Ch.130Chapter 130 – Hometown

It was a mountain of clothes.

That’s a bit of an exaggeration, but seeing the closets packed with various high-end garments, I couldn’t think of anything else.

“Isn’t this just a clothing store?”

“It is a clothing store, isn’t it?”

The staff member guiding me asked as if confused by my question.

I had seen clothing stores from a distance in the capital, but I’d never seen one this large.

The staff member spoke again.

“This is primarily used by the Metis Count’s family, but nobles and merchants from Florence and the kingdom often visit as well.”

“Even though this isn’t a gateway city?”

“If you’re of noble standing, many people stop by to pay their respects to the Count.”

I suppose if someone were meeting a count, they would need to make sure their clothes were properly arranged beforehand.

The position of count was by no means a low rank, and this was his territory after all.

This store was a high-end establishment catering to people visiting the count and the count’s family.

“So that’s why it’s as splendid and spacious as those in the capital.”

“That’s right.”

It needs to be large and impressive to catch the eye of such nobles.

And of course, they must be confident in their skills to do business with nobility.

I nodded quietly.

“Well, I’ll be going now.”

Sadly, I was someone who had barely scraped by day-to-day in the cheapest inn in the capital.

Just setting foot in a place like this was enough for me.

It’s best to escape while I can.

I decided to make a quick getaway.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Unfortunately, my escape was thwarted by Eve.

She clung to my arm as if determined not to let me go.

“No matter how I look at it, a high-end store like this doesn’t suit me.”

Nice clothes would be good to have, but suddenly being in a store like this felt like too high a hurdle.

Eve tilted her head slightly at my words.

“It’s on par with high-end stores in the capital, but compared to the most luxurious ones, it falls a bit short?”

“No, that’s not the issue.”

I meant it was strange for me to be in a store where nobles shop.

It seems the wealthy don’t understand the mindset of common citizens.

Eve quietly shook her head and spoke.

“Unfortunately, my brother and the Countess are people who can influence our meeting with the Count, so it’s better to humor them for now.”

“That brother of yours is looking at me like he wants to kill me, though?”

I should add that Eve’s younger sister was also looking at me coldly now.

To these people, I seemed to be someone taking their family member away.

“Still, I think this worked out well.”

“Why?”

Eve looked at me as she said this.

“I’ve wanted to get a proper suit tailored for Kei for some time now.”

“Why?”

With what seemed like joyful eyes, Eve smiled and continued.

“You might not care about this, but among nobles, there are many who find it offensive if you don’t wear formal attire.”

Eve said there were people who felt this way internally, even if they didn’t show it.

“So I thought it would be good to prepare formal attire for Kei in advance, for when you might need to interact with high-ranking individuals.”

Eve added that it would have been better if I had dressed formally for meetings related to the dragon subjugation.

However, she said she was too busy at the time to think about it.

Even if she had thought about it, she probably couldn’t have made time given how busy she was.

Thinking about this, I looked at Eve, and she smiled back at me.

“From my perspective, having the Count’s family provide a suit that I wanted to get for you anyway is honestly saving me money.”

“Isn’t that your family’s money?”

“Since I left the Count’s family, it’s someone else’s money.”

Eve continued to insist that she was not part of the Count’s family.

Though it seemed meaningless since the Metis Count’s family still accepted her as a family member.

In fact, even Eve herself, despite trying to distance herself, ultimately couldn’t completely separate herself, which suggested that the Count’s family had very strong familial bonds.

‘Are all other noble families like this?’

When I think of nobles, I imagine them engaged in power struggles amongst themselves.

Is the Count’s family unusual, or are the nobles who engage in power struggles the unusual ones?

While lost in such foolish thoughts, I looked at Eve.

I saw her quietly muttering something to herself.

“…Since we’re getting a formal suit anyway, when everything is resolved, we could dress up together and go to a restaurant…and then…”

“Hmm?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Her cheeks were slightly flushed, as if she had been imagining something.

Eve cleared her throat softly and held my arm more tightly.

“Anyway, go in and get fitted obediently.”

Eve seemed to have no intention of letting me go.

It looked like I would have to surrender quietly.

