CH 83

Chapter 83: Cyril and the Saint

Night fell over the Apple Tree House.

Cyril woke up with a dry throat and headed to the kitchen to get a cup of water.

Although she felt a little bad for going around a house that was not her own, Sister Fi-Ne assured everyone that they can do as they pleased.

Although it must have been closer to 2 o’clock at night, Cyril noticed that there was a small light lit in the dining room.

Cyril: (AーA Robber…….?)

Having a very active imagination, Cyril slowly and carefully crept forward quietly, and headed to the dining room to see what was going on.

“If there is a thief, then they’ll witness the wrath of Miss Cyril's Punch,” is what she thought to stir up courage within her to continue on.

In truth, putting aside basic combat instincts, Cyril’s [Physical Enhancement] is sufficient enough to handle most fully grown men with her bare-hands and take them down. And if worst comes to worst, as soon as there is some sounds of a fight, Henry would surely come flying down the stairs.

So she quietly peeked through the entrance of the dining hall and….

“Miss Cyril, you don’t have to keep hiding there. Would you like to come sit down over here?” Cyril: “Oh, yes.” And she was surprised to see the Saint of Salvation, Eustacia, inside.

Cyril: (Well, I guess that’s to be expectedー)

And Cyril was a little disappointed at the bland outcome but walked into the dining hall.

There, Eustacia sat alone. In front of her was a bottle of wine, a glass cup, and a plate of cheese.

Cyril: “I didn't know you drank alcohol.”

Yuu: “I actually do, and I enjoy it. People tell me that it’s not becoming with the image of the Saint. I used to drink with Henry a lot too.” Cyril: “Huh…..”

Cyril felt a perk of annoyance at the comment, but immediately shut it down. Jealousy is unbecoming of a true lady. If Henry heard about this, he might say something stupid like, “You’ll grow jiggly if you always feel jelly.” She can do without the dad jokes and terrible puns.

Yuu: “.......Miss Cyril. Would you like to join me for a drink? You don’t have any plans tomorrow, correct?”

Cyril: “Yes, I don’t know have any plans, but Miss Eustacia, didn’t you promise to train Miss Ferris tomorrow?” Yuu: “We’ll start in the afternoon, and luckily, the Ningel Magecraft has a Spell ー it’s limited to yourself ー but you can cure alcohol poisoning with it.”

Cyril has never drank enough to get a hangover, but that seemed to be a very handy Spell.

Yuu: “And…..well, this may sound very stupid, but long ago, many people relied on this Spell so much that many died from overdrinking. Because of that, it took a lot of effort to convince people to teach me the Spell.”

Yuu chuckles at the thought, and laughs with a light blush on her cheeks ー probably from the alcohol. Even from the same gender’s perspective, Cyril found Eustacia’s beauty to be astoundingly intoxicating. And not only is she beautiful, she also has the title of Hero of Legend. God really does unfairly bless some more than others, Cyril simply thought to herself.

Yuu: “So what would you like to do? It’s a little lonely drinking alone, so I would appreciate some company.” Cyril: “Oh, but why are you drinking alone? What happened to Henry or Miss Ageha?”

Yuu: “Well, after those 20 bouts they had in the evening, they knocked each other out, remember? They both said they were tired and are resting now.” Cyril: (That’s right.)

She remembered that in the end, Henry had 8 wins and 12 losses and was lamenting his defeat.

Cyril: “Ummmm, well, if that’s the case, I’d like to join you if you don’t mind.”

Honestly, Cyril isn’t much for drinking, but she did want to speak to Eustacia, so she accepted Eustacia’s offer.

Yuu: “Great. Here, you can come sit over here.”

And Eustacia offered a chair for Cyril, and Cyril sat in it.

Yuu: “Just wait here. I’ll bring you a glass.”

Humming delightfully to herself, Eustacia headed to the kitchen, and brought a glass and another bottle of wine.

Cyril: “.......um, I…...I really can’t drink that much.”

