Kensei-Saintess Arc – Chapter 61

***Got my Hyacine by winning my 50/50 this time. Her LC is also a win. The hardest part would be farming for her relics, since it’s a whole new set and what a pain… Anyway, onwards to go through the trailblaze mission~***

Chapter 61. A strange feeling (♥)

Before Louis knew it, the woman named Claire had become a natural presence by his side.
At first, she was nothing more than a childhood friend.
He even found her a bit of a nuisance.
However, his relationship with her changed to one of trust as he trained with her and grew stronger together with her.
To Louis, the woman named Iris had become a comforting presence by his side.

When he met her, he felt she was like a goddess.
At first, she didn't show much emotion and was perfected as an idol for the people.
By spending time with her and traveling together, his relationship with her changed to that of a companion.
Both were indispensable members of the current Hero Party, and Louis wanted them by his side.
---But why? Recently, he had been feeling a bit uneasy about them.


◆


Two weeks had passed since Louis had first woken up.

Lately, the results of his rehabilitation were gradually becoming apparent, and his stamina was returning to the point where he could get through a day at his previous routine.
Louis woke up as the sun was just beginning to rise and went out for a run in the morning dew.
After returning home, he worked up a sweat and had breakfast, and then the doctor arrived around 10 o'clock to check his condition and discuss today's rehabilitation menu.

He spent the afternoon solely on rehabilitation.
He was still unable to do strenuous actions such as fighting or swinging a sword.
But to make up for it, he worked on his flexibility carefully, and, taking appropriate breaks, did strength training without putting too much strain on his body.
These were all mundane exercises that were hard to imagine in comparison to his usual spectacular exploits, and for someone who had just recovered from an illness, they were quite harsh.

However, with his body still not fully recovered from an illness, Louis was able to complete them one by one.
And so, having finished his morning run that day, Louis returned to the mansion.

"You've got energy this morning."
"Geek, huh? Good morning."
"Good morning."

As Louis returned from the front door, Geek was there.
He must have been on his way to his office. He was dressed in his noble clothes as he climbed the stairs leading from the front door, and when he saw Louis entering through the front door, he called out to him.
Geek Arzen is the son of Count Burst Arzen, who is in charge of the Travis territory in the southeastern part of the Soltair Empire.
Louis had been training hard since he was a child, and as a young man he went on a journey to defeat the Demon King, so Geek could be called Louis' first male friend.
Although he had heard that he was quite sloppy with women, a smile naturally appeared on Louis' face when he saw his good-natured friend.

"Are you going to work now?"
"Yeah, I've got quite a lot piled up so I need to work through it."
"Haha, that's always the case. You have the ability, so you should work harder every day."
"No, it's annoying. Besides, I have a lot of things I have to do."

Seeing him waving his hand as if he was genuinely annoyed, made me smile wryly.
Louis had the image of Geek as a young man who had the ability but was extremely lazy.
If only he was a bit more serious... but in a way, this casualness made him easy to get along with, so he couldn't say anything.

"Ah, right."
"Hmm?"

Suddenly thinking of something, Louis consulted Geek.
The topic was about two party members who had been giving him a strange feeling recently.

"...Isn't that a girl's day?"
"Girl's day, huh?"

Louis had hoped that Geek would say something since he's used to being around women, but his answer was not particularly impressive.
Louis was also welcoming two women to his party.
He knew what a girl's day was like.
When you think about it, girls usually look like they're in a bad mood.
When you think about it like that, it didn't really seem to apply to the current situation.

"What, it doesn't feel right?"
"Honestly, not really..."

Louis said, unable to accept it, and Geek seemed to think for a moment.
He didn't seem to be the type to think too deeply, so he quickly changed his thoughts and spoke to Louis.

"Well, I guess you don't need to worry too much about it."
"That's true, too."

Although he was still feeling a bit uneasy, when Geek said that, Louis seemed to understand for the time being.

"So?"

