Chapter 403: 4th Floor
Chapter 403: 4th Floor
“Ye-yes! I’ll show you the way!”
And just like that, my cute Silvia took the bait, grabbing my arm and starting to lead the way.
The place she guided me to was… an incredibly luxurious, high-end restaurant.
It was a different place from the two I’d visited with Diana, but this one was every bit as extravagant, not losing to them in the slightest.
No wonder she didn’t turn off anywhere else and just kept walking through the noble district. I should have realized then.
Come to think of it, I’d forgotten. She was a noble lady.
One of such high standing that she was childhood friends with the princess.
“Is something wrong? Do you not like it? I’m so sorry. I thought you must be hungry, so I just picked the closest place… I’ll find another. There’s a better place just a little further….”
“No, no, no. I like it. I do, but. The money….”
A better place than this? Was she planning on finding a royal court chef in the palace?
Does a place like that even exist for the public?
“D-don’t worry about the money! I’ll pay!”
How dependable, Silvia. So very dependable.
I feel a little bad for thinking this, but I’ve never thought you were this dependable even in the dungeon….
“No, that’s not it. We’re going to eat dinner at home anyway, so there’s no need to have a simple meal at such a fancy restaurant. Isn’t there somewhere a little more… casual?”
Since I was looking for a place to treat Rachel, I normally wouldn’t use words like ‘cheap and decent.’
But this incident gave me certainty.
Silvia’s idea of a cheap and decent place was exactly what I was looking for.
“…Is that so…. In that case….”
Silvia looked as if she wouldn’t mind at all if she paid, but she seemed to respect my opinion. After a moment of thought, she began to guide me again.
The place we arrived at was a moderately luxurious-looking restaurant.
For a place she brought me to after I asked for something cheap and decent, it was still quite fancy, but I guess a noble’s standards are a bit different from mine.
A noble is a noble, after all.
Come to think of it, Diana never once acted like the incredibly high-ranking person she was.
Was it because she was used to the commoners’ way of life after running away from home for so long?
Or was Silvia just too naive about the ways of the world?
Somehow, the latter seemed more likely.
If I assume she was always with the princess before she met me, it’s entirely possible.
No. She was in the Royal Guard. She must have been stuck to the princess’s side, staying only in the palace.
Seeing Silvia in a new light, I entered the restaurant before me.
After ordering some simple fare, I looked around. The atmosphere here was certainly more relaxed than the places I’d gone to with Diana.
I could see people eating without standing on ceremony, and I could hear the murmur of conversation.
In terms of my original world, it felt like a more high-end family restaurant.
“This is a nice place.”
“I-i-is that so….”
And as soon as her duty as a guide was over, Silvia tensed up again.
She was now sitting across from me, so it wasn’t easy for her to look away.
Her face beet red, Silvia stared at my face, panting heavily as she trembled.
“How did you find out about this place, Silvia?”
The first restaurant she’d guided me to was close enough to the palace that one might go there for a special meal out, but this place wasn’t.
Its location was on the outskirts of the noble district. It was a place one wouldn’t likely visit if they only ever stayed in the palace.
“I-I heard about it from my fellow knights. They said it was a decent place to grab a bite when you get hungry on patrol.”
I see. So this was her first time here as well.
But to treat a restaurant of this caliber as just a place to ‘grab a bite.’
It seemed her fellow knights had a similar sense of prices as Silvia.
“B-but are you really sure this is alright? The tables here aren’t very wide….”
“Thanks to that, I can see you from up close like this, can’t I?”
“Euuugh…!”
“Hey, hey. Don’t make weird noises in here. People will get the wrong idea. …Just in case, you didn’t… feel it just now, did you?”
“I-I did not! I did not feel it!”
This is suspicious. But it’s not like I can check in a place like this.
There were too many eyes on us.
Silvia’s embarrassed cry had already drawn enough attention.
“Sir Barbet! Is that not Sir Barbet?!”
And among the people who had turned their attention to us, there happened to be someone who knew Silvia.
A woman dressed in a simplified version of a knight’s armor, though not the full set Silvia wore to the dungeon, approached us.
“Hah, haah… S-Sir Myler?”
Silvia, too, seemed to recognize the knight.
Could this be the very same colleague who told her about this place?
What a coincidence….
“It really is you, Sir Barbet! It’s been a while! But what’s with that expression… no. More importantly, what are you doing here, Sir Barbet….”
The knight’s voice trailed off as she spoke, and then, as if she’d realized something, she suddenly looked at me.
“Th-then could this person be… Mmph!”
Hey. Why do you think a person would be wearing a robe like this?
It’s already a pain in the ass having to wear this thing every time I go out these days.
I managed to clamp my hand over the knight’s mouth just before she could shout ‘Saint.’
“Shhhh. Quietly. Got it?”
I brought my face close to the knight’s and whispered quietly. She nodded her head frantically in understanding.
The faint blush on her face was definitely not my imagination.
Heh. So my looks have now reached a level where they even work on nobles.
Being handsome really is the best.
“S-S… Haaah… Sir Myler, what are you doing here?”
Seeing this, Silvia became a little restless before pushing her body between me and the knight and shouting.
Thanks to that, she was even closer to me and trembled for a moment, but it seemed she was willing to sacrifice herself if it meant prying another woman away from me.
