Chapter 445 A Week Before the Wedding, and the People in the Castle Town
I’ve made a few copies of the catalogue on the phone into one that is in real life using [Drawing] with multiple different things on them. The guests will select the gifts they want from these, write them on the attached postcards, and it will be transferred from Brunhild.
The gifts are divided into ABC categories. You may choose one from an A category, B category, or a C category.
Everything on the catalogues will depend on the price, but I really don’t want to seem greedy since I’ll be the one creating them using [Modeling].
I don’t want to think about it, but considering that it will be sold, I will need to stamp a number and a recipient’s name on it so that it won’t be stolen. Well, I don"t think any of the invited guests we chose are like that.
Now that the preparations are almost complete, everyone will just have to wait for the wedding a week later.
I don’t mind, but all my fiancées are returning to their parents" homes where they were born and raised.
Elze and Linze will go to their uncle’s farm in Refreese Imperium. Yae will go to her parents" place, which is the dojo of Oed, and Yumina shall go to Belfast Castle. Su will go to the Duke of Oltrinde, and Lu and Hilda will go to the royal family of Regulus and Restia, respectively. Sakura will also go to Spica"s house in the Demon Kingdom Zenoas with her mother because it was the house where she was born and raised. His Majesty the Demon King seems to be the one who wanted her to come back to Zenoas …
Leen doesn’t exactly have a home, but she’s going to go back to Mismede. Of course, Paula will follow her.
I want each of them to have a good time with their family and friends at the end of their bachelorhood.
But as soon as everyone was gone, it suddenly became quiet. Breakfast was a little lonely.
Moroha-nee and Takeru-ojisan are training, and Kosuke-ojisan went to cultivate the field. Karina-san also started hunting early in the morning, and the Destruction G.o.d and Suika are off doing something somewhere … the World G.o.d is somewhere I don’t even know…
Sure, there was Sousuke-san, but … he doesn’t talk … He played "Morning" composed by Edvard Grieg as a greeting. Isn"t it hard to eat breakfast while playing the violin?
That"s why I went to talk to Grandma Tokie.
Grandma Tokie usually repairs the world"s barriers while sitting on the castle balcony (although it only looks like she’s knitting), but I was informed by some of the maids and servants that today she was going out for a walk. I guess I’ll go wandering around the castle town.
She acts just like a normal grandma even though she isn’t. Is this also a power of being a G.o.d …?
After eating breakfast, I suddenly had nothing to do. Kosaka-san gave me a long vacation until the wedding and honeymoon was over.
"Kohaku … I"m free of responsibilities."
"Isn"t that good?”
Well, that"s right. That"s right. I a.s.sure myself that while I’m sitting on the couch and petting Kohaku’s head. It feels like I"ve suddenly aged by a year. A cat and an old man basking in the sun on the porch.
Well, I’m not that old yet. Let"s go somewhere. Yeah, let"s do that.
I pick up Kohaku, who is in her small tiger form and cast [Teleport]. The destination is the back of the adventurer"s guild in Brunhild, which I know is also used by adventurers for training and when handling large hunted beasts.
Fortunately, the adventurers seemed unaware of us moving in the corner of the area, so we quickly went into the guild with me having a hood on.
Brunhild’s Adventurer"s Guild was a great success. Since there are no formidable beasts around here between the Kingdom of Belfast and the Regulus Empire, most of the adventurers who come here are adventurers looking for the dungeon at the other side of the transfer gate.
To be honest, dungeons are not suitable for raising the ranks of adventurers.
To raise your adventurer rank, you must make sure to fulfill a request and contribute to the adventurer"s guild. If you pile up your achievements steadily, you can become a veteran level blue rank. However, exploring the dungeon and exterminating the demon beasts are not requests. Adventurers are entering the dungeon without any need.
The adventurers coming to Brunhild are mostly coming for the rare treasures that are nestled in the dungeon’s depths, as well as the materials of rare monsters. If a person were to take it home, they would make a lot of money.
Of course, if you are asked by someone to "Collect materials for XX", your guild rank would be able to increase, but if you receive the request and fail, you may receive a fine or warning from the guild. In that case, it may be better to sell it directly to those who need it without receiving the request of the guild.
I also buy some materials in the guild, so it"s a tacit understanding.
Well, after all, there are many adventurers looking for money in my kingdom. Of course, there are quite a few affordable requests for lower-ranked adventurers. It can be said that the Adventurer’s Guild here is an adventurer"s guild that is not very good for advanced adventurers and those who aim for blue rank or higher.
The Adventurer"s Guild in Brunhild is large for a small castle town and its size was requested by three receptionists. I"ve been here many times, so I head to the counter where the receptionist is a familiar person.
