Chapter 591 A Moment After Lunch
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”By the way, Hiroya, I heard that you paid for everyone’s drinks at the barracks.”
At lunch, my father was enjoying Ms. Hanna’s cooking.
”Huh? I don’t remember that”
”Hiro, stand at the counter table…like when he made the declaration”
”Right, Everyone was really happy about that”
Aluda and Meluda are blushing a little, it’s not because of the wine they had before meal.
(The declaration…that’s the ‘Don’t touch my women’ one, right? I said I’d treat everyone?)
”That’s a pretty good way to win over the hearts of adventurers. Well done”
With the half-eaten lunch in front of me, my father gives me unexpected praise.
”I made sure to pay, though. Thanks to that, Hiroya’s savings are…less than half.”
”It’s great to be generous, but…don’t you think a spendthrift is a bit much?”
Kazumi’s gaze is piercing from the right, and Rena’s worried look from the left is stabbing at me.
”Well, it’s alright, isn’t it? Hiroya doesn’t usually waste money.”
”That’s right. Thanks to you, we all got to eat a lot.”
”Hmm, Besides, it’s better than spending money on ‘buying women’ like Gorge, don’t you think?──Ariane?”
”Y, yes?”
Liz, Simona, Asuka give their support, and Ariane, who was suddenly addressed by Asuka, stops her hand from Craig and Kaoru’s meal and looks at Asuka.
”A…Mr. Gorge is, at least within his allowance for fun, it’s not a problem…”
”But Ariane, Gorge’s parents have already lost their estate and are living a meager life in Royal Capital as a fallen nobleman. If he’s going to be distracted by his womanizing, he should at least contribute to their support.”
”Ah, in that case… I’ll also make arrangements. A small offering to Mr. Gorge’s parents.”
Ariane smiled at Asuka and clenched her fist tightly.
”…As expected of Ariane. You’re a capable wife indeed.”
Asuka nodded repeatedly in admiration, but did you know from Kazumi that one of the reasons she’s eager to return to dungeon crawling is ‘I want to send money from my earnings to Gorge’s parents’?
(Gorge sure has a great wife. And both of them…)
As I watched Asuka and Ariane fondly, Kazumi and Rena, seeming to sense something, placed their hands on my thigh.
”…I want to be a good wife too,♡”
”Rena too,♡──I can’t lose to Asuka or Ariane.”
At their whispers from both sides, my body trembled slightly.
(So… I guess I’ll be getting a good wife too.)
Martina and Dorothy, seated across from me, glared at me with piercing eyes, making me feel a bit uneasy.
* * *
”By the way, where are Mr. Mitsuyoshi and Ms. Leona?”
After lunch, when my father also left, I asked Lotta, who was cleaning up the dishes at the I’m cafeteria table while drinking tea.
”‘Mr. Mitsuyoshi left in a hurry as soon as he heard that Mr. Hiroya and the others had successfully cleared the Great Labyrinth yesterday. He said to please tell Hiroya and the others congratulations,’”
”I see… I wanted to ask him about swordsmanship…”
After all, it’s the ‘Yagyu Shinkage-ryu’, isn’t it?
I wanted to receive a little bit of swordsmanship guidance from him…
”Ms. Leona also returned to Bash. ‘As council chair, I can’t be away for too long,’ she said──I’ll bring you some more tea.”
Lotta said so and, taking the empty cup, disappeared into the kitchen.
Ms. Leona is also a big shot in the dwarf nation of Bash, you know.
With the theater construction in Raetia finally taking shape, she’s probably achieved her goal.
It will also become a place for dwarf women who wish to travel to the outer world.
* * *
”Hiroya, what’s wrong? You seem spaced out.”
A cup of tea was offered to me.
”Ah… ah… thanks. ──By the way, what about Aluda and the others?”
After dinner, Lotta was cleaning up in the dining hall, Ms. Hanna was in the kitchen, and Liz and Simona were sipping wine in the reception area.
”Aluda and Meluda, and Rena went to the garden workshop to examine Adamantite ore. Dorothy and Martina are babysitting Craig and Kaoru, who are looking after LisLis in Ms. Ariane and Asuka’s place.”
