Still dead, thanks to melting from the Aussie heat. 40°C weather, somebody save me! >w

In other news, I’m recruiting for a perfectionist to help me edit. I’m not talking about grammar-n.a.z.is (though they’re pretty useful too)  but someone who’ll make a billion edits just to make a sentence flow, so I can focus on turning JP into EN instead of EN into good EN. I promise if I find someone I like, you guys will get a revived Kookie with motivated-translation speed instead of the current zombie pace.

Note: Proofreading is NOT Editing.

Chapter 67: Rapidly multiplying

“H-h.e.l.lo! My name is s.h.i.+rceil! P-pleased to make your acquaintance!”

“I am Vitelle! L-let’s have a meal together sometime!”

“…Y-yeah.”

Lily and I had retreated back to the corner after treating the maid, but somehow we’ve now been surrounded by young n.o.blewomen.

Even though they didn’t even glance at me before, their sudden turnaround response was honestly bewildering.

“Nest~ It’s hot~”

Lily, who was still clinging to me even now, was caught up in that and became unable to leave even though she could before.

“Really, what happened all of a sudden…?”

Looking around at the rapidly multiplying young n.o.blewomen, I sighed inwardly.

“Haah… I’m exhausted…”

I was jostled around by the young n.o.blewomen for a short while after that, but I finally got released.

“Good for you, to be courted by those cute girls.”

“Was that even considered courting…?”

Turning around to look at Aura who had called out from behind me, I grumbled.

I only discovered it when I turned around, but Aura wore a sullen face, as though she was unable to stomach something.

“Just using something like recovery magic in front of everyone would make them think that you possess the funds to be able to learn recovery magic at least.

Furthermore, you treated a maid despite being in such a position, making it seem like you also have a good personality.”

“Huh, so it was like that…”

If it’s the treatment of a wound of that size, it wouldn’t look like I possessed particularly abnormal recovery magic so I was careless and thought it was fine, but I never thought there would be such a pitfall…

“…Be more careful from now on.”

With her voice still containing a somewhat moody tone, she left with a word of parting and once again returned to the place she was in just before.

“…?”

Without really understanding the reason for Aura’s sullenness, I stood there puzzled.

“I wonder what could have happened… huh, she’s not here…”

I thought to ask Lily at a time like this, but she had disappeared without me knowing as though she had really hated being surrounded earlier.

“Well then, let us begin the dancing soon.”

Arriving at some point in time, the saint, Luna, announced in a well-projected voice.

“…I should head outside for a bit and kill some time.”

I momentarily slipped out from the party hall.

If you ask me why, it’s because I have no experience with dancing.

Because I know how embarra.s.sing it would be, there was no way I would do it willingly.

Walking around inside the castle, I eventually arrived at what appeared to be a courtyard.

“…So there was a place like this.”

I ran around the whole place when I infiltrated the castle before, but this is the first time I’ve come here.

The lawn growing at my feet was all cleanly cut to the same length, and it looked very orderly.

“Sigh…”

I feel guilty for crus.h.i.+ng the gra.s.s, but I lay down there.

There is no ceiling in this courtyard-like place, so I was able to look up to see the sky.

The sky had fallen to darkness, giving off the impression that it was perpetually stretching out without end.

“…It’s beautiful…”

In the courtyard I was in now, there was no sense of the populated capital and no one was around, making it feel like the end of the world.

The lawn was comfortably soft, in addition to the night sky; the coolness made it feel very nice.

“Crunch…”

Thanks to that, the sound of tiny footsteps was easily heard.

“…Is someone there?”

Perhaps it was someone else who slipped out from the party like me.

“…”

After a brief moment of silence, the shadow in the darkness slowly revealed its true ident.i.ty.

“…It’s Lily~”

Standing there was the one who had disappeared without realising, Lily, who was wearing the dress prepared by the maids——.