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Tesilid and Ailette stood in a wide clearing in the southern part of the Rilkan Peninsula. Just minutes ago, they’d defeated the Snow Queen, and the Knights of Grace and the Knights of the Temple returned to the Vatican. Once they were alone, Tesilid told her about the S-class dungeon he wanted to visit.
“The next dungeon is in the Vatican,” Tesilid said. “It’s called the Library of All Things.”
Ailette nodded. “All right. I'll tell the cardinals once I've finished reporting the mission.”
“Thank you.”
“No problem.” With that, she began to take off her winter coat, and Tesilid followed suit. They weren’t needed in the warm spring air, after all. She shoved both coats into her bag and started walking away, tossing a, “Come on, let’s go” over her shoulder.
Tesilid hesitated only briefly before following. He had been under the impression that they would teleport straight to the Vatican once he had finished his request. “Was there something else we had to do before going back?” Not that he was in a hurry to return—but he was supposed to escort her.
“Yeah, of course. Did you forget?”
He looked at her, puzzled.
She gave a short, exasperated laugh. “Come on! I promised to treat you to a nice meal once we got that shard out of your mouth, didn’t I?”
“Oh.” He had forgotten—partly because he wasn't sure if she really meant it. It was the kind of thing most people said out of courtesy with no real intention of following up. “But in that case, we could just eat here.”
“On the ground? Besides, I think we deserve a little celebratory lunch for clearing the first of our three S-class dungeons. The Vatican can wait an extra hour. It’s their fault the subjugation took so long, anyway.”
The lackadaisical disregard for rules was so contradictory to the way he’d been living under the Holy Kingdom’s strict doctrines. But the more she spoke, the more reasonable it sounded. And if it meant he could spend a little more time alone with her…
“All right,” he acceded. “Did you have a particular spot in mind?”
“Yes, actually. There was a restaurant that caught my eye in that town we were passing through earlier. I thought it might be nice to try it out.”
If I didn’t know any better, I'd say this sounds an awful lot like a date. But of course, he did know better. Though Ailette seemed to genuinely trust and care for him, he didn’t detect a shred of romantic interest in her gestures. To keep things light, he made a joke. “Was this your plan from the very beginning?”
She responded in kind. “Oops, you got me. I hope you’ll let me off the hook this time.”
The somewhat sly smile she gave him set his pulse racing, and he could do nothing else but follow where she went.
The teleportation stone that they had used earlier that day had taken them to a notable trading town southeast of the Vatican. Ailette explained she had gotten it because it was only a half-hour hike from the dungeon. It was also a much cheaper option than a stone custom-made with the exact dungeon coordinates.
The trading town had a bustling harbor and was sandwiched between a cluster of mountains and the coast. The dungeon had been hidden in a valley on the mountain side of the town, away from where most travelers wandered—but on the opposite side, boats and cargo-carrying ships were constantly passing through. Naturally, all sorts of businesses blossomed under the constant traffic, including the restaurant that had caught Ailette’s eye.
The restaurant was rather unimpressive from the outside, set in a somewhat dilapidated building with damaged wooden shutters. The door was propped open, and Tesilid had to admit that the smell wafting from within was rather nice. However, he felt his skepticism rise upon seeing the grease stains painting the corners of the ceiling.
“Allie, have you been here before?” he asked.
“Nope,” she replied. She signaled to an older lady shuffling behind the counter. “Excuse me! Two of whatever you recommend.”
Though still a bit unsure, he decided to just go with the flow. After all, even if the meal turned out to be terrible, it couldn’t be worse than Vatican food. He was getting spoiled from eating Ailette’s cooking these past few weeks.
Most of the chairs were, in fact, stools, so Tesilid couldn’t play the part of the chivalrous knight and pull one out for her. Instead, he offered a polite hand, as if to escort her.
She froze, unsure, so he made sure to say, “I’m obligated.” He wanted to pretend a little longer that this was a date, and he didn’t mind if she thought he was simply fulfilling the Commandments that demanded he be kind.
Or… maybe he did mind, because the look of relief on her face made him feel more than a little disappointed. But her easy smile was back, at least, as she accepted his hand and gracefully sat down.
The conversation was light, and it didn’t take long for the owner to bring out two plates of pasta brimming with fresh seafood. Tesilid was pleasantly surprised by the taste; meanwhile, Ailette looked smugly satisfied.
“You didn’t think it’d be this good, right?” she said.
“I was skeptical,” he admitted.
“Trust me. Being a good cook doesn’t just mean whipping up a decent sandwich or two. I can tell if something is good or not with just a passing whiff."
