Chapter 24: Chapter 22: A Feeling Not Well Understood

 After saying goodbye to his friends, Alum headed back to the diner they were supposed to meet up. 

He certainly wasn’t sure how to handle this situation, but… Ame had followed him and was now sitting beside him. 

Ame told him that she wanted to meet the party members and that she also wanted to thank them for taking care of him. 

Alum was sure they would tease him a bunch during the journey. 

And while he was drinking his sweetened coffee, a group of 4 came into the diner and headed to where he was. 

Turen was the first to see him and greeted him with a wide smile. 

“Oh, Alum, early, as usual, I see… huh?” 

Nuli, who was right behind him, was confused as to why her husband had stopped.

“Honey, why did you suddenly stop wal—huh?” 

Jua and Jan were behind the couple and didn’t understand why they were just standing in the way. 

“Hey… you guys are—huh?” 

“Jan not you too—waah!?” 

They, of course, were shocked and frozen in place when they saw Ame sit beside Alum. They knew the two were lovers, but they didn’t expect to meet the Saint face to face. 

Ame had a soft smile on her face and tugged his coat.

“Hehe~ you have funny comrades, Al.” 

Tilting his head, he looked back and forth between Ame and his comrades. 

“They… are?” 

With a soft smile on her face and her endearing gesture, all of them came to their senses and took a seat. 

“It is a pleasure to finally meet you, members of Night Ouen. My name is Amethely Ilis, but you can call me Ame.” 

(... Ame really has a switch, doesn't she? What did Ms. Keilyn call it? [Saint Mode Ame]?) 

Alum, who had rarely seen Ame like this, was a little surprised, but then again, most people saw her like this.

And from the perspective of Night Ouen, the person in front of them was shining brightly and was elegant, as the rumors say she is. 

“Nonono, we couldn't possibly call you that…. Ah! How rude of me! U-um, my name is Jua Edra! Saint Amethely, I’m a big fan of yours!” 

With her level of excitement, she had gathered a lot of eyes her way. They giggled and kept pretending not to overhear the conversation. 

“I see. I’m glad you think so highly of me, but I’m a part of humanity too, so… you don’t have to be so polite.” 

Ame tilted her head slightly to the side and gave them all a warm, gentle smile. 

“An angel…. No, wait, then… Miss Amethely?” 

Jua felt nervous as she said the Saints name, but it did make her happy to be able to talk in person with her. Then again, why are her party members so quiet? 

“*Ahem, you guys should introduce yourself too,” Jua said.

She then nudged Jan, who was sitting beside her. Noticing that she wanted him to introduce himself first, Jan opened his mouth and began introducing himself. 

“Hi, my name is Jan Jujo, and I’m the party's scout. Nice to meet you, Miss Amethely.” 

Jan then looked at the two elves who hadn’t introduced themselves. 

Turen scratched his head and started to introduce himself with a wide grin. 

“Nice to meet you, young Miss! My name is Turen Egre. I’m the vanguard in this party.” 

Nuli, who pouted, tapped Turen gently with her fist. 

(I should take note of that…) Amethely thought. 

“Hey, honey, that’s rude!... Ah! My name is Nuli Egre, this dummy’s wife and the healer and buffer of this party. Nice to meet you, Miss Amethely.” 

After everyone introduced themselves, Ame held onto Alum's sleeve under the table. He could tell that she was shaking just a little.

(She’s nervous?) 

He was surprised to find her nervous, he had assumed that she was used to meeting new people since she was a saint, but it appears that she is still shy. 

With a faint smile on his face, he held her hand. Her eyes moved in his direction without turning her head.

Gentle squeezed his hand. Her cheeks turned slightly pink as she looked at Alum’s comrades. 

“Nice to meet you all too. As for why I’m here today… I wanted to personally thank you for taking such good care of my beloved Al and….” 

Everyone was looking at her warmly as they started to loosen up. No longer that nervous around a great figure like her. In anticipation, they waited for her following words. 

“And that's why all the gear you will be shopping for today is on me!” 

This took everyone by surprise, even Alum. 

Everyone was looking at each other with perplexed expressions.

“Miss Amethely, you really don't have to….” 

Jua expressed her thoughts, and everyone noddingly agreed with her. 

Amethely intertwined her fingers, clenched her hand, pushed it onto her chest facing downwards, and stared at the table looking into the distance. 

“I… I insist. This may be pretentious of me, but I really want to thank you for keeping Al safe… He means the world to me.” 

Tears started to build around her eyes, and everyone was caught off guard. 

“....”

“He won't tell me anything.”

For a while now, her feelings have been bottled up. 

During their spars, he would always sacrifice his defense for an opportunity to strike.  

“He’s doing reckless things.”

She was unable to control her emotions anymore. 

She wanted him to know about her concerns. 

She didn’t want to force them onto him like this, and she wanted him to open up to her himself. 

“Although he is strong and has so much potential, he is still an amateur! His mana control is great, and his mana is of the highest quality! The mana pool is also very large for someone who recently picked up magic!”

Words were stuck in her throat. 

“But….” 

Shaking and feeling her limbs lose power, looking his way, she leaned her forehead on Alum's shoulder. 

She continued in a low voice, with tears flowing down, dripping on his coat. 

“... But even the strong can die.” 

Seeing her like this made all the party members of Night Ouen change their perception of her. 

