Ch.3232. Marriage Talk

After leaving the innkeeper’s daughter outside the room, I dressed in what I considered to be reasonably formal attire.

Something like a black coat that typically comes to mind when thinking of an English “gentleman.”

Though my build was much too large to be called a gentleman, I nonetheless put on the clothes I had prepared in advance and left the room.

“…sir!”

The innkeeper’s daughter, who had been waiting outside the room, froze when she saw my appearance.

“Th-that looks like quite expensive clothing. What’s it for?”

“I was invited by a noble’s son, so I thought I should wear something appropriate and prepared this in advance.”

“Wait, you weren’t lying? You really got invited?”

She widened her eyes in surprise.

It seems she hadn’t believed me at all despite what I’d just told her.

“…Is it strange?”

“Um… I think it actually suits you quite well?”

After staring at me for a while, she gave an ambiguous answer, which confirmed it probably didn’t suit me.

This outfit cost me 100,000 Ars. If I hadn’t had extra money lately, I wouldn’t have even considered buying it.

“Well. Um, I’m sorry. I think I made a strange misunderstanding.”

“No, whatever it was, I appreciate your concern. If I had been a criminal, it would have been a great help.”

I made a light joke as I headed toward the lobby.

As I was about to turn the corridor,

“Excuse me, sir.”

“Yes?”

She grabbed my forearm.

“May I ask your name? I’m Arya Platina.”

Arya awkwardly continued the conversation.

“I’m Adel.”

“Ah, then… Mr. Adel. I feel like I’ve been making mistakes and causing trouble since before, so I’d like to meet you again later to apologize.”

Despite holding me with just one hand, her grip was surprisingly strong, creating considerable pressure.

I’m surprised such strength comes from those thin wrists.

“You want to meet again to apologize?”

“Well, to be precise, not just to apologize. How should I put it… Right, a token of gratitude. A token… no, actually it’s not really that either. I just… I feel like I want to do something for you, Mr. Adel.”

Perhaps because she was still young, she revealed her emotions through all sorts of movements.

She seems to be physically honest with her emotions.

“You don’t need to do anything for me. I actually found this amusing.”

Her mistaking me for a sex offender barbarian earlier was somewhat understandable.

“If you meet a barbarian at dawn, run away. Otherwise, you’ll get pregnant.”

It’s a rumor that circulates among teenagers, especially girls, almost like an urban legend.

There were some with unusual sexual desires who thought that handsome barbarians were actually a good thing… but anyway, most teenage girls would be afraid of barbarians.

“No, I really feel bad about it. So, could we perhaps meet and talk separately later? What time will you be back today?”

At first, I thought she was just a typical bully, but she seemed to be quite talkative.

The power of youth, perhaps.

“I’m not entirely sure, but I think I’ll probably return after sunset.”

“Hmm. I’ll come to your room at 10 o’clock tonight. Is that okay?”

“Yes, that should be fine.”

I just agreed since there was no particular reason to refuse.

“Ah, then, Mr. Adel. Have a good day. I’ll bring a gift too, so look forward to it.”

“Alright. I’ll be looking forward to it.”

I left with her sending me off, escorted by the knights.

She said her name was “Arya.”

I thought she would have a somewhat scary atmosphere, but she was just a teenage girl with a fierce appearance.

‘I wonder what her purpose is.’

It’s probably not just because she feels sorry, and she seems interested in something, but it’s probably nothing serious.

As I passed through the lobby, I quickly scanned the surroundings.

Everything looked the same as usual, but today a wooden sign particularly caught my eye.

[Innkeeper’s daughter, aspiring explorer, finally got her explorer license!!!!]

I got into the carriage.

***

The Labyrinth City, Arks, is divided into three areas.

One is the commoner area where most of the population lives.

The commoner area has twelve labyrinth portal summoning plazas, with districts formed around those plazas.

This is also where I live.

Going further inward, there’s the noble area.

Since only those with the rank of junior baron or higher can reside there, the pure monetary class is quite high.

Even non-nobles can enter, but in that area, nobles have the right of summary execution, so commoners who act up get killed.

The perpetrator during the Great Massacre also invaded this area.

The last is the royal area, which is where the royal family lives.

It’s a state secret, so no one knows what’s inside. The only visible thing is one absurdly tall castle.

‘Each area has a name too, but I don’t remember them well.’

Anyway, I was now entering the noble area.

A barbarian like me would normally be chased away for looking suspicious, but now it was different.

I was invited by a young lady from a heroic family and was being escorted by numerous knights.

‘They really have a lot of money.’

Just from what I could see from inside the carriage, it was obvious how much money had been spent.

First of all, even the simple buildings were extremely polished, and unlike the commoner area, it was full of flashy shops for luxury.

Flower beds were placed at regular intervals, and even the floor paved on the road was white and clean.

In the distance, I could see the ultra-luxurious mansions where nobles stayed.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call me the highest output barbarian just for reaching this far.

As I was heading toward the mansion with a satisfied feeling,

“What’s that, is he being transported?”

“Dressing a barbarian in a suit and taking him away. I don’t know whose slave he is, but they have quite unusual tastes.”

Voices gradually reached me from outside the carriage.

“…Excuse me, knight. How long will it take to reach the mansion?”

“Since speed is restricted in this area, it will take about 20 minutes.”

Damn.

My physical specs have improved so much that I can hear the voices of people nearby, and now I have to endure this for 20 minutes.

“Last time it was an elf, and this time it’s a barbarian?”

“How unpleasant. I wish they would stop bringing in slaves.”

I headed toward the mansion, receiving criticism that I couldn’t resist.

