Chapter 92

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Who said, "If winter comes, can spring be far behind?"

Even in the deep snow of Kikunoi, by the end of the second month, the wind will warm up.

Despite the days being as busy as ever, and the real struggle of being short-staffed, the good news came from Hyoumaru-sama, who visits frequently.

He said, "A strong spring breeze will blow in the middle of the third month. On its back, Momoka will descend to the ground after a long time."

"You should impose a strict gag order on the household staff."

"Why is that?"

"From last spring to winter, because Momoka was squatting in this mansion's garden, it is now recognized as a shrine to Momoka. Therefore, flowers, animals, and spirits related to Momoka will come to this place. When that happens, flowers that were not planted will bloom in the garden, and some might even just scatter petals. The garden will look strange. You must tell the household staff not to make a fuss, or you will attract unnecessary attention."

I see.

I don't mind if the garden is full of flowers, but I don't want it to be a fuss.

Nodding in agreement, Hyoumaru-sama narrowed his eyes. He hesitated, extending and retracting his hand, before touching my hair, which had grown past my shoulders.

"Can I visit when Momoka returns?"

"Of course, yes."

"Meeting the god in the morning and at night, isn't that a burden for you?"

"No, because I just wait for the visits. I'm not doing anything else."

"I see."

Hyoumaru-sama, who has recently grown his silver hair to his waist, with his azure eyes, wears a black mantle with a pattern of butterfly wings woven in, and a ribbed outfit of the same color. It seems he likes this appearance.

However, because I imagine him as the Phantom of the Opera, he wears a mask covering one side of his face.

Even so, he seems to find it amusing.

Anyway, I need to get back to the topic.

I need to return the dagger I kept for the princess.

Then, I want to show her, even a little, what I have accomplished from winter to spring.

Hyoumaru-sama's slight smile seemed to acknowledge my determination.

"Three days of separation, and one should look at you with new eyes, right?"

"That... huh? Is there a 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' in this world?"

"What is this 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms'? Teach me later. ...No, I think it was something the boy at Igor-sama's place said."

The boy at Igor-sama's place must be the second son.

I wonder if the second son likes to say things like that.

It seems this country also has something like war chronicles.

Bards tell stories of heroes' love and the rise and fall of empires, so it makes sense.

So, that night, we talked about the 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' until late.

The days that followed were busy, and through Igor-sama, we arranged a transaction to complete the "Book for Beginner Adventurers."

I feel bad about using the god as a messenger, but apparently, I'm the only one who feels that way.

"He thinks of me as a co-owner or something. Compared to you, he treats me very casually."

"Wow... Does he have a heart of steel?"

"Um, he said that since he died once, dying again is the same. His memories from his previous life are too strong, and he doesn't have much attachment to this world. He doesn't get along with his parents, and he says his siblings, except for his sister, are just ordinary people."

"That doesn't sound like a good trend..."

"Well, it has changed recently. He looks forward to your letters."

I think it's necessary to have connections to live, so if he can handle it, that's fine.

Still, there's a big difference between someone who starts over from scratch and someone who retains their previous life's personality and is reborn.

When I gave the adventurer outfit set from Effet·Papillon to Igor-sama, he gave me the weapons and accessories of a dwarf apprentice blacksmith that he had received.

Even as an apprentice, a dwarf's work is far superior to a human's.

A human blacksmith who goes to a dwarf village is often treated as less than half a blacksmith.

So, these are exceptional items for beginner adventurers.

Dwarves, who take pride in their skills, usually don't sell apprentice-made items. However, the second son convinced them to sell them, saying it would save many beginner adventurers' lives, using physical language.

Considering the dwarves' physical defense and their use of physical language, the second son must be quite strong.

Incidentally, dwarves and elves don't get along well in this world.

However, according to Lala-san and Mr. Romanov, "If their drinking habits were better, they would be easier to get along with than their own kind," and according to Viktor-san, "They're not bad people, but their drinking habits ruin everything."

This is just a matter of compatibility.

I might want to avoid people with bad drinking habits.

Getting back to the topic.

Igor-sama left, saying, "I think Momoka will be back by the next transaction."

Since the transaction was successful, I decided to make the three stars the first test subjects with Roland-san's permission.

We went into the dungeon with the three of them, Mr. Romanov, and me with Tara.

I was surprised.

All three had become stronger.

Of course, they should have, since I trained them, but they managed to defeat the boss that separates beginner and intermediate adventurers on their own.

Mr. Romanov didn't need to intervene, and I didn't even have time to use my enchantment magic. Tara was just happy eating the giant worm, which was the boss of the lower level.

The subsequent levels were a bit challenging, but they managed to clear up to the boss level without much help.

The giant termite boss was only defeated with my enchantment magic and Tara's assistance.

Specifically, I used enchantment magic to boost their agility, defense, and attack power in both physical and magical aspects, and Tara used her threads to immobilize the termite. The three of them then finished it off. The corpse, of course, went into Tara's stomach.

The preparations for the martial arts tournament are going smoothly, which is a relief.

Finally, in the middle of the third month, after the sun rose and I finished getting ready and having breakfast, it was time for Regulus-kun and me to go to the inner garden.

A strong wind rustled the trees, and the green leaves swayed.

In the grass, various spring flowers bloomed one by one, adorning the path to the inner garden.

The princess had returned.

Holding the chick's hand, I ran down the flower-lined path, deeper and deeper into the garden, until I reached the open space in the forest—where I found the wild rose last spring.

There, among the blooming flowers, was a single large, fragrant, and beautiful red peony.

"Welcome back."

"Nice to see you!"

Kneeling before the peony, I bowed my head, and the sweet fragrance wafted to me on the wind. In my line of sight, a thin silk of the same color as the flower appeared.

"Was the journey difficult? Are you well?"

Looking up at the words from above, I saw the beautiful and familiar face of the princess, who was hiding her mouth with a silk fan.

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