Chapter 1

The back gate of a certain country’s royal castle. That’s where I work. I am a nameless mob soldier. I would like to say, but of course there is a name. It’s Laurent. Since it’s a common name, there are several among the soldiers. My job is gatekeeper. I just stand at the back gate at the time of the fixed shift. The reason why it’s the back gate is probably because I’m already old enough to be called an old man. At the front gate stands a young man who looks better. It’s already been 25 years since I started working at the royal castle at 18. I was offered a promotion several times, but because I was bothered, I turned it down with a suitable reason. I want to do an easy job that doesn’t have much responsibility until I retire. Don’t make waves, loose and easy. That is my motto.

“Laurent!”

I distorted my face at the high-pitched voice. When I looked up, I saw a shadow running towards me, lifting the hem of her fluttering dress.

“…What do you want today, Holy Maiden-sama?”

“Hey! Call me by the name Mirei, I’ve said it many times!”

She, who introduced herself as Mirei, showed anger with a puffy sound effect.

But even when she’s angry, she’s cute enough to make you think she’s doing it on purpose.Her glossy chestnut-colored hair was softly wavy, and her eyes were the same color as her eyes, which were large and round. Her face is so small that you might think you could hold it with one hand, and she’s also petite. She has balanced breasts and her skin is as white and smooth as porcelain. As if it never have touched

How much do you need to be loved by God to be born with that appearance? She explained that when she describes her own name, she writes “beautiful and beautiful” in her native script. Were her parents convinced that she would grow up to look like this? She must have been born from incredibly beautiful parents.

On the other hand, I have a normal face. It seems that if you don’t consciously tighten your droopy eyes and lack of enthusiasm, you will look unmotivated. Not really. I have medium build and height, and even though I am a soldier, I have been feeling a little sick to his stomach lately because of alcohol. Due to my position as a gatekeeper, I have the minimum appearance, It’s all about it.

Even though it is. This very pretty saint-sama, during my shift, she almost always shows up at the back gate.

“Have you finished your work?”

“Of course!

She looked up at me with sparkling eyes filled with anticipation, but I ignored that and gave her a careless reply.

“Yes, yes, great, great”

Millais puffed out her cheeks because it wasn’t the attitude she wanted.

Although I made the answer appropriate, I think that I am actually doing well. One day, she was suddenly “summoned” by the royal family of this country, and was asked to “protect this country as a saint.”

In fact, this country was infested with monsters until recently. I have been sent into battle several times. This country didn’t have enough leeway to mobilize an old man like me who had almost no combat experience.

So, aiming for a one-shot reversal was “Saint Summoning”. A holy maiden summoned from another world has a powerful protective power, and can block monsters from entering by creating a barrier. Thanks to this, the entire country was protected by a barrier, and monsters no longer appeared.

That’s what a lowly soldier like me was told after everything was done. When I heard it, my impression was “What is it?” If the summoning from another world doesn’t make any sense, then the idea of a royal family betting the survival of the country on a woman who has no ties or ties to this country is dangerous. Why am I serving such a royal family?

But no matter what I thought, it was after everything was done. I just enjoy the peace that comes.

I thought that she would be sent home after completing her role, but it seems that the saint needs to work hard every day in order to maintain the barrier. For that reason, Millais holds a ceremony to offer her prayers once a day at the cathedral.

If you think about it normally, it’s a pretty miserable situation, but she’s always smiling brightly, so you don’t feel it. Her treatment seems to be treated with respect by the royal family, so there will be no inconvenience in life.

Except for the ritual of prayer, Mireille is allowed to do as she pleases. As a saint, she has an escort when she goes down to the city, but there are soldiers almost everywhere in the castle, so she is relatively free. That’s why she is free to come alone to this back gate.

“So, what do you want?”

“Alright! Can’t You tell just by looking at it!”

Saying that, she looked up at me again with hopeful eyes. I looked at her from top to bottom, but I don’t know. At times like this, I try to raise what the woman is likely to say.

“Ah… did you cut your hair?”

“I didn’t cut it!”

“you got taller”

“That’s not right!”

