Chapter 53 - Volume 4 (1/2)

Volume 4, Chapter 4: The Holy Saint’s Adorable Daily Life, Part 1

As I’ll be turning 11 soon, I decided to visit the countries close to the Daemon territory as a Saint.

Actually, I was going to fly~ over there with my servants, so that I could spend several months enjoying myself before teleporting back. I had made plans for a trip with us alone, but I seem to have been found out before I knew it…

“Noel…?”

Noel comes over to my house often. The threshold for entry had become slightly lower since he’s become a noble too, but now when he walks through the door he’s not the son of a Viscount, but the [Hero].

“……Lucy…”

Noel didn’t run up to me like a puppy like he normally did, but rather walked up to me with a slightly lonely expression.

By the way, nobody told me that he was coming. If there is a visitor, you guys should inform me… in the shadow of a nearby pillar, I saw the maids and the attendants giving me covert thumbs-up… What are you guys doing?

“Noel, what’s the matter? Ba… Bar…… where’s Bear-san?” (Piro Note: she keeps forgetting Barnabas, lol)

“… I’m not having training today, so the group… Father didn’t come along. Putting that aside…”

Bear-san and Noel often came to practice with the knights and to practice coordinating with me, but now Noel’s come alone. He walked up next to me, and gently held my hand.

… Ah, as expected he’s holding my hand. It’s alright because I’m still a child, but will I still be able to be married if Noel turns 15 and becomes not ‘safe’?

As a 13 year old, Noel was 10-odd centimeters taller than I was; he knelt in front of me all of a sudden.

“N-Noel, what’s wrong?”

“Lucy…… Will you rely on me?”

“……eh?”

As he looked straight into my eyes, I felt a little itch in my heart.

“Why are you trying to go alone to a place near the Daemon Territory…?”

“Ah… err…”

Where did it leak from…? It’s probably one of those maids-in-waiting.

That aside, what do I do? I thought about deceiving him, but his face wasn’t his usual puppy face, and I was off put by his grown-up expression.

“Aren’t I the same as you, Lucy? People who are in trouble… I want to help the people who are suffering.”

……Eh? But I just want to go sightseeing? ……I can’t say that now.

“…Umm, Noel,”

“I understand your feelings. Therefore, I will go whenever and wherever Lucy goes.”

“U-umm…”

Oh crap, I’ve lost the chance to speak. Noel interrupted my words, calmly…… and while smiling gently with determined eyes, he touched his lips to my hand.

“I…… am [Hero] that will always stand beside the gentle hearted [Saint]……”

“~~~…”

Dangerous…… Even though Noel himself is turning bright red …… Still, since I don’t have any resistance, don’t hit me with such a big surprise attack……

…… Behind us, the maid-sans, were all being annoying with their *kyaa~ kyaa~*.

“Yurushia……”

“Ah…Roderick-onii-sama, did you finish your greetings?”

At a social gathering that was held every few days…… well, it’s just an evening ball, but Rick was surrounded by foreign aristocrats and their daughters until he came over to me, who was surrounded by greasy ministers.

…… For some reason I feel that there’s an unreasonable [Difference].

“It’s over. Don’t talk about it.”

“Is that so…”

As soon as he got to me he already had his pouty face and sullen voice… That’s probably why all those ministers all took their leave while sweating profusely.

It’s not my fault to have parted from them after Rick arrived, right…?

“Come over here”

“Yeah…”

Rick stretched out his hand for a moment, and stopped halfway… ooh, I thought that he would grab my arm again but he’s finally growing up.

We walked out to the garden. Because we’re so conspicuous, we can’t be hidden from view by simply going to the terrace, so to speak without being disturbed we took a stroll in the garden at night.

“………”

“………Rick?”

As Rick walked silently without a word, I changed my term of address and called out to him.

What happened? Rick wore a different look than usual while he craned his neck a little to the side, and then quietly spoke.

“…I am weak”

“……?”

But you’re not as weak as you were before…?

“Although I was given the title of [Holy Paladin] for participating, Noel and I …… are just not an equal match for Yurushia.”

“……”

The [Holy Paladin] was a precious treasure of the Holy Kingdom and different from the Holy Knights, rather, it was a title that was rather similar to being a [Hero].