Four in One Room
I calmed Elisabeth down, helped her onto Bucephalus, and climbed onto Nureongi myself. Anastasia wordlessly wrapped her arms tightly around me. Come to think of it, she probably had trauma about this sort of thing too, so I just stayed still.
That was when torches flickered in the distance and the clatter of armor reached our ears.
“What’s all this commotion?!”
Sounded like the guards who’d been watching the gate. Elena lit up the area around us with magic. I grinned and answered.
“Just travelers passing through.”
“We heard there was a massacre here and came running! Was this your doing?!”
The guard pointed at the blood on Elisabeth’s sword. Ah, what a pain. Annoying, but I had no choice. I wiped the smile off my face and spoke to one of them in a grave tone.
“I’m Count Goshugir von Breitenfeld. I was heading to the castle when these bastards picked a fight, so I killed them. Got it?”
“Impersonating a noble is a serious crime!! Do you want to die?! Look at yourselves! Who in their right mind would believe you’re nobles?!”
“These fucking bastards.”
“What kind of noble talks like some back-alley thug?!”
“Did your mom die or something, seriously.”
Even after revealing my identity, these idiots were nitpicking my appearance. What was I supposed to do with them? Kill them all? No. That would just make getting horses a headache. In that sense, Elisabeth’s carriage with the imperial crest plastered all over it had been really convenient. Maybe that was why the road to Breitenfeld had been so peaceful too. Ha… I should’ve given Heinrich every single thing that could prove my identity before I left.
Elena couldn’t show her identification either because the Emperor had ordered her to hide her status. Then why the hell had he given us a carriage with the imperial crest on it? Was the Emperor insane?
While I hesitated, the guard drew his sword and pointed it at us.
“Come with us! If you don’t, I’ll cut your heads off!”
“Haa…”
Elena started sighing too. She was also strong enough to wipe out most of the humans here. So I decided to just handle it cleanly.
“Haven’t you heard the news about Breitenfeld? A bustling territory like this should have rumors spreading fast.”
“You mean the rumor that three knight orders were wiped out at once?! Even rumors have their limits!”
“No, that one’s true. And—”
I snapped my fingers. A cluster of light lined up above my head before transforming into weapons. Swords, spears, axes, maces, arrows, shields, rocks—everything I could think of, as varied as possible.
“I did that.”
“H-Hiik…!!”
Both guards dropped to their knees at the sight and shouted at the same time.
“We greet the Count!!”
“We’re sorry we didn’t recognize you!!”
I snapped my fingers again and the weapons vanished into thin air.
“As long as you know. Now guide the way, you bastards.”
“Y-Yes…!!”
That was how we managed to get through the gate, though it had been a massive pain. The guards tried to escort us to the castle, but I refused and found us an inn instead. A high-class place with expensive rates. While Elisabeth, Anastasia, and I clung together complaining about how tired we were, Elena handled the payment.
“I booked one room.”
“Huh?”
“She says she booked one room.”
She smiled brightly.
“Uh…?”
What the hell was she talking about?
* * *
I stared blankly at the room with three beds.
“Man, I want a Coke.”
“Pardon?”
Elena asked, but I ignored her and kept going.
“I really want a Coke!!”
“What’s a Coke?”
I ignored Elisabeth’s question too. I had no thoughts. Because I wasn’t thinking about anything. So I wanted a Coke. When I stared hard at Elena, she just looked back innocently.
“There was only one room available.”
“Sounds like bullshit.”
“I swear on my family’s honor.”
“Tch… If you’re going that far, I’ve got nothing to say.”
It was obviously a lie, but there was no point arguing when she brought up her family’s honor. Right now, Elisabeth took priority anyway. She’d gone to wash up first, but she’d been in there for over an hour and a half. Women took long showers, sure, but an hour and a half was pushing it. Still, I couldn’t exactly go check on her out of concern—my masculinity and all that… Hmm… I decided to just pet the damn dog instead.
“Ah~ I want a Coke~”
“What is a Coke? Something you drink?”
“Yeah. It’s a tasty beverage.”
“Should I try making it?”
Oh, right. She was a skilled alchemist. So I explained the taste of Coke and the characteristics of carbonated drinks in detail. Anastasia’s eyes lit up noticeably as she spoke to me.
“I’ll try making it!!”
“…Sure.”
I patted her head and stood up, hoping she wouldn’t accidentally make some kind of explosive. Time for a smoke. Click—
Just then, the bathroom door opened and Elisabeth came out.
“……”
Her hair was wet. Obviously, since she’d just washed. Her face was pretty. Well, that part was a pass. Her chest… Smack— I closed my eyes and slapped my right cheek. I’m not a beast! Still, my gaze naturally drifted to her body. She was wearing a thin nightgown, completely different from her usual attire, giving off this strangely defenseless atmosphere.
Elisabeth smiled shyly and said to me,
“If you stare so openly like that… it’s embarrassing.”
“Ah.”
This crazy bastard. This beastly bastard. Smack— I slapped my left cheek.
“Please don’t hurt yourself…”
Damn it. The faint scent of soap lingered around her, driving me even crazier. I was doing my best to stay rational while talking to her when her gaze shifted toward my bed.
“What are you doing there, sister?”
“Ah, well~ Good question?”
