An Old Man from the Countryside Becomes a Swords Saint: I Was Just a Rural Sword Teacher, But My Successful Students Won’t Leave Me Alone! - Chapter 10

10 - The Old Man From The Countryside Finds An Inn

“–And that’s how it went,” I said. “Aagh, I give up.”

“Oh, how wonder—I mean, how terrible…” Alexia replied.

It was the next day.

I’ve been physically evicted from my family dojo by my father, and now I’m meeting again with Alexia first thing in the morning.

The room we’re in is in the Knight Order’s Headquarters.

There are desks and chairs set out inside white-painted walls. The rooms are decorated with the bare minimum of furnishings, this room is far from awe-inspiring or luxurious, though it’s far from Spartan.

It seemed to be proof that the Knights did not embezzle funds and were operating honestly. Well, I don’t think Alexia was for either embezzlement or a life of luxury.

Today, I was returning to Baltrain with my sword, assorted pieces of luggage, and more than enough silver for the road.

Man, I’m glad I’ve saved up some money.

That I didn’t buy that sword yesterday turned out to be a smart decision. I could have bought it, but the price was so ridiculous for a single sword that I got worried about the future. I hadn’t expected all of this to happen so suddenly, though.

“First of all, I’m going to have to find an inn, so I’m sorry that I’m relying on you like this…” I said.

“No, it’s no trouble at all…” Alexia said.

Father had that kind of personality, where once he said something, he wasn’t going to take it back. I put my hopes on Mother, but she turned out to also be on Father’s side.

I couldn’t say anything when they both said they wanted me to show them their grandchildren. Sorry.

Landrid was also completely for Father after getting pressured by him.

If he gave me a terrible smile and said, “Master! Give it your all!”, I had no way to fight back. Fannaly’s warm gaze made it even more difficult.

“………”

“Oh, Alexia?” I asked. “What’s wrong?”

Hence, I’m stuck here in the capital city, Baltrain, without any other connections. I’m truly sorry that I seem to be using Alexia out of convenience but she was the only one I could rely on.

I thought it would be alright to ask her, but it seems she’s thinking deeply on it.

Yeah, it’s not a good look for someone who’s about to become a Special Instructor to the Knight Order, isn’t it?

“… I wonder if you could stay at my house,” Alexia muttered.

“Wait, I can’t do that?!” I cried.

I had been wondering what she was so bothered about, and now that I knew, I cut down the idea.

For the young Knight Captain and this Old Man to live together will be a lot of trouble, to say the least. I don’t want to harm the reputations of either the Knights or Alexia over something like this.

“But the Knights aren’t really familiar with this matter,” Alexia said. “I think Adventurers like Lysandera would be more appropriate.”

“I see… I think so, too…” I said.

Obviously, Adventurers who traveled around the country on contracts may be more familiar with this matter.

I’ve never stopped by the Adventurer’s Guild, but Selena has asked me to stop by, and if I ask, I’m sure she’ll tell me about the inns around here.

“I want to secure a room by day’s end, so I’ll go right away,” I said as I stood up.

“In that case,” Alexia said, doing the same, “I’ll show you the way. It’s not that far from Headquarters.”

“Thank you, you’ve really saved me,” I said.

I carry my luggage on my back, while Alexia leaves the Headquarters with just her sword.

“This is it,” Alexia said.

“It really was close by, wasn’t it?” I said.

And then, we came to the Adventurer’s Guild, Reveris Kingdom Branch.

It was extremely close to the Knight Order’s Headquarters. It was just a block away from the street the latter was located at. I think it’d be less than 5 minutes on foot.

Although it wasn’t as impressive as the Knight Order’s Headquarters, it was still one of Baltrain’s larger buildings. Even for a brief moment of idly watching the place, I saw some adventurers coming and going.

Yep, I think it’s pretty prosperous.

“Now then, let’s head inside,” Alexia said.

“Yeah,” I replied.

It was my first time entering this building, so I’m a little nervous.

Without realizing my feelings, Alexia opened the door and entered without hesitation. I hurry behind her, nervous.

From the doors, the interior looks like a large lobby, with a counter in the center, boards on the left and right, and stairs to the upper floor on the far right, beside the boards there.

The far left side seems to be a lounge for chatting. Several round tables and chairs were set out, I could see some Adventurers killing time.

Not unlike the people who I saw when I was heading into the city, the Adventurers give me such odd glances… this would be twice now. Maybe they were surprised to see Alexia here.

“Pardon me,” Alexia said, heading up to the counter without looking around. “May I ask for ‘The Dragon Sword’, Selena Lysandera?”

“Ah, okay,” the clerk said, “please wait a moment.”

I got the sense they were feeling a great deal of both confusion and tension. Well, it wasn’t like the Knights of Revelio to come to the Adventurer’s Guild.

Moreover, Alexia was asking for a Black Rank, Selena. It’s a combination that makes you suspect something big is happening.

But, we’re actually just looking for an inn for an old man. Sorry.

“Citrus,” Selena said. “If this is something trivial, I’m going back to bed… Master?!”

“H-Hey, Selena, I’m here, just like you asked yesterday,” I said.

“This isn’t trivial,” Alexia said. “In a way, it’s very important.”

Selena was coming down from upstairs and seemed to be in a bad mood. However, as soon as she saw me, her eyes shot open and she couldn’t hide her surprise.

I didn’t expect to see her again today, either.

It makes me feel unbearable for a while.

“No way,” Selena said, “I didn’t expect to see you so soon after yesterday.”

“I’m sorry to surprise you,” I said. “Something a little unexpected happened.”

“Hmm…” Selena hummed. “Best we talk about this upstairs… is Citrus coming?”

“But of course,” Alexia said.

Obviously, I don’t think there’s any sort of serious crisis going on. I just want to conveniently get an inn, I don’t need this formality.

Anyway, if we’re going upstairs, I want to do it quickly.

The gazes around me have been terrible since earlier.

It’s a top-tier spectacle and undeniably suspicious that a famous adventurer would speak so respectfully to someone, especially if it’s a Black Rank speaking to the Revelio Knight-Captain who came without a prior appointment.

Alexia and Selena don’t seem to care, but I certainly do. Hence, I wanted to get out of this place as soon as possible.

I don’t know if they have noticed the atmosphere around us, but Selena goes upstairs.

Fortunately, when I saw the 2nd floor a few moments later, it wasn’t a lobby like below, but a straight aisle that stretched on with rooms left and right.

“Here, inside this drawing-room,” Selena said.

“Can we use it without permission?” I asked.

“Yeah, I’ve got permission to use it as I please so long as I’m here,” Selena replied.

“Black Ranks sure are different,” I said. “They even treat you differently, huh?”

“No, this is also a result of your teachings, Master,” Selena said.

Is it now? This old man’s embarrassed.

“So, seems you’ve got something you need to do,” Selena said.

“Oh, you see–” I started.

After we all got seated, I gave the same explanation as I had for Alexia.

It’s pretty embarrassing to admit, though. Seriously, Father.

“I see…” Selena said. “I know some cheap, good quality inns. If possible, it would be safer to get one closer to the Guild.”

“Wait, Lysandera, Master will be heading to the Knight’s Headquarters in the future, so security-wise, it would be better if his house were closer to there,” Alexia countered.

“What are you talking about?” Selena said. “The Adventurer’s Guild and the Knight’s Headquarters are close to each other, so it should be around here for convenience’s sake.”

Aaand these two have started to argue again, just like that.

I’d just like to get an inn as soon as possible, I could get one anywhere.

""

And in the end.

Although there was a bit of an argument.

My new home in Baltrain was set a little ways away from both the Guild and the Knights.