Evening, work time.
As the sun set and darkness descended, the streets of the Imperial Capital were dyed in the crimson glow of the magic streetlights. The softly spreading light signaled the end of a busy day.
Most jewelry stores and clothing salons had closed, but the shopping district was still in business. It was their time to get busy.
Yohan and Eris walked side by side along the street tinged with crimson light. However, an awkward silence flowed between them. Not knowing what to say, even the sound of their footsteps seemed unusually loud.
Yohan felt nothing but discomfort in this atmosphere, but Eris didn’t feel the same way. She felt her heart pounding, yet she was swept up in a ticklish excitement.
‘Is today the chance…? No, isn’t it too sudden?’
Eris cautiously glanced at Yohan. Just looking at his profile made her heart race. A cold winter wind brushed her face, but her cheeks flushed hotly.
At this point, even the knight Eris, who only knew her sword, realized that she was unmistakably a maiden.
‘We’re not close on a personal level yet…’
She wondered if today was the chance, but Eris shook her head.
They had a connection since she was an inspector, and now they were close as a superior and subordinate in the Purification Corps but personally, there was still a distance. There hadn’t been anything in particular.
‘Still, I have to narrow the distance even a little today.’
There was a way to narrow the distance with Yohan.
Her sister, Zevela Highlander, had told her.
Eris had been alarmed since Rudbeckia’s aide came in. But she didn’t know what to do. She had never been in a relationship, and she didn’t have any male friends.
At least there were the knights of the family, but they were crazy about muscles and mana blades, so they weren’t very helpful. So she asked Zevela for help.
Zevela hadn’t been in a relationship either, but perhaps because she wasn’t completely ignorant like Eris? Surprisingly, she gave a good answer with a solid basis.
The strategy that her sister Zevela came up with was to evoke sympathy. According to her sister, Yohan was a person who drew a cold line, but once he opened his heart, he couldn’t easily refuse.
If she delayed like that, she would have a chance to show her own charm and win Yohan’s heart.
It was a somewhat unsightly plan, but Eris wanted to get closer to Yohan even if it meant doing that. He was the first man she had ever liked in her life, which had only known the sword.
“…Is the restaurant we’re going to one you often visit?”
Yohan, who was uncomfortable with the silence, spoke first. Eris flinched for a moment, but she didn’t show that she was flustered and answered calmly.
“Yes, yes…! It’s a restaurant that my sister and I have often visited since I was young…”
Not showing that she was flustered was only in her mind, but anyway.
“I see. What’s the main menu?”
“Well, it’s mostly meat, but lamb is popular.”
“Lamb?”
Yohan tilted his head. He had never seen a restaurant that served lamb since he came to this world. It was quite interesting. He was also curious.
“Yes. Isn’t it amazing? Lamb is not easy to cook because it has a bit of a smell, but the restaurant we’re going to doesn’t smell at all.”
“That’s interesting.”
Yohan slowly nodded. Even back on Earth before he was reincarnated into this world, it wasn’t easy to get rid of the smell of lamb, so how did they do it? Maybe they had special spices.
“…Lamb, I’m looking forward to it.”
“Hehe, it’s a really delicious place. You can look forward to it.”
As Yohan stroked his chin and showed deep interest, Eris’s steps also became lighter. She wanted to quickly let him taste the food she liked.
And they arrived in front of the restaurant.
She thought it was a pub, but it was closer to a restaurant.
“Hoo…”
As Yohan looked around the exterior of the store with an interested gaze, Eris smiled softly and said.
“Let’s go in.”
“Let’s.”
The two came inside. A light tinkling of bells rang, announcing the arrival of customers.
Yohan looked around. The interior was filled with tables, and there were quite a few customers.
It seemed that they had been running the lamb restaurant for over ten years, so they had a lot of regulars.
In the meantime, an employee approached and smiled brightly.
“Please sit wherever you’re comfortable!”
Yohan followed Eris’s guidance and moved to a seat. He first ran his fingertips over the table. Of course, not a speck of dust came off.
Perhaps because there were many customers of noble status, the hygiene was satisfactory.
“What would you like to order? I recommend the lamb chop steak. Oh, the skewers are also quite delicious. Grilled vegetables are also good.”
Eris rattled off the words. She seemed happy to be at her favorite restaurant with Yohan. Seeing her so excited made him feel burdened.
“…I’ll go with the menu that Eris recommends.”
“Then I’ll go with the lamb chop steak and grilled vegetables.”
Eris called the employee and skillfully ordered. The employee smiled and headed to the kitchen.
Yohan asked.
“It seems like you’ve really come here often.”
“Yes. I still come here once a week.”
“I guess you like lamb?”
“Yes, it’s much softer than beef or pork.”
Eris smiled softly. Then, she suddenly realized that she was talking to Yohan without any hesitation. Her body stiffened, and she covered her mouth with a trembling hand.
“Hmm, hmm…”
Yohan chuckled.
“Eris, aren’t you making it too obvious?”
“Yes, yes? What are you talking about?”
