I was getting fed up with all this, but all I could do was go with the flow. “Sure, sure! Let’s toast to friendship and eat already!”
…By no means did I agree just because I was hungry.
Despite the rocky start, the meal itself proceeded peacefully. We chatted as we ate, talking about how angry Cyril got when Cerulean and Dolly said they were taking me out dressed as a saint and how we coincidentally ran into him in town. Everybody really loves Cyril, huh?
Midway through our meal, however, Lloyd’s cheer began to feel forced, and I sensed the same from Cerulean. It was like they were tiptoeing through our conversation. They didn’t broach the topic of Earl Peiz or their phobia of sick people, sticking to lighter subjects. I—and Kurtis, I’m sure—pretended not to notice and went along with it.
Eventually, Lloyd started talking about the Great Saint.
“You know, I’ve read through just about every book there is on the Great Saint. I’m sure much about her has been embellished or misremembered, but every single book always makes a point to mention how she had a noble heart and would treat everyone equally.”
I nodded. That was pretty commonly known stuff.
He paused, his gaze weighing me. “You are very much the same, Fia,” he eventually continued. “You used your holy stones without a second thought, seeking nothing in return. I can’t help but think that you act the way all saints should.”
“Huh?”
He mentioned before that he saw parallels between me and the Great Saint. Was he trying to draw even more? That wasn’t good…
He twirled a twist of hair nervously between his fingers. With a sigh, he said, “No, this wasn’t what I wanted to talk about… Fia, I want you to hear us out for a moment. We were planning on approaching this topic after we ate and unwound for a bit, but it seems I can’t help steering the conversation in that direction. I lack restraint, apparently.”
He and Cerulean had been restless throughout this whole meal—something was clearly bothering them.
“Well, all right,” I said.
Lloyd sighed with relief. He laced his fingers together and dropped his gaze down to them, speaking softly. “Let me preface this discussion with one thing: Fia, I wished to become your friend because I was moved by your actions. It was my unadulterated adoration of you that inspired me, not any ulterior motive… Although perhaps some would consider my desire to better myself by being at your side an ulterior motive. All of this to say…you needn’t let our friendship factor into what we’re about to discuss.”
“Sure,” I said.
Back when I became friends with Cyril, he’d used that friendship to coerce me into journeying with him to Sutherland. That in mind, I braced for whatever Lloyd might throw at me now.
“Back to what I was saying about you moments ago…” Lloyd said, “I believe your decision to save Earl Peiz’s daughter was correct. It was wrong of me to try and leave without helping her. I may have a grudge against the earl, but I had no right to involve his daughter in that. Intellectually, I understood that, but I couldn’t control my emotions. That’s why seeing you save her brought me such tremendous relief.”
Whatever I was bracing for, I hadn’t expected praise. Bewildered, I foolishly stammered, “Oh, er, yeah.”
Pure adoration softened Lloyd’s expression. “You are incredible, Fia. I was moved by how you always find the best solution in any situation, and I am only more impressed by you after how you saved the earl’s daughter. As you said, it is true that it requires many times more mana to heal someone who’s sick than it does to heal someone who’s injured. As it is unclear where precisely the disease has taken root, saints must heal the whole body.”
Right, I had said that to Ester when I healed her.
“That is why most recommend that saints work together with physicians and heal whatever area the physician identifies, but saints don’t typically like that method, balking at the thought of following someone else’s advice. You really only see saints expending huge quantities of magic to heal the whole body, rather than being more precise, but you easily presented an alternative.”
“H-huh? O-oh, that’s just because, uhh…”
Lloyd sounded impressed with me, but if he really thought about it, it would seem strange to him that someone who wasn’t a saint could know so much about healing magic. I was about to come up with an excuse, but Lloyd’s smile reassured me that wasn’t necessary.
“It’s okay, I understand,” he said. “You’re not a saint, so you couldn’t possibly come up with that idea on your own. You must’ve gotten it from someone else. Perhaps Saint Charlotte? It doesn’t really matter. What impresses me is that a non-saint like you would possess such useful knowledge.”
Oh, right, I thought. I guess saying I heard it from Charlotte would line up with his expectations. Wow, Lloyd’s better at making excuses for me than I am for myself!
Lloyd clenched his hands. “Earl’s Peiz request to heal his daughter was something you couldn’t possibly have planned for, yet you had the necessary information to heal Ester and deployed it expertly despite never having tried anything like that before. You have a talent for finding the best solution in any given situation, Fia. That’s why…”
He choked on his words, grimacing like he couldn’t bring himself to say them. He opened and closed his mouth several times, trying but failing to get the words out. Eventually, he gazed directly into my eyes. “Fia, I have a request. Please use that talent for me! You have the right to refuse, of course…but please, I beg of you.” He awkwardly grabbed my hands and lowered his head until his forehead was almost touching them. “Please pick a Rose of the Great Saint for my sister.”