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Chapter 223: Rinella’s Destiny is Her Own (16)

"Yeah, it\'s better if it can make someone faint as quickly as possible."

Emma still couldn\'t shake off her concerns.

I turned to face her and jokingly suggested.

"If you\'re so worried, want to come with me?"

"...H-huh?"

Emma stared at me blankly, clearly taken aback by my suggestion. A playful grin tugged at my lips.

"I mean, to the Percus Territory. That way, you can keep an eye on me and ensure I don\'t do anything strange, right?"

In reality, it was nothing more than a passing thought.

I was worried about the possibility of Emma getting into trouble in my absence. She hadn\'t been taking proper care of herself, neglecting even her meals. If she were to collapse as she did today, I wondered who would be there to assist her.

The suggestion was made with little forethought.

Yet, for Emma, the implication seemed to catch her completely off guard.

I held my breath for a moment as Emma stared at me, her expression vacant.

The moment seemed to stretch on for eternity.

Eventually, Emma managed a wry smile and replied.

"No, I’ll be fine."

"Is it because of your research?"

"No, it\'s... well, I\'m just a commoner, you know."

Confronted with such a straightforward response, I found myself at a loss for words.

"If the servants are forced to take care of a commoner like me merely because I\'m a friend of their Young Master, how will they feel about that? And what about your noble family?"

"My family doesn\'t care about that."

"Even so, I do."

Emma\'s smile held a hint of sadness as she gently attempted to dissuade me.

"Ian, I know my place well. Even entertaining the notion of standing by your side is nothing short of greed for me."

How could I propose again to a woman who spoke with such humility?

With a wry smile, I nodded, choosing to remain silent.

"Someday, I\'ll make sure the words that you want to visit my parents originate from your own lips."

"Will you really do that?”

Emma cautiously grasped my hand, gratitude evident in her expression. Even from her sorrowful smile, I could discern her feelings.

"Thank you, Ian. I\'ll be waiting."

"...Let\'s meet again in the second semester."

With those parting words, I bid farewell to Emma.

I traveled light, carrying only a few essentials since I had the expandable spatial pouch and was heading back to my hometown anyway.

Most of my belongings were already stored at the Percus family\'s manor, so if I did bring anything, it would be, at most, a modest amount of weaponry.

Unexpectedly, a small group awaited me at the pathway leading to the warp gate.

First among them was a girl with gray hair.

"...Seria?"

"Senior Ian!"

As I casually called out the name of a junior I cherished, Seria, the second-year top student in the Knight Division and a genius swordsman from the Yurdina family, approached me with evident joy. She seemed eager to share something.

Puzzled by her enthusiasm, I stood there momentarily, and Seria couldn\'t contain her excitement as she explained.

"My sister instructed me to head to the Percus Territory. She wants me to command the family soldiers stationed near the Territory...!"

Finally, I understood what Senior Delphine meant by the \'special gift.\'

The gift in question was none other than Seria herself

Seria wasn\'t just a junior I valued; she was a skilled swordsman who had already reached the threshold of the expert level.

Now that I had recently attained the rank of expert, there was one fact that I deeply came to realize.

The significant gap between an expert and other swordsmen.

For a territory as small as the one owned by the Percus family, having even one expert could make a notable difference. Moreover, with Senior Neris planning to visit later, we would have three experts at our disposal.

It seemed we had met the minimum requirements to thwart the Dark Order\'s plans.

Of course, Seria wasn’t the only person accompanying me on the journey home.

"M-Master?"

A nervous voice interrupted, and I turned to see a girl approaching, fidgeting with her pointy cone hat, her anxiety clearly visible.

It was Senior Elsie.

After her unexpected announcement yesterday, it was uncertain whether Senior Elsie would be able to return to her family. In that case, it made sense for her to join me on the journey home.

However, there was something different about Senior Elsie lately.

Well, she had always been a bit peculiar, but her demeanor toward me seemed strangely different from before.

It was true even now.

She stole glances at me, her cheeks flushed, before quickly averting her gaze.

Lately, Senior Elsie seemed to have difficulty establishing a relationship with me. It was as if she sought reassurance about her place.

