Emilia found herself at a loss, as the issue was now deflected onto her by Banning; a predicament indeed.
Yet, this was not enough to confound Emilia, who had served as the front desk of The Quest Guild for several years.
Thorny situations were not unfamiliar to her.
“I… I haven’t quite decided either, Lord Banning. If you don’t mind, I will accompany you. Whatever you choose to eat, I will do the same.”
All that can be said is that history holds a striking resemblance.
However, this time, the roles of both parties had been exchanged.
[Click paragraph comment for quotes from Chapter 116:Light at Night]
Given that Emilia had put it in such terms, Tyler found it difficult to refuse, thus reluctantly agreeing.
He grimaced inwardly, bearing the self-induced consequences.
“Otherwise, shall we dine at the Cat Girl’s Restaurant?” Tyler proposed.
“Mm, sure.”
Emilia accepted with pleasure.
For Tyler, visiting the Cat Girl’s Restaurant was a sound choice.
Should he encounter Granny Kasi again, Emilia could serve as an excellent “wingwoman”, prying out Granny Kasi’s past with just a few words, as she did the previous evening. Regrettably, Tyler’s plan fell through this time; Granny Kasi was not at the Cat Girl’s Restaurant that night.
As a result, the atmosphere between him and Emilia… bore resemblance to a young couple sharing an evening meal outside.
.
Tyler and Emilia sat face-to-face.
They ate, occasionally engaging in conversation.
Tyler constantly used his mind-reading ability to steer the conversation away from becoming too “stimulating”.
As long as he could persist until the end of the meal and then escort Emilia home, he would be “safe!” — Tyler thought thusly.
However, Emilia’s desire to strike was too strong. Just after they finished discussing the distribution of magic power in war blossoms, she unexpectedly posed a straightforward question to Banning.
“Lord Banning… There’s something… I’ve been meaning to ask you…”
Once Emilia started her offensive, Tyler couldn’t stop it. At this juncture, even fleeing for the rest room was too late.
“About that day, when I… I kissed you at the doorstep… What… what did you think?”
Emilia eventually asked this question.
At this moment, Tyler felt as if he had “accidentally bumped into the girl he secretly adored while helping his sister buy black stockings at the convenience store downstairs”.
THE END, of all things.
However, since Emilia had asked, Tyler had to respond.
Regardless, he had to take responsibility for intentionally attracting Emilia.
“Firstly, thank you for the kiss, I was delighted… Regarding this, Emilia, I have been meaning to ask for your thoughts too, but I was afraid of overthinking, so I have been hesitant to speak up….” Tyler began with a small preamble, then switched his defense to offense.
“Emilia, when you kissed my cheek that day, was it a social etiquette to say goodbye? Or does it mean… something else?”
It must be said, Tyler’s question accurately pinpointed the crux of their relationship: Emilia had not formally confessed yet.
Therefore, that kiss on the cheek that day was still an ambiguous one. Therefore, Tyler did not need to give an answer.
However, Tyler knew he hadn’t played this move well because once he said this, he was undoubtedly pushing Emilia toward confession.
“That… that is…”
Emilia stuttered, unable to articulate her words. She had thought that Banning would understand that her peck was meant to be a confession!
–(Banning, you HUUUUUGE blockhead! Who asks a girl like that!)
The blush on Emilia’s face spread to the back of her neck. The thought of confessing her feelings to Banning made her unable to meet his gaze!
But she was the one who broached the topic. If she evaded now, she would despise herself later.
–(We fox people are a passionate and fearless tribe~”)
“Do you know, Lord Banning.”
Emilia took a deep breath, ready to speak her mind.
“In our foxkin clan, apart from blood relatives, we only kiss the person we are willing to spend our lives with.”
When Emilia finished this sentence calmly, she was shocked by herself!
She didn’t expect she could say it so well! Not the slightest hiccup!
–(We fox people are indeed a passionate and fearless tribe!”)
.
The pressure now shifted towards Tyler.
Having expressed herself to such a degree, Emilia would find it exceedingly rude should Tyler feign ignorance.
“So it is, thank you for your affection, Emilia.”
Tyler cast a smile at Emilia, then lowered his gaze to the table, lapsing into contemplation before continuing.
“Emilia, I admire your erudition, your knowledge of magic. If possible, I would wish to discuss magic and warfare with you perpetually. However, I am not my own master at present. Until I fulfill the ‘mission’, I regret… I cannot make a commitment to you.”
Tyler had no choice. Since he had committed a wrong, he would have to see it through to its bitter end.
But the current situation was somewhat different from that with Avril.
In the letter, Tyler could unilaterally make such a declaration, but in person, Emilia had the opportunity to respond.
“Mission…?” Emilia asked, puzzled.
“Mm…”
Tyler nodded, feigning reluctance to discuss the nature of his mission.
However, Tyler underestimated Emilia’s affection for him.
“Can you tell me the content of the mission? I swear on my life, I will not reveal it.”
Emilia solemnly swore, catching Tyler off guard.
In such a situation, what should he do?
Should he fabricate an impossible mission? Or gently rebuff Emilia?
Tyler even considered lying, claiming the mission was cursed and could not be revealed to anyone else, or he would perish.
But after due consideration, Tyler decided to face it honestly. He did not want to betray Emilia’s feelings and sincerity.
Tyler cleared his throat, then whispered part of his ultimate mission.
“Emilia, my mission is to defeat the ‘Singular Demon God – The Unutterable Name’.”
Upon being candid, Tyler felt a great weight lift from his heart.
However, Emilia’s expression became somewhat ambiguous.
She wanted to laugh to cover up the awkwardness, but restrained herself, then looked at Tyler with a furrowed brow, a mix of confusion and sorrow.
Through his mind-reading ability, Tyler clearly saw Emilia’s inner thoughts at this moment:
–(Defeat the ‘Singular Demon God – The Unutterable Name’?)
–(How could such a thing be possible?)
–(Did Banning make up this lie because he couldn’t reject me outright?)
–(But… why tell such an obvious lie?)
–(Why… why make a mockery of me?)
For a moment, Emilia felt a sharp pain in her heart, as if countless forces were tearing her heart into pieces.
She had confessed to Banning with complete sincerity, yet he treated her feelings as a jest.
Emilia suppressed the pain in her heart, but the tears of sorrow could not be stopped from falling.𝔬𝗏𝓵𝒩𝐞xt.𝔠𝓞𝑀