“Well… isn’t this a good thing?”
The Emperor’s plan was to seize the Holy Kingdom. Wasn’t it Abel who said we needed to get the Holy Kingdom’s cooperation to thwart his plans?
In the process, we apparently had to build a reputation to persuade the Pope and the Holy Kingdom.
We saved the Saint Candidate and even defeated the monster that had a grudge against the Holy Kingdom, the Forgetting Whale.
I’d say that’s more than enough to boast about.
To my question, Abel nodded and replied.
“Yeah, it worked out well.”
Then he let out a deep sigh.
“The problem is that it worked out too well.”
Saying that, Abel handed me a newspaper article. As I took it, the front and back pages were filled with bold headlines.
[Defeating the Forgetting Whale That Threatened the Holy Kingdom, the Hero is the Duke of the Empire?]
[Rescuing the Saint Candidate from the Forgetting Whale, Who is the Empire’s Knight Id?]
Each headline was sensational enough to leave me momentarily speechless. Perhaps sensing my expression, Abel clicked his tongue and leaned back in his chair.
“Damn old fool, stealing all the glory…”
Muttering curses, he let out another heavy sigh.
“The problem is that it’s too conspicuous.”
With the Empire’s prominent newspaper covering two pages of this.
Only after Abel added that could I understand his feelings.
It was true that we wanted the cooperation of the Holy Kingdom, but with things going this wild…
“The Emperor too…”
“Yeah. That’s the biggest problem.”
I sighed again and returned the newspaper to him. After receiving it, Abel nervously folded it and tossed it onto his desk.
“I’m sure he ordered them to silence their side, but that old man…”
While grumbling about the Pope, he picked up a stack of documents from the desk. Suddenly, a question crossed my mind, and I asked Abel.
“Do I have to go too?”
“Of course. But you’ll be going as Id this time.”
After all, it was the Spirit Knight Id who rescued the Saint Candidate Yurph.
“Ah…”
So the next destination would be the Holy Kingdom. I thought I would go eventually, but I didn’t expect it to be this soon.
“When are we going?”
“In a month.”
A month, huh. That was more time than I expected.
“We have a little leeway then?”
“I postponed it.”
Abel riffled through a few sheets of paper.
“It’s just that it takes time for the news to settle down.”
“Isn’t the Emperor going to make a move?”
“He’s monitoring how plans change through Allen. If necessary, we have other informants, so don’t worry too much.”
“I see.”
“Above all, the festival period overlaps. They’ll understand from their end too.”
Thinking about it, Abel was one of the Duke’s representatives. So naturally, he could postpone his RSVP if there were issues.
“By the way, that festival. Was it called a night market?”
“Yeah. The name hasn’t been around for long.”
“Who named it?”
After hearing about the night market, I couldn’t help but ask what I had been curious about.
“It was named by a wandering bard from the East.”
Abel replied in a light tone, as if it weren’t such an important detail.
A place where merchants and cooks gather called a night market. It did seem a fitting name in some ways.
However, that bard from the East piqued my interest.
If my hypothesis was correct, he could be another reincarnator like me.
Of course, that was just a simple hypothesis for now.
“Well, take your time and relax while you can. Things will get really busy once we get to the Holy Kingdom.”
“I will. You take a good rest too, Abel.”
At my words, Abel flicked through the papers and chuckled.
“Yeah. I’ll rest as much as I can.”
Talking like this made me realize that his demeanor had softened a lot compared to before.
Previously, there was a sense of discomfort in our conversations due to the defensive walls I had put up.
‘I’ve really become more comfortable around Abel.’
As I approached him more comfortably, it felt like he was returning the favor.
The talk I heard from my friend about him being a hidden villain or an antagonist really was somewhat of a biased perspective.
While it’s true he can be ruthless and cold, he wasn’t to the extent of being called a villain or a hidden threat.
“I’ll head out first.”
I said, and Abel gave a slight nod.
With that, I left the office. A woman with green braided hair caught my eye.
Arin, the leader of the Black Raven Knights and my Spirit Conduit teacher.
“Ah, Master!”
Seemingly lost in thought, Arin jumped slightly when I called out to her.
Her eyes widened as she stared at me, and she soon asked in a loud voice.
“Miss Adele! Are you alright?!”
“Hahaha. I’m perfectly fine.”