Already! Angry, she held the hem of her dress and she turned it around on the spot.

“This! I got this new dress. What do you think?”

“ah I see”

I see. Don’t you think that the royal family will give me dresses and so on?

“Say I’m cute!”

“cute”

“I know!”

It was clearly a nonsense , but Millay smiled happily. What are you so happy about? It would be nice if it was easy to understand when she clearly expressed her request. If she is forced to guess until she realizes it, she can’t really deal with it.

“Why do you keep coming to see me?”

“Because I wanted Laurent to call me cute.”

“That’s right, Your Highness will give you as many compliments as you can with words that make your teeth float.”

“I want the person I like to praise me. Of course, right?”

This is it.

I shut my mouth. For some reason, this saint-sama says she likes me.

To be honest, I have no idea. Are you teaseing or plotting something?

For example, if this was a maid, even though I knew it was a trap, I would have said, “Thank you, itadakimasu.” The day she carelessly dabbled, her head would fly off. Of course, in physics, not work.

“You didn’t tell anyone else, did you?”

“I could say that, but Laurent says he absolutely hates it, so I’m keeping it a secret.”

“Thank you. Please keep quiet.”

If there were rumors that Sama, the saint of salvation, was in love with a mere soldier, there would be an uproar. I’m not kidding, I want to live an ordinary, happy life.

“I won’t tell anyone, so just give me a good reply.”

“…I am grateful for saving my country.”

“That’s it again!”

Saying that, she groaned. I want her to consider our position. If she categorically refuses, her confession will become a fact. In order to prevent that from happening, i am dodging it.

Dodge it slowly. Days and months went by with an ambiguous relationship.

But nothing stays the same.

—

“marriage?”

The words were so sudden that I let out an uncharacteristically loud voice. With a darkened face, Mireille nodded as she crouched down at her feet.

“I have to use my strength to keep the barrier up all the time, right? If you’re a child of a saint, you might inherit the power of a saint.”

That’s what royalty thinks. After all, she is probably one of the pawns for the country. even if that were true.

” I think it is good”

At my words, Mireille looked at me with despairing eyes. She keeps it out of sight and she continues her words.

“I don’t know how the country behaves, but His Highness is not a bad person. Saint Sama has no place to stay other than the castle. , the life ahead is guaranteed.”

She is now protected by being a “Saint”. Just like that, she is being treated as a guest. But how long will it last? If monsters no longer occur, the barrier will no longer be necessary. If her power is lost, she will no longer be a saint. When that happens, she can’t do anything on her own without her backing. But if she become a member of the royal family, it’s a different story. If she were to marry the prince , she would naturally be his lawful wife, so the queen wouldn’t be eliminated so easily. As long as she have a male successor, she will be safe. As an aside, His Highness is very handsome. Surely the their children must have a beauty that is far from human. Nothing is wrong. I’m saying the right thing what I should have been, I felt a sharp pain in my chest.

“…Are you serious?”

“Of course”

“Laurent, can I become someone else’s wife?”

“In the first place, we’re not in a relationship where I can’t interfere.”

Those words sounded cold, and Mireille was on the verge of crying. can’t see her face.

“……all right”

Saying that in an unusually low voice, Mireille stood up.

“I’m giving up on Laurent. So, please kiss me as a last memory.” I felt a palpitation in my eyes that were shaking with tears.

“…what if someone sees it”

“There’s no one around here. I have never been seen anyone before.”

Strangely enough, it was just as Millie had said. The back gate was never used. But for some reason, every time she came, there was no one to be seen. From her point of view, this place must be a place where no one can come.

I let out a sigh when I saw her eyes that were clinging to me.

Slip my hand on her cheek, bend down and bring her face closer.

“Please close your eyes.”

“No. I want to remember your face.”

It’s hard to do, I clicked my tongue inside. But I know she is stubborn. Reluctantly, she kept her mouth. Eat just a little and let go slowly. Her eyelashes trembled as she moved away from her eyes to focus.

(–a……)

When our eyes met, I realized. This girl really likes me.

A terrible feeling of guilt overwhelmed me. I never took Mireille’s confession seriously. I never answered her feelings. In such an ambiguous state, leaving only such scars.

