After I report to Iris that I’ve been promoted to C rank, she gets happy like we’re talking about her.
“Congratulations. We have to celebrate your promotion.”
“No no, no way. I’m happy just hearing you say that.”
I firmly reject her proposal.
“After all you have done for me, let me celebrate it. I still have not repaid you for Water Daedalus.”
That’s a pretty nostalgic memory. I honestly completely forgot about that promise.
“If you insist so much, I guess I’ll oblige.”
“Yes, leave it to me. I will make it a proper coronation ceremony.”
She says, full of confidence.
“Coronation ceremony!?”
“Ah, that might be bad, because Queen Merzelia will be there. People might mistake it for a coup…”
“I don’t think that’s the problem, I think it’s just a fundamentally wrong use of the term…”
“Don’t worry. Even if a coronation ceremony is out of the question, as long as we have a choir, the parade will go on undisturbed.”
“Parade!? Choir!? W-w-wait, Iris. What kind of celebration is this? I only went up to C rank.”
A parade is an event held by the country to celebrate a triumphal return, or a good harvest. I’ve never seen one held for another reason.
“I think it’s only natural, considering your contributions to Minerva.”
She says with a composed expression. Should I really leave this to her? I’m getting pretty worried.
“I think I’d like it the most if we went to Nero’s place.”
“You might think it’s enough to hold it between friends, but it sort of lacks the proper status if we are calling her majesty.”
Why is the queen being brought up here… I feel like this is progressing way too far in her head.
It’s not like this is a celebration where we have to think about status and formality. I think eating a roasted bird in a tavern is just the right scale.
“But if you wish to visit Nero’s place, it might not be bad to talk it over with him.”
She says, and I feel relieved.
Thank you Nero. It looks like you’re protecting my peace.
“By the way Iris, weren’t we supposed to go there today?”
“Ah, that’s right. I completely forgot.
Thank you for telling me. Then let us go right away.”
“I’m looking forward to seeing him again.”
“You really like Nero, don’t you?”
She says while hiding a giggle with her sleeve.
Nero is one of Iris’ attendants, and an incredible person who was in charge of cooking for her.
We leave the mansion, and head to town.
People speak to her a lot when we’re walking around together. She’s not only incredibly beautiful, but she has the title of former saintess, so she attracts onlookers by just walking around.
“It’s the saintess.”
“I want to lay my head on Miss Iris’ lap and have her whisper to me all night.”
“Loyd, watch your back when you walk around on dark nights.”
I, on the other hand, get a casual death threat.
Also, this is a common trait among the general public, but they seem to perceive Iris as a second saintess.
She’s an unofficial saintess from the kingdom’s point of view, but regular people don’t have to think about that sort of bureaucracy, and they just see her as a great saintess who keeps the land safe.
“Is there anything you want for your C rank promotion? If it’s something I can arrange, I will.”
“Then I want Iris.”
“I see, you want to hang out with me. That is very doable. We will do that sometime, all right?”
That’s not what I meant, but okay. Let’s go to the beach sometime.
It’s almost beach season, so I can use that as an excuse to see her in a swimsuit.
“It will be a month from now, but how about we go to the beach? There’s this beach called Kaleid that’s apparently really beautiful.”
“Yes, that sounds good. Then I will need to buy a swimsuit, and other things.”
“I can help with that.”
“It’s all right, Till will pick one for me.”
She’s pretty tough. She dodged me so easily.
“You said a month from now, but my schedule is practically clean. I have no plans tonight, for example.”
That’s our unemployed saintess Iris.
She doesn’t disappoint. She’s always free unless the queen issues a royal command.
“That’s nice. How about we think about what to do about the holy war happening the day after tomorrow together?”
“That’s fine. Let’s think of a fun holy war for the demon king.”
Holy war is what we call the whole thing with the demon king Albatross.
The revival of the demon king hasn’t been made public, so we use this term to keep it a secret.
The day after tomorrow it’s my turn, so I need to come up with something for the holy war before then.
That girl is actually kind of a gourmet, so she won’t yield to just any food.
I’m getting off track, but the cooking I learned from Nero has been a great resource to defeat the demon king.
Yesterday, I used spaghetti with garlic and olive oil, and she loved it and said she wanted to eat it again.
Iris and I keep chatting until we reach the cafe.
It’s a quiet place in a corner of town, so it scores high on the fancy scale.
Sadly, fancy is something very much unrelated to me, so I never had the chance to come here. But today I’m accompanied by Iris.
“Nero, it’s been a while.”
I yell.
“It’s dim, and the curtains are down. Is Nero out?”
The door is open, but the place is empty.
The sign says it’s open, but it doesn’t look like anyone’s here.
“Let’s wait until he gets back.”
Says Iris.
“Hum, can we really just go in?”
“I doubt this would be enough to upset him.”
They lived together, so if she says so, it must be so.
We enter together and open the curtains. And when the light pours in, I get a good look at the interior design.
There are seven wooden tables, and there’s a sense of freedom, because I can see the whole place from the counter.
It feels geared towards young women, with chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, decorated with plants.
“So this is how it is. It does feel like a hidden cafe.”
“I’m sure Nero will be very happy to know you like it.”
Iris is also happy about hearing someone who’s like family to her be praised.
“Let’s not stand here and talk. Let’s sit down while we wait.”
“Yes. But let’s go somewhere else if he doesn’t come back within an hour.”
Iris says as she sits down, but then there’s a dull noise from the back.
And then it happens three times in a row.
“What was that sound?”
Iris is about to go check, but I stop her.
“Iris, wait. It might be a thief.”
“T-thief?”
“It might be. I’ll go in front.”
There’s a passage in the back, and a few rooms. The noise is coming from the one further back.
I slowly open the door, and find Nero inside.
“Ah, Nero. What are you doing…”
“I will be the evil god who will destroy the world. I need not love anymore. Minerva should be crushed under a meteor. Destroy love destroy destroy destroy destroy!”
He chants while furiously hitting a straw doll.
I slowly close the door.
“Let us come back another day.”
“Y-yes. And pretend we didn’t see anything.”
“I am truly sorry you had to see something so ugly on a day of celebration.”
Is Nero doing all right?
I’ve heard of people getting stressed over managing their own places, but is he tired or something?
We leave the cafe and walk through the shopping district.
There’s a boy and girl in front of us who look like a couple, and it gives me this great urge to hold Iris’ hand.
But I need the courage to do that. It happened by chance that first time, but lately, it feels kind of embarrassing to hold hands.
Iris isn’t just a friend, and I’m starting to really see her as someone of the opposite gender.
“Why do you keep staring at my hand?”
“Eh, no, hum… You’re always wearing a hat, uh?”
I get embarrassed, and point at her hat to change the subject.
She’s always wearing a cylindrical hat. I feel like priests often wear those.
“This? I have baumkuchen in here, so when I get hungry, I flip it and eat.”
“Eh? Seriously?”
It does have the right shape.
“Of course not.”
She says with a laugh, and holds my hand.
“All I have is you right now, so make sure to guard me so I am not taken by villains.”
I doubt many people would be foolish enough to kidnap a saintess, but I get where she’s going with this, and happily oblige.
It’s been almost four months, but Iris is still taking the lead when it comes to romance.
Join my patreon to support me and read ahead.
