Ch.40Rest – 2

Since we couldn’t just stand there holding hands in front of the inn, we decided to wander the streets aimlessly. Serena, her cheeks and ears flushed bright red, obediently followed my lead.

The glances from people around us were about half positive, half negative.

The positive ones probably saw us as a fresh young couple, while the negative ones likely came from those irritated at seeing adventurers like us engaged in such behavior in broad daylight.

I was truly grateful that Serena, busy blushing like a radish, couldn’t see those negative glances.

If she had seen them, and I hadn’t been by her side, a massacre would have broken out in the middle of the city.

As we continued walking toward what seemed to be the city center, the number of adventurers gradually decreased while ordinary citizens increased.

This was a natural change—by now, those who had received quests had left the city, and only adventurers who were resting or hadn’t found work remained.

Now as ever, if you want to find things to do in an area, asking someone who’s lived there a long time is the fastest way.

Though Serena would obediently follow wherever I led, I couldn’t just wander around aimlessly.

Looking around, I spotted an old man leisurely drinking alcohol at an outdoor round table in broad daylight and approached him.

The old man seemed puzzled when a young couple suddenly approached, but after glancing at Serena, he grinned at me.

A young couple holding hands since morning, with the woman visibly overwhelmed with embarrassment.

It would be quite easy to guess our situation. The perception-inhibiting magic only made faces difficult to remember, not emotions or expressions.

Anyway, the core of the perception-inhibiting magic was that people would forget what Serena looked like once they turned away. So there was nothing to worry about.

“Sir, may I ask you something?”

Considering my actual age, I should be the one called “sir,” but never mind.

The old man looked at us with an expression that seemed to say “look at these youngsters,” then emptied his glass in one gulp and set it down with a thud.

“Out on a date with your girlfriend?”

“Gi-girlfriend…?”

Catching that word precisely, Serena collapsed with a thud. I gently pulled her closer as she staggered, unable to collect herself.

The old man nodded with a pleased expression. He seemed to have a better personality than I expected. He was above average, at least in that he wasn’t the type to throw his age around.

If he had been, Serena would have destroyed him. Since this old man had a decent personality, I should respond respectfully. I took out a few copper coins from my pocket.

“As you can see. But I was wondering, are there any places worth visiting around here? I’ll buy your next drink.”

As I gently placed a few copper coins on the table, the old man laughed heartily and answered freely.

“You’re a rare young man! Yes, you’re looking for places to take your girlfriend on a date, aren’t you?”

“And places for lunch and dinner too.”

The old man nodded.

“Of course. I can see your girlfriend is so excited about the date she doesn’t know what to do with herself. It would be a shame to take her somewhere mediocre and disappoint her. By the looks of it, you’ll need to keep her entertained all day to satisfy her.”

“I see. Do you have any recommendations for places we could visit throughout the day?”

“I’m thinking of so many places I can’t decide. I’ve lived in this city for years. Is this your first time here?”

“Yes, it’s my first time.”

“Then can you tell me where you’re from?”

“From the east.”

“The east, the east…”

The old man tapped the table with his finger, lost in thought. While riding the carriage here yesterday, I had roughly figured out where Serena had come from.

We had traveled far west from Cartina’s territory, and by my calculations, it would take at least two weeks even with a decent carriage.

If I told him that directly, he’d either think we were crazy and chase us away, or Serena would get angry and take my life before that happened. So I decided not to mention specific details.

“Then you should first visit the central plaza. You won’t regret it. Even if it’s not as crowded as during festivals, there’s still plenty to see. Even better if your girlfriend likes street food. There’s so much to eat there.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. What’s next?”

“What about lunch? Will you make do with street food, or would you prefer a nice restaurant, even if it costs more?”

“Don’t worry about the money. Please recommend somewhere good.”

“Hahaha! You’ve really come prepared to impress your girlfriend! I like that. Yes, a man should have that kind of spirit. Indeed he should!”

The old man kept chuckling and patting my shoulder, clearly pleased about something.

I wasn’t really showing off—I genuinely didn’t need to worry about money—but I decided to let him keep his misconception. After all, it only improved our image.

“If you head in the direction the sword tip points from the fountain in the central plaza, you’ll find a building with red tiles. Go there. It gets quite crowded at lunch and dinner, so if you want a romantic atmosphere with your girlfriend, it’s better to visit at odd hours. I recommend around 11 AM or 3 PM.”

“What kind of restaurant is it?”

“They serve most dishes you’d consider expensive.”

The old man called a waiter and ordered another drink with the copper coins I had given him.

Pleased at getting free alcohol, he seemed eager to tell me more.

“Why don’t you sit down if you have more questions? I have plenty more answers.”

“Then excuse me.”

I pulled up a chair opposite the old man, and when Serena naturally tried to move behind me, I gently guided her to sit beside me.

Despite her embarrassment, the habits ingrained in her body still showed she was my knight.

“When you say dishes considered expensive…?”

“Steak, for starters. I guarantee once you try their steak, you’ll think steaks from other restaurants are just half-burnt lumps of meat.”

“That sounds promising.”

“They also have various stir-fried dishes, and…”

The old man rambled on with praise for the restaurant’s cuisine. From what he said, I could get a rough picture of the place.

