Chapter 43

"Welcome back, Lady Liana."

Liana replied, "I'm back," as she handed her coat to Anna. Today, she wasn't wearing the functional clothes she usually wore for her adventurer activities but was dressed up for a meeting with the lord.

Liana, who had become accustomed to her adventurer style, looked good in the formal attire... Seeing her in a different outfit and discovering a new charm made me feel a bit excited.

"Liana, we'll also arrange the travel to the town with the magic train. Anna and Fred, please prepare for the trip."

"Yes! I'm looking forward to it."

"...What? Me too?!"

I was secretly watching Liana with a nonchalant face, not expecting to be included, and was completely taken by surprise.

"Fred, don't you want to go to the hot springs...?"

"No, no, I'm a guy... I think it might be a bit awkward to go on a trip together..."

Of course, I have no intention of doing anything inappropriate, but it's just... Anna looked at me with a puzzled expression, as if she was surprised by my reaction.

"I thought you proposed it with that intention..."

"No, no, I didn't even think of that at all!"

Trying to clear my suspicion, I replied a bit too eagerly, but both of them reacted poorly.

"It's just like usual, right?"

"Huh?"

"Even if it's an inn, the rooms are arranged separately, and we'll spend time together during meals... I don't think it will be any different from the current situation."

I live in a different room in the same apartment and am often invited to meals. ...It's true, but... Liana, and even Anna, you're quite sheltered, aren't you?! A trip with a mixed group, even if the rooms are separate, is a bit problematic. I don't know how to explain this to them, who look at me with innocent eyes, but I have to.

"If I go on the trip, there's a high chance of misunderstandings, like today..."

I think it's more likely to be misunderstood. It might be seen as a trip for lovers or something like that, regardless of the fact that we're not alone or that we have separate rooms.

"Not that I don't want to go... I just think it might cause trouble again. I just caused trouble with my romantic issues today..."

I think Liana included me as a friend, purely. She mentioned that she had received various types of education since childhood and was busy with reviews and previews, so she probably didn't have many memories of playing. She was probably just looking forward to her first trip. It's a bit painful to dampen her enthusiasm.

"But, you're not against it, right? You even researched the tourist spots in Delur..."

"Hmm? No, I really wanted to go too."

Liana looked at the table, where a travel guide about the hot spring town of Delur was placed. I thought it would be more helpful to read a travel guide with illustrations than to hear second-hand stories from me. I read a bit, and it was a fun travel guide that made me want to go. I was even considering joining a request to go to that region and meeting up for a day of sightseeing. I thought it would be nice if I got a convenient request, but it didn't happen, so I gave up.

However, being invited like this reignited my desire to go.

But if I go together, I'm at a loss for an excuse. A trip... it's fine with family, but it's a bit weak to say I'm a cousin. It's also quite difficult to go as a guard, since Liana is actually stronger than me.

I thought it would be better to suggest to the lord to change it to a trip for the two women. As I was thinking about this, I was asked and ended up saying, "I wanted to go."

"Then, I would have preferred if Fred came too."

Liana looked down with a slightly pouting expression, and my heart felt warm.

...Why am I so considerate of others? I suddenly thought.

Indeed, in my life of avoiding trouble, I've realized that there are things I can't protect. Unconsciously, I looked into Liana's eyes.

Ah, I've been living by reading people's faces, having been raised by a hysterical mother. If you make even a slight mistake on a turbulent day, "Are you saying I'm bad too?!" or "I might as well be dead!" and it becomes uncontrollable... I thought I felt relieved after leaving, but it seems to still be there.

When I realized this, a sense of discomfort suddenly hit me. I thought I was compromising to avoid conflict, but it was just making things worse.

Anna, standing behind us, said, "Liana, you should be able to express your own opinions clearly!" with a tearful, reflective look. ...Now that I think about it, Liana never says what she wants to do.

The things I had been putting off to avoid trouble are now all coming to a head. I have to reflect on this and apply it to the future.

"Of course, I understand Fred's situation! I'm disappointed, but..."

"No, I want to go. I will go."

"Eh?"

"I was trying to avoid trouble, but thinking about it, we're already having issues. If it's going to happen anyway, I want to do what I like without holding back. I'll reject things I don't like, even if it makes someone angry."

Liana, who opened her big eyes in surprise, looked up at me, her mouth open, as if she hadn't expected this.

"Or, do you want to avoid a troublesome guy like me on the trip?"

"No! Not at all..."

Liana smiled, saying she was looking forward to the trip, and I couldn't help but smile too. I had been compromising out of convenience, which only made things worse. I need to change my approach to people... of course, I'll continue to treat good people the same way.

Since we can use the camping gear, I don't need to buy much for the trip, but I want to get some snacks for the journey. I'll do more detailed research on the tourist spots when I go shopping tomorrow.

I dampened the mood a bit due to my lack of preparation, but it's for the best. It gave me a chance to re-evaluate my actions.

...Come to think of it, this is my first trip with friends.

Reflecting on it, I haven't had a proper rest since I ran away. I can't scold Liana for working too hard if I'm like this. I'll enjoy it too. We spent the evening discussing the sightseeing plans for the trip.

I decided not to hold back on what I want to do just because of others' opinions, but I still want to avoid unnecessary trouble. So, I decided to form a party, saying, "I'm sorry, but my skills are different."

Of course, I mean that my skills are inferior to Liana's. The only thing I can probably do better than her is negotiation.

Since we formed a party, this trip can be considered part of our party activities. I don't intend to tell people I went with them unless asked.

If someone hears that I wanted to go on a trip with my friends as a reward, any lingering hesitation about being a burden would disappear.

Thanking the lord and Liana, I decided to enjoy this trip.

"Wow... it's already so cold here..."

"Good thing we prepared the cold-weather gear as we heard," said Anna.

"Look, look. The mountains over there are already covered in snow."

We walked out of the station, looking around the town, which was full of white steam rising from the hot springs, as described in the travel guide.

"Since it's still early for dinner, shall we grab a snack somewhere?"

"Ah! Let's go to the main street. According to the tourist map, there are many food stalls there."

Anna, who apparently got a map at the station, was looking at it with Liana. I peeked over their shoulders. It seems to be a map provided by the local chamber of commerce, which also serves as advertising for the shops.

"There are many stalls selling fruits grown using the heat from the hot springs."

"Cut fruit... it should be fine to have some before dinner, right?"

Watching the two of them seriously discussing which stall to visit made me feel happy. Liana's slightly reserved smile, which was very much like a normal girl, made my heart feel full, even though the trip had just begun.

We had a private compartment on the train, and I was looking forward to the inn.

"Which one will you have, Fred?"

"Let's see, I'll try something different from the two of you."

"! ...Then, if we all exchange a little, we can try three different kinds, right?"

Liana, who has a sweet tooth, proposed this with a reserved but excited look. We accepted and ordered different items.

The fruits were cut into bite-sized pieces and skewered on short sticks, placed in a cup. The cups would be collected, so it was a good idea to enjoy the fruits without getting our hands dirty. They were well-chilled, and I could feel the cold on my fingers when I received them. Liana, holding the cut fruits, looked for a table by the stall while I said, "I'll get some drinks," and left the area with my share.

The travel guide mentioned a stall selling fresh fruit juices... Oh, I forgot to ask what they wanted to drink. Since they said they don't have any preferences or allergies, I'll buy three popular ones.

No, that's not a good idea. I stopped myself. If they suggest a drink comparison, I might not be able to keep my cool.

"...Hey!! The reward is too low!!"

I decided to buy the most popular "Le Louvre with soda" for all three and joined the queue when I heard a noisy argument from a distance.

Is that... an adventurer?

I saw a sturdy building made of stone with a familiar emblem at the end of the street. Ah, it's the main street, so the adventurer guild is here too. I could see a child's back, who seemed to be the one shouting, in front of it. It looked like a beastkin child. The child's unfamiliar, dirty clothes and messy hair and tail made him look like a stray dog.

The happy mood I had just a moment ago turned sour. From what I could gather, the child and the young men standing in front of him had taken a request, but they were arguing about the reward. It seemed the young men had taken advantage of the child being a child and changed the share, which made me feel bad. I've heard stories about exploiting new adventurers.

Most of the people around me, including those in the queue, were women and children, who looked anxious at the shouting.

Without thinking, my body reacted and I left the queue. Ah, no... It's a bad habit. In a place like this, where I don't know anyone, getting involved in others' arguments would just make me look like a troublemaker. ...Direct mediation isn't a good idea. I should inform the guild staff that there's a potential fight outside. Even if someone else has already reported it, more reports will make it seem more urgent.

"You're the one who burned the prey to a crisp!"

"Hey, the buyback price dropped because of you."

Wait...? It seems the beastkin child isn't being exploited.

"You said you'd give me two gold coins!"

"Hey, don't make things up. I said, 'If we do it properly, we can get ten gold coins, so how about splitting the reward among the number of people?'"

"I said I'd take two gold coins if it was ten, but..."

"I don't get it! Don't try to trick me with complicated talk!"

"I'm not trying to trick you. You should understand that the buyback price was low, right?"

"I gave one gold coin to the non-party member, but we only got four gold coins in total because of you."

From the young men's arguments, I understood the situation. ...The request was supposed to be worth ten gold coins, which means it was a challenging task. The beastkin child seems skilled enough to be invited to a temporary party, but he lacks common sense. I think the young men are being honest, but I should still inform the guild staff to prevent them from being accused further.

"You guys... you're trying to steal the amber's gold, aren't you?!"

"No, no, why would we do that?"

"Damn, I shouldn't have formed a party, even if it was temporary."

"You've been saying all along that the reward dropped because you burned the prey."

"You thief! You deserve divine punishment!"

"Whoa?!"

Before I could react, a young man's body was flying through the air. The beastkin child had apparently punched him. I was in a position where I would definitely be caught in the crossfire if I didn't move. However, I noticed a woman with a child behind me. "I can't avoid this, or they'll get hurt!!" I stopped in a strange posture. In the dungeon, I would be in a combat-ready stance, but in the city, I wasn't on high alert, so I didn't even think of using magic, and I couldn't cast it in such a short time anyway.

In the end, I just had to brace myself and act as a meat shield for the shocked parent and child, catching the flying man.