Mushoku Tensei (LN) - Volume 20 - Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

The House of Latria

ZENITH’S FAMILY HOME was huge. It was very close to how I’d imagined it. There was a large gate with a pair of lion statues flanking either side. A long, cobbled walkway ran from the gate to the front door with a fountain smack-dab in the middle, and hedges trimmed into all manner of weird shapes. Behind it all stood a beautiful white mansion. If you looked up “nobleman’s mansion” in the encyclopedia, this would’ve been the picture for it.

We were in the nobles’ section of the Residential District, and on a street lined with the homes of the particularly well-to-do. Felt pretty similar to Asura’s wealthiest residential district.

But man, this place was gigantic. Cliff’s house caught me by surprise, but Zenith’s family home was spot-on, exactly what I’d thought it’d be. After all, I had one just like it back in the Asura Kingdom. Not to brag, as it was the one Ariel gave me, but it was about this size. The mansion here had a cleaner look to it, but if we’re talking conspicuous consumption, mine was equally conspicuous, let’s say.

Which is why I had nothing to be afraid of. I wasn’t chicken, okay?

“Hahhh…” sighed Aisha next to me. She looked at the mansion in disdain.

Right now, the two of us were waiting in front of the gate. I’d dressed in noble-ish clothes I’d changed into back at Cliff’s house, while Aisha was in her maid outfit. Zenith accompanied us, dressed in the same kind of fancy clothes as me.

We asked a guy at the entrance who seemed to be guarding the place to receive us. I tried to show him the letter, but he bolted back into the mansion the moment he saw Zenith’s face. We were still waiting on him.

“So, um, Big Brother. Just warning you, but Grandma’s really not a fun person to be around.”

“Yes, I heard you the first time.”

Her warnings were getting to me. Still, I believed I was vaccinated against awful people. I was a nightmare myself in my past life, after all; pretty much anyone would be a delight by comparison.

So, yeah. I had this.

Even if this were someone I couldn’t stand, we could still talk about Zenith’s condition and mourn what we’d both lost together. Anything beyond that might be too much to hope for, but that would be enough.

“Oh.”

I snapped out of my thoughts to find a large contingent of men and women streaming out of the mansion. It wasn’t just the guard from before; there were people in butler and maid uniforms. About twenty people in total were now marching on us.

The maids lined up on either side of the walkway beyond the gate. In front of them, a butler faced us, straight as a rod. It was the precise guest reception formation you’d see at a rich person’s house in a cartoon. They pulled this all the time in the Asura Kingdom, too.

When the guard opened the door, the butler bowed his head deeply and the maids soon followed suit.

“Lady Zenith, we humbly welcome you home. All of us have, in our hearts, awaited this day.”

Their heads were all bowed to Zenith. However, Zenith was as emotionless as ever; her eyes didn’t even focus on the servants.

“Now then, Sir Rudeus—the Madam awaits. This way, please.”

“Very well, thank you.”

Undeterred by Zenith’s lack of response, the butler then greeted me before turning on his heel to guide me inside the mansion. He didn’t say a word to Aisha. Did he assume all people in maid outfits were maids? Maybe I should have had Aisha wear something else. Something a little more little-sister-like. A frilly dress or something.

As I thought this, I made my way across the walkway and was whisked into mansion’s foyer. The inside was, unsurprisingly, decked out with lavish furnishings. Nothing that could compare to what I saw in Asura’s royal castle or in Perugius’s castle, of course, but at least it was all classy stuff.

“Now then, please wait in here.”

Finally, we were guided to a reception room. Inside there was a pair of sofas facing each other; a flowerpot in the corner; a maid standing against the wall…

Considering everyone was “awaiting” this day, there sure was no sign of the Madam herself. But perhaps what she’d awaited was hearing we got here safe, and now that she had she wanted to freshen up for her guests. We’d find out which soon. I sat Zenith down and took a seat beside her. I glanced over to Aisha and saw she was still standing next to the arm of the sofa.

“Aisha, you sit down, too.”

“Huh? But, uh, I think I should stand…”

“You’re my sister, so you should be a guest here. Come on, take a seat.”

“Um… Okay.”

Aisha followed my suggestion and sat down beside Zenith.

“…”

And for a while, the three of us waited, without a word between each other. Times like these reminded me of when I went to that interview at Philip’s place. Sauros had burst into the room, shouted his lungs out, and left without any further fanfare. Kind of eerie how similar this was. I just hoped that today would go as well as that day…

Now, how did I handle Sauros, again? If I recall, I took the initiative by introducing myself first. I figured that introducing yourself first was polite in any world. Let’s try that again today.

