Chapter 1: An Old Country Bumpkin Buys Clothes
It was morning in Baltrain. I woke up, and since I no longer lived alone, I exchanged a brief greeting with my new housemate, Mui. After that, I quickly got dressed and had a light breakfast.
“Shall we?”
“Mm.”
Mui and I stepped out of my new home and onto the city streets. Our life together had started very suddenly, but it was going surprisingly well. Mui wasn’t really the type to try to get close to others, nor did she know how to. We tried not to meddle with each other more than we had to, so even though there were still some logistical questions about us living under the same roof, things had comfortably settled.
“Man, the weather sure is nice today,” I remarked.
“Better than it being lousy...”
Today, I was on an outing with Mui. To be precise, it was my duty to see her to the magic institute. Lucy had recently explained things about the institute in more detail. The magic institute was always recruiting those with a talent for magic, so even though they had a normal entrance ceremony, they accepted applicants at any time of the year. They were more than happy to welcome Mui right away.
The institute was also used to such procedures, so enrolling her had gone really smoothly. Of course, Lucy had a personal hand in Mui’s case, so that must’ve helped a lot. It turned out that Lucy was both the commander of the magic corps and the headmistress of the institute. Seriously, how many titles can you have at once? She apparently didn’t show up often at the institute, though. Lucy did seem more like a researcher than a teacher. It was probably rare for her to hold any classes.
“Hmm, so the institute is in the northern district,” I mumbled, staring at the map Lucy had given me.
Unlike the order’s office, the magic institute was in the same district as the palace. I couldn’t care less whether the order or the magic corps was older (or which had more influence), but there was something special about a school in the same district as the palace.
And now, Mui was going to be a student there. As her guardian, it made me feel proud.
“You didn’t have to come along or nothing...” Mui muttered.
I knew very well that these types of situations could feel very uncomfortable or even embarrassing for a child like Mui. In this case, I figured she was embarrassed. I’m really starting to understand her.
“I thought I should at least greet them as your guardian,” I told her. “Also, I’ve got some interest in the magic institute.”
“Hmph.”
All I got in response was her usual snort. Mui was still young. But she was about to become a student, so naturally, I had to go say hello. It didn’t feel right to enroll her and then just shove off, tell her to take care, and throw her out the door. Also, I was curious. The institute had been established so that the nation could secure talented wizards—this was rather exciting from the perspective of a swordsman.
I also wanted to see the place where Mui would be staying. Though I didn’t want to butt in, I was pretty confident that I’d come flying to the school if I heard about someone bullying her. I could even imagine myself stomping in there and exclaiming, “Who the hell is bullying my kid?!”
This was what I was reduced to when it came to Mui. I suspected I would be extremely doting if I had a child who shared my blood. But to make that a reality, I would first have to find a wife, and I’d already given up on that. Things had only reached this point because my dad refused to let me give up.
Developments had granted me a house, but I had no idea what kind of life I would be living from this point onward. Would Baltrain really become my permanent residence? At the very least, I was going to stay in this house until Mui could live on her own. My life plan for everything after that was a blank slate. Even if I wanted to retire in peace, my dad and Allusia weren’t liable to let me.
“What’s wrong?” Mui asked.
“Oh, it’s nothing. Let’s go.”
Oops, no point thinking about that stuff now. It’ll work out one way or another. The northern district was quite far away—I could manage it, but taking Mui for such a long walk would be no good. So, I decided to rely on the carriage that went all the way there. At this hour, there were plenty of people commuting, so the carriage stop was very lively. All sorts of people were boarding to get off at different places.
“Oops, excuse me.”
As I got on the carriage to go to the northern district with Mui, I found myself with hardly any room to stand. I’d traveled on carriages a few times since coming to Baltrain, but this was my first time being in one that was so packed. I was worried about whether Mui was okay.
“Man, it sure is crammed in here,” I mumbled.
“So tight...” she complained, wincing a little.
Hmm, I guess carriages are stuffed to the gills at this hour. The institute had a dorm where the students stayed most of the time, so I wouldn’t have to throw Mui into this hubbub too often. It’ll probably be fine. I knew I was being overprotective, but there was nothing to be done about it at this point. Mui had spent her entire life in a gloomy world, so she was relatively ignorant about being out in the light. She hadn’t even received enough of an education to properly write her own name. I couldn’t possibly leave such a little girl on her own. I wondered whether she would make friends at school, and I wondered whether she would do well with her studies.
As such parental thoughts filled my mind, the carriage shook and rattled its way to our destination.
“Sure is big...”
“Mm...”
We soon arrived at the magic institute. I hadn’t been to the northern district since capturing Reveos, but things looked awfully different when the sun was out. Coupled with the clear sky, the soaring spires of the royal palace were a sight to behold. To get to the institute, we had to walk quite a ways from the carriage stop in the northern district. Still, our destination wasn’t excessively far—just enough for Mui to stretch her legs and exercise a bit.
We’d relied on the map and billboards to find the place, and it was enormous, occupying a plot so large that I wondered whether it rivaled the palace. The entrance was flanked by a large gate, and through it, I could see a vast garden leading to what I assumed was the main school building. To the right was a large space that looked like a sports ground, and to the left had to be the dorms. Yup, it sure is huge. How many students do they have? It’s presumptuous to compare, but my backwater dojo is realms smaller than this place.
“Shall we go in and say hi?” I asked Mui.
“Mm...”
After coming this far, I couldn’t put my country bumpkin side on full display. After all, I was accompanied by a little girl who needed my guidance, so I couldn’t just stand here in a daze. First, I had to make my way to the staff room or something...probably. I’d gotten a map to find the building, but I had no clue where to go next. Not that there was any point in just standing around. I’d probably find a teacher inside, and I could just catch them, explain the situation, and get them to guide us.
As that thought crossed my mind, I heard a voice from behind me.
“Would you happen to be the new transfer student and her father?”
I took a quick glance left and right, but there was nobody else nearby. However, the voice seemed to be addressing us. When I turned fully around, I was greeted by a woman wearing a robe much like Ficelle’s. She was just about the same height and age as Allusia, or maybe a little older. Her gentle features and wavy hair gave her a friendly demeanor.
“The transfer student and her father,” huh? Do we look that way? It was at least better than being mistaken for a kidnapper. It was actually pretty moving to be seen like that by a stranger. I glanced at Mui to check her reaction. She was a little flustered, though it didn’t look like she was rejecting the idea. I couldn’t ask for more.
“Umm, and you are...?” I asked.
“Excuse me,” the woman replied. “My name is Kinera Fyne. I serve as a teacher here at the magic institute.”
“A pleasure to meet you. I’m Beryl, and this is Mui.”
The woman turned out to be a teacher. That’s great. Now I can have her guide us.
“Just as you’ve surmised, Mui will be attending the institute,” I explained. “I brought her here today, but was overwhelmed by how splendid the school grounds are.”
“Oh dear,” Kinera said, giggling. “The magic institute is, in fact, the grandest building in Baltrain.”
The Liberion Order was filled with martial types like Allusia and Henbrits. Here at the magic institute, it seemed the people had a tendency to be more refined. Not that the knights lacked grace or anything. Wielding swords was ultimately a bloody business, so it didn’t tend to attract people with docile temperaments. On that point, Kinera gave off a really gentle air. It made me believe that, if someone like her was in charge of Mui’s class, Mui would be able to retract her claws and have a good school life.
“Would you like me to show you the way?” Kinera offered.
“That would help greatly,” I said. “I wasn’t sure where to go or what the proper procedures were.”
“P-Please do...” Mui added stiffly. She wasn’t sure what to say, what expression to make, or what tone to use, but she still tried. Mui’s really adorable.
“Hee hee, there’s no need to be so nervous!” Kinera said. “All the students here are good children.”
“Whatever... Ah, I mean, yes...” Mui said, correcting herself. She was probably thinking that she had to fix her speech. Her charming efforts brought a smile to this old man’s face.
