Event - 5
"Oh? My lady, didn't you say you were staying home to rest today?"
"Ahahaha! I figured doing something useful for the Guild would beat sitting around resting! I can hold my own in a fight too, you know, so I came out to lend a hand with the patrol!!"
Honestly, where had she learned to be so admirably dutiful?
Clapping for Sowol as she declared it with such pride, I pressed a Praise Sticker onto her forehead.
"Eh?!"
"That heart of yours—the part that wanted to help with the family business. I liked it."
"Thank you, Master!"
Sowol peeled the sticker right off and tucked it into her notebook, and I gave her shoulder a fond pat before turning my gaze to Lyla.
She seemed a little flustered by Sowol's sudden entrance, but the smile on her face hadn't faded yet.
"Shall we get back to our patrol, then? ...Sowol, hold on. You're patrolling alone?"
"Yes. It was a last-minute arrangement, so I'm told I don't have a partner."
"I see. Good luck out there."
"Excuse me?!"
"What?"
"Nothing. It's just—your disciple tells you she'll be patrolling alone, and you mean to simply send me off by myself?"
"Well, when you put it that way..."
"Oh! Master!!"
Just then, a cheerful voice rang out. Looking over, I found Ann standing there—red-haired as ever, though there wasn't a single freckle on her, and she was hardly the stick figure one might imagine.
With armor on, she clearly hadn't come to enjoy the festival; if anything, she looked to be patrolling on her own.
"I heard the Eastern Merchant Guild was lending people to the patrols. Were you joining in as well, Master?"
"That's right. And you?"
"Ah, today was supposed to be my day off, but with the Eastern Merchant Guild sending support, it hardly felt right for a knight of the territory to be resting—so I joined a patrol on my own."
My, how admirable.
Truly a model for knights everywhere. That said—patrolling alone, huh? Perfect timing, really.
I patted her shoulder, then nudged her forward, right in front of Sowol.
"Huh?"
"Turns out Sowol here has to patrol alone too, so the two of you can just pair up."
"Um..."
"That doesn't sound like a bad arrangement at all!"
Whatever hostility Ann had held toward Sowol had vanished entirely the moment Sowol defeated Reiss, which meant the two of them could travel together without any real trouble.
"See you later, then. Lyla, let's go."
"Yes, my lady! See you later!"
With her trademark sunny grin, Lyla bid Sowol farewell. Now then—where to next?
"Oh! Over there! How about we try over there?"
The place Lyla pointed to was a quiet, out-of-the-way alley. Were they running some festival attraction down there too?
"That's where the crooks operate! They sell fake goods, or dangle cheap prices to lure people in and then force them to pay extortionate sums—or rob them outright!"
"Huh. Yeah, that does make sense."
She seemed well-versed in this sort of work, her instincts sharper than mine. In any case, with a den like that around, skipping it wasn't an option.
"Once we've swept that area it'll be lunchtime—let's grab a meal then."
"Hehe! Yes, sir!"
Patrolling the alley proved to be an excellent choice.
The moment we stepped in, we spotted a greenhorn swindler from out of town selling suspicious wares at inflated prices.
Backed by a pack of bruisers, he was intimidating travelers into forced purchases—and we caught him at it a full two times.
"Not bad, huh?"
"Oh, it's nothing. Trading journeys take you all over, and this kind of thing shows up everywhere you go."
"Really, now."
"Yes. As the saying goes, a merchant must know to sell proper goods at proper prices. Men like that are no merchants at all."
The greenhorn, dragged along with both wrists bound, flashed an awkward smile.
Lyla scrunched her face at him and let out a small sigh.
"Merchants are often scorned by others, you know. A colossal guild like the Eastern Merchant Guild all the more so."
"Is that so."
"The reason merchants are hated is precisely because of people like him. Everyone assumes we'd do absolutely anything for profit."
"I mean, it's not exactly a wrong assumption."
"It's different in the East. However much a merchant there chases profit, he must still know righteousness and duty. Our Eastern Merchant Guild made its home in the East—and to this day, we have lost neither."
It was a remark brimming with pride.
Having said it herself, Lyla wore a thoroughly contented smile.
"These men here?"
"That's them. They were running a scam operation in the back alley."
"I see. Hey! Take them all in!!"
Emerging from the alley, we handed the crooks we'd caught over to the soldiers stationed nearby.
And with that, the morning patrol was done.
Judging by the hour, it was nearly lunchtime.
"Shall we get something to—"
"Oh my!! What a coincidence!!"
Wait?! That voice—?!
I turned around to find Sowol and Ann standing there.
