Unexpected Hospitality
It was only as dusk settled that land finally appeared on the horizon.
Heidricke was far larger than I had imagined. By the time we disembarked, night had already fallen thick and heavy. Even the sea had turned pitch black.
We had been lucky to catch an early departure from Pamingten, which shaved more than half a day off our schedule. The downside was that we arrived in Heidricke in the dead of night.
Watching the other passengers rush toward the inns, we hurried after them—only to find every single room already taken.
We should have made reservations.
“Any rooms left…?”
“Doesn’t look like it.”
“What do we do? We can’t travel any farther tonight. Once the sun’s down, we’re stuck.”
The men launched into a strategy meeting while I perched on a pile of luggage, waiting for someone to make a decision. When none came, I ground my teeth and snapped.
“We can just leave right now!”
“Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to fight monsters at night? Even if Heidricke is relatively safe—”
“Are you an idiot? I’ll just kill them all! I can protect the likes of you, so get on your knees and thank me!”
“…You probably could, at that.”
“Ugh, how annoying.”
Lox, that bastard!
I tried to kick him, but as usual, Ash caught me mid-swing. I ended up spinning uselessly in the air, held by the waist.
After a few futile kicks, I gave up on violence. I wasn’t angry enough to actually want to hit him once he let go.
“The real problem is that we can’t even rent horses,” Lox said. “Look around. Every inn has a ‘no vacancy’ sign, and the rental stables are all closed. It’s not because it’s late—they simply have no horses left to lend.”
“Lox! What were you doing instead of making reservations?”
“…Kh, that is my job, but who could have guessed it would be this crowded? I was busy analyzing the map and deciphering the letters!”
“Tch. Useless.”
Still dangling from Ash’s grip, I clicked my tongue. Chad looked like he thought I was being too harsh.
“Hey, that’s a bit much.”
“If you’re going to act superior, you should at least do your job properly!”
“Wow, if you were my boss I’d quit on the spot. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes.”
“If I were your boss, I wouldn’t hire you in the first place. Even if you’re surprisingly decent, I still wouldn’t take you on!”
What was the point of us arguing among ourselves?
This was all Robenin Pedri’s fault. The sudden tourist boom had left every inn full and every horse spoken for. We were stuck walking.
“For now, let’s just sleep outside nearby—”
“The beach is damp and cold!”
“We can ask about renting horses once it’s light.”
“And if there aren’t any? We need five!”
“Then… we’ll have no choice but to buy horses or rent a carriage.”
Of course. Things had been going too smoothly, so the moment we set foot in Heidricke, everything started going wrong.
At this rate, buying horses or renting a carriage seemed unlikely too.
Hirilyke was only half a day away by horse, so that was manageable, but the real issue was the journey all the way to the capital where the festival was being held.
Walking for ten days… just thinking about it made me shudder.
“Miss!”
“Oh, the brooch kid.”
Stuck between the harbor and the inn district, someone called out to us. At first I didn’t recognize her in the dark, but it was the little girl from the boat.
She sat in a horse-drawn cart, apparently visiting someone nearby.
Target acquired.
“My name is Lil!”
“Right, Lil. Such a sweet, adorable little lady.”
“Huh? You feel different from before…”
“Must be your imagination.”
“Why are you all just standing here?”
“We couldn’t find lodging, so we’re going to sleep outside. Don’t you feel sorry for us?”
I put on my most pitiful expression. Only then did Ash finally release my waist. We had both grown so used to the situation that we’d momentarily forgotten how strange it looked.
“Oh, really? Dad! Grandpa! It’s the big sister who found the brooch!”
“Ah, so she’s the one you’ve been talking about.”
“Big sister is a water… water something-or-other.”
“Spirit Master.”
“That word’s too hard.”
Could she not dismiss someone else’s sacred profession with “something-or-other”?
“A water Spirit Master? We’re indebted to quite the remarkable person, Lil.”
The old man sitting in the driver’s seat murmured in admiration. The people of Heidricke seemed to know a fair bit about spirits. It had been the same on the boat.
Perhaps it was because the continent’s only Upper Spirit Master was from Heidricke. Most people from other countries only respected mages and had no idea what a Spirit Master even was, so this reaction was quite pleasant.
“We were surprised when we heard the story. To think a distinguished person helped our granddaughter. You even found the brooch that belonged to my late wife, I’m told.”
“Speaking of which, if you have any spare rooms, could you put us up for the night?”
“…I was going to offer, but you beat me to it.”
“How many times do we have to meet before I start worrying about manners? We’re just people passing through each other’s lives, aren’t we?”
Jeanie!
Ash scolded me quietly, but my shamelessness was on the level of a dragon’s breath. It was one of my greatest weapons.
“You’re right. This must be fate as well. It’s been a long time since we’ve hosted travelers. Our home isn’t much, but if you don’t mind, please come with us.”
“Hooray! See, this is why you should always live kindly!”
I cheered, though I could feel someone staring at me. I ignored it.
