As Kent and Rachel left the Saintess’s office with their respective fairies, the room fell silent with the departure of the main figures.
“Ah, that’s right. I followed Kent and his companions out of concern, but I was still in the middle of helping,” Otsupain said.
“Now that you mention it, so was I,” Otsupain replied.
Josette and Marie couldn’t bear the silence in the room. They remembered they had left their post midway through their tasks, concerned about Kent and his companions, and hurried out of the room.
“Otsupain, please explain what you were doing during the battle later,” Caro said.
“Eek!” Otsupain shrieked.
“I was also in the middle of helping. I’m off then,” Caro added.
After speaking to Otsupain with a smile, Caro left the room a little later than Josette and Marie.
“W-Wow, I was also in the middle of a mission. Now that my report is done, I should head back to my unit,” Otsupain said, looking a little flustered, before returning to her unit in a hurry.
“It was lively just a moment ago, but suddenly it’s so empty,” Gordon said, looking around the now lonely room. Currently, only Gordon, Patty, and Catherine were in the Saintess’s office. Yuria, her personal maid, was also absent, having gone to escort Rachel.
“I apologize for being rude in front of royalty, but I need to excuse myself for a bit. *Sigh*, I’m exhausted,” Catherine said, slumping over the Saintess’s desk as the room quieted down, her energy drained.
“You look quite worn out,” Patty observed.
“You expended so much magic power maintaining the magical barrier, it would have been dangerous if the fight continued,” Catherine explained.
“I see. You were enduring it so as not to worry everyone. You’ve worked hard,” Gordon said.
“Indeed,” Catherine replied.
Catherine was exhausted from the significant amount of magic power drained to maintain the magical barrier spread throughout the sanctuary. However, to avoid worrying others, she had waited until many had left the room before taking a break. Seeing her state, Patty and Gordon expressed their concern.
“Ah, that’s right. I’ll go make some tea,” Patty said.
“Oh, wait. Patty—” Gordon began.
Patty, being considerate, left to prepare tea. Left alone with Catherine, Gordon was unsure how to interact with her.
“Um, um, perhaps I could rub your shoulders?” Gordon offered hesitantly.
“I don’t need it,” Catherine said flatly.
“Ouch!” Gordon yelped.
Unable to think of anything to say, Gordon impulsively asked if he could rub her shoulders, only to be casually rejected by Catherine.
“I’m back,” Yuria announced.
“Oh, welcome back. I was waiting for you to return,” Gordon said.
“Huh? You were waiting for me?” Yuria asked, surprised.
Yuria had returned after completing her task of escorting Rachel to the room. Gordon was incredibly relieved by Yuria’s return, as he had been struggling to fill the silence with Catherine. Yuria, on the other hand, felt a different kind of joy at Gordon’s words.
(Looking closely, there’s no one else in the room. If he was waiting for me, could it be that the Prince wants to make me his concubine? I’m going to get a royal marriage!) Yuria thought.
Since Yuria couldn’t see Catherine slumped over the desk from her position, she mistakenly assumed Gordon had been waiting for her to be alone with him.
“Lord Gordon, what is it you need from me?” Yuria asked, leaning in.
“Geez, you’re too close,” Gordon muttered.
Yuria was a year older than Catherine but had a different physique. Gordon instinctively tensed as the mature-looking Yuria approached him.
“I-I just wanted to ask you to check on Catherine’s condition,” Gordon stammered.
“Huh? I thought no one was here… C-Catherine is here!” Yuria exclaimed.
“Sorry to interrupt your business,” Catherine said from her position on the desk, teasingly.
At Gordon’s prompting, Yuria noticed Catherine. Catherine responded to Yuria’s teasing while still lying flat on the desk.
“I’ve made tea. Oh, I should make one for Yuria too,” Patty said, returning with the tea.
“Oh, I can prepare tea. I’m a servant, after all,” Yuria offered.
“No, no. Since you’re here, Yuria, please sit and have some too,” Patty insisted.
Patty returned with the tea she had prepared. Yuria, regretting her previous frivolous thoughts, tried to help Patty. However, Patty gently refused and prepared Yuria’s tea by herself.
