Saying goodbye to his friends, Alum headed back to the diner where he and the others were supposed to meet up. And… well, he wasn’t alone as Amethely followed him and was now seated beside him.

 She’d told him, ‘I want to meet your party members!’ and so… here she is. She said that she wanted to thank them for taking care of him.

 Alum could tell that they were going to tease him a bunch on the journey…

 As he and Amethely waited for the others, he drank his sweetened coffee while Amethely drank her tea. Both of them were glancing at one another—then a group of four came into the diner, heading their way.

 Being the first one to spot Alum, turen smirked and greeted him with a wide smile, “Oh! Alum, you’re early! Well… as usua—huh?”

 The one behind him was Nuli. She was confused as to why her husband had suddenly stopped walking and wanted to complain. “Hey! Honey, why did you… huh?”

 In turn, the couple was standing in the way. Jan asked, “What are you two doing standi—” and before he could finish his sentence, he abruptly stopped.

 Understandably confused, Jua walked up to Jan, asking, “Jan, not you too—w-what!?”

 The sight in front of them was so shocking that they all froze in place. Beside Alum, they saw Saint Amethely lean on his shoulder as she happily nudged her head on that very same shoulder.

 They had known the two to be lovers, but they didn’t expect to meet The Saint, nor did they expect the situation presented to them….

 And upon noticing them, she blushed a little and distanced herself ever so slightly, pulling Alum’s coat, “Are they your comrades?” She inquired.

 “...They are,” Alum replied. “...What are you all doing over there?” He then asked the four standing there in a daze.

 “Ehehe~” Amethely softly giggled and waved them over.

 Seeing their Saint act in an endearing way. The four snapped out of it, making their way to the lovely couple….

 When they finally seated themselves, Amethely greeted them gently and elegantly with a smile, “It’s a pleasure to finally meet all of you—members of Night Ouen. My name is Amethely Ilis. However… you may call me Ame.”

 (…There goes her switch.) Alum thought. He still wasn't used to it since he rarely saw her like this. Then again… this is how most people see her….

 From the perspective of the four seated across from Amethely. It was as the rumours say. She was beautiful and elegant, and her smile was shining brightly.

 Snapping out of it, Jua was the first to speak, “Nonono! W-we couldn’t possibly call you that…! Ah…! That was rude of me… ah… um… my name is Jua Edra! Saint Amethely, I’m a big fan of yours!”

 With her level of excitement, the other guests overheard. They could understand why she was so jittery. After all, she’d spoken to The Saint in person. Even if they felt a little envious, they pretended not to overhear and would giggle a little.

 “...I’m glad you think so highly of me…” Amethely said, even now, she wasn’t used to all of this. So… she felt a little troubled. “But… you know… I’m a mortal as well. And you don’t have to be so polite.”

 Amethely said with a warm and gentle smile—it was blinding. It even made Jua and the others think ‘Angel….’ before coming back to reality.

 “S-still… I can’t do that,” Jua awkwardly said while averting her eyes, “But… is calling you Miss Amethely okay…?” Jua felt nervous. Despite it being less formal, it made her question if it was alright to be more familiar with her….

 However… it made her happy nonetheless.

 But… something was bothering her. Her party members were quiet… a bit too quiet…. So, clearing her throat, with an ‘Ahem’, she stared at them, saying, “You guys Introduce yourself, too. It’s impolite just quietly to watch…”

 Jua gave Jan a slight nudge, signalling him to introduce himself first. And taking the hint, he calmly introduced himself. “Hi… sorry for my rough way of speaking… but I’m Jan Jujo, the party’s scout…. Nice to meet you, Miss Amethely….”

 Jan glanced to the side, telling the two elves beside him to introduce themselves next.

 Turen had somewhat understood the situation a little more. He understood that Amethely didn’t want them to be reserved around her, so… “Nice to meet ya, Young Miss! My name is Turen Egre. I’m the party’s vanguard, the husband of the sweety over there!” Turen said with a wide grin.

 Of course, the ‘sweety’ he was referring to was none other than Nuli. This made Amethely giggle, as she didn’t expect him to be so energetic.

 Nuli herself, however, pouted and lightly tapped Turen with her firsts, “G-geez! You’re so….! Ahh… um… as this stupid husband of mine said… I’m this dummy’s wife,” she said, pinching Turens cheek, “And my name is Nuli Egre. I’m the party’s support and buffer. It’s a pleasure meeting you, Miss Amethely.”

 Seeing their interaction made Amethely space out a little, she thought. (Maybe… I should take notes…) because she found the married couple to be an example to follow… they seemed so loving, and she could tell they’d been together for a long time.

 “Then… again, it’s a pleasure to get to know you all,” Amethely softly said.

 Now that everyone had introduced themselves, Amethely noticed that she’d held his sleeve all the time. She was shaking a little, and… well, to be honest, he found it cute that she. A Saint. Would be nervous around people….

 Albet surprising, he found it endearing that she’d be willing to go out on her way to meet these people despite not being good with new people.

 She’s The Saint. But at heart, she was but a shy girl.

 With a faint smile on his face, Alum held her hand. This surprised Amethely, and she glanced at him without turning her head.

 She, too, gently squeezed his hand. She blushed and turned slightly pink. She then glanced over at Alum’s comrades, hoping they wouldn’t notice her blushing face.

 “...As to why I’m here today… I… I want to thank you all for taking such good care of my beloved… and….”

 But before Amethely could even finish her sentence, the others warmly gazed at them. She felt slightly nervous, but… she started to loosen up a little.

 The others were also doing the same. Despite meeting and speaking to a great person like The Saint, they relaxed as they awaited her following words.

 “And for today's equipment… I shall shoulder the cost for it.”

 ““......””

 Her words came as a surprise, even to Alum. So… they looked at one another with perplexed expressions.

 “...Miss Amethely, you don’t have to….” Jua expressed. Although she was grateful for the offer, she and the others wouldn’t want to burden her.

 …Amethely was surprised. She didn’t think they’d turn her down. Feeling sad, she let go of Alum’s hand. She intertwined her won and clenched them close to her chest, blankly staring at the table.

 Everyone started to feel guilty as her unconscious display of deep sorrow dug into them.

 But… Amethely looked up again. She was determined, saying, “I… I insist! This may be pretentious of me.” while the corners of her eyes formed teardrops. “B-but… I really want to thank you all for keeping Al safe….” this time… tears ran down her face as her last words left them speechless. “He… he means the world to me…..” she said. Her voice had become hoarse, and she was uncontrollably sobbing.

 ““......””

 “Hic…. He… he won’t tell me anything!” Amethely cried. And from a while back, she’d bottled her feelings, but… she was unable to bear it anymore.

 During their spars, Alum would always sacrifice his defence for an opportunity to strike. She’d scolded him many times about it. And… why would she believe he’d do otherwise in a real combat scenario?

 “—He’s always being reckless!”

 Amethely’s emotions were out of control. She wanted him to know all of her concerts. But… she didn’t want to force them onto him like this.

 She just wanted him to tell her. Tell her about himself. She knew that he was considered strong. But… “A-Al…! Although you’re strong, you fight like an amateur! Your mana control is great and is of the highest quality with a massive reserve…… but….”

 Amethely paused. It was as if she’d been stabbed. Her chest felt heavy, and the sharp pain was unbearable, after all. She didn’t even want to consider this. So… naturally, words got stuck in her throat. But… despite that. She had to say it.

 “...But….”

 Amehtely was shaking and had lost power in her limbs. She peered deeply into Alum’s eyes before leaning on his shoulder. And in a low voice, she said, “...But even the strong can die….”

 Alum was unable to process all of this. He could just feel his shoulder get more damped.

 As for the members of Night Ouen, they’ve completely changed how they saw her. To them… she was like a divine being. At first, at least. But seeing her act like a worrywart, she looked just like any other girl one could find anywhere.

 They could tell that she treasured Alum more than he ever realised. As they warmly gazed at them, Turen began to speak.

 “Then… Missy, you wouldn’t mind us splurging a little, now, would you?” He gently asked.

 And when he asked that, Amethely suddenly realised that she’d been crying in front of people she didn’t know. She felt awkward and shy, so she hid from them by hugging Alum, which made them smile instead.

 Alum was also smiling but, at the same time, the only one still in a daze, and… his lack of response was unusual. But… they soon noticed that his eyes had a faint glow. It was a glow the four were familiar with….

 “...Alum, your eyes….” Jan hesitantly points out.

 But it seemed like Alum was unaware of it himself, “...Huh…? Oh….” he uttered. But… for whatever reason, tears started to run down his face. Even he was baffled. His skill was activated to analyse and assess the situation while calming him down.

 “…..” seeing this, Amethely’s eyes widened as she stared at him. She was puzzled because… (A non-mana-based skill…?)

 Amethely placed her hands on his face, wiping away his tears. Despite feeling drained, she was baffled when she saw him cry. Even more so when he didn’t know why, but… that didn’t matter as of now. She had to comfort him….

 Alum’s gaze met hers, and they’d stare into each other's eyes. (I’m so pathetic…) Alum thought, feeling regret that he wasn’t the one who comforted her. Instead… he was the one being soothed….

 So… he wiped away the tears that ran down her face as well. It was the least he could do…. But… seeing her hesitant look made him reluctant. He wasn’t sure how to respond to it….

 And while Alum was in a dilemma, not knowing how to act, Amethely asked, “Al… what does that skill do?”

 Taken aback by her abrupt inquiry, he wasn’t able to reply. (What does it do…?) he pondered. Honestly, he was uncertain himself, but the things he knew about it were that it helped him to process information.

 Usually, it came with another skill, too. That other skill that activates at the same time was [Enclosed Heart], and it was a skill that rendered him emotionless. But… it didn’t activate this time, so… even he found it strange that he’d used an ability inside the city….

 And that’s what he decided to tell her, “And… other than that, I don’t know… sorry….”

 Still, why did it activate? Was it because he didn’t want to make her worried? No… it was because he couldn’t comprehend her worries in the first place. That’s why it tried to analyse and assess…. It was all because he was unable to process those emotions by himself.

 At least, that’s what Amethely speculated…. She felt disheartened but cheered up, saying, “No… don’t apologise….” to him while she tightly embraced him.

 “....Ame…” Alum uttered. He didn’t say anything and embraced her as well.

 The situation was awkward. It was unbearable for those who witnessed it. And yet… it was strangely wholesome despite the discomfort. It even made some smile.

 …

  …..

 …

 Currently browsing useful items, Jua and Jan searched for things that may be useful in the expedition. Jua wasn’t sure if they had everything they needed despite it. Although the organisers had prepared some stuff at the campsite, it wasn’t guaranteed it’d be something they’d use.

 “Hey, Jua. What about these Light Bloom Arrows?” Jan inquired as he eyed through the different kinds.

 Jua was pondering carefully as well and wondered if they actually needed it. Usually, these things are quite valuable for archers, especially inside dungeons and ruins. Not only that, but it was also generally useful in scenarios that lacked a light source.

 (These ones are reusable… and have a decent uptime.) Jua went with something she was familiar with. And she did, in fact, have some, at least a few, since they were quite expensive. (Well, I can get them in case, not that I think they’ll be used…)

 This was in case of an emergency. After all, the guild was supposed to be in charge of brightening the ruins.

 “That’s all you need?” Jan curiously asked. He wasn’t all familiar with the magi-tech, but… Jua’s bow was one, and so were her arrows. However, she did use mana arrows in case of emergencies if she ever ran out of actual arrows.

 Jua responded with a nod. She had a soft smile on her face. “Don’t they look sweet?” Jua said while glancing at Alum and Amethely.

 Amethely was clinging to Alum’s arm. They were acting lovey-dovey. Despite their small dispute a little earlier, they were on good terms.

 “Pff, haha,” Jan chuckled, saying, “I feel you….” he then shifted his attention to the other couple, or well… the married one. “I mean… compared to the elf couple over there… ‘sigh’.”

 Jua tapped her fist on his chest as she giggled, saying, “You’re so harsh on them.”

 “....” Jan awkwardly scratched his head. “...Anyhow, we’ve got treatment kits and emergency food. A new magi-tech shield for Turen. Barrier cores and new magi-tech armour… Jua, did I forget anything?”

 She shook her head, “No, you didn’t. Besides… he has leftovers too…. But… we may need new storage bags….”

 “....They’re a bit expensive….” Jan replied.

 Jua nodded, “Agreed, we should refrain until we have the funds for new ones. And burdening the saint more… well, I’d feel guilty.”

 Jan placed his hand on her head, between her ears. Her hair was smooth and beautiful, and that’s why he made sure not to mess it up.

 “...What are you doing?” Jua inquired.

 “...Do you hate it?”

 “…I don’t. If it’s you… then, I wouldn’t mind anything you do….”

 “...Same here,” Jan responded with a soft smile.

 Wheres….

 “Hey, honey~!” Turen excitedly called Nuli’s name.

 Nuli responded with a “Yes?” while tilting her head, wondering what her husband was fussing over.

 Turen grinned and pointed at something, asking, “Do you like bikini armour,” with a lewd look on his face.

 With a deadpan look on her face, Nuli said, “...Why do you ask…?” with inflated cheeks.”Hey! Why are your eyes drifting all over my body!?”

 Turen played chock, saying, “Ah! I got caught!? And here I thought I was being sneaky….” while ogling.

 Nuli covered herself and uttered, ‘Pervert….’ to Turen, who was pleading with his eyes.

 “B-but… you’d look good in it, though!?”

 Nuli had a soft spot for her husband. She, of course, knew he was being half serious. After all, it was The Saint’s money they were using now.

 “...Once…. Once things settle down, I c-can wear it for you!” Nuli said with a bet red face. She was fidgeting, and it reminded him of their first time….

 Feeling excited, he celebrated, mumbling to himself, ‘Executed in perfection!’

 With yet another empty stare, Nuli reminded him, “Honey, we’re elves. I can hear you mumble to yourself over there….”

 “.....”

 …

  …..

 …

 Not so far away from the elvish married couple, Alum and Amethely were both blushing while averting their eyes from one another.

 (That’s how a married couple…) Amethely thought. She glanced at Alum, who averted his eyes. His ears were red.

 In fact… Amethely saw some clothes, but… they were a little risque. She wanted to ask him about it, but… she was too shy, so she refrained from doing so.

 She’d unconsciously grabbed his sleeves after letting go of his hand. And with a sweeping look on her face, she wanted Alum to ask some questions akin to those Turen asked.

 She wanted to know his preference, and… Alum could somewhat tell what Amethely was thinking. Though… he was too shy. Instead, he said, “You don’t need to wear anything special... “ he felt his face heating up even more but continued, “I like you the way you are….”

 It’s true that he did like her the way she was, so… it wasn’t a lie, but he couldn’t be honest about wanting to see her in some… more revealing clothes, especially when they were alone.

 (Ah… what am I thinking!?) Alum pondered. He scratched his head, turning redder than he already was.

 Meanwhile, in Amethely’s head, the words Alum said played on repeat. (He likes me the I am… he likes me the I am? He likes me the I am!? ) She then unconsciously uttered, ‘Like… b-bared skin!?’ making her head go, *Poff’*.

 Alum noticed smoke coming out of her head. He panicked and noticed that Amethely had misunderstood him.

 But then again, based on the context from before, that was what one would assume…. “No, wait! I mean… yes, probably. Yet…. Anyways…!” He had no idea what he was saying anymore as he stumbled on words, trying to explain himself while saying more embarrassing stuff.

 Hearing that, Amethely crouched down and buried her face in her palm. Her thoughts went wild; their exchange made no sense, and it was just a cluster of misunderstandings… (Yet? Yet!? T-then… someday? Someday!?)

 …

  …..

 …

 Turen and Nuli just chuckled, watching the two, “Ahahaha… you can tell they’re in the early stages of a relationship!” Turen said. Nuli nodded, completely agreeing with him, saying, “They’re adorable! It reminds me of Jan and Jua 5 years ago!”

 Jua and Jan stared at them and said, ““...Members of the Argen clan have good hearing, too, you know?””

 ““Ahh….””