Chapter 64

It was around noon the day after the raid by the great sword of the party's war god. I was dragging my tired feet through the streets to visit a certain shop.

“Haa…”

The distance to the shop was not particularly long. However, for some reason, today alone, the short journey felt especially tiring, and I let out a sigh. Not that I was feeling any physical fatigue. It had only been two days since the phoenix was defeated, but by yesterday, my body was completely free of fatigue. However, my current mental fatigue was making my steps heavy.

The cause of this fatigue was last night's incident with Narzenia.

When I refused to buy a house yesterday, Narzenia showed a visibly dejected expression. I felt guilty and worried about this, but when Narzenia returned to the inn after dark, she had returned to her usual self. I can still vividly recall how relieved I was by this. With that feeling, I returned to my room to rest.

...However, a little while later, my peace was shattered when Narzenia, wearing a more revealing nightgown than usual, came to my room.

Well, if that was all, it might have been better. Yes, if Narzenia hadn't been slightly tipsy when she came to my room.

For some reason, Narzenia had been drinking, something she rarely does. Perhaps because of this, last night's Narzenia was overly affectionate, and in the end, even fell asleep in my room, completely unguarded.

Probably, this unguardedness was a sign of Narzenia's trust in me. It was truly an honor. Since Narzenia is someone I have feelings for, I was genuinely happy about this trust.

...But still, I am a man.

When Narzenia was unguarded, my heart was thrown into turmoil. However, I couldn't think impure thoughts despite her trust, and I spent the night desperately trying to suppress my desires.

That was the cause of my current, unshakeable fatigue...

“...Narzenia should have a bit more sense of crisis, shouldn’t she?”

Thinking about last night, I let out a heartfelt sigh. Even with someone as close as family, a minimum level of caution is necessary. ...No, it should be.

While thinking about last night's incident, I arrived at the shop, the jeweler's workshop, which was my destination.

“Hmm, no one’s around.”

After confirming that no one was around, I stepped into the shop. Inside, a plump middle-aged woman was manning the counter.

“Welcome... Oh, it’s not Rau斯特?”

The woman, Emily, the wife of the jeweler and the shop owner, immediately broke into a soft smile upon seeing me.

“Hello, Emily.”

I returned her smile and greeted her. Then, I opened my mouth to get to the point, but I didn’t need to say anything further.

“Rau斯特 must be here to check on the progress of the jewelry, right? How passionate.”

“Ahaha...”

I was caught off guard by Emily’s quick insight. Feeling embarrassed by her meaningful gaze, I laughed to cover it up. Emily watched my reaction with a playful look for a moment, then her expression turned apologetic as she spoke.

“Actually, regarding the jewelry you ordered, my husband, Nasia, is so determined to make it the best piece that it’s not finished yet. I know you want it soon, but I’m sorry.”

“Is that so...”

Thinking about the house-related incident from yesterday, I had hoped to get the item as soon as possible, and I felt a bit down at Emily’s words.

“No, please tell Nasia that it’s fine even if it takes time. I appreciate the quality and effort.”

But the next moment, I changed my mood and bowed to Emily. It’s true that getting it done quickly would be nice, but the quality is even more important. After all, the jewelry I’m ordering is worth the effort.

“Alright, I understand. You can look forward to the result, considering the delay!”

Emily, understanding my feelings, smiled and told me. I nodded and smiled, saying I would come back, and left the shop.

After leaving the jeweler’s shop, I felt refreshed. I trusted Emily and her husband to handle the jewelry. If everything goes well, I need to save money to buy a house I like. With a buoyant feeling, I headed towards the guild.

“!”

...At that moment, someone placed a hand on my shoulder.

I hadn’t even noticed anyone behind me and was startled, turning around abruptly.

“...F, finally found you.”

“...Eh, Ziek?”

...The next moment, I was surprised to see the person standing behind me.

Ziek was slightly out of breath, indicating that he had been searching for me quite desperately. This made me feel uneasy, wondering if another extremely difficult monster had appeared.

“What’s wrong?”

I asked Ziek, hoping my guess was wrong.

“I have a question about Narzenia.”

“...Eh?”

And then, when Ziek spoke, I let out a surprised and somewhat hollow voice...

◇◆◇

A few minutes later, Ziek and I were in a café. We couldn’t start the conversation on the street, so we came here.

“So, what’s this about Narzenia?”

I immediately cut to the chase after sitting down. I felt a bit rushed, but I couldn’t control my agitation at Ziek coming to talk about Narzenia. If it was to announce that Ziek and Narzenia were dating...

I paled at the thought.

“No, no, don’t get so worked up... I just want to know why Narzenia, despite asking so much, doesn’t want to buy the party’s shared house.”

“...Eh?”

But Ziek’s words were something I hadn’t even imagined. I wondered why Ziek knew about the party’s shared house.

“It seems that Laila and Narzenia met by chance yesterday, and the topic of the party’s shared house came up. Laila asked me to find out the reason.”

Seeing my confusion, Ziek quickly explained. His words clarified many of my questions. It seems that Narzenia’s quick recovery yesterday was due to Laila’s advice.

...Still, I never imagined I would be asked about the reason for not buying the party’s shared house. I was at a loss for a few moments.

“...Please don’t tell anyone else, especially Narzenia.”

Deciding that there was no need to hide it from Ziek and Laila, I agreed to talk with a condition. After all, they were concerned about Narzenia, and there was no need to hide it and make them worry. With this in mind, I began to explain.

“First, let me clarify that I’m not against buying the shared house. I just think it’s better to do things in the right order.”

“Order...?”

Ziek’s face showed confusion at my words. I realized that my explanation was too abstract. ...I needed to be more clear and direct. With this resolve, I opened my mouth, a bit embarrassed.

“Yes. Before buying the party’s shared house, I plan to confess to Narzenia.”