Precious Person

With the long battle on the uninhabited island finally behind us, I took advantage of the holiday to head out with Cynthia and Lilith for the first time in a while.

We traveled about two hours south of Nobless Academy, enduring the rhythmic jolts of a carriage until we reached Yurtua Town. Located right by the ocean, the town was packed with tourist spots and strange temples decked out in fish motifs. The seafood was famous enough that nobles supposedly trekked all the way here just for a meal. Talk about dedication to their stomachs.

"First things first: food. The local specialty is called Acqua Pazza. Apparently, it's pretty popular," I said.

"I love Samon, so I am quite looking forward to it!" Lilith chirped.

"I like everything, so I’ll leave the choice to you!" Cynthia added.

I hopped down from the carriage first and offered my hands to the girls, since the step was a bit steep. Lilith seemed hesitant—probably overthinking her status again—but acting like a gentleman is just part of the job description.

Today is supposed to be for relaxation, but I actually have a secret mission.

Cynthia and I shared a knowing glance.

First, we hit a restaurant I’d scouted out earlier. It was reasonably crowded, but the interior was classy—all "new wood" smells and fish-themed paintings. I ordered a few of the local favorites and reviewed the plan in my head.

“Alright, first I’ll take Lilith and draw her away. You use that time to look around.” “Got it. Then I’ll swap with you. Cynthia, you go find something good while I’ve got her.”

We were here to buy a thank-you gift for Lilith. She’s always supporting us from the shadows, after all. Even though she and Cynthia are roommates, she doesn’t just leave everything to the Academy staff; she folds clothes, does the laundry, and even prepares breakfast on her days off. For me, she’s a lifesaver—taking notes on things I missed during lessons, summarizing exam questions because she knows I’m hopeless at history, and even delivering meals to me when I’m grinding in the Training Room late at night.

Beyond that, Lilith is the one who keeps me on track with Academy business and makes sure I'm where I need to be on time. She always gets down on herself when her own exams don't go perfectly, but to us, those trivial things don't matter. Just having her around, always admiring us and keeping things bright, is all the emotional support I need.

Plus, she’d been depressed ever since the uninhabited island. Losing to Duke hurt, but I think she mostly regretted being the only one unable to participate in the Sword-Magic Cup. That was exactly why we’d planned this surprise—to cheer her up.

That said, I felt a bit bad about the idea of just the two of us going off, so we decided to take turns sneaking away to buy our respective gifts.

After lunch, we did some sightseeing. In a place like this, you get tourists from every corner of the world. The problem with tourist traps is that they try to be as "open" as possible, which means the security checkpoints get incredibly lax. I’d already spotted several shady-looking characters lingering about; nobles like us have to keep our guards up. Well, honestly, even if a hundred of them jumped us, it wouldn't be a problem.

"Well then, I’m going to go look at some clothes with Lilith for a bit," Cynthia announced.

"Yeah, I have something I want to check out too, so I'll head off," I said.

"Is that okay? Weiss-sama, well then, see you later!"

Once we'd seen the main sights, we split into two groups as planned. Walking through a town alone for the first time in ages felt... strange. Sometimes, in the middle of the hustle and bustle, I have these moments where I suddenly come to my senses.

Who am I, really?

Nobless Academy, a place where I don't have to dwell on those thoughts, might actually be becoming a comfortable home for me.

"Hmm, so this is the popular one."

I hit a few shops before finally purchasing a trendy accessory unique to Yurtua Town. It was a necklace—a transparent glass-like candy craft with swirling blue patterns inside. I didn't really know what it was, but I knew at a glance that it was beautiful. I bought a nice handkerchief to go with it and had them wrapped up.

Shortly after we reunited, it was Cynthia's turn.

"Lilith, I want to check out a magic shop. Come with me."

"Yes! Oh, where is Cynthia-san?"

"She's a little tired, so she's going to grab us some drinks. She'll join us later."

Cynthia looked even more anxious about leaving Lilith alone with me than I had been with her, but I knew she’d be fine.

Magic shops vary by country and town. You won't find anything that suddenly lets you cast high-level spells just by buying it; most of the inventory is specialized for daily life. High-combustion fire tags, water-purifying tags, things like that. They had staves, too. There was a blue one for water-attribute users that looked particularly vivid and sharp.

As we stepped out of the shop, I heard a commotion. I met Lilith's eyes, and we moved toward the noise. A group of massive men was making a scene. There was a splat of melted ice cream on the ground, and standing before it was a small boy.

It was a cliché, easy-to-understand situation.

"Hey, kid! What do you think you're doing?"

"Sob... hic... Mommy! Waaaaah!"

A lost child, probably. The boy was wailing. A crowd had gathered, but everyone seemed too intimidated to help.

"Hey, are you listening—Huh? Who the hell are you?"

"You've got a massive frame," I said, stepping forward, "but it's a shame your brain didn't grow along with it. You're acting like a brat."

There were about five of them, and every single one was at least two meters tall. Good grief, what do these guys eat to get that big?

"You... you looking to die?"

