CH 98

“Good morning.”

I ended up sleeping beside Aria’s bed, sitting on a chair.

She wouldn’t let go of my clothes, so I didn’t get to change either.

This was my traveling outfit, so I really wanted to change now.

“Has Aria still not woken up?”

“Well, she did have a tough time from the looks of it.”

Aria had not yet regained consciousness, since she left the sewer yesterday.

From what I saw in the necklace, she seems to have had it rough ever since she arrived at capital day before yesterday, so I don’t blame her.

“About that, Milia, you seem to have already changed your clothes. It’s still pretty early, isn’t it?”

Milia was wearing a dress that seemed difficult to wear, and had done some light makeup as well from the looks of it.

She always wore flexible clothes in the village as well as on our trip here, so it was refreshing to see her like this.

If we were in the village, it would have been time to start our daily chores already. But considering it was still this early, what reason could she have?

“Margravine-sama has been taking action since yesterday, so I believe we will see some changes today. A lot happened and I ended up greeting her in my travel-wear yesterday, but I had leeway today, so I decided to meet her in a proper outfit.”

“Is that so.”

Milia came back to the room after talking to Margravine-sama yesterday.

I got to hear what they talked about, just a little.

As a result of Milia’s negotiations, Aria will become her adopted daughter.

The magic tool I gave her was quite useful, apparently.

According to her, we had a high chance of succeeding.

But to think she was making moves since yesterday.

To have gotten that information this early in the morning shows that Milia is something else too.

I could never mimic her.

“As expected, aristocratic society is bad for my skin.”

“Fufu. Lain is quite sloppy after all.”

“…I wouldn’t go that far, probably.”

It’s true that I wake up late in the morning, and fixing my hair is a pain so I sometimes leave it as it is.

But I’m pretty sure it’s not bad enough to be called sloppy.

Probably.

As I thought about various things, Milia looked at me with gentle eyes.

This is bad.

I don’t feel like I’ll win even if I argue.

“…Uu.”

As we were talking, a groan could be heard from the bed on which Aria was sleeping.

It seems like she was awake.

Milia rushes to the bed and looks over Aria’s face.

“Aria? Are you okay?”

“Sorry, Aria. Were we too loud?”

“Milia? Lain? Why are you here?”

It seems that she was still half-asleep.

The now woken Aria surveyed her surroundings with unfocused eyes.

Coming to terms with the unknown room, she put her hand on her head.

“I think, I came to the capital to fight in the tournament, then got deceived by a maid named Ruko, and in the sewers…the slime!?”

Aria raised her upper body in panic.

She then looks around restlessly.

I guess she’s still wary, since she’s grabbing my clothes tightly.

Milia coddles Aria as if calming down a child.

“Please be at ease, Aria. Lain has already defeated the slimes.”

“Ah, you’re right.”

As soon her memories before fainting came back, she entrusted her body to Milia like a doll who’s strings had been cut.

Milia gently caressed Aria’s back.

“It seems that your fatigue still hasn’t gone yet. Would you like to lie down?”

“…I’ll do that.”

Milia lays Aria down.

Aria dozed off once Milia gently covered her with her blanket.

So she was still sleepy after all.

*Kon* *Kon*

At that moment, the sound of knocking could be heard from the entrance.

“Wh-, who’s there?”

Her voice was shaking.

Milia and I had our eyes left wide, seeing her unusual reaction.

Not only her voice, her hand which was grabbing my clothes was also trembling so much, I could almost hear it.

When I grabbed her hand, her trembling calmed down a bit.

“I’ll head outside to talk.”

“Yeah.”

Seeing Aria’s unusual behavior, Milia determined that she shouldn’t meet other people.

She goes out the door.

Seeing Milia go out, Aria’s trembling calms down little by little.

“Better now?”

“I’m sorry.”

Aria says weakly.

“It’s nothing to worry about.”

“I was just… scared.”

“…I see.”

Thinking about all that happened till now, it wasn’t surprising.

“Margravine-sama is calling for you. Aria, can you manage that? If not, I can talk to her by myself.”

“I-it’s okay. I’ll go.”

Hearing Milia’s words, Aria tries to stand up.

“Eh?”

“Whoa.”

However, as she tried getting out of the bed, her body staggered.

“Haa, haa. I’m sorry. I’ll change right away.”

While breathing heavily, she somehow managed to stand up, but her body didn’t have any strength.

Her face was also red, and sweat was beading on her forehead.

I had heard about these symptoms before.

Not from the ancient magician civilization, but from my previous world.

People who had wounded hearts would often become like this.

In any case, it’s impossible to take Aria out to meet Margravine-sama in this condition.

This is how she is just after getting out of bed.

It feels like she’ll faint if she tried to step out of the room.

I gently embraced the trembling Aria.