Chapter 54: This Life Is Already Sealed

“So fragrant. Loki~ what are we having for dinner tonight?”

Not long after, Sailulu woke up.

The silver-haired, purple-eyed girl stepped lightly beside Loki like a butterfly, pressing her cheek against the young man’s arm.

…She felt like her guard against her was getting lower and lower.

Faced with the girl’s affectionate gesture, Loki had completely given up the last shred of resistance in his heart.

He’d find some time later to talk things over with her in detail.

No matter what price she really wanted him to pay, he’d take it… A real man couldn’t just leave the dirty things he’d done without any explanation.

“Could it be that Selene made this again?”

“This time it’s the Knight Order’s canteen chef… don’t really think the lady of the manor is our personal servant, okay?”

“No way, I’m just praising her cooking skills.”

Sailulu happily began to enjoy dinner.

“At least she’s honest enough not to misuse things on a whim.”

“…”

Ina shifted her body, lifted her face, and looked toward those purple eyes.

Though she wasn’t named, the witch could tell the saintess was mocking her.

But instead of confrontation, Ina decided to ease the tension between them with a gentler approach.

“Is your body alright now?”

“Hm? Didn’t expect you to care about me… I’m fine. Thanks to you, I’ve gotten through the worst of it.”

Sailulu replied.

“This is the side effect of using an external object. After intense battles, I inevitably fall into this state… so remember, no matter what, you have to give way to me.”

“Keep dreaming.”

Ina twitched the corner of her mouth, brushing away the flirtatious look Sailulu threw at her.

“The Holy Church should know that, right? Then why would they still make you the saintess? If you keep fighting frequently, one day you’ll…”

“The Holy Church isn’t as heartless as you think—at least it’s nowhere near a sweatshop level. Everything we do is to stabilize this world… otherwise, I would’ve run away long ago.”

Sailulu stuffed a piece of bread soaked in broth into her mouth.

“Anyway, I took on the big responsibility of becoming an adult, and the nun who raised me at least taught me how to alleviate these symptoms—rather than leaving me in the ruins and looking for someone else to self-destruct.”

“Ah, of course, I’m not blaming anyone—I just hate myself for being a powerless little girl who can’t share someone’s burdens.”

“If it weren’t for him, maybe I’d be living a life a thousand times more miserable than now, and I’d never have the power to change or save anything.”

She rambled on by herself.

Though no name was mentioned, that someone’s shadow was everywhere—making Loki feel restless.

The nearly burnt-out scented candle emitted faint popping sounds, occasional and irregular, like an old man gasping his last breaths.

Night quietly fell outside the window.

Tonight’s moonlight was striking, its soft silvery glow like just the right amount of powdered sugar, evenly dusted on every object’s surface.

“But I can understand, that person probably considered my situation with a one percent… no, one-thousandth chance, which is why he made that decision.”

“But complaints aside, if he hadn’t done so, maybe we wouldn’t even be walking together now~”

Having said that, she revealed her signature sly smile.

Ina felt all her worries had been wasted.

Did this woman ever know when to stop talking? A simple “I’m fine” would have sufficed. Why the long confession?

Who asked you?

Loki, see through this woman’s true colors—she’s trying to use the past to blackmail you!

“Tch, why do I have to listen to this here…”

The witch muttered unhappily.

But she couldn’t help feeling concerned.

Compared to Sailulu, her feelings for Loki didn’t seem as deep or complicated, maybe even somewhat “cheap”—lacking the weight called experience.

…But so what?

After all, she’d been tailing Loki for five years. Roughly speaking, her time with him was twice as long as Sailulu’s!

The past is the past and can’t fully determine the future’s course—just look at childhood friend characters in popular stories—they always fall the hardest.

Ina certainly wouldn’t lose confidence against Sailulu over such a minor matter.

“Hehe, if you don’t like it, you can leave.”

“Keep dreaming. In fact, I’m staying here tonight too. As Loki’s partner, I need to make sure he’s safe until we catch that witch.”

Ina straightened up, expressionless.

“Safe in every possible way.”

“Hehe, a shameless woman is truly ugly.”

“You’re the shameless one.”

Loki wasn’t stupid enough to get involved in the quarrel between two difficult women.

He moved to the window, tossed a gold sovereign, and called a raven.

He needed to confirm the situation with Christine.

He wasn’t worried about the female knight. If Christine wished, she could return to where she was before teleporting without waiting for the half-hour limit to run out.

The “black” dove straight down as usual, landing in front of Loki.

“Christine? Are you busy?”

“I’m resting.”

Christine’s voice came from the raven.

“Do you need something from me?”

“Need something… We always have a routine check-in after using teleportation.”

“Hehe, I thought you’d be lost in a soft haven surrounded by young girls.”

“We’ve known each other for so many years. Do you really think I’m a man who lusts after women?”

“I’m not teasing you, Loki.”

Christine’s tone was serious.

“Properly releasing desires is also part of maintaining health. You’re a special existence who might influence this world. If you still have to handle things yourself, it’s a bit pathetic.”

“If I hadn’t heard it with my own ears, I wouldn’t believe those words came out of your mouth.”

Though surprised by the knight’s remark, Loki couldn’t deny it.

“How do you know I handle it myself?”

“Guessing. With your personality, you wouldn’t go to Liusing. And this is pretty normal—in the strict Knight Order, male and female knights generally have to deal with themselves until they have partners.”

“I know that well enough. Let’s change the subject, Christine.”

Though not embarrassed enough to blush, considering the two girls behind him could come closer at any moment, it was better not to talk about such awkward things.

After all, he still had his pride.

“How’s that red-haired woman doing?”