Ch.173Chapter 173 – For Fatigue Recovery… (1)

It was the day after the deal with the lich.

I quietly opened my eyes to the enveloping softness surrounding my body.

‘Where am I….’

I looked around, trying to get my sluggish mind working.

It didn’t take long to remember where I was.

‘The lodging, right.’

It was the room in the high-class inn that Pine had arranged for us after dinner yesterday.

The light coming through the window indicated it was still dawn.

I quietly got up and watched people and elves moving outside the window, silently recalling thoughts about my companions.

“…I wonder if everyone slept well.”

The first concern that came to mind was whether everyone was physically alright.

The lich had left almost immediately after the deal was concluded, and afterward, Pine had offered to pay for whatever we wanted to eat.

That’s when Beatrice, who loves alcohol and free things, went wild.

Under her rampage, expensive liquors and side dishes kept coming to the table. Various things happened, like Christina quietly retreating to a corner of the room, curling up like a ball, and falling asleep because she couldn’t handle alcohol well.

And at some point, Beatrice, who had challenged everyone to a drinking contest, was ironically the first to pass out. Eventually, Ive and Pine gave up saying they couldn’t drink anymore, making Sera the ultimate winner, which concluded yesterday’s dinner.

‘She was a monster.’

I had lost count of how many bottles were consumed, but I shuddered at the fact that Sera’s complexion hadn’t changed at all even as everyone else collapsed.

I couldn’t even guess how strong her alcohol tolerance was.

Anyway, since everyone had drunk excessively, it was obvious we’d all suffer from hangovers today. So yesterday, we decided to rest today and start moving again tomorrow before collapsing into bed and falling asleep.

“Well, I should look on the bright side.”

Our group had already been somewhat tired from the long journey.

Since we were resting anyway, taking a full day off would be much better.

“We know our destination anyway.”

I had received a scroll with our destination written on it from the lich before the drinking session ended yesterday.

While Sera was keeping the scroll, I had also seen the destination, so there wouldn’t be any problem getting there.

Plus, Pine had confirmed the location and promised to guide us whenever needed.

‘Come to think of it, is that elf financially okay?’

Pine had paid for all the meal and inn expenses yesterday.

Everything was top-class, so the price must have been enormous, but she paid without batting an eye.

Thanks to her, everyone probably ate well and slept well yesterday, but…

‘It’s bothering me a bit.’

Judging by how other elves treated her, Pine seemed to be among the elite of the elves, so it wouldn’t be strange if she had a lot of money, but…

It strangely pricked my conscience even though it wasn’t life-threatening. I felt like I needed to check the source of the money at some point.

‘I’ll ask her later.’

By the time I finished organizing my thoughts, I noticed my body felt heavy.

When I quietly looked down, I realized I had already changed clothes and completed all my armor preparations.

“They say habits are scary.”

Since I put on my armor first thing every morning after waking up, it seemed my body had reached the point of moving on its own.

I couldn’t help but smile wryly at the fact that I was fully dressed for battle when we had agreed to rest today.

“Well, it’s an unsettling world after all.”

I put on my helmet. It seemed wasteful to take everything off now that I was fully equipped, and since it was still dawn, I decided to get some fresh air as I turned the doorknob.

“Ah!”

“Huh?”

I stepped back in surprise at the person standing in front of the door.

“Ive, why?”

“Oh, well…”

Ive seemed a bit flustered, as if caught off guard.

“Wait, are you okay with the hangover?”

“Ah, yes. Before we fell asleep last night, Miss Seraphina went around to all the rooms with medicine that’s good for hangovers.”

Ive smiled and replied that she felt fine when she woke up because of it.

‘As expected of Sera.’

Seeing how Ive looked perfectly fine despite drinking to her limit yesterday, the medicine must have been quite effective.

“But why are you here?”

At my question, Ive cleared her throat softly.

Then, after slightly adjusting her clothes, she quietly said:

“Actually, since it’s morning, I was thinking of taking a walk around the market.”

“The market?”

I was slightly surprised by Ive’s words.

“Didn’t we agree to rest today?”

“Still, it’s good to get work done early. We’re going to be busy from now on, right?”

Ive said with a smile.

“…But I thought it might be dangerous for me to walk around alone in the elves’ country. I came to see if you were awake and might accompany me.”

I nodded at Ive’s words.

While Ive wasn’t a weak person, and there would surely be elves serving as guards here, I couldn’t guarantee it was safe enough to let her go alone.

Since I had nothing to do anyway, I thought it would be fine to walk around with her as a stroll.

“But, Kay, why are you in full armor?”

“…It seems to have become a habit; my body put on the armor automatically.”

Ive made an incredulous expression at my words.

But soon she smiled and said:

“That’s reassuring. Shall we go?”

“Sure.”

With that, we stepped outside and closed the door.

Then I quietly asked Ive:

“But were you really outside my door just for that?”

“…Of course.”

Ive answered while slightly avoiding my gaze.

For some reason, I found her cute like that and felt like teasing her a bit.

“You weren’t planning to sneak into my room and lie in bed with me to surprise me when I woke up, were you?”

