Chapter 55: But I Can’t Help Thinking I Don’t Want to Lose, I’m Still Just a Boy
Dragging my battered body, covered in bruises and scrapes, back to my room, I endured the pain while taking a shower to wash away the blood and sweat. Afterward, I headed to the school cafeteria with Rouge, who had just woken up. This routine had become my morning ritual lately.
“Hugh, are you okay?”
Rouge, sitting across the table from me, asked with concern. I grimaced at the stinging wounds on my elbows and knees but replied that I was fine.
“It’s nothing. I’ve been running around the hills and fields since I was a kid. I’m used to this kind of injury.”
“That may be true, but… if Lecty comes by today, you should let her heal you. It looks painful.”
“Ah… yeah, you’re right.”
Even though I had done some first aid myself, the bandages were already soaked with blood. “Just a bit of spit will heal this up!” I could laugh it off like that because I was a member of the Royal Knights Order, always ready for battle. But for anyone with a normal sense of pain, these injuries would be enough to make them wince.
As Rouge suggested, I should let Lecty use her Holy Maiden Skill to heal me later.
“By the way, why did you suddenly start learning swordsmanship from Alissa?” Rouge asked. “You were already strong, right? You even beat Idiot in that duel the other day.”
“Well, that was…”
I had only won because I used the Brainwashing Skill on myself to switch my Skill to Swordsmanship. It wasn’t my own strength that won the fight… I couldn’t tell Rouge that.
As I hesitated, someone placed a breakfast tray next to me. Looking up, I saw Lily smiling down at me. Behind her, Lecty was also approaching with her own breakfast tray.
“Hugh is still just a boy.”
“A boy? What do you mean by that?”
I greeted Lily and Lecty while Rouge tilted her head in confusion.
Lecty took a seat next to Rouge, while Lily sat beside me, peering into my face as if to confirm something.
“You fought Idiot and felt his effort, and you thought you didn’t want to lose, right?”
“No, that’s not it…”
Actually, it was very much the case.
Of course, my desire to learn swordsmanship from Alissa wasn’t solely driven by my rivalry with Idiot, but it was definitely a catalyst.
Admitting that openly felt a bit embarrassing, especially in front of the three girls present. It was just a little uncool, after all…
“Hehe, let’s just say that’s the case. By the way, you really got beaten up this time, didn’t you?”
Lily touched the scrape on my cheek with her slender fingers.
“Don’t touch it, it hurts.”
“I couldn’t help it when I thought you were just a boy.”
“Don’t act like a mother.”
“That’s not it; I’m more like an older girlfriend, you know?”
We’re the same age, and you’re not my girlfriend. I didn’t even know how to respond to that. Lily continued to poke and prod at my wounds, clearly enjoying my reactions. This sadistic young lady…!
“Hey, Lecty. Don’t these two seem a bit too close lately?”
“Yes. They were friendly from the start, but it feels like their distance has really shrunk…!”
Rouge and Lecty, sitting across from us, were now observing us with narrowed eyes. It was hard to eat with them staring at us like that…
…Well, it was true. There was no denying that my distance with Lily had indeed closed.
About two weeks ago, there was an incident. To save Lily, who was being forced into an unwanted engagement, I had worked with Prince Lucas and others to break off her engagement. It was a complicated issue intertwined with the Right of Succession, and its repercussions were still shaking the Kingdom of Reese, but that was a different matter.
On that day, when I felt crushed by fear and anxiety, Lily had supported me. The way she did it was, well… quite passionate. We were practically at zero distance from each other. It was no wonder it seemed like we had grown closer.
Remembering the sensation from that day made me instinctively cover my mouth with my hand.
“Hehe.”
Lily smiled at me, her gaze lingering as my face turned red. Was I the only one flustered? It felt frustrating.
“‘Suspicious…!’”
Seeing our reactions, Rouge and Lecty seemed to deepen their suspicions. They exchanged glances and nodded, then stood up with their breakfast trays and moved around to our side.
“Alright, Lily has had her fill of Hugh. Now it’s our turn!”
“Hugh, please show me your scars. I’ll heal them with my Skill!”
“O-Okay…”
Rouge switched seats with Lily, and Lecty sat down on the opposite side. Lily resumed her seat directly in front of me, smiling brightly.
“I can’t wait to see what the future holds for you two!”
“…No comment.”
I could easily imagine us gathering around the table like this five or ten years from now. The thought made me feel a bit shy, prompting me to respond curtly.
Did they understand that? Lily maintained a confident smile. …She really did seem more like an older girlfriend than a mother.
After a series of events, we finished breakfast and headed to class together.
Thanks to Lecty, who had been treating my injuries during the meal, my wounds were completely healed, and the pain had vanished. I even felt like my fatigue had lifted.
“Thanks as always, Lecty. Your Holy Maiden Skill is amazing as ever.”
“N-No, it’s nothing special…”
“I don’t think that’s true, do you, Lily?”
When Rouge sought agreement from Lily, she nodded in affirmation.
“Lecty, healing Skills are very rare. Among them, your Skill is special… no, it’s exceptional. There may be others who can heal scrapes, but the level of your healing, capable of mending broken bones, is likely unique in the kingdom.”
“Is there really only one?”
“The Holy Maiden designated by the Divine Gift Church. She should be able to do it.”
The Divine Gift Church is a religion widely practiced among humans on the Almira continent. They worship a god who grants Skills, and churches have been established even in remote villages like those in the Pnosis Territory. I believe the main temple is located in the southwestern region of the Kingdom of Reese.
The Holy Maiden designated by the church, huh? That phrase seems to hint at more troublesome matters to come…