A clear example of this was an incident that occurred downtown.

On the way to the warp gate, I was handed a pamphlet.

Its contents revolved around the protection of stray cats.

Following a recent incident where cat-shaped demonic beasts viciously attacked the city, a wave of public animosity toward stray cats had surged. However, there were still a few cat enthusiasts who opposed this.

With little interest in such debates, I tore the pamphlet without much consideration.

Supporting either side would be problematic.

I had no intention of shouldering unnecessary burdens with rash decisions.

However, Senior Elsie appeared troubled by my indifference.

She cautiously broached the topic.

"...Master, do you happen to like cats?"

"No, not really... I just find them cute, that\'s all."

My response prompted Senior Elsie to leap up with a frustrated expression.

She launched into a passionate rant almost immediately.

"C-Cats have no loyalty, and are nothing but pests, causing only trouble! They act as though they\'re the masters themselves—who do they think they are? Imagine if, during the last demonic beast attack, instead of a cat, a dog-shaped demonic beast had appeared! It would\'ve, it would\'ve... shed tears and died alone, right? But those shameless furballs..."

"...Why are you arguing against cats?"

Despite my deep sigh of exasperation, Senior Elsie\'s criticism of cats persisted for quite some time.

I could only wear a half-resigned expression.

Surprisingly, the strange encounters didn\'t end there.

Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder.

Even caught off guard, only a select few skilled individuals could approach me from behind. Startled, I turned around to find Yuren, sporting a playful smile.

"Hey, Ian!"

"Yuren!"

I warmly greeted him and shook his hand. Looking at his bulging backpack, it was evident that Yuren was also heading somewhere.

Out of courtesy, I inquired

"Heading to the Holy Nation?"

"No, I have a special mission."

With a wink, Yuren stepped slightly aside, revealing the woman standing behind him.

There stood a strikingly beautiful girl with silver hair and light pink eyes, someone who could be easily mistaken for a divine creation.

She was the Saintess.

"Hmm, well... What a coincidence. Somehow, my next service assignment just happens to be in the Percus Territory."

"Percus Territory?"

Perplexed by her statement, I tilted my head in confusion.

In the Percus Territory, there was only a lone, dilapidated shrine, tended to by an elderly clergyman.

The arrival of a service delegation from the Holy Nation to such a remote location was unprecedented.

Even more surprising was the presence of the Saintess among them, who was someone considered to hold the highest-ranking position.

Sensing my confusion, the Saintess hastened to offer an explanation, her words stumbling over each other in her eagerness.

"I-It\'s just a coincidence, you know?! I absolutely am not being clingy or anything... R-Really!"

I couldn’t understand why she brought up being clingy.

Nevertheless, having the Saintess accompany us would undoubtedly bolster our forces. With this in mind, I extended my hand to her.

"Then, I\'m looking forward to your help, Saintess."

"...Hmm, ehm. Well, while it may be coincidental, please take care of me for a while."

There seemed to be a moment of silent communication between the Saintess and Yuren as they exchanged glances.

It was followed by the Saintess discreetly cheering with a clenched fist, but I decided not to dwell on it.

Our group heading towards the Percus Territory had unexpectedly grown larger.

Four more people had joined us beyond our original plan.

As the Percus family owned the territory, the responsibility of hosting these esteemed visitors fell upon us. More guests meant more logistical challenges to navigate.

Already, I felt a headache coming on as I contemplated how to accommodate guests like the Saintess, Senior Elsie, and Seria.

However, in hindsight, this turned out to be a good thing.

Unbeknownst to us, sinister machinations were afoot in the Percus Territory. The more allies I had, the better our chances of thwarting whatever awaited us.

Of course, these were merely my thoughts.

Upon seeing the unexpected additions to our group, Celine let out an exasperated scream.

"...What the hell is this!!!"

Celine had envisioned a comfortable journey with just the three of us, so it was understandable for her to be upset at the sudden influx of people.

All I could manage in response was an awkward smile.

Now, our preparations were complete.

All that remained was the journey to my long-awaited hometown.

To the Percus Territory, where my younger sister eagerly awaited our /genesisforsaken