No Damage 18

Test

18. Yearning

We walked down the main street straight for the Guild Hall.

"That was amazing earlier, Haruto-san."

"Hm?"

"You know, when you saved that child who almost got hit by a carriage?"

Alice's round eyes gazed at me.

Deep blue eyes, like Lilith's, are so captivating.

"I mainly handle defensive and support magic, so I understand how amazing Haruto-san is. Continuously nullifying dragon attacks with defensive magic, I can't even imagine..."

"But Alice, didn't you also defend against dragon attacks?"

"I used almost all my magical power just to barely block one attack."

Alice continued.

"In real battles, attacks come dozens, even hundreds of times, so facing a dragon is impossible..."

"I see..."

"I also aspire to effortlessly wield powerful defensive magic like Haruto-san."

Alice looked at me with sparkling eyes.

"It's amazing. Truly. I admire it so much..."

"Alice..."

I blushed at her straightforward praise.

"Ah, no, that admiration is, um, in the sense of being a magician..."

Suddenly, her cheeks turned red.

"No, wait. I mean... Seeing Haruto-san facing dragons and monsters, I thought it was wonderful, but what I said earlier was really just about being a magician..."

For some reason, Alice started to panic on her own.

Her sudden fluster during conversations was just like Lilith's.

They really are sisters, I thought warmly.

"Ah, could that be the building? The Guild Hall..."

"Awawwaawa...!"

She's still flustered!?

"When I look at you, my heart goes pit-a-pat... no, my chest goes thump-thump... No, no, I mean, it's about respecting you as a magician, not, not about lo-lo-love or anything like that..."

"Calm down, Alice. Take a deep breath."

"Huuu... haaa... huuu..."

Alice obediently began deep breathing at my words.

"Um, I've also gotten more used to activating my skills."

Since the training tests after school, I've had some practice. But nothing beats real combat experience.

"Huuu... haaa... skills?"

Finally calming down, Alice stopped deep breathing and tilted her head in confusion.

"Aren't you using defensive magic, Haruto-san?"

"Um, well..."

How much should I tell her?

Maybe it's okay not to keep it a secret.

"In fact, my power isn't magic; it comes from a goddess──"

Thump!

Suddenly, a tremendous pain shot through my chest.

"Guh... ah... ugh..."

"Haruto-san...!?"

Thump, thump, thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump!

My heart was beating abnormally fast.

An illusion that my chest was tearing apart.

"Haa, haa, haa..."

After a few minutes, the pain finally subsided.

"Are you okay...?"

"Ah, yeah, I'm fine."

I smiled at the worried Alice.

What was that just now...?

Without thinking, I intuitively sensed that trying to talk about my skills caused intense pain.

As soon as I mentioned getting skills from a Goddess, it hurt.

For now, I decided to keep my skills a secret, just to be safe.

"We're here. This is the Guild Hall."

"Wow, it's like a castle..."

I stared up at the building in amazement.

The Guild Hall was even more luxurious than I imagined, almost like a castle.

"Um, why are you hiding, Alice?"

I questioned her as she seemed to retreat into the shadows for some reason.

"Uh, well, Lilith-chan and I aren't very well-liked..."

Alice said apologetically.

"I'm worried that being seen with me or Lilith-chan will give Haruto-san a bad impression during the evaluation..."

"Is that related to your father?"

Although I shouldn't pry too much, I couldn't help but ask.

"Yeah. Our father, Count Lafiel, is the military advisor to the Adonis Kingdom. He holds enough power to control the court martial officials... The shift of Adonis from peace to militarism is because of him, and his reputation is quite bad."

I'm not well-versed in politics, and news from the capital doesn't reach our town much.

I barely even knew the name Count Lafiel.

So, I decided not to delve into political matters.

But there's one thing I can say confidently.

"Don't worry about impressions. At least I think Alice and Lilith are both admirable adventurers."

"People say I'm the daughter of an evil man who leads the country to war. People say I used my noble authority to cheat my way into the adventurer guild. People say I rose in rank unfairly without any notable achievements..."

Alice laughed self-deprecatingly.

"I wish I could confront those rumors like Lilith-chan does, but I can't argue back... I'm truly disliked because of these rumors."

"Alice..."

"I don't want to cause trouble for Haruto-san by being with you."

"It's not a bother, and neither you nor Lilith are the kind of people those rumors make you out to be."

I spoke firmly without realizing it.

"You faced a dragon to protect the town. Someone who cheats wouldn't risk their life like that. These rumors are just spread by people who don't know the truth."

My words carried passion.

"I saw your determination in battle. I wanted to be an adventurer like that."

"P-please don't praise me so much... I feel like crying."

Despite her words, Alice's eyes were already red.

"Thank you for comforting me."

"It's not just comfort. That's my honest opinion."

"Haruto-san..."

A tear rolled down Alice's cheek.

"I-I'm sorry. I'm not used to being praised..."

"You're quite emotional."

I smiled.

"Oh, Lilith-chan always says that to tease me~"

Alice puffed out her cheeks in a playful manner.

She lightly punched my chest.

"I'm happy. Being acknowledged by you like this, Salome was the only one until now."

"You can be confident. Challenging formidable enemies and risking your life isn't something anyone can do easily."

"When you say that, Haruto-san, I feel more confident... My heart warms up, and I feel at ease..."

I felt a warm breath brush against me.

I suddenly noticed Alice's face was close.

"Ah..."

Realizing the proximity, Alice blushed.

I also felt my cheeks heating up.

My heart throbbed...

"Hey, were you both here?"

Lilith arrived.

We quickly moved apart.

"I was done with my errands and heading back to the inn, but..."

"I'm sorry I couldn't go with you, Lilith-chan."

Alice apologized.

"It's okay. I said I'd go alone. I just came to report."

Lilith smiled.

"Is... your father...?"

"...He doesn't care about us."

Lilith had a dark expression, and Alice sighed in agreement.

There seemed to be some complicated family issues.

But I wouldn't pry.

"Anyway, did something happen to you two?"

"Huh?"

"You were awfully close. Especially earlier, staring at each other."

Lilith stared at us intently.

"Awawawawawa...!"

Alice moved further away in a panic.

Was she back in panic mode?

"Maybe you like Haruto, onee-san...?"

"N-no, it's nothing like that... ha, ha, ha, ha, ha."

Lilith and Alice exchanged meaningful glances and fell silent.

The atmosphere became tense and awkward.

-- And two days later.

I was finally going to attempt the guild's entrance exam.

Watch me. I'll pass and become an adventurer.

I'm going to the same world as Lilith and Alice.