Into Hi1tomi 97

Chapter 97 – First Date in the Principality [Filia the Blood] (3)

The eyes of the old man introduced as Mel were full of wrinkles, but the sparkling vitality in his clear eyes made it impossible to guess his age.

“Please feel free to call me Fu, Gongja.”
“Hello… Fu…”

Seeing Marey’s awkward greeting, Puruk personally led Lia and Marey into the room. As if he had brought it before he knew it, he filled half of the glass in front of him with the long-mouthed water jug.

“The menu is the one you often ate before?”
“Bring something you’re confident in. If there is a recommended menu, I will ask for more. This guy is watering it.”
“Ahahaha, it’s been a while since I’ve had to show off my skills. I can’t upset your friend.”

Puruk pounded his chest and left the room. After sneaking a look at the price list on the menu, he didn’t seem to have to worry so much about the price.

“Why? Are you nervous that it will be expensive?”
“Ah… To be honest… Yes. I was very surprised to see the price of the straw hat earlier.”
“…Really boring… You can’t even laugh because you’re so honest.”

On our date at the restaurant last week, I tied a napkin around my neck just as Ravela had done for me. She tried to tie her knot, but her ends didn’t fold well and she kept her hand hovering in the air.

“Stay still…

Seeing the napkin fall off every now and then, Leah got up and tied the napkin around her neck herself.

“Is this your first time at a restaurant?”
“It’s the second time…But this is the first time.”

Leah nodded her head in understanding. Her sweet peach scent gently tickles her nose. She tapped the back of her neck as if to let her know it was tied.

“Well, it will be fine after a long time…”

Lia narrowed her eyes in amusement. Above her red pupils, long, animal-like pupils entered her eyes. She was looking at Marey, but she wasn’t looking at Marey. She responded with a small smile at her expression as if she was seeing something beyond.

“Food is good as expected. Puruk is a very good cook.”

After staring at Marey’s napkin in silence for a while, Leah, who wrapped her napkin in her lap around her own neck, continued talking about her restaurant. When it was made, how much it earns each year, and how popular it is with locals as well as tourists.

She went on and on with her story, something a little girl would not do. Leah continued her talking like she was thirsty for conversation. Before she knew it, she came to her senses, and the policies and political stories of Balter’s governor and Emperor Yeo were continuing. She apologized to her, but it was a very difficult story for Marey, who mainly reads the gossip in her newspaper, so she could only nod her head.

“My lady, if you talk like that to a guy, you won’t be popular.”
“…It came out sooner than I thought.”

In spite of Lia’s snarky answer, Purk just smiled as she pushed her food cart. Several steaming dishes were set on the table. Luxurious dishes were prepared that were not only pleasing to look at, but also made the taste of food tantalizing.

“Will Puruk leave?”
“Don’t you need a meal attendant?”
“How old am I?”

Lia’s half-opened eyes were smiling.

“A lady of her age does not put a napkin around her neck. She would have added her nags if Norman knew.”
“Huh? Do you hate this look? Isn’t that our advantage? You look very young for your age. I just said it was me thinking about the old days. Didn’t you like it?”

Puruk’s brown eyes widened. Then he covered his mouth and burst out laughing, then put a hand on his chest and bowed his head.

“It is a very nostalgic old time. My boyfriend worked hard for this old man, so I’ll have to buy dessert as a token of appreciation. I’ll have to prepare from now, so excuse me, but I’m going to go out. Then, the number of attendants…”
“I do not need.”

You really became a young lady while I couldn’t see you. Puruk laughed bitterly. Even so, Marey could see him leaving the room with a gentle smile at the happy-looking old man.

“Hey… Can’t you put a napkin around your neck?”
“It’s not that it’s impossible, but mostly children and the elderly do it. Speaking of table manners, it’s usually right to put it on your lap.”

Leah also had a napkin wrapped around her neck. At first she put it on her lap, but after looking at herself for a while, when she put it around her neck again, I thought she was kind of considerate.

“Thank you. Because I don’t know about this.”
“I don’t care if you don’t know. Because if you know It would be embarrassing to stare at you during a meal, so would you finish your meal?”

As if it were admirable, it made a sound of excitement and a snort leaked out. She was sorry to keep looking at Lia as she spoke with a slightly reddened face. Her fork was making small circles over her bowl.

“It’s Philia.”
“Yes?”
“My Name.”

