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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
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A few days passed after my return to the royal palace. Just as I was thinking it was about time for Veronica to arrive, a maid came to the garden where I was preparing for a lesson.
“Mr. Sage, Cardinal Veronica from the Church is here to see you.”
“Understood. Your Highness, let’s go.”
I had been ready to leave as soon as Veronica arrived, and I had already informed the Queen, so there were no problems with our trip to the Frost Caverns. Although she had offered the assistance of knights and soldiers for our journey.
“Are you sure you don’t need the help of the knights?”
“Yes.”
I had requested assistance from the Adventurer’s Guild. Specifically, the parties of Galik, the three-horned lizardman with whom I was planning to hunt the Demon of the Rovento Mountains, and Valtin, the lion beastman.
“Why did you specifically request their assistance? The knights would be…”
“Ah, I have some other business to attend to after this.”
After I sent Lucille back to the palace, I was going to go achievement hunting with them.
The Demon of the Rovento Mountains, near the Elven Forest, was a powerful creature, but since it was in the field, there were no party size restrictions.
So, with Galik and Valtin’s parties, and myself, we should be able to defeat it easily.
“Anyway, are you ready?”
“Huh? Yes.”
Lucille was dressed in typical mage’s attire.
As a princess, her equipment was of the highest quality.
I looked her over and nodded.
“Master Rucal seems to have put a lot of thought into this.”
“Yes. He said this was the equipment he used in his youth.”
Equipment from the royal mage Rucal’s youth… it was definitely good. Satisfied with her condition, I picked up my bag.
“But Tutor, your luggage… is quite simple.”
“This is all I need.”
My usual light armor and robe were sufficient. And I had already registered all my weapons with Moonlight.
All I needed to bring were some potions, just in case.
I had made them myself with alchemy, so their effectiveness was guaranteed.
“Then let’s go.”
“Okay!”
Lucille and I left the royal palace. As we passed through the massive gates, a silver-haired beauty in black robes stood waiting.
“….!!”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“N- No… phew…”
This wasn’t Veronica’s first time at the palace, so Lucille should have recognized her. I patted the hesitant Lucille on the shoulder.
“Veronica is ruthless towards heretics, but she’s kind to others. There’s no need to be afraid.”
“I- I suppose so.”
“And she’s my friend. So, you don’t have to worry.”
I knew most of the characters in this world, and I could generally tell if they were trash or not.
And thanks to the Jester’s Mind Reading skill, I could also gauge their disposition.
In other words, I could tell if someone was worth befriending or not.
“I’m not questioning your judgment, Tutor. It’s just…”
“Just?”
“…It’s nothing. Yes. I’ll do my best.”
I smiled at Lucille as she clenched her fists. Veronica, having spotted us, walked towards us.
Uh…
But…
“How have you been?”
“I’ve been well. But…”
“What?”
“Why are you wearing makeup?”
Veronica, a natural beauty, rarely wore makeup. She was already pretty, and when I had asked her about it before, she had scoffed at the idea of a priest wearing makeup.
But now, she was all dolled up.
“Wow~ See, it suits you!”
“I’m just being polite. Your Highness, it’s been a while. We’ve met before, haven’t we?”
“Ah… yes.”
Lucille bit her lip and nodded at Veronica. An awkward tension hung in the air.
Veronica smiled faintly.
Lucille stared at her without blinking.
“I didn’t expect you to wear makeup for such a long journey, Cardinal Veronica.”
“The Church doesn’t forbid its priests from wearing makeup… and isn’t it a form of courtesy?”
“Courtesy… is this an occasion that requires such courtesy?”
“Hehe. Yes, it is.”
Veronica glanced at me.
Why was she looking at me?
“Because it is such an occasion.”
“…I see.”
Lucille tensed. I gently patted her shoulder.
Only then did she seem to relax, grabbing the hem of her robe and giving a polite bow.
“Let me introduce myself again. I am the Princess of the kingdom, and…”
Lucille paused, then looked directly into Veronica’s eyes.
This was a huge improvement. She, who had trouble even making eye contact with people, was now looking straight at Veronica.
As a sense of pride welled up within me, Lucille smiled brightly.
“Hyun-woo, the Sage’s ‘one and only’ student, Lucille Ermeier.”
“I see… I am Veronica, Inquisitor and Cardinal of the Church, and Hyun-woo’s friend, who has shared life and death with him. Well, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say we’re practically ‘partners.’”
I thought that was an exaggeration.
“‘Partners’…?”
“Yes. We’ve fought back-to-back countless times… and we’ve saved each other’s lives while hunting dangerous cultists… unlike the Hero’s Party.”
It wasn’t untrue, but why was she saying it now? As the atmosphere grew more tense, I tried to think of something to say.
“…I see. To think you’re such a close friend of my Tutor… He truly is an amazing person.”
“Hyun-woo is amazing, isn’t he?”
“He’s a wonderful tutor. Unlike me… he has many friends.”
“….Oh my. Hehehe.”