According to Lucy, the institute had no qualms about a student’s background as long as they had a talent for magic. In other words, there had to be no small number of rowdy children enrolled, even if none were quite at Mui’s level. Kinera looked accustomed to handling kids like that, so it seemed like it would be fine to entrust things to them. But if anything happens, I’m still gonna come flying over.
With that, the three of us began walking through the grounds of the grand magic institute.
“It is rather large,” I remarked.
“It is. New students sometimes even get lost in here.”
Kinera guided us through the school building. Currently, we were on the first floor. I wondered how many more floors the building had. There had to be at least four, from what I’d seen outside. Considering the sheer size of this floor alone, it was only natural that some students had gotten lost.
“You’ll have to familiarize yourself with the place quickly, Mui,” I said.
“I’ll be fine...probably,” Mui said. Her words had started off confident, but she’d trailed off at the end, her tone becoming rather meek.
She ogled at the unfamiliar sights around us. It was pretty unreasonable for anyone to get accustomed to such a huge building in a single day. I doubted I could. The exits to the building were easily identifiable, but locating specific things inside seemed like a much more challenging task.
“Good morning, Mrs. Kinera!”
“Good morning.”
Students greeted Kinera as we passed them in the hallways, and she returned their greetings in kind. I just gave each one a short nod because honestly, I had no idea what to do in my position. As for Mui, she awkwardly averted her eyes and hung her head.
Was she going to be all right? Would she be able to make friends? This old man was a little worried.
“They’re all very well-behaved children,” I said.
The students did indeed have good manners. They all made sure to greet and nod to Mui and me too. This was a school with a long history and much influence, so they were probably receiving an education in etiquette too.
Taking a quick glance at the students we passed, I saw students of all ages, ranging from some even younger than Mui to those who were very much older. There was no telling when a budding wizard’s talent would bloom, so age wasn’t much of a standard to go by. In that sense, it seemed Mui would be able to fit in here. When age and gender were more clustered together, it tended to make it difficult for outsiders to join in.
“These children may become wizards who represent the nation,” Kinera explained. “An education in manners is part of the curriculum here.”
“I see.”
My assumption had been correct. Well, that was only natural. The Liberion Order and the magic corps represented the whole of Liberis. The knights put an emphasis on physical strength, while refinement was more visible within the magic corps. Not that physical strength alone was enough to get you into the order.
“Oh yes, have you decided on a magic major yet, Mui?” Kinera asked.
“Magic...major?” Mui repeated, looking up at her in confusion.
The term didn’t make any sense to me either. Lucy had never mentioned it.
“Oh my, I’m sorry,” Kinera said. “Magic can be generally classified into a few different categories. Most people have some they specialize in and some they’re poor at.”
“Hmmm, so that’s how it works,” I said. Magic really was like any other field of study, and the system here seemed similar to other types of formal education.
“All I can do is make fire,” Mui answered timidly.
“In that case, you may have an aptitude for offensive magic,” Kinera said.
We were now being introduced to more technical terminology. On paper, I was the father of a girl attending the magic institute, so perhaps I needed to do something about my ignorance regarding magic. Maybe I can have Lucy teach me some more later. She was a busy person though—I’d just ask for the basics if we ever found ourselves with the time.
“Pardon the question, but are you familiar with magic, Mr. Beryl?” Kinera asked.
“Oh, not at all,” I answered. “I’m ashamed to say I know nothing about it. As you can see, all I know is how to wield a sword.”
I tapped the sheath at my hip. It was a little late to consider this, but I wondered how much my title as a special instructor meant in a diplomatic sense. It came with the king’s royal seal, so I doubted it’d just been thrown together internally. I didn’t really know how stuff like this worked.
“I see. Please forgive the impolite question,” Kinera said. “There’s no telling where the talent for magic will bloom, after all.”
“It’s fine—there’s no need to apologize.”
She was talking as if an old man like me still had a chance at developing a talent for magic. It would be a little problematic for me to awaken at this age. Frankly, I was more than satisfied enjoying the leisurely pursuit of the sword.
“The magic institute has courses in sword magic as well, but honestly, there aren’t many who practice it,” Kinera added. “It’d be nice if more students could pick it up in the future.”
“Hmmm, sword magic, huh?”
The first person who came to mind was Ficelle. Well, she was the only one I knew. As expected, not many wizards used that branch of magic.
“Ficelle in particular is—” Kinera stopped herself to explain. “Oh, Ficelle’s a graduate from the institute. She is extremely talented at sword magic,” Kinera said.
“So, Ficelle’s really successful...” I never thought I’d hear about my former pupil here. It was somehow moving.
“Huh? Ummm... Are you acquainted with Ficelle?” Kinera asked, a small hint of surprise in her voice.
“Yes,” I answered. “I happened to have taught her how to use a sword.”
“Oh my!” Kinera exclaimed, suddenly far more excited than before. “Oh, um... Forgive me.”
“It’s fine—please don’t worry about it,” I told her. “I don’t find it rude at all.”
In the next moment, Kinera wrapped her arms around herself and blushed. I had no idea how to react.
“Ficelle’s sword magic is so fluid,” she said. “I always believed that she must’ve been blessed with a good teacher.”
“Ha ha ha... You flatter me...”
If a staff member of the institute was going that far, then maybe Ficelle was actually accomplishing a ridiculous feat...despite being so low energy all the time. You couldn’t judge a book by its cover. And for some reason, I was getting praised for her accomplishments too. It was kind of embarrassing.
“A-Anyway, I’m curious about the classifications of magic you mentioned,” I said.
I felt like Kinera was starting to look at me with a weird glint in her eyes, so I quickly changed the subject. Maybe I was starting to get used to my pupils buttering me up... Well, not really. I still wasn’t used to it, so when a stranger started singing my praises, it seriously made my whole body prickle. I felt far more embarrassed than happy.
“Right, the classifications,” Kinera said. “Magic can be generally classified as offensive, defensive, healing, reinforcement, and livelihood. Though, there are magics that straddle several classifications and those that can’t be categorized anywhere.”
“Hm...”
That was a lot more types than I’d expected. Mui being able to create fire meant she could potentially specialize in offensive magic. However, Lucy had once told me something: even all of this magic, which was known as wizardry in this nation, didn’t even make up for one percent of all magic as a whole. Magic education was truly a bottomless pit of learning.
“To start, we build up a student’s knowledge by teaching the fundamentals of all types of magic,” Kinera continued explaining. “Students pursue a specialty after that.”
Kinera seemed to be a very thoughtful person, which matched my initial impression of her. She was friendly toward everyone and very sincere. I couldn’t help but think the world would be a far more peaceful place if everyone was like her.
And just like that, after hearing a little more about magic and the institute, we reached a room where the school’s teachers were gathered.
“We’ve arrived,” Kinera announced. “This is the staff room. Do you have the transfer papers?”
I did remember signing transfer papers, but I’d left them all to Lucy. She had taken the papers with her, so I hoped that she’d brought them to the institute. Don’t tell me she forgot about them...
“Thank you for showing us the way,” I said. “As for the papers, Lucy...um, the headmistress handled them for us.”
“Is that so? I see. Then I’ll confirm afterward,” Kinera said. “I still have to explain the process of matriculation and the dorms, so come with me, Mui. What will you do, Mr. Beryl?”
“Hmmm...”
Maybe I should stick around for this? Though if I don’t, I can probably ask Mui about it later too.
“Parents often stay to listen,” Kinera added. “I suppose everyone is uneasy about entrusting their children to others.”
“Then I’ll listen in too.”
I would be lying if I said I didn’t care, though this had nothing to do with being a doting father. While I was at it, was it best to mention that Mui and I had different family names? They could see that much from the papers. I honestly had no idea who I should tell about our circumstances or how much to reveal.
“I’ll be fine on my own...” Mui protested weakly, embarrassed about me sticking close to her.
“Ha ha ha, c’mon, I’m just a li’l curious,” I told her.
“Hee hee.” Kinera stifled a giggle.
“Hm? Is something the matter?” I asked. Was there something to laugh about? I couldn’t think of anything beyond Mui being cute.
“Not at all! You were just rather frank about it,” Kinera said.
“Aah... Sorry about that.”
