The Banished Black Swordsman Wants a Peaceful Life with the White Saint in the Frontier ~Huh? You Want Him to Come Back with the Saint? It’s Already Too Late~ - 73

Chapter 73: Choosing a Home for the Two of Them

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A warm weight settled in his belly, and his ribs creaked faintly with every breath. It was the kind of fullness where he could no longer lift a spoon or a fork any further. Even so, several small bowls and large platters still remained on the table. The white sauce clinging to the rims of the dishes told of how fierce the battle had been just moments ago.

After seeing their guests through the end of the meal, Lusha finally relaxed her shoulders. But what lay in her line of sight were not empty plates. Nearly a third of the dishes were still barely touched. The aromas still lingered, yet her stomach was already refusing to accept more. No matter how hungry one was, there were limits to what a stomach could take. At this point, the only option was to save it for dinner, assuming they would be hungry again by then.

“Ugh… Lusha, I’m sorry. I couldn’t finish it all.”

Fran lowered her head apologetically, wearing an expression like she had bitten into something bitter. She clasped her hands in front of her chest and bowed slightly.

“No, no! I’m the one who made too much. Seeing you eat it so happily made me really, really glad.”

Lusha’s reply carried her usual gentleness, with a hint of buoyancy added. She was a saint who truly loved making people happy. It had been memorable how she had watched the three of them, including Lloyd, devour the food with delight the whole time.

“Yeah, it was really delicious! I could eat this every day!”

Fran said it with genuine joy, without exaggeration or flattery. Her straightforward nature suited the atmosphere of this house well.

“If my cooking is enough for you, I’ll be happy to treat you anytime.”

Lusha smiled shyly and folded her hands atop her knees. Watching the exchange, Lloyd met Elena’s gaze, and the two of them let out a soft laugh at the same time. It seemed they had reached the same conclusion.

“You’ve gotten really close.”

“Well, they’re both friendly by nature. Since their types are different, they probably get along well.”

“Yeah, Fran would probably get along with anyone.”

Elena shrugged, looking half exasperated and half proud.

“…Are you jealous?”

“Why would you take it that way?!”

The sharp retort came instantly, and Lloyd raised his palms in surrender. It was wiser to stop the banter here. Seeing him like that, Elena smiled helplessly.

“Honestly. I never imagined you’d be making jokes like that.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Isn’t this the first time?”

Now that she mentioned it, this really was the first time Lloyd had exchanged jokes like this with Elena and the others. In fact, he had never even engaged in light banter before.

Had I changed too?

Thinking that made him feel a little embarrassed and a little happy at the same time. If the changes she brought were like this, he was more than willing to accept them. He found himself honestly thinking so.

“By the way, Elena, Fran. Sorry to bring this up when you’re full, but do you want to go check out the house candidates? It’ll be harder to judge once it gets dark.”

When the conversation settled, Lloyd stood and asked.

“I’m in!”

“Yes, let’s take a look. It’ll count as some post-meal exercise.”

Their answers came quickly. Lloyd turned back toward Lusha.

“What about you, Lusha?”

“Well… I’ll do a bit of cleanup first. I need to store the food before it goes bad.”

Lusha’s gaze brushed over the dining table, settling gently on the lined-up bowls. There were jars and bottles whose lids needed to be closed, things that should be cooled first, others that needed to be returned to pots and a mountain of dishes waiting to be washed.

“I was planning to do the dishes though.”

“No, this is exactly when we should divide the work. Please leave the kitchen to me.”

“Alright. Thanks. I’ll do it next time.”

“Yes. I’ll count on you then.”

Lusha smiled radiantly and tilted her head slightly.

Cute…

His cheeks almost loosened, and he quickly pulled himself together. He couldn’t afford to let his expression soften in front of guests. He had no idea what they might say. He threw on his cloak at the entrance and stepped outside. Standing in the doorway, Lusha waved them off.

“You two are so lovey-dovey.”

“You already look just like a married couple.”

“…Cut it out. Come on, let’s go.”

Letting the voices flying at his back pass by, Lloyd walked ahead. He had meant to keep a straight face, but it seemed his expression had relaxed plenty anyway. The outside air brushed against his softened cheeks. The midday sun had begun to tilt, but the light was still high. A breeze passing along the forest’s edge rustled through the dry grass.

The three of them walked together, passing through the paths of the abandoned village. Houses with partially collapsed roofs, barns with walls bleached white by weathering, stone wells sunk at a slant. Every trace of time passing after people had left stood there in silence. Yet, if one looked closely, there were houses with intact frames and straight beams scattered here and there. With the use of the repair spell, even a house reduced to its bones could be brought back to life.

Taking the lead, Lloyd examined each house in turn. The tilt of the pillars, the joints of the beams, cracks in the foundation, whether the roof could be rethatched. Lusha would be the one doing the actual repairs, but there was no harm in having a good eye. Besides, any place where <Repair> couldn’t be used would require Lloyd’s manual work, like with the bath.

After making a full circuit of the village, they narrowed it down to about three candidates. In all of them, most of the walls had collapsed, but the foundations were sound. With minimal roof tilt and proper drainage, they were livable. Access to water and airflow weren’t bad either.

“If it’s among these, then probably this one…”

“Yeah.”

The house Elena pointed to with her staff was one slightly closer to the forest. From Lloyd’s house, it was just barely within sight if one strained their eyes. However, a little farther along the same row stood another abandoned house in even better condition. Its roof damage was minimal, and the walls stood straight, making repairs far less work.

“This one? Wasn’t that one in better shape?”

“Well, yeah… That’s true, but…”

“Right?”

For some reason, Elena and Fran exchanged wry smiles. Lloyd frowned.

“What is it? Is there a problem?”

“There’s a problem. A huge one, even.”

“Huh? What?”

When Lloyd asked, Elena replied with half-lidded eyes.

“Because we might see you flirting with the saint. Don’t make me say it.”

“Wha—! Like I’d flirt in front of people!”

The moment he understood, the heat rushed to his cheeks. Warmth crept up from behind his ears.

“Flirting would be bad enough, but if—say—we heard nighttime noises… I couldn’t go on living anymore! The saint’s image would be ruined!”

Fran clutched her head with both hands and shouted, her face bright red. The grass rustled uneasily. He didn’t understand why Fran was the one nearly dying here, but he couldn’t say he didn’t get the feeling.

“At this distance?! How loud would we have to be?! Are you an idiot?!”

He shot back while scratching the back of his head. Realistically speaking, from this far away, voices wouldn’t carry. At least, she hadn’t been that loud… Probably. But having it pointed out like this made him recall the night before last and yesterday morning.

When they were wrapped up in each other, he hadn’t thought about anything else. Maybe there was a chance someone could hear… 

No, stop thinking about it. 

His face was only getting hotter the more he thought about it.

“…Pervert.”

“Degenerate.”

Fran muttered, and Elena piled on. Protesting the unfairness in his heart, Lloyd couldn’t fully deny it, which hurt all the more. He clamped his mouth shut and groaned softly.

Still, jokes and teasing aside, the choice made sense. It would minimize the chance of their private lives casting unwanted shadows on each other, or lights from one house intruding on the other. It was a distance where neither had to worry too much. Since they weren’t family, that kind of neighborly distance might be just right.

In any case, that was how the candidates for Elena and Fran’s home were decided.

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