Come to think of it, maybe she just wanted someone to take care of her when I first came here. I really hated it back then and wanted to run away.
“…”
Silently, I gently poke her soft white cheek.
“Mm… stop it…”
She murmurs in her sleep but shows no signs of waking up. She’s hopeless.
Watching Francesca breathe softly, I let out a small sigh.
…I’ll wait just a little longer for her to wake up.
///
scene transition
///
After a few more minutes, Francesca, rubbing her sleepy eyes and yawning softly, stretches her slender body with both hands raised.
Then, she notices me nearby and freezes.
“…Why are you still here?”
“I was planning to tell you I’ll come again tomorrow. So, that’s why.”
“Wait. Hey.”
As I try to leave, she grabs me by the collar.
“Did you see me sleeping?”
“I didn’t.”
“Don’t lie! Hey! Tell me honestly!”
She shakes me vigorously. Really, I didn’t see. I didn’t.
Francesca doesn’t have her usual calm demeanor; her cheeks are flushed, and she seems flustered. There’s even a hint of tears in her eyes.
It seems she was embarrassed to be seen sleeping. But why? She didn’t have problem even when I saw her naked. Her values are too unique.
…Could it be that when she said she didn’t need to sleep before, it was because she didn’t want her sleeping face to be seen? And the reason she always woke up when I called her for the morning call, even though I tried singing lullabies to put her to sleep at night and eventually gave up and fell asleep first?
That guess seems to be correct, as Francesca, with a bright red face, covers her face with both hands and writhes in embarrassment. I’m sorry.
“Well… never mind. That was my mistake. You said you’ll come again tomorrow? Feel free to.”
She seems somewhat sulky. Sorry about that.
“Right… here, take this.”
As I try to leave, she tosses something to me.
“With this, you can access this room from any door. It’s getting troublesome to have the guardian broken every time. From now on, use this to come.”
“Are you sure? This seems valuable.”
“If not, how else would you come here…?”
“Well, then, I’ll take it.”
I put away what I received—the Magic Key—into my Extra-dimensional Storage.
This Magic Key, which leads to this space, is probably the only one in the whole world. It’s a valuable item that allows access to the Magic Library, where many valuable books are stored. Any scholar would be dying to have it. I have to be careful not to lose it.
Seeing me accept it without hesitation, Francesca, for just a moment—though I might be mistaken—seems to let out a small sigh of relief.
“Well then, come again.”
“Yeah, see you tomorrow.”
“Hmm… okay, see you tomorrow.”
Responding with a nod to her echo, Francesca nods thoughtfully. Although her expression remains cheekily indifferent, there’s a hint of happiness in her tone.
—The next day, I wake up a little earlier and spend a little longer studying at the library.
But in the end, I still don’t understand things like love or affection.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
“Ray. Are you free today?”
A few days later, in the early afternoon. In a room at the inn.
As I lie on the hard floor, reading a book borrowed from the Magic Library, Eve enters after a gentle knock on the door and immediately asks me that.
“Yeah…? What’s up?”
I close the book and place it on the floor, sitting up to face her.
“Hmm. Are you free?”
“I guess I am.”
“In that case, I have something to ask of you.”
Saying so, Eve rubs her fingers together anxiously.
Her face is as expressionless as usual, with not a single eyebrow twitching.
With her monotone voice, it’s hard to tell what she’s thinking.
But perhaps because we’ve been together for a while, I’ve started to understand her a bit more recently.
Or rather, even though her face doesn’t show it, Eve is quite emotional.
When she’s nervous, she tends to touch her own hands and arms more than usual, as if her emotions are reflected in her body movements. And when she’s happy, she might clench her fists tightly or strike a triumphant pose.
Strong emotions also manifest on her face, and when she’s truly delighted, she’ll sport an adorable smile from the depths of her heart. She never fakes smiles, so in a way, she’s very easy to understand and get along with.
At first glance, she may seem hard to approach, but she actually has many girlish sides, like her love for fashion and occasionally reading romance novels.
