Chapter 62
Clack.
The door to the weapons shop opened, and the doll moved again as the song began to play.
Crescent and Meteor left the shop, still thinking how fascinating it was, even on a second listen.
They had just finished looking around Cyril’s weapon shop before stepping out.
Cyril had followed them right to the front door.
“Lady Crescent, will I get to see you again? And your handsome brother, too.”
Now that it was time for them to leave, the disappointment in Cyril’s pitch-black eyes was impossible to miss.
Hugging the carefully wrapped gun to her chest, Crescent replied,
“Of course. We both have to go back to the Cathedral now, so I don’t know when I’ll be able to drop by again… but I will, from time to time.”
“Oh dear. For knights who have to fight the demons, making time just to visit me would be a waste. If there’s ever a problem with the gun, just send me a letter. I’ll come to check it myself.”
“Ah, alright. Thanks. I’ll train even harder with this and definitely defeat the Demon King.”
“Haha.”
Cyril let out a small, easy laugh. Crescent returned it with a brief smile.
When the moment came to board the carriage, Cyril stepped closer to Meteor.
“It was truly an honor to have you visit today, Patron.”
“I never really intended to be a patron…”
Meteor muttered, but still clasped the hand Cyril held out.
After a short handshake, Meteor and Crescent headed toward the carriage.
“Well then, thanks for everything today, Cyril. See you again.”
“Goodbye, my lady.”
It was at that moment.
Cyril caught Crescent’s hand.
Crescent blinked in surprise, wondering what he was doing. Meteor, too, stiffened slightly—until the reason became clear.
Cyril lowered his head and lightly pressed his lips to the back of her hand before releasing it.
A simple, formal courtesy between gentleman and lady.
But Crescent had little experience with such gestures, so she flinched and pulled her hand away.
“Ah, sorry. You startled me.”
“Haha. You’ll need to get used to it, if you’re going to live as a lady.”
“Well, I’ll be spending more of my time as a knight than a lady.”
“You really do sound like a knight when you say that.”
“Because I am one. Anyway, thanks again. I’ll be off now.”
“Of course.”
With Cyril’s farewell, Crescent and Meteor climbed into the carriage.
The door closed, and with a rattle, the carriage rolled forward.
As soon as they departed, Crescent tore open the wrapping. The silver gun gleamed in the sunlight.
It wasn’t quite the same thrill as when Ruben had given her the family heirloom as a child, but the excitement of having a new weapon was still strong.
“Really, thank you, Meteor. I was in a bit of a pinch earlier, but thanks to you, everything worked out.”
“It was nothing.”
Meteor answered casually, his gaze fixed outside the window.
What was this feeling?
From the moment he entered Cyril’s shop until now, something had felt off.
Or was it the moment he first laid eyes on Cyril Lotte, the shop’s owner?
Learning that Cyril had once lived at the same orphanage as Crescent was surprising enough—it was strange that the shopkeeper was someone she knew from before.
But beyond that, there was something else.
A vague, unsettling feeling.
And it came entirely from Cyril Lotte.
Meteor didn’t understand why his senses were on such high alert, and it left him confused for a while.
Then, as if recalling something, he asked suddenly,
“What are you going to call that gun?”
“Hm?”
“A name. You gave our family heirloom that strange name, remember?”
“Oh, a name?”
Of course—this gun needed a name too.
It hadn’t even crossed Crescent’s mind until now.
“Hmm… the heirloom had a pink jewel, so I called it Pinky. This one’s silver, so… I’ll call it Silver Grace! Hello, Silver Grace!”
“…Right.”
Crescent proudly stroked Silver Grace.
Meteor let out a faint sigh and turned back to the window.
Whether or not he liked the shopkeeper, seeing Crescent so delighted left him with complicated feelings.
The carriage left the bustling streets behind and soon reached a nearby village.
As planned, they were to patrol the area, searching for demons.