“This way, Madam.”

As I finished that thought, the door opened. A tense-looking old lady, her blonde hair streaked with white, entered the room. Following her was a portly, mustachioed middle-aged man wearing what looked like a lab coat. Pretty sure that guy wasn’t the Madam; I immediately stood up, lifted my hand to my chest, and gave a casual greeting. 

“What an unparalleled pleasure to meet you, Grandmother. My name is Rudeus Greyrat. I’ve come today so I may…”

“…”

The old lady didn’t so much as glance me. She swept right past my introduction and made a beeline for a good view of Zenith. She stared intently at Zenith’s face, inspecting her from a footstep away. I’d envisioned a heartwarming reunion…but Claire’s stony expression shattered my fantasy.

Finally, Claire exhaled. She spoke in an almost icy tone, “This is indeed my daughter. Ander, if you’d please.”

With that, the mustached man stepped forward. He elbowed past me, took Zenith’s hand, and stood her up. Then, he lifted his own hand to Zenith’s blank face…

“Wait, hold on a moment! Mind telling me what’s up?” I hurriedly interjected.

“Ah, my apologies. I am Madam Claire’s personal physician, Ander Berkeley.”

“A pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Rudeus Greyrat. You’ve studied medicine?”

“Yes. I was originally here for a scheduled checkup on Madam Claire, but she said to have a look at her daughter while I had the opportunity…”

I see, so that was it. Grandma Claire must have gotten a bit overwhelmed seeing Zenith like this. I could totally understand.

“Well, if that’s the case, then please take care of—”

“Who gave you permission to sit?!”

As I was about to say, “my mother,” a scolding voice bellowed from behind me. I tensed involuntarily from the shock, but I turned around to see that Aisha had frantically stood up from the sofa.

“A mere maid does not remain seated while her master stands! You were not raised in a barn!”

“M-my apologies!” stammered Aisha, bowing her head despite being on the verge of tears.

Whoa, whoa. Hold on. What on earth? I need to catch my breath. This was all going too fast. And Claire was treating me like I was invisible? I could’ve started crying, too.

“I told her to sit down,” I said firmly. That got Claire to slowly turn and fix her stare on me. Damn. Maybe I didn’t want her attention… Well, too late now. Time to roll with it.

“She may be wearing a maid uniform, but she’s my sister first. I’m having her tend to our mother’s needs, so she simply chose something practical for that kind of work. I’m afraid it’s unacceptable to treat her as ‘only’ a maid.”

“One dresses for the station they deserve. In this house, those who dress as maids will be treated as maids.”

Uh, screw these house rules in particular.

“Well then, how would you treat someone in clothes like mine?”

“I would treat you appropriately, of course.”

“Should I assume that your idea of ‘appropriate’ treatment is complete disregard?”

As I talked, I spread my arms open and looked down at my outfit. I wasn’t wearing anything strange…I thought. Where did I get these? Probably somewhere in Sharia… Should I have worn the clothes I bought in the Kingdom of Asura? No, those were for parties…

“No, I… delayed my response…because you were a man I’d never met who swanned in and called me ‘grandmother.’ There’ve been no dearth of swindlers doing the same these past few years. I’d first determine if you were worth my time by verifying the truth.”

“Ah… Well.”

Hey, if it was common knowledge that a big fancy manor had a runaway daughter, it was no surprise that people would try to worm their way in by claiming to be lost relatives. I might have introduced myself, but I hadn’t presented any proof of my identity. These clothes weren’t even embroidered with the Greyrat family emblem, and anyone could have gotten that done anyway. I guess she had a point.

“This is the real Zenith, to be sure. And I remember Aisha over there quite well. But do you have any proof that you are my grandson?”

Proof, huh? I mean, that’s a tough one. I’d brought Zenith, Aisha, and even the letter. What more did she… Wait, why was I having to prove myself to begin with?

“Is that necessary?”

“Pardon?”

“I brought Mom…er, Zenith and Aisha, and I even provided the letter I received from you. What more do you need?”

Claire’s eyebrow twitched in response.

“If that is all, then I’m afraid I can’t recognize you as a member of the House of Latria.”

