“No. The only person I’m acquainted with from the Serade family is Lady Letie.”

Kana firmly denied, shaking her head. Cordelia was on the opposite side, and Dain was never in her consideration from the start. Kiriel inwardly felt relieved but wanted to confirm once more, so he probed her gently.

“Really? You’re not… interested in him or anything?”

“No, I actually find him a bit uncomfortable. Our first meeting wasn’t great, and we’ve clashed over trivial matters every time we’ve met.”

Kana sighed deeply, pressing her fingers to her temple. Seeing her firm attitude, Kiriel nodded in agreement.

“I see. I don’t get along well with that guy either.”

“Ah, I think I know what you mean.”

Kana chuckled. Somehow, it felt like talking about a character she didn’t particularly like among other supporting roles gave her a slightly unfamiliar feeling.

At that moment, her industry friend’s voice echoed in her head.

‘[Round, I just happened to see as I was passing by, but the female and male leads are having a smooth date. Is everything alright on your end?]’

‘[Yes, I’m currently moving carefully to avoid overlapping with the protagonists’ route, and Kiriel is cooperating well, so it’s fine. If we continue like this, there shouldn’t be any problems with the scene.]’

‘[Alright, I’m counting on you there.]’

Alderaan’s voice came through heavily. Kana imagined her hardworking industry friend and felt a pang of guilt for seemingly having it easier.

‘[…I feel bad, like I’m leaving all the work to you.]’

‘[Why do you think that? You’re working too. Let’s both do our best in our respective positions.]’

‘[Okay.]’

While Kana was conversing with her industry friend, Kiriel quietly observed her. From her expressionless face as if concentrating on something, to the faint sense of spirit energy. He gently placed his hand on Kana’s cheek.

“Miss Kana, I’d like you to focus on me today, not on spirits.”

“Ah, it was a bit urgent… I apologize.”

Kana, startled without realizing it, carefully made an excuse to him while simultaneously informing her industry friend.

‘[Alderaan, Kiriel noticed the flow of energy, so… if there’s no contact from me, please understand that there’s no problem.]’

‘[Got it. I’ll contact you if any issues arise too.]’

Just as Alderaan finished his reply, Kiriel’s low voice reached her ears.

“Well, it’s nice to see you treating spirits so preciously. It’s very like you, Miss Kana.”

“Haha.”

As she let out an awkward laugh, he naturally changed the subject.

“Miss Kana, shall we take a break and have a meal now? It’s about that time.”

“Yes, that sounds good.”

Kana gladly accepted his suggestion. Kiriel led her to a high-end restaurant he had reserved in advance.

‘This must be a restaurant that’s difficult to get reservations for… especially during the Founding Festival period. We can enter comfortably because he’s the Master of the Magic Tower sub male lead.’

While Kana was lost in thought, the restaurant staff greeted them warmly from the entrance. They were seated facing each other at a cozy table inside.

While waiting for the food to arrive, he carefully examined the face of the person sitting across from him.

“Miss Kana, is there anything uncomfortable or difficult for you?”

“Not at all.”

“You certainly look energetic… Is it because your spirit energy has increased and you’ve been taking care of your physical condition?”

“I suppose so.”

Kana smiled softly.

They started eating slowly. As expected of a famous restaurant, the food was excellent.

Kana, who was quietly cutting her steak, suddenly noticed that her companion had stiffened slightly. She quietly used spirit magic to block the sound.

Kiriel was puzzled but remained still. Kana, intending to break the atmosphere by asking about something she was curious about, began,

“Lord Kiriel, what do you think about the monster-slaying demonstration?”

“No matter how symbolic the event is, it’s troublesome and cumbersome in many ways. Just thinking about the effort that goes into creating that one scene… tsk.”

Kiriel clicked his tongue, stabbing his knife into the innocent meat out of frustration. It was understandable, given that mages from the Magic Tower were also mobilized for this event.

The monster-slaying demonstration was a show that briefly depicted a scene from Arsen’s founding history, where the first emperor defeated a horde of monsters attacking at night.

While historical records mention that the ancestors of the current four great families assisted the first emperor, the show only displayed a member of the imperial family slaying weakened monsters using magic and magical tools.

The location was also related to the scene, set in a spacious square in the southern street. It was usually an ordinary space, but during the show, temporary walls were erected around the statue of the first emperor.

Kana nodded, recalling the information mentioned in the original work.

“That’s true. I’ve heard that managing and controlling the monsters is not easy, and safety issues need to be considered as well.”

“Exactly. Your thoughts are similar to mine, aren’t they, Miss Kana?”

Kiriel’s eyes lit up as he brightened. Kana, feeling a strange sensation, carefully agreed with his words.