This was plainly embarrassing. I’d done my best to keep my behavior prim and proper, but that was hard to maintain. My pretense had easily been peeled back.
“Please come in,” Kinera said. “I’ll explain all the details.”
“Ah, right. C’mon Mui, let’s go.”
“Shut up. I get it already.”
I urged Mui along, trying to hastily change the topic, and got a blunt reply. Even after seeing that, Kinera didn’t say anything. I hoped she could see that Mui just had a slightly strong temperament. The girl’s words were barbed, but she wasn’t harsh by nature.
At any rate, even if a whole lot had happened, I never thought I’d walk within the halls of the magic institute. There was no telling what the world had in store for you. Upon entering the room, a few adults who looked like teachers glanced at us. However, they seemed to be used to visitors and immediately returned to their work. I was glad they didn’t give us any weird looks—I’d had enough of those ever since coming to Baltrain. But that was mostly Allusia, Selna, and Lucy’s fault.
“Please take a seat.”
Kinera guided us to a reception area in a corner of the room. Mui and I sat down on a well-made sofa. It was quite comfortable. There was a certain sense of quality to every piece of furniture in here. Okay then, time to pay attention. This involves Mui’s future, after all.
◇
After getting a full explanation from Kinera, we left the magic institute. By the time we passed back through the gate, the sun was high up in the east. It was almost time for lunch. I wondered what to do about food as we continued walking home.
“Did you understand everything, Mui?” I asked.
“Hmph. I’m not stupid.”
The majority of what we’d heard at the magic institute were the basics. Kinera had told us about the general curriculum at the school, how rooms were assigned at the dorms, how curfew worked, and other fundamentals we needed to know. On that point, students weren’t forced to live in the dorms. The only institute in the nation was in Baltrain, so the dorms had been built to allow those from outside the capital to attend. Those who lived nearby were indeed allowed to commute. However, parents of children who had the potential to be wizards tended to be very careful about their child’s surroundings, and thus, many applied to stay in the dorms. Lucy had mentioned something about this too—would it have killed her to share some of the details? She was quick to act, but sometimes, she was exquisitely sloppy.
“Anyway, want to find somewhere to grab lunch?” I suggested.
“Mm.”
We’d only come here today to say hello and get an explanation of how things worked. Mui wouldn’t actually be starting until next week. We did need time to process everything, so this timing was about right.
“Anyway, are you really sure?” I asked as we walked through the relatively quiet northern district.
“About what?” Mui replied somewhat awkwardly.
“Not using the dorms.”
“Whatever... I can just stay home and go to the institute every day.”
Mui had declined to use dorms. They’d mentioned it being optional, so that was fine with me. However, seeing that most kids chose to use the dorms, living at the magic institute had to be highly regarded. Even if the commute wasn’t that far, living on campus would save a lot of time, making it easier for her to focus on her studies. What’s more, the dorms guaranteed all her daily necessities. Well, not that staying at home was much different, but having the problem of food solved so easily was supposed to be a nice bonus.
Now that we were living together, the housework would likely be divided between us. I had no intention of pushing everything on a young child, of course, but it would also be unnatural for Mui to do no housework whatsoever. I was going to get her cooperation on that front. Also, the commute was nothing to sneeze at. I factored in my daily walk to the office as part of my exercise routine, so it wasn’t much of a problem for me. For a child, it was only normal to want to be rid of what they saw as a waste of time.
“What...? You got a problem with me staying home?” Mui asked a little angrily.
“Ah, no. As long as you’re fine with it.”
It definitely wasn’t a problem. This wasn’t my first time living with someone, so that part would work out one way or another. Mui had also spent time living with her sister. However, her having the choice to live in the dorms but choosing to live with me instead made me feel a little itchy. Ultimately, there was no point in interrogating the little girl about it. I’d accepted the house on the premise of living there with her to begin with, so I decided to just make the best of it.
“Are you fine with it?” Mui asked.
“Hm? With what?”
“Umm... You had work today too, right?”
Oh, that? I wasn’t foolish enough to skip out on work without saying anything. It was difficult to get others to trust you at this age, and it only took moments to shatter that trust. That was why I’d discussed my absence with Allusia already. I’d told her everything about getting a house and living with Mui. At the time, it’d seemed like all emotion vanished from her face for a moment, but I’d decided not to pay any attention to that reaction.
“Don’t worry about it,” I said. “I adjusted my schedule.”
“I guess that’s fine...”
Besides, I wasn’t obligated to show up every day. The original plan had been for me to come to Baltrain from Beaden periodically, so they weren’t expecting a tight schedule from me. And frankly, after my dad had kicked me out, my schedule had become a big question mark—I’d decided on my own to go to the order every day.
“I have the day off today,” I explained. “Your future is more important, Mui.”
“Hmph.”
Was that a little corny? Mui huffed and turned her head to the side once more. Still, I was planning to drop by the office today once things calmed down. Swinging a sword every day was a habit at this point, so I wanted to at least continue that.
“Oh yeah, about lunch,” I said while riding the carriage back to the central district. “Is there anything you want to eat?”
“I’m fine with whatever...”
Her response was what I’d expected. Mui wasn’t the type of girl to be selfish about her own tastes—she almost never exhibited such behavior. I didn’t know whether this was because of her upbringing or because she was acting reserved around me. Probably the former. She hadn’t lived a life where she could be picky about food.
However, seeing as I had a fair bit saved up and was making a decent amount of money, I wasn’t going to let Mui live a life of poverty. I was ready to respond to an appropriate amount of willful indulgence. Though, even if I got that message across to her, she wasn’t the type to nod along with it. I could only change her way of thinking little by little as we continued living together.
“Let’s just find a random restaurant,” I suggested.
“Mm.”
The carriage continued rattling as we rode along. I decided to just get off at the next stop and pick a restaurant that caught my eye. It would be a waste of time to fret over what to have. Besides, if we weren’t picky, Baltrain was overflowing with restaurants. That was especially the case in the central district. It just showed how many people lived here and how prosperous the place was. This reminded me, for the umpteenth time, how different the capital was from Beaden.
Not too long later, the carriage arrived in the central district. I paid the fee and we got off. The air was filled with an altogether different tumult from when we’d left this morning.
“Oh, how about over there?” I asked.
“Wherever’s fine.”
Baltrain was a large city that had been scrupulously planned out by the nation’s administration. Many shops peeked out over the sides of well-paved roads. It was just around noon, so I could hear lively voices coming out of various buildings. One of these had a banner that caught my eye—it looked like a charcuterie shop. I rather liked sausage, so I decided to go with that for lunch.
“Excuse me,” I called out as I entered.
“Welcome!” a friendly voice called back.
It was the right time for lunch, so there were many customers inside. If our party had been more than just Mui and me, it might’ve been hard for us to get seats. I wondered where to go. Since Mui was here, I wanted to avoid splitting a large table if possible. Just then, one of the seated customers raised her voice.
“Hm...? Master?”
“Huh? Well, if it isn’t Selna. What a coincidence.”
It was the adventurer guild’s black rank, Selna Lysandra. She’d apparently arrived here a little ahead of us. I saw that she was just about to dig into a plate of sausage.
“Would you like a seat?” she offered. “That is, if you don’t mind sharing a table with me.”
“Yeah, that helps,” I said. “Thanks.”
Meals were naturally better when surrounded by familiar faces, so I gladly accepted.
“Um... Master? Who is that girl?” Selna asked, looking at Mui.
“Aah...”
Crap. Now that I think of it, I haven’t had a chance to see Selna lately, so I haven’t told her about the house or Mui. Now then, what to do? Well, I guess being honest is the only way.
“Mind if we sit down first?” I asked.
“Ah, yes, of course.”
Selna gave me a weird look, but there was no helping that. It must’ve been unusual to see an old bumpkin right out of the backcountry sticks suddenly appear with a child in tow. Still, we were here to eat. Chatting could take place on top of that.
I got myself situated, and Mui sat beside me. “Hmm, where to start...?” I asked, putting a hand to my chin.
“I can guess that there must be some complicated circumstances,” Selna said.
