Ch.10.Disturbance and Annoyance
“Excuse me, Phil-sama… The number of people visiting the mansion is huge, is there anything we can do about it?”
After finishing his lunch, Phil received a complaint from the mansion’s staff, who were scared at the time, about something.
“Hey, I don’t think it is my fault, but what do you think about this problem?”
Phil sat on a bench in the garden after finishing a certain amount of work and asked his companion, Kahlua, who sat next to him.
A pleasant breeze brushed his cheeks, and he could hear the chirping of small birds and the voices of some villagers saying “It’s the hero of the shadows!” that could only be heard in the countryside.
He wanted to believe that the unnecessary factors mixed in with the peaceful afternoon were just his imagination.
“Isn’t it Phil-sama’s fault for going to a brothel?”
“So, you have no excuses, is that right?”
Karua, who was sitting next to him, replied coldly.
The maid sitting elegantly while holding back her flowing red hair was truly like a painting.
“Rather than that, I can’t believe the residents are making such a fuss to the point of filing complaints. I wonder if there are still other people besides the villagers making noise over there.”
“Yes, that’s right. According to what I’ve heard, there are also people who push their way into the mansion, in addition to the villagers who peek over the fence.”
“Am I some kind of idol? Are there suddenly too many new fans?”
“The security personnel were in tears, you know?
They were saying, ‘When will this ever end?’
It’s no wonder there’s dissatisfaction when they try to control the villagers but their numbers keep growing. Maybe we should raise their pay?”
“I’ll try to consider that positively…”
Phil looks up at the sky.
Despite the pleasant breeze that should bring peace to his mind, the noise makes him feel depressed
“Isn’t it strange to begin with? The fact that I am the ‘Shadow Hero’ should be nothing but a rumor full of uncertain elements, yet it has become so popular.”
Phil’s status as the “Shadow Hero” was not publicly announced; it was just something he accidentally let slip to one person.
Admittedly, there were black clothes and masks hanging in the garden that could be seen through the fence. But unless someone was actually rescued by the Shadow Hero, they wouldn’t know that those items belonged to him.
Furthermore, not everyone who was rescued saw the Shadow Hero’s appearance.
Despite the scandal-like buzz surrounding him, the appearance of the “Shadow Hero” known to the people is still just a rumor. It’s uncertain and yet the commotion continues to grow day by day, as if people are gathering with a certain conviction.
All of this gives Phil a sense of unease, as he wonders why there is such a fuss when the identity of the “Shadow Hero” is still unknown and just hearsay.
“Ara, didn’t you know?”
“What is that disturbing gesture!?”
“Saint-sama has just arrived, you know?”
Kahlua glanced at Millis who was sitting on the opposite side.
「Me,you say?」
“The saint, who had no plans for disaster or pilgrimage, just happened to come to see Phil, which made it very credible.”
“I see, so it was a dilemma from the moment of her visit…! “
「What do you mean by ‘a dilemma’ at the time of my visit?」
Milis, who doesn’t know why Phil doesn’t want to be known, tilts her head.
However, there was no way he could have said, “Because it’s a situation where I can’t go to the brothel!!!”
“Furthermore”
“Furthermore!? Are you saying there’s another factor that could push me further into this? Come on, stop it… Who takes pleasure in bullying a helpless child like me? Such fun should be reserved for those who truly desire it!”
“It seems like someone who visited the mansion is spreading the word around town.”
Upon hearing those words, something in Phil’s mind sparked.
And then, it turned into a question.
Today… isn’t there someone who was supposed to be here but isn’t?
“…Milis-sama”
「Yes, what is it?」
“…Where are the knights who were supposed to be your escorts?”
Yes, they are the escort knights who came with the saint to protect her.
Normally, they are the ones who must work together with the saint, Milis, and protect her from whatever comes her way.
These people had not been seen until this very moment.
The Saint is here! Right here! And yet!!!
「Knights belonging to the church are people who believe in the same “Goddess” as we do. Therefore, they each have a responsibility to spread Aristoism.」
“I see, I see.”
“Hmmmm”
「Since I took the trouble to travel to a faraway place, I think I will probably be doing missionary work at this time!」
“Eh, what about the escorts?”
“They must have decided that it would be fine as long as the ‘Hero of Shadows’ was here! I’m okay with that too!”
“Hey, they just got attacked the other day and they’re not doing their job. I’m doing my job, too….Okay, let’s give them a good scolding.”
“Don’t get mad at them for blowing the whistle. Come on, sit down, sit down.”
Kahlua clenches her fists and glares at Phil as he tries to stand up.
After all, it seems that the escort knights are responsible for the rumors.
Certainly, if it is from someone who has actually seen it with their own eyes, it would be enough to bolster their credibility.