Yuu: “Oh, don’t you worry. I’ll be the one drinking.” ……….looking more closely at the bottle on the table, there was maybe only a fifth of it left. She didn’t bring the bottle for Cyril as much as it was to just refill her own glass.

Yuu: “Here, have some.”

Eustacia hands the glass to her and pours her a cup.

From the crimson red wine, Cyril smells a sweet fragrance tickle her nose.

Cyril: “ThーThank you, Miss Eustacia.” Yuu: “You can call me Yuu. Isn’t it hard to say my full name?” Cyril: “Then can I call you Miss Yuu?”

Eustacia nods her head in the affirmative.

Yuu: “Then cheers.” Cyril: “Yes, cheers.”

They clink their glasses together, and Cyril tastes the win inside her glass.

A very satisfactory taste floods her mouth. She had a number of opportunities to drink when she became an adult, but tonight, she could definitely say that it was the best drink she ever had so far. Even though she hasn’t had much experience drinking, she could tell that much of the wine.

Cyril: “.......it’s…...goo～d.” Naturally, her words slurred a bit.

Yuu: “Yes, this is one of my favorites. I’m glad you like it.”

Cyril: “Umー, if it’s this good…..isn’t it quite expensive?” Yuu: “Yes, it is. So……...I really don’t want this to be taken the wrong way, but I have plenty of money to spend. I do donate a good bit, but I still set aside money for things like this.”

Cyril: “Wowー I’m envious.”

Right now, Cyril is trying her very best to save up enough to be able to purchase new gear, but she would like to one day make enough to be able to say that. She then remembered how Henry dropped 200,000 zeniths for his armor repairs like it was nothing. She definitely felt a difference in how money was perceived being around people like this.

The cheese was also incredibly delicious, and though she never liked drinking, it made the wine go down much easier.

Yuu: “So?” Cyril: “Yes?” Yuu: “How is Henry doing in Flowtier? For these two, their only commonality would be expeditions or about him. Cyril was expecting the topic to come up so she was able to immediately answer.

Cyril: “Well yesー I’ve only known Henry since he came to Flowtier, but I’m thankful for him being willing to teach us many things.” Yuu: “Is that so?” Cyril: “Yes, like just recentlyー”

Cyril starts speaking about Henry and what he was doing in Flowtier without holding back any details. About the Adventures they had. About what they do day-to-day. She could speak about many things on and on.

And Eustacia listened and nodded as Cyril spoke.

And when Cyril paused to catch her breath after retelling a certain episode, Eustacia smiled warmly at her.

Yuu: “.......Miss Cyril, thank you so much.” Cyril: “Yes? Why thank me all of a sudden, Miss Yuu.” Yuu: “No, I’m talking about Henry. He’s the type of person to seek reasons for fighting outside of himself. When he retired to the backlines, I was worried that he would just spend his day with deadened, lifeless eyes as he worked just enough to make a living.”

After fighting to avenge his family, his home country, and his friends, once the battle was over, it was shocking how much Henry just deflated……..is what Eustacia explained to Cyril.

Cyril: “Ohー I heard some stories, but was it really that bad?”

Yuu: “For me personally, I prefer him to be his natural self rather than that tense and uptight guy all the time.”

Cyril: “Hmmー a tense and uptight Henry…….?”

He’s definitely more alert during their expeditions, but Cyril assumed that it wasn’t about that.

Cyril tried to imagine what that would be like and could not. The effort was abandoned after 3 seconds.

Cyril: “......hmmmー I can’t imagine him being like that at all.” Yuu: “Well, he wasn’t always like that, but when I first met him, and when Gilverte came out to the frontlines, he completely changed into a different person.”

Eustacia laughs as she recalls the memories.

Cyril: “I’m curious now, Miss Yuu. Could you share about the time you grew up with Henry? Since I told you my side of the story, it’s only fair.” Yuu: “Of course, I don’t mind at all. Let’s see now…...where should I start……”

And Eustacia begins to recall and tell her stories.

