After Rio met up with Celia and Aishia, Liselotte led the three of them to a guest suite inside the mansion.
The guest suite consisted of a spacious living room, three bedrooms, and even a small kitchen and bathroom – making it a little more extravagant than the suite at the inn they stayed at. She also offered to assign them their own personal attendant, but they immediately turned down the offer politely.
At present, Rio was preparing tea while the two girls gathered at the living room sofa. Once Rio was seated, he looked at Aishia and Celia. “Now, I’d like to confirm what information the two of you have and exchange some of my own. If there’s anything you’d like to report or anything you’re curious about, please make sure you speak up.”
“Okay. But that’s easier said than done. I don’t even know where to start. It was all such a disaster,” Celia nodded with a slightly unwell expression. Having witnessed the damage first-hand, she must have been worried about those from the Beltrum Kingdom.
Rio sensed what Celia was feeling turmoil over and took the initiative to broach the subject. “…Then, there’s one thing I’d like to report first.”
“What is it?” Celia asked. Aishia listened silently.
“It is most likely… No, almost certain that my identity has been revealed to Princess Flora,” Rio confessed uncomfortably.
Celia looked shocked. “…Huh?”
“Princess Flora has an idea of who I am, with almost certain accuracy,” Rio repeated, as his words were of the utmost importance.
Naturally, Celia was panicked. “W-Why?! Is that okay?”
“I can’t be sure, but it’s fine… I think. Unless my judgment was wrong and Princess Flora has the type of personality to spread rumors everywhere, that is,” Rio replied in near self mockery. Celia, however, was awfully confused and thought an explanation was in order.
“W-Wait! Hold it! Why was it revealed in the first place?” “The kidnapper that had history with me said my name in front of Princess Flora. He didn’t give enough information to completely declare it was me, but it seems like Princess Flora is strongly convinced of her own judgment…” Rio explained with a bitter smile.
“Did you confess to her? That you’re Rio?” Celia asked fearfully. She was curious about the man Rio had a past with too, but Flora was more important right now.
“No. I made a vague comment to go along with her, then explained it as being two different people.”
“W-What does that mean, exactly?”
“I accepted the fact I had another name – Rio – then informed her that my name was now Haruto and asked her to forget that Rio is another name of mine.”
“…What did Princess Flora say to that?”
“…She apologized and accepted it as her misunderstanding, while crying,” Rio replied with difficulty.
“I… see… Okay.” Celia looked terribly frustrated, but accepted that answer nonetheless.
Rio frowned at the resurfacing memory of Flora’s crying face. “…Do you think it would be dangerous to believe in Princess Flora?”
“No. Princess Flora wouldn’t spread that needlessly. That’s what I believe,” Celia offered with a fleeting smile. She had spoken to Flora numerous times herself on a personal basis, so she knew fairly well that she didn’t have that kind of personality. Not to mention that she felt extremely guilty about what had happened to Rio…
For a moment, Celia hesitated over whether to tell Rio what Flora felt, but nothing would change in the short-term even if she did. Imagining how her former student must have felt hurt Celia’s heart, but she didn’t want to give Rio unnecessary knowledge to make him worry more right now.
For some strange reason, I felt happy when I saw Rio talking to Princess Flora and Roanna… I’m no good, honestly. Celia sighed deeply. It was extremely difficult to repair a relationship that had warped to that extent.
“…And there’s also another thing I’m late to report on, but I’ve been able to identify one of the heroes I was searching for,” Rio said after a brief pause.
“Oh, really?” Celia said in surprise.
“Yes. I heard it yesterday, when I was having a meal with Liselotte and Duke Huguenot. I’m assisting a little more in the investigations for the incident this time, but once that’s done I’m thinking of visiting Miharu… The people that were summoned from another world. It may be dangerous to remain in this city, too.”
“I see…”
“By the way, it should take about two to three weeks for me to go to Miharu and back.” Celia nodded. “Got it.”
“In that time, I think you and Aishia should wait somewhere. I know it hasn’t been long since you fled the Kingdom of Beltrum, so I’m very sorry for making you go through this… Aishia, you too. Sorry,” Rio said regretfully.
