Chapter 78
The Duhein Family’s Demonic Beast (2)>
I arrived about 30 minutes earlier than the auction ti. As expected of a building belonging to the Lofty Order, it was splendid.
“My na is Aegis, and I will be in charge of guiding you through the auction. Please feel free to call as you wish.”
When we reached the semicircular building, soone was there to greet us. A man in a neat suit introduced himself with a polite attitude.
I gave a calm nod. Winter gave a small bow.
“I will check your ticket.”
At the guide’s gentle smile, Winter took the ticket out from her bosom.
After confirming the blue ticket, the guide bowed politely once more.
“You are the provider of an auction item. I will guide you first. This way, please.”
Receiving the guide’s courteous escort, we entered the building.
The beautiful white space symbolizing the Lofty Order was not excessively flashy, yet it carried a distinctive formality.
“They must have spent a lot of money.”
Even at a glance, the ornants looked precious and pleased the eyes. It was astonishing that, while receiving the most donations, they still had the wealth to maintain sothing like this.
“It is all thanks to the faith of the believers.”
The guide replied with a satisfied expression. His smile was full of pride.
Winter, who was not new to auctions, lightly poked with a slightly displeased look.
“If you stare too much, they’ll look down on you.”
“Hah.”
As if sharing extrely important information, Winter spoke cautiously. I let out a small laugh at the sight and patted her on the back.
“Uwaah!”
“When you ca before, did they look down on you for doing that?”
Nearly stumbling forward from the strong pat, Winter glared at with fierce eyes. Without even looking at her, I spoke.
“N–No, they didn’t!”
“As if. You’re now the only priest of the Anaye Order. You can afford to be more confident.”
She pouted and expressed her dissatisfaction, but she did not say anything further.
At my words, Winter looked surprised for a mont, then broke into a shy smile. I could see her slightly stiff shoulders relax.
“Room 47. There will always be staff waiting in the corridor, so if you need anything, please feel free to call for them.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“There are 26 minutes left until the auction begins.”
After the guide left, I imdiately threw myself onto the sofa. The room he had led us to was luxurious, with one entire wall wide open.
The furniture looked like expensive luxury goods, and the comfort was evident.
“Sunbae-nim. Would you like sothing to drink?”
“What do they have?”
On a table set up to one side of the room, various beverages and desserts were neatly arranged.
“Uh, there’s alcohol and soft drinks.”
“Hmm. I’ll get it myself.”
Politely declining Winter’s offer, I brought over a bottle of light brown whiskey.
Winter, who had been placing assorted desserts onto a plate, twisted her face into a grotesque expression.
“Are you going to drink in the middle of the day?”
I did not have good mories when it ca to alcohol. In fact, I rather disliked it.
Back when I lived in the modern world, I had lived like a drunkard because of a rare disease and had to endure many unfair things.
“Since it’s a rare occasion. And places like this tend to have expensive liquor.”
However, after coming here and gaining a body that did not get drunk, things were a little different.
There was a strange sense of conquest, and I found myself subtly liking the distinct taste of alcohol.
“Well, it’s not like you get drunk anyway.”
Winter nodded reluctantly. She brought herself orange juice and fruit-flavored desserts.
At the sa ti, she handed a whiskey glass and a few snacks.
“Aren’t you going to have so side dishes?”
“No, I brought sothing separately.”
As I pushed away the tray of snacks, Winter looked at curiously.
With a grin, I pulled sothing out from inside my priest robes.
“Ah. Seriously. That again.”
What was commonly called ‘dried garlic’ revealed itself. At the sight of the well-dried garlic, Winter buried her face in both hands.
I popped a fluffy clove of garlic into my mouth and took a sip of whiskey. It surprisingly paired quite well with the whiskey.
“But it’s a bit dark in here.”
“It’s for concentration. Look over there.”
Winter, who had been happily picking up a macaron, began to speak. Without saying much, I pointed to the wide-open front.
A height of three floors. Below that was a massive stage. Most of the lighting was focused on it. That was likely the space where the auction items would be introduced.
“…I know that too.”
Answering curtly, Winter finally began to look around.
“Sunbae-nim.”
“What.”
“I’m just asking in case. That’s directly opposite us, right?”
With a suddenly serious expression, Winter pointed sowhere.
“That’s right. We’re number 47, so we’re near the end.”
The place Winter indicated was completely opposite from where we were.
“Isn’t that seat number 11?”
“Seems like it.”
“But why does it feel like we made eye contact? It’s just my imagination, right?”
“No. You made eye contact.”
With better eyesight than Winter, I recognized the face of the person staring at us from seat 11.
Those teal-colored eyes were fixed on number 47, the seat assigned to us.
“Oh. He’s going outside. Do you know him?”
“No. He’s handso, though.”
I shook my head. I did not recall any man that handso.
“…You can see his face? From this distance?”
“Can’t you?”
Winter stared for a mont with an uneasy look, then shook her head. Soon, she shifted her gaze back to the snacks.
“Well. That happens.”
It was as if she was saying that whoever stared could do as they pleased. She simply wanted to fully enjoy the luxurious desserts she rarely had the chance to eat.
Judging by the amount she was eating, it seed she intended to replace dinner altogether. The quantity was no joke.
