Chapter 139

“That song…”

“Yes?”

Johan approached with a quizzical look and knelt by the bed.

“Lady Astell, what did you say?”

I grabbed his arm.

“How do you know that song? Where did you learn it? Who taught it to you? Or… is it a song you’ve always known?”

“…It’s a common hymn. Most who belong to the Temple know it.”

“Most?”

“Yes… But why do you ask?”

“Do all religious songs sound similar?”

“Well, since they are songs praising a deity, the lyrics and melodies might sound alike.”

“I see…”

I thought it was the exact same song. Was I just mistaken in my sleepy state?

Only then did the fog in my mind begin to clear.

I pressed my temples. My head was throbbing.

“Lady Astell, are you alright?”

“I have… a bit of a headache.”

“Lower your hand. I’ll heal you.”

Johan gently took my hand and lowered it. Then, he placed a kiss on my forehead.

A soft press.

A gentle warmth seeped in from where his lips had touched.

A long breath escaped me before I even realized it. It felt like stepping into a hot spring after shivering in the cold.

“Hah… Thank you. I feel much better.”

“I’m glad.”

Johan brushed my messy hair back, then gently cupped my cheek.

The atmosphere suddenly turned peculiar. I avoided Johan’s deep blue eyes, which were fixed on me, and awkwardly tried to change the subject.

“Y-You know? That thing you do when you heal, the kissing. It has no effect at all. The Constellations tricked you.”

“I know.”

“…You do?”

“I didn’t at first, but I figured it out later. That the healing posture has no relation to the healing effect.”

So he knew the Constellations were lying?

But he just pressed his lips to my forehead.

“Then why did you just…”

“Because I have selfish intentions.”

“…”

“Are you angry?”

He said it so frankly that I didn’t even feel tricked.

In a way, I was surprised. To think the Paladin, the very model of a gentle soul, would pull such a trick.

Johan cautiously glanced up at me. His expression, like a rain-soaked puppy, was enough to dissolve any anger I might have had.

As I just stared at him, his eyebrows drooped. He then timidly tapped my pinky finger.

“I’m sorry. Please don’t be angry.”

*He’s… adorable.*

It was a straight pitch right into my strike zone. It was clear that Johan had been studying my preferences.

I let out a soft laugh and ruffled his blond hair.

“Is it okay for a Paladin to be so self-indulgent?”

“The Goddess wishes for humans to be human. Therefore, I am simply fulfilling my duty as a clergyman.”

“…You’ve gotten better with words, too.”

“I’m trying my best. So that I don’t lose you, Lady Astell.”

Did he mean he didn’t want to lose me to Dante?

*That’s a little strange…*

Dante and I were just in a contract relationship. At best, we were friends.

I had no romantic feelings for Dante whatsoever, so why did Johan feel a sense of crisis?

*Did he notice that Dante likes me?*

Johan’s eyes met mine, and he gave a faint smile.

He seemed somewhat anxious. As I tilted my head in confusion, he stood up and offered me his hand.

“Now, shall we go have a meal?”

Food!

A sudden surge of energy shot through me, and like one of Pavlov’s dogs, my mouth began to water.

I took Johan’s hand and shot to my feet.

“Already? They must eat dinner early in Akron.”

The sun hadn’t even set yet.

Unlike the Taikan Empire, which had fixed meal times, this was a truly flexible culture.

“The time should be similar to the Empire’s. The sun sets later in Akron than in Taikan.”

“Ah…”

No wonder I was so hungry. I thought it was because I had thrown up.

“It seems they haven’t assigned you a servant either, Lady Astell. A lady could use some help.”

Come to think of it, Suren hadn’t assigned us any servants.

*Zenia said we would each have at least one maid…*

“I can manage on my own. It’s fine.”

I quickly tidied my hair and put on the jacket Alex had taken off me earlier.

When we stepped outside, a waiting servant guided us to the dining room.

I linked my arm with Johan’s and whispered quietly.

“I’m really looking forward to this. I’ve never had Akron food before.”

“Nor have I. Come to think of it, there’s not much known about Akron’s cuisine.”

“It’s got to be delicious, right? Mages are so sensitive. Imagine how picky their palates must be.”

“Sir Kaiel would be hurt if he heard you say that.”

“He’s not the type to get hurt by something like that, and even if he was, he’d probably think of a way to make money off it first.”

“Hmm… I can’t argue with that.”

We were exchanging pleasantries when we arrived in front of the dining room.

As we entered, Alex, who was already there, raised his hand high.

“Hey! Uh, no, Guild Master Astell, sit here.”

He was trying to show a minimum of courtesy since we were in another country. How unlike him.

