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I let out a small sigh.

Well, it’s not like I’ve never thought about it.

Kalia, Pia, Dana, and Arna.

They were all incredibly beautiful. Maybe it was because they lived in a different world, or maybe it was due to their background being closer to the West than the East, but to me, a person from East Asia, the appearances of those four looked particularly mystical.

One of them even looked like an elf straight out of a painting.

Moreover, among the five people I was with, only one was a guy—Siyun.

…To be honest, isn’t it a bit strange to think that there weren’t any feelings whatsoever among those five?

Siyun was quite handsome. I had no idea how he was perceived in Irrelaysia, but I didn’t think anyone could regard his looks as ugly. If they did, that unique aura of his would have been apparent.

Besides, the attitude of the four toward Siyun was extremely favorable.

Even if Siyun’s looks were deemed ordinary or somewhat unattractive, wouldn’t knowing about his kind heart change that perception?

…Yeah, I get it.

I know.

Given Siyun’s nature, he would never think to dump a girlfriend he started dating. If he returned to Earth, they would have likely stayed together as a couple. And surely, that would have been quite evident.

No, even if they weren’t dating. Even if they hadn’t reached that level of relationship, didn’t Siyun harbor feelings for any of those four women?

Yeah, I know that thinking that way makes me seem too desperate. I know it could come off as excessive obsession.

Right now, Siyun likes me. Moreover, during our party activities, he didn’t even glance at other women and reportedly endured by holding onto memories of me. That’s what I heard not just from Siyun, but from all of his comrades.

But even so, human emotions aren’t something easily controlled.

Of course, right now, I am indeed dating Siyun, and all of his comrades are congratulating us.

…Still, I feel guilty.

I feel guilty about doubting and being jealous of those who are treating Siyun with such pure feelings.

“Siyun really is amazing.”

I nodded and said.

Kalia’s remarks were about Siyun, not about me.

Last time, I did hear Arna say that my one word saved the world… but to be honest, while it felt good to hear, I couldn’t fully agree with it.

In the end, it was Siyun who genuinely accepted that one word and ended up saving the world.

“That’s right. But frankly speaking, his righteous nature has caused him a bit of trouble.”

“Hmm?”

I couldn’t help but repeat that question in response to Kalia’s words.

I had never heard Siyun’s comrades speak negatively about him. Ah, but that might be what goes without saying. Whenever I interacted with Siyun’s comrades, Siyun was almost always present.

In such situations, no one would openly badmouth someone. Unless they were planning never to see that person again.

“Being righteous means one can’t stand injustice.”

“Ah….”

Indeed, I could see that being true about Siyun. Even if it’s to his detriment, if he thinks it’s something he should do, he’d willingly act.

“No matter how many supplies you receive, there’s a limit to how much a single person can carry when wandering the battlefield. Even if you carry the maximum a person can hold, there are situations where that can run short.”

I had never been on a battlefield, nor had I ever been to the military or anything similar. So when I heard something like that, I just accepted it.

Of course, I had a rough idea. You face such situations even when traveling.

…Although, aside from school trips, I haven’t really traveled far.

In any case, running out of something specific while traveling doesn’t escalate to a serious matter. The missing item wouldn’t be one that endangers your life, and if needed, you can just buy it at a nearby store.

But a battlefield is different, right? The items you bring to the battlefield are all crucial for survival, and once used, unless you return to your base, you can’t get them back. That’s what one might mean to say.

Kalia waved her hand while seated. The usual slightly stiff military vibe was somewhat diluted by that gesture.

“There are times when we rescue prisoners. Or when we encounter soldiers stranded in battle, or in extreme cases, when we come across a starving child on the road. Yeah, it’s only natural to help. I mentally agree that it’s the right thing to do.”

But “mentally agreeing” means there are times when you practically don’t agree.

“However, I have no idea what we’d do if we just gave away our supplies. The food or medical supplies we have are things we’ve calculated thoroughly based on the information gathered by regular soldiers who risk their lives to bring it back. Naturally, giving it away recklessly would cause issues later on.”

Surely, that might be true.

But at the same time, I could picture Siyun easily opening his bag and handing over dried meat or water to a malnourished child. And that image screamed “so Siyun” to me.

“So, have you really been in danger?”

I asked with a hint of worry.

Of course, I knew that all those events were in the past. But still, because it was the first time I was hearing that story, if Siyun had gone through tough times, it made my heart ache as if I had lived through it too.

It was only natural since it was someone I liked.

“…No.”

Kalia said that and shrugged.

“I’ve never encountered such a situation. Of course, we haven’t always triumphed. There were times we had to retreat due to injuries or when we couldn’t think of a way to win because the enemy’s defenses were too well organized.”

Kalia scratched her head slightly with her fingers.

“But the reason for that was never ‘lack of supplies.’ So, I’m saying, it has never been Siyun’s fault.”

“……”

Was it just luck that they’ve been fortunate?

“You could say it was incredibly good luck.”

Kalia said with a smile on her lips.

“Or maybe the Goddess was watching over Siyun. Well, it’s something we can’t know unless we directly ask the Goddess.”

Kalia’s eyes were on me, but it seemed her focus was set somewhere far away.

“Did you know? I’m a noble.”

“I know. I’ve heard it several times.”

“Well, I think hearing about nobility and experiencing it as a person are completely different things.”

Kalia looked at me when she said that.

“Nobles sometimes make ruthless choices for their own sake. To keep their power, they might fold rather than sacrifice someone else. Not all nobles are like that, but that’s usually the case for large nobles with much to lose.”

“But you…”

You’re a Duke and have fought on the front lines of the battlefield, right?

I didn’t have to add anything else, Kalia seemed to grasp what I meant.

“One of the reasons I went to the battlefield was my sense of pride. I wanted to avoid being sent off as a wife to a powerful noble by making a great achievement.”

“……”

That’s quite a “noble” reason, so I had nothing to say.

“And personally, I was curious about just how far I could go on my own strength. It’s true that I thought about reaching as high as I could.”

“But in the end, death is the end, right? If you were really just thinking that way, you wouldn’t have gone to the battlefield with Siyun.”

At my words, Kalia let out a short laugh. Then, with a brighter expression, she said,

“I appreciate you saying that. Yes, I do think of myself as a somewhat righteous person.”

The smile faded slightly from Kalia’s face.

“Still, I remained a noble. I believed that our lives were the most important on the battlefield. Because of that, I thought giving our supplies to those ‘less important’ people was foolish. In fact, I clashed with Siyun several times over it.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Of course, if I argued with the hero sent by the Goddess, the Saintess beside us would rebuke me harshly, so I always ended up keeping my mouth shut. But at least from my perspective, it seemed that Siyun didn’t want to compromise with someone like me.”

“……”

“Even after several such incidents, realizing that our supplies would never run out—whatever the reason, they always seemed to flow that way—I eventually loosened up.”

Kalia said with a smile.

“I was able to become a truly righteous knight because I was influenced by Siyun’s way of thinking. It’s a bit iffy to claim Siyun’s thoughts are definitively correct, but even still, I like who I am now more than who I was back then. It feels like I’ve shed the façade of being a noble.”

I stared at Kalia, feeling a bit dazed.