Chapter 217: The One Who Called Out My Name
“More importantly, great-aunt, I heard you were unwell, but I’m relieved to see you’ve recovered. I’ve been worried since the day I left the country.”
“Oh my, Oh my, I’m sorry to have caused you such concern. Standing and talking like this isn’t ideal, so let’s sit down and chat.”
The lady suggested this and motioned for Lieselotte to sit with her. Without objection, Lieselotte took her place on the sofa. Lappy intended to move back next to me, but then she was invited by the lady to sit beside Lieselotte, where she settled herself.
The lady’s gaze toward Lappy was filled with affection, which was vastly different from the guarded, almost hostile look she directed at me. My suspicious appearance might be a reason, but more than that, her gaze toward Lappy bore a striking resemblance to Lieselotte’s. I didn’t expect to see a clear sign of blood connection in such a situation.
“It was just a cold that got a bit worse. And that child made Liese come all this way… Next time I see him, I’ll have to teach him a lesson.”
“Please be gentle.”
“Your kindness, Liese, is a virtue, but being too kind is not good. The fool might take kindness for weakness.”
The “fool” the lady referred to must certainly be Lieselotte’s uncle. Her tone was gentle, but her eyes weren’t smiling and just as much or even more as when she looked at me. It seemed she was advising Lieselotte while harboring strong anger towards her uncle.
Well, I can understand her feelings. Taking advantage of his position as a guardian to send Lieselotte, the head of the family, to another country seems quite daring. His image with Hilda and Chris is at its lowest, and it seems unlikely we’d get along with him either.
In fact, there’s a chance he might use us to Lieselotte’s disadvantage. It seems best to remain vigilant.
“Yes, this. A letter I had my son write. Make sure you pass it on to the mischievous and the fool.”
“Great-aunt… I understand. I’ll make sure it’s delivered.”
The lady took out a letter from her pocket, which Lieselotte received with a solemn expression. One was probably addressed to her uncle, but who was the other for? Well, that was her matter. I decided not to get involved.
Subsequently, the lady and Lieselotte engaged in a lively conversation about recent events and general chit-chat. It seemed they had finished discussing the main topic. They continued their conversation, reminiscent of relatives reuniting after a long time, and when the topic shifted to a certain party, the lady clapped her hands together excitedly.
“Oh yes! Speaking of parties, there’s a grand one at a friend’s house the night after tomorrow. Would you like to join, Liese?”
“Yes, I would be delighted to accompany you.”
“Then we must prepare a dress. Do you have one with you?”
“Yes, I’ve brought it with me in case that happens.”
“Oh, how wonderfully prepared you are.”
The lady nodded and smiled joyfully. Originally, the plan was to stay for a few days, but now it seemed Lieselotte had an engagement the night after tomorrow. As her guard, I needed to consult with Hilda and Chris on how to proceed.
Perhaps bored by the conversation between the two, Lappy began to doze off. This behavior wasn’t appropriate in the presence of nobility, but instead of being annoyed, both ladies merely smiled as if they found it cute. It was a good thing that they weren’t offended by it.
Knock, knock, knock, knock.
“Come in.”
“Excuse me. The rooms for the guests are ready.”
As I was feeling relieved, Gina knocked and returned to the room. It seemed the preparations for our rooms were complete. Regardless of what the rooms were like, as long as we could sleep inside them, I was ready to gratefully accept the kindness.
With Gina’s return, the lady suggested continuing their conversation over a meal and stood up. It was indeed past noon, an appropriate time for lunch. It would be better to have their lengthy discussion over the meal.
“Would you like to join us?” she offered.
“It’s an honor to be invited, but we’ll respectfully decline. We’ll manage on our own somewhere appropriate. Please enjoy your meal, just the two of you.”
“Oh, how humble of you. Well then, we’ll proceed. Let’s go, Liese.”
“Yes, great-aunt.”
Although the lady invited me, I humbly declined. We were merely guards, and it wouldn’t be proper to share a meal with our employer. The right choice here was to refuse.
Apparently, although the lady invited us, she did not seem to expect our presence at the meal and responded in a tone devoid of disappointment before quickly exiting the room. Lieselotte and the two guards followed behind her, with Lieselotte casting a lingering, regretful look at Lappy. Lappy, with sleepy eyes, rubbed them and gave Lieselotte a small wave.
“The guards will be guided to their rooms first. I will be waiting on the first floor, so could you please speak to the people waiting outside?”
“I understand. Let’s go, Lappy.”
“Yawn… Okay, big brother.”
Having yawned and stretched, Lappy took my hand, and we followed Gina out of the reception room. Once outside, we rejoined with Tigar and others and were led to some plain-looking guest rooms.
