243: Cannot help but admit (1)

“Uh…”

Airn’s expressions went still as he heard Ilya’s voice.

The blurred vision was gone. And it was quite clear too.

It seemed like after he lost consciousness in the match with Joshua Lindsay, Ilya came here to be with him.

And it seemed like she was nursing him too.

Normally, this was a nice moment, and he would express his gratitude.

However, seeing the chilling air around her, Airn had no choice but to feel confused.

‘What should I say?’

The reason he called Ignet’s name was because the situation he was in was similar to the past. Other than that, it meant nothing to him.

But, Ilya didn’t feel that way.

‘Even if he calls a name, it was Ignet. Not someone else’s, but hers…’

Of course, Ilya was now very different from the past.

She was freed from her obsession with Ignet, and was able to go her own way. But that didn’t mean that she was unfazed by everything.

Whatever the case, Ignet and her didn’t have a great relationship.

And while Airn was thinking about it, Ilya who was silent asked,

“Airn.”

“Y-yes.”

“Would you explain?”

“W-what?”

“Well, why you woke up calling Ignet’s name,”

“… I did that?”

“Yes.”

“I see.”

“Huh.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“Explain it. Why did you have to suddenly call Ignet’s name.”

Wheik!

A ferocious energy emanated from Ilya’s body.

It wasn’t just the air. Feeling the aura of the Sword Master, Airn gulped.

He had to say something to relieve Ilya’s heart.

The strange thing was that he, too, thought this anger was justified.

In fact, it didn’t seem like much of a problem.

There was no need to lie or make excuses.

Just say the things and clear up the misunderstandings.

From Ilya’s point of view, the name of her rival might be disconcerting, but there was no need to stare at her friend whom she met after so long with such a cold face.

Still, the fact that he didn’t feel anything strange about it was proof that Airn was also feeling something different.

“Uh, so…”

But, Airn wasn’t aware of his own feelings.

He couldn’t even think of a sensible excuse.

Airn was Airn. In the end, he just openly spoke about why he thought of Ignet.

“… that happened.”

“…”

Ilya was silent.

Airn looked at her with a puzzled gaze.

It seemed natural for her to be angry.

And he tried to figure out how to make her feel better. And some time passed.

“Puah!”

Ilya, who had been in silence for long, burst into laughter and said,

“Airn, why are you so nervous?”

“Uh, huh?”

“I was just asking, right? As soon as you woke up, you suddenly called Ignet’s name, so I was curious about it. That was why I asked, why are you so nervous? You look like a sinner.”

“Uh… something, uh… the feelings weren’t right…”

“I feel so bad now. Ah! But I guess it seemed like that. I wasn’t smiling and then I saw you fainted, so it made me feel so uncomfortable. Why on earth is dad being so harsh on you is something I don’t…”

“Ah, it is fine. I am not hurt. I’m completely fine.”

Airn said while rotating his shoulder.

It was fortunate. His body was one thing, but Ilya’s anger being relieved made him feel better.

To be honest, he didn’t understand why she was so angry and wondered if she was trying to pull his leg.

“I am glad. Dad said you were fine too, but I was just checking.”

“Yes. I am fine. Thanks, for being concerned.”

“Right.”

“Huh.”

“…”

“…”

There was silence for a moment.

The reason for that silence was unknown. The misunderstanding was cleared up, and Ilya was smiling like before.

However, the atmosphere was strangely uncomfortable.

Sweat was dripping down Airn’s forehead.

“… still, be careful. You look fine, but I can’t let you move too aggressively. You’d better rest for at least a day.”

“Ah, yes, sure.”

“You came sooner than I thought, but we have been apart for some time, right? There are things I want to talk about, but there are so many guests who I’m supposed to greet. You will come soon, right?”

“Uh? Yes. If you are fine…”

“Yes, I am fine. And once the banquet is done, after the family mansion has calmed down a little, we will talk about the other things.”

Ilya, who smiled, got up from her seat.

Airn unconsciously tried to pursue her, but Ilya refused.

Ilya said that he had to take care of his body and rest.

“Thank you for keeping your promise.”

Click.

“… I obviously have to keep it.”

In the room where his friend had disappeared, Airn mumbled silently.

It was a messier reunion than he had expected, but it still felt good.

Recalling Ilya’s smile, he too smiled faintly.

It was then,

“… I.”

