Chapter 38

――I've been through a lot.

Recalling the events of yesterday afternoon, Helian let out a deep sigh.

Somehow, he managed to clear up Reeve's misunderstanding, but he didn't want to think about that incident again. He wanted to erase it from his memory as soon as possible. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to face Reeve without feeling awkward.

Reeve probably felt the same way. Though her expression remained as calm as usual, a subtle blush still lingered on her cheeks. Moreover, her tail was moving suspiciously. Even her ears were.

...It was a terrible incident.

There was no other way to describe it.

"You seem quite exhausted, Owner."

The goblin behind the counter called out with a concerned tone. He was the manager of this tavern, "The Tavern of the Beginning," and also the first stray monster Helian had taken in, Gobutaro.

Helian had come to "The Tavern of the Beginning" to meet a certain girl again and was now sitting at a counter seat.

"I'm not sure if I'm tired or what... Words can be so complicated, you know."

He replied with a weak smile, but Gobutaro had a question mark floating above his head.

By the way, Helian had asked him to use the same polite language he used with regular customers. It was a bit awkward to be treated with such exaggerated hospitality every time.

This was the first time he had visited the tavern since the incident, but when Gobutaro, dressed in his uniform, bowed at a ninety-degree angle, Helian was so confused he thought he was in a hotel.

Because this place held special meaning to him, he wanted to act casually.

"Is there some kind of trouble?"

"No, it's not that serious. Besides, it's all over now. I've decided to forget about it. It's probably for the best, I think."

"Hmm... Then, would you like to have a drink? If you want to forget something, drinking might help."

It was a typical tavern owner's line, but unfortunately, Helian couldn't nod.

"I appreciate the offer, but I'll have to pass. As you know, I have an important meeting with a guest later. I can't afford to dull my senses with alcohol."

As he spoke, Helian's eyes were drawn to the crystal ornament on the counter. It was a magical device that contained concealment, soundproofing, and illusionary spell circuits. A soft light emitted from the crystal, indicating that it was active.

Activating it required magic power, so Helian had asked Gobutaro to use it. Currently, only Gobutaro and Helian were concealed from the other patrons, who were unaware of their presence. When the guest arrived, Gobutaro would add them to the concealment spell to create a pseudo-private room.

After all, what they were about to do was essentially a secret meeting.

It was something that shouldn't be overheard, but it also couldn't be held at the castle due to certain circumstances.

"By the way, has the guest arrived yet?"

"Hmm, should be around now. I received a message about thirty minutes ago that they would be arriving soon."

"I see."

The guest in question was a delegation from Lateswood. This visit was unofficial, as before, but this time, it was being conducted in complete secrecy.

Incidentally, Gobutaro was a special liaison between the secret visitor and the castle, and his role as the tavern master was part of that cover. The delegation from Lateswood was to visit the tavern to receive a message from the castle as part of the preparations for a secret meeting.

Helian was supposed to be delivering a message to the girl who had come in secret, but in reality, there wasn't much to convey. It was just a cover.

It was a somewhat underhanded method, but there was no other way. If he wanted to talk to her without revealing his true identity, this was the only option he could think of.

"I'm putting you in a difficult position, but there was no one else suitable for the job. I'm sorry for the extra trouble, but I'd appreciate your cooperation."

"Not at all, not at all. If I can be of any help to you, I'm more than happy to do my part."

"Thank you. By the way, when I talk to them, I'll be pretending to be an ordinary civilian. I'll have to act, which is a bit out of my comfort zone, but it's necessary for future plans. While the guest is here, I'd appreciate it if you treated me as such."

"Understood... Oh, speak of the devil. It looks like they've arrived."

Upon hearing Gobutaro's words, Helian turned to the entrance of the tavern.

The creaky door groaned as it opened.

A half-elf stepped into the dimly lit room. It seemed her attendants were waiting outside. The half-elf girl stood near the entrance, looking around the tavern as if searching for someone.

Gobutaro, as planned, operated the magical device to exclude himself from the concealment spell. Immediately, the girl's gaze fell on Gobutaro. She walked straight to him with a confident stride.

(How nostalgic...)

It had only been about a week, but Helian nodded with a sense of nostalgia when he saw the girl.

Even with her hood pulled down, there was no mistaking her.

She was the important guest Helian had been waiting for—Reifa.

