96 – 4. Silence in the Helmet (12)
12.
While Jin was talking with the cathedral knight outside, a conversation of unprecedented size took place in the ‘Golden Mule’. The reason why it is said to be unprecedented is that the four participants have never gathered together and talked deeply.
Celine is the only daughter of the owner couple and a maid.
She is an adventurer with a blue plate and a highly skilled thief, Mira.
Mage Zenith, who is also a blue adventurer.
And…….
‘Why am I here…… ?’
Hilda, a thief who is a member of the same party as Janice. She put her hand between her knees, only she tilted her head, and her body trembled.
“… ….”
She must have found a seat near her by the fireplace, and somehow the back of her neck stood on end. Not a crowd Opposite her sits women who are so strong that even a man can easily wield them. Hilda glanced at her and looked to her side. The expressionless face of Janice looked intimidated today.
Actually, it may be more a hearing than an interview. If there is one thing in common with all but themselves, it is that they are all in a close relationship with one man. However, the power distribution was never fair.
After Celine is shown being kissed in the middle of her hallway, she is effectively treated like a playboy’s poor lover. Didn’t Mira also show off her affection to the whole world by wearing Jin and her army? If there was a love affair, it should have happened between the two of them.
On the other hand, Janice is at the same party as Jin’s friend Gerald. So far, there has been no contact like this, but…… Her colleague, Hilda, had been vaguely aware that she had recently set her eyes on Jin. She thought that because of Zenith’s personality, she would want to be close to him as a wizard class like Bona Mana. What is this, what she did alone in Jin’s room in the morning became a topic of discussion for her.
Actually, the reason why this conversation was held was to explain what happened today and to clarify the feelings between each other. If Celine or Mira, who are still strong and have a strong relationship with Jin, are determined to bully Janice, she may not be able to endure it as she is not good at human relations. So Hilda voluntarily led them to the table and sat down. Although he may not be of much help, Janice is a valuable ally. She swore under her table and clenched her fists.
‘I have to protect Zenith!’
She is older than herself, but she has devoted her entire life to researching magic and is almost ignorant of the relationship between the opposite s*x. Besides, I wonder if she really opens her eyes to men and expresses a romantic interest in Jin. It was the same
Hilda trembled as she saw Celine and Mira’s fierce gazes towards Janice. The situation would have been somewhat better if Chloe was there, but she didn’t seem particularly interested in Jin, and her presence alone had the power to lighten her mood. She forced herself to soothe her regret.
For that reason, the sight of all the women of outstanding beauty occupying a round table and sitting exactly in four equal parts creates an unrealistic atmosphere in harmony with the scene of an old inn.
Since the lunch business has already ended, it would be normal for the hall to have people playing cards or gambling in front of the fireplace…… I must say that I am an adventurer. As if they had sensed the strange atmosphere between them right away, everyone ran away from the vicinity, and the hall was infinitely quiet except for the crackling of firewood, except for the sound of whispers on the stairs.
──Hey, can’t you hear anything? Come a little closer
──Did you go down and listen openly?
──That’s a bit…….
After a rather uncomfortable silence followed, Mira spoke for the first time. She said in a soothing voice, crossing her legs and crossing her arms, as if revealing her uneasiness.
“Are we old friends, Janice?”
“… ….”
Janice nodded quietly. Hilda didn’t like her attitude. If he really didn’t have a kangi, he would act confidently, so why would he carry it low? Unfortunately, her expressionless expression was a trademark among those who knew her.
As if Mira didn’t like that reaction, she spoke to Janice in a sharper voice.
“I don’t mind saying this with my own mouth, but with me…… Celine, this girl, loves Jean.”
Hilda hid, pressed by Mira’s spirit, and pushed her neck up without noticing. Love! The weight of that one word is so heavy. Is it just because she is an excellent adventurer? Or is it because the way she said that is beautiful even for a woman to see?