“Very well. I belong to the House of Greyrat… I’m the head of that household, and today is my first time ever setting foot upon this property. I have no intention of asserting myself as a member of the House of Latria.”

As an ally of it? For the sake of the Mercenary Band, yes, that I was angling for. But if the other party already held me with suspicion, then I needed to play my intentions closer to the vest than I’d planned. My first priority was to bring Zenith home to her family.

Claire didn’t seem to appreciate my answer; her eyes narrowed as her brows twitched with pent-up tension.

“For the ‘head’ of the House of Greyrat, you present as tawdry. Greyrat is one of the Four Great Houses of Asura… As distinguished as the House of Latria may be, we are merely a countship. Yet you would give your name first and lower your head not even to the Count himself, but to the wife of the Count?”

“I have the blood of one of the Four Great Houses, but I’m not from the main branch, nor do I have any titles. While I called myself head of my household, that was merely to say that I am the main provider for an ordinary family living in Sharia. And of course, even if I did possess some sort of high status, I feel it only natural to show some respect when meeting my own grandmother for the first time.”

“Hm… Is that so?”

I got the feeling that my explanation only made Claire look down on me more. No, she couldn’t be that bad… But then again, this person placed family lineage on a high pedestal. It was going to be a pain, but I decided to give myself a line of defense just in case.

“I may have no rank as a noble, but I do have a personal relationship with Her Majesty Queen Ariel, who was crowned ruler of the Asura Kingdom just last year. I myself am also a subordinate of the second of the Seven Great Powers, the Dragon God Orsted. I would prefer if you took those stations into account.”

Not that I needed to be taken seriously, but her interaction with Aisha changed things. She needed to consider me an equal, or at least something close to it, to be of any kind of use to me.

Claire pursed her lips and raised her chin in response. She looked me over, as though trying to decide what I was worth.

“This is my proof of being the Dragon God’s subordinate.”

I brought out my bracelet that had the Dragon God’s emblem. After looking at it for a few seconds, Claire turned to a butler that had been at her side and asked him something in a hushed voice. The butler nodded. I heard the words, “Indeed, that is the Dragon God’s—” from him. I didn’t think the Dragon God was particularly well-known, but this butler seemed to recognize his emblem. Please don’t say it could easily be faked.

“I see… Understood.”

With that said, Claire squared her jaw and brought her hands together around her stomach. Then, in one natural motion, she bowed her head.

“My name is Claire Latria. Wife to Commander of the Temple Knights’ Sword Company, Count Carlisle Latria. I am currently tasked with the management of this mansion. I ask that you please forgive my poor manners.”

I either successfully proved my identity, or my attitude overcame some sort of hurdle. I didn’t know which, but whatever. I got Claire to lower her head and apologize.

A Commander of the Temple Knights, huh? Zenith’s little sister Therese also marched in those ranks. This family sure had deep ties to them.

“Then please allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Rudeus Greyrat, son of Paul Greyrat and Zenith Greyrat. I currently work as a subordinate to the Dragon God Orsted. Don’t worry about what happened before. I failed to perform my due diligence myself. I think that your caution was perfectly warranted.”

We both bowed to each other, so the matter was as good as settled. Phew, maybe I could finally catch a breath. The greeting alone was like pulling teeth, but hey, I got it done.

“Now then, please take a seat.”

“Certainly, thank you.”

I did as I was told and sat down.

“First, let me commend you on your long journey,” said Claire. “I had assumed your voyage would take a few more years, but I’m quite thankful for your swift arrival.”

Then, with a clap of her hands, the door opened. A maid pulling a cart entered the room; atop the cart was a tea set. A tea party? Fine by me. She’d better prepare herself to be blown out of her seat by the explosive tea technique I mastered at the floating fortress.

But before that, I figured I’d let Aisha sit down. She wasn’t a maid, she was my sister. I couldn’t have her be welcomed as anything less than a guest, so I had to be firm about this.

“Aisha, you sit down, too.”

“Huh? But…”

“You’re not a maid today. You came here as my relative, so please, sit down.”

Aisha glanced back and forth at Claire as she slowly settled into her seat. Claire didn’t say a word; she only responded with a twitch of her eyebrow. Looked like she was going to let it go. But of course; Aisha belonged to my family, after all, so it wasn’t Claire’s place to allow or forbid.

I glanced over at Zenith. It looked like she was still being inspected by that doctor; he was now looking her eyes and tongue. I didn’t think he’d find what was wrong in there, but no harm trying. Claire probably wanted a doctor she trusted to take a look first before believing some stranger that Zenith had lost her memories.