I must have made a sympathetic face. Seeing my face, Mireille got annoyed, and when she turned both of her hands around, she put her lips on her own. She is dumbfounded and she sticks her tongue out.

(Ah)

Why do you pretend to open the wound yourself?

Perhaps she wasn’t used to it, but she was pitiful, pitiful, and—lovely.

(Damn!)

As I lined up abusive words against myself in my heart, I intertwined my tongue as if to guide her in her stutter.

It’s not like I don’t like it, I don’t think so. She is a woman with a look that anyone would fall in love with. They will be bound too.

I tried not to be conscious of it. I couldn’t accept it. After all, she is a saint. I am no match. I can’t take any responsibility. I am long past the age to be able to talk about such a dream that I can be with her just because she likes it.

This is fine. Even If she is stupid or something. But His Highness is younger, a better man, richer, and will make her happier. It is for Mirei. For future, I’m sure it would be nice to do so.

I prepared many excuses and went along with sweet flirting until she was satisfied.

I wanted to think that we were dating.

“–Thank you”

After a long time, Mireille said so after releasing her lips. I couldn’t answer

“My selfishness has been heard. I can’t run away from unpleasant things anymore.”

I tilted my head at the strange phrase.

“Actually, I wanted to tell you to kidnap me and run away… but that’s the statute of limitations.”

Those words suddenly brought back memories. When monsters were still invading the country. When I was sent into battle. In the darkness of the night, I once saw a woman in a castle crying with a cloth over her head.

“What happened why are alone? Are you lost? 』

“Wow, I didn’t come here because I wanted to. I wanted to go home, so I came out, but I couldn’t go anywhere.”

“Ah… I see. That’s right, I don’t like this kind of place.』

“e……”

“You can run away from something you don’t like.”

“yes? But I was told that if I disappeared, everyone would be in trouble.』

“Let me tell you that. If you’re in trouble just because you’re gone alone, you’re going to collapse… Oh no, this is a secret.』

‘Uncle, don’t you run away? 』

“No, run away—wow. Dash away right now. But well, for whatever reason… I like this country.』

“Is that so……”

“But as expected, fatigue may have exceeded my liking. That’s right, should this uncle kidnap you and run away? 』

“Fufu, uncle, you’re a strange person.”

“Uncle is just a normal soldier. He’s just starting to yearn for deserters.’

“I am OK. I won’t run away Because I’m interested in this country that my uncle likes.』

The woman who said that and laughed thought that even the slightest face peeking through the cloth in the dark darkness was very beautiful. I thought she was a conscripted military nurse or something. I thought it wouldn’t be bad if I was treated by such a woman, but in the end, the saint set up a barrier immediately after that, and I returned to the gatekeeper job.

“You, at that time–!”

Mireille laughed lightly at me who raised my voice.

“Have you finally remembered?”

I mean, she always remembered that time. Go ahead and find me

Why did she help this country in the first place? Why is she still in the castle?

“I fell in love with Laurent at that time.”

When she said that and smiled, she was the most beautiful she had ever been.

While I was at a loss for words, she turned her back and started walking.

“Goodbye”

I reflexively tried to stop her, but endured. what to do what to say I can’t handle her feelings.I just stood there silently.

***

“Thank you for your hard work, it’s time to change”

“…Thinking”

After my shift was over, the replacement soldier came.

Mireille didn’t come to see me that day. She always showed up on my shift day, but she never showed up until the end of my shift. Even though I thought that would be the case, the fog did not clear up.

“That’s right, Laurent-senpai. Do you know? Today, His Highness is getting engaged to the Holy Maiden-sama.”

“……teeth?”

I stopped moving at the words of the replacement soldier. It was only yesterday that I heard about her marriage from Mireille. No matter how you look at it, isn’t the development too fast?

“The unveiling is still ahead, but it seems that they are going to make a contract with each other first.

That bastard. To the king of his country, he let out words he could never say in his heart. No, what are you angry about? It’s a blessing. I have decided that it was fine. I decided, I shouldn’t have.

