“You’re going to feed me……”

“Could you not make a face like it’s the end of the world?”

Though it was difficult to speak up at first, the more Lynen showed his aversion, the more mischievous feelings grew in Calliphe’s heart.

The urge to tease this moral-textbook-like man overcame even her aversion to the creepy term of endearment.

Calliphe held out the snack once more with a devious smile.

“Won’t it taste much better when your lovely fiancée feeds you? Darling.”

“Ha.”

Noticing that Calliphe was teasing him, one corner of Lynen’s mouth quirked up.

Who would have thought that the Duke Ortega could make such a roguish expression?

This was k*lling two birds with one stone – completing the quest and teasing him.

“What are you doing? My arm is getting tired, darling… Eh?”

Snap. Suddenly Lynen grabbed Calliphe’s wrist that was holding out the snack like a trap.

Unlike his smoldering gaze, Lynen’s lips curved up softly.

“I can’t refuse when my darling offers. Then I’ll just take one bite.”

“Huh? Uh.”

Soft lips bit off the end of the snack with a crunch.

“O-okay, good job. Now it’s my turn to eat… could you let go of my hand?”

Lynen’s eyes flickered with mockery for a moment.

And then.

Crunch, crunch, crunch.

His munching lips began steadily eating away at the snack.

As his lips drew closer to the fingers holding the snack, Calliphe flinched and tried to pull her hand away.

But her firmly caught hand wouldn’t budge an inch.

“W-wait! You said just one bite!?”

Crunch, crunch…

Slender fingers desperately retreated to the end of the snack, trying to avoid the pursuing lips.

Finally, when there was nowhere left to retreat, the approaching lips also stopped.

He seemed satisfied to stop there, but.

‘…!’

Lynen’s mind clouded for a moment at the sweet magical power he felt from Calliphe’s hand.

His lips parted once more and slowly bit down on the white fingertips.

Between his even teeth, her finger was gently bitten. Something soft and warm touched her fingertip.

“Ah…!”

Startled by Calliphe’s gasp as she jumped, Lynen quickly pulled back.

His blue-gray eyes wavered like he was hit by a storm.

“S-sorry.”

Not knowing what to do, Lynen wiped the snack crumbs from his lips with his thumb.

Seeing that, Calliphe’s cheeks burst into flames.

“Y-you madman!”

Calliphe kicked Lynen’s shin while breathing heavily. This time she didn’t even use her ability.

Lynen also squeezed his eyes shut with an expression that said ‘I must be crazy.’

The two of them continued hitting and getting hit like that.

They were unaware that onlookers were viewing them as a lovey-dovey couple.

Ding!

[Show Noah instances of getting along well with Lynen (1/3)]

Huh?

Calliphe, who had been panting from genuinely hitting him, looked down at Noah.

Noah’s expression as he watched the two of them was incredibly pleased. He even seemed fired up with enthusiasm.

‘This looks like we’re getting along? Are you serious?’

“Snacks! I’ll go buy more!”

“Huh? No, wait.”

“One more!”

With that shout, he ran off like a flash.

Does this mean we’ll have to do this again if he brings back snacks?

The two people who had the same thought hurriedly chased after Noah.

But the child was nowhere to be seen, having disappeared somewhere in that short time.

“Where did that little one hide?”

“Over there.”

“Oh.”

The place where Lynen spotted Noah was where people were standing in a long line.

However, the atmosphere somehow didn’t seem right.

A big boy and a man who appeared to be the boy’s guardian were cornering Noah.

“Looks like a fight broke out. I should stop it.”

As Lynen was about to step in immediately, Calliphe held him back.

“Calliphe?”

“This is Noah’s first fight.”

Calliphe pulled Lynen to partially hide at a suitable distance where they could see Noah.

“Should we step in for a mere quarrel about line-cutting? Let’s watch first.”

“What if Noah gets hurt?”

Calliphe sneered at the worried Lynen.

“To raise a child strong, you need to know when to throw them off a cliff. Don’t make a fuss over something like this.”

That’s when it happened.

Calliphe’s eyes widened at the man’s sudden action as he was yelling at Noah.

“That XXX!”

She burst out simultaneously with her shout. It was a speed that would surprise even a Swordmaster.

“Throwing off a cliff and immediately going to pick them up, I see.”

