A Simple Man, a Shameless Man
"Dame Drin!" Mardon, the city noble she had rescued, approached her with a bright, beaming face, accompanied by a large entourage of guards and escorts. Drin welcomed him with a polite bow of her head.
"My apologies. I let him slip away."
"What? Apologize? Ah! You mean that... that suspicious character! Please, do not apologize! You saved my life, Dame Drin. That alone is a debt I can never fully repay—I truly do not know how to express my gratitude."
"I merely did what was right. Please, think nothing of it."
"Haha, how could I possibly think nothing of it! Ah, where are my manners? I have yet to introduce myself!"
Just as Drin had suspected, Mardon was a city noble who wielded considerable influence in Arien. He showed her the utmost respect, and not simply because she was his savior. At a single glance, Mardon had recognized from her extraordinary skills, appearance, and bearing that she was no ordinary person. He judged her to be someone well worth the effort of building a connection with.
"I am Drin of the Libringer family."
"!!!" Mardon's eyes widened. He had expected her to be someone of high standing, but to think she was a lady of the great Libringer family—and none other than Drin Libringer herself, whose legendary talent was renowned as one of the greatest in the family's history! To have such a towering figure save his life in a moment of crisis was nothing short of a godsend. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to establish a connection with the Libringer family. He could not let it slip away. Mardon immediately began reading her expressions, desperately trying to win her favor.
"Is that so?"
"Ah, hahaha... Yes, indeed."
However, Mardon's resolve did not last long. The more he tried to keep the conversation going, the more his expression stiffened into an awkward mask. Drin was only treating him as she naturally treated anyone else. Yet, he felt an invisible wall between them—just as most people did when facing her. The sheer prestige of the Libringer name, combined with Drin's unique, icy aura, inevitably created an unintended distance. Since Drin was thoroughly used to this reaction, she didn't pay it much mind. But Mardon, who had been chattering away so excitedly, now found himself completely tongue-tied. Sensing it was time to wrap things up, Drin spoke first.
"There is a possibility that the assassin might strike again. Do you require my assistance?"
"Pardon? Ah, no! I am quite alright!" Although this was the very connection to the Libringer family he had so desperately craved, he flatly declined. At this moment, he simply did not have the courage to handle a relationship with someone like her. Besides, it was also true that he no longer needed her help.
"That situation earlier was their last chance to eliminate me without suffering any consequences. They know that as well, so they won't be sending another assassin anytime soon. At least, not for a while."
"They..." Drin noted his tone, which suggested he knew exactly who had ordered the hit. Noticing her reaction, Mardon offered a bitter smile.
"My older sister."
"Excuse me?"
"It is a family matter, and a rather shameful one at that, so I would prefer to keep it hidden. But it would be rude to keep secrets from my savior. There was a misunderstanding between my sister and me regarding our inheritance. I went to that secluded spot today with only a single guard to clear up that misunderstanding... but it seems it has come to this."
Having nearly been assassinated by his own flesh and blood, his face showed not anger, but a profound, bitter sorrow.
"Still, thanks to you, I have been given another chance to talk to her."
"Even after things have escalated to this point, you still intend to try and talk to her?"
"Say what you will, she is the only family I have left. And I am partly to blame for the misunderstanding in the first place. After this, I believe my sister will finally be ready to listen to what I have to say."
Drin's confidence in her own intuition had been somewhat shaken by her encounter with that strange man earlier. Because of that, a sudden doubt had crept into her mind. Her intuition had screamed at her to stop the assassination just before Mardon was attacked. But was that truly her intuition, or was it merely her personal distaste for the dishonorable act of assassination? Noble assassinations almost always involved complex political interests; had she intervened too hastily? Looking at Mardon now, however, she realized her worries were entirely unfounded. Once again, her intuition had guided her down the right path. Looking at Mardon, she gave a satisfied nod.
"I hope you achieve what you set out to do."
"And I pray that you, Lady Drin, achieve whatever you have set out to accomplish here in Arien. If you ever find yourself in need of assistance in this city, please do not hesitate to seek out Mardon of the Dudain family. Though, I highly doubt anyone from the Libringer family would ever need the help of an outsider."
"Thank you for your kind words."
As their conversation drew to a close, a faint smile played on Drin's lips. Just when she had begun to doubt herself after facing an overwhelming dilemma the moment she arrived in Arien, the issue had resolved itself in such a clean manner.
"Perfect."
Now, if she could just clear up the misunderstanding with that man, everything would be perfect.
'Still, what on earth am I going to do with that guy?'
Just thinking about how to deal with him from now on brought back memories of their conversation, causing her face to scowl involuntarily. Yet, despite her scowl, she looked strangely amused.