“Hey. If you eat like that, you’ll gain wei… Right. Now that I think about it, gaining so weight might be a good thing.”
“…What do you an?”
It might be obvious, but Winter was extrely light. I narrowed my eyes and looked at her. She flinched once, then froze in that position.
“W-Why?”
Her height was in the late 140s. And she weighed under 40 kilograms. I was not completely certain, but it was probably around that.
From any angle, she did not look healthy.
“Try living sturdier, like everyone else. Seriously.”
“Huh?”
Compared to this world, where won tended to be taller on average, Winter was especially small.
Of course, the Vice-Commander and Bereninche seed to like that about her, but personally, I wished she would put on a little weight.
“You’re not even 40 kilograms, are you?”
“…I am.”
Winter flinched at my words and answered with a pout.
“So you’re not. Eat more. You need to get healthier.”
“I’m perfectly healthy! I’m full of energy!”
Fuming, she popped a macaron into her mouth. She kept stuffing down the overly sweet things without hesitation.
Even Worden, who loved sweets, could not eat many macarons. Co to think of it, did Winter like sweets that much?
“Did you always like sweet things?”
“Uh… I guess I do?”
The ti I had spent with Winter was not insignificant. And considering the journey ahead, we would spend far more ti together.
It would be good to at least know her food preferences. Thinking about it, we had not actually shared many als together.
“What foods do you dislike?”
“Anything with garlic.”
“…Do you know how good garlic is for your body? Soone as frail as you doesn’t even have sothing called immunity. That’s exactly why you need to eat garlic.”
“I told you, I’m perfectly fine….”
—Knock knock.
Just as we were chatting amicably, a sudden knock interrupted us. We stopped bickering and looked at the door.
Who is it? I don’t know. What do we do? Just tell them to co in.
At our silent exchange through our eyes, Winter faintly frowned.
“Co in.”
At Winter’s clear voice, the door slowly began to open. At this hour, in this place, soone coming to find us.
The only person that ca to mind was Bereninche, but there was no way she would have arrived this early. Bereninche was lazier and more easygoing than she appeared.
“Hmm?”
The person who entered was completely unexpected.
“Hello?”
He was extraordinarily handso. A strikingly beautiful young man with blond hair and teal-colored eyes, giving off a refreshing image. He was definitely the one from room 11.
“Wow.”
Winter unconsciously let out an admiring exclamation with her hand near her face. I was no different. Seeing him up close, he was even more impressive.
I had been fairly confident in my own appearance, but in front of this young man, I could not even present a business card.
“This is ridiculous.”
“…Sunbae-nim.”
A hollow laugh escaped . At my rude remark, Winter quickly tried to rein in.
For even Winter to gape like that at his looks. I had not even felt this way when facing the Imperial Princess.
“…Who’re you?”
“Sunbae-nim. Watch your words.”
“Who are you.”
“……”
Winter had tried to stop , but I did not bother correcting myself. She wore the face of soone who had reached enlightennt.
As I narrowed my eyes and examined him, Winter quietly signaled to . He’s wearing the priest robes of the Karata Order. Why would soone like that co looking for us? How would I know?
“Haha. You don’t rember .”
“Huh?”
The handso young man smiled brightly as he watched us fiercely exchanging glances. The next thing he said caught off guard.
“Do we know each other?”
His tone made it sound as though we had t once before. But truly, I had never seen such a handso face in my life.
Winter’s gaze sharpened considerably. It seems like he knows you. If I don’t know him, is he an Academy student? Ah.
“Do you rember the recent attack incident?”
“Of course I do.”
“You saved then, Sunbae-nim. The first-years who were holding out in the lounge, and as well.”
With that much said, the mory almost surfaced. Co to think of it, before defeating Coco, the mid-boss of Episode 1, I had carried out rescue operations and rembered seeing a handso blond guy.
The one who had led the first-years from the lounge we rescued first and escorted them to the shelter. His na was definitely—
“Was it Sake? Or sothing?”
“My na is Dike Justia.”
Winter’s eyes turned sharp. I wore an awkward expression. It was possible not to rember soone’s na.
“I wanted to properly thank you, but the opportunity never ca. So I ca to express my gratitude now. I was truly thankful back then.”
His excessively polite greeting made feel embarrassed. He had definitely been a first-year in the Combat Departnt.
If he was wearing priest robes now, did that an he was aiming to beco a Paladin?
“Paladin?”
“Yes. I aspire to beco a Paladin. I am, though still lacking, affiliated with the Karata Order. I am double majoring in the Combat Departnt and the Divine Departnt.”
Perhaps he had truly been that grateful for what happened that day; Dike’s face was filled with goodwill. Since I had not acted out of pure benevolence, it made feel awkward.
As I stared at his face in silence, a rather decent idea ca to mind.
“Junior.”
“Yes?”
Suddenly, Winter tugged at my sleeve. When I looked at her, wondering why, she gestured for my ear.
“You’re thinking sothing strange, aren’t you.”
“How did you know?”
Winter caught on to the signs like a ghost. At my casual reply, she shut her eyes tightly.
It was the face of soone who had given up on sothing.
“Junior. When it cos to religion, you’d still be my senior, right?”
“Ah. I’ve been involved for about three years.”
Feels like there might be sothing I can squeeze out of him.
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