“Don’t worry about it. There are some things I want to think about too.” Celia gave a fleeting smile and shook her head.
“I’m fine too. Leave it to me.” Aishia gave an earnest nod. “Thank you.” Rio smiled at Aishia, before looking closely at Celia. “That’s all from me, but do you have any questions?” “…Umm,” Celia opened her mouth quietly after a pause. “Yes, what is it?”
“What happened between you and that man who abducted Princess Flora? You said you had a past…” Celia asked Rio hesitantly, watching his expression.
“…” Rio made a troubled face, wondering what to reply with.
“Ah, of course, if you don’t want to say then you don’t have to tell me anything, okay? I was just a little curious, that’s all,” Celia said in a fluster.
Rio steadied his resolve and responded calmly. “No, it’s just that the past we have isn’t exactly a fun story to listen to. Do you still want to hear it? If the Professor wants to hear it, then I’ll tell you.”
“…Yeah,” Celia nodded slowly.
“Okay,” Rio assented. “Lucius is the target of my revenge. Before I became an orphan in Beltrum, I had my mother killed right before my eyes by this man, and it is possible my father met a similar fate by him too.” He tried to state the truth as flatly as possible.
Celia paled with a gasp. “I-I’m sorry! For asking about something so painful…” She had expected a certain degree of tragedy from Rio’s behavior, but the truth was so shocking she reflexively apologized.
“No, I wish there was a better way of telling you, but I had always intended on telling you the truth if you asked, Professor. Don’t worry about it,” Rio laughed uncomfortably.
“R-Really?” Celia peered at Rio’s face.
“Yes. Once you had found out a glimpse of the relationship between Lucius and I, it’d only be natural to feel curious, and I didn’t want to lie to you if at all possible,” Rio said, the smile at his lips a little sad.
“I… I see. Did you know about this, Aishia?” Celia’s voice squeaked in shock as she looked at Aishia.
“I knew,” Aishia confirmed in a flat tone.
“I see…” Celia seemed a little relieved at that, sighing quietly in acceptance.
“If possible, I hope you can keep what I have just said between just the three of us,” Rio said. Not even Miharu nor Sara and the others knew. It wasn’t a topic one would want spread around.
Celia paused for a brief moment, then nodded deeply. “…Yeah, I got it. But can I ask one more thing?”
“Yes?”
“Do you hate him, Rio?”
“…Idon’t think I could forgive him, but my emotions are a little different from hatred or disgust. I can’t explain it all that well,” Rio contemplated with a slightly troubled look. His feelings were no longer definable on a scale of hatred or disgust anymore. The notion of killing Lucius had become a fixed concept within Rio’s mind. He saw nothing but his goal of killing. That was his resolute decision.
“”What does…?” Celia cocked her head dubiously.
“I can’t forgive him, but constantly cursing him would grow tiring. It may sound contradictory, but my feelings are much more indifferent than that. It’s just that I’ve already reached an answer within myself, like I’ve decided to face this without running… I cannot explain it with logic,” Rio said, smiling as though he was over it. Celia watched Rio’s confident nature, but still cocked her head dubiously.
“Okay… I see. Fine, then. Thank you for telling me.” Celia smiled gently and nodded.
Of course, it wasn’t because she had completely understood Rio and agreed with him. As someone who had never been in a similar environment, there was no way for Celia to see through the particulars of Rio’s feelings in the first place.
However, Celia knew Rio. She knew what kind of person he was, which was why she could trust him. “While she wasn’t without worries or anxieties, she trusted Rio unconditionally and believed that that was the way to respect someone.
Rio looked awkward, but still relaxed his mouth into a smile. “I should be the one saying that. Thank you very much.”
“Not at all. You can come to me anytime if you want to talk about anything, you know?” Celia peered at Rio’s face.
“Yes. The same goes for you, Professor. About your future,” Rio nodded and said in return.
“…Yup. I’ll spend some time thinking about it.” Celia also looked a little awkward as she nodded bashfully.
◇ ◇ ◇
Afterwards, Rio and the girls spent some time in the room relaxing after the tense encounters that had taken place that day. They drank tea together, took a nap, had a meal, and before they knew it, it was nighttime.