“….Ah. Hohoho.”
Hmm, they were both smiling.
The atmosphere was… good, I guess?
As the two of them continued to smile at each other without blinking, the others arrived.
“Yo~! Sage!”
“You’re all here already?!”
It was Galik and Valtin. As they arrived with their party members, the two women finally broke their gaze.
“…What? What’s with the atmosphere?”
“Did something happen?”
Valtin approached and asked. I thought for a moment, then answered.
“Nothing happened.”
It was just a normal meeting, a normal greeting.
The Frost Caverns were about a two-day journey north from the capital.
There were monsters along the way, but they weren’t particularly strong, so we didn’t have to engage in any major battles.
The first day passed without incident, and we arrived at a campsite. I didn’t miss this opportunity.
“Sage, you’re going to keep your promise, right?”
Valtin clapped me on the back with his large hand. Veronica tilted her head.
“What promise?”
“I promised to handle all the support until we reach the Frost Caverns.”
Setting up the campsite, preparing meals, and setting up the tents and sleeping arrangements.
I had promised to handle it all.
Of course, this was also for an achievement, so I gladly accepted.
“Then let’s see your cooking skills, Sage.”
“Did you bring any ingredients?”
“Of course.”
Valtin pulled out a large slab of bacon, some bread, and a few vegetables. Galik produced some spices and dried fish.
They were capable adventurers, so most of their provisions were dry goods, but this was more than enough for a hearty meal.
“Then we’ll go scout the area.”
Galik and Valtin took their party members and went to scout the surroundings. As they left, Lucille tilted her head, watching me prepare the meal.
“Tutor, you can cook too?”
“There’s nothing Hyun-woo can’t do. You call yourself his student… but you still don’t know much about him, do you?”
“Hehehe. We can get to know each other slowly. We have plenty of time together.”
As the two of them started creating a strange atmosphere again, I held up a ladle.
“Instead of this strange rivalry, why don’t you two try to coordinate your skills?”
Lucille and Veronica had never fought together before, so they needed to practice.
The Frost Caverns weren’t particularly difficult, but even in easy dungeons, bad luck could lead to a party wipe.
So, it was better to be prepared.
“But Hyun-woo, you can coordinate with anyone, can’t you?”
“Even so. Your Highness, this is a good opportunity to practice with Veronica. There aren’t many priests as skilled as she is.”
“…Understood.”
Finally, the strange tension between them dissipated. As the two of them practiced their magic and holy arts nearby, familiarizing themselves with each other’s skills, I quickly began preparing the meal.
“Ooh~ that smells good~!”
“I could smell it from a distance. But is it really alright to cook something like this?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
“Well, the smell might attract monsters…”
“That’s the point.”
This beef stew, which maximized fatigue recovery and satiety, had a high chance of attracting monsters when cooked outdoors. As the stew neared completion, my Enemy Detection skill picked up on something.
Some of the adventurers seemed to have sensed it as well, their hands inching towards their weapons. I stopped them.
“I’ll leave it to those two.”
“Huh? Why?”
“They’re going into the dungeon together, so they need to get used to each other’s fighting styles. There’s no better practice than a real battle.”
“Uh, is that really alright? They’re a princess and a cardinal. What if they get hurt…?”
“They’re skilled enough. And even if they do get hurt, I can heal most injuries.”
I transformed Moonlight into a staff. The adventurers finally relaxed. As the stew was about to be ready,
–Kirrrrrrr!!
–Keeeeek!!
A two-headed wolf appeared.
“T- Tutor?! An enemy!”
“I know. Defeat it with Veronica.”
Lucille wasn’t completely inexperienced in battle, so it shouldn’t be a problem.
At my command, she raised her staff and fired a magic missile. The two-headed wolf, struck by the missile, roared and charged at her.
“Kyaa…!”
–Thwack!
The wolf’s charge never reached Lucille. Veronica’s mace had intercepted it.
The wolf, struck hard, tumbled to the ground. As it tried to regain its footing, Lucille gritted her teeth and prepared her next spell.
“Fire Strike!!”
Lucille’s signature beginner-level fire spell struck the wolf. As the wolf writhed in agony, engulfed in flames, Veronica delivered the final blow without hesitation.
–Crunch!
The wolf, one of its heads crushed by the mace, finally collapsed.
As the wolf’s body dissolved into black mist, I pointed in another direction.
“Alright, here comes the second one.”
“H- How long do we have to do this?!”
As Lucille raised her staff and prepared another spell, I stirred the stew with a ladle.
“Until I say so. What, you can’t do it?”
“…I’ll do it! I will!”
Lucille raised her staff, created an ice spear, and launched it at a large, green monster.
“…Because I’m the Sage’s only student.”
Wow~! Excellent~!
Her old self was gradually disappearing. She was really growing as a person!
“…Tsk.”
Veronica looked displeased, but I could deal with that later.
This, too, was a supporter’s job.
Compared to covering for the Hero’s Party, this was cute.
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