The rooms, though sparsely furnished with only a small desk, a chair, and a single bed, were kept clean. It was somewhat mild, but it was no different from the guest rooms in Aiwas’s mansion, so I had no complaints. Decius, who was acquainted with human society, didn’t make any remarks either, so it must be like this everywhere.
“Will you be needing anything for your meal? We can arrange something if necessary.”
“I appreciate your concern, but we have various needs to attend to. We plan to go into town for some purchases and will grab something to eat there. Is that alright with you, boss?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
Decius gently declined the offer of a meal at the mansion. Besides the reasons he voiced, there was also the matter of not being able to show my jaw. I had telepathically instructed him to decline.
“Understood. I’ll give you a note listing relatively honest shops for newcomers and those that are best avoided.”
“Thank you; that will be very helpful.”
After Gina left us, she quickly returned with a piece of paper in hand. On it were about six names of shops, divided into two groups. It seemed the upper half listed trustworthy shops, while the lower half contained the names of those to be wary of.
We had nothing but words of gratitude for this information. Assuming we would need to spend money while traveling, we wanted to keep our expenses at or below fair prices.
After deciding on room assignments, we parted ways with Gina and ventured from the mansion to the town. As Chris had mentioned, the Galar Kingdom was known for its agriculture, and Decius noted with admiration that the food sold in the town was cheaper than in the Empire.
“Munch, munch…”
“Huff, huff… Delicious! It’s as good as Mika’s cooking!”
“Really, it’s amazing. Hard to believe this is a diner in a downtown inn.”
“This is all thanks to Bolts, right? Isn’t it, Boss?”
“Yes, indeed. Well done.”
While walking through the town in search of a meal, Bolts suddenly mentioned that he felt a particularly appetizing smell. Following his lead, we ended up at a shop a bit away from the town center.
To keep my face hidden, we decided to rent a room for the short duration of our meal and had all the food brought there. Though I couldn’t discern the flavors myself, everyone else’s enthusiastic eating was proof to the food’s remarkable taste. Though we ordered generously, it was all swiftly consumed.
“So, what’s next?”
“For today, we should just visit the shops Gina recommended. Decius, how many of us will be going?”
“Let’s see… Tigar, Bolts, and I should suffice. It’s better not to draw too much attention by moving around in a large group.”
Decius was the best judge on how to navigate the streets of the town. If he said three people were enough, then that must have been the appropriate number. I had no intention of interjecting.
So, what should Lappy, Leo, and I, who were left behind, do? While the three were out and about, the idea of us just relaxing in the mansion’s room felt somewhat inappropriate. Perhaps sensing my thoughts, Decius assigned us a role as well.
“Boss, you and the others should pick up on the town’s gossip. Gossip is something you can’t ignore. I’ll give you some money too, considering you might meet some informants.”
“Understood. And… Lappy and Leo, don’t stray far from me.”
“Okay. I’ll stay with big brother.”
“Hey, Big Brother! I’m not that much of a kid, right? Dad!?”
“You’re too restless… I’m counting on you, boss.”
“Dad too!?”
After this exchange, we left the inn and split into two groups. To gather rumors, we immediately headed towards the main street of the capital. Lappy held my hand, and Leo, while observing the surroundings, casually walked ahead of us.
“Big brother, what’s ‘inflation’?”
“It’s when you need more money to buy things.”
“Refugees are disliked, huh, big brother?”
“It can’t be helped, with outsiders causing a decline in public order.”
Even a brief stroll along the main thoroughfare was enough for someone with a demon’s hearing to eavesdrop on various conversations. According to what we overheard, the topics dominating the discussions were the soaring prices due to the war and the crimes committed by refugees.
Judging by the number of conversations, it appeared that people were particularly focused on the latter. Even now, a little distance away, I could hear the shouting of adults, presumably over a refugee child caught stealing. The refugees must be desperate to survive, but for the citizens of the capital, it was clearly an unwelcome situation.
“Ah! There you are!”
“Huh?”
“Hmm…”
While I was contemplating the refugee situation, a loud male voice called out from the right. The person who shouted was quickly approaching us. Leo and Lappy showed their wariness, readying themselves to fight at any time.
I calmed the two who were bristling with hostility. The reason was that I recognized the approaching figure. He was one of the refugees who had appeared in front of our carriage, begging for alms, and among them, he was the only man who had stared intently at my face.
“You! You’re Yaro, aren’t you!?”
As the man reached me, he shouted a name that felt nostalgic. It was the name of the man who had been killed in front of me by Orvo before he was synthesized with me.
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TN: Yaro is of the Reka race and this race has that one eye in the middle characteristic.
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