It was at that time that Natalie, the attendant, visited the guest suite they were staying at.
“Sir Haruto, I apologize for disturbing you after your dinner, but would you have a moment? My master wishes to speak with you,” Natalie said.
“Understood,” Rio replied immediately, and headed towards Liselotte. Celia and Aishia remained in the guest suite.
“Lady Liselotte, Sir Haruto has arrived,” Natalie announced with a knock after leading Rio to the meeting room.
“Come in,” Liselotte’s reply came immediately.
“After you, Sir Haruto.” Natalie opened the door and gestured for Rio to go inside.
“If you would excuse me,” Rio gave a single bow and entered the room. Other than Liselotte, Duke Huguenot, Flora, Hiroaki, and Roanna were also in the room. Furthermore, Aria was also present. As soon as Rio appeared, Flora reacted by shaking her body with a flinch.
“Thank you for coming, Sir Haruto. I apologize for summoning you so late,” Liselotte said in welcome. She must have been exhausted at this point, as she didn’t look all that well.
“It’s no problem at all.” Rio shook his head in a friendly manner.
Liselotte gestured for Rio to take a seat. “Please.” And so, Rio took a seat at the round table set up in the meeting room.
“We really have been greatly indebted to you, Haruto. I’m not sure how we could ever repay you enough,” Duke Huguenot said with a somewhat apologetic laugh, already seated at the table.
Rio shook his head with a faint smile. “There is no need for that. How are your injuries?”
“All well, thanks to you. It appears I will have no hindrance to my daily life.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“This may be repetitive, but we truly want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Considerations for your reward are underway, but first let us discuss the incident in detail.”
When Duke Huguenot indicated his intention to give a reward, Rio paused for a faint moment before assenting. “…Understood.” Thus, the topic promptly shifted to discussion of the incident.
“Umm, Sir Haruto,” Flora said.
“What is it?” Rio responded without delay.
“Thank you very much, with regards to what transpired,” Flora said, bowing her head deeply to Rio.
“I’d like to extend you my gratitude once more too. Thank you very much for saving Princess Flora.” Roanna immediately bowed her head to Rio as well.
“It was no problem at all.” Rio didn’t seem to want the conversation to drag out, as he omitted any unnecessary preamble and briefly shook his head.
Meanwhile, Hiroaki had remained silent the entire time up until this point. “…It seems you were sure busy this time.”
“Are you in better health now too, hero? I had heard that you fell unconscious after releasing your power…” Rio asked while examining Hiroaki’s face.
“Who knows. You say that, but all I did was exterminate a couple of those cockroach-like monsters before spending the rest of the time sleeping. The one who had the biggest spotlight defeating minotaurs and rescuing Flora was you, wasn’t it?” Hiroaki said in a blunt, sulking tone. His words almost sounded like he was jealous of Rio’s achievements.
…What’s that about? Rio couldn’t understand why Hiroaki was in a bad mood, so he tread carefully. “I highly doubt that to be the case…”
“No no, your stocks are only soaring higher. There are rumors about you circulating everywhere in the mansion. It’s almost like the birth of a new hero. Right, Flora?” Hiroaki said, suddenly addressing the princess.
“Eh? Ah, y-yes.” Surprised, Flora nodded along on the spur of the moment.
“See? Told you.” Hiroaki shrugged his shoulders, unimpressed.
“Sir Haruto, your tea.” Aria approached Rio and quietly placed tea on the table. Beneath the teacup was a piece of paper with writing on it.
Rio narrowed his eyes when he spotted the letter under the cup. He wondered if it was Aria’s writing; it was written in excellent penmanship. After witnessing the attendants praising your contributions, combined with the fact his own efforts fell short, he has been left in a bit of a sulky mood. The fact that Princess Flora has taken an interest in you has also been another source of his bad mood.We apologize for the trouble.
There was no need for Aria to be the one apologizing at all. It was more likely that Hiroaki had been the one to demand his presence at their meeting, and there was no way for anyone to deny him.