“We’ve done our best to try and heal Mom, but we haven’t had any luck.”

“Well… I can imagine how some backwater town has very few options.”

Ooh, now them’s fightin’ words. Whatchu callin’ a backwater town, lady?

But, of course, I had anticipated she’d say that sort of thing. No surprises here.

“Sharia’s healing magic might be a tad less advanced than Millis’s…but I had her looked at by Orsted, a man familiar with every branch of magic there is, and Perugius, an expert on teleportation and summoning.”

“Perugius? One of the three legendary heroes? Hm… I’m not sure I find that plausible.”

Figures. I could understand why she wouldn’t believe me. That said, I couldn’t exactly pack him in my bags for a family trip; I was only riding on his coattails, anyway. Either way, I intended to stay in Millishion for a few months. Plenty of time for Claire to accept that there was no treatment for Zenith’s condition. I just hoped they wouldn’t insist on trying something drastic before reaching that conclusion.

“Incidentally…what of Norn?”

I was hoping we’d stick to talking about Mom a bit longer, but Claire suddenly changed it. Norn, huh?

“She’s currently enrolled in the Ranoa University of Magic. She’s quite busy with her schoolwork, so I left her to continue her studies.”

“Is that so? I was under the impression that the girl was a born failure, but is she making something of herself?”

“She’s doing fine, yes. She’s currently the student council president, so if anything, she’s at the top of the school.”

I might have put a little spin on it, but Claire seemed surprised. I didn’t expect her to think that poorly of Norn. I guess I could see it if she compared her to Aisha.

“I see. What are her plans after graduation?”

“She hasn’t decided yet.”

“What of marriage?”

“I’m afraid she’s a stranger to romance.”

Claire’s face scrunched up in response. Did I say something that offended her?

“In that case, she will come here once she graduates,” she commanded, leaving no room for argument. Did she even consider the distance between here and Sharia? A round trip would take years to finish… Well, I had the teleportation circle, so I could manage it in a week.

“I wouldn’t be opposed, but…”

“I can’t imagine that she’d find a half-decent suitor in a backwoods country like Ranoa Kingdom, so I’ll arrange the appropriate match.”

Hm. What’d she mean by that? “Arrange” what?

“You mean to say, you’d make Norn marry someone?”

“That is exactly what I mean. If she has no future set and the head of the household isn’t settling the matter, then I’ll take on the duty myself.”

“Whoa, hey, hold on a moment. Shouldn’t you be asking for Norn’s opinion fir—”

“What are you talking about? Is it not the head of the household’s duty to ensure the women of his home marry?”

Um… Is it? I looked to Aisha for answer. She simply shrugged, her attitude seeming to say, “Yeah, kinda.” Maybe this was how the nobles in the Holy Country of Millis did things?

Oh. Right. Even in my old life, there was a part of society where parents decided who their children would marry. It never really made sense to me, but it might have been a more common idea than I’d realized. 

But I didn’t run my house like this. Of course, if Norn told me that she wanted to marry and needed my help finding someone, then I’d gladly set her up on a blind date. But outside of that, I wanted her to be free to do what she liked.

“I’ll take responsibility for Norn’s future,” I said. I figured it was best to make that clear.

“I see, very well… You are the head of the house, so I expect you to do your job.”

Ah, biting condescension. She seemed to use that a lot, didn’t she? I could feel how she was looking down on me. Keep it together, Rudeus. This was all par for the course. I knew going in that she was going to be difficult. And besides, I wasn’t going to change her; objecting to that would just start a fight over something we’d never see eye-to-eye on. This was our first time meeting each other, so we had to start by understanding each other first. I could make my requests after that.

“I believe I’ve finished.”

While I was taking a deep breath, Ander returned with Zenith. Aisha sprang into action to guide her to the sofa.

“How was it?”

“Her body is the definition of health. So healthy she looks younger than her age.”

So said the doc. Nice going, Zenith. You look younger without so much as a skincare routine! Or, wait, was that a bad sign? Something to worry about? Like, maybe it was a side effect of a curse?

“I have a few questions for the family. May I?”

“But of course, ask whatever you like.”