“Hey, you know what? Should I get a slave too? Preferably a male barbarian…”

I did overhear a strange teenage noble lady talking with her friend, but I endured it by trying to ignore it as much as possible.

***

Until I arrived at the mansion, I heard all sorts of comments.

I inadvertently became a sex slave of a high-ranking noble, and my master became a pervert with a strange sexual fetish.

“I will guide you.”

When I arrived at the mansion, a beautiful young maid greeted me.

Apparently, Reneva and Ainer had already met and were having a tea party.

‘Is it really appropriate for me to join?’

I felt like I might be intruding on the two young ladies’ enjoyable time, but I followed the maid’s guidance.

As seen from the outside, the interior of the mansion simply exuded pure wealth.

From the start, there was a garden spread out, and a fountain that you would normally only see in plazas was installed.

‘There they are.’

Ainer and Reneva were drinking tea in a round-roofed building in the middle of the garden.

Two noble daughters having a tea party in the garden—the aesthetic was truly impressive.

This is fantasy indeed.

“Oh, Adel! You’re here.”

“…!”

Reneva greeted me when she spotted me, and Ainer blushed and smiled brightly.

‘Hmm.’

This is a bit concerning.

I sat down with them on a slightly small chair.

“Nice outfit! I was going to warn you to be careful at the party, but you’ve already dressed up in a full suit.”

Reneva seemed surprised by my attire.

Did she think that as an explorer, I wouldn’t have such basic etiquette?

“…Yes. It’s definitely nice.”

Lady Ainer looked at me as if embarrassed, then lowered her head, then looked again and turned her gaze away, repeating this several times.

“You’re too kind. It’s the basics when meeting such distinguished people.”

I showed them a typical smile.

“I was a bit worried, but this level should be fine. You’re certainly qualified to attend Ainer’s coming-of-age ceremony.”

“I’ll try not to cause any trouble.”

The conversation afterward was about the schedule of the coming-of-age ceremony and what I needed to do in detail.

“-That’s the schedule for one day, and you don’t really have anything specific to do. Since you’re just going as an explorer we recruited, maybe just a sparring match with an apprentice knight?”

Nobles seemed quite interested in martial arts too.

Until the Great Massacre, they didn’t even keep escort knights and looked down on explorers, but since it was an explorer who stopped that massacre, it made sense.

In particular, while knights were treated as simple escorts, explorers were seen as “practical survival specialists.”

“The more I see, the more I come to respect explorers. Adel, when I first met you, you seemed scary, but as I thought, explorers are cool.”

Lady Ainer spoke with a meaningful smile.

She had been staring at me throughout our conversation, and the content of the letter kept flashing through my mind, making me uncomfortable.

‘Surely not.’

That’s what I want to believe.

“Hahaha, yes. Explorers are indeed cool.”

Reneva showed signs of trying to cut off the conversation in response to Lady Ainer’s words.

“So, to elaborate on that sword demonstration, the head of the Manis Count family will be watching you. Of course, other nobles will be there too, but he’s the most important one.”

I wouldn’t normally see the head of the Manis Count family at a coming-of-age ceremony.

That’s how busy and important he is, and there was only one reason to mention this.

Don’t act up, and handle it appropriately.

‘Of course, that’s what I intend to do.’

I didn’t want to catch the eye of a high-ranking noble like the head of a count family.

There would be many benefits, but the risks were too high and burdensome.

“Ah, I have something to say about that. When I told my father about what happened in the labyrinth, he said he wanted to meet Adel separately.”

Lady Ainer gave me a bright smile.

“…Is that so?”

“Yes. Father seemed quite interested.”

My thoughts multiplied, and Lady Ainer’s expression was full of joy.

I hadn’t expected to meet the head of the Manis family separately. But Lady Ainer seemed excited about it, looking quite elated.

She even subtly pulled her chair closer to me while pretending to adjust her posture.

“Oh, oh, why? Ah- right.”

At that moment, a maid standing nearby whispered something to Reneva.

…It was obviously staged.

“The maid just told me that my father said he wanted to see Adel earlier? Come to think of it, I think he mentioned something like that before. Haha.”

It was such an awkward lie that even children wouldn’t fall for it, but,

“Sorry, but could you wait a few minutes? I’ll just take Adel and come back.”

“Really? Well, I guess it can’t be helped.”

It was easy to deceive Lady Ainer, who was already lost in her own happiness.

“Come on, follow me. We can’t leave Ainer alone for too long, right?”

“Ah. Yes, understood.”

I followed the maid and Reneva into the mansion building.

“…How does Ainer seem today, in your opinion?”

As soon as Reneva closed the door, she showed an anxious expression.

“She was unusually smiley.”

“Yes. You probably noticed it already.”

She sighed deeply and touched her forehead as if the situation was troublesome.

“You see, I’ve been meeting with Ainer a few times lately and heard some things. I think she likes you.”

“…I see.”

I had expected it.

No, actually, it wasn’t even a matter of expectation—one would have to be an idiot not to notice.

‘This is troublesome.’

I did save her life, and teenage girls tend to easily fall for fantasies about explorers.

She might have fallen for me just by seeing fragments of who I am.

“But she’ll probably get over it after a while, right?”

“No, no, no. Ainer’s feelings are not at the level you’re thinking right now.”

Reneva spoke firmly and decisively.

“The head of the Manis family wants to see you, right? Honestly, I’m not entirely sure about this either, but maybe… no, this is… sigh.”

“Is there a problem?”

She showed signs of hesitation as if afraid to put it into words, then,

“I think Ainer sees you as a potential marriage partner.”

She finally blurted it out.

“…What?”

“Really.”

“You’re not joking?”

“No. It’s true.”

I’m screwed.