As Puruk boasted, after she ate all the delicious desserts she had never eaten anywhere, Lia opened her mouth. She rested her chin on her chin and smiled, looking at her Marey with her expectant eyes.

“Philia… That’s a pretty name.”
“Huh? Is that the end of your reaction?”
“Uh… Is he famous?”
Haha, no, just. Well… That’s right.”

Philia was laughing, but she was just that. Unlike before, when she was full of joy, she couldn’t erase the trembling from the trivial reaction to her laughter. Her hand holding her teacup trembled subtly.

“Yeah, not a bad reaction.”

Leah. No, Philia closed her eyes and nodded her head.

“Huh. I was a little surprised, but yes. Rather, this might be an interesting reaction.”

When she opened her eyes again, her sunken eyes were looking at her Marey. Philia was laughing heartily. She didn’t seem to be laughing. The calmly changed eyes were just looking at him.

“Okay, I will trust you. That you really don’t know me. By chance. Really by chance. All of the fact that I met in the principality.”

Philia seemed to know her name at first. But she didn’t seem aware of her relationship with Ravella. How does she know her own name?

“Have we met before?”
“No.”

Her silver hair danced lightly in the air.

“How much does Leah know me?”
“Just the name. I just happened to hear it.”
“A while ago, the clerk called me, no. You hated the Parwen family so much, do you like Philia?”
“Demeter is also just a specter of a filthy past. I have never had, nor do I wish to have, a faded glory. I have no complaints about the green dragon of the Parwen family or the empress. Well, to put it a little softer, those who think they are wonderful women who are faithful to their roles.”

It’s kind of embarrassing to praise someone.

Philia muttered and then bit her mouth shut.

Red eyes opened again.

As if she had shaken off her lingering feelings, she got up lightly from her seat. He unwrapped the napkin from her neck and laid it neatly on her table. She said she was copying herself, but she did, she said quietly, glancing at Marey’s awkwardly folded napkin.

“Okay, then shall we continue with what we have been doing? There are quite a few things I want to tell you, so the day will be packed.”

Philia hummed lightly and left her dining room. For some reason, the silver-haired girl looked very free.

“Since we have to climb a lot of stairs, shall we take a break?”

After the meal, Philia, who had been walking nonstop for four hours, pointed to her cafe. She wasn’t even close to being dense. She didn’t even have time to catch her breath, walking, hitting unknown people’s cars, and running around.

She knew it was rude in front of the person she was meeting for the first time today, but as soon as she sat down on the chair, all the strength in her body was released, and she had no choice but to break it on the table.

“I have a schedule starting tomorrow, so I don’t have time if it’s not today. What is a boy’s stamina?”

“It’s impossible… Leah. I don’t even remember half of what you said. I was running around so crazy…”

I couldn’t help but admire the figure of Philia sipping her coffee as it was lying on her table. She took a few deep breaths, sat up in her straight posture, and drank the coffee she handed her.

“Huh…? It tastes a bit strange…”
“Ah mistake!”

It had an odd taste to call it coffee. Slightly fishy, ​​but strange. Just as she was about to sip again, Philia grabbed Marey’s coffee and poured it onto her floor. She was momentarily dumbfounded by her furious reaction, but the word ‘blood’ suddenly caught her eye on the cafe menu.

“Ugh… Right now… I just…”
“It’s not human blood! Are you okay! Oh, do you like it? Would you like a drink of mine?”

As if Philia was very perplexed, she began to talk hesitatingly. I saw her for the first time today, but I laughed strangely because it was different from her always relaxed and sometimes grown-up look.

“Don’t laugh… I made a mistake without even realizing it. Ugh… I brought almost no cash today… Ruhr, do you have coffee service?”
“It’s not possible.”

She also seemed to know the cafe clerk. She grew increasingly curious about what she was doing, but felt like she shouldn’t have asked, so she just smiled bitterly and pulled out her purse and ordered her regular coffee.

“Isn’t it a bit strange that there are so many vampires?”
“Rather than that… It’s just that there are a lot of people.’
“Compared to Balter, new feet are sebum. You said you came from Balter, so there are a lot of these?”
“It hasn’t been long since I came. Before that, I lived in a rural village…”

The clerk brought the coffee I ordered straight away in front of Marey. “Service,” She said, putting a small piece of cake between them and winking at Marey as if to be nice to her.

