Page 127

(Grace)

Right now, me, Melon, Aure, and Walson are in a town called Nonokuta.

The night has fallen, most of the citizens have gone back to their house to take a rest, but the city hasn't.

The streets that are supposed to be pitch dark are instead illuminated by the golden light emitted by the magic stone lamps.

I sit on a stone bench by the road, watching the bustling crowd.

For the first time, I embarked on a journey together with Walson..... excluding the trip to the capital city.

These days, life in the [Dog House] is much more relaxed than when I was in the capital... without the work that is needed to do at the [Dog House], I spend most of my time enjoying the scenery or sleeping.

When I'm free, I exchange knowledge of magic and contemplate it together with Melon and Aure, or we solve algebra problems together. One thing I found out is for some reason Aure is really good at algebra, she can quickly solve problems that I can't figure out.

I can also squeeze into the front seat and act coquettish with Walson.

...Sometimes, when I'm bored and unaware of Walson's condition, I jump off the vehicle and run alongside the Rifle who are drawing the [Dog House] as a form of exercise.

Mealtime is my favorite time of the day. Aure Elvenise the ingredients into [Elf Weapon] and cooks incredibly delicious meals.

Ordinary elves wouldn't and couldn't do something like this... but Aure is not an ordinary elf, so it's okay.

Learning the process of making royal dishes with Aure is also interesting. Stews, caramelized meatballs, special sauces... Aure is really amazing.

"Let us dedicate our voices to the Goddess!"

The shout from the priest brings me back to reality.

On the day we arrived, the church in this city held a town-wide blessing ceremony... I never encountered a similar event in the capital, let alone during my time at the orphanage. It makes me feel curious so I stayed around to see it.

...Ah, but at the orphanage, we had a prayer ceremony once a month. I would wear a habit and pray on that day too.

"...I hope everyone can be happy in the future," I silently pray.

"Ah, Grace, you're here," a voice comes from beside me.

I open my eyes, turn my head, and see the person who sat beside me at some point.

"...Aure," I say.

Aure's shiny wavy golden hair, delicate features, intelligent emerald eyes, and slightly enviable ample bosom... Hmm.

"What's wrong? Why are you sitting here all alone?" While saying so, Aure also sits down beside me.

"...Praying."

"Huh? The event? Oh, right, you also come from the branch-church of Vantinom Orphanage," Aure says while taking out a paper bag from her waist pouch and placing it in my hands.

It feels warm...

"I saw a shop selling roasted sada fruits earlier. They're tangy and sweet, and I heard they're good for the skin," Aure explains.

"...Thank you," I expressed my gratitude and opened the paper bag.

"Ahaha, Grace, your way of speaking is so cute," Aure hugs me and pats my head.

"...Hmm." Because Aure is slightly shorter than me, her hair brushes against my cheek.

Although I sometimes feel a bit jealous of Aure... I can't really dislike her, and I even quite like her.

She's smart, funny, and acts just like an older sister. Melon also act a lot like an older sister, but Aure often felt and act like the eldest sister.

"Well, even though I don't currently follow any religion... Can I still pray?" Aure suddenly looks up at me, seeming to have some thoughts.

"...Hmm." I nod, demonstrating her a praying gesture.

As I watch Aure praying, I decide to follow Walson's action before and begin to tease Aure a little.

"...Aure, after this, you need to tell me what do you wish for"

"Huh? Is this part of the praying process too?" Aure looks at me with wide eyes.

"...You wish wouldn't be granted if you didn't tell someone else your wish." I lied.

"No, no, there is no way I can tell you that..." Aure's face blushes.

"...Then that wish won't come true."

"Huh? Huh? Umm..." As I watched Aure stammer and blushed, a smile began to form in my face.

"...Is it related to Walson?" I leaned in closer to the blushing face of Aure and blew air into Aure's long elven ears.

"Waaaah..." It seems like I hit a weak spot, as Aure trembles all over.

"...Huff—" Seeing that she didn't give in yet, I blew another air into her ear, which made her tremble again.

"That's right... I hope he pays more attention to me too..." Reluctantly, Aure gives up and told me her wish.

Although I've already figured it out, hearing Aure say it like that still surprises me a bit.

...

...

Walson is an amazing person, very amazing. In the future, there will also be many people standing by his side.

Once, this thought was the reason I worked hard to learn magic, and it hasn't changed.

"...I won't easily give Walson to Aure." I speak up.

"..."

"...But I'll still cheer for Aure." I hug Aure and pat her head.

"Tsk, hearing that from you feels really strange." Aure pokes my waist, and I retaliate by blowing air into her ear.

We start fooling around like this. I have the advantage in height, so I can easily pinch Aure's cheeks or play with the sensitive spots on her ears.

"Ahh... Haha, no, I can't..." While licking her ear, I saw Aure's expression and began to imagine what kind of reaction would Aure make if Walson saw her making this kind of expression.

She'd probably rather die, wouldn't she?

...Aure falling in love with Walson, I can't blame Aure for that, remembering the incident about the spies... but I still feel a little peeved about it.

...

It must be because Walson is so charming. I feel like even the [IRIS] in my hands are attracted to him.

So, it's only natural that the fireball produced by the magic in my body would also fall for him...

Elsewhere, Walson, who had just got out of the bath, felt his body tremble all over.

"Achoo! Why do I suddenly feel a chill?"