Chapter 77

“Phew”

Now that I’ve finished greeting the Viscount, I have some free time.

I recall the timetable that came with the invitation. It stated that from the opening of the venue until the start of the ceremony, only drinks would be served for mingling, and after the award ceremony, there would be a standing buffet.

“I wish Anna and Fred could have come too.”

“Yeah, it would have been a feast.”

I also think it would have been nice to have them here.

To be honest, I’m a bit nervous about being back in a social setting after a long time, so my appetite isn’t really there. If they were here, I might have enjoyed the party a bit more.

“I wanted to show Anna and Fred how well I handled the criminals.”

Amber said this with a very disappointed look, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

I also need to remind her not to eat too many sweets, saying, “You’ll be full before the party starts,” and to keep it to just a little to take the edge off her hunger.

Feeling more relaxed, I think I was able to enjoy the drinks and light snacks until the ceremony began.

Just before the ceremony, one of the Viscount’s servants called me to go over the simple movements for the ceremony. When my name is called, I’m supposed to step forward to the Viscount, receive the medal on my chest, bow, and return to my place. That’s all.

Amber looks like she’s hearing this for the first time, but I guess she didn’t listen when I explained it at the hotel. However, now that she’s been briefed, she seems to be okay.

After a quick review of the movements with the other awardees, we were soon prompted to go up on stage.

There was a brief speech by an important person, but it was shorter than I expected, and we moved on to the awards.

“Alchemist Rio”

“Yes.”

“You have developed artificial magic stones, bringing great benefits to Lindemen. Your skill in thwarting the evil hands that reached for your invention is also commendable. Therefore, in recognition of your achievements and in anticipation of your future development, I hereby confer upon you the title of Honorary Citizen.”

“I am honored to receive it.”

My turn came, and my name was called.

As the Viscountess pinned the Honorary Citizen medal to my chest, I heard the other attendees whispering in surprise, “It’s a woman,” and “And so young.”

I was about to wonder why they were so surprised, but of course, I had been trying to make “Alchemist Rio” sound like a man.

I thought it would just be a minor distraction, but it seems to have been more effective than I expected. It shows how tight-lipped the people I actually interact with are.

Since reporters started appearing around me, the hood that has the effect of hindering recognition has also been useful.

But... I should have come in disguise. If I had known my information was still so unknown, I could have come dressed as a boy, like when I was on the ship.

“Adventurer Amber”

“Yes!”

Amber’s enthusiastic response blew away all the thoughts I had been mulling over. Well, it’s no use thinking “I should have done this” now.

I’ll talk to Fred when we get back to the hotel tonight and at lunch tomorrow.

“Wow”

Amber looked very happy, repeatedly looking at the medal pinned to her chest. Her eyes sparkled like she was looking at a treasure.

She seemed so focused on the medal that she didn’t even notice the food and drink area was open. I was a bit worried that the fabric of the rented dress might get damaged if she kept pulling on it with the medal, but it wasn’t serious enough to stop her, so I watched her with a smile.

She had been looking forward to the feast so much, but she was so happy that she didn’t even care about the food.

Amber was the only girl in her family and was unconditionally spoiled and affirmed. I think it was an unfortunate environment where she wasn’t corrected even when she did something wrong.

Her family probably didn’t want to scold her for fear of making her dislike them. It’s just my guess, though.

That’s why she’s so happy to have her actions properly recognized and evaluated.

Thinking about how little Amber understood right and wrong when we first met, I can’t help but feel she’s grown.

“Liana, it’s a shiny gold medal!”

“That’s great. You did something good, and you were recognized for it.”

“Mmm”

Amber’s smug face is cute, but... I still can’t take my eyes off her. Her knowledge hasn’t caught up with her skills, so she might be tricked into doing something bad by someone saying, “It’s for everyone’s benefit.”

I think she’ll need a supervisor for a while... no, for a few years.

Incidentally, the other attendees were very surprised that a child like Amber was being honored as an adventurer.

The shock of that seemed to overshadow the surprise that I was younger than they expected. It was so unexpected that no one has approached me yet.

This was an effect I hadn’t anticipated, and I secretly thanked Amber for it.

“Umm... I can’t eat any more...”

“I told you so. What should we do? Should we loosen your waist?”

“Yeah...”

“Be careful not to let your skirt fall when you stand up.”

Amber, who had finally managed to walk to the magic car that would take us back to the hotel, collapsed into a seat as soon as we started moving.

After unbuttoning the top button of her waist, she seemed a bit more comfortable and was taking deep breaths. Hmm, maybe I should have stopped her.

But watching her pile her plate high with food and eat with a smile was so cute. She was clearly eating more than usual, probably because the party atmosphere had heightened her spirits.

But this might affect her dinner.

I think I let her eat too many sweets before the ceremony and the desserts that were served. Anna might be angry... No, it’s my fault for not fulfilling my supervisory responsibilities, so I’ll take the blame with her.

“Was it good that Liana was held up?”

“I was also ready to go, so it was just right.”

To be considerate of my schedule...! I’m moved by her growth again.

But in fact, I didn’t intend to interact deeply with the Viscount and the surrounding nobles, so it was really just right.

There were too many introductions with transparent motives to get involved in the artificial magic stone business, and I was starting to get a bit tired.

But thanks to the misconception that “Alchemist Rio” was a man, there were many attendees with daughters. I saw several father-daughter pairs in the venue, confused about how to approach me.

From this, I can see that the Viscount hasn’t been actively leaking my information, but it seems I won’t receive the kind of protection and expectations I was hoping for.

But thanks to Amber, I was able to avoid the crowd by accompanying her for meals and left early with just the minimum necessary greetings to maintain etiquette.

Other people who were called by the Viscount were also invited to dinner, but I had already declined, saying, “We have a minor with us, so we’ll just attend the afternoon ceremony.”

I’m sorry for using you as an excuse, Amber, but I’m glad I was able to decline politely while maintaining etiquette.

I could move to a different place if I wanted. I don’t mind letting go of the artificial magic stone business.

Even if I sell the entire business to the Viscount, I can still receive patent royalties. I feel like I can achieve higher-grade artificial magic stones through a different approach.

So, I’ve been thinking more concretely about selling the current artificial magic stones and methods to the Viscount and starting a new business with a completely different method, as I discussed with Anna.

Today, the Viscount didn’t help me when the influential people of this city were aggressively trying to talk business with me, saying, “Let’s talk about work next time,” “No, let’s do it first,” or “I want to introduce my son.”

I know he was flustered when he saw me in trouble and wanted to help, but I managed to decline on my own before the Viscountess stepped in, so I think I’ve grown a bit. I should brag to Anna.

I really want to start over by looking for a noble sponsor. But I don’t want to leave this city.

I need to discuss this matter not only with Anna but also with Fred, as I look out the window of the magic car.

...Ah, I was so tense that I didn’t eat much, and now I’m getting hungry. I’ll have something light when we get to the hotel.