Ch.344Chapter 344 Epilogue – The First Day of the Journey (1)

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In truth, it was practically decided from the moment I asked the hotel employee to show us a room.

In the end, Shizu’s reaction upon seeing the luxury suite that the hotel provided in place of Odorem Ver—rather than giving us separate rooms—solidified my decision.

I sensed it immediately while looking around. Odorem Ver must have given strict instructions to the establishment.

Otherwise, there would be no reason for the room they prepared as compensation for not providing separate accommodations to be this luxurious.

I guarantee that the suite was so magnificent that it seemed like staying here normally would cost more than what we would have paid for two separate rooms.

Just looking at the cozy atmosphere felt upon entering, the wallpaper and furniture that clearly showed attention to detail from the design stage to provide the highest satisfaction to the countless tourists visiting the southern region…

I could tell that even if Odorem Ver itself wasn’t functioning properly, the surrounding businesses were providing overflowing levels of service.

Although it wasn’t an ideal situation since our plans had gone awry from the start, that concern quickly faded from my mind.

Moreover…

“Wow…”

Watching Shizu express her soft admiration while looking around the room made me wonder if the deviation from our plans was really that important.

“It’s so spacious and cozy…”

Seeing Shizu’s satisfaction as she explored the suite led me to a convenient self-justification: “Well, if Shizu likes it, that’s all that matters!”

The fact that this room met the aesthetic standards of Shizu—who, as a descendant of a noble family that even ordinary aristocrats in the Empire would find intimidating to face (except for the imperial family), had unknowingly particular tastes—immediately relieved the burden I felt from our plans going awry.

Especially when I saw how delighted she was with the king-size bed in the suite’s bedroom, which was large enough for two people to lie on with room to spare, I no longer felt the need to insist on my original plan.

“This bed provides enough space for both of you to lie down with room to spare. It’s not inferior to the beds provided in Odorem Ver’s rooms.”

Just by the employee’s determined voice emphasizing the bed’s features—clearly intending to seal the deal after seeing Shizu’s approval—it was evident that they had already noticed we were close enough that separate rooms weren’t really necessary.

…I suppose the quick perception of someone who has dedicated their life to the service industry can be somewhat frustrating at times like these.

“This place is really nice. Let’s stay here.”

Well, regardless of the employee’s perceptiveness, there was no reason to reject Shizu’s suggestion when she had already made up her mind, so the outcome would have been the same.

“We’ll take this room.”

So I calmly expressed my intention to stay here to the employee.

“An excellent choice! I’ll ensure you won’t regret it!”

As soon as the employee heard my approval, they handed me the room key with an even more confident voice than when introducing the bedroom.

I accepted the key with just the right level of manners—neither too haughty nor too humble—appropriate for dealing with the employee.

And thus, preparations were complete for us to spend our first evening of this long vacation at a place different from where we had originally booked.

It was truly regrettable to face an unexpected situation from the very first day of a journey begun with such high expectations.

However, this unexpected situation wasn’t an insurmountable setback, and…

Seeing Shizu enjoying the trip itself without showing any displeasure despite the circumstances gave me a subtle sense of relief.

This is just the beginning. Even though the trip hasn’t gone as predicted, there’s still plenty of time to continue making good memories for you.

Looking at the employee who showed slight relief as if a major hurdle had been overcome while handing over the room key, and…

“I think this will be a good trip.”

Watching Shizu reveal her expectations for this journey with a bright smile, I gathered my slightly scattered thoughts.

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Of course, securing accommodation didn’t mean our day was completely over.

We needed to eat something to satisfy the moderate hunger that had developed since we hadn’t eaten anything after the light breakfast and lunch we had on the train before arriving at our destination.

“I’ll prepare dinner according to when you finish unpacking. Would you like to dine in your room? Or would you prefer the restaurant on the fourth floor? I’ll prepare according to your request.”

The employee, who seemed to have already understood our situation, asked about dinner arrangements as soon as our room was confirmed.

“Let’s eat at the restaurant. Is that okay?”

Shizu expressed her intention to dine at the restaurant from the start and sought my agreement.

Since it didn’t matter much to me where we ate, and I was planning to follow Shizu’s opinion anyway…

“Yes. We’ll unpack and then head to the restaurant.”