“Very well. First…”

His questions covered all the bases. Some questions concerned her physical health; what she typically ate, and in what servings, how much exercise did she get, did she have her time of the month, stuff like that. Others concerned her mental health; how independent was she in day-to-day life, what were her typical habits, did she self-harm, and so on. They were all doctorly questions, so I didn’t hesitate to unload everything I knew, with Aisha stepping in when needed to provide further background. We probably could have given an even fuller picture if Lilia were here, but she wasn’t. We did the best we could.

“I see, very well,” Ander said as he nodded and took notes on all my answers. When he was done, he went to Claire, where the two murmured something between themselves.

“Well?” Claire asked.

“Hmm, yes. I believe there’ll be no problems,” Ander answered. “As long as a personal maid attends to her, at least. There’s no sign of illness or injury. Her state of mind is stable as well.”

“What about fertility?”

“She has her time of the month, so I presume she’s capable… This would require a few more attending to her, but it should indeed be possible.”

“Wonderful.”

What was so “wonderful” about that? I got the feeling that I wasn’t going to like what they were talking about.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you sounded like you’re planning to have my mom remarry,” I joked.

I intended it as a joke. But the look in Claire’s eyes when she turned them toward me was ice-cold. Ice-cold, yet incredibly strong-willed. It was a look that demanded obedience and would not take no for an answer.

“Here in the Holy Country of Millis, a woman’s worth is decided by her ability to bear children. Those who cannot are sometimes not even seen as human.”

Hold on, let’s pull back a bit. She didn’t deny what I said, but…no way, right? No, calm down. She didn’t deny it, but she also didn’t confirm it. She just stated the typical beliefs of her nation. Nobody would possibly see someone as less than human because they couldn’t give birth; it just sounded believable because it came from such an authoritative old lady.

“Ah, before I forget. You two, cut ties with that papalist priest.”

“I… Huh?”

“I’m aware that you two are acquainted with a papalist priest.”

Yet another change of subject. I was starting to get disoriented. Maybe it was Claire’s blunt tone that kept me from taking control of the conversation. Or maybe greeting her first backfooted me. This was her territory, not mine.

“True, I do have an amicable relationship with Cliff…but why would it be necessary to cut ties with him?”

“The House of Latria currently operates on the side of the cardinalists. I forbid you to fraternize with a papalist.”

So, “cardinalist” meant demon expulsionists? I wondered who the top cardinal was.

“I mean… I have no intention of aligning myself with the papalists, so would that not suffice?”

“No, I forbid it. If you are to stay at this house, then you will follow the rules of this house.”

Hmm. Hmmmm. Well, yeah, I’d probably end up aligning with the papalists once Cliff had obtained some level of status. If she was aware of my plans and trying to gain some leverage over me, I could potentially be a bit more understanding. But I got the feeling that that wasn’t where she was coming from…

“Cliff has been a great help to me back in school. I’m certain Norn could say the same… Surely a simple friendship wouldn’t do any harm, no?”

“Unacceptable. If you insist on fraternizing with this papalist priest, then I shall not allow you to stay in this house.”

No dice. All right. I get it. Fine, then. For now, I’d stay the night somewhere else.

Yep, I was fine. Not angry. Not even a little bit. Having a completely normal one over here. Tranquility was my middle name. Nothin’ to fuss over. I’d been told over and over this was the kind of person Claire was. I was prepared for this. It might not have been within my calculations that she’d butt into my personal friendships…but hey, we were like cats and dogs. We just couldn’t get along. That’s all there was to it.

Now, to give a polite goodbye and leave this house without starting a figh—

“Leave Zenith here and begone at once.”

My mind stopped.

“To be clear, I will permit you to enter the premises of this mansion in the future, but ultimately as a stranger to this hou—”

“What do you mean, ‘leave her here’? What do you mean by that?”

The words that came out of my mouth were a response to what she’d said a sentence earlier; it took a few seconds for my brain to function again.

Claire cut herself off, looked at me, and answered with an icy glare.

“Given what’s become of her, I have no other choice. She might only be this, but if she can bear children, then marriage is still an option.”

My mouth went dry. My peripheral vision blacked out, like I was being blanketed in a dark mist.

“…”

What the fuck are you talking about?! someone shouted.

It was me. I was shouting.

No way, you were just saying the beliefs of the nation, right? Did you actually mean that crap?!

Or, so the shouts continued. Except the words didn’t come out. My mouth went through the motions without emitting a single sound.

“I’ll have this girl marry a cardinalist noble. It might take a few divorces, but we should find her a permanent match.”

Claire would force a person who couldn’t even communicate her own opinions into a marriage. Claire would say that her own daughter was “only this.” As though she was just an object.

“Her good health is quite the silver lining.”

I’d never heard the sound of a blood vessel bursting. Of course not, because it wasn’t audible. It was just a cartoon sound effect, a figure of speech. I might have imagined I’d heard it whenever I got Eris mad, but since I typically blacked out shortly afterwards, I couldn’t remember much.

Today I heard it. No question.

***

The next thing I knew, the sun had set and I was pulling Zenith along by the hand.

I didn’t remember much of what happened after that sound. I recalled absolutely hollering, but I was foggy as to what I’d hollered about. I knew for sure that insults from far outside my daily vocabulary had flown out of my mouth. I remembered Claire’s eyes widening. I remembered maids peeking in to see what the commotion was. I remembered declaring that I would leave, pulling Zenith up by the hand, and hearing Claire having the nerve to say, “You shall not. If Zenith were sane, she’d agree.” Those words were throwing oil onto flame that was my heart, burning down what remained of my self-control; I clenched my fists and prepared to cast a spell. That was what I remembered.

But just then, I heard Aisha say, “Sic ’em, Bro,” which brought me back to some of my senses. Claire had already called the guards by now, so I blasted them away, shouted that the House of Latria was dead to me and mine, and bolted out.

“Phew…”

At some point, we found that we’d returned to the border of the Divine District. My rage made it feel like my vision was spinning. I never imagined that I’d hear something that loathsome with my own ears. Son of a bitch. “Silver lining,” my ass. I shouldn’t have come. I could have gone my whole life without hearing that.

Who died and crowned that old bat king? Like, look. Anyone would feel a little grossed out if some guy you’d never met called you his grandmother. Don’t feel like responding to my first introduction? Sure. Don’t. I could even understand the stuff about getting Norn a husband. I’d heard that the rich and powerful arranged their marriages in my old life, too. They were just doing what was expected in their class and culture. Fine.

Yeah, I got it.

But what she said about Zenith was way over the line. My mother had amnesia and couldn’t even take care of her own basic needs. What is wrong with someone who would even consider marrying her off? And talk about her “good health”? About how it was the “silver lining” that she had her time of the month? You’d have Zenith marry so that she could be nursed during the day and messed with at night? Yeah, I knew what to call that. A human sex doll.

And if she got pregnant, then what? She’d give birth? You really think she’d be capable of that? Even if she could, where was Zenith’s consent in all of this? Hell, what about my feelings? How do you think the children she’d leave behind would feel? What do you take a man’s mother for?! What do you take your own daughter for?! Was your daughter a tool to you? Just a thing to be used, a baby-making machine? Don’t even joke about that!

I couldn’t remember the last time something made me this mad. “Claire,” my ass! Go stuff yourself with cream, you French pastry!

“Phew…”

I’d arrived at such a bizarre insult that I calmed down a little. I also heard my stomach start to rumble. Right, I was hungry; I hadn’t eaten anything for lunch. I could go for anything besides pastries.

“U-um, Big Brother?”

I turned around after hearing my name to find Aisha stood there fidgeting. She looked troubled, as though she didn’t know what to say.

“Aisha.”

Without a word, I reached out my arm and held her close. She didn’t hesitate to sidle right in.

I now knew why Aisha, Norn, and Lilia dragged their feet so much. I couldn’t blame you; of course you wouldn’t want to relive that. I didn’t know what Aisha and Norn had gone through as they grew up with her, but now I understood they must be carrying some awful memories.

“I’m sorry for bringing you.”

“N-no, it’s fine. But, well, you didn’t make your connection, right?”

Kuh-nek-shuhn? Confection? Convection?

Connection.

Oh, yeah. I was hoping I’d get to have the House of Latria’s help with building the Mercenary Band.

“Oh well, we’ll live. I’d rather do it alone than have help from her…”

I could make connections with someone else. Maybe I could ask Cliff to put in a good word for me with his grandpa… He might not be impressed with me asking for favors already, but it’d be payback to Claire. And if that went nowhere, then I’d just get it done, alone.

Either way, I was tired. I wanted to go home and sleep… Ah, come to think of it, I didn’t have a place to stay, did I? It’d be the middle of the night by the time we got to the Adventurers’ District and got a room, and I didn’t want to make Zenith walk that far.

All right, fine. I’d ask to stay with Cliff again.

With that decided, it was back to Cliff’s place.