Chapter 51: Introducing My Girlfriend (3)
Rose ca outside again today, using the excuse of getting so fresh air.
But her true purpose was to have dinner with Party Barefoot.
A few days ago, a dinner with just her and Starchis to match their stories had turned out to be more fun than she had imagined.
After getting their stories straight, they shared concerns and feelings they hadn’t been able to discuss easily before.
Starchis’ stories about his adventures were especially entertaining.
Rose was beginning to think that they were already friends.
“Hehe...”
Since he was her first male friend, she kept thinking about him at ho.
What should they talk about next ti to keep it fun?
Or maybe she should ask him that next ti.
She was constantly looking forward to spending ti with him.
Most of all, she was happy that they would have many more occasions to spend ti together.
The dinner she had requested in return for lending him vampire blood was accepted.
Stion had replied.
They planned to have dinner in five days.
It wouldn’t stop at just this.
Starchis had said she only needed to act a few tis, but he said that to avoid being a burden.
Rose actually enjoyed this kind of acting.
So if Starchis was okay with it, she wanted to do it more.
It felt like a situation out of a novel, and it was a chance to get closer to Starchis.
Who knows?
He might beco a lifelong friend.
Or maybe...
Rose gulped.
She shook her head.
She couldn’t entertain personal delusions outside.
“...Miss?”
One of the two bulky bodyguards following her looked at her.
It was the senior bodyguard, ‘Brook’.
“..Yes?”
“Do you have sothing on your mind?”
Brook looked quite cautious.
It was understandable.
They were not inside the mansion but in the bustling city.
There were lots of people and noise.
If they took their eyes off Rose for even a mont in a place like this, she would be gone.
As a bodyguard, it was fortunate that Rose’s father, Hian Nisti, hadn’t found out about her escapades.
Of course, from Rose’s perspective, it wasn’t good for her father to find out about her outings.
If it were known, she wouldn’t be able to use the excuse of getting so fresh air to go out.
So even though there was little risk of Hian finding out, Brook was on edge.
If Rose ran off sowhere they couldn’t find and got hurt, that would be a nightmare.
Getting scolded was one thing, but they didn’t want to see Rose, whom they had guarded their whole lives, get hurt.
“...You won’t run away today. I won’t make the sa mistake again.”
The other bodyguard, ‘Pippin,’ said.
But Rose smiled leisurely.
She had already made plans for today.
Seeing that smile, Brook and Pippin felt their hearts sink.
Rose had always escaped using so strange sche.
They wondered what she would co up with today.
And if she did, could they really catch her... they weren’t sure.
That relaxed smile seed to say she was already confident of escaping.
In the end, Brook couldn’t hold back and spoke.
“Even if you run away... please co back quickly today.”
“No. Don’t run away. If we get caught, we’ll really be dead...!”
Pippin pleaded.
Rose chuckled at their worried faces and reassured them.
“I won’t run away today.”
Brook and Pippin’s faces brightened,
“Of course... that’s on the condition that you both do as I say.”
And then darkened again.
“What do you want us to do?”
“You’re planning to run away again, aren’t you...!”
“Pippin, you stay close to her.”
“Oh! If you do this, she will run away?”
Brook and Pippin groaned in resignation.
“Don’t worry. It’s not a big request. Just…”
Rose looked around and pointed to a nearby ordinary clothing store.
“Over there. Let’s all change clothes.”
“Change clothes?”
The bodyguards’ outfits were coordinated.
They wore light, matching black clothes.
Not quite suits, but neat and tidy.
Their attire gave the impression that they were anything but ordinary people.
With their large builds, they also looked intimidating.
“Dress like the people around us. Blend in.”
“Why… do we need to...”
“I have a dinner date with friends outside today. But these friends don’t know I’m a noble.”
“You’re saying you’ve made commoner friends?”
“Exactly.”
“Are these friends you made during your previous escapes?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Good grief... You do have a knack for socializing, don’t you?”
“Thank you for the complint. Anyway, since I don’t want them to know I’m a noble, if you want to keep an eye on , Brook and Pippin, wear ordinary clothes and sit at another table watching . Do this, and I promise not to run away today.”
Brook and Pippin looked at each other and then back at Rose.
“So… you want us to watch from a distance and pretend we don’t know you?”
“Exactly. There’s no way a commoner would have bodyguards, right?”
Rose was proposing a deal.
Don’t interfere, and I won’t run away.
Brook made his decision quickly.
“Let’s go! Miss!”
Anyway, there was no choice of not listening to her.
If they didn’t, she’d escape using so extraordinary thod again.
****
Lily checked her outfit one more ti.
Today was the day to et Elza.
She had been subtly judged about her clothes before, but today she chose a bold outfit.
She didn’t want to be outdone if Elza dressed up.
A dress that showed off her chest, like before.
She wouldn’t want anything more if it made Starchis’s heart race even a little.
-Knock knock knock. Caw!
Sothing tapped on the window.
Lily was startled by the sound.
It was the sound she had been waiting for a long ti.
Ever since Starchis got a girlfriend, she had been writing letters to her ntor.
To learn a particular magic.
But despite sending several letters, there had been no response from her ntor.
And after he had fallen, she sent another letter with a different content.
The topic was ‘How a non-mage can better sense mana.’
Lily was doing her best to heal Starchis’s arm but was worried she might be doing sothing wrong.
Lily quickly opened the window.
A crow with a small box tied around its neck sat there.
It was a familiar bird.
It was her ntor’s crow.
“Hello… Errol?”
“Caw!”
The bird responded.
Lily untied the box from Errol’s neck.