Shaking his head, Lynen followed after her.

* * *

When Noah got in line, he was lucky that the waiting line was short.

Moreover, since the people in front only bought a few snacks each, Noah’s turn came quickly. During that time, the waiting line had grown long again.

The incident occurred when it was finally Noah’s turn.

“Please give me one of… ugh.”

Noah, who was about to order a stick snack, was suddenly pushed and fell over by someone who cut in.

“Give me two packs quickly!”

The culprit was a young master with noble-looking blonde hair. The boy, who looked a couple of years older than Noah, ordered the street vendor.

“Ah, one more pack. You’ll eat too, right, mister?”

“How could I refuse when the young master himself is offering? It would be like refusing communion.”

The knight addressed as ‘mister’ answered respectfully. Judging by the boy’s white clothes and the knight’s attire, they seemed to be people from the temple.

“Then three packs of snacks. What are you doing, not giving them quickly?”

The snack vendor responded with a flustered “Yes” while looking down at Noah.

Noah, who had been dazed, quickly got up after coming to his senses.

“Don’t cut in line. You need to line up too.”

“How dare you speak so rudely to the young master!”

The knight, getting angry before the boy could, quickly looked Noah up and down.

Today Noah’s attire was very modest.

It was something Calliphe had paid attention to along with her own attire to make a good impression on the strict High Cardinal.

Not knowing this, the knight arrogantly pushed Noah away.

“Step back. This is not someone a commoner like you can deal with carelessly. Hurry!”

Noah’s shoulders hunched at the knight’s threatening manner. But it was more bearable than expected.

‘Lady Calliphe is scarier.’

Moreover, after experiencing Dietrich, Noah found adults who led with their voices a bit less intimidating.

Noah pointed to the people in line.

“Everyone is waiting in line the same way. Please go to the back.”

“Such insolence!”

“Leave him be, mister.”

The blonde boy snickered and pushed Noah away.

“Right, sorry about that. But I’m in a hurry. You can take the turn after me. That’s fine now, right?”

“……”

Dissatisfaction clouded Noah’s face.

“You take the next turn.”

“Huh?”

Noah pushed back against the boy with his body, reclaiming his spot. At this, the knight flew into a rage.

“You irreverent brat! Apologize right now!”

“……”

“How dare you glare like that!”

The enraged knight grabbed Noah’s hair. Then he forcefully pushed down his head to demand an apology.

“Bow your head and apologize now! Hurry!”

“Ugh! Hnngh.”

It was then, as Noah was helplessly being dragged around by the rough hand.

“Urk?!”

Someone firmly grabbed the knight’s hair and yanked it back.

Golden hair that sparkled even more in the light and fiercely upturned eyes.

Calliphe mercilessly shook the hair she had grabbed.

“You’re the one who should apologize! Bow lower, lower!”

“Argh, what are you doing, my lady! Let go of this!”

“Sure, I’ll let go. When you get on your knees and apologize to the child!”

Thud! The knight’s legs suddenly buckled when his knees were precisely struck.

As soon as the knight was forced to kneel, Calliphe grabbed his hair and spun it around. The knight’s head drew circles like a dancer twirling long hair ornaments.

“Aagh! What kind of woman’s strength…!”

It wasn’t strength but expertise born from experience, but the knight had no way of knowing that.

He spotted the young master who was shocked by this scene and felt greatly humiliated.

“You’ve gone too far taking advantage of my patience!”

The knight reached for Calliphe’s long blonde hair.

However, someone caught the man’s forearm and stopped him.

“That’s enough.”

“Don’t interfere… Oh, Duke Ortega!”

“Children are watching. Let’s stop here. You were both wrong.”

This was indeed the judgment of Lynen Ortega, the model knight and paragon of fairness.

However…

“Um, Duke? Why are you only stopping my arm… Argh!”

“Violence is not good. Stop.”

“No, you should grab this woman too!”

Unlike the man whose defense and attack were blocked, Calliphe was freely launching her ass*ult.

Lynen turned his gaze away from the sight of Calliphe pulling the man’s hair like weeding.

While firmly pressing down on the man’s thigh with his foot as he tried to get up.

“No, Duke! Why only me, aargh!”

The man’s hair scattered like autumn leaves.