Volume 3 Chapter 89: Peaceful Moments

“Tesea-san, you seem to be having a lot of fun.”

The faint sound of laughter echoed from downstairs.

Fiona Mabel, sitting upright on the tatami, smiled as she addressed Noel Sialsa, who sat beside her, hugging her knees.

“Yeah, she really does. It’s truly great.”

As expected, they were in Noil Arlens’ room. While he slept, the two sat on the tatami mats laid out earlier, directing their gaze toward the sleeping Noil on the bed.

A short distance away on the tatami, Milis Albama was sleeping soundly with an air of tranquility.

Although the room felt a bit overcrowded, the pleasant scent of the tatami grass filled the space with a peaceful atmosphere—

“By the way, are you not tired? Feel free to take a break if you’d like. I’ll stay here with senpai.”

“No, no, not at all. Fiona, why don’t you take a break? I’ll watch over Noil.”

Neither of them backed down.

The two exchanged wry smiles before once again turning their gazes back to Noil.

Milis let out a muffled “Mmmph…” and shifted in her sleep.

In the midst of this tense atmosphere, she was likely the only one capable of drooling happily in such a carefree state.

“Shouldn’t you show some consideration?”

“Why?”

“Since Noel-san was the one allowed to go to senpai’s side this time, shouldn’t you let me take over now?”

“True, everyone worked hard to ensure I could reach Noil, but that’s because I was the most suitable person, right? It was something I had to do on my own, wasn’t it? Since my abilities are the best support for Noil, it’s only natural. I’m grateful, of course, but using that as a reason to make me step aside feels off, doesn’t it?”

Fiona maintained her smile, though she was inwardly grinding her teeth.

Noel wasn’t wrong. In this urgent, high-stakes situation, there was no room for personal feelings. If not everyone could reach Noil, the others had to focus on sending the most effective person. Noel’s Magis Gear was undoubtedly a crucial asset for aiding Noil.

When Alice joined them, Noel took charge of the supplies, and Milis entrusted her with the “divine artifact,” knowing that even if Noel alone reached Noil, his newfound ability to use mana would allow him to escape on his own if necessary.

Of course, it would have been ideal for Milis, who could manifest the White Road, to reach him. However, under the given constraints, Noel was the next best choice.

Fiona wasn’t foolish. She understood this rationally.

Noil’s safety was paramount above all else.

Yet, even understanding that, she couldn’t entirely quell the anger, frustration, and jealousy simmering within her.

The feelings were so overwhelming that she had to fight the urge to lash out.

A conniving woman—

“…Aren’t you ashamed?”

“Of what?”

Both maintained their cheerful expressions. Yet, the room’s atmosphere had turned utterly sour.

“Creating a Magis Gear that panders to senpai just to get close to him—don’t you think that’s disgraceful?”

“Not at all. Nope, not one bit.”

Noel responded with a smile, unfazed by Fiona’s blatant hypocrisy.

Meanwhile, Milis’s drool dripped from her mouth onto the tatami.

“You could just admit you’re jealous.”

“Jealous? Don’t you mean disgusted?”

“Heh.”

“Hehehe.”

“Hehehehe.”

“Hehehehehe.”

“Nufufufufufufu…”

The strange laugh that interrupted their escalating tension came from none other than the sleeping Milis.

Fiona and Noel, still smiling, slowly turned their gazes toward Milis, who laughed in her sleep.

“…I…like you too…Noil…”

The moment they heard that dreamy confession, the smiles vanished from their faces.

With blank expressions, Fiona and Noel stared at Milis, who continued to sleep peacefully.

“…What do you think of that?”

“She said ‘I too,’ didn’t she?”

“In her dream?”

“At this timing?”

“Something happened?”

“Undoubtedly.”

“Did he…say something to her?”

“Senpai is…kind…after all…”

“I know I shouldn’t think like this, but sometimes, I…”

“Feel like making Milis disappear, don’t you?”

The atmosphere was truly the worst.

Fiona thought to herself.

If it has come to this, perhaps eliminating her is inevitable.

Even if it’s just a matter of context, Fiona had never heard Noil directly say he liked her.

