"Alright, alright, as long as you're happy. Looking at you, I take it you received the Divine Oracle?"
"Mm-hmm! Look, look, right here!"
Yuna took a large gulp of beer and pulled the Divine Oracle from her bosom with a boastful flourish.
"From today onward, I'm a free woman! Hmph~ Even those old fogies back home can't tell me what to do anymore!"
Yuna grinned triumphantly, looking like a child who had just won a game.
"Then I truly must congratulate you."
Hilda took the Divine Oracle and glanced over it, her eyes filled with affection as she felt genuinely happy for her friend.
Yuna was actually older than Hilda. At twenty-seven, she was already considered an old maid in noble circles.
Her family elders had been pestering her day and night to get married. After all, even if a Guardian Knight didn't inherit a family title, their own rank could reach that of a second-class Count.
For any family, this was a match too good to pass up, and suitors had long since worn down her doorstep.
Fidelity Knights reached Level 30, which already surpassed the limits of ordinary humans. While normal people were lucky to live into their eighties or nineties, a Fidelity Knight could remain youthful until the age of one hundred and ten, barring any accidents. There were even historical records of a Guardian Knight giving birth at the age of one hundred and thirty-two.
The lifespans of Heavenly Punishment Knights were even more terrifying.
However, the average marriage age in this world was eighteen, and rarely did it exceed twenty-two. At twenty-seven, Yuna was well past her prime in the eyes of society.
But Yuna, with her childlike personality, didn't want to be tied down so early and had fought tooth and nail to avoid it. If it weren't for her title as a Guardian Knight, her family would have likely forced her into marriage years ago.
That was the case until a few years back. This year, the elders of the Von family had become exceptionally desperate to see her married off immediately.
They had even chosen a suitor.
He was Hilda's cousin—a distant relative, but still a Fidelity Knight of the Cromwell family.
Hilda handed the Divine Oracle back to Yuna.
"Keep it safe. Don't lose it. This is the Saintess's special favor to you. Even I..."
Her expression turned slightly bitter as she trailed off.
"Hilda, you should go ask for one too! The current Saintess is very easy to talk to. I've already become friends with Her Highness!"
"How could I trouble Her Highness with such a trivial matter..."
"If you won't say it, I'll just tell her for you next time I see her!"
Yuna slapped Hilda on the shoulder.
"Come on, don't be so gloomy. If you just explain it to her, she'll help you! Cheer up!"
Hilda shook her head with a helpless, wry smile. She really didn't know how to handle Yuna's childlike whims.
"Oh? You two are sneaking drinks here?"
A familiar voice suddenly sounded nearby. The two turned to look but saw no one at first.
Then, a middle-aged man sat down to Hilda's right.
He slapped the counter as he took his seat.
"Baker, the usual!"
"Understood."
The owner, Baker, was a burly middle-aged man. Although he was dressed neatly, the muscles bulging beneath his clothes suggested he was no pushover.
"Shuta, get a Flaming Rose for Mr. Cain."
"Cain? Is your injury alright now?"
"Cain? I heard you were seriously hurt. How are you feeling?"
The man sitting next to them was indeed Guardian Knight Cain.
He wasn't wearing his armor today, but rather casual attire: a leather overcoat over a vest and shirt, with a broadsword at his waist and riding boots peeking out from under his wide trousers.
His long hair was draped casually over his shoulders. His attire made it obvious to anyone that he was a noble of this era.
"With the Saintess personally treating me, I'm basically healed. But those priests are so nagging, 'don't do this, don't do that,' so I just slipped out. I thought I'd come here for a drink, but I didn't expect to find you two here. How's the situation at the front?"
Even while recovering, Cain was still worried about the front lines.
"Hilda, I heard you killed Barn?"
"Yes. Thanks to your desperate strike that cost him an arm. If I had been alone, I likely would have died in that battle."
Hilda expressed her gratitude, her voice filled with respect for Cain's willingness to fight to the death.
"As a Guardian Knight, it is only right to use this lowly life to protect the honor of the Saintess!"
Shuta, the bartender, finished mixing the Flaming Rose and placed the glass—the strongest drink in Brilliant City—in front of Cain.
Cain picked up the transparent glass and took a massive gulp!
"Hah! That's the stuff!!"
As he spoke, a faint flush appeared on his face.
Setting the glass down, Cain looked at Yuna.
"Yuna, where's Nar? Didn't he come back with you?"
"Nar is still mopping up the remnants at the front. There are still some stragglers from the demon army, and he wants to clear them all out. That stubborn brat... he said the Saintess's order was to wipe out the demons, so as long as one is left alive, he won't return to the city."
Cain burst into laughter.
"Haha! What do you expect? He's just a kid, only fifteen. He's got a one-track mind. Just let him be, there's no need to get angry."
Yuna tilted her head back, her small ponytail snapping against her shoulder armor.
"Hmph! I'm not wasting my breath on him. Let him work himself to death for all I care!"
The girl raised her glass and drained a large mouthful, clearly still annoyed.
Hilda and Cain looked at each other for a moment before both broke into hearty laughter.
"What are you laughing at!!"
Seeing Yuna's indignant expression, they laughed even harder. Cain even had to clutch his injured chest, caught between pain and amusement.
Fuming, Yuna lunged forward and threw her arms around Cain's and Hilda's necks.
"Stop laughing!!"
Rate on N.U.
