“Other elves might agree with Jonah, but not the Cradle Association!”
“That’s just a plain bad guy! Clearly raised without even numbers! Otherwise, no one could turn out like that!”
“What…!”
Rosemary’s eyes widened as she unexpectedly heard her mother’s outburst while waiting generously.
Then, she approached with a threatening aura reminiscent of their first meeting, glaring down at Lemon and Apple who were rolling on the floor.
A pressure so overwhelming it felt suffocating. The air around them was definitely cold, but her eyes burned with fury.
“Take that back.”
“…Who do you think you are?”
“It can’t be taken back. Let me say it again: the Cradle Association is a plain bad guy.”
Lemon and Apple seemed a bit intimidated, but their animosity towards the Cradle Association was sincere, and they didn’t back down.
Rosemary’s eyebrows twitched for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure and let out a long sigh.
“Haah. I don’t know who you two are, but I do know you’re in the service of that person. I was going to give you at least minimum respect… but now I see you’re a beast that can’t be dealt with by words.”
Rosemary straightened her head and growled.
“I am Rosemary. The heir of the Cradle Association.”
“Heir, huh? Are you talking about the association head’s daughter, Jonah?”
“Don’t ask stupid questions, Lemon. And now that you’ve declared it, there’s no need to hold back.”
Exchanging glances, Lemon and Apple jumped to their feet, undeterred by the dusty surroundings but radiating passion.
“Do you remember what Jonah told us before?”
“Double the grace, tenfold the grudge? Of course, I remember.”
Lemon and Apple took a stance, sounding fierce, as Rosemary narrowed her eyes.
It made sense; while Rosemary had compensated for her lack of skill with artifacts, she was still an adventurer with level two specs.
Plus, she was fully geared to face a Minotaur, but since she single-handedly dealt with it, she didn’t even get a chance to use them—perfectly primed for combat.
On the other hand, what about Lemon and Apple? They were unarmed, without a single piece of proper equipment.
Were their specs at least decent? Nope. Their physical abilities barely matched the average level one adventurer. They had just a crumb of magic and aura.
Essentially, they were not a match in combat. Lemon and Apple knew this gap, yet here they were, evidently driven by some serious vendetta.
Recognizing this, Rosemary looked at them with slight surprise.
But neither side looked willing to back down, so a clash seemed inevitable.
Naturally, if a fight broke out here, it would give the guards all the justification they needed to legally smack Lemon and Apple around.
This fight could only end badly for them.
So before it got serious, I decided to step in. I shot a glance at Lydia and Benny to signal for help, but—
“……?”
“……!”
Lydia tilted her head in confusion, while Benny awkwardly winked back, turning red.
Great. They were out of it. Looks like it’s on me to intervene.
I’d taken a bit of a break, but I still felt a bit fatigued. Not that I planned to solve it by force, but my muscles were all knotted, and my joints felt stiff.
I rolled my neck lightly and turned towards Lemon and Apple.
Crack.
I heard a satisfying crack in my bones, feeling much better overall. I snuck between Lemon and Apple, grinning widely.
Then I threw an arm over each of their shoulders… well, since I was a bit short, I gently tugged at their shoulders instead.
They exchanged glances, hesitating a moment before finally lowering their postures. Still a bit short, I stood on my tiptoes and draped my arms around their necks.
“Lemon. Apple.”
“Yes, yes!”
“What is it…?”
“I’m going to make a proposal you can’t refuse.”
“Excuse me?”
“Is there such a thing?”
“Of course. There’s no reason to refuse, nor is there even an option to say no to this proposal.”
“……”
“……”
Lemon and Apple stared at me with incredulous expressions as if questioning the absurdity of it all, but I was determined to act like a spoiled kid throwing a tantrum.
I swallowed a sigh that was about to escape my lips and continued.
“From now on, I’m going to attend the banquet happening in there. And I plan to inquire about Eve’s whereabouts.”
“Oh! As expected of Jonah!”
“That’s very clever!”
“Right? So if you guys stir up trouble here, it’ll become an issue. And I’m someone who absolutely hates trouble… got it?”
