{"id":4854,"date":"2021-07-17T11:47:44","date_gmt":"2021-07-17T15:47:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/perpetualdaydreams.com\/?p=4854"},"modified":"2021-07-17T11:47:44","modified_gmt":"2021-07-17T15:47:44","slug":"nhad-34-1","status":"publish","type":"novel-tl","link":"https:\/\/perpetualdaydreams.com\/novel\/nhad\/nhad-34-1\/","title":{"rendered":"NHAD Ch 34.1 – The Second Blonde and the Person with Dawn-colored Hair"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/p>\n
translator: mii<\/p>\n
editor: sleepchaser, ASplashofMusic<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The weather’s nice today. There aren’t any clouds.<\/span><\/p>\n
The snowy gray clouds that have been showering the village with continuous snowfall appear to have passed while I was asleep. All that remains of the previous constant snowfall are the white specks on the ground.<\/span><\/p>\n
Just like usual, I visit the church. At the moment, I\u2019m standing right in front of the church’s large front doors.<\/span><\/p>\n
I casually straighten my coat’s\u00a0 collar, the fabric on my torso, and down to my sleeves. Then I fix my muffler, feeling like it moved slightly out of place on my shoulders. Afterward, noticing some curls of hair weirdly sticking out a bit, I use my fingers to gently pull them down.<\/span><\/p>\n
Finally, I take a deep breath. And exhale.<\/span><\/p>\n
Alright. No problems with how I look anymore. I think.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
I firmly squeeze the handle of my favorite leather bag, which I\u2019m carrying in my left hand, before placing my right hand on the handle of the door.<\/span><\/p>\n
…But before I open the door, I take another deep breath and slowly exhale.<\/span><\/p>\n
Hey, why are you chickening out after coming this far, me? Just do it! Good grief!<\/span><\/p>\n
I\u2019ve already made my mental preparations, right?! I’ve done a lot of simulations in my head on the possible flow of questions and reactions I’ll receive. I’ve practiced my answers to all those questions too.<\/span><\/p>\n
It should be fine. My preparations are flawless. I\u2019m not going to be fooled. No matter what questions they ask me, I’m sure I can reply to all of them without getting upset. I’ll be okay.<\/span><\/p>\n
If they ask about what happened yesterday, I just have to answer them in a smooth manner. Act like it\u2019s no big deal.<\/span><\/p>\n
That\u2019s right. Be smooth. If Efa and the knight ask me, \u201cAre you and Alfred lovers?\u201d later on, I will just proudly answer without any hesitation, \u201cYes, that\u2019s right.\u201d Then I’ll let the conversation continue and move on…<\/span><\/p>\n
I rest my forehead against the door and look at the ground. I want to crouch down too, but I manage to stop myself.<\/span><\/p>\n
Ugghhhhh…<\/span><\/p>\n
What is this\u2026 This is so embarrassing that I just want to escape before that dreaded scenario even happens!! For real!!!<\/span><\/p>\n
Someone, please help me!!<\/span><\/p>\n
No, no. Don\u2019t say something so shameful, me. I can\u2019t run away.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
Face it head on! I\u2019m a man, aren\u2019t I?! Hang in there!<\/span><\/p>\n
I can endure it. I can. I just have to pretend it\u2019s not a big deal. Just have to respond in a suave manner in one go! I’ve already decided to do my best so that I won\u2019t lose to the heroine Efa! The first blow is crucial! Must go for it!<\/span><\/p>\n
Okay, I’m good now.<\/span><\/p>\n
As long as I stay calm, I can do anything. Once I lose my cool, I’ll have already lost. I need to act normally. Let everything pass by normally.<\/span><\/p>\n
Read this at perpetualdaydreams.com<\/span><\/p>\n
Up until now, that’s what I\u2019ve always done in order to overcome dangerous events. That\u2019s why, I have to be confident in myself. Be confident that everything will be fine. All my hard work and suffering definitely won\u2019t go to waste.<\/span><\/p>\n
Also, I\u2026 I want to ask that knight about his reasons for coming here this early. I need to ask.<\/span><\/p>\n
For that reason, I must enter this door.<\/span><\/p>\n
This situation is strange no matter how I look at it. The knight shouldn\u2019t be here right now. Probably\u2026 No,\u00a0 the goddess is definitely involved in this.<\/span><\/p>\n
Also…<\/span><\/p>\n
Last time, the Goddess flew away after saying a very strange line in the midst of tears\u2026 Just what did she say to the knight to make him come to this place?<\/span><\/p>\n
I\u2019m really curious.<\/span><\/p>\n
If she asked him to help me, then that will be huge. I\u2019ll be grateful for it. Having more friends makes me more reassured too. That\u2019s why I have to talk to him as soon as I can. I have to discuss the current situation and my future plans with him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
However\u2026\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
Is that really the case? Is that all? I don\u2019t know.<\/span><\/p>\n
For some reason, I feel gloomy. There are so many things that I don\u2019t know, and yet things feel too calm.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
I think it\u2019ll be faster to ask the person directly rather than pondering about it and driving myself mad with worry like this. Once I do that, this irritating feeling plaguing my stomach and my head will finally disappear.<\/span><\/p>\n
This morning, after Alfred sent me back to the mansion, I sat down at my desk to get to work. But as I face the pile of paperwork that I need to go through for today, my curiosity continues to bug me. Unable to finish any of my paperwork because of it, I decide that I have to come to the church and get my answers no matter what.<\/span><\/p>\n
Even though <\/span>yesterday\u2019s matter <\/span><\/i>is still fresh in their memory!<\/span><\/p>\n
I once again breathe in and out to calm myself down.<\/span><\/p>\n
Then I gather my courage. Put my strength into the hand that is on the door handle. And quietly pull the door open, making sure that I don\u2019t make a sound.<\/span><\/p>\n
I lean forward and peek inside through the small gap between the door, my eyes making a quick scan of the church\u2019s interior.<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201c…Huh?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
There\u2019s no one there.<\/span><\/p>\n
Relieved, I pat my chest. This time, I open the door wide and step into the church. But it was then that…<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cAh! A visitor\u2026 Is it Lian-sama?\u201d says a girl in a spirited tone from behind me.<\/span><\/p>\n