"It's been a while, Manager. I was told to come here regarding a certain matter."

"It's been a while, guest. I have indeed received the message from the castle."

"Then, let's get to it—"

"Whoa, whoa, no need to rush. You must be tired from the unfamiliar journey. How about some food first? We can talk afterward at a more leisurely pace."

"Food, you say..."

Reifa seemed a bit taken aback.

"Perhaps you've already eaten?"

"No, I actually had a light meal on the way... Ah, no, since you've gone to the trouble, I'd like to have a meal. Um, the menu... isn't there one?"

Reifa smiled wryly as she searched for a menu.

Helian thought it was inconvenient, but Gobutaro had insisted it was a "long-standing tradition," so he couldn't ask for a menu to be prepared. It was a case of self-imposed constraints, perhaps.

"In that case, how about the same Cocatrice tempura as before? I'll make sure to adjust it to a light meal size."

"Thank you for your consideration. However, if possible, I'd like to try another specialty dish."

"Hmm? I remember you enjoyed the tempura last time. Did it not suit your taste?"

"No, it was delicious. That's why it's a tempting offer, but I'd like to try something different this time. I want to experience more of this country's culture."

Listening to her, Helian couldn't help but admire her.

Even when it came to choosing a meal, she didn't decide based on her personal preferences but as a leader. Despite the possibility of getting a dish she didn't like, she ordered "a specialty" without hesitation.

(I need to learn from her.)

Indeed, she was a valuable source of learning.

And this was it. This was what Helian wanted to learn from Reifa.

The conversation he had with her in this tavern that day was very enlightening. Not only did she save him when he was on the verge of giving up, but she also taught him what it meant to be a king. It was as if she had given him a vision of the ideal king.

That's why Helian wanted to continue learning from her. As a royal, Reifa was the only person he could look up to in this regard.

However, the relationship between "Helian" and Reifa was already established.

One was the king of the suzerain state, and the other was the queen of the vassal state.

Given the clear hierarchical relationship, Helian could only speak to Reifa while wearing the mask of a king. Moreover, he couldn't have a conversation about the principles of kingship. But,

(If I talk to her as "someone other than Helian," it would be different.)

Furthermore, if he talked to her as the man she had saved that day—a young man who had met her by chance in this tavern—he could build a new relationship with her. He could interact with Reifa as a person.

He couldn't immediately ask her about the mindset of a leader, but he needed to establish a friendship with her so that they could eventually have such conversations.

This was the first step, a way to create an opportunity.

Despite her busy schedule, she had come to Alkymaira in secret, which allowed Helian to guide her to "The Tavern of the Beginning." He couldn't afford to miss this chance.

(That's right. This is a golden opportunity. I don't know when such a chance will come again. I'll make sure to become friends with her...!)

Helian silently resolved.

Objectively, it was like trying to build a friendship with a woman he met in a tavern, but he was dead serious.

"Another specialty dish, you say... Excuse me, but can you eat pork?"

"Yes, that's fine. Ah, but not raw meat."

"Don't worry. It will be a properly cooked dish. I'll do my best to prepare it, so please wait at that seat for a moment."

Gobutaro subtly suggested the seat next to Helian.

As he went to the kitchen, he adjusted the settings of the magical device to include himself and Reifa in the effect.

As a result, Reifa could now recognize the man sitting next to her—someone hidden from the other patrons. As she was about to sit down, she noticed the person next to her and asked tentatively.

"Excuse me, is this seat taken?"

"---No, go ahead."

Helian struggled to keep his tone casual.

Covered in a gray robe, he took a deep breath, trying to sound gentle.

After watching Gobutaro disappear into the kitchen, he steeled himself and spoke to Reifa.

"Hey, it's been a while. I didn't expect to see you again."

He thought it sounded a bit contrived, but he recited the prepared line.

However,

"---? Are you talking to me?"

Reifa looked around curiously before responding with a puzzled expression.

"......Huh?"

"Excuse me, have we met somewhere before? I thought this was our first meeting."

---He was stunned.

Could she have forgotten the man she had saved that day, at that time, in that place?

"Wait, don't you recognize me? I'm the man you talked to that day."

As soon as he said it, he grimaced, realizing it sounded like a clumsy pick-up line.

But he remembered he hadn't even given her his name. No, revealing that he was "Helian" would make it impossible to continue the relationship from that day, but he felt frustrated trying to explain that he was the man from that day.

