After revealing the reason why the waiter fell for her, the atmosphere around them descended further into chaos.
“What?! He likes her because she eats a lot?!”
“They say those who will be successful can make it with any reason, but to receive a confession for such a reason!”
“Hey! I eat well too! Confess to me too!”
The people at the drinking party shouted, and the rumor that a public confession had been made spread rapidly in all directions.
Heroes and soldiers from the front lines hurriedly ran over, not wanting to miss this unprecedented spectacle.
“Popcorn available! Enjoy the show with some popcorn!”
The cafeteria owner hurriedly started selling freshly popped popcorn and beer at the entrance of the store.
“So!”
“What’s going to happen?”“Miss Evangeline! Give us a bold answer-!”
Everyone munched on popcorn, their eyes sparkling as they waited to see the outcome of this happening.
“Ugh…”
The waiter, seeming to regret his impulsive confession and sensing rejection, covered his flushed face with both hands, trembling.
Just as Evangeline, who had internally decided on her rejection, took a deep breath,
“Don’t be ridiculous-!”
Ash and Lucas rushed into the cafeteria.
Panting from their hurried run, Ash pointed a finger at the waiter.
“You dare to confess to the future lord of my city... no, my SSR tanker... no, my sister... no, is there no appropriate term?!”
After a brief moment of contemplation, Ash roared while pointing.
“Anyway, do you think I’d let you have the glutton under my command-!”
“Senior, how do you even see me...”
Evangeline let out a hollow laugh and suddenly made eye contact with Lucas.
Entering the cafeteria nonchalantly and receiving a bag of popcorn from the owner, Lucas stuffed his mouth full with an impudent look on his face.
“...”
Why, though.
The moment Evangeline saw Lucas’s indifferent face, she felt her temper rising.
So, she changed the response she was about to give.
“Waiter.”
“Yes, y-yes...”
Evangeline responded to the waiter, who looked as if he were awaiting a death sentence, with tears welling up.
“Actually, I don’t really know you at all, and you don’t know me well either. Right?”
“Yes... that’s right... I’m sorry. I was completely impulsive...”
“So why don’t we take some time to get to know each other?”
“...What?”
The surprised waiter looked up with wide eyes. Everyone gasped and looked at Evangeline.
Evangeline spoke again.
“After getting to know each other a bit, let’s decide whether to accept the confession, or to date, or even to become friends. What do you think?”
Evangeline smiled brightly.
The surprised waiter was frozen, unable to answer, while the surrounding heroes and soldiers shouted indistinguishable cries of surprise and excitement.
In the now chaotic center of the cafeteria, Evangeline glanced slightly at Lucas.
“...”
Lucas, still with a sullen face, just kept munching on his popcorn.
Feeling even more irritated, Evangeline bit her lip lightly with her canine teeth, curling her lips into a smirk.
And in the middle of this confused clamor—
“This is tampering! It’s invalid, invalid-!”
Ash, collapsed on the floor, continued to yell like a baseball team manager.
“How much effort I put into raising my SSR! Oh! Just kill me and take her, you scoundrel-!”
***
After I forcibly dispersed(?) the chaotic drinking party.
Our main party of five naturally gathered in the drawing room at the lord’s mansion.
“Hey, Evangeline!”
I pointed a finger at Evangeline, who was pouting in front of me.
“If a stranger tells you they’ll buy you delicious food, you should refuse! Why would you even consider it! Is that what I taught you?!”
“When did you ever teach me anything...?”
Evangeline, as if it were absurd, let out a sigh and scratched her chin with a “hmm” sound.
“But it was the first time someone confessed to me. Isn’t it okay to at least talk a bit more?”
“What, what?! Hey! It was practically the first time you met! And he approached you out of the blue! That’s a classic multi-level marketing scam tactic! They’re all trying to deceive you!”
Despite my desperate persuasion, Evangeline just snorted.
“Oh dear. Senior! Are you jealous because I’ve become popular?”
“What, what did you say?”
“At the last bloom of my teenage years! Finally, it’s time for my youth to blossom! Don’t be jealous, cheer for me!”
Ah, no. Evangeline was already intoxicated by the fact that she was now a "popular person who even received a confession."
Look at that, she’s got such an annoying face... just look at that arrogant expression, how her nose is in the air... now there's no turning back...!
“This is not what we wanted to see!”
As I despaired and clutched my head, Evangeline laughed, brushing her finger under her nose.
“And I will be careful with my love life. You don’t have to worry too much.”
“R-really? You’ll be careful? You won’t fall for some multi-level marketing scam?”
“I won’t, I won’t. I’m almost an adult. I can handle my own love life.”
I flinched and stopped. What?
“An adult? You?”
“Yes. My birthday is soon. I’ll be nineteen then, right?”
My jaw dropped.
‘Come to think of it, that's right! She was sixteen at the beginning of the first year...’
Now it’s already the late part of the third year.
When her upcoming birthday arrives... Evangeline will be nineteen years old. Legally a full adult!
A foolish sound escaped my mouth.
“This doesn’t make sense, it’s something that can’t happen in this world...”
