Chapter 48 : This Is Not A Date (3)

Kalian and Serena strolled through the festival.

Serena seemed to be in an extremely good mood just walking alongside Kalian.

“Nya-nya-nya~ Nya-nya-nya~ Nya-nya-nya~♬”

“What’s got you so cheerful?”

“Of course, nya! Today is a day I get to hang out with Kalian all by myself, nya. It’s nice not having Wade constantly tagging along, nya!”

Humming cheerfully, Serena answered Kalian’s question without hesitation.

Unlike Lumia, who was constantly seeking me out, Serena seemed to be quite pleased with my absence.

“Anyone hearing this might think Wade’s some kind of weirdo… Well, I guess that’s not wrong.”

“Wade always asks me for money, nya! Just this week, he collected membership fees and even ‘friend fees,’ nya!”

“Friend fees? You’re telling me he’s even demanding that kind of thing?”

“Don’t you think that’s a bit much, Kalian, nya?”

Serena enthusiastically badmouthed me.

At first, Kalian only humored her lightly, but eventually, he joined in on the gossip quite actively, perhaps venting his own frustrations about me.

Fine, if me being the bad guy makes you two happy, so be it…

No matter the topic, keeping a lively and friendly atmosphere is a great sign.

It’s better than them obsessing over me, anyway.

The two decided to start with a meal.

Although Kalian had already eaten plenty with Lumia earlier, Serena’s small appetite made it manageable.

Their first stop was a dessert café.

“The desserts here are top-notch, nya.”

“I don’t know what to pick. Do you have any recommendations?”

“Everything’s good, but start with the chocolate pudding, nya. It’s the best in the area, nya.”

“Alright, then I’ll order that.”

Kalian and Serena sat at an outdoor table and ordered two chocolate puddings from the server.

There was no need to worry about conversation; once the pudding arrived, topics would naturally arise.

While waiting for the pudding, Kalian considered what small talk might be suitable.

Just then, an unexpected spectacle appeared near the café.

Thump, thump, thump

Knights clad in golden armor, carrying red flags, marched through Arcana.

Could it be the Royal Knights?

Even to a layperson, their heavy footsteps carried a distinct weight.

Most of them, save for a few exceptions, were undoubtedly elite knights.

I asked Evelyn, “What brings the Royal Knights all the way here?”

“It might be that a member of the royal family has come to enjoy the festival. But there are a lot of them. That’s too conspicuous for a casual visit.”

“I think so too. If they’re here in such numbers, it’s as if they’re outright announcing the royal presence. There might be another reason behind this.”

While Evelyn and I discussed the situation, Kalian and Serena also chatted about the Royal Knights, passing the time.

Eventually, their chocolate puddings arrived.

They looked almost like an ambiguous blend of chocolate and pudding, as if unsure which to resemble more.

Serena took a bite of the pudding and quivered with delight.

“Nyaa~ This is it, nya. I love the texture—heavier than cream but soft like pudding, nya. What do you think, Kalian?”

“Oh, this is delicious.”

“Nya-ha-ha, mission accomplished! Kalian is satisfied, nya!”

Yes, this is how a proper date should be.

Observing each other’s reactions and thinking about how to make the other happy—this is what a date is all about.

Now’s the time to build on this momentum.

“Kalian, you should show some appreciation to Serena too.”

“Appreciation? How?”

Kalian whispered so Serena wouldn’t hear.

How, you ask?

To anyone else, it might be a tricky question.

But for someone like me, who knows Serena’s personality well from the original story, it’s an easy one.

“Pat her head.”

“…What? What did you just say?”

“Pat her head. She’ll absolutely love it.”

“No way. She’s not a child. If I do that, she’ll probably feel offended. Isn’t there something else I could do?”

“Nope. For her, this is the ultimate reward.”

Kalian didn’t seem to fully understand my suggestion.

It’s understandable—most grown-ups don’t enjoy having their heads patted.

In fact, Serena herself doesn’t usually like people touching her at all.

However, the one exception to all of this was Kalian.

“Alright… fine.”

Reluctantly, Kalian followed my suggestion.

“Serena, without you, I wouldn’t have found such a great dessert place.”

“Nya knows many places like this, nya. I’ll show you more later, nya.”

“Thanks.”

“Nyaa?”

Awkwardly, he reached out his hand.

Serena stared at him, puzzled by what he was doing.

Slowly, Kalian’s hand moved forward until it gently patted Serena’s head.

“Thank you so much, Serena.”

“Funyaaa?!?”

Startled by the unexpected touch, Serena raised her hands reflexively.

The chocolate pudding she was holding flew off the plate, but she was too preoccupied to care.

“Funya… Funyaaa… Nyaaaa…”

At first, she seemed alarmed, but gradually, she calmed down.

Then, letting out a pleased sound, she rested her head on the table—a clear sign she wanted him to continue.