He should have used an alias.

"That day... you mean?"

Reifa frowned in confusion.

Helian wondered if the intelligent Reifa would recognize him, but then he remembered the effect of the "gray robe" he was wearing.

This robe was a special outfit provided by the game operators for "incognito play."

It had the effect of making the wearer less memorable, diverting the attention of others, and making them mistake the wearer for an ordinary person.

Reifa was likely completely unaffected by the robe's deception spell, recognizing him only as a "newly met man in a gray robe."

However, he couldn't reveal his true identity to Gobutaro.

If the wearer revealed their true identity, the deception effect on the target would significantly decrease, but he didn't want Reifa to see through his true identity as "Helian."

He needed her to "mistakenly" recognize him as "the man from that day."

It was no good if she completely saw through his identity, but it was also no good if she didn't recognize him at all. He needed to break through the robe's deception spell to a moderate degree.

(There's no other way.)

Helian slowly lowered the settings of the robe's deception spell.

If he lowered it too much, there was a risk that subordinates with high magical resistance might see through his identity, but with the magical device also active, there was no risk of being recognized by ordinary patrons. He carefully lowered the settings, paying attention only to Reifa's reaction.

When he lowered it to near the minimum setting, Reifa's expression changed as if she had realized something.

"---Ah, could it be... the man I talked to in this tavern before...?"

"Yes, that's right, that man. You got it!"

He sounded a bit desperate, but it couldn't be helped.

The most important thing now was to get her to recognize him as "the man from that day."

"It's been a while. I'm sorry for not recognizing you immediately. I'm usually good at remembering faces, but for some reason, I couldn't recall it..."

Reifa tilted her head in puzzlement, and Helian told her, "It happens, don't worry about it." He was relieved that she had finally remembered, and the plan was almost derailed.

"Still, what a coincidence. To meet you again in the same place."

"---Yeah, exactly."

Reifa smiled softly, saying those words.

Helian couldn't say, "Actually, I came here to see you," so he just agreed.

"By the way, I haven't given you my name yet. I'm---"

"---Hold on a moment. How about we use aliases here?"

"Uh?"

Reifa blinked in surprise.

"No, it's not that I have anything to hide, but there are some circumstances. It would be easier if we used nicknames or aliases here... What do you think?"

It was inconvenient not to have a name, but he couldn't use his real name, so he suggested using aliases.

"Aliases, you say."

Reifa thought for a moment, then her expression changed as if she had an idea, and she responded to the man next to her.

"Sure, I don't mind. It's actually quite fitting."

Despite the somewhat suspicious suggestion, Reifa seemed to accept it, perhaps because she was also in incognito in Alkymaira.

"Then, my name is... Let's say, Reina. I'm Reina."

So, Reifa, now Reina, introduced herself.

It was just a one-letter change, but it was a proper name.

It had a beautiful, pleasant sound.

He vaguely remembered reading in a book at university that when using an alias, it was better not to get too creative and to use a slight variation of one's real name. Apparently, if the name was too different from the real name, it would be difficult to react when called, leading to unnatural behavior.

Whether or not he knew this, the name "Reina" that came to mind was fitting for Reifa.

Incidentally, the book was in the professor's office, but he didn't think too much about why such a suspicious book was there.

There were things one should know and things one shouldn't. This was definitely the latter.

"Then, I'm... Sorry, just a moment."

...What should he do?

He had proposed it on the spot, but he hadn't decided on an alias for himself.

He might as well use a variation of "Helian," but using a name similar to a king's didn't seem appropriate for a regular citizen.

As he pondered, Reifa, who had been watching him, smiled slightly.

"Did you propose it without thinking about it?"

Her tone had a hint of teasing.

It was a different expression from the mask she wore as a queen, a more age-appropriate one.

"---Shut up. I'm thinking, just give me a moment."

While muttering under his breath, he thought for a moment and remembered a suitable name.

"Grimnir... Yes, my name is Grimnir."

It might be a bit long, but it was appropriate for hiding his identity. In [Tactics Chronicle], it was impossible to have multiple accounts, but if it were allowed, he would have named his second character "Grimnir."

"Grimnir, you say."

"Yes, it might be a bit long to call, so you can just call me Grim."

"---Well, then, Grim from the start would be fine, wouldn't it?"