The Delamis Palace
After finishing a series of battles with Melfina and the others, I returned to the palace with Efil, Rion, and Colette. The rest of the party went off to bathe and wash away the sweat, or to the dining hall to resume their breakfast. I won’t say who went where, no indeed. It was about time, so perhaps we could return to Shutra and the others now.
However, I ended up with burns, frostbite, and countless cuts all over my body first thing in the morning. This is truly what it means to wander the line of death. Honestly, what a wonderful start to the day. It would probably be too much for my body if it happened every day, but wouldn’t it be fine to have a day like this once a week? No?
“Lord Kelvin, perhaps you should rein in your hobbies a bit…”
“Are you saying that, Colette? I’m a little shocked.”
I make light of it, but thanks to Colette’s devoted healing magic, I’m now fully recovered. As for any status ailments, Rion, who possesses “Absolute Purification,” has been holding my hand the entire time since we left the training ground. And the energy I lost due to hunger was replenished by the strongest portable food Efil made for me: onigiri. Therefore, there are no problems whatsoever; in fact, I feel better than usual. My mood is also excellent.
Well, no matter how severe the injury, as long as I’m alive, I can recover on my own. Moreover, Mel and Colette were by my side, so I don’t think there’s any problem. Ah, I do regret destroying the training ground. I never expected it to be so fragile. I guess the sensation of the stage used for the Beast King Festival hasn’t quite left me. Mr. Caesar, I now truly realize how great you were. Incidentally, I rebuilt the training ground with Green Magic, so it should be fine. In fact, it turned out better than before it was destroyed. The after-care is perfect.
“Ugh, isn’t that the scummy Kelvin…”
“What are you saying the moment you meet someone?”
As I approached the room we were headed for, Nagua, who was leaning against the wall, inexplicably started cursing at me.
“Lord Kelvin, apologies. He’s just blunt and says what he thinks. We’re troubled by him too, you know.”
“Hah, there’s no need to hide it.”
“Gahahaha! And yet he’s pure-hearted, making him all the more fun to tease!”
“Hmm, if he were more honest about romantic matters, he might find some solace, but he’s always so indirect—”
“Shut up!”
Kukudori and Gerard are with you, huh? These three really are close. Wait a minute. Are you actually supporting me, or not? In the end, Nagua still thinks of me as a scumbag, doesn’t he? I don’t recall doing anything to earn his dislike.
“We were just killing time, but were you three waiting in front of the room?”
“Indeed! I was simply… avoiding causing trouble by getting involved. I was chatting with Lord Kukudori and Nagua.”
Gerard was the first to answer Rion’s question. He seemed more agile than during battle.
“Mmm-hmm. As expected, Lord Gerard is a man who understands. He knows how to handle Nagua.”
“That’ll be enough…”
Nagua looks quite worn out after these past few minutes. Hmm, even though he’s gotten stronger than before, when it comes to Gerard, he’s still lacking both physically and mentally. He can’t possibly win with words. Ever since the nightmare in the Elf Village, the word “war-mongering poet” occasionally crosses my mind… Well, anyway. First, I need to fight Shutra and the others and be able to win. Then we can talk!
“Honestly… let me tell you, I was watching to make sure no one interfered. I wasn’t just killing time like you guys.”
“Interfered?”
“Yeah, my primal instinct is telling me there’s someone I need to be wary of.”
“That’s a remarkably specific intuition.”
Are you Sera? This is the center of Delamis, right in the heart of the palace. It’s not like strange people would just appear here—
“Ah, Master! Good morning!”
“Geh!? Touya!?”
–Oh, there he is. Touya, the walking disaster generator with the natural protagonist aura. He’s spreading his dazzling smile that bewitches women. Still, Nagua’s reaction… Was he an acquaintance? Nagua is reacting even more intensely than he did to me.
“Huh? …Ah! Isn’t that Mr. Nagua! It’s been a while. It’s me, Touya!”
“I know that, you idiot! Don’t come any closer! Don’t you dare come any closer!”
“Mr. Nagua is acting strange. Oh, if Mr. Nagua is here, does that mean Master Silvia is also here? Is she beyond that door?”
“Are you doing that on purpose!?”
Nagua, sweating profusely, slowly backed away from Touya, who approached him without hesitation. Touya’s dense nature only exacerbated the situation, and Nagua looked like he was about to draw a weapon. Should I stop this soon? Gerard and Kukudori, pulling out what looked like real snacks for sake from who knows where, were watching the spectacle. They were clearly enjoying themselves.
“Still, Touya’s way of speaking…”
Master, Master Silvia… Ah, I see. Just as Touya and the others went to the Western Continent, Silvia and the others also headed there. It’s not strange for the two parties to meet somewhere. Then, after some kind of event, Silvia became Touya’s master, just like she did with me. I suppose Touya must have done something again during that “some kind of event.” Something that involved those around him.
“Hey, you! Damn it, you!”
Nagua’s incoherent panic confirms my suspicions.
“Older Kel, let’s help him.”
“I agree with Rion-sama. He looks quite pitiful.”
“Eh? Ah, right. We should.”
Rion and Efil are so kind. I, on the other hand, was leaning more towards Gerard’s side and felt like watching a little longer.
“By the way, Touya, what about Setsuna and the others? Are they off on their own today?”
“R-Right! What about Setsuna!? She’s your important check, isn’t she!?”
…Setsuna must have had a hard time even in the Western Continent. *Sniffle*.
“The three of them went shopping in town. They apparently met an old Elf friend and decided to go out just the girls… Ah, they mean Ariel when they say Elf!”
It seems Ariel wasn’t a victim of Touya’s charms. This quick thinking was probably Setsuna’s doing. Though, there’s someone here who became a victim instead.
“If that’s the case, they could have told me. I wanted to greet her.”
“Well, well, we’ll all be gathering later anyway. We can greet them then. Besides, Silvia and Emma are busy right now, so they’re waiting patiently.”
“Understood.”
As long as we’re nearby, Touya’s “Absolute Gospel” probably won’t activate. However, Silvia also had quite a bit of luck… Something that would make Nagua this flustered shouldn’t happen…
“Lord Kelvin. Could I add something about Touya—”
Colette whispered in my ear. What is it? Absolute Gospel is supposed to be nullified, right?
“Even setting aside skills, Touya sometimes exhibits unexpected luck.”
“……Huh?”
“If he relied solely on skills for his luck, I might have had a way to seal it. However, beyond that, Touya seems to possess a disposition for bringing about various fortunate events… Of course, the frequency is significantly reduced compared to his skills, but, well, it mostly happens in situations involving the opposite sex…”
So, in other words, even without “Absolute Gospel,” Touya is inherently a protagonist, and what Setsuna said about them no longer causing trouble in Traage was only compared to their usual selves. My actions of making sure Touya didn’t do anything strange on the beach were justified…
“Touya, could you move away from Efil and Rion for a moment? No, get away.”
“M-Master, you too! That’s harsh!”
I’ll side with Nagua. I mean it from the bottom of my heart. We are a community bound by fate.
