Chapter 166
“Oh, sister.”
“……?”
Cirilla tugged at my hand. Then she handed me a small box.
“Happy birthday. This is a gift. I wanted to give it to you myself…….”
Touched by the child’s sincerity, I smiled and accepted the box.
“Thank you. You didn’t have to bring anything.”
“I couldn’t not. It’s your birthday. It’s not much, but I worked hard on it.”
“You made this? This?”
Cirilla nodded shyly. What could those small hands have made?
“I’ll check it out when I get back. Thank you again.”
“No, I’m the one who should…… thank you, sister.”
Cirilla smiled faintly and said she would take her leave. Since I was about to leave too, I didn’t stop her. Watching Cirilla hug Equus Cecil, I turned back to Isaac.
“Lord, I don’t see Reno. Do you know where he went?”
“Reno is—”
“If you mean the Medietas, I saw him leave the banquet hall earlier.”
Startled.
Before Isaac could answer, I turned to see Meliana standing there, covering her mouth with a fan.
“He left the banquet hall?”
Though I was asking Meliana, my gaze was on Isaac.
When I looked at him for confirmation, Isaac nodded. Meliana’s words were true.
“Why…….”
“Why? Did you think Medietas could endure this place? He was even ignored by the second son of House Oratio earlier.”
Meliana shrugged and added.
“So how could he stay here with all the gossip? With his sharp hearing, he must have heard everything. It’s no wonder he couldn’t stay.”
It was something I hadn’t considered. Or had I ever thought about it?
Though I had tried to be considerate of Reno’s situation, I had ultimately been careless.
How much must they have been gossiping behind his back, even as they boldly approached me in front?
“Poor thing. With a master as oblivious as you, it’s no wonder. It’s presumptuous for a guardian to leave his post, but it’s not hard to understand.”
Meliana sneered as she waved her fan.
Rather than feeling angry, I…….
“Thank you for telling me.”
“W-what?”
“I said thank you.”
I meant it. If not for Meliana, who would have told me this?
Isaac would have calmly hidden it, and Killis or others wouldn’t have paid much attention. I would have just assumed he’d return on his own later.
“Huh? Did you not hear me?”
“I heard you clearly. That’s why I said thank you.”
Meliana blinked, still looking bewildered. But finding Reno was more important than her reaction, so I grabbed Isaac’s arm and said.
“Lord, I’ll go look for Reno. Stay here.”
“I’ll come with you.”
“Alright, then.”
It was better to move with Isaac than alone. It would be faster and safer, and searching for Reno alone in such a large place was impractical.
That choice turned out to be a good one. As I tried to move, people kept approaching me, only to hesitate and step back when they saw Isaac.
When we stepped outside, the sky was dark. Had so much time already passed?
The lanterns placed around kept the area from being too dark, but because of them, there were still many people outside.
‘How am I supposed to find him here?’
I was already feeling overwhelmed. I quietly asked Isaac.
“Lord, do you know where Reno might have gone?”
“I’m not sure, but if you call for him, he might come out.”
“If he knew we were looking for him, wouldn’t he have come out already? Maybe he’s hiding.”
“Try giving him an order.”
The answer was simple, but for some reason, I hesitated to say it.
Robeum, was it? The image of Reno’s retreating figure came to mind, when he had let go of my hand and stepped back after the brown-haired man asked me to dance.
And then,
“Why? Did you think Medietas could endure this place? He was even ignored by the second son of House Oratio earlier.”
“So how could he stay here with all the gossip? With his sharp hearing, he must have heard everything. It’s no wonder he couldn’t stay.”
Meliana’s words also lingered in my mind.
Troubled by many thoughts, I opened the system window to check my mana reserves.
[―Current Mana Accumulation: 85% (Caution)]
It was slightly dangerous, but there was still some leeway.
I knew it was foolish to search manually when there was an easier way, but…….
“Let’s look a bit more. If we don’t find him, I’ll do that.”
Isaac silently followed behind me. As I scanned the area, I paused for a moment to think about where Reno might be.
He wouldn’t be among the people gossiping about him. He’d probably be somewhere nearby but quiet…….
That’s when it happened. I felt a strange sensation. Raising my head, I saw a faint blue light flickering in the distance.
‘Huh?’
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