As they were talking, Geek came down to the first floor where Louis was, as if it was bothersome to talk separately on the first and second floors.
When he came up to Louis, he grinned and put his arm around Louis' shoulder.
When Geek laughed like this, Louis could guess what he would talk about.

"I've been wondering for a while now, which one is your favorite?"
"Favorites..."

He couldn't help but smile wryly at the content, which was not far from what he had expected.

"I've never thought about that."
"Wouldn't it be a waste not to have one? Both of them are so beautiful that you can't find anyone like them anywhere else, you know?"
"Of course I know that, but right now I have a mission to defeat the Demon King."

Louis, who had been longing for a relationship where he could talk about such things, responded to Geek, who was pushing him forward, even though he was a little hesitant.
Louis also wanted to marry a woman and build a happy family.
However, whenever he thinks like that, the scene from that day comes back to him.

"Louis, run away!"

It was the scene of the day Louis lost his mother.
On that day, Louis was suddenly robbed of the warm happiness he had known until then.
It happened in an instant.
When he came to his senses, his mother had died, and at that moment Louis was tormented by an unprecedented feeling of helplessness.
Right now, people were exposed to the threat of demons.
And he had the power to ward it off.
Therefore, he had no time to waste on trivial matters.

"Maybe after all that's over."
"...Ah, what a waste."

Seeing Louis' troubled smile, Geek sighed deeply and released his embrace.

"But you should think about what you want to do. Otherwise, they might get eaten up by someone like me."
"Yeah. Thank you."

Louis thanks Geek who says this jokingly.
Louis knew.
Claire hates weaklings like Geek.
And considering Iris, the Holy Maiden of the Great Church, his words were probably just a joke, and Louis chuckled.

"Well, you should ask honestly."
"Huh?"

As if he'd finished talking, Geek said as he went up the stairs he'd descended once.

"That's what I was talking about earlier. The one about feeling uneasy."
"Yeah... I'll definitely try that. Thank you."
"That's a good idea, see ya."

And with that, Geek leaves.

(Maybe I'll visit at night.)
Seeing his back, Louis headed towards the large bath.


◆


Knock, knock.

Night.
Louis immediately went to Claire's room.
(...I wonder if she's not there?)
But there was no response.
He knocked again.

Knock, knock.

(......)

But there was still no response.

(......Can't be helped then?)
Louis would have preferred to ask Claire, who knows this best, so he changed his focus and knocked on the door of Iris' room next door.

Knock, knock.

"--!"

This time there was a response.
Relieved by this, Louis spoke to the other side of the door.

"It's Louis."
"Uh...!"

When he told her his name, she sounded surprised.

"......Wait a moment."

Perhaps she was doing something. Iris answered in a slightly flustered manner.

"Oh, sorry to keep you waiting."

He followed her voice and waited for a minute.
After a long pause to keep people waiting, Iris spoke again.

"......"
"......"
"......Um, Louis-sama? Do you need something?"
"Um, ah, sorry. Um... Shall we continue like this?"
"......Yes."

It was no wonder Louis was confused.
Right now, Iris was peeking out of the slightly open door, and was having a conversation.
It was an unlikely position for someone who values courtesy.

"......Have you been doing any stretching exercises?"

There was something else that bothered him.
Peeking out from the gap in the door, she was clearly sweating.
Silver threads of hair were sticking to her face.

"Um, well... yes, that's right. I've been feeling a bit out of shape lately, so I've been doing some exercise..."
"......I see."

Louis was aware that he was the cause of her out of shape, so he couldn't go any further.
(Though there doesn't seem to be any lights on in the room...)
Looking through the crack in the door, the room was dim and it looked like there were no lights on.
Her response left him with some doubts.
Louis suggested doing it tomorrow, thinking it would be bad to interrupt her exercise, but Iris called him back.

"W-wait a minute!"
"Nn?"
"Ah...♥ I-I can talk right now..."
"Oh, no, it's not that urgent, so maybe next time."
"N-no, right now♥ Please tell me now...♥"
"R-Really?"

