Chapter 298: A Failed Confession Is Not Shameful (Patreon)

"Um... Lady Nanoda, is... is Miss Yuna doing well?"

On their second day at the best inn in the Holy City, the two of them returned at dusk to find a guest who had clearly been waiting at the door for some time.

"You're... Timmy?"

Timmy was overjoyed that Nanoda remembered him. Behind her, a small head popped out and studied him with open curiosity.

"Yuna's always been in good spirits. I haven't seen you in Gaderia for ages. So you work for the Church now."

"Ooh~ Miss Yuna~"

Übel had caught an odd undertone in what this middle-aged man said. Her gossip soul ignited. There was definitely juicy gossip here!

"If you don't mind, could we talk?"

"Of course. Come in with us."

Nanoda nodded, because Übel had given her palm a light pinch.

Hell lies ahead, Timmy.

"It's been a long time, little Übel. You've gotten taller."

On the way to the room, Übel didn't answer. She just stared at Timmy with burning eyes.

The room was a spotless twin with two large beds, a private bathroom, and a table with four chairs. A landscape oil painting hung on the wall, and a few potted plants sat by the window.

The three of them sat down at the table.

"This is what I'd like to donate to Miss Yuna's orphanage. I can't spend it all anyway, so it's better off going to the children."

Timmy scratched his head, a little embarrassed, and took an envelope from inside his coat.

"You're still thinking about that girl, aren't you?"

Nanoda looked at the envelope, unsure whether to accept it.

"What exactly is Uncle Timmy's relationship with Miss Yuna~?"

Übel's sudden question made Timmy flinch like a big dog whose tail had been stepped on. Those sharp, hawk-like eyes were now trembling violently.

"We're just... just friends."

"Come to think of it, Übel doesn't know about that, does she?"

Seizing the opening, Nanoda decided to dig up Timmy's embarrassing past.

"Timmy there... confessed to Yuna once, you know."

She said it before Timmy could react.

Übel's jaw dropped. So this was the world of adults?

Timmy's guilty expression froze on his face. One second, two, three, nearly half a minute passed before he finally sighed like a deflated ball.

"Please, don't make sport of me."

"Timmy, I only want you to know that a failed confession is nothing to be ashamed of. It's a kind of growth. Yuna has been stubborn since she was little. I had hoped she would find a good partner and live a happy life."

Nanoda spoke in earnest. She had watched Yuna grow up from childhood.

Now Yuna raised the orphanage children as her own and had given up on marriage and children of her own.

Nanoda hadn't objected. It was the path Yuna had chosen.

She just felt it was a bit of a pity, considering that Lernen, Yuna's rival in the Magic Association, probably had grandchildren by now.

"How should I put this... Lady Nanoda is just like a granny. Ah, sorry, I didn't mean any offense."

That line could have had a seat at Stark's table. If it had been Frieren, she would probably have held a grudge for a long time.

"After all, I'm a Greater Demon who has lived from the Mythical Era until now."

Counting the time since she came to this world plus the years of her previous life, calling her a veteran was no exaggeration.

"I'll take it to Yuna. You take good care of yourself, too."

Hearing that Nanoda would accept it, Timmy shot to his feet and bowed deeply. "Thank you. I'm grateful beyond words."

*

Gaderia.

"It's been a long time, Yuna."

"What wind blew you here, Lernen?"

A visitor from the Continental Magic Association.

At first Yuna had been wondering which First-Class Mage it was. She hadn't expected it to be her old rival.

"I did once serve as your examiner for Second-Class Mage, you know. Is this how you treat a senior?"

"We're both First-Class Mages now. We're peers!"

Lernen stroked his beard and sighed inwardly. She was exactly the same as ever.

"I became a First-Class Mage before you did, so there's still a gap in seniority."

"Enough. What's so important that you came yourself? I have children to look after. I'm busy."

In Gaderia, visitors from the Magic Association were always received by Yuna, since she herself was the liaison.

On top of that, Nanoda had gone to the Church of the New God, and Lord Lügner had left yesterday for a banquet among the nobles and still hadn't returned.

If the Association had sent Lernen, the foremost of the First-Class Mages, something big was probably about to happen.

"An orphanage, hm? What a shame. I thought you'd marry and have children like me. The reason I came to Gaderia this time is to tell you my granddaughter is about to be born. When she's a month old, I'd like to invite you to the banquet."

Lernen's old face crinkled into a smile like a blooming chrysanthemum, brimming with the urge to show off.

He looked like a man who was miles ahead of her.

Yuna's fists itched. This old geezer really did rub her the wrong way.

"All right, you've said your piece. Now get out."

She picked up the staff she'd set aside and issued her eviction order. If Lernen didn't leave soon, she looked ready to poke him with it.

"Wait! Wait! There's real business!"

This girl was as violent as ever! Who had she learned it from?

"Real business?"

"Gaderia is in potential danger right now!"

Lernen's words calmed Yuna at once. She spun the staff, which she'd been holding crosswise, upright in her hand and tapped it lightly against the floor.

"What kind of danger?"

"Do you remember the Kingdom of Ert and the demon-hunting organization?"

Yuna nodded.

"It's been confirmed that the Kingdom of Ert was destroyed by the Demon Race. And that is exactly why fear has been spreading, fear of the Demon Race."

Yuna's expression turned grave. This was not good news.

"I know the Demon Race in Gaderia hasn't stirred up any war that threatens peace. But because of the Ert incident, some countries in the central region have produced thoroughly anti-Demon factions. You could also call it an even more thorough demon-hunting alliance. I don't know whether this is also part of the schemes of your Demon Race's 'Omniscient One.'"

"So, overall, the situation isn't good?"

"That's right. This time the Continental Magic Association won't provide any support. All we can do is warn you that the central feudal states are growing unstable. Whether you go to war or deal with it quietly, Gaderia has to make its own move."

Lernen stood up. Wisely, he said nothing more.

"Now that I've delivered the message, I'll be going."