In a World of Reversed Chastity, I Strive to Become an Honorable Male Knight, but Lustful Women Keep Targeting My Body - 251

Chapter 251: The Saintly Bishop and Two People with Hangovers

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

I, Fiorenza Chiarugi, was carrying a rather complicated set of emotions. Being reunited with Papa Albert after such a long time was something that couldn’t possibly make me unhappy. And yet, at the same time, I realized that my preparations had ended in a complete misfire, leaving me with no choice but to clutch my head in frustration.

The plan was supposed to be simple: send someone capable of standing up to Sonia as Papa’s subordinate, and weaken that woman’s influence… That was how it was meant to go, so how did things end up like this?

Then again, come to think of it, I don’t feel like there have been many examples of plans I personally came up with actually going well in the first place.

After spending the night at the church while mulling over those thoughts, I had breakfast and then headed to the lord’s residence where Papa lived. Waiting to greet me in the narrow entryway were Papa himself… And Sonia and Gilberto, both wearing expressions so pale they looked like they might collapse at any moment.

“Goodness… Are the two of you all right? It seems to me that you ought to be resting.”

“…That is none of your concern.”

“……”

Sonia answered brusquely, while Gilberto looked like she couldn’t even open her mouth. Well, thanks to my mind-reading ability, there was no need for them to explain anything. I understood the situation perfectly. Gilberto had tried to confess her feelings to Papa and failed. Sonia had stayed with her, listening to her drunken complaints until nearly dawn.

No, no, no, no, aren’t they getting way too close? Instead of opposing each other, they are basically like best friends already… Why? How did this happen?

Well, I supposed it was better than them ending up in a disastrous falling-out, so I would just have to endure it. All I wanted was for there to be a healthy amount of tension between them. I never wanted them to tear each other apart in a bitter feud, after all. Right, just as planned, just as planned.

…Not even remotely according to plan, but I’ll just pretend it is.

“Sonia, Gilberto, don’t push yourselves too hard.”

『Sonia stayed up drinking with Gilberto out of desperation… I’m sorry. This was a problem I should have dealt with myself.』

I heard Papa’s spoken words and his thoughts at the same time. As gentle as ever, or perhaps indulgent was the better word… If I were in Papa’s position, I think I would have been far angrier with Gilberto. Still, that very kindness was why I decided to make him my true Papa.

Still, Gilberto really was more spineless than I’d expected. I had taught her such a serious, well-thought-out approach that I’d assumed she’d already succeeded in her confession and gotten together with him by now. Just how much time did she think had passed since we left the capital, anyway? Honestly…

“I-I’m terribly sor… urp…”

Gilberto nodded with a zombie-like pallor and pressed a hand to her mouth. Yeah, no. She was completely useless for the rest of the day.

“I’ll have my subordinates bring you a medicinal broth passed down secretly by the church later. Drink it and spend today resting and recovering.”

Well, even so, she seemed to be helping Papa well enough when it came to work. I supposed I could forgive her. Even if she failed to convey her love, Papa’s favor toward her seemed to have increased instead. Maybe time would sort things out on its own.

Whenever I got personally involved in things like this, it almost never ended well. I was sure I’d put together a perfect plan chart, so why did gaps keep appearing every single time?

“I will not accept your charity…”

『You wretched gnat, disappear from Al-sama’s presence this instant.』

Sonia was the same as ever. Ugh, I really didn’t want to get too close to this woman. Her favorability toward me was so low that hypnosis wouldn’t work at all if it really came down to it. And she was terrifyingly perceptive about everything except romance and worse, she acted before thinking, so even reading her thoughts wouldn’t help me avoid her actions.

Then again, Papa’s moments of crisis almost always happened when Sonia wasn’t around.

I guess we do need her after all. I can’t serve as a shield in her place. How troublesome…

“Sonia! Honestly… You’re a disgrace like this. You can’t set an example for your subordinates. Behavior that undermines an officer’s dignity will not be tolerated. As punishment, you are confined to your room for the entire day. Take your medicine and sleep.”

“I sincerely apologize…”

『Ugh, I’m completely unfit to be an adjutant…』

“I-I will be careful to ensure nothing like this happens again…”

『I’m so pathetic I feel like crying… At this rate, my lord will end up hating me…』

You’ll be fine, Gilberto. Papa is the type who likes taking care of people, so being a little pathetic actually raises his favorability. And as for Sonia, I think she was unfit to be an adjutant the moment she started secretly taking photos… Well, I’m hardly a model cleric myself, though.

“Alright, alright, dismissed, dismissed. I’ll explain things to the subordinates myself.”

Chased out by Papa, the two hungover women left the room. Now it was just the two of us!

Well, not really—there were servants and guard knights around—but still. Just having Sonia gone made my heart feel much lighter… She was way too scary. Her insight into everything except love was abnormal, and she acted before thinking, so even mind-reading couldn’t help me dodge her…

“I apologize for that unsightly display, Fiorenza-sama.”

“No, no, it’s quite all right. People sometimes feel the urge to let loose.”

I replied with a gentle smile. Well, the plan had completely fallen apart, but things hadn’t gone in the worst possible direction, so I supposed I could call that a win.

“Setting that aside, shall we move on to the main topic?”

I hadn’t come to Liseben just to fool around, after all. I needed to do my job properly.

The capital is one thing, but Liseben is Papa’s home turf. I really need to be careful so it doesn’t turn into another situation like the capital… Do your best, me.

“Today’s schedule is… An audience with the elves, correct?”

“Yes. Before the formal talks begin, I thought it would be best for Fiorenza-sama to gain an understanding of what kind of people the elves are.”

Fiorenza-sama, huh. I wished he’d call me Fio. Papa was very strict about separating public and private matters, so now probably wasn’t the time… Sigh, what a letdown…

“I’ve heard they’re quite a troublesome group…”

“Well, inevitably so. Their circumstances are what they are.”

『Individually, they have quite a few admirable traits, but the extremists are the real problem…』

…Papa really did seem to be having a hard time. Well, they were long-lived barbarians, after all. Of course they’d be troublesome by any normal standard. Still, that was precisely why, if handled well, they could become powerful allies. Thinking about future plans, it would be bad not to increase Papa’s available forces as much as possible.

Alright, let’s give it our best shot.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー