IV.

"Ah Traveler! Just in time!" greeted Katheryne. Lumine and Paimon looked at each other, confused. They already received today's rewards for doing today's commissions, but it seems that's not all that Lumine would be receiving.

She handed the Traveler a letter. It was a neat white envelope, but what caught Lumine's attention was the seal used.

The seal of the Knights of Favonius.

"Jean…?" she spoke, and Katheryne nodded. "It was sent here early in the morning. There was no other additional information provided." She explained.

Paimon floated around the Traveler. "Do you think its urgent?" she asked, and Lumine shrugged her shoulders. She then looked at Katheryne and smiled. "Thank you. We'll be on our way then." She said, and Katheryne bowed. "Thank you for your continued assistance to the Adventurer's Guild!"

The two then went on their way. "Paimon thinks we should visit her immediately." Spoke Paimon as Lumine gently opened the envelope. She gave the envelope to Paimon as she read the contents of the letter.

Lumine's eyes widened. Paimon floated over and read it.

"This doesn't look like a formal letter…and the words confuse Paimon…" her companion spoke. She didn't know that Lumine was blushing madly.

"Could it be a trick?" Paimon continued talking. She finally looked at Lumine and was surprised at how red she went. "Hey what's going on with you now?! Why are you so red?!" she asked, concerned and panicking a bit.

Lumine calmed down, and clearing her throat, she reread the letter again.

She became even redder.

Paimon simply scratched her head. She then floated close to get a better look at the letter.

"Come on, at least let Paimon see why you're acting like that!" she spoke, scratching her head in the process, as her initial panic from earlier had already faded. It was now replaced with worry, although the confusion remained.

Lumine covered her mouth and had her eyes closed, seemingly still processing everything.

Paimon was then able to read the letter properly and tried her best to understand it.

After reading, she read it again, all while glancing at the still blushing Lumine.

It wasn't that hard to put two and two together.

"Its…a love letter?" asked Paimon, and Lumine squealed while covering her mouth.

Paimon was dumbfounded. "Eh?" was all she could say.

Jean was alone in her office, a stereotypical stack of paperwork on her desk. The paperwork, however, was already signed documents that the Acting Grand Master neatly organized. She would file them all later after she finishes with the rest.

Three knocks were then heard, and she told whoever it was to come in.

"Eh?! You want Paimon to just stay outside?! That's fishy Lumine!" then came a voice.

"N-Not too loud!" another voice replied. Jean felt her heart skip a beat as if she were a young, lovestruck girl.

'S-She came?! I-I mean of course she would!' Jean screamed internally. She stopped what she was doing and immediately fixed herself up.

But unfortunately, time did not allow that, as Lumine and her companion had already entered her office.

"Jean…" spoke Lumine. She was blushing again.

"T-Traveler. I'm glad you came…" greeted Jean, flustered as well.

Paimon did a facepalm. "Oh fine, Paimon gets it already…" she spoke, seemingly defeated as she exited the room.

Now the two of them were alone together. Lumine cleared her throat and walked towards the Acting Grand Master's desk.

"Y-You wanted to see me…" she spoke, and Jean nodded. "Y-Yes." She replied as she cleared her throat. "I am here merely to congratulate you on a job well done in defeating the Abyss Herald the other day, and…to check up on you as I was worried." She added, calming down a bit, but the blush remaining.

The Traveler stopped in front of her desk. "W-Well, the way you worded it was very…different." She remarked, blushing fully once more.

'It's strange,' Lumine thought, trying to calm herself down, 'I wasn't this giddy back with the other three…could these be my own feelings speaking?'

The blush slowly faded, and now confusion was written all over her face.

Jean noticed this and suddenly became worried. "What's wrong? Was the letter…n-not to your liking?" she asked.

Lumine looked at her, shaking her head. "Oh no, the letter was…l-lovely. It's just…I never felt this overwhelmed before…" she answered, and Jean was struck by a realization.

"I-I'm sorry. The moment I began writing, it all just came naturally. The next thing I knew, it wasn't a formal letter anymore. I-I'm confused as well…I don't know what I'm specifically feeling now." Jean explained, calming down a bit as well.

They both stared at each other, and they started laughing. So genuine, so heartfelt.

Jean then stood up, took the stack of papers, and moved it to another table, the one near the bookshelf.

As she turned around, Lumine was already in front of her. "Did you…mean it?" she asked. The two of them blushed again.

They were like children who just confessed to each other about having feelings for the other.

Jean nervously gulped and wrapped her arms around Lumine. The moment she did so, everything felt right, at least for her.

