Chapter 14
After defeating the orcs and looking after Eah, we headed for the next city, Eldor.
At the mention of going to Eldor, Eah was so happy she could have jumped for joy.
Though she couldn't actually jump,
"Huff, huff... Eldor is famous for its hot springs—huff, huff... It's a popular tourist destination."
Eah was struggling as she walked on her hands again today, but her face was beaming.
When it was about time to finish her training for the day, I asked the spirits to wash her.
"Hah... The lord there is young and handsome, and he's famous for being well-liked, too. He's really popular."
Maybe because it was a city governed by a good lord, the residents were full of energy. And since so many noblewomen flocked there hoping to catch a glimpse of their popular lord,
the city had developed theater and music and was known as a city of the arts, too.
"They even have low tariffs, so lots of merchants bring all kinds of interesting things from everywhere!"
No wonder she'd seemed so excited when Eldor came up. Her head was full of daydreams, huh?
"Aren't you excited, Sis? They say the lord is really handsome. Who knows? Maybe he'll take an interest in us!"
What was he, a celebrity? Eah looked just like one of those die-hard fangirls people talked about.
And so what if the lord was handsome? I wasn't interested in men anyway, and no matter how handsome he was...
My gaze shifted to Chris.
"Hm? Is there something on my face?"
Next to him, even that lord would look like a dried squid.
"Ah... This is so unfair. If I can't get married someday, it's all your fault, big brother."
"What did I even do?"
"Your very existence is a sin, big brother."
Eah was riding on my back again today, bickering with Chris.
I ignored Chris's protests and looked ahead. Eldor was growing larger in the distance.
"Wow! That's Eldor!"
When we arrived, I showed the guard our insignias.
"I've checked them. Go on in."
The guard handed our insignias back with a drooping expression so gloomy it made anyone who saw him feel down, too.
That's strange. Wasn't this supposed to be a lively city?
I thought it was odd, but figured he was just tired and didn't give it much thought as we entered the city.
But the farther we went into the city, the stranger things seemed.
Far from being lively, everyone in the whole city looked completely listless.
There were no children playing in the streets, the fruit seller was drinking in the middle of the day, and someone was throwing punches right in the middle of the main road.
And on top of that...
"Oh, handsome. Why don't you come have some fun at our place?"
A prostitute I'd never seen before in this world came clinging to Chris.
It wasn't that I found the existence of prostitutes strange, but it was daytime, and this wasn't the red-light district.
When the prostitute rubbed herself against him, Chris blushed and looked flustered.
Seeing that made me inexplicably irritated.
"Huh? This can't be right. I heard..."
Honestly, there wasn't much to do for fun in this world, so I'd been looking forward to all the sights Eah had promised...
"Let's just go to the Adventurers Guild..."
"Yeah..."
We trudged back toward the guild.
"W-wait! I'm coming too!"
"Aw, come on, big brother. Have some fun with us~"
"Cheer up, Chris. I'm sorry~"
"Come on, don't be mad, big brother~ Okay?"
"... ..."
When we arrived at the guild, we had to coax Chris, who was sulking.
I mean, how could someone who was a Master not even fend off a few powerless women?
"Sorry about that."
"Sis! I told you not to let your thoughts show on your face."
Damn it, do you think I can help it?
I sighed and stepped into the guild.
Inside, it looked much like the other guilds we'd visited so far.
The only differences were that there were fewer people eating, and although there were three counter windows, only one employee was on duty.
We walked up to the counter, but the employee just looked up at us without a word.
"Um, we'd like to rent a room."
"How many people will be staying in it?"
Instead of answering, I showed my insignia.
"...Mithril?"
The city wasn't what we'd expected, but the room for Mithril-rank adventurers was much like the one we'd stayed in at Shadan, which made me feel a little better.
We'd planned to have some fun today, since we weren't too far from Deus and still had plenty of time. Instead, we found ourselves lying on the bed with a sigh.
"Let's just wash up and eat."
At my words, Chris rang the bell to call an employee.
It wasn't long before footsteps echoed down the hallway.
The door opened, and a woman came in, dressed more elegantly than I'd expected.
"Good evening. I'm Cecil, the master of this branch."
We'd only wanted to order some food, so why had the person in charge come in?
"The lord would like to meet the three of you. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, may I escort you to the lord's castle now?"
"The lord wants to see us? Why?"
Why did the lord even know we were here?
"I apologize for that, but one of our employees informed the lord that a party led by a Sword Master is currently staying at the guild..."
I thought they'd said they'd keep this sort of thing confidential. And an ordinary employee had reported it directly to the lord?
"Understood. We'll get ready and come down shortly."
At Chris's agreement to go to the lord's castle, I stared at him in surprise.
He said we couldn't ignore a noble's invitation without a good reason, so I reluctantly agreed.
"But how do you know all that?"
"You can figure out most things if you think about what Mother told us."
Yeah, yeah. You're so clever.
"I'll wait for you on the first floor. Please come down when you're ready."
Click.
As Cecil closed the door and left, Eah went wild, saying she couldn't believe she'd really been invited to meet the lord she'd wanted to see.
It'll be fine, right? Surely nothing bad will happen?
"I can't believe I'll actually get to meet the lord of Eldor!"
I chuckled at Eah's delighted grin, but the sight of the residents through the window made me frown.
What could have happened to make a city with such a good reputation end up like this?
"We've arrived."
Before I knew it, we'd reached the lord's castle, and a man who looked like a butler opened the door for us.
When I got out of the carriage, I saw a huge mansion before me, surrounded by towering walls.
As the butler walked ahead, the mansion's doors opened, revealing the interior.
They said the lord was well-liked and frugal, but the walls were lavishly decorated with all kinds of works of art.
Even I, who knew nothing about art, could tell the paintings were impressive.
"The lord is waiting for you. This way..."
I was about to follow the butler when a knight waiting beside us stepped in front of Chris and Eah.
"Is something the matter?"
When Chris asked the knight what was going on, the butler answered instead.
"The lord wishes to meet Master Katrina alone. We'll show the two of you to a guest room, so please wait there."
"But she's my companion."
"The lord wishes to meet Master Katrina and no one else."
I was about to argue, but Chris stopped me, and I fell silent.
"We'll wait quietly. Go ahead."
"But..."
Chris said that if he revealed he was a Master too, they'd likely refuse to let Eah come along, and he couldn't leave her alone in an unfamiliar place. Since he urged me to go ahead, I had no choice but to meet the lord alone.
Reluctantly, I left Eah, who was disappointed, and Chris, who told me to go ahead, and followed the butler.
Soon we reached a huge door, and it opened as soon as we arrived.
"As you instructed, my lord, I've invited Lady Katrina."
"Oh! It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Renedia di Valencia, the lord of this city. Though I may not amount to much, I currently hold the rank of count."
He was quite different from the aristocrats of my imagination, who would naturally speak down to anyone of lower status and act arrogantly.
"Thank you for inviting me, my lord. I'm sorry, but may I ask why you called for me?"
At my question, the lord himself only grinned, but the butler standing beside him scolded me sharply.
"How dare you! How can you be so rude to the lord? And don't you know it's proper to remove your hat? This is why commoners..."
"That's enough. Stop there and leave, Alde."
"But, my lord..."
"Didn't I tell you to leave?"
Ah, so asking so bluntly was rude? And I was supposed to take off my hat? No, then I wouldn't have come! I had no intention of letting them find out I was an elf.
And who knew what would happen if a noble found out?
"Understood. Call for me if you need anything."
After the butler withdrew, the lord apologized to me.
"I'm sorry. He can be a little old-fashioned, but he's a capable butler, so please don't be too hard on him."
I wasn't particularly bothered, so I told him it was fine.
"Let's talk over a meal."
When the lord clapped his hands, as if they'd been waiting for the signal, a large number of people carrying food arranged it neatly on the table, then quickly left.
Wow, it was like watching soldiers who'd been trained in military drills.
I think I finally understand why the higher-ups in the military made everyone practice drills and held drill competitions every so often.
"There wasn't any particular reason. I like strong people, and when I heard your name, I was curious because it sounded like a woman's name, so I invited you.
"Ah... I see."
The lord picked up his utensils and suggested we talk while we ate. Since I'd never learned table manners, I awkwardly copied him as we ate.
"Haha, please, make yourself comfortable. I don't care much for etiquette."
"Then, I won't hold back..."
I ate comfortably and talked about various things with the lord.
His speech was courteous and gentle. I responded as best I could, and when we finished eating, the people waiting nearby took away the empty dishes and brought out some tea for dessert.
The food had been delicious, and the tea was smooth and fragrant, too. I liked it.
"It's nice to see you enjoying your food so heartily."
A Master could survive a month on very little food, but could eat plenty without issue, too. Since it was delicious, maybe I ate like a pig.
"Hahaha... The food was so delicious, I couldn't help myself. I'm sorry."
"I'm glad you enjoyed it. If you don't mind, may I ask you a favor?"
He'd said he invited me because he wanted to meet me. So there had been another reason after all?
"Would you marry me?"
"Ptooey!"
I seemed to be spitting things out a lot while we were on our way to Deus.
Flustered by the sight of the lord covered in the tea I'd spat out, I apologized over and over,
and he laughed, saying it was his fault for making such a joke, then told the butler to escort me to the room where my companions were resting.
It was an added bonus that the butler gave me a piercing glare on the way to Chris and Eah.
Soon I reached the room where Chris and Eah were. As I opened the door and stepped inside, Eah spotted me and leaped into my arms.
"Sis! What was the lord like? Was he handsome?"
I turned around, saw that the door had closed behind me, then looked at Eah and answered.
"He was kind of handsome, but still not as handsome as Chris..."
Eah chatted away, asking me all sorts of things. Then she said there was a hot spring here, too, and begged me to go with her.
I'd heard Eldor was famous for its hot springs, but as an elf, I figured I wouldn't be able to go. Hearing there was one here, too, cheered me up, and I followed a maid to the hot spring.
And as a bonus, Eah pestered me because she hadn't gotten to meet the lord that day.
I don't know why Mom and Eah are always touching me.
"It makes me so happy when I touch you!"
Yeah... If you're happy, that's all that matters.