“Yes. It might sound a bit disrespectful, but I think it’s inefficient. While it might be good for creating a strong impression as a show, considering various factors, wouldn’t it be better to choose a more modest scene from the historical records?”

“That’s what I’m saying. If they really can’t give up on that scene, they should just present it as a play.”

“I agree. The imperial dignity wouldn’t be lost if the monster-slaying scene were changed to a play, would it?”

Kana shook her head. Kiriel took a sip of wine and sighed.

“I think so too, but… all suggestions to change the monster-slaying demonstration have been rejected.”

“Why?”

“Well, first, the imperial family and older conservative nobles have a strong desire to maintain tradition, and some younger nobles think it’s cool and they like it.”

Kiriel waved his finger side to side, smiling bitterly. Even though it was a case he had seen often while working, it felt frustrating to her. Kana clicked her tongue and replied.

“I can’t understand it.”

“Well, they just have to sit back and watch.”

Kiriel snorted, responding cynically. Kana silently ate her steak until his mood improved.

Kiriel quickly dispelled his unpleasant feelings as he looked at her face. He spoke up in a much brighter voice.

“Oh, come to think of it, I heard that the demonstrator for this monster-slaying event is His Highness the Second Prince. That’s unusual.”

“I don’t know the details of the imperial family’s internal affairs, but I guess they’re trying to give His Highness the Second Prince a chance.”

“Yes, and I’m sure they’ve also calculated that it will show the imperial family’s dignity while cleaning up the mess His Highness the First Prince made last time.”

Kana nodded in agreement with his words.

According to the setting, the monster-slaying demonstration was usually performed by the most likely candidate for the imperial succession. Originally, the demonstrator was supposed to be the First Prince, but for reasons including what Kiriel mentioned, the male protagonist got the opportunity.

Kiriel leaned towards Kana, who was mentally reviewing the novel’s information, and abruptly asked.

“By the way, what made you bring up this topic? Are you worried that something might happen during the monster-slaying demonstration?”

“Yes, a little.”

Kana let out an embarrassed laugh. Kiriel answered with a light smile.

“Really? Well, there haven’t been any accidents so far, so it should be fine. Even if they’re rivals, His Highness the First Prince wouldn’t be stupid enough to cause problems there if he has any sense, right?”

Surprisingly, the First Prince, whose guts are twisted by his younger brother’s growing recognition, will commit ‘that stupid act’ and cause an incident.

‘Well, Riden was close to being a shallow villain.’

Kana, knowing full well what was about to unfold, just smiled faintly without saying anything. Kiriel snapped his fingers to change the atmosphere.

“Come on, Miss Kana. Let’s not worry about that and think about enjoying ourselves.”

“Alright.”

Kana refrained from mentioning it further, considering how busy he would become. They finished their meal well, including dessert for afters, and refreshed themselves with a cool, fragrant peppermint tea.

Kana spoke up while adjusting her clothes.

“Lord Kiriel, thank you for the meal.”

“It’s nothing. Shall we head out?”

“Sure.”

They left the restaurant. Kana closed her eyes and pondered where they could go without overlapping with the protagonists’ route.

‘Hmm, Letie and Richard must be bustling about now? It’s going to be tricky to move without crossing paths with them.’

Kiriel glanced at her worried face and suggested a different direction.

“Miss Kana, if you don’t have any particular place you want to go, how about we visit a different area and come back after dinner to enjoy the rest of the Founding Festival?”

“A different area?”

Kana’s eyes lit up. Kiriel nodded with a smile, thinking her round green eyes were cute.

“Yes, we can just use teleportation magic. For example, we could go sightseeing at a beach in the southern region?”

“That sounds great.”

Kana clapped lightly, brightening up.

Kiriel held her hand tightly and used teleportation magic. In an instant, the background changed from the bustling capital full of people to a cliff overlooking surging waves.

The blue waves rolling in the sea, the scene of waves crashing against the cliff and spraying white droplets, and even the red flowers blooming nearby. It was a place full of natural elements that spirits would love.

A slightly humid yet cool breeze brushed against her cheek. Kana brushed back her wind-tossed hair and asked.

“Where are we?”

“This is at the edge of my family’s territory.”

“I see. It’s a place with a picturesque landscape and a nice atmosphere.”

“That’s right, spirit summoners especially said they get a good feeling here. So I guess it suits you well too.”

Kiriel straightened his shoulders and smiled proudly. Although it wasn’t a setting specifically mentioned in ‘Fake Saint’, that fact wasn’t particularly important to her.

‘Could it be that he was considerate of me being a spirit summoner?’

He had an unexpectedly delicate side. Kana found herself seeing Kiriel in a slightly new light.