Chapter 94

"…Why don't we do it tomorrow?"

Leaning on the broom as if it were a cane, Lazette grumbled in dissatisfaction.

"It's already night. I'm sleepy. Cleaning up the party all night is just not sane."

No matter how much Lazette complained, Sora, standing next to her, simply brushed it off.

Visitors sometimes come to the lord's mansion unexpectedly.

With the wave of reconstruction now widely covering the viscount's territory, there are various reasons for visits, such as conflicts with refugees, selling materials, and so on.

If such visitors see the mess in the hall, it would affect Sora's reputation.

"Master Sora, aren't you sleepy yet? You must be sleepy, right?"

"...Zez, your wife is being noisy!"

"Don't pass it to me! If it comes to that, it's already too late to say anything."

"I'm sleepy. I'm tired. I'm miserable."

"Hey, Zez!"

Sora pushed Lazette's protection duty onto Zez and called out to Cole, who was about to head to the kitchen with a stack of plates.

"Tell Chaff to bring dinner."

Since Chaff was absent from the party, he hasn't eaten yet.

Sora guessed that he was probably sulking in his room.

Cole scratched his cheek, looking troubled.

"...I already brought it to his room earlier, but he wasn't there."

"Not there?"

When Sora tilted her head, Cole hurriedly bowed.

"S-Sorry. I should have brought it earlier..."

"No, it's fine. Do you know why he went out?"

"According to the guard Felix, he went down to the town to change his mood."

Sora nodded in understanding and sent Cole to the kitchen.

Cole was about to tackle a large number of plates alone. It wouldn't do to hold him back and delay his work.

Sora sat down in a chair by the window.

—A walk to change his mood. It's better than sulking in his room.

She looked towards the town.

Even from a distance, the quietness of the sleeping town was evident.

As she rubbed her tired feet, which had been standing all night during the party, Gorge grinned.

"If you don't train, you'll definitely get muscle pain."

"Don't underestimate an eight-year-old's body, old man."

"You say that. I'm looking forward to tomorrow."

Gorge laughed, genuinely amused.

The Flame Corps had been busy preparing for the party and couldn't train today. They probably needed to move their bodies.

Sora chuckled, understanding Gorge's mood.

"Still, being cold is unexpectedly—"

Before Sora could finish her sentence, the sound of several silver plates falling to the floor echoed through the hall.

Thinking that Cole might have fallen, Sora looked towards the hall's door.

However, contrary to her expectations, Cole was standing still, staring at a corner of the hall with a stack of plates in his hands.

Following Cole's gaze, Sora's thoughts momentarily froze, and she called out with a pale face.

"—What's wrong, Sania!?"

Sania was sitting on the floor, clutching the tablecloth. Silver plates were scattered around her.

Sora hurriedly stood up and took a step towards Sania.

In an instant, Sora's vision distorted unnaturally.

The night had grown quiet, and the sea breeze blew against Chaff.

The wind had definitely grown stronger since he left.

Chaff frowned but knew that complaining to nature was pointless.

—If it were Viscount Kleinzelt, perhaps...

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Chaff decided to take a walk around the town to change his mood.

He stepped into the district where the merchant guilds were located.

Unlike the residential area, this district had more people awake.

The presence of the Flame Corps, who wandered around Crossport on a whim, improved the security.

The Flame Corps in civilian clothes looked like gangsters, and there was a rumor that the underworld avoided this area.

In reality, it was because Sora had worked with the town's influential figures and merchant guilds to significantly strengthen the self-defense force.

Even in times of emergency, they were trained to guide residents to safety.

—Viscount Kleinzelt puts a lot of effort into disaster prevention.

Training personal bodyguards was something no other territory did.

The proof of strength issued by the self-defense force was only valid in the viscount's territory.

—He must be wary of the fire scene thieves.

This year, not only the capital and the Bartz侯爵領 but also the Sildorba伯爵領 had been victims.

The nobles of the kingdom were also on high alert.

Chaff recalled the angry shouts of the "active volcano" Sildorba伯爵 and made a face.

As a child, he had cried just from the sound of the shouting.

Though the visual memory was vague, the sound of the shouting was vividly imprinted in his ears.

He pondered how to deal with this troublesome memory.

"...Huh? Miss, wait a moment."

Chaff called out to a passing girl.

She stopped, turned around, and tilted her head.

"What is it?"

Silver hair spilled out from a warm-looking knitted hat.

Chaff looked around, confirmed that she was alone, and sighed.

"Even though Crossport is safe, it's night now, and there are few people around. It's dangerous for a young girl to walk alone."

The silver-haired girl smiled.

"You're so kind. But there's no need to worry. I'm confident in my skills."

She raised her right arm to show off.

However, Chaff shook his head, dismissing her words.

"That won't do. If I contact the self-defense force, they should be able to escort you home. Wait here a moment."

Remembering that there was a self-defense force night post nearby, Chaff started to walk.

The silver-haired girl, for the first time, withdrew her smile and hurriedly grabbed Chaff's clothes.

"Wait a moment. If you contact the self-defense force... I'll be in trouble."

"In trouble? Why?"

Chaff furrowed his brow and looked at the silver-haired girl as if she were something strange.

The silver-haired girl forced a smile.

"I just concluded a secret business deal and don't want to draw attention. Please don't tell anyone we met here."

She put her finger to her lips and pleaded.

Now it was Chaff's turn to be troubled.

He couldn't ignore a young girl walking alone at night.

However, the reason the silver-haired girl gave was also reasonable.

After some thought, Chaff made a decision.

"Then, I'll escort you home."