And, moreover, knights belonging to the church rarely tell lies.
“Isn’t it impossible to deceive people using Milis-sama anymore? The story has already spread this far. We can’t do anything about it. I’ve been holding back and staying indoors, missing the chance to meet those lovely Onee-chan who say ‘ufufu♡’. It’s all for nothing.”
“It is meaningless”
“Hey, if you knew about this, why didn’t you stop me earlier when I asked for your help in covering it up? You had a look on your face like you understood and agreed, right?”
“I was annoyed by your lovey-dovey attitude, so I thought I’d tease you a little, Phil.”
“Are you even a maid?”
With a big sigh, Phil let out his frustration.
Seeing this, Milis didn’t quite understand what was going on, but she comforted him by gently stroking his head.
Little did she know that she was the cause of his frustration.
「Um… do you not want to be known as the ‘Shadow Hero,’ Phil-sama?」
“One can easily figure it out just by looking at me”
「Why is that? It’s not a bad thing, you’re doing something to be praised for… wouldn’t it be okay not to hide it?」
“…There are various reasons.”
While being stroked, Phil looks up into the distance.
What is it that lies beyond the distant gaze?
The scene that Phil sees in the distance is far from being as colorful and free as the one he desires.
「Um… Could it be that I have been causing trouble…?」
Milis asks with an anxious and guilty expression, timidly seeking confirmation.
Indeed, suddenly appearing and adding credibility to the rumors, exposing oneself to danger, and causing subordinates to spread the word, it was clear that Phil had been engaging in a parade of troublesome behavior.
Even if the person didn’t have any malicious intent, it wouldn’t be strange to blame them for their actions. However…
“Don’t worry about it. Well, it would be a lie to say it’s not a nuisance… but I can tell you didn’t mean any harm. I can’t blame someone like that.”
There are plenty of people in the world who have ill intentions and spread harm. Because Phil has seen such people, he couldn’t bring himself to blame someone who had no ill intentions.
Phil began to stroke Milis’s head in a comforting manner to put her at ease.
「Thank you… As expected, you are very kind.」
“Possuri,” Millis murmurs, her cheeks slightly blushing.
Unfortunately, those words didn’t reach him.
“Well then! As an apology, if there’s anything I can do, I’ll do it! If it’s for the sake of Phil-sama, I’ll even strip off one or two layers!”
“Hmm…then, slowly take off one layer from the top…”
“What are you trying to make the Saint do?”
“Fu, oh, oh, my f-face is throbbing aaaaaaaa!!!”
Phil screams as he is hit by Kahlua’s iron fist from the side, as if they were performing a “Tsukkomi”(1) . The sound of “paki paki ♡” has been indicating the effect on the man’s body since earlier. Milis is bewildered, exclaiming「Awawawa~desu!」 at the sudden violence.
“By the way, Phil, what are you planning to do about this?”
Kahlua, who had been doing the act of “Tsukkomi” for a while, took out a piece of letterhead from her pocket.
Holding his temples with teary eyes, Phil took a glance at the letterhead.
The letterhead had the royal family’s coat of arms on it.
“Let’s just ignore it.”
“Are you sure? Ignoring a letter from the royal family might make things worse for us.”
“We’ll just say ‘We are busy entertaining the Holy Saint’’ when the time comes. The royal family won’t be able to disrespect the saintess, after all. Who on earth wants to stick their neck into visible trouble anyway?”
Maybe…No, it’s guaranteed that the letter’s content is probably an order to visit the castle. Being summoned by the royal family is like a ticket that opens the way to becoming a chess piece in politics.
For Phil, who idealizes freedom, there is nothing good about it.
Especially considering the miserable situation caused by the visit of the saint.
“Anyway, let’s just ignore it. How about playing with Milis for a while? “
“Is that okay, Phil-sama? That seems like an important matter.”
“It’s okay. For me right now, Milis-sama is more important.”
「—!?」
While it’s true that he hates troublesome matters, he can’t just leave the saintess who had just been attacked. He pretends to be interested in her for a reason, but his concern for Millis is truly his sincere feeling. Otherwise, he would never have helped anyone before.
All of this is a result of Phil’s inherent kindness, which he himself understands. Therefore, Phil chooses to give up on the rumors and quietly play with Millis. And then───
「Ah…」
Being told straightforwardly that she was important, Milis blushed so hard that steam seemed to be coming out of her face.
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(1):Tsukkomi (突っ込み)is The act of pointing out that something is ridiculous or silly. Usually this is something another person (known as the “boke”) says or does. May involve violence towards the boke, such as hitting them on the head with a fan (esp. in anime) or slapping them on the forehead.
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