“Are you feeling a bit calmer now?”
I asked while patting Lily’s back. She nodded slightly at my question, still sniffling a bit.
“..Yeah. I’m feeling a little better now.”
Was she worried that I got hurt a lot during the Monster Extermination War? Well, Abel did warn me multiple times that this time would be quite dangerous.
It’s only natural for her to be worried since she must have heard him say that. The battle was indeed pretty perilous.
Especially since that disaster-grade monster, the Forgetting Whale, showed up.
And when I went inside to save Yurph, that monstrous Katra was waiting for me.
It was a miracle I barely survived; otherwise, I might have died over ten times and found myself in a time loop again.
“You were really worried about me, huh?”
I took out a handkerchief from my pocket and gently wiped her tear-streaked face. Normally, she’d complain about using such a precious handkerchief on herself, but…
Seeing her quietly sniffle, she must have really been worried. Clearing her throat, Lily spoke in a choked voice.
“Y-Yeah.. I heard a disaster-grade monster appeared during this Monster Extermination War.”
Is she talking about the Forgetting Whale? It really was ridiculously strong, that’s for sure.
The extermination team, comprised of the best of the best, was helpless against it. Thankfully, thanks to Abel’s presence, they succeeded in the extermination; otherwise, there might have been dozens of casualties as it made its escape.
“But has that news already reached here?”
“It was just published in the newspaper yesterday, so I was worried…”
As her voice began to tremble again, I slowly patted her back once more.
Timing-wise, it seems the news reached here just three days after I collapsed. I probably returned to the Duke’s family about four days ago…
‘No wonder Lily was worried about me.’
I suddenly heard that the Forgetting Whale showed up during my participation in the Monster Extermination War, and for some reason, I didn’t wake up for several days.
At this point, it would be strange if she wasn’t worried.
Moreover, considering the Forgetting Whale’s characteristic of causing memory loss…
‘So that’s why she awkwardly approached me.’
Was she afraid I had forgotten her? If I treated her carelessly as usual, who knows what could happen?
Finally, pieces of the puzzle started to fall into place. I turned my head and saw Lily’s eyes still trembling with uncertainty.
Smiling lightly, I met her gaze.
“I haven’t forgotten you, Lily.”
“..Really?”
Lily asked back with a voice laced with doubt. Somehow, she looked like a little abandoned kitten on a rainy day, making my heart ache a bit.
“Of course, I hardly drank any mist.”
Well, after waking up, there was a brief moment when my memory faded, but those memories came back quickly, so there was no need to worry too much.
“..I-I was really worried, you know!”
She exclaimed as she hugged me tightly. I could feel her slightly cool body temperature against my skin. I smiled at the sight and embraced her fully.
“Worried that I might forget you, really…”
“How could I forget someone like you?”
Lily was the first person who became my safe haven.
If she hadn’t been the first to trust me, I might have gone mad long ago in that endless loop of regression.
That’s why there was no way I could forget her.
“..Really?”
She sniffled as she asked again.
“Of course. Shall we make a promise?”
As I said that, I extended my pinky finger, to which Lily tilted her head in confusion. Now that I think about it, this world doesn’t have a pinky-promise culture. How strange.
Well, I just need to explain it.
“This is how we make a promise by linking our pinky fingers. To ensure we don’t break it.”
“Like… this?”
Lily awkwardly extended her pinky finger, and I did the same, linking our fingers together.
“Yes. It’s a promise. I will never forget you.”
We hooked our pinkies together and touched our thumbs. Lily’s expression, which had looked a bit anxious earlier, improved a lot.
“..Thank you.”
She mumbled in a tiny voice. That cute expression made me unconsciously ruffle her hair.
Was that how it felt when Abel messed up my hair back then?
“Adele.”
“Yeah?”
Her voice and expression had become much more relaxed compared to before. It seemed like her usual lively self had finally returned.
Lily looked at me with a bright smile.
“I, I have a place I want to go!”
“Where to?”
A place she wants to go is rare for her. Unlike the other maids from the Count’s family, she rarely asked for anything first.
