Emilia approached the window, cautiously peering out with half of her head, only to discover that it was a squirrel in the backyard that had broken a branch.
“Coo~”
The squirrel called out to Emilia once before scampering away.
— (So it was a squirrel… That gave me quite a start.)
Perhaps it was the residual unease from her encounter yesterday with Keven, the son of the mayor, that made Emilia somewhat jumpy.
She returned to the main hall, took a sip of water, and felt a great deal of her anxiety dissipate. Concerning her situation with Banning, Emilia had come to a conclusion in her heart.
Emilia currently harbored an immeasurable hope that she was the one in the wrong.
She would seek out Banning first thing tomorrow morning to clear the air, and then, no matter how angry Banning might be, how much he might chastise her, she would sincerely apologize and admit her mistake.
Emilia had even come to believe that she surely must be the one in error.
Because, the Banning that Emilia knew, would never do something so outrageous.
With her emotions relaxed, Emilia felt both tired and sleepy.
She stood up and stretched, only to realize she was still wearing her outdoor shoes. She decided to go outside and change into her indoor shoes.
But the moment she opened the door, Emilia was taken aback to find Banning standing right at her doorstep, with a pensive expression.
Emilia: “Uh…”
Tyler: “Ah…”
Their eyes met briefly before quickly darting away, then they both simultaneously looked down at their shoes.
At that moment, Emilia wondered if Banning had been unable to let go and had come over expressly because of this?
But it was already past midnight, could he have been standing outside her house for most of the night?
As for “Banning”, he wasn’t thinking of anything, he was merely reading Emilia’s heart.
·
Tyler had actually only just arrived ten minutes ago, his purpose for visiting Emilia’s house was to patrol and see if there were any suspicious individuals.
Fortunately, so far, it seemed Emilia’s home hadn’t been targeted.
“Lord Banning, why are you here?”
Faced with Emilia’s question, Tyler glanced at the sky. It was still not light, so the excuse of “couldn’t sleep so I came out for a walk” didn’t seem appropriate.
So, he decided to be blunt.
“I was worried about you, so I came over to check.”
At his words, Emilia’s face turned a sudden bright red.
Seeing her reaction, Tyler could guess that Emilia had probably “forgiven” him.
However, Tyler still didn’t understand why his words had caused such a strong reaction in Emilia.
Was “defeating the Singular Demon God – The Unutterable Name” really such an outrageous thing?
“Let’s… Let’s go inside and talk?”
“Okay.”
Emilia didn’t want others to see a man standing at her doorstep in the middle of the night, fearing it might give rise to unsavory rumors.
Tyler, too, didn’t want others to see the intimate relationship between him and Emilia, as it could potentially endanger Emilia’s safety.
Therefore, with a mutual understanding, a few minutes later, Tyler was sitting in the living room, cradling a cup in his hands.
Upon Tyler’s seating, Emilia silently strode to his presence, then ceremoniously knelt before him, bowing deeply in a display of genuine contrition. 𝔬𝗏𝓵𝒩𝐞xt.𝔠𝓞𝑀
“Lord Banning,” she began, her voice quavering with remorse, “I am here to tender my apologies. This eve at the Cat Girl Restaurant, I unthinkingly presumed you were making light of my feelings, thinking you held no respect for me. Consequently, I uttered words I ought not to, and reacted excessively. I extend my deepest regrets for my unjust conduct, and I earnestly implore your forgiveness.”
After her apology, Emilia continued to bow her head, awaiting Banning’s response.
Tyler was mildly startled by Emilia’s dramatic apology.
After a moment’s hesitation, he quickly stepped forward and helped her up.
“What are you doing, Emilia?” He asked with a wry smile.
“I’ve acted egregiously towards you, a formal apology is absolutely necessary,” she replied, her gaze still averted.
“What egregious act?”
“You earnestly shared your mission with me, and I dismissed your seriousness as jest.”
Only at this point did Emilia lift her head, meeting Banning’s eyes squarely as she asked the question that had plagued her all evening.
“Lord Banning, is it true that you are sincerely committed to the mission of defeating the ‘Singular Demon God – The Unutterable Name’?”
Banning didn’t avoid her gaze.
He looked at Emilia squarely and responded: “Yes, I am serious.”
·
Hearing Banning’s heartfelt admission brought Emilia a sense of relief.
Banning did not dislike her; he simply had to complete a mission that was hard for ordinary people to comprehend.
Emilia felt she could accept this outcome.
Just as she was about to kneel and apologize again, Banning firmly stopped her, finally making her relent.
“Emilia, defeating the ‘Singular Demon God’ is a pipe dream. It’s only natural that you thought I was joking,” he said, even offering excuses for her. He just wanted her to stop apologizing.
“I accept your apology, I forgive you. Moreover, I was never really angry. Can we consider this matter closed?”
Banning gently ruffled Emilia’s hair, a brotherly gesture of affection and comfort.
“Thank you, Lord Banning…”
Emilia, hearing Banning’s gentle words, felt her entire body turn into jelly.
Had it not been for the last shred of her rationality, she might have collapsed into Banning’s arms.
—(I had spoken such harsh words, abandoned him, and he didn’t hold it against me.)
—(Moreover, he even took the initiative to come find me, and stood guard for me throughout the summer night filled with mosquitoes.)
—(Such an incredible man… if I let him go, I’ll never find anyone like him again…)
Emilia silently admired Banning’s kindness. However, she was still puzzled about why Banning would shoulder such an absurd mission as “defeating the Singular Demon God.”
“Lord Banning, I have a question I wish to ask you…”
Emilia voiced her confusion, and Banning’s reply was that he had been cursed by the gods at birth. He had to defeat the “Singular Demon God – The Unutterable Name”. Otherwise, if he accepted a confession from the opposite sex, both he and his loved one would immediately die.
“A god? A curse? How can there be such a curse…?”
Emilia thought the mission was absurd enough, but the reason behind the mission was even more ridiculous.
Was this god just playing a prank?
Why would he curse Banning with such a nonsensical curse?
“That’s really strange, isn’t it?”
This time, Emilia chose to believe Banning. She would not make the same mistake again.
“Yes, it’s quite helpless, but that’s the reality.”
Banning replied with a wry smile, his expression devoid of any deceit.
Emilia stared at Banning, pondered for a moment, and then proposed a “expert” understanding and solution to Banning’s situation.
“Lord Banning, what do you think about this… that is… you can ostensibly reject my confession, but we can proceed together, just… just like a… a couple…! I will also lend you my strength in the mission to ‘defeat the Singular Demon God’!”