After the meal, Gruzhnil and Grelmure wanted to meet other colleagues who were present here as well. Glynpatra excused herself after receiving a call from the emperor. Only the four of us remained on the bench. I was confused about what to do to spend the rest of the night at this festival. Actually I wanted to ride one of the attractions, but I didn't feel comfortable leaving David alone. I didn't know whether David wanted to join if invited.
Suddenly David rose from his seat and walked away. I immediately followed him, as did Mendicore and Sherubiel. I deliberately didn't ask anything because I wanted to see what interested him. I saw David continue walking toward one attraction. Before I had even decided which attraction I wanted to go to, David had already headed there. I was simply confused as to why it seemed as though he could know my thoughts.
Then David stood in front of an attraction that turned out to be a giant Ferris wheel. He only stared at it while crossing both of his arms. I stood beside him.
"Sir David wants to ride that Ferris wheel? Then let's go to the ticket booth!"
He looked at me and nodded once. I smiled and glanced at Mendicore and Sherubiel behind me.
"You don't mind joining us on this ride, right?"
"Not at all, Johann. Besides, we want to try that attraction too." Said Mendicore.
We immediately walked together to the ticket booth. There were indeed still quite a lot of people. I hoped David could patiently wait. One of the staffs who saw us immediately ran over and then bowed, saying that we could go straight to the very front. The Ferris wheel would finish its rotation shortly. I thanked him very much.
While waiting, I briefly glanced behind me and saw many people whispering in admiration about us. Perhaps they truly never expected someone like David to want to ride an attraction like this. I didn't think much of it. When the ride stopped and the passengers came out, they bowed one by one in front of us, causing the process of replacing passengers to be delayed. Honestly I felt uncomfortable seeing it, but fortunately the staffs immediately urged them not to block the exit.
We then entered the empty cabins where one cabin could hold four people. However, because the composition of our group seemed unusual, the staff allowed only two people per cabin. I was with David and Sherubiel was with Mendicore. The Ferris wheel then began turning and I saw the beautiful scenery around the capital of Grivendal through the glass window. David also seemed to be enjoying it.
After several rotations and when our cabin reached the top, suddenly the Ferris wheel stopped abruptly and shook. I was very startled and instinctively wanted to grab David. Unexpectedly, he immediately held out both of his hands and I tightly gripped his armored forearms. I was breathing erratically because I was very afraid that something would happen to us. David only looked at me with a slightly worried gaze.
"S-Sorry sir... I-I didn't mean to startle you..."
"Want to get out?"
I fell silent again and stared at him with my mouth slightly open. David could easily break open the cabin door, carry me, and jump down from this height. With physical strength like his, he certainly could do it. But I thought that was excessive.
"N-No need, sir... I-I'm sure this is only a common technical error and the Ferris wheel will operate again shortly..." I said while releasing my grip.
He remained silent and glanced back toward the window. I waited as well while continuing to enjoy the nighttime view of the capital.
"You told her?"
I was startled again and looked at David. I didn't expect him to be so perceptive about my plan of giving him a plate of burger through Glynpatra. Perhaps while Glynpatra and I were waiting at the stall, David had been observing us from afar.
"Y-Yes, sir... Forgive me if my actions seemed presumptuous to you. The Princess also truly wanted to get to know you directly..."
David fell silent again, closed his eyes briefly, and looked outside once more. I felt relieved because he didn't appear angry with me. A few moments later, the Ferris wheel started moving again and we got off when it reached the bottom. When we came out, I saw Gruzhnil who appeared to be angry with the operators, who only kept their heads lowered. When Gruzhnil saw me, he immediately approached us. Did he know that we had ridden this attraction?
"Are you all alright? I'm grateful that you came out safely. Great Lord David, forgive us if You were uncomfortable because of this issue. I have already advised them to make sure once again that this attraction can function properly..."
"There is no need to worry, Commander. We actually enjoyed this attraction..." I said with a smile while glancing at David. Once again he remained silent.
We ended our entertainment for the night and returned to our respective residences. Gruzhnil said that tomorrow I would go to headquarters to undergo orientation first. While walking home, after first arriving at David's house, I said goodbye to him. But unexpectedly, he continued following us toward the apartment.
"Sir David, I'm not walking alone... Mendicore and Sherubiel are accompanying me..."
"Keep walking..." he said while looking at me.
It seemed he wanted to escort us safely to our destination. I could only accept his treatment.
After arriving at the apartment lobby entrance, I thanked David. He immediately turned around and walked back toward his house. I watched him for a moment while smiling.
The next morning, I prepared myself to go to the main headquarters to undergo training as Gruzhnil's new secretary. I wore the armor he had given me yesterday with the help of Sherubiel and Mendicore. Not long afterward, I received a message on my tablet that Grelmure was already waiting in front of the apartment. This was the same tablet I had received since undergoing training regarding the introduction to The Graendall military order. I didn't use it much for entertainment because it was a tablet for limited communications.
When I arrived outside, Grelmure was no longer using a go-kart but instead a Grivendal-style car which, in my opinion, was quite luxurious, and whose wheels certainly already used rocket propulsion. I entered the front seat and Grelmure was already looking at me with the expression of a jealous person.