Sure, there had been times when she’d asked and he’d responded. But he had never said it of his own accord.

Someday, he would surely say it to her, of that she had no doubt. But as of now, it hadn’t happened.

And yet, this woman—who had somehow received the very words Fiona wanted to hear the most—had taken them in stride. Whether it was out of Noil’s kindness or pity, Fiona could not forgive it.

How could she forgive someone like this—a woman who drooled and wore such a ridiculous expression?

“But you can’t eliminate her, can you?”

Noel’s calm voice cut through Fiona’s growing storm of emotions.

“Milis… you can’t erase her.”

“…Yes, you’re right,” Fiona replied, her voice stiff.

Milis Albama could not simply be erased—from this world, nor from Noil’s heart.

If Fiona tried to use force, she would only be met with resistance.

Noil, ever kind, cherished his connections with those he cared about more than anything.

“But, you know… you can make her presence smaller,” Noel continued with a coy smile.

This woman—truly—

“If I grow bigger in Noil’s heart, you see.”

How troublesome could Noel possibly get?

If only she would directly confront Milis and be removed herself—it would make things so much easier.

But Noel’s movements were so careful, bold, and calculated that Fiona couldn’t see an opening.

She had thought Noel was someone she could brush aside at any time. Yet now, Fiona realized that Noel had become a formidable opponent, one she could no longer underestimate.

In this latest situation, Noel had clearly taken the upper hand.

If it has come to this, perhaps eliminating her is inevitable.

Maybe I should just get rid of every woman who tries to get close to Noil.

Even Fiona, as much as she disliked resorting to violence, could only endure so much. She wanted to avoid such methods if possible.

But it couldn’t be helped.

They were in the way.

They were seriously in the way.

She wanted to eliminate them.

So, it couldn’t be helped, could it?

After all, Fiona thought, she was the only one who needed to be by Noil’s side.

Milis might be difficult, but the others could be dealt with. As for Noel, if Fiona wanted to, she could—

“What do you think Noil would feel about that?”

Noel’s voice cut in once more, halting Fiona’s movements as she quietly tried to manifest a small firearm.

Noel stood with her hands raised in mock surrender, her smile as radiant as ever.

“Just kidding,” Fiona said, her own smile not faltering.

The atmosphere was, without question, the worst.

“Oh, really? It looked pretty serious to me,” Noel teased with a playful laugh.

“There’s no way I’d do such a thing in front of senpai, would I?”

“Then… if it’s not in front of Noil?”

“Well, it depends on the situation, doesn’t it?” Fiona replied with a thin smile.

“Hehe.”

“Hehehe.”

“Hehehehe.”

“Hehehehehe.”

“Nufufufufufufu…”

Once again, Milis’s tone-deaf laughter broke through the tension, causing both Fiona and Noel to direct their gaze toward her.

Milis, apparently undisturbed by the mood, suddenly sat up.

“…Two dates, she said…”

Muttering those words, Milis once again collapsed onto the tatami, her breathing calm and peaceful as she resumed her slumber.

Unsurprisingly, Fiona and Noel’s smiles vanished.

Their now expressionless faces turned to each other, exchanging words.

“…What do you make of that?”

“She said two dates.”

“Why did the number go up?”

“Maybe she was coerced?”

“That’s just cruel.”

“Unforgivable.”

“We have to… stop her, don’t we?”

“Of course.”

Fiona resolved herself to disrupt this so-called “date.” Not that she had any intention of letting it happen in the first place, but hearing this only strengthened her determination.

Noel was troublesome, but it was becoming clearer that the real threat was Milis Albama.

There was no way Fiona could allow Milis to have her way.

“By the way, I heard Tesea-san is planning to have senpai help her pick out clothes.”

“I also heard they’ve made plans for him to take her out for a meal.”

Fiona and Noel both turned their gazes back toward Noil as their conversation continued.

“That’s so enviable.”

“Absolutely.”

What an enviable situation.

Fiona thought she’d gladly give up every article of clothing she owned—except for the ones Noil had given her—if it meant taking Tesea’s place.

