Chapter 76

After returning to the boarding house and wiping away my sweat, I put on the new clothes I had just bought.

Wearing the crisp new clothes made me feel as if my back was straightening up.

“Amanda, I’m going out now.”

“Sure, if you’re going to be late, I’ll lock the door, so come straight back to your room.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“See you, Kent.”

“I’ll be back, Maisa.”

Yesterday, Maisa was pouting, wanting to come along with me, but now she’s sending me off with a beaming smile.

I bought some cookies from the Henji亭 as a gift to take to Klaus, but I bought an extra box for Maisa, which is why she’s smiling so brightly.

Hehehe, she’s so easy to please.

I moved through the alley behind the boarding house, staying in the shadows.

I might be a bit self-conscious, but lately I’ve been getting more attention, and I’ve also been getting involved in more troublesome situations.

I can’t afford to be delayed by some weirdos and miss the time of the invitation.

I couldn’t just appear right in front of the gate, so I waited for a break in the flow of people at a corner a bit away from the gate before going out.

When I showed the invitation to the guard at the gate, he smiled at me.

“You’ve come a long way since you were a gardener’s apprentice.”

“No, I don’t think it’s that big of a promotion, but it’s my first time at something like this, so I’m a bit nervous.”

“Hahaha, Lord Klaus doesn’t fuss over small things, so just enjoy yourself.”

“Yes, I will.”

I walked the stone path where I used to weed, heading towards the entrance.

It was just about sunset, and the sky was beautifully gradated from orange to deep blue.

I rang the heavy door knocker, and the door opened quietly.

“Welcome, Mr. Kent.”

“E-evening, t-thank you for inviting me today…”

“Please, greet the master directly.”

“Y-yes…”

I bowed deeply, overwhelmed by the butler’s ‘butler aura’.

I was led down the corridor by the butler, whose lips were twitching.

Come to think of it, the last time I came here, the house smelled of medicine, but today it has a refreshing floral scent.

“Please…”

“S-sorry for the intrusion…”

In the parlor where I was led, Beatrice, dressed in a light pink dress, stood there looking a bit uneasy, but when she saw me, she broke into a smile like a flower blooming and approached me with a light step.

Ugh… This is bad, she’s incredibly cute, like a real princess.

Beatrice pinched the hem of her skirt and made an elegant bow.

“Welcome, Mr. Kent.”

“E-evening, t-thank you for inviting me today…”

“Formal greetings are unnecessary between us, please, have a seat…”

“Y-yes…”

I was led to the sofa by Beatrice, who took a seat next to me and naturally leaned in close.

“B-Beatrice…”

“Reiche.”

“R-Reiche…”

“Yes, Mr. Kent.”

“D-don’t you think you’re a bit too close…?”

Beatrice’s face, so close that I can feel her breath, makes it hard to focus my eyes.

Isn’t it too close to even focus?

“Not at all, I feel it’s not enough…”

“Reiche…”

Beatrice’s lips, which suddenly came closer, made a soft sound as they touched my cheek.

But, isn’t this something that handsome guys do?

When Beatrice pulled away, she smiled at me.

Yeah, I definitely feel like I’m being claimed by a carnivorous rabbit.

“Hey, Reiche, why me?”

“That’s because… you saw me in such a state and touched me…”

“Guh… But, that was for treatment…”

“Was it really 100% treatment? Did you have no ulterior motives? Was I not attractive enough?”

“W-well, if you ask me if I had no ulterior motives at all…”

When I started treating Beatrice, she was in such a terrible condition that it was a wonder she was still alive.

The unhealthy feeling transmitted through my healing magic was palpable.

But the softness of Beatrice, as she recovered her color and health, is… dangerous, just thinking about it makes my nose bleed.

“Since you’ve violated a maiden’s body, you must take responsibility…”

“No, no, violated… and we don’t know each other well enough yet…”

“That’s why we need time to get to know each other, don’t you think?”

“But, if the other guests see us like this…”

“Tonight, besides Mr. Kent, only Donovan is here, and he won’t arrive until the last minute.”

I can’t argue with her; she’s younger than me, but I feel like I can’t win against her.

Still, I need to stop this, or Nazario might cause more trouble.

“Reiche, I have a request…”

“What is it? More than what happened during the treatment…?”

“No, no, not that. Can you stop kissing me in public when we meet in the street?”

“Why?”

“Well, there are a lot of people who admire you, and they would be jealous or can’t accept it if they see you kissing me.”

“But… you’re the hero who saved Volzard. I think there are more people who wouldn’t accept me.”

“No, no, that’s not true. Anyway, no kissing in the street…”

“I don’t want to.”

Beatrice pouted and looked so incredibly cute… I just want to hug her.

“But, it’s a bit embarrassing to be kissed in public…”

“But you let other women kiss you…”

“Ugh… No, Manon and Yui are… different.”

“How are they different? Is it because they’re older, or because they’re more attractive, or…?”

Beatrice’s eyes welled up, and a tear rolled down her cheek.

“No… it’s not that you’re not attractive…”

“Hey, Kent, good to see you…”

“Huh… Mr. Klaus? This is… not what it looks like…”

Oh no… Why does he have to come in at this moment, this slightly evil old man.

“Kent… are you ready for this…?”

