A week passed by peacefully before disaster struck again.
Until now, Calor and Arabella had been staying in the Veritas Duchy to catch the mid-level demon that injured Nora. Now that she was healthy, it was finally time to make use of her as bait and destroy the demon.
Nora remembered this plot point well. In the original, she did not exist, and Calor used his knowledge from regressing to the past to defeat the demon. She had been lazy and did not describe the scene well. Of course, now her regrets about this were deep enough to make her cry.
The only way for her was to pray that Calor and Arabella would get Nora through this unscathed. Still, she tried to remember as much as she could.
The mid grade demon was not very strong, but it was a master of disguise and had many minions under it, which made it tricky to defeat. Its weak point was fire. She wondered if her flames of purification would work against the demon.
Nora dismissed the idea. It was not worth it to put herself in danger.
A knock on her door woke her up from her thoughts.
"Miss? Lady Arabella requests your presence in the dining hall if you have woken up," A maid spoke from the other side of the door.
Nora brightened. Yes. Why should she deliberate about this on her own? The protagonists were still there, and it was their problem, to be honest.
"Tell her I'll be there in a moment," She said, getting out of her bed and pulling her red hair into a ponytail. She changed her clothes to presentable ones and went down eagerly.
Her cute, light pink dress floated behind her elegantly as she walked into the dining hall. Nora's initial good mood soured as she caught sight of an unwanted guest. Calix's golden eyes turned to meet her own, as if he sensed her glare. Nora's heartbeat rose sharply, and she stood there blankly, not knowing if she should go in or run away.
Calor caught sight of her and smiled.
"Nora, why are you standing there like that? Come in and sit. We were waiting for you to start having breakfast." He beckoned her to sit beside him. Nora happily went over, but a sudden ringing in her ears stopped her.
[Warning: The Female Lead's trust towards the host is decreasing rapidly.
Current status: 21%]
The positive number on the display screen shocked her thoroughly. She got used to the random warnings.
'Arabella must be a Saint.'
It seemed like she could not sit with her son today. Nora turned her head to find Calix sitting opposite to Calor. After staring at him for a long time, she finally made a decision. She walked over to Calix and sat next to him like that was where she was meant to be.
"Sir Calix, you wouldn't mind me sitting here, do you?" She asked shamelessly, not giving him a choice. Her bold actions shocked everyone present.
Looking at Arabella and Calor's puzzled expressions, she explained, "I have been rude by not visiting Sir Calix when he was sick, so I wanted to apologize and talk to him for a bit."
Calix didn't say anything and just looked at her with a playful, mocking smile.
"I did feel sad that my savior did not visit me during my week-long recovery period. But I know that you were recovering too, My Lady, so there is no need to apologize," He said generously.
Recovering. Yes, she was still recovering from the bombshell that his ass dropped in her room a week ago.
Arabella looked at Nora's face, and then at Calix, who was smiling playfully. Thinking about it, these two people seemed very close, even though they had known each only for a short while. And Elynora had not been pestering Calor for the past week. Maybe it was a woman's intuition, Arabella had a thought that made her smile.
[Congratulations! The host has made progress in her relationship with the Female Lead.
Current Relationship Status: 43%]
Nora looked at Arabella in confusion, not knowing how she had won her over, then shrugged. One should not question good things. She also decided to broach the topic of catching the demon to the protagonists.
"Now that both Sir Calix and I have recovered, isn't it time for us to go catch the demon?" she asked." She asked. Nora hadn't been idle this past week. She had diligently studied and practiced spells, and also increased her stamina by a lot by exercising.
She was confident that she could run away in case something happened.
Calor almost spat out the tea he was drinking. He put down the cup and patted his chest to calm himself down.
"Nora, I thought you were jesting when you said you wanted to be used as bait. Although this mid-grade demon is weaker than the other ones, its strength is not trivial. It is very dangerous for someone like you to come." He tried to persuade her with words.
"It's the best and most efficient way. Plus, I need to get more experience somehow." Nora got up and walked over to Arabella, who looked at her in curiosity. Nora hugged her arms. "And my sister will protect me if anything happens. Isn't that right Bella?"
Arabella's face flushed at being called 'sister' so affectionately by Nora for the first time since their childhood. She also admired her willingness to participate for the greater good, so her heart softened.
"Yes. Cal, you don't have to worry. I will protect Nora." Arabella gave her a smile as she went back to her own seat. Calor looked at the two women helplessly and turned to Calix for help.
Feeling his scorching gaze, Calix turned around to find Calor staring at him intensely. His lips turned upwards as if in understanding.
"I will do my best to protect Miss Elynora," He said, shattering the hopes of Calor.