Chapter 57

"Phew, I'm a bit late, aren't I?"

Kena, who arrived in Felskeiro a day later than the date specified by Ops, muttered as she passed through the city gate and looked around. The last time she came here, eight days ago, she only went to the Guardian's Tower and didn't pay much attention to the city. Of course, she had been checking the images from the 'Paired Eyes' all along, but that was just to confirm whether the images were visible, not to observe the city. To her surprise, the streets were already bustling with people, even though the main event was still over ten days away.

From Kena's perspective, it was like a crowd of people being released into an office district in the morning, as seen on TV. Merchants, adventurers, and minstrels were constantly passing through the city gates on foot or in carriages. Among them were jesters riding on the roofs of carriages, groups of minstrels spontaneously forming orchestras, and even armed men with short tempers getting into fights in the crowd, only to be quickly restrained by knights who had rushed to the scene. Everywhere, people who had just passed through the gate were causing commotions related to their emotions. In contrast, fewer people were leaving the city, and Kena couldn't help but worry that the city might soon be overwhelmed by the influx of people.

Standing by the roadside, Kena idly observed the diverse crowd when she felt a gaze through her [Intuition]. She deduced that the gaze, which seemed harmless, was probably from a 'Hermit' and used [Invisibility]. A traveler who had been resting nearby was startled by Kena's sudden disappearance. Ignoring this, Kena used [Jump] to leap onto the roof of an inn facing the main street, crouching low and scanning the area. She spotted a familiar man and, without creating a magical blade, pressed the blade of her Runesword to his throat. He flinched and slowly raised his hands while lying down, then asked in a hoarse voice, turning to the suspicious figure behind him.

"Hey, I ain't done nothing, I swear..."

"In my hometown, there's a law against stalking."

"...It's you, huh..."

Realizing it was Kena behind him, he slumped his shoulders and let out a sigh mixed with relief and exasperation.

"Caught off guard, taken from behind, I'm losing confidence as a Hermit..."

"Don't worry, I think it's probably just because we're exceptional."

"I wish that were true."

As Kena put away her Runesword, he got up and said, "If you're coming over, there must be something, right?"

"Yeah, I just wanted to give you a heads-up. I have someone planning to meet up with me here, but they don't have good feelings towards you, the Hermit. They might take you down without a word, so you should stop monitoring us."

"Scary?! Who is this guy, some kind of killer?!"

"Not a killer, but unlike me, they can blow up a castle with physical attacks, so be careful."

"How am I supposed to deal with that..."

Kena, who was already hopping off the roof, turned back to him, who was still in shock.

"Since the crowd is so bad, I can't just go back to the main street. I'll head to the inn we agreed on, which is a bit off the main road. It's a place that doesn't allow human guests, and I've stayed there before. I'll move to the inn that Ops told me about via friend chat. When I get there, I'll see the innkeeper and familiar guests greeting me with surprised expressions."

"Hello, is there something for me?"

"Yeah, no. Kena, your room is on the second floor."

When Kena greeted the innkeeper, the response was confusing.

"Huh? I was going to ask if there were any available rooms, but what do you mean by 'taken'?"

"That must be the magic user who came with you. Do you know someone named Ops?"

"Yes, he's a friend... 'Came with me'?"

The innkeeper, who spoke as if touching a sore spot, was told by the regulars who were drinking during the day. They said that the magic user had brought a servant who was incredibly beautiful and had a gentle demeanor. ...Probably, because the person was arrogant and the maid was perfect, they were mistaken for a noble or someone important. And, of course, their relationship as well. Kena thought it was best to clear up this misunderstanding, as such errors could lead to problems later.

"I don't know what you're misunderstanding, but Ops is an old friend, and he's not a noble."

"Is that so?"

The innkeeper, relieved, and the cat-person's tail, which had been swaying uncertainly, relaxed. It was unusual for a noble to seek lodging in such a place, but Kena had seen examples like Ronti and Denzo, so she understood.

The innkeeper told her that the room was the largest in the inn, which could accommodate two or three people. When she went to the room, it was spotlessly clean, and the person who had cleaned it was sitting on one of the two beds, gazing out the window.

"Siren?"

"Kena-sama! I'm sorry, I didn't notice you."

When Kena called out, Siren, who hadn't noticed her, stood up hurriedly and bowed respectfully. There was no one else in the room, and Kena frowned at the absence of her master, Ops.

"Are you alone? What happened to Ops?"

"Master went to complete a request, which might take a few days. I was left here to wait for Kena-sama."

"Oh, I see. I'm sorry, I made you wait a day. I was asked to do some work in the village, and it took longer than expected."

The work was to move the guardian statues that had been set up around the village to expand it. According to the village chief, there were people who wanted to move in, and the villagers had decided to expand the village. Kena had the golems and Roxilus cut down trees, while she did the work of turning the trees into fences (she learned from the villagers as she didn't have the skill) and moving the guardian statues. This time, she learned that golems could follow commands from people other than their creator to some extent. When she experimented, the golems followed Kena, Roxilus, and Roxine, but ignored Luka and Rottur. The level might also be a factor.

In any case, the information Kena got from Siren was that Ops had gone on a request from the Adventurer's Guild and left a maid to relay a message to Kena.

From Siren's perspective, she had been told to keep quiet by her master, and the information she gave Kena was less than half the truth. For example, Ops had entered the capital and registered for an event, and was completing a request to gain participation rights. Kena, hearing only the first part, muttered, "Hmm, so Ops is taking adventuring seriously now," and didn't pursue it further, which was within the master's expectations. Siren, who served Ops, also respected Kena, and if pressed, would have told her everything, but since Kena didn't ask, she couldn't overstep her bounds, and her heart ached with guilt.

Kena stopped Siren, who was about to prepare tea with her tea set, and took her hand.

"You must have been bored staying in the inn all day. Let's go out and have some fun."

"Huh? No, but my duty is to guard the place, and I didn't feel any discomfort."

"Well, as a substitute for Ops, I'd be lonely going around alone. Since I'm here, I've fulfilled my duty of staying, right?"

"Kena-sama?"

Ignoring the maid's attempt to cover up, Kena took the lead and pulled her out of the inn.

Kena took Siren straight to the market. Due to the large crowd, it took twice as long as usual to get there. While Kena was looking at things to eat, Siren switched to a business-like mode, picking up ingredients and asking the vendors about their freshness and cooking methods. She was like an experienced housewife at a supermarket's time sale. A young man, surprised by her attention to detail, quickly offered a discount and hurried her out of the store. An older woman, not to be outdone, started a verbal battle, bringing up the hardships of farming. An elderly woman with white hair, in a lecturing tone, even managed to confuse Siren. Kena, who was criticized for buying too much unnecessary stuff, felt defeated.

"This is a good opportunity for you to learn how to choose food properly, Kena-sama."

"Uwaan, Siren is also a strict teacher!"

By the time Kena was freed from Siren's tedious explanations, they had circled the market four times. Siren, the head maid of the Kena household, was still shopping with no end in sight. Kena, exhausted, sat on a pile of wooden boxes, where she had once eaten skewers with her youngest son. A figure in full armor and a cloak tapped her on the shoulder.

"What...?"

"What are you doing here?"

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