Chapter 31: Lloyd’s Proposal and Lusha’s Request for Advice

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“Hey, Lusha. It’s about the ‘odd-jobs service’…”

After they finished dinner and cleaned up the table, Lloyd quietly opened his mouth.

“You want to try it, don’t you?”

Lusha smiled softly and tilted her head. Maybe because they had been together nonstop these past few days, she seemed to be reading his thoughts.

“…Yeah. I think I want to try it.”

“There’s also the issue of living expenses after all…”

Lloyd added, sounding like he was making an excuse.

In reality, with the reward they had received from Cron today, they would be able to manage food expenses for a while, but it was inevitable that the money would eventually run out. And he also wanted to secure an income source so he could save money for emergencies.

He didn’t want to be thinking about these things when they had only just established a base, but there was always the possibility that Lusha’s existence would be exposed to the Church. In the worst case, they might have to move again. If they had money, they’d have more flexibility.

When he explained that much, Lusha nodded as if convinced. Then, with a faintly alluring smile, she asked.

“But that’s not the only reason, right?”

“Eh…?”

Lloyd widened his eyes at Lusha’s question. And then he let out a quiet chuckle.

Honestly. This girl is really something…

Perhaps this was what it meant to be a Saint. It was almost as if she possessed magic capable of reading hearts. The truth was, Lloyd’s desire to run an “odd-jobs service” wasn’t rooted in such practical concerns. If he only wanted to earn money, there were easier ways.

“I think… I want to be useful to someone. If there are people who come to us for help like that, I want to be able to lend them my strength.”

He had never experienced being wanted by someone before. People were afraid of his abilities, avoided him, and treated him as nothing more than a tool of combat. Maybe because he had lived that kind of life, he had a buried desire to be needed by someone, to help someone. It was probably this desire that made him take on all the troublesome tasks within Julius’s party.

Of course, that wasn’t the only reason. He was also curious about that merchant, Cron. From the beginning, Cron had sensed that Lloyd and Lusha had circumstances. He wanted to know how Cron had come to that conclusion, and if they did have circumstances, what Cron intended to do, how he would act. Lloyd wanted to figure that out too.

“Of course, I’m not planning to accept any requests that go against morality, and I’ll make sure to carefully check what we take on… But what do you think, Lusha?”

When he asked, Lusha paused for a moment and smiled gently.

“Do you think I would oppose it?”

Her voice was warm. Almost as if she were saying she would accept whatever Lloyd wanted to do. He felt his chest fill with a gentle warmth.

“But, if that’s the case… I have something I’d like to discuss as well.”

Lusha spoke hesitantly. It was rare for her to talk like this.

“Something to discuss? Sure. Go ahead.”

“That ‘odd-jobs service’… I want to try helping too. Would that be all right?”

It was a completely unexpected request. He never thought she would want to work.

“Well, I don’t mind, but… Can I ask why?”

“Yes. One reason is the Malice Glyph. If your power starts to go out of control, I can suppress it.”

Lusha extended her pinky lightly. Indeed, she was right. Today too, thanks to her suppressing Malice Glyph beforehand, he had been able to release his power. If her judgment had been even slightly slower, the old man or Cron could have been seriously injured. Or rather, just having her with him prevented Lloyd from feeling anxious about the Malice Glyph.

“And the other reason is… I want to be useful to Lloyd too.”

She raised her ring finger next, blushing shyly. Her words made Lloyd catch his breath for a moment. He never thought there would come a day when someone said something like that to him.

“But… Going out in public could also be dangerous for you. In the worst case, it might leak information about the White Saint to the Church.”

“I’ll wear my hood really low, so I’ll be fine!”

Lusha replied with a buoyant voice. She seemed determined. You could call it optimistic, but while Lloyd went out to take on requests, it also made him uneasy to leave her alone here. If something happened to her, he wouldn’t be able to protect her. If that was the case, it would be easier if she came with him.

“…All right. In that case, let’s do it together.”

“Yes!”

Lusha’s smile shone especially bright in the quiet of night. With the “odd-jobs service” settled, it was about time for bed. Lloyd let out a big yawn, grabbed a blanket nearby, headed to the corner of the living room, and sat down on the floor.

“Well, good night. I’m sure you’re tired, so get some rest.”

He said this and went to extinguish the lantern, but Lusha had stopped silently in front of the bedroom door. Her pale blue eyes kept flickering in his direction. As if she wanted to say something but couldn’t bring herself to speak.

“What’s wrong?”

When Lloyd called out to her, Lusha shrank her shoulders slightly and looked down.

“N-no, um… I have one more thing to discuss.”

“One more? What is it?”

Lloyd sat up and looked toward her. Lusha glanced at him for just a moment before lowering her head again as if fleeing. After a small, hesitant breath…

“Wouldn’t it be better if… You also slept with me?”

She proposed timidly.

“H-huh? What do you mean, sleep together?”

“Um. On the bed… Is what I mean…”

She said in a voice so faint it almost vanished. At that moment, he finally understood what she had meant earlier when she said “the bed feels too spacious when I’m alone.” She had felt uncomfortable using the bed by herself. But it wasn’t something he could agree to so casually.

“W-wait! N-no no no! That’s definitely not okay! Next time we go to town, we’ll buy a sofa or another bed! So until then, you can sleep alone—”

“T-that won’t do!”

Lusha shouted back, her face turning bright red as she waved her hands. But her gaze was firm, carrying a certain earnestness.

“Lloyd, you’ve been holding back for my sake all this time. During our travels, and even after coming here, you’ve always been considerate of me and put me first. I know I relied on you a lot because I wasn’t used to traveling, but… From now on, I don’t want you to be that reserved anymore.”

“Lusha…”

“It all started because of my problem, and that’s why you’re accompanying me. But if you keep holding back like this…”

She lowered her gaze to the floor as if saying I’d have no place. Lloyd didn’t think it was just her problem; in fact, he was the one who offered to take her along. He didn’t want her to think that way, but perhaps that was how it felt from her perspective.

“Well, when you put it like that…”

Lloyd furrowed his brows in distress. Sure, the bedroom had one bed close to a double size. There was enough space for two to sleep, but having a man and woman sleep together was just too….

As he was thinking this, Lusha quietly sat down in front of him. Touching the edge of the blanket, she leaned gently against his side and looked up at him. Her face was red, but her eyes were unwavering.

“If Lloyd sleeps here… Then I’ll sleep here too. I won’t use the bed.”

Her words were firm, though spoken softly. She was completely serious. If Lloyd stubbornly insisted on sleeping on the floor, she would do the same. Which would completely defeat the purpose of buying the mattress. After a moment of silence, Lloyd let out a small sigh.

“…Fine. I’ll sleep on the bed too.”

At those words, Lusha’s face lit up.

“Yes!”

Smiling happily, she watched as Lloyd stood up. He never expected it to turn out like this.

Does this girl even understand what it means to share a bed? No, she definitely doesn’t…

Feeling a hint of anxiety, Lloyd followed Lusha through the bedroom door.

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