Chapter 42
I shouted happily at first sight.
“Meteo!”
So Meteo was here too!
Even though I’d only been away for one night, it felt like it had been ages since I last saw him.
However, Meteo looked a little serious and spoke firmly.
“Leaving the temple outside of training hours is against the rules.”
“Huh?”
“You can’t possibly have forgotten that you’re not allowed out except on weekends. Playing innocent won’t work either. You’re not the only one who saw you wandering around the village yesterday.”
“….”
Tch.
I had nothing to say and bitterly clicked my tongue.
So Meteo knew I had secretly left the temple during hours without training yesterday.
And, without even giving me a chance to deny it, he pointed out that there were witnesses.
I couldn’t lie anyway, so I had told Cardinal Ruben about it too. The master knights usually turned a blind eye to short outings, as long as no trouble was caused in the village.
Of course, getting caught was always awkward.
“How did you know?”
I asked, feeling a bit embarrassed.
Meteo answered without a hint of expression.
“How do I know? You skipped training and disappeared, and you weren’t in the dormitory either—do you think I just stayed put?”
“Huh?”
Well, what else was he supposed to do but wait quietly in the temple?
Meteo frowned slightly.
“You probably forgot, but you’re under my mother’s patronage, and she only ever worries about you. If you disappear without a word, I have no choice but to go look for you.”
“….”
My lips parted slightly. I realized something I hadn’t considered before.
Could it be that while I was in the demon realm, Meteo wandered around the village searching for me?
I never imagined that.
“You went looking for me…?”
Why would you?
Meteo sighed at my reaction.
“We’re not really family, but it’s a similar situation. And I’m not doing this because I want to.”
He frowned slightly, looking a bit tired, and ran a hand through his hair.
I could tell clearly that he wasn’t doing this for fun. He had no choice but to look for me because I disappeared without any notice and skipped training.
Suddenly, I thought I might be a bit of a nuisance to him.
Even though we weren’t close, he had to take care of me just because I was under my mother’s protection.
So perhaps what he really wanted was for me to make his job a little easier.
“So you mean I should always tell you where I’m going from now on?”
“That’s not it―!”
Meteo snapped at my words.
Then he quickly shut his mouth and shook his head.
“Yeah. I’d rather you did that. But I’m not expecting you to really do it every single time. It would be weird to report everything to me anyway.”
“Hmmm.”
I paused for a moment, considering his indifferent words.
I more or less understood what he meant—he just wanted me to be where he could reasonably expect me.
Still, reporting every single detail would have been tedious even from my perspective.
After thinking it through, I spoke with a hint of warmth in my eyes.
“It’s nice to have someone who worries about me this much.”
“Yeah. You should be grateful to my mother for that.”
No, I meant you.
Meteo still frowned.
I took a deep breath and lightly spoke again.
“But Meteo…”
“?”
He looked at me as my tone subtly changed.
I began speaking as casually as possible.
“I’m always grateful that the Marquise cares for me. I don’t want to worry her unnecessarily. But even if I suddenly disappear like this time… you don’t need to go looking for me. If I’m going somewhere far, I’ll tell you in advance. But when it’s not by my own will, I’d rather we just stick to our own time. That makes me feel more at ease.”
“…Hey.”
Meteo exclaimed in disbelief.
I didn’t want anyone worrying about me. I couldn’t bear the thought of someone frantically searching for me.
And the fact that it was Meteo made it even harder.
I didn’t deserve that kind of attention.
Even now, thanks to the Pluto family, I already enjoy a lot of conveniences, and I couldn’t handle any more concern.
I didn’t want his valuable time wasted because of me.
I smiled lightly to ease the awkwardness.
“Anyway, thank you.”
A few more days passed, and it became the weekend.
Weekends were when all the trainee knights returned to their families.
Of course, if someone wanted to continue training, they could stay at the temple. But I had to go to the Pluto manor, if only to see the Marquise.
As usual, I packed my things and boarded the Pluto carriage.
Meteo was already sitting by the window. When he happened to look my way, I gave a light greeting.
“Ah, hello.”
“Mm.”
No expression, just a short response.
Meteo briefly replied, then turned back to stare out the window.
I tried to act casual and sat across from him.
It seemed he was still upset over what I said a few days ago.
He had suffered while I disappeared, yet I told him he didn’t need to search for me in the future.
I didn’t know he had spent the entire night looking for me without sleep.
Even so, I would have said something similar, but I felt more apologetic now.
I cautiously began the conversation.
“I heard from Lucas that you spent the night searching for me when I disappeared?”
“I told you. I’m not doing it because I want to.”
“…Still, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize. I couldn’t have imagined you suffering that much.”
“That won’t happen again, so it’s fine. And you came back safely, so it doesn’t matter.”
“….”
Meteo crossed his arms, leaned against the window, and closed his eyes. He wasn’t going to talk anymore.
I rolled my eyes internally.
‘He’s really sulking. What should I do?’
<‘Dragon Slayer Sylvester’ says Meteo has a right to feel upset.>
<‘Yuri Druid Gabriella’ says it would be a burden from Crescent’s perspective, praising her for clearly stating her position. Overprotection doesn’t suit Crescent.>
“…Yeah.”
Even with Gabriella’s agreement, I wasn’t much reassured.
If we have to see each other often, it’s awkward like this—it’s a concern.
After briefly worrying about the future, I shook my head.
‘I don’t know. Time will heal it.’
At least I expressed my true feelings, so Meteo would worry less from now on.
That would make things easier for both of us.
I leaned back against the seat and closed my eyes. The stars’ conversation continued to appear.
<‘Dragon Slayer Sylvester’ asks why Meteo keeps looking for Crescent everywhere.>
<‘From Maid to Saint—Astina’ flusteredly stammers.>
<‘Yuri Druid Gabriella’ urgently grabs Sylvester by the collar and pulls him away.>
“…?”
What?
What does it mean that someone was flustered and pulled away?
The adults exchanged words that didn’t make sense to me. I briefly pondered, then decided to ignore it and sank deeper into my seat.
I was already feeling drowsy.
Soon, I fell asleep.
How much time had passed?
I had been sleeping deeply.
“Wake up, Crescent. We’ve arrived.”
“Hmm? Ah.”
Already?
I hadn’t slept much, but we must have reached the manor.
I quickly got up. Meteo had already gotten down and was ahead of me.
As I approached the porch of the manor, the Marquise came running out. She looked shocked when she saw me.
“My goodness, Senti!”
“Marquise! Hello!”
I greeted Rearwin brightly, but she didn’t seem to have time for pleasantries.
She looked me over frantically.
“Are you alright? Are you hurt? I had to hold myself back from running over! You went to the demon realm not once, but twice! How could you! I can’t tell you how my blood ran cold! That damned demon realm!”