Elena was sitting on my bed like it was the most natural thing in the world, reading a book.
“There are three beds, so what’s the problem? How about your bed by the window? The view’s nice.”
“That’s the Count’s bed!!”
“So?”
Elisabeth stormed over to Elena, fuming. But Elena just pushed her glasses up and didn’t even spare her a glance. Why were these two like this? I’d been planning to comfort Elisabeth since she’d just committed her first murder and probably felt shaken, but now…
Elena replied nonchalantly,
“There are three beds, and someone has to sleep next to Goshugir. Am I wrong?”
“D-Didn’t you see how hard I worked today? And by status, the spot next to the Count is obviously mine!”
“You did work hard, that’s true. But bringing up status feels a bit tacky.”
“W-What? Are you insulting the imperial family right now?”
How did the atmosphere get like this? Haa…… I should just go smoke. Leaving the two of them arguing behind me, I stepped out onto the balcony and closed the door. I pulled out my pipe, packed the tobacco, lit it, and took a drag.
“Huu……”
Why was Elena acting like that? Elisabeth was clearly exhausted. Giving up the spot next to me wouldn’t have been a big deal. A cold breeze blew in, and the city lights spread out below. Suddenly, I remembered when I was fourteen at the Northern Wall. There had been one hell of a battle. Among the monsters, there were quite a few ghouls made from human corpses. Even if they’d fallen to being monsters, they had once been people. That day had been my first kill. In that hellish moment, the one who had stayed by my side and held me together was……
“Ah, fuck.”
A sudden, splitting pain shot through my temple.
Strangely, no matter how hard I tried to recall that memory from when I was fourteen, it wouldn’t come back clearly. I focused on smoking as much as possible, and as soon as I finished, I opened the door to head back inside. The moment I stepped into the room, I doubted my own eyes.
“Goshugir!”
“My lord!”
Both Elisabeth and Elena rushed toward me at the same time. Softness pressed against both of my arms from either side.
“W-Wait!”
I shouted, but it was useless.
Elisabeth clung to my right arm, Elena to my left. It wasn’t just linking arms.
“My lord! I finished washing up first today, so I’m sleeping next to you! Right?!”
Elisabeth shook her still-damp hair and pulled my right arm tightly against her chest. Whether it was because her grip had gotten stronger from sword training or because of that… incredibly soft sensation through the thin nightgown, my nerves were completely paralyzed and I couldn’t pull my arm free. Soft. Seriously, I was going to lose it. She’d just finished bathing and smelled faintly of soap—it was actually making my head spin.
“Elise, don’t be unreasonable. You’re making Goshugir uncomfortable.”
Even as she said that, Elena was also yanking my left arm toward herself. No, Elena, what you’re doing is plenty uncomfortable too…… On top of that, Elena had completely abandoned her usual dignified posture and was lightly resting her chin on my shoulder, pressing her body close. Soft, soft.Soft… soft… I decided to just stop thinking. Hmm. Let’s count prime numbers. I’ll count prime numbers. Wait, what were prime numbers again? My memories from Earth were so distant that I couldn’t remember. Then a thought occurred to me. Maybe Elena was doing this to comfort Elisabeth? If we kept this up, the memory of the murder would completely disappear. Aha! Elena was actually an angel! I glanced at her face and thought. Well, her face was already angelic anyway.
Just then, Anastasia stood up. She held out the leash attached to her collar and spoke calmly.
“Get off him, you crazy bitches.”
Now what was she doing?
“W-What? Weisswald’s daughter…!!”
Elena tried to say something, but Anastasia’s reply came faster.
“I’m sleeping under Master’s bed, so you two sleep in the beds.”
She spoke coldly, then silently lay down on the floor beside my bed. Good job for a damn dog. I should praise her more.
“Happy now? Let go!”
When I pulled away from both Elena and Elisabeth, they staggered toward their respective beds with expressions that said, “What exactly did we just do?” That settled the bed assignments for now.
Knock knock—
Someone knocked on the door. Since the other two were still dazed, I went to answer it. Outside stood a young, handsome nobleman who looked every bit the part.
“…Who are you?”
“I-I’m Viscount Holsholt! I heard that Count Breitenfeld was staying here and rushed over!!”
“What brings the Viscount here?”
“I heard our guards committed a grave discourtesy toward the Count! I’m truly sorry!!”
He immediately bowed at a perfect ninety-degree angle. Hmm. I liked that. I hadn’t even been bothered by it.
“It’s already over, so there’s no need to come apologize.”
“Thank you for your generosity! As a token of apology, I’ll provide sufficient travel funds! And this……”
The viscount pulled out a lavish, gold-embossed invitation from his coat and offered it to me with both hands respectfully.
“Tomorrow evening, we’re holding a grand ball at my castle, inviting nobles from all the neighboring territories. It would be the greatest honor for the Holsholt family if the Count and your companions would attend!”
A ball? Like those grand banquets in romance fantasies? ……Kind of a pain. Did I really need to go there when I had three beautiful girls with me?
“We’ll be serving the finest cuisine gathered from across the continent, sweet desserts, and unlimited quantities of the empire’s best wine! We’ve also prepared a private dining table just for the Count!”
“I’ll go.”
If there was unlimited delicious food, that changed everything. I decided to attend the ball tomorrow.