"Welcome to the Adventurer"s Guild of the Brunhild Branch. What kind of business do you have … Uh."
Misha, a cat beastman, sees me and the small Kohaku under my feet and immediately realizes my true ident.i.ty and smiles with a tense smile. Is it really that hard to talk to me…? I feel a bit hurt …
"Excuse me. May I talk to Relisha-san?"
"Well, if you"re looking for the guild master, she’s on the second floor. Please wait a moment."
In a hurry, Misha goes up the stairs next to the counter. Oops. Maybe I should’ve first contacted them by phone? After a while, patapata, Misha came down the stairs again.
"I"m sorry to have kept you waiting. Please come with me."
"I"m sorry to bother you."
I lightly bow to Misha and climb the guild stairs. Then, I knock on the door at the back of the second floor before entering the room.
"Welcome His Majesty the King. Please, sit here."
Prompted by Guild Master Relisha, I sit on the sofa in front of her. Wow, elves are truly beautiful no matter when I see them.
"Thank you for the invitation. I will definitely attend on behalf of the Adventurer"s Guild. So what are you doing today?"
"Ah, uh …"
Relisha"s question is a little hard to answer. It"s hard to answer that my reason for coming here was just because I have too much free time.
"Oh, what"s going on with the Adventurer Academy? Are there any problems?"
"It"s doing okay. New adventurers usually go to the academy for two weeks of training or take a rank-up exam, which gives beginners a minimum knowledge and skills, and allows the talented to have the spotlight on them. Reckless acceptances of requests have been reduced because each is a.s.signed to the appropriate ranks. "
"What about high-ranked requests?"
"Oh, they are usually undertaken by Ende-san, Norn-san, and Nia-san including the other “Red Cats". Mainly, when a strong demon beast appears in a shallow layer of the dungeon. "
Eh, when did they get such high ranks?
"Ende-san has a silver rank, and Norn and Nia have a red rank."
"What !? Ende"s a silver rank !?"
"Yeah. Just the other day, he cleaned up a flock of Minotaurs that appeared in the dungeon alone."
I didn"t hear about it since I’ve left most of the basic management of the dungeon to the guild. Umm…… Eventually, Ende may rise to gold rank. He can easily defeat a beast because he has his Dragoon.
And Norn and Nia are also ranked red? It may be a good thing, but I guess there isn’t any more work left for me to do.
In the end, I left the guild after a bland chat with Relisha-san.
Well, what should I do? Somehow my legs led me to the school.
Because Fiana is returning to Zenoas with Sakura, I thought that there would be a shortage of manpower due to the absence of the princ.i.p.al. Maybe I’ll get something to do?
When I arrived at the school, I came across an eye-popping sight.
Children are playing with the teachers in the schoolyard where playground equipment such as monkey bars and slides are installed. It"s wholesome, but I think it"s a problem that there is a girl wearing gla.s.ses mixed with them and a little purple golem.
"Oh, hi. It"s been a long time."
"Gi."
"Yes … Why are you here at this school, Luna-san?"
The Purple Crown Viola and its master, Luna Trieste. They had been released after I cast a "curse" on her.
"I’m a teacher, of course. Why wouldn’t I be here?"
"Ha !?"
I was really surprised at the words that popped out of Luna"s mouth. Teacher!?? This person!??
"Oh, that"s a terrible face you"re making, Touya-kun. Not to brag, but I’m very popular with children."
What the heck happened? To hear about the complete situation, I decided to ask the two teachers who were in charge while Fiana-san was absent.
Miet, a young woman, and Raysale, an elf man. Fiana is a teacher who hired them because she couldn"t take care of all the children alone.
According to the two, Luna, who came casually, just started playing with the children one day. Before anyone knew it, the children became fond of her and she started to help with the lessons, and I heard that Luna was hired by Fiana.
By the way, I heard via Kosaka-san that he hired a new employee … For the time being, this school is state-owned.
"But why did you come here ……… Wait, I hope it isn’t the thing that I’m thinking of……"
"Children are very nice. Their grat.i.tude is completely pure. It"s somehow obligatory for an adult to say “thank you”. These children say “thank you” from the bottom of their hearts. When I hear those words, I get gooseb.u.mps and am thrilled. Uhehe…! I might have found a place to have vacation. "
Luna speaks with an ecstatic expression. I casted a "curse" on this girl that made her feel pleasure when others were grateful to her. Isn"t the reason she is here just completely l.u.s.tful?
"Is it okay to hire her? Doesn’t it have a negative effect on the children?"
"Ah … but the kids have completely accepted the two and she takes care of the kids when it matters. Viola can also do the work that needs brute strength."