She could tell that some kind of inevitable flow of events had brought Mui and me together. I was grateful for her perceptive nature. Perhaps top adventurers simply had to be sensitive to such subtleties. That said, we were going to be eating together, so I decided to at least get the two acquainted.
“Well, let me introduce you,” I said. “This is Mui.”
“Hello...” Mui said quietly, lowering her head.
She wasn’t really used to interacting with people, but once she started going to school, she would familiarize herself with this scene more than she could ever want. Maybe I should teach her how to greet people.
“I’m Selna Lysandra. I was once in Master Beryl’s care.”
Selna seemed to know exactly how to interact with Mui—she was acting rather casually. Though, her voice was just a little more austere than when she spoke to me.
“Let’s see...” I pondered for a moment. “To cut to the chase, I’ve become her guardian and we’re now living together.”
“Pffft!”
“Whoa?!”
Selna spat her drink out. Hey! You don’t have to act so shocked. Fortunately, there hadn’t been much in her mouth, so none had sprayed on us.
“Hak! F-Forgive me...” Selna mumbled.
“It’s fine. Sorry for surprising you.” I still questioned whether I’d said anything to be so shocked about.
“B-By the way, does Sitrus know about this?” she asked.
“Yeah, of course.”
Allusia was acquainted with Mui and knew some of her circumstances, so telling her had gone rather smoothly.
“W-Well, it’s not my place to interject, but...” Selna said, turning to Mui. “Hey, you.”
“Wh-What?”
Selna’s expression and tone were far more severe than before. If someone who didn’t know Selna saw her face, they would probably be frightened, but Mui and I had just seen her spit her drink. I’d also known Selna as a little girl, so I thought this change of attitude was somewhat charming.
“Don’t be a bother to Master Beryl,” Selna said, a sharp glint in her eyes.
“I-I know...” Mui responded, shrinking back.
“Ha ha ha, take it easy on her, Selna.”
Selna was an adult currently wearing a relatively scary expression—she’d definitely frightened Mui more than necessary. Mui was still young, so I wanted Selna to cut her some slack. I was paying due consideration in my own way, and I wanted Mui to be able to stretch out and relax.
“Anyway, let’s get something to eat.” I turned to the server. “Excuse me, I’ll have a sausage platter.”
“Coming right up!”
I was here for charcuterie, so my order was naturally sausage. I’d had sausage at the tavern near the old inn, but it was time to see how a specialty shop fared. I was going to savor it.
With nothing else to do until the food arrived, I struck up a conversation with Selna. “So, how’ve you been lately?”
Selna took a hearty bite of sausage and washed it down with water. “Pretty well,” she answered. “I’ve been spending most of my time lately hunting monsters around the capital. It’s the season, so there’s no helping it.”
“That’s good to hear. What do you mean by ‘the season’?”
I was a little curious about it. The distribution of monsters was complicated and all over the place. Large and small species alike lived in the wild, forming overlapping spheres of activity. Even in Beaden, there were beasts and animals who came out depending on the season. I was ignorant about such things in the vicinity of Baltrain though, so I wanted to expand my knowledge. Not that I wanted to go out hunting monsters or anything. No, as someone who lived by the sword, I was simply curious.
“You don’t know?” Selna asked. “Sphenedyardvania’s delegation will be visiting soon.”
“Hmm?”
I’d been under the impression that her activity had to do with monsters’ habits, but that apparently wasn’t the case. Selna looked at me curiously. I didn’t have a terribly good impression of Sphenedyardvania after recent events, though that sour taste had been left by the church’s knights, not the nation itself. I understood that much.
“They visit every year to improve relations,” Selna explained, still chewing her sausage. “So, we adventurers busy ourselves with improving public safety.”
“I see.”
Even though the adventurer’s guild wasn’t tied to any one country, they couldn’t avoid such fetters when they were running an international business. And Liberis had put out an official request for the guild’s help—not for the sake of the country, but to maintain public safety.
“Does that mean the knights will be involved with the visit?” I asked.
“I’m sure they will,” Selna said. “How you fit into things is up to Sitrus, I suppose.”
I wanted to avoid involvement if I could—having an old man from the sticks meeting with VIPs sounded troublesome. I just wanted to spend my days in peace teaching others how to use a sword. However, now that I’d been given this exaggerated title of special instructor, things probably weren’t going to go my way. Please spare me that. I don’t even have a formal outfit.
“Here’s your sausage platter.”
As we talked about such things, our food arrived. Looks delicious. It was served on a large plate—many varieties of sausage, some roasted and some boiled, were arranged. The spread really stimulated my appetite.
“Let’s dig in. C’mon Mui, eat up.”
“M-Mm...” Mui replied, still a little nervous.
I started with the boiled sausage first. I bit into the soft meat, and juices poured out. That was the way meat was meant to be. Mui was being somewhat shy, but she eventually used a fork to poke at the sausage and take a nibble. Yup, eat well and grow well.
“Oh right. Mui will be attending the magic institute,” I said.
“Hmm? A budding wizard, is she?”
The way Selna looked at Mui changed a little. To be precise, it was like she went from looking at a little brat to looking at a little brat who had potential. Well, maybe it wasn’t all that different. What was with Selna’s aggressive gaze?
“The magic institute is a place of great competition,” Selna said. “It’s rather harsh there.”
“Ugh... I-I know...” Mui muttered.
“Now, now,” I cut in. “Don’t scare her too much.”
It was true—the magic institute was a gathering of elites. In a world where talent decided everything, competition was inevitable. But Selna, don’t go putting too much pressure on such a little girl. I’m a little scared of how convincing you are.
“Even if only on paper, she’s now your direct descendant,” Selna continued. “She has to keep that in mind.”
“Seriously, what do all of you see in me...?” Selna and Allusia really put too much stock in my abilities. Calling Mui my direct descendant made it sound so grand.
“Well, I know the old guy is super strong...” Mui said.
“The...old guy...?” Selna repeated threateningly.
“Eep!” Mui shuddered and flinched away from her.
“Now, now. Enough of that,” I said.
C’mon, stop with the weird pressure. She can call me whatever she wants. I just want to enjoy a chat and have lunch. Why’s the air in here getting so tense?
It seemed like we weren’t going to be able to have a peaceful meal like this, so I tried to correct our course in a hurry. “Just leave it at that, Selna.”
“As you say. Forgive me—I couldn’t help myself.”
What do you mean you couldn’t help yourself? You’re confusing me. Anyway, I’d prefer it if we could all get along while having a meal instead of constantly prodding each other. I wanted to believe that Mui and Selna felt the same way.
“Don’t worry about it, Mui,” I said.
“Mm...” she replied, continuing to nibble at her sausage.
It was such a nice meal. Was Mui able to savor the flavor?
“Forgive me. I came across a little strong,” Selna said. “It’s not much of an apology, but allow me to get the bill.”
“Hm? You don’t have to go that far,” I said. I wasn’t so poor that I needed the young ones to pay for me, so I refused. What’s more, it would make me look lame in front of Mui.
“Is that so...?” Selna said. She turned to Mui. “Um, sorry about that. Master Beryl is just that great a man.”
“Mm... I kinda get it...” Mui agreed.
“You’re overstating things,” I protested. “I’m not all that different from any guy on the street.”
What do you mean by that great a man? How overinflated is your perception of me, Selna? And Mui, don’t just agree with her. It didn’t feel bad to be admired, but I still wasn’t used to being treated like this. I got it daily from Allusia and Henbrits, but I couldn’t help but fret over it.
Whatever. At least Selna isn’t projecting that threatening aura anymore. Mui seemed to have calmed down a little too and was enjoying her meal. So, just like that, we treated ourselves to lunch with Selna.
“Master, I’ll excuse myself here. See you around, Mui.”
“Yeah, until next time.”
“Mm...”
After finishing our charcuterie, we parted ways with Selna in front of the shop. Things had been a little rocky at first, but ultimately, Selna and Mui had formed a decent rapport. Mui had very few acquaintances—practically none. She would probably make a friend or two at the institute, but to expand her world, making connections and communicating with others was indispensable. In that sense, meeting Selna was a big boon. If anything happened, she now had the option of relying on an adventurer. I could only pray that nothing like that would happen.