I see. Rio understood what Hiroaki must be feeling and thanked Aria courteously. Meanwhile – Bah, what is this? This dull, dull feeling … Like having a newbiejoin and receive clear favoritism from their superiors right away.Nothing kills the mood more than this…
Hiroaki’s eyes must have been clouded with envy, as his thoughts were completely unreasonable.
It was true that giving preferential treatment to a newbie with no achievements whatsoever could only be interpreted as favoritism. It was an action that would antagonize the senior figures that had supported the organization until now, in some way or another.
However, it was a different story when that newbie had already shown more outstanding results than the senior figures, objectively proving their worth and capability. Any good organization would give such talented figures a befitting amount of appreciation.
If anything, it would be a problem if an incompetent person was valued more highly than a talented person. Organizations were not formed from machines, after all. If incompetence was praised and talent ignored, the talented people would naturally feel discontent. There were plenty of other opportunities to be had by talented people, so only the incompetent ones would inevitably remain in the organization.
Of course, there were some cases of organizations placing higher value on areas other than visible results, but he wasn’t a psychic. There was no way he could see through that; he wouldn’t know unless it was indicated as such. Not to mention that Rio was a person outside of the organization. For Liselotte and Duke Huguenot, he was their savior and the largest contributor to the relief efforts, making him someone they wanted to get closer to by all means. He had achieved results that were objectively impossible to fault, so it was only natural for him to be praised. Or rather, they would be distancing themselves from Rio if they didn’t, which would make Liselotte lose face.
That was why Hiroaki’s discontent towards the warm hospitality being shown to Rio was simply being misdirected.
Or rather, if he was envious, then he should have used that envy as a driving force instead. But Hiroaki lacked the spirit for that.
Ah yes, the neutral side character that appears later than the main character while being stronger too. The one that has to ruin the overpowered uniqueness of the main character, right? What a drag.
Hiroaki disapproved of Rio from whatever point of view he could think of. In his head, he was being logical, but the fact his evaluation was based off his emotions meant it was anything but.
“Hah,” Hiroaki sighed dramatically.
Liselotte watched him with a somewhat fed up look in her eyes. She was the one who wanted to sigh, after all. Even Duke Huguenot was frowning a little, ill at ease.
Roanna’s face was slightly panicked, having realized the situation wasn’t good. Flora’s entire attention was focused on Rio, so she didn’t have any room left to care about Hiroaki right now.
However, Hiroaki’s value as a hero was far too great to just ignore. It would be a problem to have him sulk forever over such a trivial matter, not to mention annoying.
I believe it would be best to proceed with the discussions.
Agreed.
Liselotte and Duke Huguenot reached a mutual understanding with an exchange of eye contact. They had already settled what topics to discuss in advance, so their plans were already laid out.
They actually wanted to use this chance to discuss the reward too, but it would have to wait for another time when Hiroaki wasn’t present. “Now that Haruto is here, let us get straight into the main topic at hand. What I wish to discuss with you is about the mercenary, Lucius. I know some things about that man’s background,” Duke Huguenot said.
“…Is that so?” Rio gazed in wonder at the unexpected source of information about Lucius.
“I have heard that you have a certain past with this Lucius man. There may be information useful to you among this.”
“I am most grateful.” Rio bowed once and waited for the conversation to continue.
“I do not know where Lucius conducts his activities now, but he was originally from a lower class noble family in our kingdom. His family name was Orgueil. The house fell a long time ago, though,” Duke Huguenot explained.
“Haruto, were you…”
“I was unaware.” Rio shook his head slowly.
“Which means you only know of Lucius as a mercenary, then. It is most likely that you met him after his family had fallen out of grace, then. On the other hand, I only know of what he was like before that…” Duke Huguenot said, examining Rio closely.
“…I only knew him for a brief period of time, when I was a child. I do not have any direct knowledge of what he was doing as a mercenary.”
“I see… Then let me fill you in a little on what he was like when he was a noble. Lucius Orgueil was a former candidate for the position of the King’s Sword, competing neck and neck with the current King’s Sword, Sir Alfred Emarle,” Duke Huguenot explained.
