The longer Liel smiled, the extra embarrassed I felt.

Did I seem like I used to be bluffing……?

“Overlook it. However I recognize the thought.”

He wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes from laughing. As anticipated, Liel rejected my supply.

“I already collected virtually all the pieces and in addition checked the home, so it’s okay,”

Properly, if that’s okay with you, I can’t assist it…….

I didn’t need to pressure him to take it. I obediently backed away, as I’d promised myself earlier.

I sagged again into my chair.

I knew he was going to say no, however I used to be dissatisfied that I couldn’t do something about it.

“Are you unhappy?”

He requested as he pushed the signed papers towards me. I pouted my lips with a understanding look.

“Come to consider it, I don’t assume I’ve ever actually gotten you something, so I believed I’d take this chance to do one thing for you.”

“I don’t assume I’ve ever gotten you something both.”

“It’s okay, you give me energy simply by being right here.”

I answered, my eyes scanning the papers Liel had handed me, anticipating a right away response, however the room was eerily quiet.

I lifted my head, puzzled, to have a look at Liel, whose gaze was on me.

“What’s flawed?”

“I’m simply curious, you’re not doing this on function, are you?”

When he stated that, an uncharacteristically bitter smile appeared on his face. I blinked shortly, unsure what he meant, and he shook his head.

“Do you need to do one thing for me?”

As an alternative, he gave me the reply I’d been ready for. Though the reply got here again as a query.

“Properly, come over to my home someday.”

I’m positive he meant the home he’ll be residing in after commencement, not the Duke of Marsen’s.

However even when he didn’t say so, I used to be positively going to return over.

It’s my good friend’s home, and he’s beginning to dwell on his personal, so how may I not?

“I used to be going to go over anyway…….”

That’s not all I’m doing for him, is it? Liel’s eyes curved right into a crescent after I requested if there was anything.

Then, sitting cross-legged, Liel spoke up.

“I feel that’s sufficient for now.”

“Actually……?”

The way in which he stated ‘for now’ implies that he’ll inform me if he needs one thing else later.

⁂

It had been about half a day since Kamil’s name for reinforcements had introduced them to the outer partitions of the Empire.

“Man, hasn’t it been a very long time?”

Dailor, who had additionally been assigned to protect the outer wall, noticed Liel and ran over with a contented face.

On the similar time, Kamil’s face crumpled right into a grimace of annoyance.

“Sure, it’s been some time.”

For a second, he questioned if he ought to fake he didn’t know him, however then he returned his greeting. He was afraid that if he did, the dialog would drag on prefer it had final time.

“It’s been virtually a yr, hasn’t it? It’s laborious for individuals who do related work to not run into one another.”

As he stated this, he held out the water bottle he was carrying.

“Oh, and should you’re thirsty, would you want a glass of water?”

Even in the present day, Dailor was sociable and talkative.

Liel gently pushed the water bottle away from him along with his hand.

“No, thanks, it’s virtually time to return.”

“Yeah, effectively, I’m right here to change with you guys.”

Dailor cleared his throat, as if he was dissatisfied they hadn’t been capable of speak longer, however quickly he shaded his face along with his arms and scanned the world round them.

“By the way in which, it’s not just like the outskirts are infested in the present day.”

Kamil shook her head in settlement, although the birds within the timber, or extra precisely, the demons within the type of birds, had been giving her a headache.

“They’re not even attacking.”

Kamil muttered irritably.

Liel intentionally stored his mouth shut and listened to Kamil and Dailor.

If he wasn’t cautious, he would miss their dialog over the sound of the demons’ voices.

It was like they had been chirping was gnawing at his mind.

Nonetheless, Liel’s expression didn’t change.

At that second, Dailor spoke up.

“Shouldn’t we assault first?”

Dailor scratched his cheek, wanting from Kamil to Liel as if to ask what was flawed.

“The issue is, if we assault, they’ll run away. They’re such a fast creature.”

Even flying within the air, they’d be laborious to catch if attacked, and even more durable to catch in the event that they flee.

However even within the midst of all this, Dailor was nonchalant.

He twirled his hand-braided hair and shouted in a booming voice.

“Winged demons are uncommon and laborious to return by……. Maybe this can be a signal that we must always take a bet in the present day?”

Then Kamil requested in a pouty voice, one nook of her mouth pulled up.

“And you may nonetheless name your self a paladin?”

She gave him a glance that stated he was getting extra immature by the day.

“Aww, that’s a bit harsh of you to say that a couple of joke.”

Dailor grumbled that he’d heard all of it earlier than in the present day. He paused, nevertheless, and rubbed his chin as if pondering one thing.

“By the way in which, how lengthy have they been hanging round and watching this fashion? I don’t assume I’ve ever seen them, at the least not after I was round.”

“It’s been about …… a month, I feel. There weren’t that many at first, however by some means they received an increasing number of as the times went on.”

