Chapter 43 – The Returning Man and the Returning Woman
Rike, who is living alone at home, is struggling to forget her loneliness.
She simply settles down for dinner with Seria, and she returns, experimenting with blood magic in the yard, wielding vanitas or enforcing tonab law inside the house.
Whirly Rick-!
Tup.
The scythe he threw came back round and round and naturally wound up in Rike’s hand.
Humming! Shhh-
This solid wind-cutting weapon resembled a living creature.
It gives me information about myself and provides a basic foundation for how to handle it.
“Huh-!”
My whole body was drenched in sweat and even mana was out of range, so my body shivered slightly in the night breeze.
After entering her house and quickly ending her hot shower, Rike hugged Roman’s clothes and buried her in her bed.
“Brother…”
She realized two days ago that if she used Roman’s pillow instead of the position she slept in every day, she would be able to sleep comfortably.
–
She gets up stretching her body.
“Mmm-!”
It’s still too early in the morning to go to the academy.
Rike got up while it was still dark, washed her face, and changed into her street clothes.
She ties her sword around her waist for show and leaves the house and heads to the commercial district next to the plaza.
Before and after her, even if it was the writer’s Young lady, would there be anyone among the general public who knew her face?
No, in the first place, most of them did not have time to pay attention to the faces of nobles.
Rike, whose face was hardly known even among the aristocrats, was infinitely free here.
A person who knows her own face never goes to the grocery store or bakery on her own feet.
She now reminds herself that she is not a noble, and she is trying to blend in among the people.
Well-
When the sword moves at the same time as walking, the gaze gathers for a moment and then quickly disperses.
When she first came out wearing a hood, there were men who made fun of her or bothered her when she saw her slightly transparent face.
If I ignored it or drew a knife and pushed it in, it would back off on its own.
She knows that covering her face is counterproductive, so she now wears comfy clothes and shows her face.
The guards were also in a position where they were often wandering around, so there were no humans who went beyond the limits and bothered them.
‘It smells good…’
The first store Rike goes to is fixed.
When I arrived at the bakery I heard every time, a couple with a warm impression were busy moving.
When her eyes met the woman who was washing her tray, Rike bowed her head first to greet her.
The woman also greeted Rike with a familiar smile.
“Welcome! I’m still preparing, so could you wait a moment?”
“Yes.”
“You can take out the milk now. The bill can be done in one go.”
“···Thank you.”
Rike stood at her entrance, drinking her milk, waiting for the freshly baked bread to be served.
Her master couple don’t care about Rike, as if they’ve gotten used to it now, and she’s immersed in her own business.
‘If my brother came today, what would I want to eat…’
As she saw the smelling bread, Rike began to think seriously.
*****
The men led by Gruber started gathering the fragmented bodies in one place with expressionless faces.
He lifted the face of Lil Joe, who had been more than half blown away, checked it here and there, and nodded as if he was now convinced.
“I’m sure Lilzo. You’ve worked hard.”
“I didn’t say anything… I’ve roughly sorted out the traps, but I don’t know if there are any left.”
“Thank you. Let us be careful too.”
“Then I’ll go back.”
After organizing the mercenary group led by Lilzo, I handed over everything to Gruber, who arrived a little later, and returned to Dovat without any regrets.
The wet swamp, where one’s feet were sinking, was just unpleasant.
–
‘For now···.’
The stench from this body, which had been trapped in the mouth of a swamp whale, was too strong to return to the capital.
Underwear in new shoes. There, I bought a neat top and bottom clothes and took an inn to wash my body.
Normally, I would just go home and sleep, then go to the guild tavern for a drink, but now I shouldn’t be such an idiot.
Shoot ah-
As I was bathed in hot water, I crossed my arms and pondered.
What gifts should I buy from Dobat for Rike?
It was a pity that it did not handle accessories professionally to be called a city of art.
It should be a painting or a statue…
‘There must be a crowd of tourists.’
First of all, I bought a statue made of chocolate, which is a specialty.
The price of the chocolate was expensive, no matter how pretty it was.
Anyway, I bought this and that as I could.
‘If I go back this time, I’ll take a break from my adventurer work… I’ll travel with Rike on the holidays and focus on opening the second form.’
In the past, I would have taken care of my body for a few days and then obsessively left for the next mission.
Why?
I have a light idea that if I don’t request it, I will be able to make up for the worry that my body will stiffen with actual combat for the sake of the image.
It felt like my mind, which had been tense with tension, had loosened up a little.
-The goddess who said that if you put it in your living room, you will get good luck…!
– Just one silver coin! The Wizard of Dovat shows the future ahead!
-If a sculpture made by a master sculptor in the future comes now…!