"Weiss-sama!"

Lilith suddenly stepped out in front of me. At the sound of her voice, the men recoiled slightly. It wasn't just her tone; it was the fact that a girl her age was using the "-sama" honorific.

These kinds of thugs are surprisingly quick to catch on. They realized immediately that I was a noble. Strong against the weak, but fawning over the powerful—that's the defining trait of their kind.

"Hmph. Just a bunch of kids."

They put on a pathetic show of bravado before scurrying off. Dealing with nobility is a pain, and it seemed they at least understood that much. Well, that's enough excitement for today.

"Waaaaaaaah!"

"Stop crying," I told the kid. "Crying won't bring the ice cream back. But if you stop, I'll buy you a new one."

"...Really?"

"Yeah. In exchange, you have to get strong. Don't let people look down on you."

"...O-Okay!"

Just then, a woman who looked like his mother appeared. I thought about giving her a lecture on watching her kid, but seeing her drenched in sweat and looking panicked, I lost the heart for it.

"Oh! Thank you so much! Thank you!"

"Just be careful."

Lilith had already woven through the crowd and returned with a fresh ice cream. Talk about fast. She crouched down, handed it over, and gave the kid a bright smile.

"See you later."

"Yeah! Thank you!"

We met back up with Cynthia after that, but I realized we'd burned through more time than I'd intended. Tomorrow was still a holiday, so on a whim, I decided we should stay the night. Unfortunately, the high-end hotels were all booked up. We managed to get private rooms, but it was a strictly mid-grade inn.

"I do not mind at all," Cynthia said.

"Of course, neither do I!" Lilith added.

"Alright. Then we'll stay one night and head back in the morning."

We checked in, and that night—I finally handed over the present.

"Lilith."

"Eh? E-Eh? Wha—?! T-This is...?"

"Just a thanks for everything you do."

Lilith stared at the necklace in shock. Then, the tears started falling.

"Whoa, hey... what's wrong?"

"N-No, I'm just so happy... I, well... I feel like I haven't been of much use lately—"

"Don't say that. I'm grateful for you."

In any world, people you can actually trust are a rare breed. I want to treasure Lilith. Of course, when we're at the Academy, I won't hold back on her. But regardless of that, I respect her as a person.

Strangely enough, Cynthia looked absolutely floored. Wait, why? We planned this together...

"Cynthia? What is it?"

"Umm, well... you won't believe this..."

She pulled out her own gift. It was the exact same necklace. The wrapping was different, but the jewelry was identical. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Thank you so much, Cynthia-san!"

Lilith didn't seem to care about the duplicate at all; she was overjoyed.

"Cynthia-san, if it's alright, would you like to make them a matching set?"

"But, this was meant for—"

"I would be much happier that way! Right, Weiss-sama? Is that okay?"

"Of course."

The two of them helped each other put the necklaces on. They actually suited them perfectly.

"Ehehe, thank you so much."

"I am always grateful to you, Lilith."

To Cynthia, Lilith is an irreplaceable comrade and a best friend. Watching the two of them was genuinely heartwarming.

"Now then, we should probably get some sleep."

"You're right. Let's all sleep in the same bed!"

"I agree!"

"That's definitely going to be too cramped..."

---

Later that night, I woke up in the dark. I’d sensed a flicker of malice.

But in that same instant, I heard the soft click of the door closing.

Ah... my bad.

I offered a silent thanks to Lilith and drifted back to sleep.

---

Downstairs in the common area of the adventurer’s inn, the oversized thugs from earlier were huddling together.

"Those brats are staying here, right?"

"Yeah. Getting all high and mighty... We'll strip 'em of every last coin they've got. They're leaving town tomorrow anyway."

"Heh. That'll teach 'em to look down on—Gwa-agh?!"

The men never noticed the shadow approaching silently from behind. One by one, they were knocked unconscious without a sound. No one even saw the figure; the only sounds were muffled thuds and stifled gasps.

When only the leader remained, he felt the cold edge of a knife pressed against his carotid artery. Lilith stood behind him.

"Since it seems you didn't actually intend to kill anyone, I'll leave it at this for tonight. But if you try to plot anything further, you won't leave with your lives. If you understand... then vanish. Before the sun comes up."

"...Y-Yes, ma'am..."

Lilith never lets her guard down when she is with Weiss and Cynthia. No matter how exhausted she is, she never sleeps soundly. And Weiss knows that. That is exactly why Weiss is able to truly relax his mind only when Lilith is nearby.

"—And here I just wanted to bask in my happiness today," she whispered, her fingers drifting to the necklace.

That night, Lilith didn't sleep for a single second.

The next morning, inside the carriage on the way home, Lilith was fast asleep.

"Oh dear, perhaps she didn't sleep well last night?" Cynthia asked softly.

"...Yeah. Don't wake her, Cynthia."

"Yes, of course. Sleep well, Lilith."

Cynthia gently draped her own cloak over the girl. I watched them, knowing that Lilith, too, was feeling a peace she had never known before—simply because I was by her side.