Chapter 224: Finally It’s Peaceful
Retze and Dean came just when I prostrated myself on the table.
「Hm? Didn’t you go get the horses ready? 」
「They’re already on standby at the plaza. We’re here to help out with the luggage and get you guys. 」
「It’s also better if Chris can have a final moment with his brother without no one around. 」
Dean shrugged his shoulders while Retze answered Dinosso’s query.
「So? What happened to that? 」
「Ah, he got quite a blow after eavesdropping on a thrilling conversation. 」
Eh, was Dean referring to me when he said ‘that’?
「What? You’re already old enough to have two to three kids and yet you’re all shaken up just because of a boob or two? 」
Lilith’s voice resounded as she entered the room.
It’s probably not such a big deal in this world, but Japan is different! I wanna scream that out so badly, but I stopped myself just as I was about to raise my head and blurt that out.
「Mm… I’m aware that it’s something guys like to massage, but… 」
Ash looked scary, possibly because she’s confused. Ack, my bad, I’ll massage it, yeah, I’ll massage it but not for just any casual reason, alright!?
「Ah, is that something you realize after being with the knights? 」
「Mm. My colleagues frequently talked about it. 」
Ash answered Retze.
「Well, the knights are probably like this guy here, so don’t use them as reference, got it? 」
Retze pointed to Dean.
「Hey, that sounds like you’re praising me, but you’re actually dissing me right!? 」
Ah, he’s telling you you’re a pervert, I think. Yup, he’s not praising you, Dean.
「Mm… 」
「Just act like usual, normal is fine. 」
Thanks, Retze. I’ll send you a chilly plate later.
「Eh, but they won’t make any progress at this rate if they continue being normal. 」
「At least that’s better than this guy breaking down. 」
Retze replied to Lilith’s exasperated comment.
「Lilith-sama, I believe it is best to give up on Gould-sama’s matter. There’s also the possible incompatibility between genders that has to be considered. 」
Gould-sama? Gender?
「Gould-sama is Lilith-sama’s older brother and the Head of the Debrand family. I heard that he’s expecting a child soon. Apparently, he wanted Ash-sama’s child to be betrothed to the Debrand family instead of Gould-sama marrying into the House of Adelheid. 」
Butler must’ve seen my puzzled expression so he explained it.
「It’s because it will seem like we’re taking over Ash’s family and kicking her out. 」
Lilith shrugged.
Oh, she’s in a hurry for Ash to have a child because if the gap is too huge, there’s the possibility of the relationship being either a lolicon or a shotacon — basically a pedophile relationship, huh. Still, aren’t we having too many cases of pedophiles around here?
「You’re thinking about that? Thanks for the concern, but you don’t have to worry about that. 」
「Sorry. 」
Lilith apologized to Ash and me.
「But just remember that your child will also have the option, alright? 」
She smiled faintly at Ash.
Lilith has an intrinsic sense of integrity which is quite unheard of among nobility. She must’ve felt a bit lonely because she and Ash were growing apart because her friend decided to leave her family.
As for the talk about the child, I wanted to believe that it’s not solely because the Debrand family were after the ability to See the spirits. We’re talking about Lilith, so she’s probably weighing the interests of her family and her friendship with Ash equally, and she’s skillfully navigating this matter so that both sides can harmoniously coexist.
I don’t really hate her, but I find her a bit difficult to deal with. Sorry Ash, but I’m a bit relieved that Lilith is going back to her kingdom. Women who come on strong make me want to flee.
We finally set off towards the square late, because of a lot of things that happened. Retze and Dean hoisted Lilith and her maid’s luggage onto the horses that they brought with them. Folks aren’t allowed to ride horses in town except at the plaza and on the main street, so they have to walk while holding the reins.
Three carriages were waiting when we arrived at the square. Seems like they were loading the spoils of war — uh, I mean several samples they received from successful negotiations. There were also horses with saddles on them, so Lilith and Maid-san are probably going to ride them instead of staying in a carriage.
Reid was also there with his beloved horse.
「Uh, Reid looks a bit, uh, dusty, is he really okay? 」
Like something that was once sparkly that had become worn and faded kind of thing. Reid’s beloved horse comforted him by nuzzling his cheek.
「He’ll bounce back in no time as soon as he finds something he must do. He can be quite single-minded, for better or worse. 」
「But look at all those carriages, three of them, huh… 」
Dinosso commented.
Lilith was in the middle of greeting several merchants who came to see her off. They seemed to be partners in business.
「Ack, even the butler of the Fief Lord is here, see. 」
Retze muttered.
Adventurer’s Guild and Commerce Guild held more power than the fief lord, and these two were doing great because of the droves of people coming and going to this place. The fief lord just throws the responsibility for everything troublesome toward the two guilds while enjoying the benefits from those two as they rise. Throw『Fae’s Bough』, which subtly meddles from time to time, into the mix and you get Canum.
Unlike the other towns, the fief lord’s presence is rarely felt in the folks’ day to day life, but people still get shocked and would immediately bow if he’s right in front of them. I heard Lilith had also been summoned into the fief lord’s mansion, so she’s probably connected to him now.
Lilith is really shrewd.
「I’m sorry, Tina. I do not have the confidence in my heart. 」
「That’s fine, I also had a lovely time! I can boast about it! 」
Reid is kneeling down in front of Tina over here, and I sense the beginning of something.
「Tina-dono is magnanimous and adorable. Besides, those braids suit her. 」
Ash muttered as she watched Tina offer the flower she bought at a stall to Reid.
Shiva plaited Tina’s hair for today and she’s wearing smart clothes. Eh, wait, Ash, you think those plaits are braids? But even I can tell that it’s different, you know?
It’ll be problematic if Ash were to make my hair the same style as Tina’s. Yeah, I did promise to allow her to braid my hair, but the scope of ‘braid’ seemed far too wide, at least in Ash’s mind.
The lobster tail hair-do the other day didn’t feel like a braid at all. Ash did ask if I wanted her to stop because she’s worried about the outcome, but I told her to continue since it felt really nice, like having a head massage. Maybe I should’ve told her the real reason?
NEXT CHAPTER
RELEASE RATE
I Got Transferred in the Middle of a Mountain
Speed up schedule by 10 hours
Current schedule: Every 80 hours
Thanks for the treat.