“Hehe, how could I? You lock your door when you sleep, don’t you?”

As Ive said, I do lock the door when sleeping.

So it would be impossible for Ive to sneak in.

‘…No, wait.’

Just maybe.

It was a very remote possibility, but…

I briefly wondered if Ive might have already secured a key to my room.

‘No way.’

Thinking it was too far-fetched, I looked at Ive.

At that moment, I saw Ive discreetly move her hand to slip what looked like a key into her pocket.

“……”

I felt something strange.

“Hey, Ive?”

“Yes?”

“That thing you just put in your pocket, is it the key to my room?”

Ive didn’t answer.

Then she smiled and said:

“I’ll go down first and wait for you.”

“Ive?”

With that, Ive quickly started descending the stairs.

“No, wait, Ive?”

I quickly began chasing her down the stairs.

From early dawn, I found myself in a chase with Ive on the staircase, and seeing how quickly she was going down, I said:

“Ive, wait a moment?”

“I’ll go down first!”

Inwardly surprised at how fast Ive was—had she always been this quick?—I silently prayed for someone to appear and stop her.

And as if someone had heard my prayer, I saw someone coming up the stairs.

“Oh my?”

“Tch.”

Ive’s sprint finally came to an end.

In that gap, I reached her vicinity.

After a moment, Ive looked down at Christina with a smiling face and said:

“Good morning.”

“Good… morning.”

Christina greeted us with a slightly trailing voice.

Then she soon looked up at us with a smile.

“Guild Master, Benefactor, where are you going?”

“To the market ahead. I was planning to take a walk and do some market research.”

Christina’s expression darkened slightly at Ive’s answer.

But only for a moment; she soon smiled and said:

“Then may I join you? I was thinking of taking a walk since I woke up early.”

“Well…”

This time, Ive’s expression darkened slightly.

But only briefly; she soon smiled and said:

“I don’t mind. What about you, Kay?”

“Well, I don’t particularly mind.”

At my answer, Ive nudged my armor slightly with her elbow.

When I looked at her, Ive was already looking down at Christina with a smiling face.

“…Since Kay has also approved, shall we go together?”

“Yes!”

Christina beamed brightly.

Then she asked us to wait a moment and went into her room.

“…Ive?”

“…There’s something suspicious about her atmosphere lately…”

Ive was lost in thought as she looked at Christina’s door.

+

Following Ive’s guidance as we walked through the streets, we reached the market in no time.

“When did you learn about this location?”

“I remembered last night and asked an employee.”

Ive answered with a smile.

I thought it was impressive that she managed to ask about it last night when she was so drunk she could barely stand.

And at that moment, I began to suspect that might have been when she acquired the key to my room.

“I’m a merchant, you know? It’s only natural for me to frequently survey markets so I can sell or buy goods at any time.”

Even while talking to me, Ive’s eyes were moving busily.

As she looked at the products in the market and their price tags, she would jot down notes in a notebook she pulled out whenever something caught her attention or seemed off to her.

Watching Ive, Christina smiled and said:

“The Guild Master seems very diligent.”

“It’s just basic merchant etiquette.”

Ive said with a smile.

“You’re diligent too, Christina, so you don’t need to envy me just for that.”

“Thank you for the compliment, Guild Master.”

The two women smiled and complimented each other.

But for some reason, the atmosphere felt a bit cold.

“It’s peaceful here, by the way.”

“The problems from yesterday are ultimately stories of those who fight. For those who live ordinary lives day by day, it’s like a tale from a distant land.”

As Ive said, the people in this market were generally those who had no reason to fight.

And it was to protect the precious daily lives of these people that rangers and knights existed.

“By the way, what are you planning to do with those elf dolls’ weapons?”

“The atmosphere wasn’t right to discuss it yesterday, so I’ve kept them in the carriage, but I plan to give them to Miss Pine this afternoon. Along with telling her about what happened with those elves.”

Ive’s expression darkened a bit.

“…Let’s tell her the truth about what happened when we return the weapons.”

“Yes.”

The atmosphere became a bit heavy.

After a moment, Christina looked at us and said:

“That store over there seems to be selling drinks made from honey.”

“Oh, you’re right.”

Following Christina’s words, I looked ahead and saw a drink stand.

Soon, she glanced at Ive briefly before looking at me and saying:

“I’ll go buy some, so why don’t you take a short break?”

“Are you sure?”

At Ive’s question, Christina smiled and said:

“Yes. Let’s try to lighten the mood a bit with something sweet.”

“…Thank you, Christina.”

Soon, Christina turned away from us.

“Christina.”

“Yes?”

“Here, money.”

I tossed my wallet to Christina as I spoke.

“Oh, I can pay for something like this with my own money…”

“I’ll treat you next time.”

“Then, I’ll be right back!”

Christina left with a bright smile.

Watching her go, Ive smiled and said:

“There’s a bench over there. Shall we rest there?”

“Sure.”

I followed Ive to a bench by the road and sat down.

From there, Christina, who was standing in line, saw us and waved.

“Good, we can see her clearly.”

From here, we could respond if Christina suddenly encountered any trouble.

