Chapter 55
After the Klaus incident came to an end, Kron held a ceremony to distribute rewards according to merit.
Noah was the greatest contributor to the Klaus incident.
Thanks to her quickly spotting the problem and responding to it, they had been able to subdue Klaus completely.
Calix summoned Noah separately and asked her in private.
“Noah was the greatest contributor this time.”
“Me?”
“Thanks to Noah realizing Klaus’s scheme so quickly, we were able to win with almost no losses. So I’d like to give you a reward. Noah, is there anything you would like to receive?”
Hearing this, Noah was overjoyed, then fell into thought.
In truth, money held no meaning for Noah.
She was not particularly fond of luxury, and she had already accumulated all the wealth she wanted.
As Noah considered what she could ask of Calix, she remembered something she had wanted and spoke.
“If possible… I’d like one day of your time, my lord.”
“A day of my time?”
Noah nodded at Calix’s words.
A lord’s day was surprisingly busy.
That was because he was always meeting with countless people and issuing orders.
Since Noah worked beside him, she knew that better than anyone, and that was precisely why she wanted to be given a day with Calix.
Calix thought for a moment at Noah’s request, then answered.
“Of course. That won’t be difficult.”
“R-really!?”
“Of course. If I can reward a precious vassal with a day of mine, that’s a small price to pay.”
At Calix’s words, Noah was so delighted that she nearly jumped for joy.
The two agreed to spend one of the following week’s days off together.
The promise to spend time with Noah was something Calix wanted as well.
As a lord, Calix had had no way to relieve his stress.
Under the pretext of rewarding Noah, he wanted to escape people’s watchful eyes and enjoy a little freedom for the first time in a while.
And so, Noah and Calix arranged an outing—or rather, a date.
* * *
Noah and Calix agreed to meet in Karan, a city just uphill from Kron’s main castle.
There were too many eyes watching them at Kron’s main castle, while the recently built city of Karan was much more suitable for a date.
A symbol of Kron’s prosperity, Karan had become a city of gatherings and socializing, with restaurants, cafés, theaters, and shops established through Calix’s support and Noah’s planning. Even nobles from neighboring territories came there to visit.
Although Noah had visited there as the city’s administrator, she had never come as an ordinary guest, so she was both excited and nervous.
Noah arrived thirty minutes before the appointed time and waited.
‘I worked so hard getting ready, but will my lord like it…?’
With her beautifully groomed white hair and purple dress, Noah had made herself look even more beautiful than usual.
She had even applied a snake perfume reputed to entice men, along with a hair tonic that cost two silver per drop, giving her hair a far more beautiful sheen than usual.
However, since this was Kron’s territory, she wore glasses as a disguise, just in case.
The merchants saw Noah, fully prepared and waiting for Calix, and thought,
‘It’s Noah.’
‘It’s Lady Noah.’
‘Lady Noah has dressed up especially beautifully today.’
Noah was also the heir to the White Merchant Guild.
Almost every merchant knew her face.
About five minutes after the appointed time, Calix arrived.
“Sorry. I’m a little late. Have you been waiting long, Noah?”
“Ah! No, it’s fine. Lo—Mr. Kaltz, I just got here too.”
Calling Calix my lord outside would have caused trouble, so Calix had decided to use the alias Kaltz for the day.
But that was not what mattered to Noah right now.
Unlike usual, Calix was wearing light, casual clothes.
He wore casual clothes with the same design as his suit, along with black sunglasses. The combination suited his silver hair perfectly and created an incredible effect.
In short, he was exactly Noah’s type.
“Then… shall we go?”
“Yes, Mr. Kaltz…”
And so, Calix and Noah’s date began.
* * *
Just as Calix and Noah were about to begin their date, two shadows were watching them.
There were two of them.
“Ra…Rana, is this really all right?”
“It is fine. Azel, we are protecting Lord Calix right now. We are absolutely not stalking Lord Calix and Lady Noah’s date.”
“B-but still…”
“Lord Calix is moving. We should move too.”
Azel and Rana had disguised themselves in casual clothes and pursued Calix in the name of protecting him—in other words, they were stalking him.
Of all Kron’s territories, Karan had the largest number of soldiers stationed there for security, so its public order was excellent.
Calix therefore thought that an escort was unnecessary, but Rana, Azel, and Hart thought differently.