“That means his ability as a swordsman was fairly high, then,” Liselotte confirmed.
“Yes. If I recall correctly, there were some who believed that he would have been selected as the King’s Sword if his family status had been more favorable. I personally didn’t find Sir Alfred’s abilities lacking in any way, but our kingdom values more aspects than just ability,” Duke Huguenot said, huffing in a self-mocking sneer. His gaze was directed at Aria, who was formerly a lower class noble of Beltrum. Aria received Duke Huguenot’s gaze with her usual unconcerned look.
“The reason why Lucius wasn’t selected as the King’s Sword was because his family fell before the selection. It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that the fate of the Orgueil house rested on Lucius’ shoulders at the time, but the house reached its limit before anything could happen. Although, there are rumors suspecting that their ruin was directly caused by certain circumstances where exterior pressure was being exerted. Well… “Who knows what the truth is,” Duke Huguenot added in his eloquent way of speaking.
“…”What kind of path do nobles that lose their house normally pursue?” Rio asked.
“Falling into ruin is an extreme disgrace for a noble. Not all doors are closed to them afterwards, but their lives have basically ceased to exist. There are many cases where the whole house commits suicide or are never seen again. Of course, there are those among them like Aria, who distinguish themselves instead. Lucius belongs to that select group,” Duke Huguenot explained.
“Considering the incident this time, it may be possible that this Lucius man holds a strong grudge towards Beltrum Kingdom,” Liselotte said, offering a hypothesis.
“You think that may be the motive behind Princess Flora’s abduction?” asked Rio.
“Yes. Of course, there may be a motive beyond personal reasons, but I’d like to hear what Sir Haruto thinks after actually fighting this Lucius,” Liselotte said, seeking Rio’s opinion.
“…I’m not sure. However, I believe he prioritized his own pleasure when it came to the fight with me – someone he was connected to- over the abduction of Princess Flora.” Rio offered his impressions as he looked back on the series of events up to their fight.
“What kind of a person did this Lucius seem like to you, Sir Haruto?” Liselotte looked at Rio and asked.
“He was a monster in a human skin. Cunning and calculative, he seems to move in a logical manner, but actually takes illogical actions in pursuit of his own pleasure. A savage and devious man,” Rio stated bluntly.
“If you think that of him, then…” Liselotte’s eyes widened faintly. From what she had heard so far, he seemed like a terrible person. Even though he didn’t seem like the type to openly speak ill of others, Rio had gone out of his way to say just that, so he must have a particularly deep connection with Lucius. This meant that in order to support this personal criticism, there was a need to know how Rio and Lucius were related, but the topic was rather delicate and made it difficult to ask. If it was just a matter of asking and being refused, then it would be fine, but she wanted to avoid upsetting him. That being said, as reluctant as she was, she had no other choice
but to ask right now. She’d just have to prepare herself for the worst.
With that thought, Liselotte opened her mouth, when – “Excuse me. I apologize if this is an intrusive question, but may I inquire as to what kind of connection Sir Haruto has with this man called Lucius?” Roanna, who had been listening silently until now, suddenly asked. Perhaps she had read the mood in the air and realized it would be safer for her to ask than Liselotte or Duke Huguenot, who were in positions of negotiation that could potentially occur in the future.
Rio kept an uncomfortable smile on his face as he answered. “…My mother was killed before my very eyes.”
It wasn’t a past he wanted to tell people, but he couldn’t refuse to answer considering the situation they were in. However, the past that he revealed was so tragic, Roanna turned white as a ghost and apologized in a panic. “…I-I am so very sorry.”
“No, there’s nothing to apologize for,” Rio replied immediately.
“Ah… Well, like Liselotte said, if he’s doing this out of resentment for the Kingdom of Beltrum, then he must be quite the petty man.” Even Hiroaki felt pity for the awkward question Roanna had asked and tried to change the topic.
A-Are you one to talk, acting all jealous over Sir Haruto mere moments ago? Liselotte thought tiredly, but didn’t say anything out loud. Humans were terrible at objectively looking at themselves, after all. Anyway, if Hiroaki hadn’t supported Roanna there, Liselotte would have spoken up herself.