Both flushed red and puffing for breath, they'd clearly patrolled with great diligence.
"Have you finished your morning patrol?!"
"Yeah. You two done as well?"
"Yes! We just finished ours! Who knew there'd be so much to do! With the festival on, it seems all sorts of riffraff have come pouring in from everywhere!!"
Ann nodded along to Sowol's spirited chatter. Sounded like they'd had their work cut out for them too.
"Good work. We're off to eat—want to join us?"
"You mean lunch? I don't mind either way, but if you insist so warmly, Master, I could hardly refuse!"
I hadn't insisted all that warmly.
But what can you do.
Lyla, for her part, didn't seem to mind much either.
Meals are best shared with company, after all.
"Let's go. Lunch is on me."
After all, So Jung-yang had paid my wages just yesterday.
Maybe it was because lunch was a little early?
The restaurant had plenty of open seats.
There was even a table big enough for the four of us, so we took our seats at leisure.
"What are you having? I'm getting the set meal. The set meal here is great. Get the set meal."
"What comes with the set meal?"
"Steak, bread, and an omelet. A drink comes with it too."
"Ah. Then I'll have the same."
Sowol loved meat as much as I did, so she ordered the set meal with a smile. Ann followed suit.
But just as Lyla was smiling and about to nod along, Sowol said, puzzled:
"Lyla, you don't like meat, remember?"
"Huh? There are people who don't like meat?"
"Yes. Lyla prefers bread and vegetables to meat."
Then why was she about to order the set meal?
At my look, Lyla scratched her cheek.
"Haha... well, you were treating us, so it felt awkward to bring it up..."
"Still, there's no need to eat something you hate. Master, Lyla can order something else, can't she?"
"Of course she can."
Only then did Lyla order what she actually wanted: a salad and soup, plus bread and jam.
"Hmm..."
Once the orders were in, Sowol, Lyla, and Ann dove into animated chatter.
I watched them for a moment, then rested my chin on the hand propped on the table and spoke.
"Lyla. Aren't you holding back too much?"
"Huh?"
"I know this table holds your mistress, a knight of the territory, and an esteemed member of the Guild in yours truly, but this isn't exactly a formal occasion. And yet, from what I can see, even when there's something you want to say, you hold it in..."
"...Ahaha."
"Lyla's always like that."
With even Sowol agreeing, it seemed I'd read her right.
"The way I see it, you suppress yourself far too much. Honoring righteousness and duty means shouldering your own desires along with them. That's not a bad thing in itself, mind you—but I believe people are moved by their desires. So every now and then, it's good to let them out."
"Um... am I allowed to do that?"
"Of course. Moderation is what matters. Moderation."
Nothing special happened after lunch.
We patrolled the afternoon just as we had the morning.
We crossed paths with Sowol by chance fairly often during the rounds, but it was nothing noteworthy, so I saw no need to dwell on it.
And so, with the patrol wrapping up, the workday was drawing to a close.
"Excuse me, Master."
"What is it?"
"You are... my partner for this festival, aren't you, Master?"
"That's right."
"Then, um... after the patrol, at the campfire they're holding tonight... would you be willing to be my dance partner?"
A campfire?
They had one of those too?
I checked the schedule—sure enough, there it was.
They really do think of everything.
"You could just go with Sowol, you know."
"The young lady is to attend the castle with the Guild Master this evening."
Ah, now that she mentioned it, that was right.
I remembered Sowol saying so with a sullen face, the sixth time we'd bumped into each other by chance.
"That much is no trouble, but for a dance partner, wouldn't someone else be a better pick?"
"Ahaha. No one would care to partner with a common hired hand like me."
"A hired hand? You're plenty pretty yourself. Hmm... more importantly, wouldn't you get teased for taking an old man like me as your partner?"
Granted, I was only in my mid-twenties, but Lyla was the same age as Sowol.
Just as Sowol had called me an old man from the very start, I must have seemed plenty old to Lyla too.
For a dance partner, I figured someone her own age would be better.
"It would be an honor to have you as my partner, Master."
"Really? Then I can hardly refuse. A promise is a promise."
"Hehe. Thank you. Ah, and there's one more thing I should mention."
"What is it?"
"I don't know how to dance."
Good grief.
She'd asked me to be her dance partner without even knowing how to dance?
I marveled at Lyla's audacity.
What nerve.
You're going to go far, kid.
"Then why did you ask to dance at all?"
"I wanted to try it at least once. You told me not to hold back, didn't you?"
As she said it, Lyla's face was full of a playfulness that suited her age perfectly.