“……”
“……”
With their mouths zipped up, Lemon and Apple just stared down at the ground. A moment later, they quietly nodded.
After confirming this, I withdrew my arms from around their necks. I then pressed down gently on the soft skin of their necks, giving them a light massage.
It may not have been perfect since I wasn’t exactly an expert, but it was better than nothing.
Oddly enough, every time I pressed my fingers down, it felt like Lemon and Apple were prisoners tied up with ropes, gasping for air.
Feeling like I had possibly pushed it too far, I smiled brightly and encouraged them in a cheerful voice.
“Let’s do well from now on, okay?”
“Yes, yes!”
“I understand!”
After loosening the tension in them, I turned my attention towards Rosemary.
“I-I didn’t see or hear anything! I’ll forgive your rudeness with just one apology!”
Rosemary shriveled up as if she had seen something she shouldn’t have. The mini-tyrant from earlier had completely vanished.
With this behavior, it felt strange for me to say anything, so I was left scratching my head.
“Alright, fine. Let’s settle this after the banquet is over, but for now, let’s head in. Oh, by the way, can Lemon and Apple accompany us?”
“…If it’s within my authority, there shouldn’t be a problem. However, there is one condition.”
“You’re talking about the second one excluding the apology, right? What is it?”
“They must keep silent in the banquet hall. After all, everything they need, you will handle for them, right? I wouldn’t want to lower the quality of the banquet for no reason.”
“Haha! That’s a fair point. Let’s see…”
After some brief contemplation, I addressed Lemon and Apple.
“Can you stay quiet once we’re in the banquet hall?”
“If you let us in, we can be quiet as a mouse!”
“I’m good with it, but I’m a bit worried about Lemon.”
“Yup, I didn’t trust this from the start. You’ll try to keep your promise, but with two fools involved, there’s a chance of some weird mishap.”
Shaking my head, I continued.
“But don’t worry. Even if I want to break my promise, I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen.
With a completely innocent smile, I pulled out two gags from my pocket. Originally, I planned to gift these with a collar Benny had commissioned to Ellie, but here we are.
“Take a bite.”
“…Did I hear that right?”
“This is a gag, isn’t it?”
“Wearing it means you can’t accidentally blurt something out, right? What do you think? Perfect excuse, huh?”
“Do we really have to…?”
“Hmm… If I put the gag in, you two will end up being quiet.”
“Oh! Good thinking, Apple.”
Apple quickly agreed to the condition first, and as a service, I cheerfully shoved the gag into her mouth.
“Mhm… mmmhm.”
“Apple?!”
Lemon was taken aback as I waved the remaining gag teasingly in front of her.
“What’s it gonna be?”
“…I’ll do it! Isn’t that how it goes? But if we’re doing it, can you gag me a bit roughly to enforce the quiet?”
“I see no reason not to.”
As Lemon requested, I mimed a rough coercive gagging from behind as I stuffed the gag into her mouth.
Now they were silenced voluntarily, wearing their gags peacefully.
I turned to Rosemary, pointing at the duo.
“Is this enough?”
“Good grief.”
Without a hint of surprise, Rosemary nodded calmly and instructed the guards, who were lost in confusion.
“These three are all my guests, so clear the way.”
“But….”
“…I will take full responsibility, so step aside.”
“Yes ma’am.”
Though the guards hesitated for a moment, they quickly complied after Rosemary asserted her responsibility.
As I made a final check on my slightly disheveled outfit, Rosemary opened the door and waited for me.
“Thank you.”
“…No need to mention it.”
With a voice resolute as the moment had come, I offered a soft smile, signaling that there was no need for tension, and finally stepped into the banquet hall.
Presenting two gagged, breathless elves and two high-ranking adventurers, along with Rosemary trotting obediently behind us.
“Humans?”
“What a dismal sight…!”
“This is certainly supposed to be for Miss Rosemary’s celebration… uh? Why is Miss Rosemary over there??”
All eyes and hostility converged upon us, and my face burned with embarrassment.
Perfect. Just perfect.
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