The Regressed SSS-Rank Water Mage Wants To Live a Calm Life-Chapter 54: A god’s Romantic... Dilemma?

"Eh? A r-ride?"

Lady Olive blinked, wavy blond hair rustling along with the wind filtering through the open carriage door, and her bangs fluttered over her blue eyes.

Blank, the Legendary Mercenary King, was in a position Lady Olive perceived to be rather... uncomfortable.

Blank stood inside the carriage with his head held low, curtsying to Olive.

"Yes, My Lady," The masked man spoke with a rough, but smooth voice. "I’d like to ride with you and your escort as I am also on my way to Rindell."

Maxwell, who sat on the chair in the carriage, watched Blank with amusement layered in his blue eyes.

’At least his presence here will relieve the boredom to a certain degree,’ Max thought.

Frilo shook its head, pouting in disagreement.

Maxwell chuckled, gazing at the slightly uncomfortable Olive.

The young lady couldn’t quite meet Blank’s eyes, and her blue pupils wavered incessantly as she fiddled with her thumbs.

"Please," she managed to voice out, her tone shaky, "raise your head."

Blank raised his head, a curious glint in his red eyes.

"So you’ll let me ride with you, My Lady?"

"I... don’t know, who exactly are you? Why do you want to ride with us? What... is your name?"

Blank stood still for a second, tilting his head. And then he hummed, seemingly weighing an invisible option.

Suddenly, he raised a hand.

"Call me Ed."

The lady frowned.

"Ed?" She tilted her head, her frown dissolving as she chewed on the name. Then, for the first time since Maxwell first met her, she smiled. A bright, rosy smile. "That’s a weird name."

Maxwell, however, narrowed his eyes.

’He’s hiding his identity from her?’

Frilo let out a cute-sounding squeal.

’Yeah, I think you’re right, buddy. He isn’t good company.’

Blank turned to Maxwell, winking at the young mage. It made Maxwell’s frown deepen.

’These three days are going to be lively, that’s for sure.’

Blank turned to Lady Olive once more, chuckling.

"I hear that a lot. But it’s not really my name. Just the short form."

Olive’s facial expression morphed now, and she relaxed her back as a look of pure and innocent curiosity outlined her face.

Maxwell could have sworn her blue eyes even twinkled for a moment. He’d never seen this side of her before.

"Then what is it short for, Mr. Ed?"

"I..." Blank put his hands on his waist. "I’d like to keep that a secret."

Olive then closed her eyes, giggling softly as she covered her mouth with a hand.

"Mysterious, aren’t you? With the mask and all..."

"Why, yes," Blank raised his head with pride. "It is part of my charm..."

’That’s an old man by the way.’

At this point, Maxwell had become exhausted listening to the duo’s conversation.

It seemed Blank — or Ed as he called himself — was quite good at talking to women. Either that or he was an expert at striking up conversations. Maxwell was not.

That ’Ed’ had even made the shy Olive giggle and laugh as she spoke, and she even held eye contact with him.

Last time Maxwell tried to build rapport with her, she slept off mid-conversation... or maybe telling a young lady the story of the universe’s creation wasn’t really a conversation, but still...

Maxwell never had to struggle like this when socializing with Eithan and Vin.

He gazed outside the window, crossing his arms as he smiled.

It seemed Maxwell was already missing those two.

Suddenly, the young water mage’s smile faltered as his mind wandered.

Did he have a problem speaking to women?

Had his natural charm grown rusty over thousands of years of not speaking to women?

These strange thoughts made Maxwell’s heart shudder, and he grimaced.

How the hell was he going to face Rita with this newfound inability?

How would he even approach her?

No.

Maxwell shook his head, causing Frilo, currently on top of his hair, to cackle out loud.

Apparently, Maxwell’s current dilemma and internal spiral made for quite loveable comedic entertainment for Frilo.

Maxwell breathed out. He needed to calm down. Frilo was even laughing at him now.

Besides, he’d talked about this before. He told himself that he would trust the current of the stream to carry him along.

He nodded.

But... there was a fine difference between letting things happen naturally and–

Maxwell blinked.

’What am I even thinking about?’

He chuckled to himself, and Frilo pinched his hair. That he ignored.

’It feels like I’m a teenager or something.’

Maxwell’s lips formed a warm smile.

’I’ll just do what I can do.’

Finally, after finding the overly vague solution to his current dilemma, Maxwell gazed at Blank.

"Huh?" He exclaimed, a bit surprised.

The masked man was sitting next to Olive in the carriage. And the young noble lady was smiling and giggling as she conversed inaudibly with Blank.

’Would you look at that?’

Maxwell crossed his legs, clearing his throat to cut through their comfortable conversation.

"So I take it you’ve granted this man permission to ride with us to Rindell, Young Lady?"

Suddenly, Olive paused her chattering, and she turned away from the masked Blank, facing Maxwell with her clear blue eyes.

Maxwell tilted his head. The color of her eyes was different from his. Hers were clear and bright, like the skies, while Maxwell’s was blue and deep, like a boundless ocean that held enormous depth.

He wondered what depth she held within those light blue eyes. But he brushed the thought off almost immediately.

The lady nodded.

"Yes," she uttered, her voice was meek, yet it lacked that particular timid fervor. She turned to Blank, gesturing at him, "Mr. Ed here says he’s a court mage sent out on a covert mission by the Emperor. He says he got lost in Miramar. And after searching for hours to no avail, he was lucky to find our carriage, so he’ll be coming with us to Rindell, having completed his brief scouting mission."