“Is everyone else getting fitted?”

“The Countess is taking care of it. It should be Seraphina’s turn by now.”

I had thought the women all went in together, but apparently there was an order for the fittings.

When Eve smiled and opened the door leading inside, I remembered this was supposed to be the fitting room.

“Wait, wait a moment! Wait!! Don’t open it!!”

Sera’s urgent voice was heard.

Eve was startled and quickly closed the door.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes…”

It didn’t seem like changing clothes would cause any major issues.

I don’t understand why Sera shouted so urgently.

“Is something wrong?”

“I’ll go check.”

Eve went inside.

As I stared blankly at the door to the fitting room, I heard someone knocking on the wall beside me.

“Are you enjoying your time?”

“Ah, coachman.”

He had said he would guard the carriage and was talking with Sebastian, but it seemed he had come in, perhaps out of boredom.

The clothing store probably let him in knowing he was from the Metis Count’s family.

“It seems everyone is busy getting fitted for clothes.”

“Yes.”

After saying this, the coachman looked me up and down.

“You’re quite tall, so you’ll look good with Lady Eve when wearing a formal suit.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

The coachman nodded while examining me for a while.

He seemed to be appraising me.

“But why are you lingering here outside?”

“Actually, someone inside suddenly shouted urgently, so Eve went in to check.”

“I see.”

He seemed satisfied with my answer and smiled.

“By the way, you seem to be on familiar terms with Eve? I notice you call her by name.”

“…I received an offer I couldn’t refuse.”

The coachman laughed lightly at my response.

Just as I was about to ask what was so amusing, Eve peeked out from inside.

“…Kei, I think you can come in now.”

“Is it my turn? Excuse me then.”

“Good luck.”

I raised my hand in farewell to the coachman and went in with her.

“What happened in there?”

“Well…”

Eve’s expression seemed somewhat dark when I asked, but she avoided answering.

When we went inside, the situation was even more peculiar.

“What on earth happened?”

“Ugh…”

The Countess was looking down with a troubled expression, and Sera was covering her face with both hands while hanging her head.

“…Don’t tell me…it fits…”

“Calm down. The helmet arrived.”

Beatrice was comforting Sera by placing a hand on her back, while Christina was somehow frozen in place alongside Eve’s younger sister, Abelia.

“What exactly happened, Eve?”

“Sometimes there are truths better left unknown.”

Eve said this while turning her face away from me.

“…I knew it, but I didn’t think it would be to that extent…”

Eve glanced at Sera, then looked down at herself.

‘So that’s what it was.’

I could roughly guess the situation.

There must not have been any clothes that fit Sera.

Since Sera is short, the reason the clothes wouldn’t fit would be…

‘Let’s pretend I don’t know.’

A wise man avoids dangerous places, and sometimes a man needs to pretend not to know even when he does.

+

The suit fitting itself went smoothly.

It was thanks to the enthusiastic guidance of Eve and the other women.

“Somehow it looks very similar to what Eve usually wears.”

“Really? I wouldn’t know about that.”

Eve seemed to be evading the question.

“By the way, the store said they would alter Seraphina’s clothes and send them over today.”

“Is that okay?”

“They said it’s natural since the Metis Count’s family is a major customer.”

Eve said with a smile.

Incidentally, Sera looked like she might cry at those words.

As I was wondering how to comfort Sera, the Countess approached with a smile.

“Thank you for your patience.”

“Not at all, you worked harder, Countess.”

Though it was just a pleasantry, the Countess seemed pleased with my words and smiled broadly.

“I’m sorry for making you try on so many things. The clothes suited you better than I expected, so I got a bit excited.”

“It’s fine.”

In truth, I wanted to beg her to take it easy halfway through, but there was no need to say that here.

Moreover, both the Countess and Eve’s younger sister were in good spirits, chatting about various things.

‘I didn’t expect them to be this happy.’

That has its own kind of reward, I suppose.

The women all seemed satisfied.

It seemed like everyone had a good time, except for Cain who still looked at me like he wanted to kill me.

As we exited the clothing store, the Countess looked at us.

“Since we’re out, I recommend taking a look around town before heading back.”