“Okay, then. Wanna go home too, Mui?”
“Mm... I don’t really have anything to do...”
Now that my stomach was full, I considered what to do next. I didn’t mind lounging back at home. After all, I did have the day off. However, having spent decades as a swordsman, I found it difficult to kick back and not swing my sword, even if just for one day.
“I’m going to drop by the office,” I decided. “Can you get back on your own?”
“I’m not stupid. I remember the way back.”
It was settled—I’d drop by the order to say hello and get in a few practice swings. At my age, if I skipped out on exercise, I tended to put on a stupid amount of weight in a flash.
“What should we do for dinner?” I asked.
“I’ll just whip something up...” Mui said.
“Is that so? I’m looking forward to it.”
“Hmph.”
I would’ve been fine with eating out, but it seemed Mui was going to cook something. She’d apparently done chores every now and then at Lucy’s house, and I was more than glad to be the poison tester for anything Mui made. It was a little exaggerated to call this “bridal training” for the future, but raising her housework abilities was vital if I wanted her to strike out on her own. I’d dabbled in cooking for myself, but I’d spent my life at home in the dojo, so I’d never really taken the initiative to use the kitchen. I’d also been living out of an inn during my time in Baltrain, so I’d mostly eaten out for my meals. Maybe it would be best for me to get some practice too. It didn’t really matter what I made for myself, but if Mui was going to be eating it, I didn’t want to feed her anything lousy.
“Okay, see you later then,” I said.
“Mm.”
I chased away my thoughts of dinner, said my farewells to Mui, and headed to the office.
The sun was right overhead. I walked through town, basking in its brilliance. The weather really is great.
In both Baltrain and Beaden, the climate was generally warm and temperate throughout the entire year. There was no really distinct dry or rainy season—though summer was naturally hot and winter cold, the average temperature range made for easy living. That was why agriculture was so prominent here, and having more crops meant having a more abundant dining table.
Indeed, it was easy for humans to live in these environments, which meant that it was comfortable for pretty much all creatures too. Many monsters of all different varieties inhabited Liberis. Thus, knowing how to fight was important enough that I’d been able to easily provide for myself as a swordplay instructor out in the sticks. Basically, it was a mixed blessing. There was nothing better than a peaceful life, but since I depended on swordsmanship for my livelihood, it would be problematic if the demand for my particular skill set vanished.
I strolled casually through town with such thoughts in mind, and before I knew it, I found myself in front of the Liberion Order’s office.
“Hi there. I see you’re working hard as always.”
“Ah, thank you.”
I greeted the guard at the gate and then passed right through. I’d been coming here every day as a special instructor for a fair amount of time, so I was used to interacting with the guards. They seemed to remember my face too. At least, they didn’t really question me and always let me through.
Incidentally, there were three main military forces within Baltrain. First was the Liberion Order—Baltrain served as their headquarters, and they were the pride of the nation. The magic corps were second. Lucy sat at the top of this organization, and they were a force to rival the order. Lastly was the royal garrison. Their duties mainly focused on the patrol of the city. The guards keeping watch in front of the office were also part of the garrison.
From what I’d seen, many members of the garrison were a fair bit older than the knights. I’d even seen a few who were about my age. This was definitely an occupation that retired knights could take up. After all, the body weakened with age, and it was difficult to continuously wield a sword on the front lines.
The royal garrison was an organization that focused on internal matters. They cracked down on minor offenses and also preserved the safety of the roads between towns. This meant that, unlike the knights, they didn’t deal with external matters—they had almost no involvement in exterminating monsters or handling diplomatic affairs. They also outnumbered the order drastically, though the garrison wasn’t so plentiful that they could cover the entire nation. We didn’t have any out in Beaden. My home village was far enough out in the country that we didn’t need to have a specialized security force stationed there.
At any rate, members of the lower-middle class like me were more indebted to the garrison than the likes of the order or the magic corps. The order did boast of high popularity and approval among the populace, but the members of the garrison were far closer to home on the streets. I’m definitely closer and more involved with the knights, though.
Oh, and adventurers didn’t count. They weren’t part of the nation’s forces.
With Sphenedyardvania’s delegation coming, it was easy to imagine that the garrison, order, and many others were going to get really busy. The order could easily manage to guard VIPs, however, there weren’t enough knights to watch the entire city. Therefore, they were likely going to be coordinating with the royal garrison. I didn’t know whether this delegation was going to lead to revelry in the streets or be a stately visit.
“Oh, they’re really going at it.”
I went right to the office’s training hall and saw many knights swinging wooden swords. As I’d seen before, all of the knights were really enthusiastic about training. It felt great to see them focusing on their art so earnestly.
One of the knights called out to me, noticing my arrival.
“Oh? Mr. Beryl! Weren’t you off today?”
“Yeah, I’m not here to teach today. I just thought I’d swing my sword a little.”
The one approaching me with a refreshing smile was Henbrits Drout. He was the man who served as the lieutenant commander of the Liberion Order. His tan skin and almond eyes were his distinguishing features. To put it simply, he was very handsome. He’d reached the seat of lieutenant commander at such a young age, and he had great looks alongside a terrific personality.
He’s probably very popular among women. But, now that I think about it, I’ve never heard any stories along those lines. Not that this kind of gossip is something I usually go out of my way to hear.
“I see,” Henbrits said. “We could all learn from your devotion to the blade.”
“Ha ha ha, it’s not that big a deal.”
His reaction to my words was overblown. It made me feel itchy to be so unconditionally idolized. As I’d said, all I was here to do was swing my sword a little.
“Oh, right. Henbrits.”
“Yes?” he replied.
“I just happened to hear something earlier. Sphenedyardvania’s delegation is going to be coming soon, right?”
Henbrits wasn’t some fresh recruit—as the lieutenant commander, he had to know something about it.
“Now that you mention it, this is the season,” Henbrits said. “Sphenedyardvania sends a delegation every year around this time.”
“Hmm.”
It turned out that Selna’s information was correct.
“Last year, they had an audience with the king and went sightseeing around town,” Henbrits continued. “We played a role in escorting them that time too.”
“I see.”
So, it was pretty much guaranteed that the order would be on escort duty. Well, with foreign VIPs visiting, of course the greatest military force in the country couldn’t sit on its hands. Even if just to put on a show of power, the order had to play an active part.
Now, how exactly do I fit into this event?
“Does it seem like I’ll have to be a part of this escort too?” I asked. I was hoping not to, if possible.
“I wonder about that,” Henbrits said. “You’re our special instructor, but you haven’t been knighted...”
“Aah, you have a point there.”
I did have a title and position here, but when it came down to it, I was just hired help, not a knight. Maybe it was inconvenient for the nation to put any sort of focus on me. That was fine—it saved me from having to take part in any formal occasions.
“I believe it’ll be up to the commander,” Henbrits added.
“Up to Allusia? That means...”
That girl was liable to ignore all the diplomatic facets of this and push me to the fore. She already had a record of doing just that since she’d recommended the likes of me as a special instructor. Frightening... I can’t let my guard down.
“Speaking of, I don’t see Allusia,” I said.
I hadn’t noticed her absence in the training hall until she’d come up in conversation. I came here to teach all the time, so I didn’t see her teach very often, but she did serve as the order’s primary swordsmanship instructor. I figured she’d be here if I told her I was taking the day off.
“She’s away handling a minor matter,” Henbrits said. “I believe she’ll be back soon, so—”
“Henbrits, I’ve returned. Oh? You’re here too, Master?”
“Speak of the devil.”
Turning around to the source of the voice, I was greeted by the Liberion Order’s lovely knight commander, Allusia Sitrus. She sounded a little surprised to see me. Well, I hadn’t planned to be here today, so that was probably a natural reaction.
“Master, I do believe you put in a request to take the day off.”
I smiled. “I’m just here to do some exercise and swing my sword.”
Yup, the old man is just here to work out as part of his daily routine. I’ll slip out once I’m done. Sorry, I’m not really in the mood for teaching right now. I asked for the day off, so I can just work on myself today...right?