Eris tilted her head as if she didn’t know what he was talking about and pretended not to notice. Her gray eyes were directed elsewhere. She was talking normally until just now, but now she was embarrassed.
‘Well, should I wait?’
It was polite to wait for Eris, who had suggested the dinner appointment first, to speak first.
Because now it was during a dinner date.
“No, let’s focus on the meal now.”
“Yes? Yes. Hmm hmm.”
Eris cleared her throat for no reason. Her fingers were constantly fidgeting.
“Well…”
Then, she mustered up the courage to open her mouth. She had gotten a chance to go on a date together, and it would be meaningless if it ended like this.
“Speak.”
Yohan tilted his glass and fixed his gaze forward. Their eyes met for a moment. Her gaze slowly rolled to the side. But Eris didn’t give up on the conversation.
“…Minister, are you going down to your territory when the mission of the Purification Corps is over?”
“I guess so. There’s no reason to stay in the Imperial Capital anymore.”
“I, I see…”
Eris lowered her head.
There wasn’t much time left.
“What are you going to do, Eris?”
“Oh, I…”
Eris, who was about to continue speaking, just swallowed her lips. She wanted to say, ‘I’m thinking of marrying the Minister,’ but it was a sentence she could never utter…
“…I don’t know yet.”
“I see.”
Yohan put down his glass.
“If you’re going to stay in the Imperial Capital, going back to being an inspector would be one way. Eris, you’ll be welcomed anywhere.”
Special Knight, Eris.
She was a valuable asset wherever she went.
“…I’m not thinking of returning right now.”
“Then?”
Yohan tilted his head.
“Well, I have a dream I want to achieve in the future…”
“Hmm, a dream.”
And he smiled softly.
“Among the nobles, dreams may be just pipe dreams. However, it’s not wrong to chase them. Having a dream means that you are someone who yearns to live more than anyone else.”
It unintentionally became a time to share words of blessing. Of course, it wasn’t that Yohan said those words without noticing. The meaning of her saying she had a dream. He already knew what it was.
“The food is here!”
While they were having a calm conversation, an employee came out with a tray full of food. It was a restaurant, but this appearance was closer to a pub. It was friendly and felt good.
“Please enjoy.”
“Let’s.”
Yohan carefully cut the steak and put it in his mouth. The soft meat and deep flavor spread throughout his mouth.
‘….This is quite something.’
There was no unique smell at all, and the spices were properly mixed to further enhance the savory taste of the meat juice.
“…It’s delicious. Quite delicious.”
“Hehe, right?”
Eris looked at Yohan and smiled contentedly. There was nothing more joyful than having the person she liked eat her favorite food deliciously.
Eris, who was about to pick up her utensils, said.
“Well, first of all, there’s something I want to tell you.”
“Speak.”
Yohan, who was almost stuffing the lamb steak into his mouth, wiped his mouth with a napkin.
“I…”
“You?”
“I know that Minister is polygamous…”
“Cough…!”
Yohan coughed loudly. It was a story he couldn’t have imagined. He suddenly choked. It was fortunate that he had a napkin.
“…Where did you hear that?”
“I guessed…”
“…How much do you know?”
“Only that you’re dating another woman…”
“…I don’t know where you guessed that from…”
Eris turned her gaze slightly and faced her fingertips.
“At that time, I guessed from what Princess Ferbache, who came to see you after the mission to punish the traitor, said and Minister’s reaction…”
Oh my god. Yohan blinked with a dumbfounded face. Could she infer polygamy from just that? Was it her eye for detail, or anyway, she was quite perceptive.
Eris hurriedly added.
“I have no intention of threatening Minister with this! I just wanted you to know that I’m not a strange person…”
Here, she decided to be a little more courageous.
“In fact, I have feelings for Minister.”
“…Since when?”
“Since you saved my life on the mission.”
Eris, filled with courage, looked straight at Yohan. Her gray eyes shook from side to side. Her heart was pounding. But this time, she didn’t avoid it.
“I really thought I was going to die then… I was blown away by the Grand Sword Master’s attack and buried in the rubble… My body temperature was gradually dropping and it hurt, but I couldn’t move…”
Recalling that time, Eris felt a cold chill run through her body.
The emotions that were revived from the memory of looking at death in front of her were an endless, terrible abyss.
“But thanks to Minister’s victory, I was able to live. Thanks to Minister not forgetting and coming to find me right away, I didn’t have any aftereffects.”
At the moment when she was about to give up everything and close her eyes, she was able to live again without any aftereffects thanks to Yohan’s help. Yohan was Eris’s savior.
“From that time on, I became aware of Minister as a man. Of course, I was originally excited when I saw Minister, but… the moment I truly fell in love was from that time on.”
Under the table.
Eris clenched her hands tightly.
Her lips were dry, and her throat was burning.
A strange silence followed.
Yohan was just expressionless.
It’s scary.
She couldn’t even guess what kind of answer would come back.
But in order not to lose her place…..
“…That’s why, I want to ask you to give me a chance too.”
She needed to be even more courageous.