With the box removed, Errol flapped its wings and flew off again.
Lily closed the window and, with a pounding heart, infused the box with mana.
With a click, the box responded to Lily’s mana.
Inside was a small, rolled-up piece of paper about a handspan long.
She wondered what her ntor had written. She unrolled the paper.
------------------------------------
To Lily,
It’s been a while.
I didn’t intend to respond, but hearing that soone dear to you is in trouble, I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.
A magician is not sothing just anyone can beco, my child. If one lacks talent, it is best to give up quickly.
Whether you have talent or not... you’ll know within a few days. If you have ever felt mana even once, the possibility is quite high.
Increase the surface area of contact with your subject and try to move the mana. It will be helpful.
I wish you luck.
From your ntor.
P.S. Forget about hypnosis magic.
----------------------------------
“...Thank you, Master.”
Lily expressed her gratitude.
Even though her ntor couldn’t hear her.
Looking back, she often felt guilty.
She had left her ntor, who had embraced her like a mother, to see the outside world.
Her ntor was deeply saddened but eventually accepted it and sent her off with a smile.
Everyone around her ntor was kind, so there wouldn’t be any hardship or difficulty in living,
but perhaps, they might feel a bit lonely.
Soon.
Lily thought she should visit her ntor again.
The party was in a temporary hiatus,
and she wasn’t spending as much ti with Starchis as before.
****
“Hmm…”
Does this look okay?
Starchis checked himself in the mirror.
Today, he finally wore the clothes Lily Noona had given him.
She had bought them for him to wear when eting his girlfriend, so now was the perfect mont.
Objectively, he looked good.
Everything was tailored to fit perfectly.
The fitted clothes weren’t the most comfortable to wear.
Especially since his left hand was still stiff.
He couldn’t button a few buttons properly.
No matter how hard he tried, it was difficult to do with one hand.
Still, it wasn’t bad.
He was grateful to Lily Noona once again.
What would she say?
Luss had also said she wanted to see him.
It was a chance to show everyone all at once.
He had neatly combed and styled his hair for the first ti in a while.
That wasn’t easy to do with one hand either, but
it was easier than putting on the clothes.
Overall, he looked clean and sharp after a long ti.
“... Shall I go?”
Putting on a black glove on his left hand as the final touch, Starchis left the room.
****
Starchis stood in front of a fountain surrounded by intricately carved sculptures.
He had arrived a bit early.
It was part of the plan.
He would et Rose first to review everything once more,
then greet the party mbers as they arrived at the eting place.
The weather was chilly.
The evening was already deepening and growing dark.
Magic lights began to illuminate the path one by one.
The moon was rising, and stars were beginning to appear in the sky.
It felt like preparing for a noble’s party.
“... Is everything alright?”
Starchis looked down at his clothes again.
He also checked his reflection in the fountain.
It had been so long since he dressed up like this that he wasn’t sure if he looked right.
He thought he looked fine, but it also had to look good to others.
“You look handso.”
A voice ca from behind.
Starchis turned around.
A woman with pink hair and pink eyes was walking towards him, accompanied by two large n.
The two n were flustered by Rose speaking to Starchis.
Hurriedly, they tried to act like they weren’t with her, fumbling around, which made Rose speak up.
“No, it’s okay. He knows I’m a noble. You don’t need to act.”
At that, the two bodyguards sighed in relief and approached Starchis.
Rose was dressed simply.
Like a commoner would, blending in perfectly.
Starchis suddenly felt like he might have overdressed.
“Wow... you look even more impressive up close.”
As Starchis faced Rose, she continued to complint him.
She wasn’t just saying it.
Seeing him dressed up, Rose felt a new attraction to him.
She hadn’t t him many tis, but she was discovering many of his charms.
“You look pretty too, my lady.”
Starchis returned the complint.
Despite the simple attire, she looked adorable.
She had the aura of an innocent country girl.
No one would guess she was a noble.
Rose felt her heart skip a beat at his praise.
“It’s been a while, sir. Do you rember ?”
Brook greeted Starchis from behind.
“It’s amazing. You’re the friend our lady ntioned?”
Pippin added.
“Do you rember ?”
Starchis was quite surprised.
He had t these bodyguards before.
It was the day he first saw Rose.
They had politely asked him to move a bit since there was a noble lady who wanted to experience commoner food at the restaurant.
It was a morable encounter for him because eting in a first-floor restaurant was unusual, but he was surprised that the bodyguards also rembered him.
“Of course, I rember. You’re not ordinary people; you can handle yourselves.”
“At that ti, I was a bit nervous. Just in case a fight broke out.”
“Ah... so that’s why.”
Starchis nodded at their words.
He had thought it was a unique experience for him, but apparently, it was the sa for the bodyguards when they saw him.
“Are you here to keep an eye on things today?”
Starchis asked, looking at their clothes.
The clothes seed a bit small but didn’t stand out as much as their previous black outfits.
They, too, were dressed simply like Rose.
“Yes... we need to watch closely to see if she tries to run.”
“I’m not running away. I’ve already t the person I promised to et. How could I run away now?”
Rose countered Pippin’s remark.
“Well... we’ll see about that.”
Pippin, having been tricked many tis before, still had his doubts.
“Hello.”
In that mont, a greeting was heard.
Everyone turned in surprise toward the voice.
It was a woman with red hair and red eyes, exuding an air of decadent beauty.
She was wearing a seductive dress that showed off her chest.
It was Lily.
“...Noona?”
“Nice to see you again, Starchis, Miss Elza. But...”
Lily gestured politely towards the bodyguards and asked.
“Who are these gentlen?”
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