“Is that so?” Allusia considered me for a moment. “That works out perfectly. There’s something I must tell you.”
“Hm? Did something happen?” I asked.
Allusia’s expression and tone were serious—it seemed she had some business with me. I really, really hoped this had nothing to do with escorting the foreign delegation. I’d just been discussing it with Henbrits, so it was the first thing that came to mind.
“I’m not sure if you’re aware of this,” she started. “But a delegation from Sphenedyardvania will be visiting soon.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I know. I only just heard about it today.”
Ugh. I’ve got a bad feeling about this.
“Now that you’ve been appointed as the order’s special instructor, I believe it’s an appropriate occasion to introduce you.”
Thought so. Gimme a break.
“Well... Won’t I be really out of place?” I asked, hoping to refuse. I didn’t want to be a prominent part of this. Even if I had to play a role, I was better suited to slyly following along in the back to casually take part in the escort duty.
“So you say, but your appointment comes with the king’s seal.”
“Mrgh...”
Allusia seemed intent on seeing this through, and I couldn’t really argue. I hadn’t been knighted, but I’d been appointed by the king as an instructor. That had been made clear by the letter Allusia had shown me during her visit to Beaden. I had no intention of asking the king what his motives were, nor did I have any way to do so. Regardless, this was a formal appointment by my nation’s leader—if I was told to go introduce myself to a foreign delegation, I couldn’t really refuse.
“What a wonderful opportunity to spread your name beyond our borders,” Henbrits exclaimed.
“Cut that out, you’re making too big a deal out of this,” I said, waving my hand.
I took a look around the training hall. Pretty much all the knights had the same look in their eyes as Henbrits. Whaaa? Seriously? You’re all thinking that? I was thankful they didn’t see me in a poor light, but I was just an old country bumpkin. I found it hard to believe that I was worth introducing to foreign delegates.
“I know you don’t really enjoy being in the limelight,” said Allusia. “However, do understand that this is part of your duty as our special instructor.”
“Is that how it works...?”
It was a little late, but I was vaguely starting to realize that I wasn’t a simple citizen anymore. It was mostly Allusia’s fault for recommending me in the first place, but I was also partly to blame for accepting it (though refusing a royal appointment would’ve been rather challenging).
The Liberion Order had their dignity to maintain in front of foreign visitors. I wasn’t going to be able to refuse.
“Haah...” I sighed. “So, who am I being introduced to? The pope?”
I had no choice but to accept it now. It was best to get all the details sooner rather than later. There was no point in dawdling.
“No,” Allusia answered. “Last year, Sphenedyard’s royal family visited. You’ll be greeting them and members of the Holy Order.”
“Hmm... So, they’re not higher-ups from the Church of Sphene?”
I figured that the church would be involved in a delegation from a religious state, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.
“The pope leads the Church of Sphene, but the government is centered around the state parliament,” Henbrits explained. “For generations, a member of the royal family has served as the head of parliament.”
“I see.”
So one person wasn’t in total control of the nation. Liberis had a king on top, but we had a congress of nobles under him too. It was probably the same thing.
“In that case...will the head of parliament be visiting?” I asked.
“Last year, the first prince and third princess visited,” Allusia said. “It’s safe to assume that we’ll be receiving guests of similar stature.”
“A prince and princess, huh...”
I was at a loss for words. Things involving royalty and princes and princesses had been far beyond my imagination not too long ago. Being dragged onto such a stage in so short a time had me wondering whether this was some god’s prank. Had I done something wrong? I’d just been living a relaxed life teaching swordsmanship out in the sticks. Maybe things had all taken a bad turn the day I’d chosen to take Allusia on as a pupil.
Sigh. That obviously wasn’t the case, but getting forced into the center of this world like this had me wanting to complain a little.
Whatever. Introductions will probably end with, “Hi, I’m the special instructor.” The delegation isn’t here to see me or anything. I can get it over with quickly and just make sure I’m not rude or anything.
“In that case, I’ll have to do something about my attire...” I mumbled.
“True,” Henbrits agreed. “You won’t be able to go in your regular clothes. And I doubt you have armor like we do.”
Another problem—meeting with big shots meant having to put some care into my personal appearance. Naturally, I possessed no clothing that was suitable for such formal occasions. Even when I’d been introduced to all the knights as a special instructor, I’d worn my regular clothes. When we trained, we all wore whatever was easy to move in. That wouldn’t work for a formal occasion.
“Hmmm. I don’t own any clothes like that. Guess I’ll have to buy some—”
“I’ll be your guide. That sounds good. I know several shops,” Allusia blurted out rapidly. Her words were coming out so fast that she didn’t have time to breathe, something I hadn’t witnessed for a good while now.
“Uhhh...”
It wasn’t a bad idea to have at least one formal set of clothes. Even without all this Sphenedyardvania stuff going on, I’d already decided that I should have something nice—I wanted to look presentable for meetings at the magic institute as Mui’s guardian. However, I’d had nothing to do with such things before, so I had no idea what kind of clothes to get. Allusia’s ever-growing excitement made me wary, but it was probably right to rely on her here. I wouldn’t even know what shop to visit if I were on my own.
“Guess I’ll take you up on that,” I conceded.
“Understood. I’ll adjust my schedule immediately,” Allusia replied.
“Aah, well, there’s no rush or anything, okay...?”
Huh. Ever since coming to Baltrain, I’d gone around town with Kewlny, Ficelle, Lucy, and the like, but I hadn’t gone out with Allusia since coming to greet the knights. She was a very busy person, so I felt bad about having her go on a stroll with me, but judging by her reaction, maybe I had it wrong—maybe she wanted to tag along. Still, she was far too great a person to be hanging around an old man. Even though I had no ulterior motives, Allusia was of extremely high standing and an extraordinary beauty at that.
“By the way, when will that delegation arrive?” I asked.
I doubted it would be today or tomorrow. Significant preparations had to be made for such a visit. Even I had to open up my schedule around the visit now. However, on the off chance that this event somehow overlapped with anything involving Mui, I would prioritize her, which was a somewhat frightening thought.
I needed to find out the date ahead of time.
“It’ll be about a month from now,” Allusia answered.
“That’s good. I would’ve been stumped if you said they were coming tomorrow.”
Mui was starting school in a week, so a month was probably enough time for her to get accustomed to her new environment. That was also plenty of time to get some clothes. It seemed my schedule wasn’t going to be thrown into complete disarray.
“Anyway...” I sighed. “I doubt I’ll ever get used to this kinda thing.”
As I always reiterated, I was no more than a plain old man. I didn’t see myself as anything but a citizen of Liberis, even if my title no longer reflected that, and I was in no way enthusiastic about my part with this delegation. If I was a complete outsider, maybe I would’ve enjoyed the event as a spectator.
“Hee hee, you’ll have plenty more opportunities to familiarize yourself with events like these,” Allusia said with a smile.
“I’d rather not...” I replied bitterly.
I felt tired for some reason. Physically, I was still perfectly fine, but my mental fatigue was impressive. All I’d come here to do was swing my sword. Well, this was bound to happen sooner or later. It was best to view things optimistically. At least I’d been given plenty of time to prepare myself both in body and mind.
“Ha ha ha! It’s just a matter of getting used to it,” Henbrits said. “I was nervous at first too.”
“Henbrits is right,” Allusia agreed. “You’ll get used to it eventually.”
“You make it sound so easy.”
The knight commander and her lieutenant seemed very accustomed to such events. The two of them were far younger than me, but they had far more experience. Right now, they were even more dazzling than usual.
Henbrits flashed me a refreshing smile. “Then, Mr. Beryl, how about swinging a sword a little to relax?”
“Yeah, I’ll do just that.”
That smile was yet another reason he was such an attractive man. It would be awfully mysterious if he truly had no women in his life. Even from my perspective as a fellow man, he seemed like he would be very popular.
There wasn’t much point to pondering that, though. Just as he’d said, I did want to focus on my sword right now to elevate my spirits. I’d ventured to the training hall on my day off, so it was time to do what I’d come here to do in the first place.
