Ch.39Rest – 1

“Serena, are you all done with the preparations?”

“Yes, I’ve finished everything, my lord.”

“What about the perception inhibition magic?”

“I stopped by a nearby magic tower and got a few scrolls. We just need to activate them. The effect should last about twelve hours.”

“Good. Let’s head out.”

“Understood.”

The next day, Serena and I were in a different city, some distance away from where we had parted with Cartina.

It was slightly smaller in scale but located closer to the kingdom’s capital. Either way, I needed to visit the royal palace.

After parting with Cartina yesterday, I immediately rented a carriage and left for this city, while Serena stayed behind, saying she had something to discuss with the lord there.

Serena returned to my side well past midnight, almost at dawn.

The reason I specifically came to the neighboring city was simple. There was nothing good about staying there any longer.

The First Knight Commander of the Royal Knights had barged in, bringing news that a city had been razed to the ground by heretics, and the lord had been left homeless.

Rumors would have certainly spread like wildfire.

As those rumors spread, I couldn’t ignore the possibility that attention might shift to me, the only survivor.

After briefly considering the future, I ultimately chose to leave the city immediately, and this place was my chosen destination.

“Activate the perception inhibition magic.”

At my words, Serena tore the scroll with a rip. A misty fog-like substance briefly enveloped Serena’s face before disappearing.

The magic’s activation would have no effect on me since I witnessed it, but now others would perceive Serena as a moderately ordinary-looking woman.

Serena was absolutely not a moderately ordinary-looking woman.

Her long side locks extending past her ears, her bangs that fluttered near her eyebrows, and her ponytail—made by tying together her waist-length hair—swayed slightly each time she tilted her head.

Her golden hair, catching the sunlight, shone more brilliantly than usual.

Despite wearing beige leather pants and an unremarkable long-sleeved top typical of common citizens, Serena’s overwhelming beauty made her clothes seem anything but ordinary.

They even seemed to exude a certain elegance.

Her face was expressionless as always, but her two blue eyes directed at me clearly showed how much she was looking forward to this outing.

Those sparkling eyes were so filled with anticipation that there was no room for anything else.

The Royal Knight armor she had been wearing until now had long been teleported back to the royal palace.

Originally, it was a function designed for emergency returns to request support when facing insurmountable situations, but Serena was probably the only one who would send just the armor back.

The reaction at the royal palace would either be panic or confusion at seeing only the armor returned.

Of course, given that it was Serena who did this, the overwhelming response would surely be, “That person is doing something crazy again.”

However, even after removing all other armaments, World Eater still remained fastened at her waist.

In stark contrast to her ordinary attire, the crimson metal embedded in the handle made it even more conspicuous.

Given that Serena was skilled enough to easily slice through ordinary iron swords with just a weed plucked from the roadside infused with mana, one might wonder why she couldn’t set aside World Eater as well.

But Serena’s refusal to remove World Eater had nothing to do with skill.

It was because that sword was a magic sword.

The moment Serena removed it, there was a risk that it would go berserk on its own, devastating the surroundings and awakening as a demon.

It wasn’t for nothing that it bore the grandiose name “World Eater,” and it wasn’t just that it could withstand Serena’s immense mana and demand even more in return.

Although currently Serena was forcibly subjugating World Eater with her overwhelming power, making it merely a slightly sturdier sword that absorbed mana better, its danger was real.

It was something that could bare its fangs and bite its master at any moment.

That was why she kept World Eater at her waist even during this simple city tour.

Because among the few people across the entire continent who could control that sword with certainty, Serena was one of them.

“Let’s check your form of address first. What do you call me?”

“My lord.”

“No, not ‘my lord.’ I told you to call me something else.”

“My lord.”

“Sere—”

“My lord.”

“……”

Tsk, this isn’t working.

I briefly considered giving Serena a flick on the forehead as she insisted on calling me “my lord” with a triumphant expression.

Not that my strike would feel like anything more than a leaf brushing against her.

Serena had always been strangely fixated on our master-servant relationship. She seemed satisfied only when she placed herself firmly below me.

She preferred me giving her orders rather than making requests, and she would smile with joy whenever I reaffirmed our master-servant relationship.

Occasionally, as if in reaction, she would find satisfaction in hurting me, but that was rare.

“Fine, forget the address. Is there anywhere you’d like to go?”

“Anywhere my lord takes me would be fine.”

“…Then shall we just tour the city?”

“As my lord wishes.”

Serena had always been like this. I patted her head once and went downstairs to the first floor of the inn.

Perhaps it was time for other adventurers to start their daily routines, as the first floor was bustling with adventurers having their breakfast.

“What would you like for breakfast?”

“If my lord is eating, I’ll eat together.”

“Aren’t you hungry?”

“I can survive on water alone for about a month. I’m not certain beyond that, though.”

“……”

I decided to stop talking.

