your eyes like this, Kanata-kun.”

“… Hey Maria, do you have a fever or something?”

With that one word, Maria puffed up her cheeks.

“How rude. I’m the same as always, you know?”

Furthermore, as their faces drew closer, Kanata apologized and bowed his head. Of course, Maria wasn’t angry, and she chuckled and told him not to worry. 

Until it was time to part ways, Kanata spent time with Maria, and as they said their goodbyes, Maria made this proposal:

“Hey, Kanata-kun, would you like to go out with me on our next day off?”

“With you?”

“Yeah. Not too far outside the capital, there’s a beautiful lake where the spirits are said to reside, just a short ride away by carriage.”

“Oh really?”

It was news to Kanata. He knew that beings called spirits occasionally appeared, but he wasn’t particularly interested, so he didn’t know about that place.

“Okay, I’m fine with that.”

“Un! It’s a promise, then.”

“Yeah.”

And so, the plan for Kanata and Maria to go out together was set. After parting ways with Maria, he returned to the classroom, and the afternoon classes began.

(What kind of topic should I talk about today? Some have asked me to do another reading-aloud session, and the mail corner is always popular… Man, being popular is tough.)

Kanata wasn’t paying attention to the teacher’s words during class, just letting them flow in one ear and out the other. It was evident that he was completely relaxed, knowing that it was the last class of the day, but since many other students were dozing off, Kanata was one of the better ones.

(Lately, there haven’t been any negative letters or anything that makes me feel sick… A peaceful world without conflict is truly wonderful.) 

Kanata nodded to himself.

Now, the teacher began to speak about something interesting as they neared the end of class.

“Although it’s sudden, I’ll announce it now. Next month, our academy and the Empire’s academy will be holding a group magic mock battle.”

Hearing the words ‘group magic mock battle,’ Kanata looked towards the teacher.

“What’s that?”

The classroom was in an uproar. There were many students, like Kanata, who looked bewildered.

“I don’t know the detailed content yet, but we will select several tens of students from S-class or higher to conduct a mock battle. It will probably be to capture territory, but of course, safety will be taken into consideration.”

“Hmm…”

Kanata was excited about the inter-academy mock battle, which seemed very much otherworldly, although the details were still unclear. There was some concern due to the unsettling movements in the Empire, but as Kanata had nothing to do with the country’s affairs, he couldn’t do much about it.

“Well then, everyone, good work.”

Finally free, Kanata immediately left the academy. He planned to go to the church, where Alphana was busy with preparations, and bring her some treats.

“Hmm?”

On the way to the church, there is a brothel called Veneti, where Kanna worked, but the entrance seemed quite noisy.

“What’s going on?”

Stopping his footsteps and pushing his way through the watching residents, Kanata approached the entrance and then heard a man’s angry voice.

“I’m a customer! How dare you complain to me about anything!?”

“Yes, you are a customer. However, it is unacceptable to force our employees to do things they do not want to do.”

“What do you think I am!? I am—”

“I know you are Matt from White Fang, but what does that have to do with anything?”

“Hmph…”

Apparently, the one causing the disturbance was Matt.

“… So this guy is Matt, huh? I see, so he’s the one who proposed.”

Kanata didn’t know his name when he saw him with Mira, but he heard the name Matt from Maria, so he knew he was the man who proposed. 

Maria had given Kanata the impression that he was a refreshing man, but he appeared to be in a bad mood, and his expression was enough to scare women.

“Damn… Damn… They’re underestimating me!!”

Matt muttered curses as he walked away.

When Kanata asked about what had happened, he found out that Matt had been in a bad mood ever since he entered the brothel and had treated the woman he requested poorly. 

It wouldn’t have been surprising if he had been banned from a brothel like Veneti for causing a scene, but it seemed like he was really in a bad mood.

“I wonder if it’s because things didn’t work out well with Maria…?”

That’s what Kanata thought, but surprisingly, he wasn’t entirely wrong. However, since Kanata had no contact with him, he had no way of knowing.

Nevertheless, Kanata believes that no matter how bad his mood is, it’s wrong to take it out on a woman, and it’s the lowest thing a man can do.

“Wait! If people find out that I’m close to Maria, will I be assassinated or something?”

Kanata’s spine shuddered a little at the thought, but then he remembered Mira’s smile with her thumb up, which seemed to wash away that fear.

“Well, it seems like it’ll be okay.”

And although it was a bit of a stretch, Mira’s presence was a reassuring factor for Kanata.