◇
“I’m back.”
After sweating a bit at the office, the sun was sinking toward the west. Soon, the bottom of the sun would be hiding behind the horizon in a red glow. I opened the door to my new house, something I wasn’t quite accustomed to yet.
“Mm. Welcome home.”
Someone was here to welcome me. This was something I wasn’t used to. Not that I disliked it. Back in the dojo, my parents had always been around, so it wasn’t actually a big deal. Still, having a younger girl in the house waiting for me felt out of place. I’ll have to get used to it over time.
After confirming it was me, Mui offered a greeting in an almost casual tone. It seemed she’d been in the living room sitting on a chair and leaning on the table with nothing to do. She looked at me for a few seconds, then sat up.
“Oh? Something smells good.”
I noticed a smell of food that hadn’t been here when I’d left this morning. Hmm, this is probably boiled food. Something like a pot-au-feu or stew. Mui likely wasn’t very familiar with cooking—her general education in housework seemed to be a boon from Lucy and Haley—but both were easy enough to get right. With this type of recipe, all she really had to do was throw ingredients into a pot and heat everything. It was the ideal dish to teach to amateurs who didn’t know the basics of cooking—anyone could make it, and nothing short of a disaster could mess it up.
“Hungry...” Mui muttered.
“Hm? Were you maybe waiting for me?”
An adorable rumble resounded through the house. The one responsible for the noise widened her eyes and then shyly averted them. She was so cute. I’d been completely under the impression that Mui would eat ahead of me, so it was unexpected that she’d waited. I was sure she didn’t hate me, but I hadn’t felt like she was that attached to me either, so this new development made me both happy and embarrassed.
“Food is better with company...” she mumbled.
“Ha ha ha! You have a point there!”
I couldn’t help but smile broadly at her remark. Mui was just so endlessly adorable. With my mind caught by the fragrant food, I knew it had been the right choice to get some exercise in. A pleasant hunger ran through every fiber of my being. I didn’t have to worry about it in my line of work, but just eating and sleeping every day would reduce me to a pig.
“Well then, let’s dig in,” I suggested.
“Mm.”
A pot filled with ingredients sat on the table. I looked inside and spied sausage and potatoes. The potatoes hadn’t been peeled properly and the chunks were uneven, but it didn’t change the fact that Mui had done her best. Being a little clumsy with a knife wasn’t going to change the taste.
Mui used a ladle to scoop the contents of the pot into plates.
“Thanks for the meal.”
“Mm.”
I started eating right away. Delicious. It was a little bitter because of the scum, but it was certainly more than edible. Having never really cooked before, Mui probably didn’t know about needing to continuously skim off the scum while things were boiling.
“Mm, it’s great,” I said.
“That so...?”
I couldn’t forget to thank the one who made my meal. It didn’t matter if that was someone at a restaurant, my mom, or Mui—I had to tell her it was delicious. This was also an essential step toward my goal of teaching Mui proper manners. Did the corners of her mouth curve upward just a little? I doubt anyone in the world dislikes having their work complimented. I wanted Mui to continue living a life where she could be praised more and more.
After having two or three spoonfuls of the pot-au-feu, Mui turned to me and muttered, “Ah... Oh yeah.”
“Hm? What is it?”
“There was some package addressed to you,” she said. “I put it away inside.”
“Mm, thanks. I wonder what it is.”
“Who knows?”
I didn’t recall ordering anything to be delivered to me. I’d taken everything from the inn already, and the only ones who knew I lived here were Allusia, Lucy, and Ibroy. I’d met Selna at noon, but I hadn’t told her where my house was.
As for any among them who would send me a package...
Ibroy. It was probably Ibroy. This had to be the reward he’d mentioned for capturing Reveos. I couldn’t think of anything else.
His request had been quite the nuisance, but I was fine with taking whatever he offered. I doubted he’d sent some kind of rubbish, though it would be nice to get anything as a gift, whether it be money or material goods. I decided to check on it after I finished eating.
“Oh right, I need to tell you something,” I said.
“What...?”
Mui looked up from her plate. To put it nicely, she ate like a child. To put it poorly, she had no manners. Cooking was a necessity for living alone, so Haley had taught her that first, but she hadn’t had enough time to begin on etiquette instruction. After all, not being able to eat with proper manners wasn’t going to kill her. But that meant that I was now responsible for teaching her etiquette. She was sure to have opportunities to have meals with her school friends at the magic institute—I wanted her to know how to eat presentably so she never felt ashamed.
“Some big shots from the neighboring country are going to be visiting soon,” I said. “I’ve been rounded up as an escort.”
“Hmph.”
Mui’s reaction was curt as always. Guess it wasn’t that interesting to her. Still, I was probably going to be out of the house for a few days, so I needed to let her know.
“As you can see, I don’t have any nice clothes for the occasion,” I continued. “I’ll be going out shopping for some in the next few days. Allusia will be showing me around. Wanna come along?”
“No.”
Again, the same as always. Aah, stop smashing that sausage with your fork.
“I understand it’s boring for you, but don’t play with your food,” I told her.
“Hmph.”
Mui reluctantly put down her fork. She still seemed in ill humor. Wonder why. It was cute in its own way, but what was I to do?
“Is Allusia that knight lady?” she asked.
“Yeah. The one with silver hair you met at the office.”
“I see...”
I didn’t quite get it, but I supposed that from Mui’s perspective, Allusia was like a thorn in her side. She didn’t have a good impression of the knight commander. However, they weren’t enemies anymore either. While I wasn’t going to ask them to be friends, I wanted them to get along to an extent. Allusia was my...colleague? Was that right? Well, we did work in the same place.
“Thanks for the meal.”
“Mm...”
We chatted over our food, and before long, my stomach was nice and full. It wasn’t good to overeat, so I stopped there. I took a glance at the pot. There was still more inside, so those could be leftovers for tomorrow.
Mui had finished eating just a little before me. She’s a rather quick eater. Guess that’s simply how she’s lived until now. She didn’t know how to take her time and always tore through her meals. I wanted her to realize that she didn’t live in that world anymore, but that was difficult to explain in words.
She can just get used to her new life little by little.
After placing the dishes in the sink, I went farther into the house. I’ll wash them later. I was very curious about Ibroy’s package, so I went to open it right away. He’d told me it was a reward but hadn’t informed me of what he’d sent over. I was fine with accepting anything, but if it was something beyond my control, it would be a little problematic.
“Oh, is that it?”
A wooden box had been placed sloppily in a corner of the room. Thought it would be smaller. It was fortunate that it hadn’t been too big for Mui to carry. After staring at it for a while, I picked up the box. It didn’t feel all that heavy. The mystery deepens. I really had no idea what was inside, and there was only one way to find out.
“Hup.”
With faint hope and significant anxiety, I opened the box. The lid came off without resistance.
“So, it’s come to this...”
Inside were bundles of cloth. To be specific, it was clothing...that clearly wasn’t my size. The design and general fit of the garments were definitely meant for a woman—a small one. I saw everything from simple things that could be used as sleepwear to cute outfits she wasn’t going to like.
Yup, these are for Mui.
Ibroy knew I’d received a house, but he wasn’t supposed to know that I was living with Mui. I hadn’t told him, at least. There could only be one culprit.
“Guess I’ll thank them the next time I see them.”
By “them,” I meant the man who’d sent this package and the little tyrant who’d plotted the whole thing, that is. Incidentally, there was also a sum of dalcs beneath all the clothes. I was glad, though I was a bit uncertain about how to react.
Well, whatever. Let’s use this to treat Mui to another delicious meal.
◇
“Hwaaah...”
The morning sun had just finished peeking over the horizon. I stood in front of the order’s office, passing time absentmindedly and watching the waves of lively humans moving about.
Two days had passed since our talk of Sphenedyardvania’s delegation. I’d quickly worked out my schedule until then, but then Allusia had invited me out—I was currently waiting for her.
At any rate, it was awfully early in the morning. We’d planned on finding some clothes for me—a task that I thought shouldn’t take too long—but I had a premonition that it was going to eat up the whole day. I had no idea what shops to go to or what kind of clothes to buy, and Allusia was the only person I could rely on for help.
