episode_0041

“Wade! Come quickly!”

I walk as usual, listening to Mary’s voice, which is more lively than usual.

It’s not just Mary. Today, the mood of the rest of the group was brighter than usual.

And there is a good reason for that.

“Wow!”

Mary let out an exclamation.

What was visible in the direction the gaze was directed was a beautiful lake reflecting the stinging sunlight onto the surface of the water.

Yes, it’s a lake.

A large, beautiful lake that will calm your mind and body just by looking at it.

We are now at a resort.

***

“How about going to the villa after a long time?”

At dinner time, when the Viscount and his wife and their guests were all gathered together, the Viscountess suddenly brought up such a topic.

“Rather than staying here until the end, I think the guests will be able to enjoy it as well.”

Villa.

With that one word, I inadvertently recalled a memory I had forgotten.

The existence of a villa located not far from Lakenwood.

“That sounds like a good idea.”

The Viscount immediately supported his wife’s opinion.

“That’s good!”

Mary immediately picked up the offer.

The party members reacted somewhat bewildered by the sudden development.

In the first place, they had no idea where the villa was or what it was like, so it was a natural reaction.

Mary, who noticed such a reaction, explained about the villa to the group, and after hearing the explanation, the group nodded cheerfully.

So our trip to the villa was decided, and it is now.

A huge lake located not far from Lakenwood.

This is where the Bluenoa family’s villa is located.

This lake is famous for its large size and beautiful scenery.

It is not only beautiful, but the water is clear and clean, making it good for swimming. Also, since the lake is surrounded by a dense forest that matches the size of the lake, it is also a place where many people visit as a resort, making it an ideal place to avoid the hot summer sun.

To begin with, it’s a place that anyone who lives around here wouldn’t know about, but beyond that, it’s a place that’s quite familiar to me.

Viscount Bluenoa and his wife often took their daughter, Mary, here for a vacation during the hot summer months, and I used to participate in their vacations almost every time.

Originally, I, who was only the son of a butler, would never have been involved in the Viscount’s family’s vacations, but the Viscount and his wife had treated me like their own child since I was young, and above all, my daughter Mary’s wishes were so strong that it ended up that way.

For that reason, this lake and the villa can be said to be quite familiar places to me.

Well, for the past few years, I had completely forgotten about the Viscount’s existence because something came up and he couldn’t come here.

Anyway, that’s how we arrived at the Bluenoa family’s villa.

“Wow. It’s a pretty villa.”

“Well, that’s right… … .”

Rachel let out a small exclamation and Ira agreed.

As the saying goes, the exterior of the villa was beautiful and neat.

The white-toned building blends in with the surrounding landscape, creating a picturesque atmosphere.

Although its size was nothing compared to the Bluenoa Mansion, it was luxurious enough for a villa.

“Not bad.”

Estelle also added a rare sentiment.

“Thank goodness.”

Mary smiled brightly.

No one would feel bad when their items were praised, but this villa is one that the Viscountess especially cherishes, and Mary herself likes it, so it makes sense that she would feel good.

“You can see the lake very well.”

Alexis said.

In fact, the villa was not only perfect in appearance but also in perfect location.

If you turn down from the front of the villa, there is a lake just a stone’s throw away.

It’s great for playing, and it’s so beautiful that just looking at the view of the lake from the villa can purify your mood.

“It’s beautiful.”

The entire group stood still and watched the lake forming sunlight into waves of light.

“Well, now that I think about it… In the middle of the lake… There is an island… … .”

“Oh, definitely… … .”

The group’s eyes focused on the middle of the lake.

There, I saw a land that could be called a small island.

An island located in the middle of a huge lake might be quite interesting, but in reality, it is an island with nothing special.

Because there are just a few trees.

However, the view from that island on a day when the moon is bright is quite charming.

“… Now, let’s go inside.”

It’s nice to be mesmerized by the surrounding scenery, but it’s better to get your work done for now.

The servants will take care of moving the luggage and organizing the interior, but they will also be responsible for allocating rooms and other minor details.

***

After successfully completing the room assignment and packing up all their belongings, the group gathered again in the hall on the first floor of the villa.

“Anyway, there are more people here than I thought.”

Alexis said, looking out the window.

“It’s a famous resort around here. For this reason, there are many villas and specialty inns targeting vacationers. Thanks to this, there are always a lot of people in the summer.”

Mary answered his doubts with an appropriate explanation.

As the saying goes, this is a famous resort, and it is a place visited not only by nobles and wealthy people, but also by people close to the general class.

It may be a bit disappointing if you want to enjoy a quiet vacation, but this has its own advantages.

“Thanks to this, there are many stores and street vendors targeting such people.”

Where people gather, money gathers.

Following that simple rule, many stores opened in a row here.

From simple street stalls to places selling rare items not usually found in cities.

“Hoo.”

Estelle made an interesting noise.

In a way, it was a natural reaction.

Estelle must have experienced scenic vacations to the point where she was sick of them.

Perhaps browsing a regular store would be a more interesting experience for her.

“Umm… So what first… … .”

“It would be nice to take a quiet walk by the lakeside.”

“I took a quick look and saw that the water was clean. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to go swimming for the first time in a while.”

It’s a proper vacation spot after a long time.

The group began to express their opinions and decide what to do.

“Wade, what are you going to do?”

As I was quietly watching the scene from behind, Rachel quietly approached me and asked.

“Hmm. well. I’m thinking of just looking around.”

“… … ! Well, then why don’t you take a look around with me?”