When I informed the employee of our decision to eat at the restaurant…

“Understood. I’ll provide the finest service and food so that you won’t feel at all like you’re spending the day somewhere other than your preferred location.”

With a flawless customer service attitude, the employee gave us dinner instructions and withdrew.

Until we secured the room, I hadn’t been particularly conscious of it.

But as soon as I expressed my intention to have dinner, the moderate hunger that had been barely noticeable began to grow more insistent in my stomach.

I was about to give a wry smile at my body’s eagerness to satisfy basic needs as soon as the opportunity presented itself, but…

*Growl*

The unmistakable sound of hunger reached my ears so clearly that I had no chance to move my facial muscles.

Unfortunately(?), this sound didn’t come from my stomach.

I turned my head very carefully toward the source of the sound.

“…”

I could see Shizu’s face had turned as red as roses that bloom magnificently in late spring and early summer.

The fact that she looked embarrassed rather than distressed indicated that she wasn’t completely mortified, but…

If I said nothing here and reminded her of her hunger, it was clear that what I had briefly worried about in my mind would happen, so…

“It’s warmer here than where we came from, so let’s change into comfortable clothes before going to the restaurant.”

I suggested starting with the first step of relieving travel fatigue, acting as if I hadn’t noticed the hungry sound from Shizu’s stomach.

“Y-yes.”

With Shizu’s brief response after barely recovering from her embarrassment at my suggestion, we both headed to our personal spaces to unpack rather than to the suite’s bedroom.

As for unpacking, since we each only had a small amount of luggage with just enough clothes to change into…

It wasn’t really about unpacking; we just needed to change clothes and come out.

As soon as I entered the room, I took out the clothes packed in my luggage.

In my hands was an outfit suitable for the mild climate of the southern continent—thin, cool, and allowing for comfortable movement—something I couldn’t have imagined wearing before my regression.

Looking at the well-made clothes that didn’t make me regret the considerable amount of money spent on them, all sorts of thoughts came to mind.

Most of those thoughts were about the emotional impact of realizing that I was now stepping foot with someone I cared about in this unknown land—a place I had never visited by choice, not only in my current life but also throughout the numerous lives I had repeated before my regression.

In fact, there are quite a few places I never set foot on despite repeating such a long life.

The western continent where my late mother was born, the eastern continent where I first set foot on a diplomatic mission but never properly walked except for the imperial city due to using airships…

Even on the central continent, not only the southern region we’re visiting now, but there are also places in the northern region with the demon realm that I haven’t properly explored, despite having memories of staying there to the point of exhaustion.

That’s why. The great emotion I feel about being able to walk across the continent like this, after all problems have been normally resolved and we’ve returned to a peaceful daily life, is probably because of that.

I want to experience each place one by one. As compensation for not being able to live a proper life after becoming a puppet of a transcendent being.

It might be difficult to experience everything at once, but I can achieve it like this, right? By dressing appropriately for each region and spending time with someone I care about.

“Hah…”

After releasing the warmth naturally welling up in my chest with a single sigh…

I began to put on the clothes that had briefly immersed me in deep contemplation.

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I see myself reflected in the mirror, dressed in an outfit designed in the style favored by people of the southern region, emphasizing ventilation and coolness while accommodating my preference for clothing that reveals minimal skin.

Looking at this, I could feel somewhat relieved.

I realized that my appearance itself wouldn’t draw unnecessary attention from others.

I’m quite self-aware, despite appearances.

With an impression that, while softened considerably lately, could still be described as unremarkable even at best, complemented by clothing that appropriately supports this unremarkable impression…

I wouldn’t attract unnecessary attention from others.

I can focus on spending time with the person I care about instead of wasting time being noticed by such people—what could be better than that?

“Done.”

With that, I could leave the room while uttering a confident self-affirmation to my reflection in the mirror.

Now all I needed to do was meet Shizu, who would have changed into appropriate clothing, head to the restaurant to complete today’s final external schedule, and then return to the room to rest…

“You came out faster than I expected.”

…That’s what I was thinking until I lost my composure at the sight of Shizu’s outfit as she greeted me cheerfully.

How can she be this beautiful…