Chapter 5: Cartethyia's Request
"Hmm... could we add another order of the Green Branch Laurel Salad?"
"You really don't have any mercy on my wallet, do you?"
"Who told you to do that kind of thing earlier!"
After receiving a slap from Cartethyia for his perverted performance earlier, Aeron had brought the Blessed Maiden along to Margaret's restaurant to appease her.
Coincidentally, Phoebe was still locked in her battle against the evil, high-sugar, high-fat fried foods.
"Um... Mr. Aeron, who is this...?"
"Just an old acquaintance I haven't seen in a long time."
"But your priest robes..."
"I threw them away earlier when they got dirty."
Aeron casually brushed off his junior's question, still worrying about this month's expenses.
"So... Mr. Aeron, when you rushed out earlier..." Phoebe looked at Cartethyia sitting beside Aeron, her face full of curiosity.
This was the first time she had seen a girl with such unique presence in Ragunna City, and she appeared to be around the same age as herself.
"You might not believe it, but this is quite an important person, Phoebe."
"R-really?!"
Considering Phoebe had only recently joined the Order, it was normal she wouldn't recognize Cartethyia.
Since the last Carnevale, the Order had sealed away all matters related to the Blessed Maiden. Unless you were a veteran member, you wouldn't know about Cartethyia.
This was precisely why Aeron dared to bring Cartethyia openly to Margaret's restaurant. Most people in Ragunna had already forgotten about her, only knowing that there had once been a Blessed Maiden.
They would probably be quite surprised to learn the Blessed Maiden was like this.
Still, Aeron never imagined he'd have the chance to dine with these two beautiful girls one day. Life truly is an unpredictable stage of fate.
Of course, it would be even better if the Blessed Maiden beside him could tone down her staring a little.
"I never thought... you'd have such a junior (staring)."
"Don't say that—I'm actually quite reliable within the Order."
"Even though you were trying to touch my feet just now..."
When she heard this, Phoebe's hand holding the pizza froze mid-air. She then turned and fixed Aeron with an icy stare.
"Is that true, Mr. A-e-r-o-n?"
"Slander! Pure slander! Phoebe, think about it carefully—do I seem like the kind of person who would do such perverted things?"
"...Mr. Aeron, you really shouldn't do such things to girls casually, you know?"
"Your smiling like that actually hurts more, you realize?"
Only now did Aeron realize that his image in this junior's eyes might be somewhat problematic.
"I'm not a pervert—how could I possibly do such disrespectful things to the Blessed Maiden?"
"Haha... I thought so... Huh?"
While initially relieved by Aeron's response, Phoebe suddenly noticed something off about his words upon closer thought.
"B-Blessed Maiden?!"
Phoebe jumped in shock at Aeron's words, nearly leaping right out of her chair.
"Yep, the Blessed Maiden who martyred herself twenty years ago. Impressed by your senior's connections?"
Phoebe's eyes widened in disbelief as she looked back and forth between Cartethyia and Aeron, her voice trembling slightly.
"Mr. A-Aeron, but the Blessed Maiden has been gone for twenty years..."
"You'd have better luck believing in my ten-pull full chains than trusting those old fools from the Order."
"B-but... the Blessed Maiden... why..."
It was clear the situation was too much for Phoebe's worldview to handle. Her round little face was turning red from mental overload.
"No need to be so formal, Phoebe. There's nothing special about me now—I actually need your help."
"H-help?" Phoebe glanced at Cartethyia, then at Aeron who was pretending to drink water nearby, whispering: "Your Holiness... what do you need us to do?"
Cartethyia set down her fork, gently folding her hands on the table as her expression turned serious. The solemn dignity belonging to the Blessed Maiden unconsciously revealed itself.
"The reason I'm here is... my other half 'Fleurdelys' needs help."
Twenty years ago, to combat the erupting Dark Tide, the Blessed Maiden separated most of her power and that will seeking to end everything, which became "Fleurdelys," while the will to preserve became the "Cartethyia" before them now.
Fleurdelys imprisoned herself at the Dark Tide's eruption point "Avinoleum," continuously resisting the Resonance to prevent its power from fully erupting.
"The Dark Tide... has undergone some changes, its mental corrosion growing stronger... That's why I've come here."
As she spoke, Cartethyia looked at Aeron and Phoebe with guilt-filled eyes.
"I'm sorry, both of you. This isn't something you should have been dragged into."
"Th-that's not true at all! This concerns the fate of Rinascita—we have every reason to help! Right, Mr. Aeron?"
"Uh..."
Unlike the motivated Phoebe, Aeron beside her wore an expression of utter despair.
He wasn't surprised by Cartethyia's request.
Since it was Cartethyia and Phoebe asking, Aeron wouldn't refuse. Besides, this was a matter of stance.
If anything, such unexpected factors would disrupt his ordinary life anyway, so they naturally needed to be eliminated.
The problem was, he needed to develop until late game, Cartethyia currently had no combat ability—they couldn't possibly rely on Phoebe alone to push high ground, could they?
So they still needed to find help.
Hey, but was there such a thing as top-tier escort who hits hard, doesn't consume resources, and maintains full value?
There is, bro, there is.
Savior of Jinzhou, Black Shores leader, Tuner of Stars, Lord Arbiter, Gladiator Champion, Hero of Rinascita, top demon king protector Rover, 0-cost guarantee, always gets the job done.
Anyway, Cartethyia was also part of the main storyline Rover would eventually handle. So he just needed to gently push the story along.
The current problem was how to contact this escort.
But this didn't stump Aeron—he already had a plan forming in his mind. The only question was whether the two girls before him, especially Phoebe, had the determination to execute this plan properly.
So Aeron stood up from his seat, leaned close to Phoebe, and gently lifted her round face with one hand.
"Eh?! A-A-Aeron?! What are you—"
"Shh, keep your voice down."
Aeron lowered his voice, pressing a finger against her small lips. Phoebe could already feel her heart pounding wildly in her chest.
"T-this kind of thing... we can't do it here..."
What bothered her more was that Cartethyia was sitting nearby watching everything unfold, making her both embarrassed and inexplicably flustered.
As Aeron's face drew closer to hers, Phoebe's mind went completely blank. She could only nervously shut her eyes.
Unfortunately, that tiny flicker of anticipation vanished completely the moment she heard Aeron's words.
"Are you interested in being the Primus?"
"Wha?!"
Hearing Aeron's question, Phoebe jumped in surprise, her emotions shifting from shyness to panic.
"Mr. Aeron, you can't joke about such things in public! We're clergy of the Order!"
"Oh? But you've already noticed that the Fenrico is hiding something, haven't you?"
"Th-that's..."
Hearing this, Phoebe hesitated, unsure how to respond. But Aeron seemed quite satisfied.
Now it was time to execute his plan.
"Just kidding. Alright, that's enough for today. Phoebe, you should go back and calm down first. I still have some matters to discuss with Cartethyia."
After speaking, Aeron led both women away from the table. After Phoebe obediently said her goodbyes, only Cartethyia remained by his side.
"...So, what did you want to ask me?"
"Nothing really. Just needed an excuse to send her away first."
"Huh? Why?"
"Because what comes next isn't suitable for young audiences."