The elf teacher, Raysale, answers with a bitter smile. Most likely, the reason that Luna is doing all this is because if she doesn"t do something good to the kids, they will not have grat.i.tude. In this case, she is really trying hard to receive pleasure, so to speak.
"Luna-sensei."
"Viola-chan is also playing. Come play with us, Luna-sensei."
"Help us make a castle in the sandbox, Luna-sensei"
Children come over to us where we stand. Most of them surrounded Luna and Viola and didn’t even look at me…… I really feel sad … Kids, you do know that this older sister near you is doing all of this just for her pleasure, right?
"Okay, let"s make a sand castle together!"
"Wow! Thank you, Luna-sensei!"
"Thank you!"
"Ahhhh …! This pleasure……!"
Luna"s expression, with her face turned away from the children who said thank-you’s, was covered in ecstasy. Ua. That face is weird …
"Then, let"s go to the sandbox!"
"Yeah! Come, Viola-chan!"
"Gi"
Luna and Viola walk towards the sandbox while being pulled by the children. …… Why are you staggering with your inner thighs caved in? I feel like there is something inappropriate about this in various ways.
"Oh, she’s teaching them just so that the children can say “thank you”."
"No, well … I think it"s important …"
I read in a manga that the three words "Thank you," "I"m sorry," and "I like you" can"t be said easily if you miss the timing. So when you want to say them, you should say them properly.
I feel that a child who can express his grat.i.tude straightforwardly will grow up right, but … well, I guess it is okay?
As long as Luna is faithful to her desires, she will cherish the children … I don"t think she will once again be called the "Crazy Lady". She’s decided that this kind of life is far better than it used to be.
I don"t seem to be of help at school either, so I decided to go elsewhere. I"m a little worried, but …
It was noon, so I turned to "the Silver Moon" for the first time in a while.
The cafeteria on the first floor of the inn was crowded because it was lunch time. This place is a successful business since the food here is cheap and affordable, as well as delicious.
"Isn’t that a knight sitting over there?”
"Eh?"
Prompted by Kohaku, I turned my gaze and found Lanz-san, a patrol knight, who was sitting at a table and eating. Is he still going after Mika-san?
He isn’t wearing armor, so maybe he’s off duty. For the time being, the seat in front of him was vacant, so I"ll sit down over there.
"…? Hmm! He, h.e.l.lo Your High …!"
"Hmm. Eat without being nervous. I just came to eat."
I quickly say those words to silence Lanz, who is about to raise his voice. I don’t want the inn getting noisy just because the King is here.
"Welcome. What may you be ordering… Oh?"
"Shh."
It was Mika-san who came to us to get the order. That"s unusual. I thought Mika was mostly in the kitchen cooking.
"Today is special. My dad is coming from Reflet. You see, since I was invited to your wedding I won’t be able to maintain the store. He will be maintaining it, but will be in the kitchen as a form of payment for the lodging."
"So you’re taking money from your father, Dolan-san …? "
"Although we are parent and child, both of us are owners of an inn.”
Strict. I wonder if it is considered to be kindness if Mika-san allows Dolan-san to stay at the inn by just helping cook and not having to pay a fee. Dolan-san has it hard.
"Not only my father, but everyone from Reflet is staying here. Barral-ojisan of the Eight Bears Weapon Shop and Simon from the Items Shop."
No, there is still a week left before the wedding. Are the shops in Reflet alright? I"m worried.
"So, what"s your order?"
"Oh, may I have the daily lunch set? It is the same thing for Kohaku."
"Coming right up."
Mika-san leaves the water she brought and returns to the kitchen. As I drank the water and moistened my throat, Lanz-san in front of me was chasing Mika-san’s figure with his eyes.
"… Haven"t you confessed yet?"
"Buh !? What, what …!"
Lanz-san is visibly shaken. He’s easy to understand, really. Many people from Restia are serious and honest. …… Except for Galen, the former king of eroticism.
"No, this is crazy. Are you still not aware of your feelings? Don’t you like Mika-san? Just confess, there’s nothing to be worried about."
"Karen-sama also said that …"
Oh, that Love G.o.d has already gotten here, huh? Well, Lanz-san’s feelings are easy to understand.
The problem is that he isn’t aware of them. First of all, in love, you have to understand your feelings and say, "I like x.x.xx ." Well, I can’t really say that with my head held hight, though.
"It seems that her father, Dolan-san, is more likely than not to not allow me near her … I"m sometimes glared at …"
What are you doing, you father … No, wait. If you want to aim at a general, you need to first shoot the horse first, right?
"Does Lanz-san play shogi?"
"Are you talking about the game shogi? I started playing that from the moment I came here. I often play it with my colleagues in the Knights" dormitory. It"s also a type of tactical training. Why is his Highness asking me that …?"