Ilya Lindsay returned to her room with a slightly grumpy expression.

She knew.

That Airn wasn’t lying. No, she knew the fact that she wasn’t in a position where she could be angry with Airn in the first place.

… but she was annoyed.

She couldn’t pretend like nothing had happened.

That was why she left Airn that quickly. She didn’t have the confidence to manage her expression.

“…”

Ilya Lindsay got up and stood in front of the full-length mirror.

After standing for so long, she mumbled.

“… on the day of the banquet, should I dress up?”

It was Ilya Lindsay, who was jealous for the first time, thinking about an outfit.

“Crazy!”

“…”

“And, it wasn’t someone else’s name but Ignet’s… sigh. You really are hard to deal with, brother.”

After Ilya left, Kirill and Lulu entered the room, and Airn smiled.

But surprisingly, Kirill asked Airn a question…about what had happened with Ilya.

And Airn tried to dodge the question. It wasn’t because he didn’t want to tell Kirill what had happened, but because it wasn’t a huge deal for him to discuss with his younger sister.

Which was why he didn’t feel the need to say anything… and he was a bit disappointed.

However, the sorcerer’s terrifying senses saw through what he was hiding, and in the end, Kirill’s relentless questions forced Airn to spill everything out.

The result, of course, was Kirill’s wrath.

She sighed in disbelief.

‘It wasn’t a bad situation, but…’

Kirill looked at Airn.

He was a nice, cool and strong person.

But on the other hand, he was a person who couldn’t express himself and was dull.

It was clear that it was good news that he slowly began to realize the feelings.

But it wasn’t to a level where she could leave him alone.

And now, he had created another problem too.

Airn thought that Ilya’s anger had completely been resolved, but it wasn’t the same in Kirill’s eyes. Kirill knew that Ilya would still be upset.

“Brother, you are a sorcerer, so how didn’t you know that?”

“…”

“Ahh. This is a real problem. A problem, I say.”

Airn didn’t say anything.

He couldn’t figure out what wrong he had done. Yet, he didn’t feel that it was unfair that he was being nagged at.

So, he stayed silent. Together with his sister, he thought on how to relieve Ilya’s mood.

However, it wasn’t easy.

“…”

“…”

Airn was one thing, but Kirill too was a kid when it came to love.

They tried using their heads but not one idea came to their mind.

Scratch.

Lulu stared at the two and then began to scratch her head with her paws.

For a cat, none of this mattered.

She didn’t think that Airn and Ilya’s relationship could deteriorate with this one incident, so she wasn’t interested.

“Hm… um?”

It was when Lulu began to yawn and tried searching for a place to sleep.

The delicious smell from outside wafted into the room.

It was the smell of fish being grilled. But she wasn’t sure what kind of fish it was and was curious about it.

‘I want to eat!’

The curious black cat moved.

It jumped over the window, climbed the tree and then descended to the ground and ran across.

And upon arrival, there was a familiar noble.

Lulu looked at Bill Stanton smirking and said,

“You mustn’t make a fire in the garden.”

“I know.”

“Why are you being nice?”

“I have a wish. And people who have wishes, need to lower themselves.”

“Huh? Wish? Uh, I too have a wish!”

“What?”

“Grilled fish! Let me eat too!”

“It needs to cook a little more. But what do we do? We shouldn’t be making fire in the garden…”

“It is fine. A small fire is fine.”

“Right. It isn’t our fault if we put everything back to normal.”

Seeing Bill Stanton smile, Lulu nodded.

Time passed.

Fortunately, no one stopped them, and the fish were grilled completely.

Lulu gulped. The fish was so appealing.

“It is hot, so let’s cool it.”

“Thanks! Phew, phu huh? This is so nice!”

“Haa, right? I cook a little. The ingredients are quite precious, so this will be the first time you will have such a thing. I ran away from home when I was 17 and learned to cook from a fisherman. It reminds me of the past.”

“More, give me more!”

“Alright. Instead…”

“Instead?”

“Please listen to my request.”

“Ah, right. You said you had a wish.”

Lulu nodded and pulled something out of the air.

It was gold and silver. They were objects with deep historical value from ancient kingdoms.

“I’ll give you this.”

“This wealth isn’t what I want.”

“Really? Such a strange human.”

Lulu looked at Bill Stanton.

Cat’s don’t like money.