After paying the busy innkeeper for two servings of meat stew, I led Serena to a nearby table.

In truth, I didn’t need to eat either. I wouldn’t die from starvation. Plus, I wouldn’t even feel hungry after years of fasting. I was only forcing myself to eat something because of the presence of others.

Serena sat quietly in the chair as I led her. Though she occasionally fidgeted, seemingly unaccustomed to sitting beside me rather than standing.

The perception inhibition magic seemed to be working excellently, as none of the people filling almost all the tables on the first floor showed any interest in us.

There were occasional glances that lingered for a second or two, but that was probably due to our relatively youthful appearance compared to them.

This was a quite luxurious inn, and accordingly, it was quite expensive.

It would be difficult for young adventurers who appeared to be around twenty to choose such a place, unless they were veteran adventurers with years of experience.

Though Serena was twenty-four.

‘…Well, it’s not my money I’m spending right now anyway.’

While sipping the tea that arrived while waiting for our food, I thought about the source of the money we’d be using today and hid my grimacing mouth with the cup.

It was amusing to be going around with Serena and using her money.

Of course, that doesn’t mean I’m broke. With all the years I’ve lived, how could I have been broke for that long?

It’s just that there was no reason to carry a lot of money. I didn’t need clothes, food, or even a place to stay at an inn.

Since I wouldn’t die even if I ignored all basic necessities, I naturally ended up carrying almost no money.

Moreover, since most of my assets were tied up in properties, it was impractical to access them immediately.

I had the idle thought that I might have to repay her later by giving her one of my houses near the capital.

While watching Serena, who kept fidgeting despite her physical comfort, I waited for the food to arrive. After a while, the innkeeper approached, set down steaming meat stews, and left.

It was a stew with a light mixture of white and beige colors, served in quite a large bowl. Chunks of meat could be seen amidst the broth.

As expected of a high-class inn, the aroma was different from the meat stew served at ordinary inns.

Indeed, given the enormous price difference, comparing the two might be an insult to this inn.

“What are you doing? Aren’t you eating?”

“What? Oh, yes. I’ll eat. I’m sorry, my lord.”

“No, there’s no need to apologize…”

I asked why she wasn’t eating when I noticed Serena staring blankly at the bowl after scooping some stew with her spoon, and she responded with an apology.

I hadn’t asked for an apology. As soon as I finished speaking, Serena began to eat the stew quickly.

Isn’t it hot, having just been served?

Moreover, despite eating so quickly, not a drop stained her mouth. While watching this curious sight, I took a spoonful myself.

The subtle aroma of spices and the warmth of the stew spread throughout my mouth.

‘It tastes like meat stew.’

Yes, it was neither more nor less than the exact taste of meat stew.

If someone who didn’t know what meat stew was asked about its taste, you could serve them this and say, “This is it.” It was that quintessentially perfect in flavor.

It was completely different from the common stews where they simply add more meat for meat stew or more vegetables for vegetable stew.

I strongly felt that it was worth every penny and more.

“Is it good?”

“It tastes like meat stew.”

“How do we think exactly the same?”

“Is that so?”

When I casually asked Serena about the taste, she also said it tasted like meat stew. That must truly mean it had such a quintessential flavor.

Shrugging my shoulders, I continued using my spoon to empty the bowl. Serena had already finished her stew and was staring at me intently.

“If you’re done, let’s go.”

“Understood.”

Since we had paid for the food when ordering, we left the inn building as soon as we emptied our bowls.

The sky was still clear without a single cloud. The streets were bustling with adventurers heading out to complete quests and those returning after completing them.

Now, where should we go?

I had said we’d just tour the city today, but I didn’t know this place well either.

Having lived a nomadic life, I rarely stayed in one place for long without a specific purpose.

If anything, rather than showing Serena around the city, it was more like I was exploring the city together with her.

I was expecting the city tour to end around the same time the perception inhibition magic wore off.

What is there to see in a city outside of festival periods?

As I was mentally selecting menus to feed Serena, wondering if we should spend the day visiting good restaurants, Serena sidled up next to me.

She was fidgeting with her fingers, seemingly debating whether to reach out or not.

Taking the initiative, I grabbed her hand, causing Serena to look at me in surprise. Her cheeks and ears had turned as red as radishes.

“My lord?!”

“What, isn’t this what you wanted?”

“T-that’s not… exactly…”

What’s the difference between me grabbing her hand first and her grabbing mine that makes her so embarrassed? Last time, when she caught me as I collapsed, she sneakily interlaced her fingers with mine.

The gazes around us had shifted from looking at ordinary adventurers to staring at a crazy couple displaying affection on the street in the morning, but I didn’t care.

They’d forget my face after an hour anyway, so why bother?

As for Serena, she was in no state to notice the surrounding gazes.

“……”

I wonder how she managed when I embraced her in front of Alesia last time.