“It certainly came in handy today.”
“Of course.” She paused as he took another bite, examining him closely. “It looks like you’re able to eat all right. I’m glad the shard doesn’t have any lasting side effects.”
His lips curved into a smile. “Don’t worry, I’m fine. How’s your eye, by the way?”
“Right as rain. Why? Did you want to kiss that better, too?”
Tesilid almost choked. He felt suddenly, burning hot. “Th-that was… I was just…”
She laughed. “Oh I know, I was just messing with you. You’re too easy.”
“Right…”
Ailette seemed happy enough to return to her meal, but Tesilid had to take a moment to internally calm himself down. He tried to chase off the memory from earlier that day, of him pressing his mouth against her palm to remove the shard.
He really didn’t have any romantic thoughts in mind as he was taking it out. He was too focused on activating his Defend Partner skill and trying to make it remove her shard. But… he might have held onto her hand a little longer than necessary afterwards. If anyone had asked, he would have said it was to make sure the iciness left by the shard had been properly replaced by warmth.
Of course, that would have been a lie. It had been too long since he had enjoyed simple human contact just for the sake of it.
She seemed oblivious to his internal struggle, but her nonchalance helped him to regain his senses and focus on the food. They ordered drinks, as well—ale for Ailette and honey milk for Tesilid—and tossed a few ideas between them about what they should choose for their third S-class dungeon.
As they finished their plates, the topic slid into other, trivial matters, the easy warmth of their conversation melting the memory of the dungeon’s chill as if it had never been. They were approaching the time when they had to return, and Tesilid didn’t want it to end.
Apparently, neither did Ailette, because as soon as she paid (with her saying that she promised to treat him, and to keep his coin pouch to himself), she announced, “We should get some dessert, too.”
Tesilid almost laughed. “The Vatican will be wondering where we are.”
She groaned aloud. “Ughhh, come on. Even as a servant, I got lunch breaks.”
“How long were those? We’ve been away for over an hour.”
“Probably not that long… honestly, I don’t remember. I only worked in the kitchens for about a month before I switched to being my dad’s apprentice and doing training full-time.”
“Only a month?” He was honestly surprised. “I would’ve thought you’d been working there for years, considering how skilled you are.”
Normally, this would be the part where Ailette would grin and brag for a bit—but for some reason, she looked away. “Yeah… I guess you could say I’m a fast learner.” Then she heaved a sigh. “All right, we’ll head back. I didn’t see any decent dessert shops, anyway.”
Tesilid wanted to probe a bit further, but usually when she avoided something like this, it was because of the laws of confidentiality. Instead, he commented lightly, “There’s always next time.”
Or he hoped there would be.
“True.” She answered like such a thing was only natural; like their travels would continue endlessly. “Once we get the chance, I’d like to take you to this place in Heathfenrir—I visited it with my dad and brother as a kid. They have some amazing parfaits.”
She didn’t phrase it as a promise, but the way she said it made it sound inevitable.
“I’ll look forward to it,” he replied.
Tesilid didn’t know whether it was all right to hope for something, even as small a thing as an outing for dessert. Life had taught him to expect betrayal and disappointment, but Ailette always kept the promises she made him. Even all those countless years ago, when they stood on the Hill of the Holy and the Corrupt, she told him that she would find him again. And she did.
They came to a stop. He was fairly certain that, if this were a date, this would be the point when he would escort her home, and maybe receive a chaste kiss on the cheek in return. That wouldn’t happen, of course, but he held out a hand to her anyway.
Without hesitation, she took it, as if it was as natural as the idea of them traveling together.
By now, the feel of her palm, hardened with swordsman’s calluses similar to his own, had become familiar. But for some reason, he felt a sudden, mad impulse to rub his calluses against hers and see what the friction between them felt like.
Lately, he found his imagination running wild when it came to Ailette; about words he might whisper in her ear, that she would return with that sparkle in her eyes that so enthralled him. Nights when he wondered whether her lips were as soft as they looked, and how the calluses on her hands might feel pressed against his chest or scraping along his back.
He carefully drew his mind back to the present, putting those thoughts away in a box and sealing the lid. It was ridiculous. For all he knew, she was an elaborate trick sent by Strict Order and Goodness. He should maintain as much distance as possible, because if she betrayed him after he had well and truly fallen for her, there would be no coming back.
But right now, he couldn’t help it. Not when she smiled at him like that, full of mischief and a secret joke between them. She pulled out a teleportation stone, and he made a promise, silently, that this wouldn’t be the last time they stood like this, hand in hand, readying themselves for the next adventure.