"Whooaaa... you are already on the same level as me! You should have been among the lower-ranking soldiers first. Originally I even wanted you to become my aide again..." Said Grelmure jokingly while beginning to drive the car. I made a sour face and Grelmure laughed again.
"Has the previous secretary resigned, sir?"
"He didn't resign, Johann. He was only transferred to the imperial administration division."
I merely nodded and remained silent while looking around the capital.
"Hey... don't you miss your home planet anymore, Johann?"
Suddenly my memories came flooding back after hearing Grelmure's question. Even though my world had already been ruined after the invasion of hellish monsters, I still had people who cared about me. It was just that they probably already considered me dead by now. Besides, if I wanted to return, it would be the same as betraying the goal I had already made with David.
"Ummm... Actually yes, Sir Grelmure. I want to meet again with my family and close friends who are still alive. But it seems impossible now, because I don't even know how to return to Planet Earth."
"Hahahahaaa... Do you believe we could send you back to your home planet? If you wanted..."
"Of course the others would not agree, especially Sir David..."
"Well... there is your answer. Maybe someday you can visit them again."
"Yeah... but we don't know how far Planet Grivendal is from Earth. If I returned, everything would have changed completely and everyone I knew would be gone." I said. Grelmure grinned while laughing softly.
We arrived at headquarters and went directly to the common hall. Gruzhnil was already there sitting while still using his laptop, along with another soldier of The Graendall. He immediately smiled when I arrived and invited me to sit. Not long afterward, I underwent orientation as the new secretary together with that soldier who turned out to be his former secretary.
I learned that the duties were like those of a typical secretary in general, namely managing incoming messages for Gruzhnil, drafting letters and memos for Gruzhnil's trips to other headquarters on this planet, arranging Gruzhnil's daily schedule, and ensuring that Gruzhnil's work equipment was ready. The soldier seemed friendly and even though he was no longer part of The Graendall, he advised me not to hesitate to contact him if I had any questions. The orientation ended in the afternoon and Grelmure would drive me back to the apartment.
"Oh yes Johann, tomorrow you will come with me to an important place!"
"Alright Commander..."
During the trip home, I asked Grelmure to go to David's house first. Upon arriving, we saw another luxurious car parked by the roadside in front of his garden. I wondered who was visiting now. When someone came out, we were shocked because who would have thought that Princess Glynpatra would be visiting David's house. When our car parked in front of it, I immediately got out and called Glynpatra. Upon seeing me, she became excited as well and approached us.
"Come on Grelmureee... Let's go inside toooo...!!!" Said Glynpatra.
"Sorry Princess... I have business to attend to right now too..." Said Grelmure pitifully.
"Ahhh you surely want to soak in hot spring while drinking again, right???"
"Eeehhh... N-No Princess! I want to prepare Commander Gruzhnil's needs for tomorrow... Just ask Johann. He is coming with him too..."
I laughed seeing Grelmure's panicked face and confirmed what he said. After that Grelmure left the two of us and we immediately walked toward David's house. The guard then allowed us inside and when I looked in, I was greeted by yet another unusual sight.
Inside David's house there were already many cat-like animals with various colors and patterns. They wandered around the room, and some were even sleeping on the throne chair where David was not present. There was a priest feeding them. When I looked toward the room on the right side, it turned out that he was sitting on the sofa there while petting a cat resting on his lap. I was deeply touched seeing that scene. Was this because he missed his pet cat so much from when he was still human?
I looked at Glynpatra and she showed a similar expression, even pressing her right palm against her chest. I had a feeling that she was becoming even more attracted to David. Of course I didn't tell her about David's habits before becoming Hellraider according to the game's lore.
"Let's go to that sofa room, Princess!"
"Eh-Uh... Okay Johann..." Said Glynpatra whose daydream had suddenly been broken.
We walked to that part of the room. David then glanced at us. He seemed to be paying attention to Glynpatra. I asked his permission to sit there and David only nodded once. I sat closest to him and Glynpatra sat beside me.
Suddenly a black-and-white cat approached me and rubbed against my legs. Although throughout my life I had rarely interacted directly with cats, I picked it up and placed it on my lap and began petting it. Glynpatra did the same with an orange cat. David immediately observed the two of us.
"Sir David found these animals and decided to keep them in your house!" I said while smiling at him.
"Its name is Felith, Johann. This animal is indeed native to Planet Grivendal. People here respect it because it has a direct connection to Groth." Explained Glynpatra. I nodded repeatedly. It was indeed true that the parallel between cats and lions belonging to the same animal family also applied here.
"Does Sir David feel happy with the presence of these Feliths?" I asked David spontaneously.
David looked at me rather sharply, though his expression remained flat. I immediately realized after asking that question. Those words should not have come out of my mouth.
"Not only this..." Said David.
I instantly felt relieved hearing his answer. I was worried that he might feel disturbed by such a personal question. I smiled at him again, and so did Glynpatra. We continued spending time together in that sofa room until night approached.
Glynpatra and I said our farewells and once again David escorted us to the roadside. I briefly observed Glynpatra's expression becoming somewhat awkward, likely because she had only just learned of this habit of David's. After Glynpatra left, I also said goodbye to David and walked back to the apartment.
When I arrived, I glanced back slightly toward him and once again he was still there, standing beneath the bright glow of the garden lights.