Bonus Short Stories
Apology
A certain pair of girls were at a banquet in Karelia’s royal palace to celebrate the defeat of the Prismer.
“Mnnn, vu geffa feh fu aeh fayshez hli hih! ♪ (Mmm, you get the best food at places like this! ♪)”
“Haff hai, Rahi. Ah haw wuh fayvuh! (That’s right, Rani. Our hard work paid off!)”
Nom! Nom, nom, nom!
The food at their table was disappearing. Taken aback, the other banquet attendees blatantly stared at them.
“Wow!”
“They say heroes always live larger than life...”
“And I guess for those two, living it up means eating well.”
Eris grimaced. “Just watching that gives me heartburn.”
“Same here,” Ripple said. The two, in their formal gowns, couldn’t help their twitching eyebrows.
The one thing Inglis and Rafinha hadn’t touched, though, was a platter several times larger than the others nearby, covered with a silver lid. That one wasn’t for them.
Guests around them suddenly started gossiping.
“Oh, it’s Sir Rafael!”
“He conceded the defeat of the Prismer, but he still destroyed the most magicite beasts out of anyone!”
“The behavior of a true holy knight!”
“Rahaeh! Owuh hih, owuh hih! (Rafael! Over here, over here!)” Rafinha, beaming, waved to Rafael.
“I don’t think he can tell what you’re saying,” Eris sighed.
“Hey, Rani! Chris!”
“Wow, he understood! I guess siblings are a different breed,” Ripple marveled.
Beside them, Inglis rose to greet Rafael. Swallowing her food, she straightened her posture, got down on both knees, and bowed her head. This was the first time she’d seen Rafael since she defeated the Prismer. In other words, the first time she’d seen him since she knocked him unconscious. Now that they were face to face, she felt she had to apologize properly.
“Chris?! What are you doing all of a sudden?” Rafael asked.
“I need to apologize, Rafael. I’m deeply sorry for deceiving you, and for wounding your pride.”
“Chris, raise your head! Stand up! You’ll get your dress dirty.” Rafael quickly helped Inglis to her feet. “It’s okay. I was surprised, but I’m not mad. Thanks to your actions, you saved my life. And besides, Lady Eris and Lady Ripple are here enjoying themselves in dresses. That’s never happened before, right? It’s thanks to you that we were able to win without making anyone sad. Thank you so much.” He smiled, a natural one that came to his face effortlessly.
“Rafael...”
“Brother!” Rafinha interjected. “You’re so sweet! I love you!”
“Ha ha ha... Thanks, Rani.”
“C’mon, sit down! We saved some for you!” Rafinha lifted the lid of the large platter. Underneath were grilled morsels of meat—meat from the ancient dragon Fufailbane, which they had brought back from Alcard, cooked over an open flame.
“I’ll feed it to you! Say ‘ahh’!” Rafinha offered.
“Ha ha ha... Mm?! What is this?! This is the most delicious meat I’ve ever tasted!”
“Right?!”
Inglis laughed. “Then I’ll take my turn. Here you go.”
“You too, Chris?! Thanks!”
“I suppose I’ll participate as well,” Eris said.
“Me too, me too!” Ripple cheered. “Isn’t it great to be surrounded by cute girls, Rafael?”
“Ha ha ha... Thanks.” Rafael smiled awkwardly.
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