From those stories, Cyril could tell that Eustacia was very close to Henry. They also lived close to each other, and they had neighboring rooms at the inn. Every night, they would speak to each other through the walls.

As she listened, it may have been the alcohol talking, but Cyril let her words slip.

Cyril: “So, Miss Yuu. Do you…..like Henry?” Once the words escaped her lips, Cyril regretted it immediately, but another part of her wanted to move forward with the momentum and charge straight in. She originally planned to sneak the question in, but most things never go according to plan anyways.

Eustacia looked at her blankly for a moment, but then began chuckling.

Yuu: “Of course, as friends, I do feel close to him as I would a family member, but I don’t think that’s what you mean, correct, Miss Cyril?” Cyril nods slowly.

Eustacia considers the question and starts to contemplate it deeply.

Yuu: “Hmmmmm…..well…..I do believe that I had feelings for Henry when I was younger…..but I’m not sure about how I feel today. What do you think?”

Cyril: “Ummm….." Cyril wouldn’t be able to answer that question.

Yuu: “....I’m sure you’ve already heard, but I arrived at Ligaleo when I was 12. I was a child who knew nothing of how the world worked, and Henry protected me then. I was in love with him before I knew what was happening, I confessed to him……..and now that I think about it, I think he accepted it just as part of protecting me as a child.”

Cyril: “Yes.” Yuu: “But at some point, instead of being protected, I wanted to stand shoulder to shoulder with him as equals. And once I got the hang of things and became a full-fledged Adventurer, I think I saw him more as my Adventurer partner more than anything else. Right now, those feelings are far stronger, and I don’t take much time thinking of him as a man. That’s how I feel.” Cyril: (........isn’t that far stronger and deeper than a simple relationship between a man and a woman?) …….is what Cyril thought for a moment.

Yuu: “Well, if he confesses to me, I don’t think I would hesitate saying yes though!”

Cyril: “IーIs that rightー I never thought Henry would be that popularー”

Yuu: “Oh, don’t get me wrong. He wasn’t popular at all. All the female adventurers said he’s dependable as an Adventurer and a member of your party, but as far as relationships are concerned, no one thought twice about him.” It was a pretty harsh review.

Yuu: “........or so I thought up until now. Right, Miss Cyril?” Cyril: “Yeth?!”

With the question inferring far more than Cyril wanted, Cyril’s voice flipped an octave higher. …….but Cyril herself already knows. No matter who saw it, it was plain as day.

Yuu: “There’s no reason to hide it anymoreー You were soー bold asking me about this, and you thought you could get away with hiding your own feelings?” Cyril: “WーWell, actuallyー wellー....”

Eustacia immediately locked onto her prey. Cyril’s reaction was too innocent and cute to let it fly, and Eustacia’s formal words began degrading in several levels of casualness starting with her tone. Cyril was not ready for this.

Eustacia downed her glass, and with a teasing voice, followed up with Cyril further.

Yuu: “It’s okayー Henry definitely has feelings for you too. If you ask me, he’s obviously really conscious about you.”

Cyril: “Seriously?” Yuu: “Seriously.” Henry hasn’t really shown that kind of attitude towards her, but maybe from someone who has known him longer like Eustacia, the signs were clear as day.

Yuu: “But hey, he’s a little clumsy and timid when it comes to romance stuff, so you should definitely press on the offensive.”

Cyril: “BーBut….I have my circumstances too to consider….so….I can’t just…...you know….I think Henry will be troubled if he gets pulled into my business.”

Yuu: “Drag him in. You have my full permission.” She got Eustacia's permission.

Yuu: “Hehe～ the night is so young. C’mon Miss Cyril. Let’s get right down to business and speak everything on our minds tonight.” Cyril: “IーIt’s actually already really late!”

Yuu: “No worries～ Relax～ Relax～”

Cyril: (Oh no, she’s completely drunk.)

Cyril: (.......and how many glasses have I had now?!)

……….and Cyril doesn’t remember what followed after that point.