I jump up in surprise. \u201cH-huhhh?!\u201d Then timidly, I look back.<\/span><\/p>\n
There, I see a slender and petite blonde with a broom and a dustpan in her hands. She has a grin on her face, and her beautiful blue-sky eyes are squinted.<\/span><\/p>\n
Her cheeks and nose are somewhat rosy, probably because of the cold. They’re still not as rosy as Marie\u2019s cheeks too.<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cAh, it\u2019s really Lian-sama! Good afternoon! The weather is very nice today. It\u2019s like yesterday\u2019s weather is just a lie!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cR-right\u2026 Good morning, Efa-sama.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cMy, just call me Efa, Lian-sama! I don\u2019t mind at all!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cNo, that\u2019s\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s fine! After all, I\u2019m just an apprentice. I still have a lot of things I don\u2019t know yet! I don\u2019t have any title or position that warrants calling me with that honorific!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
Then she runs forward until she’s right in front of me and angles her face up at me with a big smile. I smile back, even though I’m sweating inside.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cSo please call me Efa, Lian-sama!\u201d she continues.<\/span><\/p>\n
Even if she says that\u2026 Is it really okay? She\u2019s the future Holy Maiden. Not using honorifics when addressing such a person\u2026 Well, technically she\u2019s not the Holy Maiden yet. But regardless, I’ll feel awkward if I’m the only one addressing her without honorifics.<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cIf you insist. Why don\u2019t you call me Lian too?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cH-huhh?!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cWe’re in the same positions after all.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cHuh? T-the same\u2026?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cYeah.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
Efa tilts her head, confusion evident on her face.<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cAs the lord\u2019s assistant, I\u2019m also an apprentice.’\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
When I say that, Efa widens her eyes before bursting into laughter. \u201cLian-sama is also an apprentice?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cYes, I\u2019m an apprentice.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
My reply seems to gladden Efa. Her cheeks flush an even deeper red.<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cSo that\u2019s it!\u201d she exclaims.<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s right. So you can just call me Lian too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
But she waves her hands in panic. \u201cNo, I can\u2019t do that! Because\u2026 Lian-sama is Lian-sama!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cWha\u2026?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
Why? I don\u2019t understand her reason.<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Lian-sama is one year older than me, right? So you\u2019re an older brother! Marie told me that. That\u2019s why I\u2019m going to add sama!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s only a one-year age gap. Besides, we\u2019re both apprentices. Our positions aren\u2019t that different.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cNo, it\u2019s different! Very different!\u201d As if feeling troubled, Efa flails her arms in all directions , causing a third of the fallen leaves in the dustpan to scatter all over the ground.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
She tries to stop me when I try to pick the leaves up, but I pay her no mind and continue to help her tidy the mess up. Doing it together is faster after all. Besides, moving around distracts me from my worries.<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cI-I\u2019m sorry\u2026 Thank you very much…\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cNo, don\u2019t mind it. It must be hard to sweep in this cold weather, right?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not a big deal! Although I look like this, I\u2019m strong with cold weather!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cIs that so?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cThat’s right!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
She flashes me an honest smile, transmitting her happiness and enjoyment. Lovely tinkling laughter also leaves her lips.<\/span><\/p>\n
Affected by her joy, I smile and laugh with her.<\/span><\/p>\n
As we laugh together, the tension that has been plaguing me for quite some time gradually disappears.<\/span><\/p>\n
Ah, this conversation is completely different from any of the simulations I\u2019ve done. In contrast, this conversation is very natural. Normal.<\/span><\/p>\n
It seems I prepared myself too much. Too caught up on what to do if she asked me about yesterday, I grew nervous and worried. And yet, it doesn\u2019t seem like she\u2019s going to ask me about that at all.<\/span><\/p>\n
Well, it\u2019s a very private topic, and we just met yesterday. She’s probably avoiding that topic out of consideration for my feelings.<\/span><\/p>\n
This thought causes me to recall something else.<\/span><\/p>\n
This Efa, as well as the Efa I know from the game, is very sensitive to other people\u2019s emotions. Because she often goes out of her way to take other people’s feelings into consideration, she’s able to snuggle into people\u2019s hearts, making it hard to keep distance from her.<\/span><\/p>\n
Such a girl won\u2019t snoop on others\u2019 privacy. Yeah, that’s right.<\/span><\/p>\n
After reaching that conclusion and gaining a new perspective on this situation, I feel myself grow more and more relaxed, causing my shoulders to also droop. Afterward, I heave a sigh.<\/span><\/p>\n\n
<\/p>\n
In case it’s not clear, the “second blonde” is the Holy Maiden and the “person with the dawn-colored hair” is the knight Schwede.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/perpetualdaydreams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/ko-fi-button.png?resize=182%2C82&ssl=1\")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/perpetualdaydreams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/3461BC86-5F5E-43C4-AF29-D47D44B03E67.png?resize=182%2C82&ssl=1\")
<\/a>