Lumine simply returned the gesture, tighter even, as she seems to have finally understood why she suddenly became a blushing mess.

Both calmed down, as the silence provided them with enough time to do so. Jean smiled, as she planted a kiss on the top of the Traveler's head.

'Warm…has she always been this warm?' merely thought Jean. She was still confused, but little by little, she, too, was starting to understand what she's feeling. She held Lumine closer.

"I…I think I'm starting to understand," Lumine spoke, as she looked at the Acting Grand Master. She smiled. "I think I'm like this because something blossomed within me…" she spoke.

Jean giggled. "I assume that its admiration?" she asked, and Lumine buried her head on her chest. She nodded.

"I think I've been admiring you ever since we first met…" she softly spoke, and Jean was touched.

And she was blushing madly again.

"It seems words aren't enough to convey the truth of what we're feeling." She spoke, as Lumine broke away from the hug. Jean kissed her forehead, one that the Traveler enjoyed.

'Then let's feel each other instead…' Jean then thought, as she slowly leaned in closer, intending to plant a kiss on the Traveler's lips next.

Lumine was waiting for this, but unlike the past kisses she had, this one was something she subconsciously anticipated.

She truly was infatuated with this amazing woman of the Knights of Favonius from the very beginning.

Their lips touched at last, and Lumine found herself drowning in the sensation. As Jean held her closer, she placed her arms across the Acting Grand Master's shoulders, with her hands behind her head.

The kiss went deeper, and although Lumine wanted more, it was getting harder to maintain her balance.

She broke away, panting. Jean was blushing, and yet she was focused on the Traveler, still.

Lumine smiled. "Y-You're tall, Jean. I can't maintain my balance i-if we go on like this." She spoke, and the Acting Grand Master realized such.

"M-My apologies. I-I wasn't thinking straight…" she replied, and Lumine giggled. Jean smiled as well, looking at Lumine.

It was obvious that she was charmed. The Dandelion knight is in love.

"Oh, I also noticed an address on the envelope of your letter. Is that where you live?" Lumine then asked.

Steam comically came out from Jean's head, as if she just deflated. "T-That's…!" was all she could say, as she was too embarrassed to tell her of why she put it there in the first place.

Lumine hugged her again. "You're lonely, aren't you?" she asked, and Jean was brought back to her senses.

A certain pang of sadness clawed its way into her heart. She simply nodded.

Lumine tiptoed and pecked her lips. "I'll see you there then, don't worry~" she softly spoke.

It was dark, and it was cold. The Traveler found herself wide awake, unable to fall back asleep.

The night only seemed to get colder. She huddled further into the embrace of the woman cuddling her.

Both were covered by a warm blanket and were naked.

She smiled. 'She's so warm…' she thought.

Her action, however seemingly awoke the woman cuddling her. "Lumine…?" Jean softly spoke, and she was answered with a peck on the lips.

"I'm here~" Lumine softly replied, smiling at her. Jean smiled as well. The Traveler then caressed her cheek.

Even in the dark, she could somehow see how beautiful Jean was with her hair laid down. Her eyes seem to shine, and that made Lumine's heart skip a beat or two.

"May I…hold your hand?" Jean then asked, and Lumine held her hands dearly. "For as long as you want, Jean." She replied, as she finally felt that she could drift back to sleep.

Amidst this cold night, warm hands and warmer hearts helped these two to drift back towards a shared slumber.

"Ah geez! That Traveler's cruel! Why'd she leave Paimon out in front of the Adventurer's Guild without saying anything?!" Paimon spoke, obviously outraged by the actions of the Traveler.

Amber calmed her down. "C-Calm down Paimon, I'm sure it was something extremely urgent. I saw her with the Acting Grand Master yesterday." She spoke, and Paimon was even more furious.

"Aha! So it was something fishy after all!" she proclaimed, and Amber was even more confused.

The two of them were waiting inside Jean's office. The stack of papers was already given to the other Knights.

As if on cue, the door opened, and in came Jean and Lumine.

Jean cleared her throat. "M-My apologies for our tardiness." She spoke, and Lumine raised a hand, greeting Paimon. "Y-Yo…" she softly spoke.

Amber was blushing and was on the verge of screaming in disbelief. Paimon was very much confused.

She looked at Lumine, whose clothes looked rugged, hair ruffled as if pulled, and having reddish marks on her chest, neck, and shoulders, and yelled "what the heck happened to you, Lumine?!"

...what the hell am I doing?

- The Void Sprinter