“By the way, They are in Suzuran’s room.

Strangely specific information, I unintentionally looked at the junior soldier’s face with a reproach.

“You… do you know anything?”

“Well, it’s strange to think that you haven’t noticed me after meeting you that much.”

I held my head When I was with Mirei, I thought it was strange that no one came. It was a deliberately created situation.

“I’ll tell you, it’s not for the seniors. We’re allies of the Saint.”

“… Ah, that”

“If we dash now, we can make it in time.

“Don’t tell me”

Seeing me with a grinning face, the junior soldier snorted. After lightly turning my leg, I pulled one leg back and applied a lot of strength.

“You’re a brute for making an old man run. Now, I have to complain to my face!”

For the first time in the past, I was fired up and started running. I’m a little sloppy, but I’m still a soldier even if I’m rotten. This body still moves.

The remaining junior soldier muttered a little.

“- Good luck.”

***

Run. Run. Run.

I’m out of breath. Occasionally, the maids passing each other would scream, and the angry shouts of the servants would fly. But I can’t stop.

what. What are you going to say? Just in time,

I can see Suzuran. There were two soldiers standing in front of the door, but they opened the way when they noticed me.

Damn, I’m sick of smiling!I opened the door with the momentum of running while making a blue streak.

“That engagement, wait a minute!!”

When I took a deep breath and looked inside the room, it was just the two of them, Mirei and His Highness, in the luxurious room. They sat facing each other in front of the table, and there was some kind of document on the table.

“Laurent!?”

Mireille let out a voice of surprise and stood up. Approach her with her long stride and pull her by arm.

“His Highness”

His Highness’ blue eyes stare at me. I was involuntarily embarrassed by the beauty of the figure, which was like an elaborate doll, but I put a lot of strength into my stomach.

“She is planning to marry me. I’m sorry, but even If It’s Your Highness can’t give her to you.”

His Highness stares at me, who said it clearly. what. Say something Sweat runs down my temples.

“Laurent! That’s a proposal!”

Wow! Mireille hugged me as hard as she could while raising her dress.

“Oha, read the atmosphere! We are in front of His Highness!”

If I say that, it wouldn’t be strange for my behavior to be questioned as an insult. When I was about to tear off Mireille, I heard a loud laughter. There is only one voice owner.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to laugh.”

His Highness, who loosened his expression, felt human. His shoulders relaxed as he didn’t seem angry at least.

“Laurent, let me clear your worries first. I have no intention of getting engaged to Mireille.”

“What?”

Even though he was slightly happy that he remembered his name, he raised a stupid voice that was different from what he had heard.

“It seems that my father certainly intended to do so. That was because he ignored both my will and her will. So I took the initiative and left the paper blank.”

In theory, His Majesty should not be here. By the time I got on board, I didn’t know that the conversation had already started. I collapsed to my knees involuntarily because of the result of my vain effort and the result of being red-faced.

“However, I was moved by your passion.

It’s embarrassing to be called true love. I want you to stop looking with pure eyes.

But this way of saying it. Your Highness, perhaps,

“That’s right, Your Highness! Differences in status are trivial matters. If you put your heart into it and seriously confront it, a maiden’s heart will move!”

“Thank you, Mirei. Seeing you guys gave me courage. I think I should go see her too.”

Millais waved her hand in support of His Highness. He then lightly waved his hand back and His Highness left the room.

“Hey, His Highness.”

“He like the maid Sally. It’s a secret.”

Hearing what Mirei had told me, I held my breath. It’s unheard of for a royal family to like a maid. Moreover, I am the one who started the fire, my stomach already hurts.

“Hey, Laurent. I want to hear what you just said again.”

With a genuinely happy smile, I courage up my words. pretty. Don’t know what hardships are waiting for me. I let out a long, long sigh. The words that have been said can not be taken back. Well, I have no intention of withdrawing. I am far from mediocrity. I can’t predict what will happen next. nevertheless. I’m the only one who can make her look like this. If that’s the case, maybe I’m the only one who can protect her smile.

And spend a lifetime.

“Please marry me.”

“–yes!”

aishykabir

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