According to my analysis, Eve seems a bit nervous right now.
She’s fidgeting and seems restless, as if there’s something difficult for her to say.
“Well, since I have some free time… What do you want me to do?”
Today is a rest day.
After earning enough money to stay at the minimum inn (no bed, no bath, no sink, 3500 lien per night) with my recent day labor, I’ve been lounging around as I please.
With my free access to the magic library, there’s no reason for me to stay in Rebelhero anymore. The inn is expensive, the food is expensive, and the residents aren’t friendly to me. I’m not coming back to this country.
However, the gathering of agreed-upon heroes is the day after tomorrow, and until then, I can’t leave the country until I finish the request afterwards.
So, until then, I’ve been passing the time by sleeping, messing around with magical tools, studying, and sleeping.
That’s why I’m not entirely opposed to Eve’s request. I also have the feeling that I want to escape from studying. I really do.
Eve looks away momentarily.
“…You’ll understand if you come.”
“No, just say it now.”
“It’s okay. It’s not a naughty place.”
I’m not worried about that.
“Or…?”
Eve blushes and looks up at me with a sideways glance.
“Would… Would you like to, um, do something… erotic with me?”
“Alright, got it! Let’s go, let’s go, get ready, come on!!”
It was just shy of ten minutes walking from the inn with Eve.
With no idea of what was going on, I followed Eve to arrive in front of the training ground in the [General Area]
There, adventurers of all sorts practiced magic and swordsmanship or engaged in mock battles.
Is this the destination? I looked up at the building, but Eve didn’t enter the training ground. Instead, she headed towards a person standing restlessly by the entrance, off to the side.
As Eve approaches, the person notices her and her face lights up.
“Did you wait?”
“I wasn’t waiting! It’s just the right time!”
“Are you ready?”
“Of course! I’m perfectly prepared. It’s me, after all. I wouldn’t neglect my preparation. And, uh, it’s… it’s a favor for a friend, so… trust me!”
“Thanks. I’m glad I asked you.”
Eve thanks her, and the person—Maya—waves her hand dismissively as if to say, “Oh, this is nothing.” But she’s busy fussing with her hair, unable to suppress the delighted expression on her face.
But the next moment, her face freezes when she meets my eyes. H-hi.
“Today, Ray agreed to help me.”
In an instant, Maya’s expression changes from one of joy to one of despair.
…Now that I think about it, we met face to face during the match against Lucas, but this is the first time we’ve talked like this. It’s starting to get awkward.
Or rather, if you’re waiting for someone, you should say so first. It’s awkward to go out with an acquaintance’s acquaintance. I don’t know what to talk about.
Anyway, as a sign of friendship, I offer my hand.
“N-nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too~”
///
scene transition
///
With a sudden change in her demeanor, Maya smiles and shakes my hand. Her nails dig into my hand. Ouch.
“But, don’t you think you don’t need help? After all, you’re not a white mage, right?”
“Today, we don’t know how many people will come, so it’s better to have more hands. Besides, Ray can use healing magic too, so it’s fine. He’s better than me.”
“Hmm… Is that so…?”
Eve proudly puffs out her chest. I feel a doubtful gaze piercing into me.
Eve nods.
“Alright, now that we’re all here, let’s go.”
As a signal, we start moving…
Also check out my friend Localizermeerkat for more LN translations!
BUY THE SOURCE MATERIAL TO SUPPORT THE AUTHOR !!!
Kindly click on the green button above and contribute to filling the green bar if you’re interested in having another LN from the request page translated. Also, every donation is being used to purchase the source material and to fund more English translations.
Please consider joining my Ko-Fi membership. By becoming a member, you’ll also gain access to 2-10 additional chapters of all of the novels from this site translated into English. Last but not least your support will also assist me in upholding the translation quality and speed. For more information, please follow the link.
Donation for faster release is always welcome
Additionally, I am now accepting translation requests.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM