Evan D. Sherden at the Party (3)

“That’s why I enjoyed a tea party with a princess.”

“I’m sorry, master.”

I’m sorry, master.

“Whoo…no, look. It was unexpected, but this one…” Evan let out a deep sigh as he put down the tea made with the water from the fountain Shine had found. He already heard Shine explain the whole story of the encounter, which no one had expected.

“No way, to think there would be a meeting with Anastasia L. Leonine, who appeared once as a standalone CG…in the first place, it must’ve been a garden with barriers, so how did you get through?” Shine’s encounter was a hidden event in the game that no other player had ever experienced. The key to it must’ve been the ghost guiding Shine…however, the ghost merely laughed darkly at Evan’s sharp gaze.

I don’t know!

“You’re very proud of it.”

In Yo-ma Great War 2, there was only some information that this woman’s family had collapsed due to some sin on the part of her mother, but not much else was known of her past. In the end, she was just a bonus character, so he hadn’t considered there being deeper circumstances…but perhaps there were.

“If you remember something later, tell me right away.”

Okay, got it.

“So, Shine. Did you do anything rude?” Evan turned to Shine, who was shrugging.

“I’ve learned basic etiquette, and she wasn’t a bad person either. She just asked about me and the dungeon city.”

“Anything about the dungeon knights or our training?”

“Of course I kept it hidden…but I thought I noticed something. She seemed like a gentle soul, but there was something there that reminded me of you.”

“Well, she has similarities to me for sure. We’re both extras…” In Yo-ma Great War 4, the Duchy was completely destroyed, complete with Sorde and Matthew’s deaths depicted in great detail, but there were no mentions of Anastasia. She was completely forgotten. Shine looked dissatisfied with Evan’s quiet mumbling.

“No, let’s not talk about that right now…”

“Did she say anything odd to you?”

“Oh, she asked me to come back in the evening.”

“…” Evan paused and looked toward the ghost, who nodded confidently.

You seem to be happy about it? Our Shine is quite helpful.

“Good. Good job, Shine.”

“Yes?”

“There are times when a fool like Shine can help.”

“Uh, huh?”

“It’s interesting.”

“What?!” Shine was embarrassed by the party’s reaction.

“There’s nothing bad about getting close to a senior aristocrat. Do good, Shine. Instead, don’t flirt too obviously.”

“I’m not flirting!”

“Actually, it has nothing to do with that. So be more careful…” Evan sounded vaguely sorrowful at that. Shine was forced to nod in front of Evan’s observant eyes.

“I’ll be careful.”

“Yes, that is alright.” Evan patted Shine’s shoulder and sipped at his tea. In this way, they were able to build an unexpected friendship with the duke’s influential force. No matter if she was an extra, she was a child who had inherited the duke’s blood.

***

As promised, Shine visited Anastasia L. Leonine that evening. She greeted him naturally and offered him refreshments.

“Thanks for coming…”

“Well…yes, thank you for inviting me.”

“Huh.”

Now don’t mess with her.

Shine sighed and quietly accepted the tea he was offered, ignoring what the ghost was saying. Although it seemed strange, there were no servants around despite her noble status; it made sense considering this was a secret place. Perhaps they couldn’t enter.

‘But how the hell did I end up here?!’

“Dungeon city…I want to hear more stories about it.” Shine raised his head at her words, shaking off his thoughts about the ghost.

“Ah, yes. As much as I can tell you.”

“The city’s culture…?”

“Well, let’s start with the living environment.” Shine had been born in the dungeon city and had lived there all thirteen years of his life. He had plenty of stories to tell of the lowly people at the bottom all the way to the nobles at the top, including Evan, who he was currently serving.

“It sounds dangerous.”

“It is a city where explorers live…the mortality rate is quite high compared to other cities as there are many who challenge the dungeon unprepared.”

“I heard from my father…do you really eat monster meat there?”

“My master, Evan, has created a restaurant that specializes in monster meat. It’s very delicious.”

The name Evan couldn’t be separated from his story, though he was careful to avoid speaking of his secrets.

“Oh, the time has flown…” Shine’s stories continued for quite a while. After a while, they noticed the tea had already gone cold.

“It’s very late. Are you okay, princess?”

“I’m fine. You…?”

“Because you told me to come, it’s probably okay to head back a little late…”

“Yes, then, please tell me more.”

Shine withdrew slightly, feeling Anastasia’s firm gaze stuck to him. The expression dreamy suited her best. Even when she looked at herself, she seemed to be seeing something else beyond it all. It really did feel like he was dealing with Evan.

“Your master is a dungeon knight?”

“Yes, princess. He declared it at his birthday last year.”

Anastasia was mostly listening to his story but would occasionally chime in with questions. Most of them were about recent changes in the dungeon city, and when he tried to explain them, Evan’s story naturally came out.

“…I remember the country became bustling last year. That was because of your master. Thinking about it, it has become noisier again…”

“If you’re talking about the pharmacy, that’s probably because of our master. Oh, Bernard also had some influence.” Shine said so with pride.

“The free service from the temple is also a change led by master Evan…he’s changed many parts of the city to make it a place where anyone can have the hope of living.”

“…Hah.” Anastasia laughed a little when she saw Shine’s face twinkling as he spoke of Evan. She had a cute squirrel-like smile.

“You like your master a lot.”

“He is the one who saved me when I was a lowly and weak slave and proclaimed that I had talent. Moreover, he gave me a way to prove my talent. I can’t help but like him.”

“Then, you proved your talent to him?”

“Yes.” Shine had a youthful smile on his face at her question. There had been a time when all he had was his own weakness.

“Of course, compared to the master, I’ve still got a long way to go. I’m working hard now and will continue to do so. My goal is to catch up with him someday.”

“That’s great…”

Shine was truly ridiculous. His ability could make him a first-class warrior despite being only thirteen. His skills had begun to grow even faster now that he was training with Leo.

“Your master is a lot stronger than you?”

“Yes. In fact, he’s in a completely different league than me.”

“Even though he’s the same age as you. He leads other people…?”

“Yeah. Thanks to him, many people’s lives have changed…why?” Could it be that she was interested in Evan? From his point of view, he’d be grateful if this princess were more interested in Evan than him. In fact, that was why he talked about him so much, though he planned on keeping that a secret.

“Your master…can I meet him once?”

“Okay. I’ll be happy to introduce you.” Shine felt his plan was successful as he saw the twinkle in her eyes.

“Yes, then, tomorrow afternoon.”

“I will tell him.”

“Okay…”

This would allow him to send Evan her way. It was his moment of liberation from this heavy and burdensome mission. If he were caught, Belois would scold him. Anastasia seemed slightly upset, however.

“I feel bad for some reason at your reaction.”

“Yes? Did I do something wrong?”

“No, you didn’t…but it feels bad.”

Anastasia stared at him with a dissatisfied expression before reaching out to a slender finger to tap the teapot. Then, to his surprise, the teapot turned red as it heated up.

“Are you a wizard?”

Shine was taken aback at the steam now rising from the kettle. He was detecting a fair amount of mana; she must’ve been a talented wizard.

“Something like that…but that’s good enough for now. Shine, tell me more. You can talk to your master tomorrow, so now set him aside and tell me about yourself.”

“If you want to talk about me, you should ask my master.”

“You keep needlessly emphasizing that person.”

He’d been caught?! Cold sweat trickled down his back. Again, this woman was too similar to Evan. She looked straight through a person.

“But it’s cowardly to listen to you one-sidedly, so I’ll talk about myself this time.”

“Is that so…I will listen.”

“You don’t need to, I just want to talk.”

The two shared a slight smile before she continued.

“Did you know that I am the child of someone other than the successor of this estate?”

“…is it okay to tell me this?”

“It’s a story that everyone knows anyways…”

“If so…”

Shine was confused about why she was telling him this, but he had no choice but to listen quietly. The story lasted for a long, long time, and in the end, he had barely managed to get away by dawn.

She was completely in love with you.

“Wasn’t she just bored?”

Yeah, yes, you don’t know yet. She was clinging to you because she didn’t want you to go.

“Shine’s back! I don’t know what you’ve been up to, but great job!”

Evan, without hesitation, gave Shine a thumbs up after he returned to the room while conversing with the ghost.

After explaining, Shine was beaten up.