The birds appeared irregularly.

It wasn’t each time they had been outdoors that they had been greeted by birds, and that was true of the opposite knights as effectively.

“We’ll report it to the Empress, however there’s nothing we will do about it.”

It wasn’t precisely innocent, in order that was the conclusion they got here to.

“Is that the case with Younger Grasp Marsen?”

A disconcerted Dailor turned to Liel with an offhanded query.

“What do you imply?”

Liel’s reply was clean as a result of he was concentrating, however that didn’t imply he may give a transparent reply to the query.

“I’m asking what the birds had been like when Younger Grasp Marsen got here.”

The extra examples the higher, proper?

“…….”

Liel glanced over on the birds, immediately understanding what Dailor meant, and slowly spoke up.

“Similar right here.”

One after the other, the birds started to flap their wings as they sat nonetheless and stared at Liel.

“I’ve seen them every now and then, however by no means as many as in the present day.”

Caw—

The birds’ cries grew extra distant, however they continued to talk to Liel whilst they prevented him.

[The king’s resurrection is near.]

On the similar time, his ankle throbbed. The ache was so intense in comparison with the intermittent ones that Liel couldn’t assist however chew on the skinny flesh in his mouth.

He managed to maintain a straight face, so nobody may inform he was in ache.

Kamil, noticing the birds flying away in flocks, tapped Liel on the shoulder.

“Hey. Let’s head again.”

“Yeah.”

Shortly responding to Camille’s phrases, Liel moved his toes to comply with her. Even with the ache that felt like a noticed was reducing by way of his ankle, Liel’s gait wasn’t awkward.

That day, Liel went straight again to the Duchy of Marsen with out stopping by Lucy.

Certainly Lucy would have seen.

⁂

Lastly, commencement day arrived, and never simply any commencement day, however Liel’s and Melissa’s commencement day.

In different phrases, it was the yr they grew to become an grownup.

The very first thing I did after I received off the carriage was look across the academy grounds. It had been a very long time since I’d seen it.

As I hurried inside, the uniformed college students had been bustling round, waving goodbye to one another.

The place are Liel and Melissa?

I had come all this solution to see Melissa. I regarded round diligently.

“Lucy?”

A nostalgic voice referred to as from not too distant. I instantly acknowledged the voice because the one I used to be searching for.

My nerves instantly kicked in and I turned within the route of the voice.

As I anticipated, there she was, a extra mature Melissa than the final time I noticed her, observing me in shock.

However her engaging pink bob was nonetheless there. That made my longing even stronger.

“Melissa!”

I used to be so completely happy to see her that I ran towards her with open arms. Melissa, then again, walked towards me with a relaxed gait.

“Congratulations on graduating!”

I stated, throwing my arms round her, and her physique leaned again barely.

“Thanks.”

She stroked my hair, her voice way more affectionate than earlier than. I pulled away and regarded up at her, feeling awkward about Melissa being so affectionate.

“……I’m not so imply as to be chilly to a good friend who’s come a great distance.”

Melissa squinted, as if she’d been stabbed, and retreated herself. I shook my head vigorously to let her know I didn’t imply it that manner.

‘Huh? Wait, you’re not going to be imply to me?’

I ended my diligent shaking and my eyes lit up.

Realizing that this was one other alternative, I hugged Melissa tightly once more and rubbed my brow in opposition to her shoulder.

Melissa left me alone, questioning if she ought to take again what she stated.

I buried my head in her shoulder till my bangs had been a multitude, I remembered that Liel’s commencement would coincide together with her signing ceremony.

I regarded up and turned to Melissa, who was taking a look at me with glassy eyes.

“Oh, proper. Melissa, do you occur to know the place the knighting ceremony is?”

I can’t wait to get there and congratulate Liel.

At my query, Melissa winced and pulled her hand away, pointing to the coaching grounds.

“The knighting ceremony? That’s within the coaching grounds—”

“Melissa.”

At that second, an unfamiliar voice referred to as out to her.

“Let’s go.”

The ear-meltingly candy voice made me flip round. The lady locked eyes with me and smiled sweetly.

“Sure, Amelia.”

Melissa replied, wanting again at Amelia. She had heard the identify as soon as earlier than.

‘Melissa stated she was her guardian…….’

I shortly bowed and stated hi there. The individual on the opposite finish gave me a delicate smile and waved.

“Lucy, I’ll goodbye. I’m beginning my coaching on the academy subsequent yr.”

“Coaching?”

“Yeah, to grow to be a professor.”

When she stated that, Melissa’s face lit up with the sort of pleasure you see in somebody who has realized a dream.

I clapped enthusiastically and instructed her congratulations once more.

She instructed me that if I ever resolve to return to highschool, even when it’s later, I ought to come to her.

The good friend who had pushed me away as unhelpful to her future appeared a lot greater and higher now.