"Sorry to keep you wait—huh?"
Drin turned around to face where the man should have been standing, but he was nowhere to be seen.
'Did he seriously just leave? Without saying a word?'
To be fair, he had no reason to wait for her. He had clearly found her uncomfortable to be around, and the moment they escaped the back alleys and reached the main street, his reason for accompanying such an uncomfortable person had vanished.
"..."
Drin felt a pang of disappointment. Why on earth did she feel disappointed about parting ways with a man who did nothing but irritate her? Surely, it was only because she was frustrated at failing to change his perception of her. Thinking back, he really had been incredibly rude.
'To think he genuinely mistook me for a bandit.'
Drin let out a dry chuckle and shook her head. It was the first time in her life she had ever been treated like that. Yes, that kind of treatment. She recalled the moments she had spent talking to him. His light, frivolous attitude was entirely different from how people usually acted around her, walking on eggshells.
'In a way...' Drin thought. If she were to make friends after entering the Academy, she felt it would be nice to have someone she could talk to in that casual, easygoing manner.
'I should probably get going.' No longer in the mood for sightseeing, she decided to head straight to the Academy to take her entrance exam.
"These look delicious. What are they?"
Just then, a voice drifted through the air and caught her attention. It was just one of the countless noises on the bustling street, but Drin caught that voice—light enough to be blown away by a gentle breeze—as if she had been waiting for it all along, and immediately turned her gaze toward it.
"Haha, young man! I take it this is your first time in Arien? How can you not know what Malk Skewers are! They're cheap, so if you're curious, just buy one and try it! If you don't like it, I'll give you a full refund!"
"Ooh... What absolute confidence...!"
Sure enough, he was standing right in front of a nearby street stall.
"..."
Without a word, Drin walked over and stopped about ten paces away from him. She then pretended to look around the street, deliberately averting her eyes as if she had absolutely no interest in him. After waiting idly for what felt like an eternity, she felt him approaching.
"Is your conversation with your acquaintance finished?"
"Hmm?" Feigning complete ignorance, she turned her head to look at him, her face wearing a look of mild surprise.
"Oh? You're still here? I assumed you had already gone on your way."
"How could I possibly leave without saying goodbye to the kind soul who insisted on guiding me, even when I said I was fine? Huh? Why are you smiling like that?"
"Why am I smiling? I'm just amazed at how smoothly you lie, considering you slipped away to grab a snack without saying a single word."
The meaning behind Drin's smile seemed quite different from her words, but the man chose not to point it out.
"Well, wouldn't it have been weirder for me to interrupt your conversation just to say, 'Hey, I smell something delicious nearby, so I'm going to go grab a bite'?"
"Hmm, I suppose that is true."
The man took a bite of the skewer in his hand. Watching him, Drin spoke up.
"Ah, and by the way, that gentleman just now was not an acquaintance of mine."
"Not an acquaintance?"
"I believe I mentioned earlier that I was pursuing a dangerous individual. That dangerous individual was an assassin attempting to harm that gentleman. I witnessed the assassination attempt, thwarted it, and was in the middle of pursuing the culprit."
Drin explained the whole story, naturally slipping in her impressive achievement.
"Ah~ I see."
"...Is that all?"
"Pardon?"
"Sigh... Never mind."
Tsk. In front of Drin, whose face was already twisted in dissatisfaction at his lukewarm reaction, the man casually took another bite of his skewer.
"...You certainly seem to be enjoying that. Right in front of me, no less."
"Ah, well, I used up a bit of energy earlier, so I suddenly got hungry."
"Used up energy? All you did was get lost."
"Pardon? Ah. That... Ah! When I first ran into you! I was so terrified that all the strength drained from my body!"
"Ah, yes. Of course. Do enjoy your meal."
"You looked like you used up quite a bit of energy back then too. Aren't you hungry?"
"I am not!"
"Is that so? Oh dear, then I bought this for nothing."
Only then did Drin notice the other skewer held in his opposite hand.
"...Did you buy that for me?"
"I did."
"Why?"
"Pardon?"
"Why would you buy that for me..."
"Hmm? I mean, it's nothing grand. Do you really need a reason? It felt a bit awkward eating alone, so I just grabbed one for you while buying mine."
"Is that so..." Just as Drin stared at the skewer with a strange expression and began to reach her hand out—
"Well, if you don't want it, I guess there's no helping it." *Chomp.*
"Ah."
"Hmm? Is something the matter?"
"...It is nothing. Do enjoy your meal." 'He hasn't even finished his first one yet, so why...' Drin pouted and muttered under her breath.