”I see. Suu, Noo, Uu and Sandra are at school. Toldo is at the blacksmith’s… Ms. Sasha and Ms. Carla, and Shinobu are at the Zett Merchant Guild, right?”
I sighed and took a sip of the tea Kazumi had handed me.
”Hm? What’s really wrong?”
Kazumi placed her cup on the table and sat next to me.
”Mr. Mitsuyoshi and Ms. Leona…they left already. I mean…── I suddenly feel kind of lonely.”
”Ms. Leona is a busy person, and she probably stayed in Raetia a bit too long.”
”Sir Mitsuyoshi heard that Liz’s squad had conquered the Great Labyrinth, and he hurriedly packed his things.”
Someone called out from behind, and I turned around to see Shinobu standing behind me and Kazumi.
”Shinobu? Where’s Ms. Sasha’s bodyguard?”
”Besides me, another bodyguard has been added. ──I wanted to report Sir Mitsuyoshi’s movements to Lord/Lord Hiroya, so I was allowed to return this way.”
”His movements? Where did he go?”
”Perhaps… they went back to the Empire. ──To prepare for the Welnia Labyrinth raid.”
”I see. They said they would give their all to help us.”
”Yes.”
”The Welnia Labyrinth, huh…”]
Kazumi, who heard my conversation with Shinobu, murmured as she held a cup of tea with both hands, her gaze downcast and her feet swinging.
”I… still feel so weak…”]
”No, I really think your attack magic is amazing, okay?”
In fact, the ‘Fire Spear’ you showed during the battle with the water dragon Wash was incredibly powerful.
”Ugh… I really need to improve my other attribute magic too. I put a lot of burden on Rena this time.”
”You can do it quickly, Kazumi. You’re a magic genius after all.”
”I have only been studying flashy attack magic… but I’ve learned that’s not enough to be a true magician. So… I’ll do my best, okay?”
Ms. Kazumi made a small victory pose, looking incredibly cute…
”By the way──Liz and Simona are drinking way too much! We just had lunch, you know?”
Kazumi scolded Liz and Simona, who were in the corner of the cafeteria, beyond me.
”No… I mean, we just finished a huge job, raiding the Great Labyrinth Raetia…”]
”Yeah, it feels like the weight on our shoulders has lightened a bit… we might have let our guards down…”]
The two adjusted their postures and turned back to Kazumi, but they wouldn’t let go of their wine glasses.
”I think it’s fine to take it easy. You all must have been on edge.”
Ms. Hanna was the one who threw a lifeline to the two of them.
It seemed she brought some snacks for Liz and Simona, perhaps after finishing the laundry or leaving it to Ms. Ariane.
”I’m really glad you all came back safely… Thank you for your hard work.”
With that said, she bowed deeply.
”Thank you, Ms. Hanna… for keeping everything in order while we were away.”
Kazumi hurriedly got up from her seat and bowed to Ms. Hanna.
While she was absent, Ms. Ariane, Lotta, and Suu, Uu were taking care of all the household chores.
I also got up and bowed my head.
* * *
”Speaking of which… Ms. Gieze and the others still haven’t returned, have they?”
Ms. Hanna spoke with a worried look.
”Now that you mention it, that’s true. I thought they’d wrap up their exploration and return to celebrate the Great Labyrinth conquest…”
”Those girls are serious, so… they might be pushing themselves as far as they can go?”
Simona sipped from her wine glass as Kazumi retook her seat.
”As the leader, Gieze should be keeping things in check, so they shouldn’t be overdoing it.”
Liz poured wine into Simona’s empty glass.
”It would be nice if they returned by tonight…”
”Is something happening tonight?”
When I asked, Ms. Hanna chuckled mischievously.
”Yes, just a small celebration with close friends.”
At that moment, the doorbell rang.
”Oh? It seems they’ve arrived.”
”Huh? Who is it?”
”It’s help for preparing for the celebration.”
Ms. Hanna winked at us and dashed towards the entrance.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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