It seemed to be a restaurant focused on luxury, but the first floor sold food that ordinary people could afford if they were willing to pay, while the second and third floors were the real restaurant.

The entrances were completely separate, and the soundproofing was so perfect that even if a bomb went off on the first floor, the sound wouldn’t reach the second floor.

I wondered why they didn’t just build a separate building elsewhere, but decided to let it go. They must have had their reasons.

When I asked the old man to elaborate on the second and third floors, he looked quite surprised, as if wondering if I could afford it.

I answered with a light smile, and the old man, seeming to realize something, continued his explanation without protest.

Though the biggest factor was probably that I kept adding copper coins whenever his glass emptied.

Thanks to this, by the time he was explaining where we could go before dinner and which restaurant to visit for dinner, the old man was completely drunk.

Yet despite his slightly elevated tone, he didn’t lose his temper or cause a disturbance, suggesting he had quite a decent character.

After finishing his lengthy explanation, the old man let out an alcohol-soaked sigh. About 30 minutes had passed. Thirty minutes was a fair exchange for planning a full day’s itinerary.

“Sir, we’ll be going now. Thank you for your explanation.”

“Go ahead. I didn’t plan to drink this much in the morning either.”

“Who could resist free drinks?”

“Hehehe, that’s true.”

After exchanging light greetings, I stood up from my chair. Just as I was about to leave, the old man called out to Serena.

“Hey, miss!”

A rather subtle emotion flashed across Serena’s face.

It seemed like she was annoyed at being called out to so casually, but couldn’t show it since this person had been chatting happily with me until just now.

Fortunately, the old man was too drunk to notice Serena’s stiffness and spoke.

“Hold onto that man tightly. He’s a very good young man. You won’t regret it.”

Serena’s expression changed subtly once more. Fortunately, the old man didn’t seem to be pressing for an answer.

He was just drunk and in a good mood, trying to put in a good word for me. Leaving the old man humming an unidentifiable melody behind us, we returned to the street.

Serena’s hand, clasped with mine, was gripping tighter than before. Her face, which had been red as a radish earlier, had returned to its original fair complexion, showing her healthy color.

“What’s wrong, Serena?”

“I was debating whether to kill that man or not.”

“…What?”

“I belong only to my lord. There’s no reason for me to be called by such terms by anyone else.”

“…”

I was momentarily stunned by Serena casually saying such things, then let go of her hand and pinched both her cheeks.

Serena’s face distorted into a funny expression. Her beauty was so superior that even with her face distorted like this, she remained beautiful.

“Don’t do that.”

“I’m sowwy. I’m sowwy, my lowd.”

Well, at least she only thought about it and didn’t act on it. I released Serena’s cheeks. She was grinning happily, apparently pleased that I had pinched her cheeks.

She probably just considered it skinship, since my pinch wouldn’t even register to someone like Serena.

“The old man said to visit the central plaza first, so we’ll go there first. Is that okay?”

“I will follow my lord wherever you go.”

“You’re so consistent, I like that.”

“Thank you.”

I had only one wish for today.

Not to encounter people with twisted minds.

There are ill-tempered people everywhere, but I hoped not to meet such people today at least.

After all, even I couldn’t be sure what Serena would do if someone disrupted her current situation.

Her eyes had been sparkling since this morning, and if someone picked a fight, lives would be in danger. Not mine, but those who started trouble.

Moreover, Serena had no means to prove her identity, and I was merely an F-rank adventurer, the lowest grade.

There were plenty of opportunists who only showed strength against those weaker than themselves, and this place would be no exception.

Hoping everyone in this city would be kind was an unreasonable wish.

Of course, being a large city, security would be good, and incidents like picking fights in restaurants would be unlikely to happen.

If they did, the offenders would be beaten up by the security forces and dragged to prison, so why would anyone do that?

Instead, conflicts disguised as disputes between adventurers could happen anytime. Due to the life-and-death nature of the adventurer profession, quarrels were quite frequent.

And unless these disputes spread to ordinary citizens, it was an unwritten rule to let adventurers resolve matters among themselves.

The security forces were too strained to intervene in every such incident, and adventurers would resent having all their actions restricted, so this had become an established custom.

Only a few highly developed major cities, like the kingdom’s capital, were exceptions to this unwritten rule.

So, hoping not to encounter ruffians while walking around was the best I could do. That’s why I deliberately dressed Serena in ordinary, inconspicuous clothes.

That should have been enough, but…

Everyone around us was lying flat on the ground.

Trembling with fear of being singled out or noticed, they all hoped that gaze wouldn’t fall on them.

The only one not bowing was Serena.

The central plaza, which should have been bustling with people’s voices, was enveloped in silence. Despite the crowd, not even breathing could be heard.

Only the occasional sound of metal sabatons hitting the tiled floor echoed.

Men wearing royal knights’ armor were lined up on both sides. They wore helmets and carried weapons.

A silver-haired woman walked between the stiffly arranged royal knights. Then a unified voice echoed throughout the central plaza.

“Behold His Majesty, King Gargantua.”

“BEHOLD HIS MAJESTY, KING GARGANTUA!”

Why is Charlotte appearing here?