Hart had arranged for Rana and Azel to secretly protect Calix for his safety, while the two women had added their own personal motives to the arrangement.
The two followed Calix and Noah.
The first place Noah and Calix entered was a café.
The Golden Apple Café had been opened by a pastry chef who had studied in the capital, and Noah had personally lent him the money to start it.
That was because his apple tart was unbelievably delicious.
Whenever she had the chance, Noah had wanted to let Calix taste what the café had to offer.
“Mr. Kaltz, try this. It’s the apple tart this place is famous for.”
“Yes, I’ll eat it… no, I mean, I’ll enjoy it. Noah.”
“Y-yes!”
Calix’s sudden decision to speak informally gave Noah her second heart-pounding moment of the day.
So Calix had that kind of charm when he spoke casually.
Thinking that, Noah watched Calix eat the apple tart.
“This is really delicious, Noah.”
“Right? I was really surprised when I first tasted it too.”
As they ate the apple tart, Noah and Calix conversed comfortably, like lovers.
And two people were watching them from a table some distance away.
Rana was observing the two of them and taking notes.
“So this is how a date is conducted. I’ve learned something valuable.”
“This apple tart is really delicious, Rana!”
Beside her, Azel was eating the apple tart with great enthusiasm.
Azel had tasted desserts at countless cafés in the capital, and this was every bit as delicious as those desserts.
She wanted to share that joy with her friend.
“Shh! Lower your voice. Azel, we’re in the middle of a secret escort.”
But her friend seemed more focused on the escort.
Azel grew crestfallen.
The people around them watched Noah and Calix enjoying themselves, along with Rana and Azel observing them from a distance, and thought,
‘That’s the lord.’
‘It’s Lord Calix’s group.’
‘It would be rude to act like we know them…’
‘I want an autograph.’
Although Calix and the vassals following him had hidden their faces with things like glasses, they were the most beloved and popular stars in all of Kron.
It was difficult not to recognize them.
Amid the fond attention of the people around them, the four of them enjoyed themselves at the Golden Apple.
* * *
After spending a pleasant time at the Golden Apple, Noah guided Calix to the next stop.
It was a theater where they could watch a play.
“Noah… what is this place?”
“It’s the Karan Theater, where the play everyone’s talking about is showing. Mr. Kaltz, do you like plays?”
“Ah… sure.”
Noah had also personally evaluated and invested in the Karan Theater.
The head of the theater troupe performing there was an actor who had learned a little magic, albeit only at a very basic level.
He used that ability to create entertaining spectacles, and Noah invested in him after seeing his potential.
In particular, 『The Monster at Dawn』, which was currently being performed, had received widespread praise for being the troupe’s first attempt at the new genre of horror theater.
It was a play about a family struggling to survive a monster that suddenly appeared at dawn, and the troupe’s poster had been drawn to look extremely frightening so that its horror would come across clearly.
But to Noah, who had even experienced war firsthand, the poster felt like child’s play.
‘Will my lord enjoy it? What if he finds it boring?’
While Noah was thinking that, Calix was seized by fear.
This weakness had carried over from his previous life, but Calix was strangely susceptible to horror stories.
He was especially weak to devices like jump scares that startled people out of nowhere.
He wanted to suggest doing something else, but when he saw the expectant look in Noah’s sparkling eyes, he could not bring himself to say so.
‘Noah will surely be disappointed if I back out now.’
Having steeled himself, Calix entered the theater with Noah.
Seeing that, the other two tried to follow them inside.
“We should go in too, Azel.”
“Rana, do we… really have to go in?”
“We do.”
At Rana’s firm declaration, Azel’s eyes began to tremble.
In the end, she revealed one of her secrets to Rana.
“I…I hate scary things like that!”
At Azel’s words, Rana was more flustered than she had ever been in her life.
She had never imagined hearing Azel say she was afraid—the same Azel who could purify evil spirits in a single move and easily defeat well-trained knights.
“That’s strange. With Azel’s blessing, you don’t need to fear mere monsters, do you?”
“That’s one thing, and this is another!”
Azel had hated stories about monsters like these ever since she was a child.
In reality, she could encounter and fight monsters and evil spirits as much as she wanted.
But being placed in the role of a helpless protagonist in stories like this was unbearably painful.
After they had argued for a long time in front of the theater and a staff member scolded them, Rana grabbed Azel and dragged her helplessly inside.
The play was about to begin.