Instead, Liselotte looked at Duke Huguenot and proceeded with the discussion. “That still isn’t certain yet. I’m also interested in this man called Reiss that Sir Haruto and Princess Flora mentioned…”
“I’ve also heard of the name Reiss before. It’s the name of the Proxia Empire diplomat who was secretly communicating with the house of Duke Arbor. Or course, it may just be two people with the same name…” Duke Huguenot murmured, and Liselotte turned to address Rio.
“Princess Flora said that his face was hidden by a hood, but were you able to catch a glimpse of his appearance at all, Sir Haruto…?. ”
“No, I couldn’t see anything either. Even if I had seen the face of that Proxia Empire diplomat, there’s no guarantee they are the same person,” Rio shook his head apologetically. He could make a presumption based on stature and voice, but there wasn’t enough decisive evidence to prove it.
“Which means it would be more reliable to pursue Lucius’ tracks, whose background we understand,” Liselotte suggested.
Duke Huguenot seemed to have no objections. “I will gather my forces and investigate to see whether anyone among them has had any points of connection with him in the past or present. It will require a trip back to Rodania, though.”
“Thank you for your efforts. I will put an inquiry in at the adventurer’s guild just in case, but if he has suspended his mercenary activities, I don’t believe there will be much chance of success.” Liselotte bowed her head deeply in request.
Various discussions continued after that, and another hour passed before they dispersed.
◇ ◇ ◇
The next morning, Rio was once again summoned by Liselotte. Instead of the meeting room from last night, he was led into a drawing room.
“Thank you for coming, Sir Haruto. Please, have a seat,” Liselotte welcomed Rio brightly. Present in the room was the head attendant Aria, Duke Huguenot, and Flora. There was no sign of Hiroaki or Roanna.
“Excuse me. “What is everyone gathered here for, if I may ask?” Rio asked, then sat down on a loveseat. They should have concluded all discussions about the monster attack and Lucius last night.
“If it isn’t too much of a bother to you, we wanted to ask what your plans are for the future, and also discuss various things relating to your reward.” Liselotte sat on the single seater sofa opposite to Rio and stated their business. Flora was seated on the sofa next to her, while the one beside that sat Duke Huguenot.
“I’ve actually had some urgent matter suddenly come up, so I was thinking of leaving Amande within the next few days,” Rio informed.
“Urgent matter, you say?”
“Yes. I plan on heading to the Galarc Kingdom capital, Galtuuk, first.”
“…Is that so? In that case, we must prepare our tokens of gratitude for you with even more haste.” Liselotte had wanted Rio to remain in Amande so that they could deepen their relationship, but she couldn’t make demands in this situation.
“I’m sure your hands must be full with the aftermath of the monster attack on Amande, Lady Liselotte. There’s no need for you to push yourself.” Rio shook his head gently.
“I cannot allow things to settle like that- We are only here now because of your efforts. Rewarding you should be my highest priority,” Liselotte said.
“Is there anything you desire? To be honest, your merits have been so great, we’ve been having a little trouble determining how to reward you. Of course, Liselotte and I fully intend on rewarding you separately. Whether it is status or money, we will gladly prepare whatever is within our abilities for you. If you have any requests, I’d like to hear them,” Duke Huguenot said smoothly.
“…” Flora stared at Rio’s face fixedly.
“I… see.” Rio contemplated for a moment, before speaking up. “In that case, there is one thing I would like to request of Lady Liselotte.”
“Yes?” Liselotte returned Rio’s gaze directly.
“If it is possible, could you allow me to participate in the banquet where the heroes are to be introduced?”
“The banquet where the heroes are to be introduced… The banquet being held at our kingdom’s royal castle. Is that correct? And you want to attend yourself, Sir Haruto?” Taken aback by the unexpected request, Liselotte looked at Rio carefully as she confirmed what he’d said.
“Yes. I wish to meet Lady Satsuki Sumeragi.” Rio nodded, stating his objective shortly.