Silvia had never shown even a hint of jealousy no matter how much I fooled around with the other girls, but of course, she’s only human. There’s no way she wouldn’t feel such things.
Seeing Silvia jealous for the first time made me a little happy.
I should give her a reward later and dote on her.
Though, it might be a reward that makes Silvia feel like she’s going to die.
“I was on patrol and had a little time to spare… Ahem. More importantly, Sir Barbet. Have you heard the news?”
The knight was about to casually admit she was slacking off, but after glancing at me, she cleared her throat and changed the subject.
“The news… you say?”
“Yes. Her Majesty the Queen has finally… to Her Highness the Princess… ahem.”
No. I mean, stop glancing at me and just finish your sentence. I’m curious. What is it?
“No. This is not a good place to discuss this. I’ve heard about your circumstances, Sir Barbet, but please visit the palace when you have time. Her Highness may be in need of your help.”
“…Is it important?”
Hearing the knight’s words, Silvia’s face, which had been half-melted until then, instantly turned serious.
I’d felt it every time, but her focus is truly incredible.
Just like when she was guiding me to the restaurant, the moment something else requires her attention, she instantly forgets that she was melting for me.
Well, perhaps it’s because of that incredible focus that she melts so intensely when it’s just the two of us, concentrating solely on her happy feelings.
“Yes. It’s not an urgent matter that can’t wait a moment, but in terms of importance, it is quite significant.”
“Mmm… I understand. Thank you for the advice.”
“Not at all. I’m sorry for interrupting. I’ll be on my way then. I hope you two have a wonderful time. It was an honor to meet you as well, Saint.”
The knight gave me a small bow as well before returning to her seat.
To be told it was an honor to meet me by a knight who appears to be a noble. I’ve really made it big.
“Felicia… What on earth is going on….”
After hearing the knight’s story, Silvia remained restless and lost in thought.
So much so that she didn’t even vibrate despite being this close to me.
“Silvia.”
Just then, I saw the knight from before leaving the restaurant and concluded that I couldn’t just leave Silvia like this.
It seems this isn’t the time for special training to get her used to me.
“Yes? Ah, yes. What is it?”
“Go.”
“Wh-what? But….”
“It’s bothering you, isn’t it?”
“N-no, it’s not. Sir Myler said it wasn’t an urgent matter, so that much is… Sir Guwon?”
I firmly grasped the hand of Silvia, who was waving it frantically in denial. As expected, she didn’t vibrate.
“You’re not even trembling while holding my hand like this, and you say it’s not bothering you?”
“Ah, auu….”
Only then did Silvia show a hint of embarrassment, but her reaction was different from usual.
I had to assume this wasn’t embarrassment from holding my hand, but embarrassment from being caught in a lie.
“It’s fine, just go. She’s your precious friend. I don’t know what’s going on, but you should be by her side when she needs help.”
“B-but then the dungeon….”
“What’s the rush with that? It’s not like the Goddess gave us a deadline. We can just go a little later. We won’t go without you, so go on. You should at least find out what’s happening.”
“…Yes. Then, I’m sorry, but….”
“No. I told you there’s nothing to be sorry about. Go.”
“Yes! I’ll just go and see what’s happening. Even if it’s a bit difficult today, I’ll definitely be back by tomorrow.”
“It’s fine. There’s no need to rush, take your time.”
“Yes. Thank you so much, Sir Guwon.”
“Right. And if it’s something we can help with, let me know.”
“Yes! I’ll be going then.”
With that, Silvia bowed her head and hurriedly left the restaurant.
She denied it with her words, but it seemed she was incredibly worried about her friend.
After sending Silvia off, I praised myself for doing the right thing and picked up my fork again.
Alright, time to finish the rest of this steak… wait.
It was only then that I realized my own grave mistake.
A large man in a robe, eating a steak all by himself in the middle of a family restaurant.
N-no! This isn’t right! Don’t look at me like that! You all saw me! I was eating with a gorgeous beauty just a moment ago!
Some of you might have just arrived and missed it, but still, look at my face.
Does this face look like someone who can’t find a single person to eat with… damn this robe!
If I take this off, an incredibly handsome man will emerge! I’m serious!
Of course, I couldn’t make such excuses, and I had no choice but to swallow my humiliation and shovel the steak into my mouth.
Why not just leave, you ask?
I’m not so ill-mannered as to leave food I was eating.
And leaving meat, of all things! That’s a sin worthy of divine punishment!
For the record, the steak was delicious.
So delicious that I thought it would be fine to come here again with Rachel tomorrow.
Haaah… do I have to come here again tomorrow?
Should I buy another robe in a different color… no. This one was a matching set with Diana’s.
This is depressing.
No. Let’s think about it differently.
I’ll come back wearing the same robe and show off.
I’ll bring Rachel with me. I’ll let the whole world know that I’m a man who can dine with such a beauty.
No. If the whole world finds out, my girls will hear about it too… Aaargh! Whatever!
Anyway, my mission to find a restaurant to take Rachel to was successfully completed.
Another event occurred midway through, and I was separated from Silvia, but she said she’d be back by tomorrow, so I can just go have dinner with Rachel and then hear the details.
Having achieved my goal and filled my stomach as a bonus, I returned to the mansion with light footsteps.
It was definitely not a hasty retreat to forget the humiliation of eating alone. They were light footsteps.