“Then why did you go to Balter?”
“Mom. No, her aunt agreed to take care of it.”
“Aunt?”
“Ah, Lavella de Parwen…”

Philia neatly emptied her coffee cup. At her request for another drink, she asks the clerk if she has any money, and Philia just smiles. The clerk, who had been saying no to her, let out a sigh and brought her coffee right away.

“Seeing that you call her mother, did Marey become the adopted son of the next patriarch?”

“Yes, what.”
“Umm… Did you say sixteen?”
“I am fifteen.”
“But you go to Valter?”
“Oh, I skipped a class.”

That’s great, answered Philia briefly, moving her legs back and forth on her chair. She glanced at Marey from time to time and let out a small, happy laugh. But she said that she went to Balter school and she didn’t seem to talk about her age.

“It is difficult to guess the age of humans. Still, 15… A bit young. Than that kid…”

Philia’s words were cut off. Marey wasn’t paying attention, so she didn’t hear her last words, and she didn’t even ask a few questions. However, the eyes of the two were fixed on the TV set in the cafe.

-Celebrating the National Foundation Day with the Emperor…

In the screen, the king was kneeling on one knee and kissing the back of the emperor’s hand. In the corner of the screen, a familiar face was wearing a uniform, looking at King Gong from the side of the Emperor. The scene changes when a boy who looks just like King Gong also kisses the back of the emperor’s hand in accordance with the ceremony.

“That’s no fun. There are many things to see, but there is no time, so shall we go see the best one at the end?”
“Yes, Filia… Ah, Filia-sister.”
“… I don’t like that title. Just call me Lia.”

Seeing Lia lead Marey by the wrist, disgusted by her new title, the clerk said, ‘Don’t play with fire,’ expressionlessly. Of course, Leah dismissed, ‘Don’t be silly, Lour,’ and left her cafe.

A bell rings from up there. The stairway seemed to tremble at the heavy cry of brass. Sunlight streamed in from the window in the middle of the circular staircase. The dust glistens and hovers in the air for a moment before sinking into the shadows.

“Joe, let’s rest for a bit…”

It seemed like I was going to run out of breath. Because of the sparse windows, every time I climbed the stairs and saw the scenery outside, it gave me a new feeling.

“This is a special service where you only bring people you really like? It’s a place no one can come to.”
“Yeah… But wait a minute.”

As Philia said, it was right where no one else could come. On the way to the bell tower attached to the church, there was a piece of paper that was printed in large letters saying, “No entry except for those concerned.” When Marey asked if she could go, Philia smiled and dismissed his question, saying that she was in charge of her and that she should not worry.

“…We’re almost there, so shall we take a break?”
“Did you know that is the fifth story?”
“It’s the fourth.”

Exaggeration is a bad habit. Philia closed one eye and leaned against her wall. Part of her silver hair glistens white in the sunlight.

“There are many cases where I want to take Sister Ksakroo’s class but I can’t. Because the competition is so fierce. Her sister’s side is trying to give her the maximum score, so it’s understandable. Her sister’s side is a bit strange because it’s so popular even though it’s strict grading. Seeing that there are a lot of boys, looks are probably a problem.”

Philia knew very well about the Walter School.

“Julia Pahu? Oh, is she talking about that northern frontline devil? Not many people look good with her single-eyed glasses. I sometimes think that she is cool because of her unique atmosphere.”
“Icher de Valentine is… Um… A dark elf from the principality. We know each other, but we don’t get along… No, because I don’t like that classification. Well, you’ll know when you meet him in person.”

She had been in school for two weeks, but in fact she knew very little about the school and her teachers. She seemed to know Balter School well, and at Philia’s words, she naturally asked about them.

“Nagisa? Asano? First time hearing of it, swordsmanship? I’m not interested in it at all because I mainly deal with spears. If you hear the name, it sounds like someone from the eastern continent. Well.”

Of course, she didn’t know everything about Philia. Still, whenever she heard praise from Illien and Julia, her shoulders shrugged and she was asking about other teachers’ stories before she knew it.

“Lee Ha-woon… If you look at modern war history, he is a person who appears occasionally, don’t you know? Well, in my case, I’m close with that guy and her mother, so I have a personal relationship. There are people who like an easy-going attitude compared to the strength they have, but I don’t really like it because it feels like dereliction of duty.”

I couldn’t imagine that Mr. Suin, the cat who catches the concept of ‘nyang~’, is a person from the history of war.