She kept persisting, looking somewhat desperate.
Louis was a little intimidated by her behavior, so he decided to ask her instead.

"Oh, that's right. But before that, do you know where Claire went?"
"...Claire, you say? If it's Claire, she's here, nnh... sorry, I don't know."
"...?"

Her reaction clearly suggests she has some idea.
Though Louis is puzzled by her reaction, he is convinced that there must be some reason for her hiding it, so he asks her again why she came here.

"So, there's something I'd like to ask you."
"~...! Fuu...!"

The moment Louis tries to start, Iris' face trembles, interrupting him.
She closes her eyes tightly, purses her lips, and looks down, as if she is holding back something.

"!...Are you okay?"
"... I'm sorry. I'm fine."

It didn't seem like she was okay...
After a short pause, please continue your story. Iris urges Louis, but her eyes are a little cloudy and her cheeks are a little red.

"Nn...♥"

A sigh that passes through her nose.
Maybe she has a fever.

"...Shall we do it tomorrow after all?"
"No, just like this...just like this, please."

Louis was starting to get worried, but when she said that, there was nothing he could do.
While checking her condition, Louis started to speak.
Just as he had told Geek, the contents were that the girls had been acting strangely recently.
When he asked her that, Iris showed a slight shaken expression.

"Well, that's...erm..."

Iris' eyes wandered, and her voice choked up.

"Well...it's just..."
"...just?"

Is it really is difficult to answer?
Louis was thinking that it might have been a bit of a rude question, but Iris continued speaking.

"It's just... it's just... well, it's a little difficult to face you..."
"It's difficult to face me?"
"Yes... hmmm, maybe because we haven't seen each other for a long time, I think you've changed a little..."

When he said that, I was able to understand for the time being.
He had certainly been asleep for nearly a month.
Also, due to the poison, when he first woke up he was emaciated and looked like a different person.
It made sense to me that it was difficult to face him.

"Well, then, what should I do?"
"Ah, no, there's nothing for you to worry about, Louis. This is our problem."
"Is that so?"
"Yes... this is our problem, ahh---"
"......Iris?"

Then what should I do?
As Louis was asking that, Iris's face, which had been peeking through the door, suddenly disappeared into the room.

"......Puhaa♥"

A small sound.

"...Sorry, if that's all, nn♥ for the matters...?♥"

When she showed her face again, her cheeks were even redder.
Could it be that she had a fever, or some similar symptom?

"Ah, well, yeah. I've asked you what I wanted to ask, but should I bring you some water or something?"
"Ah, no. I'm sorry for worrying you. Please wait a moment... Blessing---"

Perhaps seeing Louis' worried face, Iris used a spell on herself.
Blessing.
It was something that improved basic physical recovery, something Louis had done every day.
After waiting for a few seconds,
Iris' expression seemed to have improved a lot.
(It looks like it's okay)

"Sorry for coming by so late at night. I'm off now... but don't push yourself too hard."
"Yes, thank you very much. I'm going to “come’ too."
"Come?"
"... Ah, bath! I mean to the bath."
"Ah... okay."
"Okay, then, good night...♥"
"Ah, good night."

With that, Louis leaves Iris' room.
Clang.

The sound of Iris's door closing.
(It was easy when I thought about it)
Indeed, just as Louis felt uncomfortable with the two of them, there were times when they felt uncomfortable with him.
Louis reflected that he had missed the other person's perspective.

(Okay, I'll try my best tomorrow.)

With the seeds of his worries that had been smoldering up until then resolved, Louis made a fresh start.
---Not even the slightest sound could be heard from the closed door behind us.

"Fuuh~~♥ Fuu~~♥ Fuu~~♥"
"Wow, you're really excited lol. You used your blessing, it looks like we'll be on full throttle until morning."
"Aaah... No way...♥ I didn't mean it like that...Aaa♥ Ah, Aaah, ah, Aaa♥ Right there♥ So good...♥"

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