“Is that alright?”

“It will take some time before the Count returns home anyway.”

She seemed to be suggesting we take a brief tour of the town and rest a bit.

“Then, where should we spend our time…”

Just as Sera and I were about to put our heads together, the Countess suddenly approached Sera.

“By the way, Seraphina, you said you’re an alchemist, right?”

“Yes? Yes, I’m an alchemist.”

“Then, if it’s not too much trouble, would you come with us?”

Sera’s expression became somewhat dejected.

Seeing her expression, the Countess looked very apologetic.

“It won’t take long. And I’ll make sure you’re properly compensated.”

“What is it for?”

Having no grounds to refuse, Sera reluctantly agreed.

The Countess looked even more apologetic.

“Seraphina, just a moment.”

Eve approached Sera and whispered something in her ear.

Soon Sera nodded and whispered something back, and Eve nodded in response.

Sera then regained her composure and looked at the Countess.

“Please tell me the details.”

Whatever was said, Sera had regained her spirit.

As Sera and the Count’s family members left, Beatrice whistled once and approached Christina.

“Well then, Sister, come along with me.”

“What? Oh, yes?”

Christina was momentarily confused.

However, she was soon caught by Beatrice and dragged away.

In the end, only Eve and I remained.

“Just the two of us left.”

“Indeed. How coincidental.”

Eve spoke as if it couldn’t be helped.

I had a slight suspicion that she had orchestrated this, but I decided not to press the issue.

“Time is precious. Shall we go?”

“Let’s.”

I walked down the street with Eve.

‘Oh right, my helmet.’

I remembered that I had left it in the carriage when we changed clothes.

While I doubt anyone would attack us here, I feel uneasy without it.

‘I guess there’s no helping it.’

If I tried to go get my helmet now, Eve would probably get angry.

I’ll have to give up on it.

As we moved a bit away from the clothing store, we soon reached the bustling part of town.

Of course, compared to the capital, it was still small.

Eve looked around with some enjoyment.

“Nothing has changed here.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Not much has changed since I left home.”

Eve looked around as she spoke.

“If you go around that corner, there’s an accessory shop, and if you go that way…”

Eve walked while reminiscing about her memories.

She named the shops according to her memory, and almost all of them were still there as she had described.

It was as if time had stood still since she had run away from home; most of the shops were still in their places.

“…That skewer shop closed down after all. What a shame.”

The time she had been away from this place was by no means short.

I could see Eve looking somewhat regretful as she noticed shops that had disappeared during that time.

Still, she would happily talk about various things whenever she recognized a shop.

“You look like you’re having fun.”

At my words, Eve seemed a bit surprised.

Then she looked at me with concern.

“Am I getting too carried away by myself?”

“No, I’m enjoying it, so it’s fine.”

It was interesting to see her showing such childlike excitement about returning to her hometown, which was different from her usual slightly more mature demeanor.

At my words, Eve’s eyes widened a bit, and then she smiled.

“Honestly, it feels strange.”

“Strange?”

“When I was younger, I sometimes thought I was tired of this place.”

Eve said this while pointing ahead.

“There’s a park up ahead. Let’s rest on a bench there for a bit.”

True to her word, there was a park.

It seemed to be a small park made for tourists to rest.

We sat side by side on a bench.

“This is still the same too.”

“You remember so many places.”

“I know, right?”

Eve smiled softly and leaned slightly against me.

“…When I was young, I would come here whenever I went out to play, and sometimes I wished I could go somewhere else.”

“I see.”

“After entering and graduating from the Knight Academy, I came here only a handful of times, and after that…”

Eve paused for a moment.

Perhaps she was thinking about the future she had told me about before.

“You must have had a hard time.”

“Yes. When I left with Rachel, we didn’t even pass through here.”

Eve said this was the first time she had been here since running away.

“It’s strange. My hometown is still exactly the same.”

“That’s what makes it home.”

I muttered without thinking.

“A place that always waits for you and welcomes you back—that’s what a hometown is.”

For a moment, we silently stared at the trees in front of us.

I quietly sank into my thoughts.

‘I wonder what will happen when I return to my hometown.’