…
…
‘Which one to go first among the hidden pieces…’
A hidden piece that cannot be handled properly is a bright apricot itself, so I just need something that fits my style and inclination.
With a few things organized in my head, I walk through the bustling streets of Dovat.
–
Knock-!
Returning to the capital, Roman returned home at a rapid pace as if flying.
The academy might be in full swing, but I was really worried that there might be Rike there.
‘Am I really crazy?’
I told Ricke to work hard at the academy, but I was expecting a drop-off.
Of course, no one was in the house.
While I wasn’t there, Rike seemed to be working hard on her management, and the arrangement of the furniture was slightly changed, and there were things I hadn’t seen before.
The maid’s uniform, which seems to have been washed and folded well, also catches my eye…
‘A cookbook?’
There are thick notebooks and writing utensils next to it, as if it had started with sincerity.
Rike’s dishes are really delicious.
Cooking may be a talent on her mother’s side.
Due to Rike’s personality, her taste was a guaranteed step because she did not go beyond her basic frame and experiment with her cuisine.
Even though I gave 100 points, it seemed that he couldn’t tolerate his own cooking enough to study.
‘It’s cute, it’s cute~’
I slowly looked around the large and small changes inside the house, appreciating the traces left by Rike.
“Well?”
I heard that it smells delicious, and there was focaccia with tomatoes on the table.
Even a memo with round letters written on it.
[Brother’s! ]
You don’t know when I might come, but did you prepare every day when you went to the academy?
The corners of my mouth are about to tear in delight.
I sat down and ate focaccia, making a promise.
“I can’t stand this…”
I won’t leave Rike alone tonight.
*****
Holidays should not be used to lie down and rest, but should be used where necessary.
That’s her idea
Éclair Dritna returns to the mansion to say hello to her parents because she has time to spare for the first time in a while.
She did not hide her anger at the story she heard upon arrival.
Her mother was talking to her, but she was watching her.
“No.”
“Even so… This mother thinks this is the road for Chloe.”
“Did you ask yourself?”
“That child…”
Éclair felt a throbbing headache as she watched her mother omitting her back remarks that she would follow anyway if she said she had no assertiveness.
Sudden talk of marriage to her sister who is engrossed in her studies.
“At least, this is the story after graduating from the academy.
“… Marriage talks come too late at that age. Do you think Chloe wants to become a real knight now? It would be foolish to miss an important period in her life because of her once rebellious spirit.”
That’s something even Eclair herself doesn’t know.
Her brother is also a very reluctant face, but she knows she alone is doing her least effort.
But is it true that you want to become a knight?
Am I in a position to speak for Chloe?
“…”
The hostess of the Dritna family was relieved to see the appearance of Eclair, which could not be assured.
“If Chloe truly wanted to become a knight, she would have preferred to become her sister’s squire or learn the sword herself without going to the academy.”
“…The academy also has great instructors.”
“That’s right, the level is…”
Dreuk-!
Éclair jumped up from his chair and headed for the door.
“I’m going to talk about this with Chloe myself. Never… Never force it… Since when did Dritna become so thirsty for power?”
Bang-!
The door was slammed shut with emotion.
Éclair knows it’s rude, but he cuts off his mother’s words and hastily ends the conversation.
It felt like it would explode if I talked a little more.
“Under···.”
Leaving her room, she closed her eyes and pressed her forehead gently.
The atmosphere at home was not like this before.
Obviously, the family has become wealthy, but why is it that the illusion is getting tighter and tighter?
Was this an illusion in the first place?
As she looked at the splendid artworks hanging in the hallway, she felt a sense of emptiness filling her heart.
‘Since when did the mansion have so many luxuries…’
She is the one who is making Drit, who was recognized as one of her loyalties, sick and destroying her family, rather she is herself.
Éclair began to wonder if she had chosen the wrong direction to wield her sword.
What if he had rather entered the swordsmanship department and entered the guild’s instructor or guard corps?
I can’t remember the last time I took a break from taking care of the imperial family.
Among the 5 knights, the rest except Eclair.
All of them are also the head of the family, so even the word knight representing the empire is close to an honorary position, so it is difficult to see their faces.
If he voluntarily took care of the imperial family at a time like this, it was certain that it would be an opportunity to raise the family’s name.
After becoming the 5th Knight of the Empire, Eclair worked without a break.
There was definitely a reward corresponding to loyalty, so the Dritna family gained incomparable connections and power.
Along with that, was this the result Eclair expected?
I do not know.
‘Little···.’
I was tired.
He doesn’t even wear armor, but the tightness around his neck makes him choke.
She now feels uncomfortable being in her mansion where she grew up.
To the point where she’d rather go out and be busy doing things without having time to think.