“…May I ask why?. ”
“I’m sorry. I know that this is impudent of me, and for that I am most ashamed, but could I ask that you refrain from asking my reason as part of my reward? Of course, I have absolutely no intention of harming the hero in any way, and will explain the situation properly when the right time comes,” Rio said, bowing his head deeply to Liselotte.
Liselotte paused for a long moment before resolving herself and accepting. “…I understand. It should be possible for you to accompany me when I go.”
If a person of unclear background was taken to the banquet hosted by the king and queen themselves and caused an issue, everything would fall on Liselotte’s head, which was why requests like Rio’s would normally be out of the question. However, her debt to Rio was equivalently as large as his request was outrageous.
“Thank you very much.” Rio bowed his head deeply to Liselotte once more.
Liselotte shook her head with a cheerful smile. “Not at all. I will eagerly await the time when we can talk more about this.” Duke Huguenot, who had been watching the exchange between Rio and Liselotte silently, finally spoke up. “…Hmm, it seems like the reward from Liselotte has been decided. Now, may I hear what you request from us?”
Flora seemed nervous, as her expression was rather stiff as she stared at Rio.
Rio looked between Duke Huguenot and Flora. “…To be honest, I cannot think of anything at the moment.”
“Hmm. So you’d like hold onto the request for later. Is that correct?” Duke Huguenot asked, confirming the gist of Rio’s statement.
“Yes. I would be grateful if you could lend me your assistance if I were to need it in the future.”
“…Understood,” Duke Huguenot nodded with a wry smile, surprised at how indifferent he seemed. Meanwhile, Flora seemed to have an opinion about that, as she was watching Rio with a vexed expression.
“My reward is also lacking with just an invitation to the banquet. When you need assistance, please rely on what power I have too,” Liselotte offered immediately.
“I would appreciate that greatly.” Rio smiled warmly.
◇ ◇ ◇
Two days later…
It was morning when Rio departed from Amande with Aishia and Celia. At present, they were standing outside the mansion entrance and being sent off. The ones seeing them off were Liselotte, Flora, and Duke Huguenot, along with Hiroaki and Roanna. Furthermore, Aria, Natalie, Cosette, Chloe, and all the attendant ladies of the estate had lined up.
“Thank you all for everything. To be sent off by so many people is an honor.” Rio bowed once, facing Liselotte and the rest. Behind him, Aishia and Celia, who had their faces hidden by their hoods, bowed similarly.
Liselotte gave her cheerful words of parting on behalf of everyone present. “We should be the ones thanking you. We shall look forward to seeing you again in a month and a half, on the date that we agreed on.”
“Yes, thank you very much,” Rio replied with a smile.
“I would love to talk to you two some more as well, if that is to your liking!” Liselotte said while looking at Aishia and Celia.
In the end, Aishia and Celia had been shut away in their rooms the entire time so that most of the people in the mansion, including Liselotte, never interacted with them during their stay. There was the fact that Rio hadn’t tried to put the two of them in the spotlight, but with Aishia having close combat abilities on par with Rio and Cecilia being such a remarkable sorcerer, Liselotte’s curiosity was piqued. At the very least, she thought she could venture with a little greed and ask for another opportunity to make contact with them.
“Yes. If the opportunity arises, then gladly.” Celia nodded amiably with a charming smile. Aishia was silent, but nodded too.
“…” Most of the men and women standing on Liselotte’s side found their gazes captivated. After all, from what they could see, both Aishia and Celia had beauty that couldn’t normally be seen on an everyday basis. Liselotte and her attendants were also a gathering of beautiful girls, but most of them accepted the fact that they came in second in terms of appearances. The only attendant on par would probably be Aria. Otherwise, there was Flora and Liselotte, followed by Roanna as runner-up. Hiroaki’s mouth was open as he stared at Aishia and Celia in a daze.
…Huh, she looks familiar for some reason? Aria tilted her head in suspicion, watching Celia’s face. Celia seemed to notice her gaze, and her expression grew a bit awkward.
When Rio realized that too, he urged for their departure.
“We will be going now, then.”
“Yes, please take care. Thank you for everything you have done,” Liselotte said, clutching her skirt gracefully and bowing her head. The attendants behind her all lowered their heads, seeing Rio and the others off.
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