Chapter 20

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The next day...

The village of Enaruse was in an uproar.

Not only had the threat of monsters been eliminated, but the rumor that a silver knight had appeared, as testified by me and Tütte, had spread throughout the village. In addition, the preparations for the Moonflower Festival added to the bustling atmosphere of the village. The credibility of the silver knight's appearance was heightened when Sir Claus discovered the remains of the monsters and confirmed the gruesome scene, testifying that the one who defeated them might have used a hero-level magic attack.

"Ah~... Peace is the best."

"Yes, Miss."

I, the source of the rumor, sat in a chair in the garden of the villa, sipping tea gracefully.

"Even after all that happened, you're so calm."

Magilka, looking tired, came over from the villa.

"Thank you for handling the aftermath... How about you, Magilka?"

"I'll have some."

I moved my cup to offer her some tea, and she sat down with a smile. Tütte immediately prepared a cup for Magilka and poured the tea with skillful hands.

"So, how are the others?"

"Zakha seems to have a crack in his rib from the monster attack and is currently being treated. However, it's something that can be healed quickly with a recovery spell from a priest, so Sir Claus said he should heal himself as part of his punishment."

(Spartan, I feel for you... But since you got hurt protecting me, I should go visit you.)

"I should go visit him later."

"That's not necessary... That idiot was doing push-ups when I checked on him just now..."

(What? What's that? Could it be that he's already healed? Are you one of those RPG characters who fully recover after staying at an inn?)

While inwardly making these comments, I outwardly sipped my tea gracefully.

"So, what about Prince Raimus?"

"His Highness is currently with Sir Claus, overseeing the cleanup of the monsters and the village's security. It's unusual for him to get involved in public affairs like this."

"Yes... I wonder what's on his mind..."

I turned away from Magilka and sipped my tea. For some reason, I thought it might be because of what I said to the prince, but that seemed too presumptuous, so I stopped thinking about it.

"Is the Moonflower Festival happening today?"

"Yes, it seems to be going ahead without any problems. It's quite resilient, considering the monster incident... But this time, there might be even more visitors."

"Hmm... Why?"

"Why? The Silver Knight, of course!"

Magilka looked up at the sky with sparkling eyes.

(Huh? Could it be that you... are a dreamy maiden?)

"The legend is true, then... Should we investigate this place further?"

"What do you mean?"

"The Silver Knight visits this land when the Moonflower blooms. There are various theories, but the one I like the most is that he's waiting for someone he promised to meet again when the flowers bloom, or that he comes every five years to mourn someone who passed away surrounded by these flowers... Oh, how romantic."

(No matter how dreamy and entranced you look, your usual intellectual curiosity and disappointing remarks are still there.)

I laughed awkwardly and sipped my tea to cover up the situation.

"But I think the Silver Knight this time is definitely different from the legendary one."

"Ahem."

Magilka, returning to her usual self, suddenly hit the core, and I almost spilled my tea.

"H-Hmm... Why do you think that?"

I wiped the cold sweat from my forehead and trembled, holding the cup. Tütte, unable to bear it, silently took my cup and put it back on the table.

(Thank you, Tütte... I always fall apart when caught off guard...)

I sighed and slumped my shoulders, and Magilka looked at me curiously.

"It's simple. There's no way the Silver Knight could still be alive in this era. It's a story from hundreds of years ago."

"Y-Yes, you're right..."

(I was thinking too shallowly... Of course, if it's a legend, he can't be alive.)

"So, I think this knight must be a descendant or someone related to the original!"

Magilka let out a delighted squeal and writhed in excitement, which made me slightly uncomfortable.

(Well, at least I'm managing to dodge the issue...)

I glanced at Tütte, who knew the truth, and she noticed and looked at me. I put my finger to my lips and made a "shh" gesture, and Tütte nodded vigorously, understanding what I meant.

(However, the Moonflower blooms at night, so what should I do from here? Ah, it's a festival, so there might be some stalls...)

I recalled the scenes of a festival I had seen on TV and felt my heart flutter.

"Since we're here, let's go see the festival."

I stood up, looking excited, and headed outside.

"You're so energetic... Just like Zakha."

As I left, Magilka sighed and said, "You're just like Zakha."

I collapsed on the spot, my hands and knees hitting the ground.

"I... I'm like... Zakha?"

"Oh, I'm sorry... I went too far."

Seeing my shocked expression, Magilka apologized sincerely.

"What's wrong, Mary? Are you observing ants?"

Zakha, the cause of my distress, came over, saying something silly.

"Of course not, I was just a bit shocked..."

I stood up as if nothing had happened, put my hand to my mouth, and laughed, "Ohohoh."

"By the way, is Zakha okay to move around? I thought you had a crack in your rib?"

"Crack? Oh, right, I did?"

(I can't believe you forgot your own injury.)

I looked at Zakha with a bewildered expression, and he laughed, "Just kidding."

He's quite handsome, but what a disappointment.

"So, what were you two doing?"

"I was having tea, but I was worried about the village, so I thought I'd go see the festival."

"Sounds good. I'm hungry, so this is perfect."

(Does he expect me to treat him? Well, I did hurt him, so maybe I should treat him to something as an apology.)

"Feel free to come along if you want."

I walked past Zakha with a composed face, heading outside.

"Wait, I'm coming too."

Magilka, who had been watching, quickly stood up and followed me and Zakha.

As we moved, we saw Prince Raimus parting ways with Sir Claus at the entrance. Noticing us, he approached, and we bowed.

"Good day, Prince Raimus."

"Hello, Miss Mary, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, thank you."

"That's good to hear... Oh, what are you all up to?"

"We were just about to go to the village to see the festival."

"Hmm, that sounds nice. I haven't seen such things, so can I join you?"

"If you're not too tired, Prince Raimus..."

I had half-expected this, and sure enough, it happened. When the prince said he was fine and walked beside me, I followed along.

(Something... I have a bad feeling about this group going out together... Ah! No, no! I shouldn't set up such a bad flag, Mary! Yes, this is my first festival event with new friends, yes, it will be fun.)

I internally struggled with these thoughts as we slowly made our way to the center of the village, a group of five.

Thank you for reading this far.