Chapter 36
Clael and the four members of 'Fairy Sword' who had safely captured the Carbuncle returned to the town of Eggbell.
The Carbuncle, which should have been captured, was playing around with the bear plushie and showed no signs of trying to escape.
Thanks to that, they were able to bring it back without needing to tie it with a rope or put it in a cage.
For some reason, Erika had been in a daze like her soul had left her body on the way back... but they had successfully completed the job.
"Priest—! We've got trouble—!"
The problem started after they returned to the shrine.
Just as Clael and the others came back and were about to take a break... a flustered town resident came running.
"What's wrong, Eddy?"
"T-The old blacksmith collapsed, it's bad! Can you come right away!?"
"That old man... What in the world happened!?"
The old blacksmith was someone they were familiar with, and before Reina went to the royal capital, he had been a regular visitor to the shrine.
"W-Well... the old man suddenly said, 'If I fall seriously ill, Reina-chan will come back!' and he stuffed himself with barley porridge until he collapsed..."
"Is he an idiot or what!?"
Clael couldn't help but drop his polite tone and raised his voice.
He knew the old blacksmith was a devoted admirer of Reina, but he never imagined he'd do something so foolish.
(Reina withdrawal... Seriously? You're too old to be swooning over a girl who's not even twenty!)
"Sorry, everyone. I might be back late, so please go ahead and rest without me!"
Leaving those words with Erika and the others, Clael left the shrine.
The three women who were left behind saw Clael off, then sat down at the dining table in the shrine.
After clearing her throat with a cough, Tina opened her mouth.
"Erika... in the end, you weren't able to confess your feelings?"
"............It couldn't be helped."
When Tina asked, Erika pouted like a sulky child.
"I really tried my best... but something kept getting in the way..."
"How pathetic."
"Coward."
Not just Tina, even Kitty threw harsh words at her.
"B-But...!"
"If you were really serious about confessing, you should've pushed through even with a few interruptions... Honestly, aren't you kind of glad you didn't have to confess?"
"Ugh..."
That hit the mark.
Even though she regretted not confessing, part of her felt relieved.
Normally, Erika was strong-willed and assertive... but for some reason, when it came to Clael, she became timid.
As you might have guessed... Erika had been in love with Clael since their student days, and it had become quite a mess.
"In the first place... why didn't you confess back when you were students?"
"Well... um... back then, I was trying to become an adventurer after rejecting a marriage proposal my father brought, and I thought it might cause trouble..."
"And the five years after graduation with no contact? You've already made up with your family, haven't you?"
"W-Well, I figured I shouldn't approach him until I became a full-fledged adventurer, because of, you know... income and lifestyle stuff..."
"And when you reunited in this town, you didn't even make a proper move, let alone confess?"
"B-Because the bear plushie..."
"Sure, that bear has been getting in the way of a lot of things... but if you really wanted to, you could've pushed through, right? That wasn't your only chance to propose either."
"U-Ugh..."
Groaning, Erika turned her face away from Tina's accusing gaze.
Seeing her friend in such a pathetic state, Tina was utterly exasperated.
"Erika... aren't you just looking for excuses not to confess?"
"Coward."
"Hau..."
Hit squarely by the two of them, Erika slumped her shoulders in defeat.
"B-But... if I confess and get rejected, it'll ruin everything we have, and I won't even be able to face him..."
"And you think someone who didn't reach out for five years has any right to say that?"
"Coward."
"B-But... when I see him face to face, I get so embarrassed I end up snapping at him, and I'm scared he'll hate me..."
"Maybe he doesn't hate you, but you haven't made any progress either!"
"Coward."
"Ugh..."
Finally out of excuses, Erika fell silent with tears welling in her eyes.
Seeing that, Tina shook her head in resignation and let out a sigh as she spoke.
"...Clael is getting on in years too, and I'm sure he's thinking about marriage. He probably has someone he's interested in. If you keep dragging your feet, someone else will snatch him away, you know?"
She hadn't even taken advantage of her position as a longtime friend from school.
Even though she must have sensed the presence of a strong rival, did she not realize she was walking straight into defeat?
"Are you okay with Clael ending up with another woman?"
"That would be... no way."
"Then... you know what to do, right?"
"............"
When Tina asked, Erika bit her lip tightly and stood up.
"Alright... I'm going to propose to Clael!"
"Yes, that's the spirit!"
"Next year! I'll polish myself as a woman, work hard, save up for the wedding... and next year, I'll definitely confess and propose!"
"............"
Tina froze and was left speechless by her friend's overly enthusiastic yet timid declaration.
"Coward."
Kitty's mutter echoed hollowly through the shrine.