Yet, the reason why she gives wealth is because Lulu knows that people like money.

Until now, the only ones who didn’t care for it were Airn and his friends.

So, she was interested. However, nothing was more interesting than the grilled fish in front of her.

There was a rumble from her stomach. Lulu bowed her head and then looked at Bill Stanton.

“What do you want?”

“It isn’t really big.”

Bill Stanton kept grilling the fish and said,

“I want to get acquainted with Airn Pareira, please help me.”

“What? Lulu, why did you bring that person here?”

“Ah, right! Kirill doesn’t have a good relationship with him!”

Lulu seemed shocked. But there was nothing she could do.

She already brought him as she had taken the fish he cooked.

The cat avoided Kirill’s eyes and said to Airn.

“Airn, this person wants to become acquainted with you.”

“No, Lulu! This person, why did you…”

“You are in trouble, right?”

“What…”

“I heard from Miss Lulu. Young lord Airn here made a mistake with Miss Ilya Lindsay and can’t think of a way to make it up to her…”

“Lulu! You told that to him!”

“He, uh, I thought it would help us! I did it because I wanted to help Airn!”

Lulu went under the bed. It was cute to see her sticking out of the bed with only her head, but Kirill hated her right now.

But she didn’t look at Lulu any longer, and it was the same with Airn.

The two looked at Bill Stanton, who was standing there in a different manner than when they first met, with a sense that he was in the wrong.

“Although I am known to be a bastard, I can confidently say that I know better on making peace with people. The reason I live so well despite the accidents I do and not get kicked out of my family is because of that. Actually, how many times did I survive from the crises that I created…”

“…”

Kirill looked at Bill Stanton with a puzzled face.

He wasn’t shameful. But it didn’t make sense either. But then a few plausible words appeared.

And above all, since the siblings had no idea how to resolve their current situation, Kirill decided to listen, and asked.

“So, what do you propose?”

“Hmm.”

Bill Stanton’s words stopped and looked at Airn.

Contrary to his first impression, he seemed serious.

About the time the strangeness in the air formed, the lips of Stanton opened.

“Two days later, a ball is being held at the Lord’s birthday party. Many people pay a lot of attention to their attire in order to make themselves stand out and add more charm. Some say that the inside is more important than the outside, but that also means that if you have a different personality, it’s better to have a presentable outward appearance. Ah, of course, I didn’t mean anything about your personality.”

“…”

“Young lord Airn, why don’t you try dressing up a little? If you show the other person a cool side, then that might melt away a person’s anger that moment and even the slightest mistakes will be overlooked. Perhaps, even Miss Lindsay too will be the same.”

Kirill looked at Bill Stanton with a blank expression.

He was back to the topic of dressing up again? Of course, he wasn’t completely wrong, but she wanted to say something else because she didn’t have a good impression on this man.

“You really are a consistent one, aren’t you tired of it?”

“I will say this again, I am sorry for what happened before. I am sorry for the rude remarks, but it is not the case for the point I have made.”

“Right, I don’t need it. Why are you even trying to stick with us?”

“I want us to get closer with each other.”

“What?”

“Aren’t you both a genius Sword Master and a genius Sorcerer who will be responsible for the future of the continent? Rather than leaving a bad impression forever, it felt nice to try and give a little help and create a nice relationship. Isn’t this a world where people are more important than wealth?”

“Aren’t you overly honest?”

“Honesty is one of my charms.”

“Ha…”

“I feel like this is better than lying to you and getting on your bad side; I am confident. If you leave it to me, I will properly dress and style you in the best way in the western continent that matches with your body and shape.”

“How about it? Not a bad suggestion, right?”

Listening to Bill Stanton, Airn was in deep thought.

It was strange.

This noble man was sure that Airn and Ilya weren’t friends, but were in a deeper relationship.

And it felt burdensome. But the surprising part was.

‘… how will Ilya react if I dress up?’

Despite the pressure, he felt compelled to accept the offer.

“I like it.”

“Brother?”

Kirill was shocked and so was Lulu.

They didn’t expect this answer.

Actually, Airn too couldn’t understand it. But, he didn’t try to comprehend it, and decided to just go ahead with it.

He wanted to look good.

He wanted to show a little more nice side of himself.

Airn Pareira answered again with vague emotions rising in him.

“Please dress me up nicely.”