If she’s saying this, it must be somewhere she really wants to go. With sparkling eyes, Lily answered my question.
“To the night market!”
“The night market?”
Hearing that somewhat nostalgic word slip from her lips felt a bit strange. Was there even such a thing in the current era?
“Yes! They say there’s a night market in Duke Hardenberg’s Territory.”
A night market.
It’s a kind of festival held once a year for a week after the harvest season. Different regions have various names for it, but in Duke Hardenberg’s Territory, it’s called the night market.
Chefs and merchants flock to this area during this time, creating a huge market with their specialties and dishes.
“But why do they gather here?”
As I asked, Lily explained enthusiastically.
“Because this is the place where merchants and chefs receive the best treatment!”
In the past, the profession of a merchant was deemed lowly. The same goes for chefs, except for a few court chefs.
This Duke Hardenberg’s Territory was the only place that treated them well during every festival.
Abel’s first policy after becoming the Duke was about this.
“It was only natural for them to gather here.”
Due to the good treatment and sometimes full support, the influence of chefs and merchants started to grow.
With their growing fame, more people came, and their reputations got even bigger in a positive cycle.
In the end, the perception of merchants and chefs improved significantly compared to the past.
That’s why many merchants and chefs flock here whenever harvest season comes around.
The name of the festival includes “night market” for that very reason.
“Hmm? So do you know what the term ‘night market’ means?”
“Um… I heard it was a name given by a bard from the East. But I don’t know the Eastern language.”
Lily scratched her cheek with a chuckle. Looking at her, I couldn’t help but smile and continued my thoughts.
A name given by a bard from the East, huh.
‘Night market…’
Up until now, I had just dismissed it as a lack of background knowledge in the romance fantasy genre. But is there really a bard in a Western-style romance fantasy who would use the term “night market”?
At least authors who write festivals in that context would probably choose English-style names. It would fit the atmosphere far better, making more sense.
No matter how much they lack background knowledge, I don’t think anyone would name it like that.
‘..Could there be another person who has reincarnated?’
It’s just a simple hypothesis, but it held some credibility.
Since I exist as a precedent, I couldn’t rule out the possibility of another reincarnator.
However, it’s true that the evidence is still flimsy. After all, it’s just one festival name; the author’s naming sense could just be peculiar.
‘Sigh… If only I had read it directly.’
Every time I hit a wall like this, that regret swelled within me. Well, it’s too late to turn back now.
“When does the festival start?”
“It starts tomorrow!”
Her excited voice brought a smile to my face.
“Alright. Then let’s go together.”
“Really?”
“Of course, it’s a promise.”
As I extended my pinky, Lily did the same, linking our fingers together.
Since I don’t have any plans for tomorrow anyway, it should be no problem.
§
“..Didn’t I tell you to rest well?”
“Yeah, I tried to rest, you know?”
I replied to Abel as he sighed. He clearly didn’t seem to believe me.
He carefully placed the stack of documents he was holding on the desk.
Surely, Alan must have taken care of the paperwork before, but the mountain of documents on the desk looked just as it did before.
To think a single trip would lead to this much paperwork piling up. Being a duke doesn’t seem easy.
“Why is there so much paperwork?”
“Good question.”
At my inquiry, Abel sighed again. He scratched his temple and answered my question.
“The workload concerning the Holy Kingdom has surged.”
“The Holy Kingdom?”
Wasn’t that just a temporary alliance after the Monster Extermination War? Would they really have anything to reach out to me for?
As he seemed to catch on to my thoughts, Abel shook his head.
“You went inside the Forgetting Whale to rescue the Saint Candidate, and I provided significant assistance in exterminating it.”
“..Ah.”
That was an unusual sentence. I now understood why they were reaching out first.
Come to think about it, I recall hearing that the news regarding the Forgetting Whale was prominently featured in the newspaper.
Which means…
“Right, it’s an invitation to the Holy Kingdom.”
And it’s an invitation personally written by the Pope.
Abel added, his expression showing a hint of fatigue.
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