Chapter 96
It’s a Reward for Me Too
Leo’s POV
Dinner was eaten in the grand dining hall together with the members of the Third Knight Order.
For those in the Third Knight Order who were tasting Sibel-chan’s cooking for the first time, everyone was deeply moved by how delicious it was.
“Th-This is amazing…!”
“What is this!? I’ve never eaten anything like it!”
“I feel strength welling up inside me!!”
Heh… right?
Sibel-chan’s cooking really is that good.
It had been a while since I last ate her food, but it was just as delicious as ever, and the fatigue from the long journey was blown away.
Eating together in such a lively crowd was also something I hadn’t done in a long time, and it was fun. Yoti and Rick had opened some wine and were getting quite excited.
“You two are really putting it away!”
“If you can’t drink, can you really call yourself a knight?!”
“You’re the one who’s already drunk.”
“I’m not drunk at all! Come on, Rick, drink more!”
“Hahahaha—!”
At the royal palace, it’s not easy for everyone to gather like this for a meal, but I want them to be able to relax once in a while.
“…It really is delicious. I didn’t know Sibel was such a good cook.”
“Lord Marx, you’re eating more than usual too.”
“Yeah, I feel like I could eat endlessly.”
“Then shall I give you some of my meat?”
“Huh?”
“Come on, you have to eat a lot if you want to grow big, you know?”
“I’m already an adult…!?”
My younger brother—Marx—also looked like he was enjoying Sibel-chan’s cooking very much, and he seemed to be getting along well with the members of the Third Knight Order.
Still, since our seats were far apart, we didn’t talk much.
To begin with, I myself still don’t know how to interact with a younger brother I’ve barely ever spoken to until now.
He truly seems to regret having exiled Sibel-chan, but even so—having believed all this time that he would inherit the throne, only for me, his older brother, to suddenly become crown prince and get engaged to his former fiancée—there’s no way he could feel good about that.
Even if it was his own fault, perhaps he thinks that if I hadn’t existed, things wouldn’t have turned out this way.
As proof of that, he rarely looks me in the eyes when he talks.
“If we’re going to investigate the cause, should we send knights into the forest?”
“…We’ll have to think very carefully about that.”
Leaving Yoti and the others still enjoying themselves in the dining hall, Milko and I returned to the guest room we had borrowed for the night to talk.
Sibel-chan had gone to the baths with Elga.
“To think that a magic stone imbued with the Saint’s blessing would shatter. Perhaps an extremely powerful monster appeared.”
“But there’s been no information about such a monster appearing even after the magic stone broke.”
“Yeah…”
There are several possible reasons why a magic stone might break, but for one imbued with the Saint’s blessing to shatter on its own after some time has passed is extremely rare.
It’s unlikely that too much of the Saint’s magic was poured into it, causing it to exceed its limits.
We wouldn’t have chosen a poor-quality magic stone to place in Tori.
If that’s the case, then perhaps someone with immense magical power deliberately destroyed it… or else it was exposed to something so powerful that the magic stone couldn’t withstand it.
It’s hard to believe that someone within the Third Knight Order would intentionally destroy the magic stone.
Which leads to the possibility that a powerful monster—such as a demon or a dragon—appeared, triggering the stone’s reaction…
The vast Forest of Miasma deep within Tori is home to countless monsters.
Even we don’t fully grasp what lies within it.
If monsters come out into the city and attack people, we fight them—but we try to avoid going out of our way to hunt monsters that aren’t causing harm.
In our country, Saints are born periodically.
Thanks to them, there hasn’t been any major conflict between humans and monsters for hundreds of years.
That’s why we have no choice but to be cautious about conducting investigations deep within the forest.
“It’s also possible that her power was still weak since it had just been released.”
“That’s true. If Sibel-chan’s power hadn’t stabilized yet, it’s not impossible…”
“For now, we should prepare a new magic stone and observe the situation.”
“Yeah… that would be the most reasonable course.”
From here on, for many years—perhaps decades—she will have to use her power as a Saint for the sake of this country’s peace.
I intend to support her with everything I have, but I want to reduce any unnecessary burden on Sibel-chan as much as possible.
“I’ll inform the captain of the Third Knight Order about this. We should also have the First and Second Knight Orders ready to move at a moment’s notice.”
“Understood. Still, all we can do is pray that nothing happens.”
“Yeah, truly…”
After finishing my talk with Milko, I decided to go check on Sibel-chan and visit the room where she would be staying for the night.
“—Sibel-chan, are you there?”
“Yes, Leo. Please come in.”
When I opened the door, Sibel-chan greeted me with a smile.
That smile alone instantly soothed my heart.
“Dinner tonight was really delicious. Thank you—you must have been tired.”
“No! Hearing that from you, Leo, gives me energy too!”
She wasn’t just being polite—she was genuinely smiling with happiness.
She had always been like that, ever since she lived here in the city of Tori.
Always bright, always positive, always healing us.
Even if it was because she was a ‘knight enthusiast,’ there was no way I couldn’t find Sibel-chan—who sincerely did her best for our sake—adorable.
“As thanks, how about I grant one of your wishes, Sibel-chan?”
“Huh? My wish?”
“Yeah. Your cooking gave me strength, so in return, I want to give you some too.”
“Oh my…”
We support each other, and that’s how we’re able to keep going.
When I said that, Sibel-chan fell silent as if thinking something over. Then her cheeks flushed red, and she gently shook her head.
“No… that would be too much to ask of the Crown Prince, Sibel…”
“What is it? Go on, tell me.”
“Um… b-but…”
It sounded like her inner thoughts had slipped out. I wanted to know what she was thinking.
I wanted to know what Sibel-chan wished for.
“I’m your fiancé. You don’t need to hold back.”
“…Then, may I ask you to indulge one selfish request?”
“Of course.”
“I want you to say ‘You did well,’ and pat my head…”
“Is that really all?”
“If possible, please roll up your sleeves when you do it.”
“Sure.”
She looked embarrassed, holding a hand to her flushed cheek—but something like that, I’d be more than happy to do.
She really is so modest.
“Come here, Sibel-chan. You did well—thank you, truly.”
“Leo…”
I rolled up my sleeves as requested and gently patted her head. Immediately, Sibel-chan showed the happiest expression.
“With a reward from you, Leo, I can work as hard as I want…”
“A reward?”
“Being patted… hugged… cuddled…”
“I see.”
With a dreamy look on her face, she answered honestly. I pulled her into my arms and gently stroked her hair.
“…!! Leo…!?”
“Sibel-chan, you’re truly amazing. Thank you for everything.”
“I’m being so greedy…!”
“This time is a reward for me too.”
“Oh my…”
She must have just come back from the bath—she smelled wonderful.
Does she even realize that I’m the one who’s always holding back?
“Leo, I love you.”
“I love you more.”
“I love you even more than that.”
“Haha, you really are adorable, Sibel-chan.”
I hope this peaceful, happy time will last forever.
Holding her close, I renewed that wish in my heart.
Sibel is a humble perv… ( ◜ω◝ )
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