“Have you been waiting long?”

“Not really. Johan said he was going to check on you and wake you up, so I thought it would take a while. You came quickly. How’s your stomach?”

“Sir Johan healed me, so it’s all better.”

I looked around the dining room.

The atmosphere was different from the lavish style famous in the Taikan Empire.

A clean wooden table and simple plates. If not for the fresh flowers in the center of the table, one could have mistaken it for an office.

There was only one servant to assist with the meal, the same child I had glimpsed upon our arrival. Suren was nowhere to be seen.

*Are people from Akron the type to focus solely on their meals?*

Well, a dining room doesn’t need to be extravagant. Too many servants would just be a hassle.

“But are you alone? Where is Lord… Ryuna?”

I used Dante’s middle name, conscious of our surroundings.

“He said he doesn’t want to eat.”

My eyes widened.

“Why on earth not? Is he seriously ill?”

“…Not everyone loses their appetite only when they’re sick like you. Sometimes, you’re just not in the mood to eat.”

“What about Sir Kaiel?”

“He said he brought his own food.”

“Why?”

“How should I know?”

Alex shrugged and placed a napkin on his lap.

Finally, the food arrived.

I stared blankly at the large dish placed before me.

“…”

I’ve seen this somewhere before…

Alex whispered in a flustered voice.

“Hey, what is this?”

The material was different from what I knew, but the shape was similar.

“A meal tray… I think…?”

“A meal tray?”

Johan gave an awkward smile. He, too, looked bewildered.

“It seems in Akron, they serve all the food on one plate. How unique.”

Alex grumbled as he scooped up some soup.

“Why would they do this? It’s undignified, and all the food gets mixed up.”

“But it saves time and labor. Stop complaining and eat.”

What did it matter if the food was served on a golden plate or a wooden one? As long as it was delicious, that was all that mattered.

It was just as I’d expect from the kingdom of mages, who constantly researched for ultimate efficiency.

*How long has it been since I’ve seen a meal tray?*

The last time was in high school in my past life… so it’s been well over a decade.

I smiled, feeling nostalgic, and ate a spoonful of soup.

“…”

“Hmm…”

Beside me, Alex let out a groan.

Frozen in shock, he covered his mouth with a napkin. He looked composed on the outside, but he was probably spitting it out.

He nonchalantly dabbed his lips and whispered.

“What is with this taste? Have all the people in this country lost their sense of taste?”

The soup wasn’t bad; it just had no taste at all.

Combined with the thick texture unique to soup, it was kind of like mucus—indescribably bizarre.

Johan, who tasted the soup a moment later, wore a peculiar expression.

“It seems that in Akron… they prioritize the function of food.”

Did they believe that food was merely fuel for survival, so taste was irrelevant? Or did they mean they’d rather study magic than put effort into improving flavors?

“What’s wrong with the Master of the Magic Tower? If he knew about this beforehand, he should have given us a heads-up. He brought his own food just to save himself?”

After thoroughly badmouthing Kaiel, Alex put down his spoon.

“Ugh, I’m done. I can’t eat this.”

As much as Alex acted like a ruffian, he was still the son of a Duke.

He must have grown up eating lavish meals three times a day. There was no way he could eat something like this.

Johan, glancing around, nibbled on some bread instead of the soup. But he couldn’t even finish one piece before wiping his mouth.

“What a shame. I don’t have much of an appetite.”

Alex snorted at Johan’s polite excuse. Then he saw me and his eyes went wide.

“Why are you eating so well? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, it’s edible.”

“…Really?”

“I’m serious.”

The Astell of the past had eaten things far worse than this.

Compared to that, Akron’s food was a luxury. At least the ingredients seemed fresh.

As I was scraping my plate clean, I suddenly felt a stinging gaze on my face.

Alex was staring at me with bloodshot eyes.

“…What is it?”

“You must have starved in the annex to be able to eat this… Astell, I’ll do better, I promise.”

Alex patted my back and let out a deep sigh.

“This is a big problem. The negotiations aren’t going to be easy.”

“Why?”

“Can’t you tell from the meal?”

As guests from the Taikan Empire, it would have been proper etiquette to prepare Taikan-style food. Instead, Akron served their own.

It meant they hadn’t bothered to learn about us.

That was what Alex meant.

“How can we have a proper conversation with people who don’t even have basic information about us?”

“I don’t think that’s it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t underestimate mages. They’ve likely already done all the research they need to. What kind of food and culture we’re accustomed to.”

“…And they still served this? Why? So we could experience their culture?”

“Not a chance.”

I scoffed. Swallowing a piece of tasteless bread, I called for the servant.

“Bring Suren to me.”