Chapter 264: …You Should Praise Me!!

After resting at the academy for about an hour, Erika and I started home.

On the way to Rude Tavern Erika praised me and took care of me so hard I was embarrassed and done in.

When I asked why, she said, "You have to give a reward to someone who worked hard..." clung to my arm, pinned it between her breasts, and looked up at me. I stopped and kissed her again and again.

Every time I stopped, Sateur and the others made grinning faces, and Sharle floated a little and gently stroked my head.

It was almost twenty-two.

When we got back to Rude Tavern, Erika and Sharle headed for the annex to see Nimi and the others.

After I confirmed the two of them went into the annex, I turned my feet toward the tavern.

Sharle had said there was no damage, but I was still worried about Hiero and Pafa.

I had heard the clan moved too, and I thought I had to thank Sagua.

No. First I had to talk about the reward or it would be rude to them...

Thinking that I smiled alone, opened the tavern door, and found Hiero standing like a guardian in the center of the floor with her arms folded.

"Welcome back, Handful! I protected you like I promised! You should praise me!!"

"Kuhahaha! Aah, thank you... Hiero."

"Nnyuuu!? I do not want that much! I do not waaant it!!"

Hiero smiling, showing off, funs funs, was cute. I came close, wrapped both arms around her back, and held her tight. She protested.

Pafa must have noticed from Hiero’s voice. She peeked out from the kitchen, saw me, and smiled softly, happily.

I beckoned. She toddled over, so I gently held her together with Hiero and spoke.

"Thank you, both of you. I am truly glad nothing happened."

"Nfu. You worked hard too, Raide."

"Nmyuuu! The way you are honest is too sly uuuu!"

Being honest is a good thing, is it not? Better than putting on airs, I think?

I put my mouth to both of their ears and murmured "Tiburiera." Their bodies shone faintly and I could tell their strength had recovered.

When I eased away from them Hiero flushed a little and patted my arm, peshi peshi.

She is truly calculating and cute. If she is doing it on purpose she is a big catch, Hiero.

I stroked Hiero’s head with a smile, turned my face toward Sagua drinking with his comrades, went over, and spoke.

Sagua noticed me coming, raised one hand, and when I tried to lower my head he let out a big sigh.

"Aah, enough, stop it, Instructor. We took a request and carried it out. We did not do anything worth a bow."

"Even so, if I forget to show thanks it is over. Thank you. You saved us. Now, about the reward..."

"I brought that."

I lowered my head lightly and was about to talk reward when a voice cut in from right beside me.

I turned toward the woman’s voice. Standing there was the dark-side woman who had been controlled by the Cardinal.

Even inside the tavern she wore a black hood. I could confirm a beautiful face smiling happily, but not her hairstyle.

The black hair peeking through a gap in the hood looked well cared for.

She held one letter in one hand and held it out to me.

I tilted my head, took it, and asked, "This is?" She laughed, kus, and said, "It is what you asked of Mirishu-sama."

I understood from those words, nodded hard, did not check the contents, held the letter in one hand, and held it out to Sagua.

If it was something Mirishu thought up, it would be reward enough.

We had prepared a money reward too after talking with Erika, you know?

Sagua took the letter with a doubtful face, looking between me and the dark side.

The other adventurers must have gotten curious. They went quiet and looked at Sagua. The comrades around the table moved behind him.

Sagua took a paper knife from a comrade, took out one letter, spread it, and looked at the ceiling.

...Oi. You get curious, right? What name did it become?

"Katoshuiru. A clan name Mirishu-sama thought up without sparing sleep."

"Katoshuiru, huh. A good name, is it not, Sagua?"

"...Aaaah, this clan can never be crushed nowwwww."

He held the letter carefully in both hands and spoke while looking at the ceiling. I laughed.

Of course. If His Holiness the Pope decides your clan name, there is no way you can crush it.

I was laughing happily when Sagua looked at me with flat eyes. I shrugged and laughed more.

Before I knew it Hiero had been looking at the letter from behind Sagua. She laughed with a troubled face, then teleported to my side and opened her mouth.

"You got another amazing name~"

"Eh?"

"Eh?"

"Hiero, do you know what the name means?"

"Know or not... that is, probably, a word that was in a book."

I glanced at Sagua and the others speaking in unison with startled faces, asked Hiero with my eyes if she meant the First Pope’s book, and she smiled with a troubled face and nodded.

Hiero told me in a low voice that the First Pope sometimes used books as memos, and that books he owned have words like this here and there.

"I think Grize was writing candidates when he decided the country’s name..."

"Wait wait wait, wait, Hiero-san! I do not want to hear it, I really do not want to hear it!"

Sagua stood from his seat hard, pointed one hand at Hiero, and begged, "Do not say it!" Seeing that, Hiero grinned, niya~, like she was having fun.

Aah. She has started enjoying this... condolences, Sagua.

I have no confidence I can stop Hiero when she is having fun either. Give up.

"Nfufufufufu! That was one of the name candidates for the Holy Kingdom. To say more~, a word of the First Pope that Pope Mirishu found!"

"The origin of the name... we will keep it secret... all right, everyone!?"

Sagua looked around the tavern and raised his voice desperately. Everyone nodded hard as if agreeing.

More than that, you believe Hiero’s words? I asked Sagua, who was hanging his head with a tired face. He muttered, "Nobody lies to the Instructor’s woman," and I smiled wryly.

I gently stroked the head of Hiero, who was watching Sagua with a happy smile. Her cheeks went a little red.

She glanced at my face, then turned away with a huff, but she also came closer. She was too cute.

Pafa must have been jealous, because she came close too. I put one hand on each of their heads and kept stroking them gently.

The dark-side woman watched that with narrowed, fond eyes, then headed out of the tavern.

I excused myself to the two of them, went outside after her, saw her walking back, and called out.

She stopped, turned slowly, and tilted her head.

Did she mean not to let me thank her? Let me say thanks for helping...

I came a little closer to the woman who had stopped, smiled, lowered my head, then spoke.

"I heard you helped. Thank you. Sorry it is late."

"...Fufufu. The one who helped first was you, Raide-sama."

"That is that, this is this. ...With this we can meet again, right? For dark side it is shameful to leave a debt unpaid, is it not? So I want you to come back anytime to return it. Not only you. All of you... I will be waiting."

"You are underhanded... sly, and a terrible person. Truly a Handful, are you not?"

"Hahaha. I hear that often."

We smiled at each other. She tilted her head a little, smiled beautifully, said, "When I come back next I will tell you my name," turned, and vanished into the dark night.

She, no... they were probably going back to the Holy Kingdom of Kail now for revenge.

I will not stop that. But a heart that keeps going cold has a limit, and sometimes you need rest that puts heat back in.

When that time comes I would be glad if they came back here, drank, and had fun.

In the Kingdom of Libertonia, away from the Holy Kingdom of Kail, they should be able to take a brief rest.

I folded my arms and looked the way she had vanished into the dark night when someone jumped on my back.

I turned my face and found Hiero smiling as if fed up. I smiled wryly.

"You are reaaally a Handful, you know that, Raide!"

"But with this they have a place they can come back to, right?"

"That is right! And it is to you, Raide!"

I started walking toward the tavern with Hiero on my back. She murmured by my ear, "But thank you."

I stroked her head instead of answering and started helping at the tavern.