It Seems That the Demon King Is Among the Members of the Hero’s Party

55: Shopping with Cecil

The next day, I was woken up early and came to the commercial district with Cecil. The purpose of our visit was to buy a present to celebrate Noel’s promotion. It’s obvious, but Noel has become a “High Priest.”

The next Pope has not been decided, but four priests, including the one who was supposed to become the Pope, have retired. They’re not being held responsible, but rather, they’re making way for younger priests to support the new Pope.

Among the four vacant seats, Noel was chosen. The current High Priest is the strongest candidate to become the next Pope.

I think that man is not suitable to become the Pope. He’s the kind of person who would bless his daughter without considering her own will. I want to tell him to stop it, but my opinion won’t be heard.

The “Pope” Edmond Armstrong the 2nd, who was killed by Drake, was quite loved by the priests. Many of them have retired since his death, mostly long-serving elves.

As the High Priest said, young priests will gather around the new Pope. The church will undergo a major reform.

There will be a significant change in personnel. Noel will also become busy, but I wonder if they can still join the Hero’s Party.

“Is the current strongest candidate for the Pope Cecil’s father?”

“Yes, it’s possible that the High Priest will choose him, but it’s likely to be your father.”

“Is that so? That means my future father-in-law will become the Pope. I feel a sense of responsibility…”

“My sister’s also got a high priestess position, and I think I’ll become a high priest if I stay like this!

You’re the only ordinary person, brother-in-law.”

Don’t say that. Please don’t say it. As a mercenary in the Brave Party, I may not be able to win in terms of social status. And when it comes to income, Noel is definitely above me. If I marry her like this, won’t I become a freeloader?

That’s something I want to avoid. I need to do something about it. Joining the Church is out of the question. Since I can’t use holy attributes, it’s clear what kind of situation I’ll be in. Even if I get preferential treatment as a relative, I’ll still be met with cold gazes. My stomach can’t take it.

The next Pope is going to be my future father-in-law, Albus Christof, it seems. He’s got a tone like Cecil’s.

He may have been biased towards his daughter, but he’s quite popular among his subordinates. The girls also adore him, so he must be a great person.

I understand that he’s a kind person, but I just can’t forgive the fact that he did it because of his daughter’s cuteness. It’s not an exaggeration to say that my future is already decided.

It’s already happened. Noel is a beautiful girl, and she’s extremely cute when she’s being affectionate towards me. Honestly, I have no objections to marrying her. What I need to be careful about is that the party’s women have feelings for me.

I’ll try to respond sincerely.

“I’ll do my best to be worthy of being Noel’s fiancé and future husband.”

“…”

“Cecil?”

“I think it’s good to do my best as an ordinary person.”

She’s pouting, her face turned away. It seems I’ve hurt her feelings. I somewhat understand the reason.

Cecil seems to have feelings for me. As her brother, saying I’ll do my best as a husband is probably not what she wants to hear.

Can I somehow make her forgive me?

Her hand, still holding mine, hasn’t let go. She’s gripping it a bit tightly, but she’s not angry yet.

She asked me to hold hands and leave the inn together, her face red. It’s hard for me to refuse this request. She’s being overly affectionate, and I end up giving in.

As we walk, holding hands, I realize that the commercial district is quite lively.

There are many customers, and the craftsmen’s voices can be heard clearly.

“That’s not it, I’m telling you! How many times do I need to say it, you stupid apprentice!”

“I’m sorry! But this design won’t appeal to everyone! We should change it!”

“Shut up! You’re not the one who decides! It’s me!”

“But! Master! This magic tool isn’t selling at all! It’s not selling, and it’s overflowing!”

I hear a familiar conversation and glance at the voice’s source. It seems to be a store that handles daily magic tools.

I take a quick look at the products and turn back.

That product is there. A macho magic tool with a most muscular pose. There are many other macho magic tools with bodybuilding poses.

Honestly, I think the apprentice is right. It’s better to change the design immediately. I wouldn’t buy that magic tool even if you paid me.

“Brother-in-law, that store sells decorations!”

Cecil, who’s been walking for a while, seems to have found the store she was looking for and pulls me towards it. It seems to be a store that handles decorations, just like she said.

There aren’t any crazy macho magic tools like before. This store’s sense of beauty seems normal.

Cecil is talking to the store clerk. She’s searching for the decorations she wants, moving around the store with the clerk. Cecil is more sociable than Noel. This time, it’s not a human but a dwarf, so even Noel would probably respond normally. I’m a bit worried, but I believe she can handle it.