“No, it’s not what you think, it’s a misunderstanding. I was just… saying…”

“Saying what? Speak up…”

Oh no… This slightly evil old man’s eyes are scary, he looks completely out of it…

“I was just saying… I don’t want to be kissed in public…”

“Huh? You’re refusing when Reiche initiates the kiss? Don’t be ridiculous. I haven’t been kissed in years. Back then, you used to say ‘Daddy, I love you’ and kiss me, but now you say it’s annoying.”

“No, it’s not my fault…”

“Shut up! It’s obviously your fault. Do you know how it feels to hear you moping by the window, muttering ‘Mr. Kent…’?”

“But, the jealousy and resentment are so intense…”

“Of course! Compared to being kissed by Reiche, it’s more like a reward!”

“No, but Mr. Klaus said not to touch…”

“Of course! I won’t allow you to make the first move, Kent… but if Reiche initiates the kiss, you can’t refuse, you idiot!”

No, no, what you’re saying is all over the place. And to still be so close in this situation, what is Beatrice thinking?

“Daddy… you’re annoying.”

“Guh…”

Oh, Mr. Klaus just collapsed to his knees.

And he’s glaring at me with a silent ‘kill, kill’… Can you stop that?

“Sir, Mr. Donovan has arrived.”

This butler, who doesn’t change his expression in this situation…

“What’s going on here… Kent, don’t mess with Mr. Klaus.”

“I’m not doing anything.”

“Hahaha, just kidding…”

With a slight smile, Donovan sat down in the chair opposite me.

By the way, is it okay to leave Mr. Klaus like this?

Donovan looked at me, who was still being closely hugged by Beatrice, and spoke.

“I see, no wonder the idiot son of Orlando’s store would try to make a move….”

“Huh…?”

Hearing Donovan’s words, Beatrice looked at me with a surprised expression.

“Have you reached an agreement with Delritz?”

“Yes, but he’s not easy to deal with…”

“Hahaha, of course not. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have built his store to this size.”

“Well, I’ve warned Nazario, so I think it’s fine…”

Oh, Beatrice looks a bit down.

By the way, to come in and understand the situation so quickly and bring up a relevant topic… Is Donovan a psychic?

“Miss Beatrice, you seem to be used to being watched, but you should consider how people are looking at you.”

“Yes… I’m sorry, Mr. Kent.”

“Ah, no, it’s not that serious, so don’t worry.”

She looked down and moved away, but still held onto my sleeve… Is it okay if I hug her?

“So, how did you reach an agreement with Orlando’s store?”

Klaus, who had recovered, asked.

“Yes, we decided to start fresh and move forward from a neutral position.”

“I see, with an A-rank adventurer party under their control, it’s a reasonable move.”

“Oh, right, there’s something I wanted to discuss before dinner…”

“What is it? I won’t allow your marriage to Reiche…”

“No, not that, it’s about the envoy from Reisenburg.”

“Huh? An envoy from Reisenburg?”

“Yes, they should arrive in Volzard by the evening of the Fire Day after the week starts.”

According to Fred’s reconnaissance, Camilla has finished selecting the envoy and ordered them to depart early in the week.

“Hmm, they plan to leave Lastock early in the morning and arrive in Volzard the same day?”

“Yes, and it seems that Reisenburg doesn’t know we’re in Volzard.”

I explained the situation as Camilla might see it and asked for advice on how to respond.

“I see… If they don’t know where we are, there’s no need to tell them… In fact, it might be better if they don’t know.”

“But if the Reisenburg knights start asking around, we’re quite noticeable with our hair color…”

“You’re right, a group of black-haired people would stand out, and they’d figure out we’re in Volzard if they start asking questions… But don’t worry.”

“Huh? It’s okay if they find out?”

“That’s one reason, but they won’t have time to ask questions. They’ll be back by the next morning.”

“Next morning…?”

“Yes, almost certainly… Do you have any other concerns? If not, let’s have dinner. It’s a celebration for overcoming the peak outbreak.”

It feels like I’m being tricked, but if the lord of Volzard says it’s fine, it must be okay.

Klaus led us to the dining room.

“Welcome, Mr. Kent.”

“E-evening, thank you for inviting me…”

“Come, come, no formalities, just sit down.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Marianne, dressed in a bright red evening gown that matched her hair color, greeted us.

At the large table that could seat more than ten people, Klaus sat at the head, Donovan to his right, and Marianne next to Donovan.

I sat across from Donovan, and Beatrice next to me.

“Let’s raise a toast to overcoming the peak outbreak.”

Klaus raised a glass filled with a liquid that was slightly golden.

It had a refreshing and alcoholic aroma.

“Um… I don’t drink alcohol yet…”

“What are you talking about? A man who has made great contributions to Volzard’s defense can’t say he can’t drink. Besides, Kent, this is new wine from Bruno’s place.”

“Huh, Bruno, the Bruno from Lieble farm?”

“Yes, Lieble wine is best after aging for about three years, but a small amount of new wine is available this time of year. This is to taste the quality of this year’s batch and predict the taste in a few years. Understand? This is the result of your hard work.”

I felt goosebumps all over my body.

When I was summoned to this world and arrived in Volzard, my first job was to harvest and process the Lieble farm.

A percentage of the new wine in front of me contains my efforts.

“Let’s toast to the safety of Volzard!”

“Cheers!”

The first sip of alcohol was like a condensed burst of freshness, spreading through my mouth, throat, and nose, and permeating my body.

The