(Being treated so kindly makes me feel very ashamed of my impure thoughts,) Yuria thought, looking down as she sat on the sofa.
“So many things have happened, and I think Kent and those around him must be going through a difficult time. Let’s all try to act cheerful and bring some comfort to their hearts,” Patty said, sitting next to Yuria and speaking kindly. Yuria was looking down, but Patty seemed to mistake her thoughts of shame for worry about recent events.
“If I hadn’t come here in the first place, maybe it would have been better. If so…” Gordon began.
“Gordon, don’t say things like that,” Catherine interjected.
“That’s right. If something happened to you, Lord Gordon, Kent would be even sadder,” Patty added.
Gordon thought that if he hadn’t relied on Kent, the latter wouldn’t have had to make such a sad face. However, Patty and Catherine pointed out that such thoughts would only make Kent more upset.
“Gordon, don’t just stand there. Come and sit down while we wait for Kent and his companions to return,” Patty said, trying to calm the restless Gordon.
“Yeah, you’re right,” Gordon agreed.
“I’m back, nya,” Mike announced.
“Welcome home. Oh, is it just you, Mike?” Patty asked.
“Yes, nya. I was told to return first. Master seemed to be pondering many things, but I don’t have the ability to care for his heart, nya,” Mike replied.
Mike returned after completing his magic power replenishment. Patty, curious about Rachel’s absence, asked Mike about it.
“Mike, is the magic power replenishment finished?” Patty inquired.
“It’s finished, nya,” Mike confirmed.
“I see. Recovering our fighting strength is a great help. Let’s take a short break until Rachel returns,” Patty said.
“Understood, nya. Wake me if you need anything, nya,” Mike replied.
Mike then curled up on a chair in the corner of the room and fell asleep in his cat form.
“Ooh, it’s a kitty! *pant pant*” Yuria exclaimed.
“Yuria, he’s sleeping now, so don’t touch him,” Catherine warned.
“What! That’s so unfair,” Yuria pouted.
Yuria seemed to be a fan of fluffy things and wanted to pet Mike in his cat form. Catherine, sensing this, cautioned her not to.
“Haa, the same thoughts keep looping endlessly. There’s no point in worrying alone,” Rachel sighed.
*Knock knock*
“Huh? C-Come in,” Rachel said.
Meanwhile, Rachel was brooding alone. Then, she heard a knock at the door.
“Excuse me for intruding,” Caro said as she entered.
“Caro, what is it?” Rachel asked.
“I saw Mike leave alone and thought you might be here by yourself, so I came to check,” Caro explained.
“Oh,” Rachel replied.
Rachel found Caro’s visit incredibly reassuring, as she tended to spiral into negative thoughts when left alone.
“I heard what happened in the office, but perhaps you feel responsible?” Caro asked.
“W-Well…” Rachel stammered.
Caro’s direct question startled Rachel.
“First, you left the shop knowing the town was in danger. While that wasn’t a praiseworthy act, it’s also true that many lives were saved because of it,” Caro stated.
“But because of that, I was almost killed by the Duchy’s soldiers, and Older Brother risked his life to save me,” Rachel countered.
“Kent cares deeply about you, so it’s quite natural for him to risk his life to save you,” Caro responded.
Caro tried to comfort Rachel by emphasizing that while her actions weren’t commendable, they ultimately saved many lives. However, Rachel was still troubled by how Kent had risked his life for her.
“I recall when you first came to this world, it was also because of Kent. Or rather, he was Kenta back then, wasn’t he? He got into an accident while trying to save Akane,” Caro recalled.
“That’s right. Why do you do things like that to save someone like me? And this is the second time!” Rachel exclaimed.
“I’m an only child, so I don’t fully understand the feelings of siblings, but I believe that must be familial love. It might sound inappropriate, but I don’t think I would have met Kent or you if not for that first accident. So, I’m grateful. And this time, you both returned safely,” Caro said.
“Caro,” Rachel whispered.
As Caro spoke, she embraced Rachel. Although Caro was small, Rachel felt a profound sense of comfort from her embrace, a feeling that needed no words.