Now, I’ll look for a gift for Noel.

In my case, I’ve already decided what to give Noel, so I’m searching for a design she’ll like. There’s nothing on this shelf that suits Noel. I’ll look a bit more.

───I’ve finished my shopping. Since I’d decided what to buy beforehand, I compared several products in the store and chose the one that suits Noel the most. I want her to be happy with my gift. I hope my sense of beauty isn’t off. At least, I think it’s better than that dwarf’s.

“Brother-in-law, I’m sorry to keep you waiting!”

Cecil comes running from the back of the store, a bag with goods in her hand. The bag is made of paper, but it’s surprisingly sturdy since it’s mixed with finely crushed magic stones. It’s also got magic infused, so it won’t come off my hand, making it useful for preventing theft.

For expensive purchases, it’s common to put the goods in this bag.

“From your expression, I take it you found the product you wanted?”

“Yes! Did you also find a gift for your sister, brother-in-law?”

“I bought it properly, so I’ll give it to you directly next time we meet.”

“I think that’s a good idea! My sister will be happy too…”

Her voice gradually became softer towards the end. It’s complicated, this female heart of hers. I shouldn’t touch it carelessly. I grasped Cecil’s hand, leading her. When our hands touched, I felt a slight shock, but she immediately grasped back and followed me.

It wouldn’t be good to return to the inn directly, so we stopped by a store on the way back. Darl said the fruits here were delicious. And the timing was just right. The store wasn’t too crowded, which was good.

After being seated and asked what we wanted, I recommended something and ordered it. Cecil seemed to want the same thing.

“I’ll give you this first.”

“Yes?”

I took out one of the items I bought from my bag. It was carefully placed in a box to prevent damage. When I opened the box, Cecil’s eyes widened in surprise. Inside the box was a hair accessory.

“I saw this while searching for goods, and I thought it suited you, so I bought it. Would you like to wear it?”

It was a hair accessory with a snowflake-like design, which I thought would suit Cecil. I bought it together with Noel’s gift as a belated celebration for her probable promotion.

The Association’s personnel department would likely have many vacancies, including the high priest’s seat. Cecil’s chances of being selected were extremely high. She was that excellent.

“Is this for me?”

“This is a gift for your promotion celebration, and also to repay you for healing my wounds back then.”

“Is it a celebration for my promotion?”

“I think it’s already decided that you’ll become the high priest, don’t you?”

Her face lit up with a smug expression, which I was familiar with. It seemed my prediction was correct, and Cecil’s promotion was already decided.

“Well, I wasn’t wrong, was I? Congratulations again. Would you like to wear it?”

“I have no choice, but I’ll wear it since it’s a gift from my foolish brother-in-law.”

Her words and expression were clearly different. From my perspective, she looked happy. Her cheeks were flushed, and her mouth was relaxed. She seemed to be holding back her excitement.

“Does it suit you?”

“Yes, it does.”

“Your sense is quite good. Even as a commoner, you did well, so I’ll praise you.”

“Thank you.”

She was wearing the hair accessory, which stopped her bangs. It suited her perfectly, just as I imagined. Her beautiful appearance made it look even better.

“I’ll give you a present in return, brother-in-law!”

Cecilrummaged through her bag and took out something. Was it something she bought at the store? It was also placed in a box. Her face looked slightly tense. She handed me the box, probably wanting me to open it.

When I opened the box, I found a necklace inside. Was it modeled after some flower? The purple color looked familiar. Where had I seen it before? Unfortunately, I wasn’t knowledgeable about plants, so I couldn’t answer.

“Thank you. May I wear it?”

“Be grateful for my kindness.”

I rarely wore decorative items, but since she gave it to me as a present, it would be rude not to wear it. When I put on the necklace, Cecil smiled happily.

Just then, the store employee brought us the fruit we ordered. It was beautifully cut and looked like mangoes from my previous life. Cecil looked hungry, so she had already started eating.

Her face was relaxed. It must be delicious. I’ll eat some too. The taste was like pears, not mangoes, which was strange.

Despite that, it was a peaceful day. I hoped this kind of daily life would continue.

───That night’s events

“You look energetic, that’s good, Kail!”

She smiled kindly, just like in my memories. It seemed she was concerned about me and had appeared in my dream again.

Now, what should I talk to her about? There were many things I wanted to ask, and many things I didn’t want to ask. For now, let’s just be happy about our reunion. This reunion might become the worst, but…