Volume 4 - CH 8

The attendant entered the room, refilled the tea and brought teacakes for us, while Blythe and I continued our conversation.

About an hour later, there was a knock on the door, Liese and Myra came back in in their adventuring clothes.

「Thank you for your patience. We’re ready to go. Let’s leave right away」

Certainly, it is a suitable time to leave for the forest in order to set up the guild house.

I got up from my seat and we left the mansion together with Blythe. We saw Blythe off as he rode in his carriage.

「Touya-sama, are we going to walk to the forest? I have a carriage that can take us there……..」

I don’t necessarily have a reason to hide this anymore, now that they know my identity.

「No, we’ll take my carriage. We can reach the forest faster」

I took out the carriage and Kokuyou from Dimensional Storage.

「I’m sorry you had to stay inside for so long,……. Cut it out! 」

Kokuyou had started to bite my head. Not sure if it’s because he is happy to be let out after all this time or that he was in a foul mood since I had taken this long to take him out.

「「………… 」」

The two girls were looking up at the carriage and the Obsidian Battlehorse that were just brought out with their mouths agape.

「As I am sure you’ve heard by now from the rumors, this is my trusted horse, Kokuyou」

I introduce Kokuyou to them as I wipe the drool on my head with a towel pulled out of Dimensional Storage.

「……. We have heard of the rumors, yes, but this is the first time seeing an Obsidian Battlehorse…….. You seem very fond of it 」

They no longer look scared, but they still seem surprised and stunned.

「Ah, yeah, we’ve been together for a while now. Come on, get in the carriage. I’ll attach Kokuyou to the carriage and we’ll be on our way 」

I urged them to get into the carriage, and I tied the carriage fittings to Kokuyou and went up on the coachman platform.

「Please, let’s go, Kokuyou 」

As I pulled on the reins, Kokuyou slowly began to drag the carriage forward.

I also cover my head with my hood to prevent from being recognized on the platform. My identity should be kept under wraps from the general public as usual. Kokuyou stands out like a sore thumb, and the crowd will no doubt spread a word about him. There is also a possibility that other adventurers will see me.

We slowly made our way through the city, stealing the gazes of the people. Twice the size of a normal horse, Kokuyou made even the adventurers stand clear of him.

The stares followed us till we had left the eastern gate. It was at this time that we sped up.

Even though the forest is full of monsters, the path to the dungeon is well maintained and clear. And from my previous survey I knew that there was enough room for the carriage to go through.

The goblins that would be stupid enough to show themselves will be easily handled by Kokuyou.

It took us a few minutes to arrive at the forest, and while we did slow down a bit, the carriage continued through the forest. A few goblins that appeared in our way were trampled and crushed by Kokuyou without wasting any time.

Orcs also showed themselves here and there, but I took them down with magic in the distance, clearing the path. Soon we reached the place where we had fought the Earth Dragon last time and stopped.

「Stay in the carriage while I fix us a place to stay in 」

I called out to them through the small window from the platform, and asked Kokuyou to guard the carriage. I released a spell, to cut down the trees, to clear the area.

The trees that had fallen, I stored in Dimensional Storage, while their roots were dragged away from the ground using earth magic, and in approximately ten minutes the space to set up the guild was ready.

I wiped the small sweat on my face and took out the guild house from Dimensional Storage.

「Will this do? 」

I walked over to the carriage; stroked Kokuyou’s neck gently, thanked him, and asked him to return to Dimensional Storage.

「You can come out now. It’s ready 」

I opened the carriage door for them. They both came out looking around warily, but when their eyes landed on the guild house, their mouths completely dropped open.

「Th, th, this is……… 」

「This is a—- house 」

It’s the same guild house that I always use, which has several bedrooms and a bath. It also acts as a monster repellent.

……. It’s not from this world……. Though, I don’t need to mention that.

I encouraged them to enter the guild house after I had put away the carriage back in Dimensional Storage.

I opened the front door for them.

「Welcome to my ‘temporary house’. You’ll be staying here for the night’ 」

I led them into the living room and had them take a seat. They were still in a daze, as if their minds were overworking to make sense of the circumstance. I boiled water in the kitchen and prepared tea.

As I poured the tea into the cups and offered it to them, I thought how nice it is to finally relax like this after living in the inn for so long.

「Here’s some tea. It was given to me in the Imperial Capital; it’s quite good 」

Both of them froze up, as if they couldn’t keep up with their thoughts. I picked up a cup of tea too. The aroma tickled my nose, and its taste permeated my whole mouth.

「It’s delicious. You two, have some before it gets cold 」

「……. Thank you 」

Liese is dressed as an adventurer, but she takes a sip of tea like a noblewoman.

「…… It’s really good. I’m not sure I know where to find such delicious tea. Where do you get …… such delicious tea leaves? 」

「Yes, it’s delicious. It was given to me by His Majesty while I was in the Capital 」

「What …… His Majesty ……? 」

Myra who is sitting beside Liese blurts out, while Liese pulls a face and looks down at her cup.

「…… Touya-sama, who are you exactly……? 」

「Well, you can think of me as a slightly stronger adventurer than most. And since I am an adventurer now, you don’t have to use ‘sama’, okay? The other people will find that strange. Especially Gilt and Jill…… 」

I won’t be comfortable in this city if people unnecessarily know that I am a noble. I want to keep my identity a secret as much as possible.

It’s just that I don’t want to get mixed up in trouble by revealing too much in case I am coerced into using my noble status for anyone’s gain.

「……. I’m very grateful, I understand. Then I’ll call you Touya, as I always have 」

「Yes, that’s fine. I’ll introduce you to one more person, Ferris 」

The stone around my neck responded to my call with a glow, and Ferris appeared. She stood behind me and looked down at Liese and Myra.

「Eh? …… 」

「No way…… 」

Both of them, their eyes were visibly stunned. I’m not sure how many times I have seen them like this now…….

「This is a house spirit, Ferris. She’ll be taking care of cleaning and stuff while we are staying in this house. I’m sorry you’ve been caged for so long, Ferris 」

「……Touya, I’ve missed you. …… 」

「Sorry, I’m going to be using the guild house for a few days, okay? 」

「Yes, okay……. 」

Ferris nodded and disappeared into thin air.

「The House Spirit can speak!? 」

「…… Unbelievable……. 」

Well, that’s what people usually think, isn’t it? I’ve told Ferris that she is free to talk to me as she pleases when I am in this guild house. I am sure these two will get used to it.

「I’ve given up on thinking about the reason behind it. I’m going to prepare dinner now, so just relax. After you’ve eaten, you can take a bath」

「We can use the bathroom…….? 」

「Yes, Ferris will prepare it for you. I’ll show you how to use when I show you to your bedrooms later 」

I left my seat and went into the kitchen to prepare dinner.

I have a large amount of steak meat, and some soup. I bought a lot in the Capital as well, so I have enough.

I lit the stove and started cooking the seasoned meat. I put the bread in a bowl, took out a skillet of soup, and scooped it into the bowl.

The kitchen was filled with the delicious smell of roasting meat.

I sliced the meat into bite-sized pieces and placed them on plates.

「It’s ready. The meal will be served in here, so can you come 」

I laid out the food I had prepared on the dining room table. The two immediately sat down at the table.

When they saw the food arranged on the table, they gulped.

「I didn’t expect you to be able to cook so much……. As a noble, you are supposed to leave such things to the servants……. 」

「Even though I am a noble now, I was just an adventurer not so long ago. I was only knighted because of my achievements in the war. I would have refused if I had the option, but there is a lot on my plate 」

I answered as I poured a glass of wine. I was told by Gaulus to accept it, but I am still not completely comfortable with this decision.

Since I have become a noble of higher status and Char and Al have become my fiancés, the nobles didn’t force me into marrying their daughters, but I still received many offers of arranged marriages.

I wonder what would have happened if I had been just an adventurer……… Doesn’t matter now, there’s no use thinking about it.

「…………You didn’t want to become a noble…………? 」

「A lot of things happened in the Capital……. But let’s not get into that. The meal will get cold 」

I raised my glass of wine and made a toast.

We began to eat; I chewed on a piece of meat and savored the taste. It tastes good, well cooked and delicious.

I was satisfied to hear the two of them say 「delicious 」 as well.

As I expected from a noble and her bodyguard, their eating posture was clean and they were eating well.

We proceeded to eat while having a light chat. The main topic of conversation was about Liese and Myra since they became adventurers.

Liese and Myra, perhaps encouraged by the alcohol, became talkative and began to share about how they secretly became adventurers at Liese’s request after they came of age. Liese trained daily with a wooden sword to become stronger as an adventurer.

I learned that Myra has been with her since she was a child because her parents were the attendants of the lord.

We also talked about how they met Gilt and Jill. They had apparently received the same request at the guild and hit it off as they are close in age, and ended up forming a party. Our conversation continued to the point where we talked about how Gilt has a crush on Liese and Jill on Myra, but since the two girls are hiding their true identities, they didn’t want to get into a love affair, so they rejected them.

I felt a bit sorry for Gilt and Jill…….

After the meal was over, I showed them to their bedroom. They were both satisfied with the fluffy bed, and I explained how to use the shower in the bathroom. Ferris had already prepared the bathtub for them, so they went straight into the bath.

I cleaned up the dishes, made myself a cup of tea and sat down on the sofa, where Ferris appeared and sat down next to me.

It’s been a long time since we’ve had this kind of time together. …… I’m going to be hunting tomorrow during the day, but I’m planning on staying here for the night.

「It’s been a while since we’ve relaxed like this……. I’m going hunting tomorrow during the day, but I’ll be back when it gets dark 」

「Mm……. okay 」

Ferris looked happy; maybe because she was with me.

After spending some quality time with Ferris, the two girls got out of the bath and into the living room.

「The bath, the toilet, the…….. What the hell is this house!? It’s so comfortable I want to live here! 」

「It’s more comfortable than a mansion 」

I don’t know what exactly this house is, just that it’s an item from my gaming days. At least they look satisfied which is important.

「So you can trust me to be safe here, right? Tomorrow I’ll take you back to the city, I’ll be staying here while I subjugate the monsters」

No one can enter this house without my permission and the monsters can’t attack it, and Ferris is here to take care of me. I can hunt with a peace of mind.

「…….. That’s the thing……. Can’t I just stay here while you do? I’m worried about leaving Touya alone in this forest. I would be less worried if I can stay close in case something happens…….. 」

Liese suggested with a demanding look. But she’s supposed to take the place of her brother, as the lord, who ran away.

「Liese the city and the guildmaster need you……. You’re the acting lord 」

She raised her eyebrows with his mouth open, she can’t deny the truth.

Looking at my serious face, Liese dropped her shoulders and sighed, probably remembering her position.

「…… Yes, that’s right. I understand. I’m sorry for being so selfish 」

I let them rest early for tomorrow, and after I took a bath, I went into my bedroom. I took a bath and then went to bed. I relaxed in my bed and before I knew it I had fallen asleep in the comfortable softness.