"Let"s shoot the horse first."
"What?"
The sound of moving pieces echoes.
After lunch, at the spa.r.s.ely seated table, Lanz-san and I faced each other and started playing shogi.
I found out by playing one or two games that Lanz-san was quite strong. To be honest, he’s stronger than me. I’ll have to cheat a little to make this match a “match”.
"Main. It’s seven to six steps.”
"Aiyo."
Telepathic instructions come from Kohaku who is under the table. By synchronizing our vision, she is helping me out with cheating using the shogi app on her smartphone.
To cut a long story short, Lanz-san is playing against the shogi app.
"Mumumu……"
Lanz, who doesn"t know that, murmurs that while worrying. The rank of the shogi app matches his strength, so it should be like a compet.i.tive match.
If you glance towards the kitchen, you can see that Dolan-san is glancing at our match. Are you curious?
Like a summer bug that is flying near a fire, Dolan-san began to move back and forth beside our table, eventually becoming a full spectator and watching our game. It is a tight squeeze at the table.
"Check!"
"… Hmm. I"ve lost."
Lanz-san won the game. I think he’s pretty good at the game.
"Hmm. You suddenly became stronger in the middle of the game, Your Majesty."
"I’m more of a wait-and-see type of guy, so that is why."
My reply to Lanz-san’s words is a lie. I"m sorry, but I was cheating. I"m weak in shogi, so to make it a match, I needed to. Well, thanks to that, I was able to catch the targeted fish.
"You’re pretty strong, Lanz-san. Your strength at shogi is a promising mascot of our Knights. How is he, Dolan-san? Do you want to play against him?"
"What? Oh !?"
While s.h.i.+fting my gaze from Lanz-san, I talk to Dolan-san who is next to him. Lanz-san, who noticed his existence for the first time, made a surprised voice. He didn’t notice how Dolan-san had crept up to sit beside him perhaps because he was concentrating on the game.
"It looks fun. I think I can finally go against someone who is worthy after such a long time. Do you have enough time to play against me next?"
"Ah, yes! I"m off duty today so I have all the time I need!!"
"That"s good. Let"s do it."
I gave up my seat to Dolan-san, and Kohaku, who was holding a smartphone, came out from under the table.
We left the two who had started lining up the pieces and headed to Mika-san, who was wiping a table.
"My dad got distracted, again … I hope he won’t burn the food he had been cooking before."
"Yeah. By the way, what do you think of Lanz-san?"
"Eh? I think he"s a serious person? He often has a serious expression on his face."
Akan. I wonder if she’s not really conscious of him as a member of the opposite gender.
"Yeah … Lanz-san took control of an adventurer who was drunk and rampaging the other day, but wasn"t he cool at that time?"
Hoho. Isn"t it completely useless?
"If you want to have a boyfriend, I’d recommend a type like Lanz-san?"
"Aha. He won’t want me."
"I don"t think that"s the case over on his side, though?"
"Eh?"
Mika-san, who laughed and tried to go past me, stopped moving. I hope this will make her aware of Lanz-san’s feelings.
As soon as she thought about the words I’d just said, Mika-san’s face turned bright red. What is this change!??
She looks like a crab with her face bright red! Mika-san’s been unresponsive until now, but isn’t this too abrupt!! ?? She was conscious about Lanz-san as a male!??
"Eh, eh? Eh !? What do you mean !? That"s, that, eh !?"
"……… I guess I didn’t notice it … Is there something that you think is needed to know that the other side has feelings for you?"
"Oh, I believe that if someone invited me to a meal or got me a bouquet of flowers, so …"
"Men don"t give bouquets to women who they think don’t have feelings for them, usually."
"Is that so…?"
Umm… It seems that Mika-san has some expectations about confessions. Did I just do something extra? She seems weirdly conscious about Lanz-san. Only at these times when you need that Love G.o.d, she doesn’t appear!
I wonder if Lanz-san just confessing normally would also work…
Well. Let"s hope that the result turns out alright. I don"t know what will happen to them after this.
"Mika-san, there’s an order from the third table."
"Huh !? Oh, yes! Yeah, I understand!”
Mika-san, who received an order list from the waitress, disappears into the kitchen. Even her ears are bright red.
The reason for that may be because she suddenly realized that she held feelings for Lenz-san. His situation was the same…
"Let’s go home, Kohaku"
"Yes."
There are still a few days until everyone comes back. Before I knew it, life with the girls became something normal for me. I feel lonely when they’re not with me.
Well, when I get married, we’ll be together all the time, so it might be good to experience this feeling now.
I thought about those topics while walking around the town.