Marching around town with a top-class beauty like Allusia should have been a delightful event, but since I’d known her as a child, I didn’t really find much excitement in that. If anything, I was scared of the gazes we were going to attract and the pressure of walking alongside a big shot like the knight commander.
I’d been appointed the overblown position of special instructor, but at heart, I was still part of the lower middle class. I didn’t have an aversion to taking a walk with Allusia, but going out with Kewlny or Mui was far more relaxing.
As I idly ruminated over such thoughts, I spotted a familiar silver-haired woman walking down the road toward me.
“Master, sorry to keep you waiting.”
“Aah, it’s fine. I wasn’t waiting that long, I just woke up really early.”
The commander of the Liberion Order, Allusia Sitrus, had arrived. She wasn’t wearing her usual plate armor today. She had on a white shirt and a long blue skirt—her outfit gave off a rather calm aura. Wearing those clothes, no one would’ve suspected her of being the gallant knight commander. That was how perfectly beautiful she looked.
Still, seeing Allusia in a skirt was rather unexpected. Her usual clothing did emphasize her curves, but the styles she wore were more unisex. Now, her skirt swayed in the wind, giving a glimpse of her strong calves. And as always, her beauty was in staunch contrast to my utterly plain appearance. I definitely wasn’t someone who should be walking around with her—I felt sorry for subjecting her to it.
“I don’t know a whole lot about clothing...but I think that outfit suits you,” I remarked, complimenting her.
“Th-Thank you very much.”
I was pretty sure Allusia would look good in anything, though. Still, if a woman went out of her way to dress up, it was a man’s duty to praise her. That was always true, even if the object of my praise was a former pupil. At least, I think so. I don’t know much about this stuff.
“Th-Then let us depart,” Allusia said. “It’ll be a bit of a walk.”
“Sure, that’s fine. I’ll leave it up to you. Since we’re walking, can I assume that the shop is in the central district?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
I’d thought we might go to the western district for clothes, but we were apparently staying in the central district. Not only that, but the place she had in mind was within walking distance.
“So, the central district has stores like that too,” I said as we started walking away from the office. “There’s still a lot about the city I don’t know.”
“Well, Baltrain is vast.”
I’d been in the capital for a good while now, but I still didn’t know the route we were going down or any of the famous stores along it. A part of me wondered whether that was all right now that I had a home here—but another part figured it was fine since not knowing wasn’t a hindrance to my daily life. In all likelihood, Mui had a better understanding of the land than I did. Fortunately, I had many acquaintances to rely on, which saved me a ton of trouble.
“Not that I think I need to worry about it, but are you sure this isn’t getting in the way of your official duties?” I asked.
“It’s not a problem. There have been no pressing matters as of late.”
“I see. That’s good to hear.”
If Allusia had been busy, then the rest of the order would have been bustling too—after all, they couldn’t turn a blind eye to conflict. In a sense, Allusia having a reasonable amount of free time meant that public order in the capital was stable. Frankly, the nation’s major military force being busy was a frightening thought.
The people of Baltrain seemed to understand this too—they were all gazing at Allusia warmly. On that note, the way they looked at me was something I still wasn’t accustomed to. Guess I have no choice but to get used to it. I couldn’t help the fact that my fame was spreading across the populace.
“By the way, Master, what kind of clothing do you prefer?” Allusia asked.
“Hmmm, what do I like?”
I’d never really thought about it before. I’d spent my life in the sticks, so I wasn’t particular about my daily necessities. I hadn’t lived a particularly impoverished life, but not a prosperous one either.
“If forced to choose, I guess something with flexibility,” I said. “I’m not really into anything tight or heavy.”
“Understood.”
This wasn’t really about my taste in clothing but about my preferences as a swordsman. Even if we were going to be sightseeing with foreign delegates, the job was still escort duty—if possible, I didn’t want to wear anything restrictive. I wasn’t the type to wear rigid armor either, so I wanted clothes that were easy to move in. I wondered whether I would get my wish.
Allusia nodded, but in this case, there was the formality of the occasion to consider. After all, if I could’ve gotten by with my current clothes, I wouldn’t have had to go out shopping.
“Let’s start with this store,” Allusia said.
“Sure. Please go easy on me.”
How far had we walked? We’d arrived at a street lined with small stylish shops. Despite their petite sizes, these boutiques had a distinct presence. The stores looked distinctly upper class, which was to be expected of Baltrain’s central district.
I’m clearly out of place here. Is this really going to be okay?
“Welcome...” a well-dressed clerk greeted us. “Ooh, if it isn’t Lady Sitrus.”
“Hello, I’d like to look at some clothes,” Allusia responded.
I was already overwhelmed by the shop’s appearance, but Allusia strode in without hesitation. I followed her, obviously flustered, and peered around the store. There were lines of fancy clothes, but I didn’t know any of the brands or what they might cost. Judging only by looks, they all seemed very stiff and hard to move around in.
“There sure is a lot of variety,” I mumbled casually.
“Indeed. Please let me know if anything catches your eye,” the clerk said.
Anything that catches my eye, huh? My fashion sense is unreliable, so I feel like it’ll be best to lean on Allusia here.
“Master, what do you think about this?” Allusia asked.
“Hm? Let’s see... Uhhh...”
The first thing Allusia brought to me was a tight-looking shirt with a frilly collar and luxurious ornamentations. I guessed it was made of velvet—the fabric was both smooth and resplendent.
What the heck is that? Do I have to wear it? That’d be a bit of a problem.
“It’s a doublet. Do you like it?” Allusia asked.
“Well, ummm... Isn’t it a bit flashy?”
I take everything back. There’s no telling what I’ll end up wearing if I leave everything to Allusia. Not that she has any ill intent, but still, she can be a little more...well, you know. To match this plain old man, we want something nice but subdued.
“I think it suits you,” the clerk said with a friendly smile. It was his job to sell this stuff, so I doubted he would say anything else. I was pretty sure this didn’t suit me at all.
“Hmm... Maybe we should look at some others... Ha ha ha.” I found it hard to outright refuse, but I desperately wanted to avoid the doublet.
“Is that so?” Allusia murmured, somewhat disheartened.
Um, sorry, I guess? But that’s definitely way too flashy.
Anyway, were all clothes worn by nobles and big shots like this? They were clearly gaudy and tight—wearing them would be too heavy of a burden for this old man. I’d never had the chance to interact with unknighted nobility before, so I didn’t really know what the standards were. Allusia and Henbrits could just get away with armor as their formal attire.
“Hm...? Would something like this work?”
I looked around the shop, not sure what to do, and then a certain jacket caught my eye. It was mostly black, but the shade was somehow calming. It extended down to the waist, and it looked rather open at the chest—the white embroidery was a pleasant accent. A part of me felt like it might suit me...a little. It’d caught my eye at least, unlike all the other clothes in here. It wasn’t too flashy, and it was closer to my tastes than the doublet Allusia had chosen.
“Hmmm... I believe it’s a little plain...” Allusia muttered.
“I mean, that’s just about right for me.”
I wasn’t used to dressing up in the first place, so I figured it was best to prioritize a prim and proper look while keeping the flashiness in moderation.
“Understood. Please put this aside for now,” Allusia said, turning to the clerk.
“As you wish,” he replied.
By “put this aside,” she meant we weren’t done. I was fine with just picking the jacket and calling it a day, but things weren’t going to be that easy with Allusia here.
“I’ll come again,” Allusia said. “Master, let’s take a look at some other shops too.”
“S-Sure.”
Perhaps she’d concluded she wasn’t going to find what she wanted here. I didn’t want to see anything else like that doublet, though.
“Hee hee hee... This is unmistakably a da—”
“Hm? You say something?” I asked.
“No, nothing at all.”
Allusia’s muttering vanished into the clear skies. We went to six other shops, only stopping to have lunch in the middle. I got sixteen recommendations overall, and in the end, we picked the jacket from the first shop. I felt a little sorry since Allusia had put in so much effort, but she seemed satisfied for some reason, so I decided to let it go.
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