For someone with such an ordinary face, his gaze was awfully persistent.
“We raise goats beyond the fields. The house is old, but there’s plenty of space to sleep. There are even worker’s quarters… Ah, but my son-in-law’s family is visiting today, so we only have one spare bed.”
“I believe there’s still a bed left in my room!”
“I’m afraid the gentlemen will have to make do with the stable…”
“Oh, no trouble at all. We’re grateful just to have a roof over our heads.”
“Thank you. To receive such kindness… How can we ever repay you?”
While the men busied themselves thanking the old man, I shoved them aside.
Out of the way. I just caught an important clue.
I stepped right up to the old man.
“If you have a stable, that means you have horses, right?”
“Of course. You can’t run a farm without them.”
I grabbed the kind-faced old man’s hand and squeezed it.
“Such a gentle, warm-hearted person. How could I ever repay this kindness? Not only are you giving us a place to stay, but lending us horses too—you’re an angel.”
“Pardon? I never said anything about lending horses…”
“How much would you like?”
“…Ah, well, if that’s the case.”
The old man grabbed my hand in return. We had only just met, but we understood each other perfectly.
We were still gazing into each other’s eyes, sparkling with mutual trust, when Ash smoothly pulled us apart.
Our clasped hands had no choice but to separate.
“Now then, young lady? Leave the rest to us and get in the cart.”
Perhaps the blood of a forbidden attendant had awakened in the prince after all.
I was unceremoniously lifted by Ash and deposited into the cart while the men began loading the luggage, muttering among themselves.
“Don’t tell me this is one of those stories where she does a good deed and it comes back around as repayment?”
“Sounds like it.”
“Weird. That doesn’t sound like her at all. Maybe those people are being scammed?”
“Good heavens, that’s possible too.”
Lox even covered his mouth as if he’d received a great shock.
Was that guy my anti-fan? He acted like a fan, but…
For your information, I’m the Saint of this region!
“Shut up! Stop babbling and load the luggage already!”
In a few years, they’ll be bragging about traveling with me as a family honor! They should be grateful!
“Good grief, you tyrant.”
“You’d better not keep slaves. You’d work them to death in three days.”
“I bet they’d run away in one day. One gold says so.”
Look at their insolent attitudes. They don’t even appreciate my generosity.
[I am worth 8,392,029 gold…]
Rai was cut off mid-sentence as I grabbed him by the scruff. Or rather, his chest fur.
How bold of him to say that right next to me.
[It’ll hurt if you hit me. Well, it won’t actually hurt, but still. Puheheh!]
[You metal spirit brat. I’ll turn you into a horseshoe instead of a horseshoe—wait, a manure catcher.]
[…Ah, a demon!]
I knew that words alone couldn’t instill true fear. If I wanted to make him tremble for real, I had to avoid making threats I couldn’t follow through on.
[I’m sorry! Master! Please forgive me just this once!]
That was the power of sincerity—and Rai was the one who kept forging me stronger.
***
Perhaps this was a good omen for the journey. Not only had we secured lodging, but we’d also managed to rent sturdy horses at a bargain price.
Moreover, the old man knew exactly where our destination, Hirilyke, was located, which delighted Lox to no end.
“North of the fields, you say? We nearly tried to cross the mountains based on the map alone.”
“I’m a local, so I know the area well. If you cross the fields, you’ll come to a narrow mountain path lined with purple flowers. Follow it all the way and you’ll reach the swaying bridge that leads straight to Hirilyke. It’s such a small village that outsiders tend to get lost trying to find it.”
“That’s more than enough help!”
“I don’t know why you’d want to go there when there’s nothing to see, but… I wish you luck on your travels.”
The old man, in high spirits from his grandchildren’s visit, treated us to a lavish dinner as well.
Perhaps because the hospitality was so generous, Ash couldn’t stop fidgeting, desperate to do something in return.
“We feel terrible just eating without giving anything back. If there’s any work we can help with, please tell us.”
There he went again, trying to do volunteer work. Serving as an attendant for me was more than enough.
“As long as you enjoyed the meal, that’s enough. The fact that you came all the way here across the sea is reason enough for me to host you.”
“No, if there’s any farm work that needs an extra hand…”
“No, no. We haven’t had rain lately, so the crops aren’t doing well at all. There’s nothing to harvest.”
Hey. Don’t look at me!
Ephiros, you bastard! I’m not a watering can!
Ignoring him, I practically drank my third bowl of lamb soup and glanced at Undine, whom I had paired with Lil to play.
Undine was making water droplets for Lil.
[Undine, can you make it rain?]
[Rain? Of course! Watering the earth is a joyful thing!]
[How large an area can you cover?]
[I don’t understand the concept of “area,” but with Master’s power, it would be a very, very large amount!]
Making rain was an easy technique I hadn’t used much in actual combat.
Since we’d been treated so well, maybe I should practice a little and water the fields.
I set down my third bowl of soup.