Chapter 202

 

* * *

 

“What, huh?!”

Claude asked back in a trembling voice.

Go to her house and have dinner together. Wasn’t that an incredibly attractive proposition? So attractive that he found it troubling!

“No, well, um, uh.”

He repeatedly stammered out only awkward words.

Melody, who had been closely observing him, shrugged and laughed.

“…I guess I put you in a difficult position.”

Yes, it is troubling.

Claude bit his lip to hold back the answer he wanted to give.

How could this young lady trust a man she just met and invite him into her house?

And not even for lunch, but for dinner!

Even if he gave the medicine for free, there was no evidence anywhere that he could be trusted!

“Ah well, you said you were in a hurry to leave. Then…”

“No.”

As Melody seemed about to tell him to go safely, Claude quickly shook his head.

Although Melody’s invitation was recklessly dangerous, he didn’t want to refuse it.

“Th-thank you for the invitation.”

“Well, it’s not going to be some grand meal. Then, will you follow me?”

Melody started walking ahead again.

‘Am I really going to Melody’s house like this? Really?’

Thinking that, he felt a bit of tension rising up.

Moreover, his heart was now beating loudly for no reason.

 

* * *

 

In fact, Claude had secretly hoped that he might end up having dinner alone with Melody, facing each other across a candlelight.

But exactly 30 minutes later.

“…”

Claude Baldwin decided to admit that a lustful demon permanently resided in his mind.

Melody’s invitation was not as intimate as he had imagined.

If this dinner had to be defined… it was a mess?

“I’ll give you a lot of meat, Mr. Clyde. Eek! Mindy! How many times do I have to tell you not to wipe your sauce-covered hands on your clothes!”

“It’s fine. There’s still some from lunchtime on here too! I want to eat more meat too.”

“Everyone! Don’t forget to pray before the meal!”

…Claude looked around at the members of the table, each saying what they wanted to say.

The priest, the housekeeper lady, Mindy and her parents, Wiley Neal, and Melody.

They were sharing the food Mindy’s parents had brought, laughing together. As if trying to forget their tiring day like this.

Claude realized anew that Melody perfectly belonged among them.

There was no sense of discomfort at all from seeing her together with them.

And to be honest… seeing that was a bit disheartening.

Of course, Melody’s happiness was the most important thing to him.

But if he could express a very small selfish desire, he wished that his life was mixed even a little bit.

…Even just a tiny bit into that happiness.

Claude smiled bitterly for a moment at his selfish feelings.

‘I guess I should go back quickly.’

Although he was happy to see Melody, this wasn’t right.

Neither hiding his identity and deceiving her.

Nor being unable to sincerely rejoice in her newfound happiness.

‘After I finish preparing for Melody to be able to return to the capital, I should come back then with my proper self.’

Just as he thought that far, he heard the sound of Melody laughing merrily between Neal and Mindy. It seemed their jokes were very entertaining to her.

‘…Even if Melody refuses to return to the capital at that time.’

He couldn’t swallow any more food at the thought that felt like his heart was being ripped apart.

“Are you alright?”

Soon, the village priest sitting across from him expressed concern for him. Claude quickly pulled up both corners of his mouth.

“Yes, I just had something on my mind for a moment. I’m sorry for worrying you.”

“It’s only natural to worry about you, Mr. Clyde, since you have shown us kindness. Thank you again. And…”

The priest seemed to have something to say, cautiously gauging Claude’s reaction.

“If it’s not too troublesome, it would be best for you to stay the night here. It’s dangerous to leave the village outskirts at night.”

“No…”

As Claude was about to refuse his suggestion as he had just decided a moment ago.

“Aaah, no, priest!”

…If only Wiley Neal hadn’t unnecessarily intervened again!

“Mr. Clyde said he was very busy. He’ll be troubled if ‘we’ hold him back again.”

That darned word “we”!

Claude’s eyebrows twitched slightly, unable to hold back his anger.

“He’s been helping ‘us’ all along, so I think it would be too apologetic of us to ask him to stay longer. Right, Miss May?”

“That’s true, but… It’s also true that the night is dangerous.”

Claude was moved just by the fact that she didn’t agree with that nosy Wiley Neal. So he quickly nodded, taking advantage of this opportunity.

“Yes, the night is a very dangerous time.”

So forgetting that he had decided to leave this place immediately, he politely made a request to the priest and Melody.

“So if you would allow it, I would appreciate being able to stay the night.”

Of course, the priest gladly granted this. Claude briefly tasted a childish sense of victory, but it didn’t take long for him to feel self-loathing about it.

 

* * *

 

Next to the rough temple was a large hut that a former priest and the residents had built together.

