Chapter 68

10 million PVs exceeded! Thank you!

Then, after calming down and listening to Bram's story, it went like this.

Bram, who was attending the party where Elinora was present, fell in love with her at first sight and proposed marriage.

However, Elinora flatly refused without agreeing to it.

Unable to give up, Bram made multiple attempts that day. Impressed by his persistence (probably because she found him too annoying, reluctantly), Elinora said to Bram:

"If you can defeat me in a sword duel, I'll consider becoming your fiancée."

...Of course, that's impossible...

Even a Dragon Slayer like Nord would have a hard time. Recently, even the martial Melna Earl and B-rank adventurer Rumba can't match her.

To be honest, I don't think Bram has the skill to defeat Elinora with a sword.

Bram challenged Elinora to a duel... and was instantly defeated.

After that, Bram kept sending letters and party invitations, hoping for another chance, but he never received a reply.

Come to think of it, I've seen Elinora burning something in the garden, saying she was practicing fire magic.

It was probably burned without even being read.

"So, when I heard that the son of the Slourette family would be attending the exchange event, I saw this as an opportunity and sent a large number of letters to Elinora!"

Bram said proudly, but to me, he just seemed like a nasty stalker.

Surprisingly, Elinora replied a few days ago.

"If you can defeat my brother, Alfried, who is participating in the exchange event, I'll give you another chance."

...

Elinora, you warned me to avoid strange nobles, but then you pushed your own trouble onto me?

The letters from Bram probably arrived at the same time I left the mansion.

If I had known then, Elinora would have said something more obvious.

Damn, the downside of leaving the mansion early is showing up here.

By now, Elinora is probably burning a pile of letters and leisurely munching on cookies in the living room.

"So, let's have a duel!"

"Absolutely not. It has nothing to do with me, right?"

"But your name is written in the letter!"

Bram unfolded the neatly folded letter and thrust it under my nose.

Wow, it looks like it was scribbled in a hurry. He must have written it while frowning at his desk.

"Um, what about this?"

"Well, if it's a formal letter from the family, it's hard to ignore..."

I looked to Eric for help, but he gave a rather affirmative response.

"Indeed, with this, a duel is unavoidable. However, this evening is a noble exchange event attended by Princess Cudelia. How about we have the duel in the garden here tomorrow morning?"

"...That makes sense. I'm fine with that."

Bram nodded in agreement with Alicia's suggestion.

Why is Alicia mediating this, though?

"Um, are you really going to do it?"

"Tomorrow's tour of the capital is in the afternoon, right? Finish it quickly and come here."

Of course, there won't be any life-threatening exchanges, but a duel in the morning is a hassle.

And so, my second day at the noble exchange event came to an end.

And the next day.

"...I overslept..."

I sat up in the bed at the inn.

The sun was already high in the sky, and the morning, the time for my duel with Bram, had long passed.

Well, it's not quite noon yet, so I think it's fine. If I go now, it will be around noon.

I opened the window shutter and squinted, basking in the pleasant sunlight.

"Good weather."

I stretched, and my body made a popping sound.

Then, leaning my elbow on the window, I gazed at the scenery absentmindedly.

The capital was clear and cloudless today, a perfect blue sky.

Looking down, I could see the bustling streets of the capital.

Thanks to the midday, many people were walking towards what seemed to be restaurants or the main street to the south.

I thought to myself, such a bustling scene with so many people is nice, but I still feel more at ease in the green expanses of Coirat Village.

I am a country boy, after all. A country boy.

"...Well, let's go play with Eric."

What about the duel with Bram? I never agreed to it, so it's fine. It's the other person's fault for not waiting for a response before leaving.

I had already made plans to tour the capital with Eric today. There's no need to change them just for this.

If there's no duel, Bram can't have a rematch with Elinora.

That means Bram won't have to suffer unnecessarily. This is my way of being kind.

I filled an empty glass with water using water magic and took a sip.

Then, I washed my face at the sink, got dressed, and put on casual clothes.

Since arriving in the capital, I hadn't really had the chance to sightsee due to the incident with Rara and the visit to Elna's hometown.

The noble exchange event ended yesterday, so I planned to enjoy myself today.

"Alright, the meeting place is the square, right?"

I whistled and ran down the main street.

The large square in the center of the capital was peaceful as usual.

Children were playing around the fountain, jumping into the water even though they were still wearing their clothes.

Wouldn't it feel strange with their clothes sticking to them?

I wondered, but the children were oblivious, laughing innocently.

Around them, elderly people and couples were sitting on benches, chatting leisurely or watching the children play.

"I remember Eric and I agreed to meet here around noon, right?"

In this world, there are no clocks or cell phones, so even setting up a meeting is a challenge.

In the capital, a bell rings at regular intervals, but it's quite rough.

A small bell rings once in the early morning, a large bell once at noon and once in the evening, for a total of three times. Then, five more times at intervals that are probably based on the position of the sun and shadows.

Because of this rough time system, people in this world are generally quite relaxed about time.

Of course, merchants and knights are punctual, but daily life is more laid-back.

Many people waiting in front of the stone statue or on the benches in the square looked frustrated because their meeting partners hadn't arrived yet.

Wow, that woman over there looks really scary.

She looks like she wants to punch the guy as soon as he shows up!

As I watched from a distance, a man who seemed to be her boyfriend ran up.

To me, it looked like he was walking to the gallows.

The man, hands on his knees, caught his breath and started apologizing to the woman.

He must have said something like, "Sorry! I'm late!"

The woman, who had been pouting, softened her expression and smiled gently.

"Alright, but you have to take me somewhere nice today!" It probably led to a sweet and sour moment.

Everyone in the square was holding their breath, watching the scene.

Even the children playing in the fountain and the elderly sitting on the benches.

Then, time moved with a sound.

The solemn sound of the bell echoed through the capital.

It was the noon bell.

When the bell stopped ringing,

"We agreed to meet when the second bell rings, right? It's already the third time!"

"Wait, wait! What!?"

The woman punched the man's stomach hard.

The children watching let out exclamations of amazement.

"Ooh!"

"That girl finally did it!"

"She's been here since morning."

The woman had been there since morning. She must have been looking forward to today's date. In that case, her anger is understandable. It's the man's fault for being late. Arriving at the third bell is pretty bad.

"Nice body!"

"Good punch!"

"He won't be getting up anytime soon."

Yeah, I agree.

The man was crouching, looking in pain. He didn't seem like he could stand up anytime soon.

It must have been a powerful blow.

Nord once said that a blow filled with the other person's feelings resonates deep within the body.

If he had rubbed his red, swollen cheek and said it, it would have sounded better.

It's probably the same this time.

"Why aren't you chasing after her!?"

Ah, the woman from earlier came back.

"...Sorry, Quina. I wanted to chase after you, but... I can't stand up."

A heartwarming story in the capital.

Quina is cute.