Meteor and I walked together down a quaint forest path. Neither of us said much—the silence came naturally, as both of us were focused on scanning the surroundings for any sign of demons.
After about ten minutes, I finally broke the silence.
“You know, I always get mixed feelings at times like this. Part of me wants demons to show up, but another part hopes they don’t. Of course, it’s better if they don’t appear… but since we’re out here looking for them, it feels disappointing if we don’t see even one.”
“Don’t say that. If you talk like that, they always show up.”
“Got it. Ptoo, ptoo, ptoo!”
I pretended to spit, warding off the bad omen.
After all, there was a saying among the paladins: the moment someone wonders, ‘Why aren’t any demons showing up?’—that’s exactly when they appear.
It was like when a shop clerk thinks, ‘Why are there no customers today?’—only for a flood of them to suddenly pour in.
We continued walking when, from around the corner ahead, a group of people appeared. I glanced at them idly—and froze.
“Huh?”
They were wearing paladin uniforms.
Even more surprising, their faces were familiar.
As I scanned them one by one, Lucas spotted us first.
“Lord Meteor!”
Thud-thud-thud!
The sound of Meteor’s boots pounding the ground echoed like thunder.
Startled, I stepped back, and Lucas barely managed to stop just short of crashing into Meteor.
He nearly flung his arms around him, but restrained himself, blurting instead,
“Lord Meteor? It really is you, isn’t it? I heard rumors you’d returned home, but to see you here for real!”
Unlike Lucas, who was flustered and excitable, Meteor replied calmly.
“You’ve grown, Lucas. It’s been a while.”
“And you’ve grown too—! No, you’ve grown so much you’re instantly recognizable. Do you know how much everyone missed you all this time?”
That’s right—Lucas had always been one of Meteor’s biggest admirers.
The rest of the knights had now come close as well. Edgar, Adrian, Aluin, and even Evan were with him.
Just as I was about to greet them, Adrian shouted first,
“Crescent! What fate this is, to meet on a shabby roadside like this! It must be destiny!”
“It’s not destiny, it’s coincidence. What are you all doing here, anyway?”
It was an odd group.
I had never seen these people gathered together before.
Aluin was a teacher to the knights. Evan was a knight who worked directly with the Cardinal, and he had once accompanied me to the demon realm to meet Count Izmir.
Given their roles in the Cathedral, it was unusual to see them together with Lucas, Edgar, and Adrian.
Maybe they were on patrol?
The Cathedral often had knights take turns forming squads to patrol the surroundings and eliminate demons.
Aluin greeted Meteor warmly.
“Meteor. To meet you here like this—what a pleasant surprise.”
“It’s been a long time.”
After shaking Aluin’s hand, Meteor also exchanged greetings with Evan. And it was Evan who answered the question I had been wondering.
“Crescent. I heard you truly became part of the Cardinal’s family. Congratulations. We’re out here on patrol.”
“Ah, I thought so! That makes sense. And thank you. I only found out suddenly myself, at the debutante ball not long ago.”
“I’m truly glad, Crescent. That means I have one less rival to compete with for your hand in marriage.”
A nonsensical comment rang out—it was Adrian, of course.
I narrowed my eyes at him.
Adrian never missed a chance to pester me with his so-called courtship.
He was popular enough in high society; so why reject all the lovely young ladies who admired him, only to chase after me?
Ah—maybe because he thought marrying me would produce the strongest heirs?
“What rival are you talking about?”
I asked flatly. Adrian’s gaze flicked toward someone. Following it, I saw the person at the end of his line of sight—Meteor.
Meteor’s expression immediately soured.
“Crescent. I can’t tell you how relieved I am that Meteor became your legal brother. I was worried, since Cardinal Ruben seemed to dote on you so much, almost like a granddaughter-in-law. But now you’re a granddaughter instead! What a relief. Truly, what a relief.”
“….”
Good grief.
Adrian exhaled in deep relief, clutching his chest like a man spared from death.
The atmosphere turned chilly.