It served as a residence for those working at the temple, and now Melody, the housekeeper lady, the village priest, and Neal lived there.

They mostly lived independently in their own rooms, and Claude got to use one empty room alone.

Although he was happy to inadvertently stay close to Melody, he had a concern.

The duration of the magic’s effect wasn’t very long.

Jeremiah had explained before that it was “usually one day”. But from Claude’s few experiences, sometimes the magic wore off earlier than that.

When he asked Jeremiah the reason, he was told, “It seems to be an area where the natural power converted into mana is weak,” and was shown a map.

It was something left behind by a magician long ago who measured the natural power of each region, and Claude…

‘I didn’t look at it closely.’

If he had known this would happen, he should have at least checked the area around Belhold.

Then he might have been able to predict when the effect would wear off.

He engraved the truth that “there is no useless knowledge” into his bones anew and got out of bed.

Before he knew it, a day had passed and it was dawn.

He checked the mirror with an anxious heart and was relieved to see an unfamiliar man.

It seemed the magic hadn’t worn off yet. Since he took the potion yesterday afternoon, it should be fine until the morning.

‘Anyway, I’m grateful just to be able to see Miss Melody on a day like this.’

He shrugged and put on the shirt hanging on the wall.

Soon, there was a knocking sound.

Judging by the early morning visit, could it be the priest?

“Yes.”

He opened the door with the top button undone and soon found himself face to face with Melody holding a tray.

“…Ah.”

Noticing that a few buttons were undone, she quickly turned her head.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were getting dressed.”

“Just a moment, I’m really sorry.”

He quickly closed the door and promptly finished dressing.

“What is it?”

When he opened the door again with his appearance perfected, Melody held out the tray she was holding. With a somewhat hesitant look.

“Well, I thought I should give this to a gentleman.”

What she was offering was tea and a newspaper.

Judging by the rounded corners of the newspaper, it seemed to be a few days old, but.

“…I heard gentlemen don’t give up their morning tea and newspaper.”

As he accepted the tray she offered, Claude felt a strange feeling.

Because that story was exactly the same as what he had told Melody before.

“A gentleman never gives up his morning tea and newspaper.”

“…You remembered.”

“Pardon?”

When Melody, who hadn’t heard his muttered words, asked again, he shook his head.

“I was saying thank you. Would you like to have it together in the dining room?”

“I’d like to, but I’m sorry. The dining room is a mess right now. Um… Then please take your time.”

Melody bowed slightly in greeting and quickly withdrew.

Claude hurriedly put the tray down in the room and first drank the tea Melody had prepared for him. No, it was almost like pouring it into his mouth.

After finishing the uncivilized tea time in 3 seconds, he hastily changed his shoes and followed where she had gone.

In the dining room with the windows wide open, Melody was folding the blankets she had boiled and dried yesterday into small sizes one by one.

The reason she said the dining room was a mess seemed to be because of this.

“It doesn’t seem to be something you usually do, right?”

Claude casually spoke as he approached and quickly grabbed the opposite end of the blanket and pulled it.

“Oh, how did you know?”

As Melody spread her arms wide, the white cloth stretched taut between them.

“Your hands don’t seem used to organizing it.”

“These are blankets to be distributed to villagers living alone. They say covering with a sun-dried blanket helps the illness heal faster.”

They each took a step closer, holding the ends of the neatly spread out blanket.

After making the corners they were holding overlap precisely, they grabbed the other corners and moved apart again.

“I hope they get better soon.”

Claude said as he approached again.

“They will get better soon. Now that we have medicine too.”

Melody also narrowed the remaining distance following him, and the corners of the blanket overlapped precisely again.

Now that it was small enough to fold alone, Melody finished it and placed it on the table.

Meanwhile, Claude quickly picked up another blanket.

“Are you going to keep helping?”

Melody asked as she grasped the new blanket together, and he nodded.

“If you don’t mind.”

With the stretched out cloth between them, they repeated getting closer and further apart several times.

The action naturally had a rhythm to it, and Claude even had the illusion that he was dancing with her.

“It’s not that I mind, I’m just sorry. You probably didn’t even get to drink your tea.”

“I drank it because I thought you would say exactly that, Miss May.”

“…You thought I would say that?”

Melody paused for a moment.

“You speak as if you know me well.”

“If it displeased you, I apologize, I didn’t mean to presume…”

“No.”

“…Miss May?”

When Claude called out cautiously, observing her expression, she slightly bit her lip and averted her gaze.

From experience, he could tell that Melody seemed to be very troubled.

“I’m the one who pretended to know first…”

Could that be about her bringing him the newspaper or tea a little while ago?

“…He’s not that person.”