Still, given what Tesea had been through, Fiona supposed it was something she could let slide. Fiona wasn’t heartless, after all.

Besides, unlike Sierra, who used her position as a younger sister to push herself onto Noil, both Sophie and Tesea seemed to hold pure admiration for him.

As long as there was no ill intent, there shouldn’t be a problem.

Of course, that didn’t mean she’d let them go alone.

It would be fine—eventually, Tesea would become her sister-in-law.

Surely a proper little sister would be happy to have her big sister-in-law accompany them.

More importantly, the likelihood of Sierra, the devil disguised as a little sister, tagging along was high. Fiona, as Noil’s rightful companion, needed to protect him from any malicious intent.

Fiona had already made up her mind to join Tesea and Noil.

To her, it was a foregone conclusion.

“So, who’s going to tag along?”

However, there was an obstacle.

A smiling woman standing in her way.

“If too many people come along, Noil will have a hard time, right? I mean, Tesea-chan and Sierra-chan are already stunning, so they’ll attract attention.”

It was true. Tesea was undeniably adorable—a little sister Fiona was proud of. And since Sierra looked nearly identical to Tesea, she, too, was visually striking, despite being a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Their presence would surely draw attention, which might trouble Noil. He preferred not to stand out more than necessary. While Fiona believed Noil was someone who deserved to stand at the pinnacle of the world, his humility was simply part of his nature.

Fiona didn’t want to increase his burdens any further.

If the group were to grow in size, one additional person would be the limit.

If it were someone nondescript, there wouldn’t be an issue, but Fiona knew her own appearance was striking.

She had worked tirelessly to refine herself for Noil’s sake, and even now, she continued to put in daily effort to ensure he found her beautiful.

Her efforts had paid off; she was aware that she attracted attention when she walked outside. While she hated being looked at by anyone other than Noil, she had to admit she was quite noticeable.

More importantly, Noil himself had called her beautiful.

Adding her presence would be just enough to push the group to its limit.

“Thinking about all that… it should be me, don’t you think? I mean, I’m not as beautiful as Fiona, after all… Ahaha.”

What an audacious thing for this woman to say—

“Oh my, you say such amusing things. Noel-san, you’re plenty adorable yourself.”

Was she being sincere? Fiona couldn’t tell.

Still, Noel undoubtedly had her own charm.

Fiona couldn’t help but envy her.

Despite putting no effort into makeup or dressing up, Noel’s natural, lovable appearance was something Fiona begrudged.

While Fiona had tirelessly polished herself, Noel’s unadorned beauty had only seemed to grow since falling for Noil.

And yet, this woman had the nerve to act so nonchalant.

“Hehe, thank you. But there’s no way I could compete with you, Fiona. So, I think I’m the better fit.”

“That’s not true. You should have more confidence in yourself.”

“You sure like to flatter me, don’t you?”

“I’m only stating the truth.”

“Geez, Fiona… But I’m going to go, okay?”

“Huh? Why would it be you?”

“Because I want to get along with my future little sister.”

“What a coincidence. I, too, want to get along with my little sister. My little sister.”

The room fell silent.

Milis, turning in her sleep, drooled once again onto the tatami.

The fresh tatami was steadily being ruined.

“…Let’s talk this out.”

“Yes… let’s do that.”

Fiona summoned a small firearm, spinning it in her hand before quickly firing.

Her target wasn’t Noel—it was the tatami where Milis’s drool had landed.

The small, low-powered bullet splashed water upon impact, dampening the stained area without damaging the tatami.

One by one, Fiona fired small bullets, wetting every spot tainted by Milis’s drool.

“Umyu…”

Milis grimaced slightly as the water splashed onto her face but showed no signs of waking.

In the meantime, Noel pulled out a handkerchief from her pocket and gently wiped the damp tatami, careful not to rub too hard, removing the drool bit by bit.

She also wiped Milis’s mouth while she was at it.

Next, Fiona used her wind magic to dry the still-damp tatami.

Without exchanging a single word, the two worked in perfect coordination to clean the tatami.

When they were done, they turned to face each other once more, smiling as if nothing had happened.

Thus, their “discussion” continued all the way until the time for visitor rotations.