I always thought of her as a sixteen-year-old kid.
Suddenly, she’s grown up and is about to become an adult!
“Ha ha ha, soon I’ll really have the qualifications to sit in the Margrave's seat!”
Evangeline, still with an impish laugh, crossed her arms arrogantly.
“Now that I’m an adult, I’ll date freely, spend money as I please, and redecorate this mansion with flowers and frills! I’ll even take three husbands!”
“Nonsense!”
Faced with an unbearable future, I screamed and spun around, then unfairly directed my frustration at Lucas, who was standing behind me.
“Why do you look so calm, Lucas!”
“Yes?”
I pointed at Lucas, who was standing there expressionless.
“Is it okay with you that a girl like your sister is swooning over a stranger’s confession? Aren’t you going to stop her?!”
“Sister...?”
Then Lucas sneered.
“Evangeline? My sister? That can’t be.”
“You heartless bastard-!”
“My loyalty lies solely with my lord.”
“You’re a loyalty and chivalry-only dandy-!”
While Evangeline’s overly proactive pursuit of youth was a problem, this tall knight behind me had his own severe issues in a different direction.
“Come to think of it, why are you so disinterested in romance? It’s one thing not to care about others' love lives, but shouldn’t you at least care about your own?”
More specifically, pay attention to Hecate! She’s liked you since the academy! She’s in bad shape, so do something about it, you clueless guy!
Then Lucas lowered his gaze slightly.
“As for my love life... I think it can wait a bit longer. There are more important matters than my personal happiness right now.”
Hey, hey, if you keep saying “studies are important, competitions are important, employment is important” and keep postponing, you’ll end up a clueless bachelor like those in that other world!
‘Ugh! Why do I feel hurt by my own words?’
Anyway, since the topic came up, I was about to urge Lucas further about Hecate.
“Pardon me for the late hour, Your Highness.”
With a knock, a woman with short beige hair entered the drawing room.
“I have something to tell you...”
Speak of the devil.
It was Hecate.
The people in the drawing room exchanged quick glances.
Lucas’s indifferent gaze, Junior’s bewildered gaze, Evangeline’s complex gaze, all collided briefly with Hecate’s gaze and then dispersed.
“...?”
Unable to follow this subtle change in the atmosphere, I just blinked, and next to me, Damien was also smiling warmly.
What’s going on here! Someone explain this to me! Was I the clueless one all along?!
“...Excuse me. I see everyone is gathered.”
Hecate lightly greeted with her eyes, stood in front of me in a formal posture, and got straight to the point.
“Your Highness. I and the entire Glory Knights are leaving Crossroad.”
I was shocked.
“What? Why?!”
“We, the Glory Knights, have lost our ability to perform in battle. We can no longer be of help to Crossroad. In fact, our presence here might even be detrimental.”
I saw Junior’s shoulders tremble slightly.
Without even glancing in that direction, Hecate nodded.
“The people needed on this front are those who can contribute to the great battles fought here. The Glory Knights are no longer among them. Therefore, I request our retirement.”
“...”
“I will await your permission, Your Highness. Then.”
Hecate briefly stated her piece, bowed to me, and then turned around and left.
“Hey, what...”
As I turned around, flustered,
“...”
Lucas, Junior, and Evangeline... all three were lost in thought, immersed in a strangely subdued atmosphere.
Holding my breath, I whispered to Damien beside me.
“Why is the atmosphere like this? What’s wrong with everyone today?”
Damien smiled brightly and whispered back.
“Well, everyone is young, after all!”
“...”
No, you're pretty young too... Why are you smiling like an old man who’s lived his entire life and seen his grandchildren...
Feeling a headache coming on, I rubbed my temples and nudged Damien in the side with my elbow.
“Hey, Damien. Don’t you have anything? No interesting romantic developments?”
“Hehe. My memories of the past are precious, so I’m not thinking about romance for now.”
Damien then gazed distantly towards the temple.
“And right now... I have a precious being to protect.”
“Gasp, who?!”
A precious being to protect?! Who on earth could it be!
“Our Podong. She’s almost three years old now, so she’s quite frail. She needs care.”
“Oh, that one...?”
Well, considering a hamster’s lifespan is about 2-3 years on average, it does make sense to take good care of her...
Sighing softly while observing the complex and subtle atmosphere, I muttered.
“Goodness, they say people will find love even amidst war, and old sayings aren't wrong.”
“...”
Then everyone turned to look at me blankly.
I broke out in a cold sweat. What? Why are you looking at me like that? Huh?
‘Of course, I do have... something going on with Serenade... kind of... in a romantic sense!’
Ahem! Anyway, the monster front is not a place for matchmaking! Of course, if you do end up falling in love, getting married, having kids, and so on, I’m fully prepared to give my wholehearted support!
Watching the intertwined lines of everyone's hearts, I groaned.
‘The monster front is love-struck...’
I have no idea how it will all end up, being a clueless bachelor myself, but...
Still, be happy in the end, kids.
I sincerely wished for it.
--TL Notes--
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at /MattReading