She was a worrywart and just like any ordinary girl that could be found anywhere. 

Gazing at her warmly and the person beside her, they could feel that she treasures Alum more than he himself realizes. 

“Then, Missy, you don't mind if we splurge a little?” Turen said in a gentle voice. 

Amethely's eyes widened, and she realized she had been crying in front of people she didn’t know. 

Feeling shy, she hid from them by hugging Alum. Which put a smile on everyone's faces. 

Everyone except for Alum. The members of Night Ouen noticed his lack of response and saw his eyes glowing. And it was a faint glow that the members were all but too familiar with. 

And Jan was the most familiar with it because he had seen it more than the others.

You are reading story The Saint Likes Me, But I’m Screwed… at novel35.com

“Alum… your eyes,” Jan said, looking slightly sad. 

“Huh? Oh….” 

Alum smiled, and tears ran down his cheeks. He was baffled, and his skill had automatically activated to analyze the situation while calming him down simultaneously. 

Ame's eyes widened as she looked at him in puzzlement. 

(... A non-mana-based skill?) 

She was even more worried now and struggled to speak up since she still felt drained.

“Al… do you know what your skill does?” 

Amethely placed her hands on Al’s face, then wiped off his tears and directed his gaze at her. She still had some tears herself, but that didn’t matter.

Alum doesn't understand it himself, but…. His unique skill helps him process information when it's too much for him to handle. 

That was one thing he knew, but… it also activated another skill simultaneously. And that was [Enclosed Heart], which rendered him emotionless for a short period. But it didn’t activate this time.

“… It’s a skill that helps me analyze the situation. All of this feels so new to me…. And I have a hard time understanding. Sorry….”

It wasn’t a lie or the truth. After all, he never realized it himself until now.

Alum tries not to make others worry, but he never understood why they worry in the first place... but now it is different. Ever since the day Noel had befriended him. From there onwards, he started to change little by little. 

Amethely looked sad but cheered up. 

“No, don’t apologize….” 

She shook her head and then smiled at him. 

Everyone watching this awkward yet wholesome interaction couldn’t help but have smiles on their faces. 

—::::—

Jan and Jua were currently browsing for useful items that they could possibly need in the ruin exploration. 

Although the organizers had prepared a lot of stuff at the camp, Jan wasn’t sure if they had everything they needed. After all, people value different things.

“Hey Jua, how about this Light Bloom Arrow?” 

Jua looked at it carefully and pondered if they would need it. 

Usually, these were quite valuable for archers in a dungeon or ruin exploration. They provided a strong light source, were reliable, and could run for hours. 

Not only that but if they were still intact after being used, they could be recharged. Still… Jua still had some left since it wasn’t often they would dungeon explore. 

Although the guild probably has another plan to light up the ruins, this would come in handy in the case of an emergency. 

“I guess it wouldn’t hurt to have more….” 

She then looked over at Alum and Saint Amethely, who clung to his arm, looking all lovey-dovey. 

Jan, who noticed her line of sight, chuckled. 

“I feel you. It’s sweet, isn’t it? Watching over them, I mean. But the elf couple over there.*sigh.” 

Jua looked at Jan, giving him a soft smile, and giggled. 

“You’re so harsh on them.”

“... Anyways, we’ve got treatment kits and food. A new shield for Turen that runs on advanced instruction magic, barrier cores, and new magi-tech-based light armor. Jua, did I forget anything?” 

“I think. We mostly have everything ready since there is also a lot of stuff we haven’t used. Oh, we might need a new storage bag.” 

“... Yeah, but they are a bit… expensive.” 

“Yeah… we wouldn’t want to burden the Saint with it.” 

Meanwhile…. 

“Hey, honey.” 

“Yes?” 

“Do you like bikini armor?” 

“Why ask…?” 

Nuli puffed her cheeks. 

“I can see your eyes drifting!” 

“Ahaha, I got caught!? And here I thought I was being sneaky.” 

“Pervert….” 

“You’d look good in it, though?” 

Hearing that, she fidgeted a little.

“... Once…. Once we settle down, I c-can wear it for you!” 

In a low voice, Turen mumbled for himself.

“Executed in perfection….!” 

“You do realize we elves have good hearing, right? “ 

“....” 

—::::—

Not too far away from Turen and Nuli. 

Ame and Alum blushed fiercely. 

(So that’s a married couple….) Glancing to her side, she looked at Al. 

She actually did want to ask him but was too shy, so she held it in. She unconsciously grabbed his sleeve. 

And with a sheepish look on her face. Even Alum could tell what she was thinking. 

“... I like you the way you are….” 

While turning his head away and scratching his head, his ears were bright red. 

(The way I am, the way I am, THE WAY I AM!) 

Alum noticed smoke coming out from Ame and realized that he had said something super embarrassing under those contexts. 

“No, wait! I mean… yes, probably. Yet…. Anyways!” 

Stumbling on his words and trying to explain himself, he said more embarrassing stuff. 

Crouching down and covering her face, Amethely’s thoughts went wild.

(Yet? Yet!? T-then… someday? Someday!?) 

—::::—

Turen and Nuli watched the two. 

“Ahahaha… you can tell it's their first-ever relationship!”

“They’re adorable! It reminds me of Jan and Jua 5 years ago!” 

“....” 

“... Members of the Argen clan have good hearing, too, you know?” 

““Ahh….””