[..That’s a lie, isn’t it…]
Suddenly, Pi appeared next to Arin and said that. Hearing this made Arin sigh with relief and place her hand on her chest.
By the way, did I lie about my physical condition to the extent that Pi would say such a thing?
I tried to avoid Pi’s sharp gaze.
[You’re the only fool lying about your health…]
“Pi, don’t say that!”
I hurriedly tried to hush her, but she crossed her arms as if she had said what she needed to.
“Hahaha.. I’m fine. It’s not entirely wrong either.”
[Right. That kind of fool is the only Contractor in this vast Duke’s household.]
Silphy chimed in, popping up beside me. I was a little worried because I hadn’t seen her since she woke up, but it seemed like there was no need to.
As if reading my thoughts, she huffed and snorted.
[Before worrying about me, take care of your own health, Contractor.]
‘..I get it, I get it.’
It’s honestly getting a bit tiresome hearing the same thing everywhere I go.
That just means I overdid it, so I do plan to reflect on it…
“Anyway, Miss Adele, take care of yourself as well.”
“I’m reflecting…”
“Haha. I have busy matters to attend to, so I’ll head out first.”
Arin, who smiled at my reply, walked straight into Abel’s office.
In the end, the fact that she didn’t deny what either Pi or Silphy said hung heavily on my heart.
[Take this opportunity to rest well. We have a whole month until we go to the Holy Kingdom, right?]
“Were you listening?”
[What? By accident, of course.]
Silphy scratched her cheek, then turned to me and said.
[There were many ups and downs, but… this time, you made quite an impressive performance, Contractor.]
“…Hahaha, thanks.”
It was rare for her to say something so cheesy, so I purely expressed my gratitude.
I couldn’t hold back my laughter at the sight of Silphy quickly disappearing back into the Spirit Realm after my thanks.
§
The sun had set, and the moonlight gently washed over the sky as human activity thrived below.
Voices offering samples exchanged with the sounds of bargaining could be heard.
“Hey, can’t you lower the price a bit more?”
“You charged me the same last year. We’re struggling too, so we can’t do it this year.”
“Ugh, I get it. So it is true that there’s a problem with the Mage Tower.”
“What did you say?”
Of course, the lively atmosphere occasionally led to some arguments.
But those disputes were quickly quelled by the intervention of passing knights.
After all, hardly anyone would continue fighting with an Imperial Knight beside them.
It seemed the knights of the order were busy during the festival, too. I heard half were on guard duty while the other half enjoyed the festivities.
This somewhat reminded me of the festival events we held back in school, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Mom! Look over there!”
“Oh dear, don’t run. There’s no need to rush.”
The excited voices reflected the festival’s joyous spirit.
Next to me, Lily was jumping around, marveling at the sights.
“Wow! The market goes on forever!”
As she pointed to a spot far away, I could see stall owners further down.
They really were holding an extravagant festival that lasted a whole week, just like I had heard.
I thought I knew a lot about this world, but it seemed I was mistaken.
“That over there is grilled squid!”
When Lily pointed, I noticed squid skewered and grilling over a fire.
Smiling at the sight, I took her hand and headed in that direction.
“Alright. Let’s buy some.”
Seeing her eyes light up made me think she might sulk if I didn’t buy her anything. I could already see the drool at the corner of her mouth, indicating just how much she wanted it.
I asked the vendor.
“How much for one?”
“10 copper. 40 copper for 5.”
If I was buying, it made sense to go for the 40 copper deal. It would be a problem if we couldn’t finish them, but between my stomach and Lily’s appetite, that wouldn’t be an issue.
Even I, who normally eats a lot, was surprised at how well Lily could put food away. In fact, using food as a tactic to win her over was quite effective.
Of course, she wasn’t a naive girl who would just fall for treats.
But it did mean she had a big appetite.
“I’ll take 5.”
“That’s 40 copper.”
I handed over four coins I had set aside for change.
The vendor, casually counting the coins, took out five perfectly grilled squid skewers and wrapped them in paper.
“Enjoy your meal.”
As the vendor said this, I nodded slightly in response and passed one of the skewers to Lily.
“Can I eat it?”
“Of course.”
As soon as I finished speaking, she popped the skewer into her mouth. It was hot, yet she bit down without hesitation.
I chuckled at that sight and ruffled her hair.
Turning my head, I took in the vibrant market scene.
For the first time in a while, I felt a sense of peace wash over me.
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