Though realistically, nothing was likely to happen.

While waiting for Christina, Ive took out her notebook again.

“What are you doing?”

“Organizing. I’m thinking of buying goods in advance to load onto the carriage.”

Ive added an explanation as if she just remembered:

“If we finish our business here, we’ll probably head to the dwarves’ country next. I’m planning to decide which goods might sell well there and which might sell well when we eventually return to the Mikea Kingdom, and load them in advance.”

“In that case, you can’t buy food items.”

Ive nodded at my words.

But soon, as if remembering something she saw in the market earlier, she spoke again:

“I saw earlier that they seem to sell preserved food made by mixing fruits and grains and flattening them. From what I overheard from merchants looking to buy them, they can be preserved for a very long time.”

Ive seemed surprisingly interested in that product.

“You liked the preserved food?”

“Well, Albheim is famous for its grains and fruits… Actually, what I’m more interested in is the technology to make such preserved food.”

Ive’s eyes brightened as if she smelled money.

It seemed she had put aside thoughts of the elf dolls from earlier as she began to speak enthusiastically.

Soon, from her mouth flowed comparisons of the products she had seen earlier, which ones were good, which ones to purchase, and discussions about items we were lacking. She started asking me questions one by one and noting down my answers.

“So that’s Kay’s opinion.”

“That’s right. Let’s buy some of that preserved food you mentioned and share it with everyone before making a final decision.”

Ive nodded with a smile at my answer.

Then she stretched her arms out long.

“Phew, working from dawn makes me a bit tired.”

“Why don’t you just do the research today and make purchases another time?”

“I can’t do that. Since we don’t know when the battle with the demons might break out, I need to finish everything while we have time.”

Then Ive smiled and said:

“I’ll ask someone else to accompany me, or if not, I’ll ask Miss Pine, so I won’t burden you.”

“Since we’re all in this together, you can call me again if needed.”

“You need to rest well too, Kay. And I’ll rest well after I’m done, so don’t worry.”

Ive said this while stretching.

‘She seems quite tired.’

I wondered if there was a way I could help her.

And seeing Ive move her arms, I suddenly thought of something and said:

“Then, how about I give you a massage?”

“A massage?”

Looking at the slightly surprised Ive, I nodded.

“I’m not a professional, so it won’t be amazing, but I think I can at least help with any knots you might have.”

“A massage…”

Ive stared at me with blank eyes for a moment.

Then she smiled and said:

“A massage, huh. I remember asking you before if you knew any good massages for fatigue recovery.”

Come to think of it, Ive and I had such a conversation before.

“I still don’t really know, but… wouldn’t it help anyway?”

“Thank you for your concern. But still…”

After saying that much.

Ive’s gaze changed slightly.

“…Ive?”

Wondering if I had said something wrong, I looked at Ive.

Fortunately, it didn’t seem like I had offended her, as Ive smiled back at me.

“…Actually. Why don’t I take you up on that offer this time? You might unexpectedly have a talent for it.”

“Well, I don’t mind…”

Her sudden change in attitude is a bit scary.

“You’ll continue until I say I’m fully relaxed. Is that okay?”

“If I do that, I might end up massaging all day, so how about we extend the time a bit if you like it? Is that okay?”

“I guess I have no choice.”

After saying that, Ive smiled again and said:

“But in return, you must definitely do it today no matter what happens, and you can’t suddenly stop. Is that okay?”

“That much is fine.”

I had no intention of suddenly quitting after agreeing to do it.

‘She must be quite tired.’

The fact that she changed her mind from initially declining to insisting on receiving it suggests she really wanted a massage, even from an amateur.

I looked at Ive with concerned eyes.

And she smiled and said:

“Then I’ll come to your room tonight. Is that okay?”

“Sure. Come after dinner and after you’ve digested a bit.”

Lying down right after eating could interfere with digestion.

At my answer, Ive smiled brightly and said:

“…Then, definitely.”

“Yes.”

After I replied, Ive quickly added as if she just remembered:

“Let’s keep this a secret for now. Is that okay?”

“Even though it’s just today… alright.”

There was no reason not to keep it a secret.

After saying that, Ive seemed to be in a good mood and smiled broadly.

And then Christina returned.

“I’m back!”

“We’ve been waiting, Christina.”

Ive received the honey drink from Christina with a bright smile.

Looking at Ive, Christina tilted her head slightly.

“…Did something happen?”

“Uh…”

I almost answered reflexively but stopped.

Ive was looking at me.

‘She asked me not to tell.’

Realizing I had almost spoken without thinking, I looked at Christina and said:

“We just discussed some business-related matters, that’s all.”

“…I see.”

Christina drank her honey drink with a face that suggested she felt she had made a small mistake.

After a while, Ive stood up and said:

“Well, let’s work hard today.”

“…Don’t overdo it?”

I told Ive not to push herself too hard.

And Ive smiled and said:

“Of course. We can’t have any mishaps that would force us to cancel our schedule.”

Just as I was starting to feel like I might have done something wrong, Ive leaned her face close to mine.

“Look forward to it?”

Leaving only those words behind, Ive quickly moved away from me.