MTLNOVEL Ch. 209
Chapter 209
"Haa... I really messed up..."
Walking down the night road with slumped shoulders, Erika Jermie, an A-rank adventurer, let out a deep, deep sigh.
She had done it. She had gone overboard.
Even though they were inside a restaurant, she lost her composure, threw Clael, and ended up getting kicked out of the place.
"Clael... must be mad at me..."
Because of Erika's rampage, the two of them had missed out on the dessert.
Clael was probably feeling frustrated too.
"That's definitely a deduction... But it's not all my fault. He's just too dense."
Clael wasn't stupid by any means.
But... for some reason, he was incredibly insensitive to other people's affection, especially romantic feelings.
Part of it was because Erika was clumsy at expressing her feelings, but it also seemed like he had been conditioned to believe there was no way a woman would like him.
(Has he really lived a life so far removed from women...? He's from a marquis family, and I don't think he looks bad either. Plus, he's gone on arranged dates, so it's not like he doesn't want to get married, right...?)
Erika had no way of knowing, but... in his previous life, Clael had died as an unmarried corporate slave and game otaku.
He had knowledge of gal games and otome games, but zero real-life romantic experience.
Because of that, he tended to think of romantic feelings as something unrelated to himself, and after being rejected from every arranged date, he had come to believe, "Even in this world, I'm not popular."
"Hmm... I guess I really do need to push harder. Maybe I should just drag him into a hotel already?"
As Erika muttered, something suddenly crashed behind her.
When she turned around, she saw a trash can that had been placed on the road had toppled over.
"...Just kidding. No need to worry."
Erika shrugged her shoulders.
She spoke sarcastically into the empty night road.
"I've realized that I can't win by using forceful tricks. I'm going to try my best to make him turn my way the honest way."
There was no one on the night road.
But Erika continued to speak with conviction.
"So... you shouldn't break the rules either. Don't disregard Clael's feelings, okay? If you push too hard, he'll end up hating you."
Her warning words cut through the air like a blade.
"If you really wanted to, you could probably have him easily... But you don't. You don't want to hurt Clael. You don't want to trample on his feelings... How kind of you."
Erika muttered with a sigh and brushed her hair back.
"Even today, you deliberately didn't interfere with our date, right? You could have stopped us anytime, but you didn't do anything until I lost control... I'm grateful for that. But I'm not planning to lose."
With firm resolve, Erika declared war into the empty night road.
"I'll win Clael over in a fair fight. I met him first, after all. I'm going to make him mine. I won't hesitate or back down anymore, so you'd better be ready too."
She turned on her heel and raised her right hand lightly.
She had said everything she needed to. There was no more reason to stay here.
"Well then, until we meet again... Good night, Saint."
Leaving behind those one-sided parting words, Erika walked away, her heels clicking loudly.
Silence returned to the now-empty night road... but eventually, a voice echoed from the void.
"............Bring it on. I won't lose."
The owner of the voice was nowhere to be seen.
Silence once again dominated the night road.
Clael had no idea.
That night... two women had officially recognized each other as rivals, fighting over the one treasure they both desired.
And at the center of this battle between women, the oblivious young priest was fated to be thoroughly confused by what was to come.