Although Kalian seemed wary about making physical contact with a woman, Serena’s cat-like reaction left him with a bemused expression.

Good, very good.

With this, it seems the gap between Kalian and Serena can be closed even further.

Not only that, but if he continues this kind of affectionate interaction with the heroine, overcoming his fear of women might not be far off.

But just as the patting continued for a while, an angry voice cut through the air.

“Was it you two who did this?”

Serena, utterly engrossed in Kalian’s touch, didn’t notice.

Only Kalian turned to identify the source of the voice.

The shout had come from a knight clad in golden armor.

On top of his head, smeared and dripping, was what appeared to be a freshly thrown chocolate pudding.

“Who are you?”

“I am Gerold, the captain of the Royal Knights. While on patrol in this area, someone had the audacity to throw pudding at me. And not just any pudding—a fresh one, at that.”

“…Oh.”

Kalian’s eyes flickered between the pudding on the captain’s head and Serena’s face.

It seemed the pudding Serena had thrown earlier had ended up over there.

I held my head in my hands.

What are the odds?

Out of all places, it had to land there.

Gerold, the captain of the Royal Knights.

I know him well from the original story.

To put it bluntly, he’s a nepotism hire.

Using the influence of his powerful family, he secured his position as head of the Royal Knights despite lacking skill.

In fact, he’s probably the weakest among them.

The problem is his terrible personality.

Because he has no real ability but desperately needs to maintain his standing, he’s overly obsessed with authority and pride.

And now, someone had dropped chocolate pudding on his head.

This was bound to get troublesome.

“My apologies. I accidentally flung the pudding. I sincerely apologize,” Kalian said politely.

However, Gerold’s face twisted even more irritably upon hearing the apology.

“So it was you. Do you think a simple apology is enough to resolve this?”

“What would you have me do, sir?”

“You appear to be a noble. First, state your name and family, then kneel before me.”

Technically, the royal family outranks the nobility.

However, in practice, the royal family is just another part of the noble class.

Even so, Gerold’s demand was exceptionally arrogant.

All because of a pudding to the head, and now he wanted Kalian to kneel in public?

“There’s no need for that, nya.”

Serena cut in.

When Kalian’s pleasant touch ended, Serena, sensing something amiss, lifted her head.

“The pudding wasn’t him—it was me, nya.”

“Oh? So it was you. First, state your name and family.”

“I’m Serena Lusevian, nya.”

“Lusevian… Just a beast dabbling in money schemes. No wonder there’s such a stench of vulgarity.”

Gerold openly insulted her.

However, Serena, unfazed, calmly took out a handkerchief and stood up.

“I’ll wipe it off your head, nya.”

“You think someone as lowly as you can touch me?”

“But it looks like poop is on your head, nya. If you leave it, it’ll harden, nya.”

“Poop, you say…?”

At Serena’s casual remark, Gerold’s face twisted in anger.

“Are you mocking me?”

“I never mocked you, nya.”

“You dare talk about poop to me, a representative of the Royal Knights? This is equivalent to insulting the royal family, and I will punish you severely.”

“That’s an excessive interpretation, nya.”

“Every word you say with ‘nya’ grates on my nerves. Do you not know that even nobles can be summarily executed for insulting the royal family?”

Shing!

Gerold unsheathed his sword.

This lunatic… How could he draw his sword for such an absurd reason with so many eyes watching?

Though he probably wouldn’t actually swing it, there’s no telling what demands he might make of Kalian and Serena.

It would be best to defuse this situation quickly…

Tsk, looks like I’ll have to use “her.”

I pulled another resonance stone from my pocket.

“Elia.”

“Yes, Wade.”

Elia responded to my call.

“There’s something I need you to do.”

“What is it? I’m kind of busy right now.”

“Don’t lie. I know you’ve been watching Kalian from afar all day. You’re watching him even now, aren’t you?”

“…Yes.”

“If this continues, Kalian will be in trouble. Distract the captain of the knights. That should be easy for you.”

“For something like that… fine. Just give me a moment.”

Since her defeat to me, she had no choice but to obey my commands.

Given her expertise in puppetry, creating distractions to divert attention should be an easy task for her.

Boom!

An explosion echoed from somewhere in Arcana.

“Kyaaah!”

“What was that? What’s going on?”

“Are we under attack?!”

Screams erupted from afar, and the people nearby fell into confusion and panic.

Even those watching the tense confrontation between Serena and Gerold sensed something was wrong and hurriedly fled.

“Looks like you’re lucky today.”

Amidst the chaos, Gerold smirked cruelly.

He led the knights and headed straight toward the source of the explosion.

The Royal Knights weren’t responsible for Arcana’s security, so the explosion was likely tied to their true purpose for being here.

With the crisis narrowly averted, Kalian and Serena exchanged glances.

As I held my head in my hands once again, Elia’s voice came through the resonance stone.

“How’s that? Worked like a charm, right?”

…I really shouldn’t have asked her for help.