Born and raised in the thieves’ guild, Hilda was very familiar with men and women in their prime whispering their love to each other and confirming their affection, but she complained to her friends and family even when they were not together. I knew how to let go. However, in Mira’s words, she had the power to tell the unchanging truth even if everyone did not know about her.
“We both know that. When someone else expresses affection to Jin…… Honestly, it’s eye-catching, but it’s Jin’s decision anyway. I mean, you’re watching it unintentionally.”
Celine didn’t seem to have recovered from the shock of her kiss yet, and unlike her usual, she didn’t glance at her with her sharp eyes, but she was listening to her story anyway and didn’t refute it. Seemed to agree.
“By the way, today you…… I’ll be honest. The wind that came out of Jin’s room ruined everything. Jin became trash, and even after she explains everything, I still feel very offended that the man I love was treated like that even once.”
Silence fell. Hilda swallowed her saliva once again. This street, Zenith without a wand and Mira naked. If a physical fight does happen, will Janice have a chance? She probably won’t stand a chance even if she joins herself. Mira said, glancing at Celine in her direction.
“Of course, nothing would have happened if this stupid girl hadn’t been messing around.”
“… ….”
Celine was unusually silent. Seeing that her cheeks were slightly red, she seemed to be remembering what she had done earlier. Mira muttered lowly.
“So, I have to listen. If it was all a misunderstanding that Celine was a girl, she should at least know what she was doing with Jin. I don’t know about other b*tches, but I think I have the right to do that.”
“… ….”
Zenith was as expressionless as usual, but Hilda could tell. She knows she’s feeling guilty about this. Eventually, Janice raised her head and looked at the two of them with a stern gaze between his bangs.
“Okay, I’ll tell you.”
“…… Say.”
Mira and Celine focused their eyes on Janice. In fact, Hilda was the same. Janice told everyone about what happened with Jin…… Before long, an uncomfortable silence fell over the table they were sitting around.
“… ….”
I heard a crackling sound. From Mira. Hearing her story, she looked upset. She always seemed at least one step closer to Jean than the others, and others dimly noticed that it was because they had a secret they shared. Even so, she seemed to feel a great sense of helplessness at not being able to do anything about the ‘curse’ that Janice was talking about.
Celine is an ordinary person. She is not a spell user, much less a wizard. She doesn’t even know about Jin’s secret. All she knew was that he was still afraid of something, and that in the future he would have reasons why he couldn’t be with them.
Hilda thought Jin and she were friends. So, she felt a bit sad that Jin didn’t know that she had such a situation. Janice opened her mouth.
“In the heart of Jin, what is nestled…… If I uncover that identity, I think I’ll probably be able to grow to a higher level as a mage. And…… Me too, if Jin is in trouble, I hate it. I want to help.”
The three of her looked at her in amazement. Has she ever expressed her feelings so openly, when she has always shown no change in her emotions? From Hilda’s point of view, it was actually good to see it as a declaration of participation in the war for that deep relationship.
“… ….”
She turned her head away with a jerk, as if she didn’t like Mira. She seemed to have no ill feelings of hers left for her, except for at least a little hostility that Hilda felt. It’s probably because he’s one of the few people in this inn that cooperates with Jin. Besides, she is the only one who can do research on slots and is an excellent wizard. At least she didn’t seem to have any intention of interfering with Janice and Jin’s exchanges in the future.
Soon, the rest of the gaze naturally turned to Celine. She probably didn’t show any reaction until now, but after all, this incident also stemmed from her misunderstanding. Besides, she was the only one who shared lips with Jin twice. From her point of view, who loves Jin, she is the subject to be most wary of. In fact, it was clear that her attitude towards Janice would affect many things in the future.
“I… ….”
Celine finally opened her mouth. Everyone watched the lips move.
“I, just.”
She said.
“I hope Jin doesn’t have nightmares anymore… ….”
It was a heavy word. A story only she knows. A condensation of the years accumulated over four years. Everyone quietly listened to her story.
The swing door swung back and forth in the wind from outside. Hilda trembled.
Winter is a painful season.