After hearing what I said, Rachel got angry and made a suggestion.

hmm… Well, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to look around together.

I was about to nod my head, thinking I would accept it.

“Well, me too… !”

A familiar voice intervened.

“Well, me too… Can we go together… ?”

It was Ira.

What should I do? After thinking about it for a bit, I came to a conclusion.

‘Why don’t we go together?’

It is different from the festival time.

At that time, we divided the days considering various factors, but now the whole group has come to play together. It is rather strange that there is a group like this, but they turn down the person who wants to go with them and go alone.

So there will be no problem if we go together.

I thought so and tried to get the child to join.

“I will go with you.”

A familiar voice interrupted once again.

Without a doubt, it was Estelle.

I wasn’t really surprised.

I had somewhat expected that this would happen when Ira intervened.

Because it always felt like this when I stopped in the city on my way to Lakenwood.

Regardless of who initiated the proposal, three women eventually followed suit.

Therefore, I calmly decided to invite Estelle to join.

“Then let’s go together─”

“Huh? Are you all going out together? Then I want to go too!”

“If Miss Mary goes, I too… … .”

“Hmm. It might not be a bad idea to take a look around.”

“… Then let’s go together.”

… I didn’t expect this.

No, if it’s going to be like this, why did you share your opinion?

Even though I thought so, I couldn’t resist this flow.

“… Then let’s all go out together.”

As I was calmly organizing the situation, Rachel’s face suddenly caught my eye.

“… … .”

Her expression was frozen.

It’s not strange.

Aira and Estelle aren’t exactly on friendly terms, and they probably haven’t had a proper conversation since Alexis and Cedric.

Also, since she didn’t seem to prefer being around groups of people, I thought she might react like this.

“I’m sorry. Things ended up like this.”

“… no. It’s something that can’t be helped.”

At my apology, Rachel gently shook her head.

Aside from feeling uneasy, he seemed to understand that the situation was unavoidable.

Feeling a little sorry for her, I led my group and left the villa.

***

“There are definitely a lot of people.”

Estelle said with an excited expression.

As the saying goes, a lot of people were visible at a glance.

So much so that it reminds me of the Academy festival that took place not long ago.

In addition, all kinds of stores are lined up in a line.

From shops selling simple food to shops selling accessories, souvenirs, and even unique magic tools.

The sight now visible was, if a little exaggerated, reminiscent of the liveliness of a festival.

“It’s been a while here too.”

Mary narrowed her eyes at the sight.

“Sure.”

This is also the place I came to every time I stopped by the villa.

Sometimes, Mary and I would come alone.

Although it has changed a bit since I haven’t been there in recent years, the atmosphere and liveliness itself were the same as I remembered.

Mary is probably feeling nostalgic about that.

And it was the same for me.

After a moment of nostalgia, we began to look around in earnest.

There was more to see than I thought. If you think about it, there are more things to see than downtown Lakenwood.

Well, if you think about it, it might not be strange.

This is basically a place with a lot of wealthy guests, and the fact that it is a resort itself has the magic of lightening people’s wallets.

It is natural for various goods and merchants to gather to target such people.

“… Um.”

I was looking around without thinking, and at some point, I started to feel many eyes looking in this direction.

There was no need to think about what the cause was.

‘It’s worth seeing.’

No, it’s natural to see it.

Needless to say, Estelle has an appearance that naturally attracts everyone else’s attention.

Not just the women, but also Alexis and Cedric.

Well, now it was something new.

I am now slowly getting used to this kind of gaze.

It would be a lie if I said it didn’t bother me, but it’s not something I can do anything about even if I care about it, so I decided to let it out.

As I glanced around and looked around, something suddenly caught my eye.

“Oh.”

It was a store that sold ice cream.

A special product sold only at this lake.

This is a food I often ate when I was young.

The appearance is reminiscent of a lake, and the taste is thoughtfully designed in its own way.

It’s hard to say that the taste itself was very special, but I quite liked it.

Maybe it was because I hadn’t seen it in years, but the desire to eat it for the first time in a long time suddenly rose up.

When I took a quick look at the group, it seemed like each person was preoccupied with something they were interested in, so I quietly left the group with the intention of quickly going and just buying ice cream and coming back.

Then I walked briskly to the store and ordered ice cream from the employee.

“Here’s ice cream─”

“Please give me some ice cream.”

However, the timing coincided with another person who cleverly intervened.

“Oh, excuse me.”

They also recognized that fact and bowed their heads slightly as an apology to me.

“Oh, it’s okay.”

I calmly gave up my order and stepped back.

At the same time, I looked at the appearance of the man who intervened.

He was a man who appeared to be in his late 30s.

He is taller than average and has a physique that can be considered sturdy.

Although his haphazardly grown hair and somewhat messy beard blurred his appearance, they did not hide the fact that he was a handsome man.

A man who is certainly handsome but lacks neatness, and is dressed in clothes with colorful patterns that look like they were just bought here at a resort.

As such, the exterior itself is striking, but no force is felt from within.

In that respect, he should be considered an ordinary person.

but.

I was feeling an inexplicable strangeness from the man.

A very subtle strangeness that cannot be felt by an ordinary person.

Plus, my instincts were whispering.

Don’t get close to that guy.

Keep your distance.

“Huh?”

The man opened his eyes wide.

And then, the man started looking at me closely.

“Umm… hmm? Hmm… .”

He narrowed his eyes and looked at me for a long time.

The man raised his head.

“What is your identity?”

I had a bad feeling.