If I somehow return to the hometown I barely remember.

Will I be happy like Eve?

Or will I be confused, feeling like a stranger?

I don’t know.

My head lowered unconsciously.

“Kei.”

“Yes?”

“You’re thinking about your hometown, aren’t you?”

How did she guess?

I looked at Eve, and she was looking back at me.

“I think your hometown will wait for you and welcome you back, just like mine.”

“Eve.”

“Please don’t think too deeply about it.”

Eve said with a smile.

“You won’t know until you actually face it.”

“You’re right.”

Indeed, as she said, what feelings would arise was something I would only know when I returned.

Even though the magic tower was researching it, it wasn’t something that would happen overnight.

“…Someday I’ll be able to return.”

I thought that if I dealt with the tasks at hand, a path would become visible.

Eve quietly watched me.

“You will be able to return.”

Eve said this and began to smile.

“Kei.”

“Yes?”

“For this moment at least, shall we imagine together the joy of when you’re able to return?”

Eve said with a smile.

“There’s nothing more enjoyable to imagine than a future we don’t yet know.”

“Is that so?”

“That’s how it is.”

If that’s what she says, then it must be so.

There’s a certain persuasiveness when a young lady who can see the future says such things.

I found myself smiling slightly, and Eve smiled too.

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she looked at me with a playful expression.

“I’m honestly looking forward to it.”

“To what?”

“Exploring your hometown together with you.”

“My hometown? All of us together?”

When I asked this, Eve continued to look at me with a mischievous expression.

“Regarding your hometown, not just me, but Seraphina and Christina seem to be secretly looking forward to it as well.”

There were quite a few people who wanted to visit my hometown.

I didn’t expect to hear such a thing suddenly.

It’s a bit of a strange feeling.

“But I don’t think it’s famous as a tourist destination.”

Or is it? Was it famous as a tourist spot?

I really don’t know.

“Why does that matter? It’s Kei’s hometown.”

“Is that so?”

“That’s what’s most important. For me, for Seraphina, and should we include Christina too?”

Eve said this with a smile.

“Because it’s Kei’s hometown.”

“I feel a bit pressured by such high expectations.”

“Do you?”

“Yes, I do.”

I don’t even know what I should show them.

‘Still, going there all together…’

If we happen to go together.

‘…Is that too foolish a thought?’

It seemed too early to think about such things now.

I’ll save that imagination for another time.

“Thank you, Eve.”

“For what?”

“For saying you want to visit my hometown.”

It might be just empty words, but I felt she said it out of consideration for me.

“Do you think I said that just to be polite?”

“No, I believe you meant it.”

I quickly denied it when Eve spoke as if slightly hurt.

I was a bit curious how she had figured out what I was thinking.

“I can tell what Kei is thinking from your demeanor.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Eve looked at me and said.

“That’s why it’s also easy to catch you off guard.”

“What do you mean?”

Eve’s face suddenly came closer to mine.

A moment later, Eve’s face moved away from mine.

“How was that? Pretty easy, right?”

“…I feel a bit indignant.”

“You can’t say that after falling for it.”

I felt my face heating up as I averted my gaze from Eve.

Since it wasn’t the first time, I was somehow able to maintain my composure.

‘Last time Sera ambushed me.’

This time it was Eve.

Am I really that defenseless?

I carefully observed Eve, wondering if I should counterattack somehow.

Eve had turned her face away from me and was looking into the distance.

It seemed she was embarrassed despite being the one who initiated it.

After an awkward silence, Eve quietly stood up.

Whether it was a poker face honed as a merchant or not, her face had already returned to its usual expression.

“…It seems like it’s time to head back. Shall we go?”

“Sure.”

Eve had somehow moved closer to me.

I didn’t push her away and walked alongside her.

We quietly retraced our steps.

“Hey, perfect timing!”

In the distance, we saw Beatrice approaching us with delight.

“The mood was good too.”

“That’s life—things don’t always go as planned.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Eve chuckled at my words.

I smiled slightly too.

“Shall we go?”

“Let’s.”

We walked together, smiling helplessly at Beatrice who was running toward us excitedly.