From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman: My Hotshot Disciples Are All Grown Up Now, and They Won't Leave Me Alone Volume 3 E-Book

Shigeru Sagazaki

• Herausgeber: J-Novel Club
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Serie: From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman: My Hotshot Disciples Are All Grown Up Now, and They Won't Leave Me Alone
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 308

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

Every year, Liberis’s neighbor Sphenedyardvania sends a diplomatic delegation of royalty to foster friendship between their two nations. Each nation’s knights are responsible for the security of their own diplomats, so naturally, Allusia sees this as a wonderful opportunity to introduce Beryl on behalf of the Liberion Order. Beryl worries endlessly about meeting with royalty, but once the foreign knights arrive, he is greeted by a familiar face—Rose Mabelhart, the lieutenant commander of Sphenedyardvania’s knights, is yet another former student of his! However, conflict arises when Rose claims to be Beryl’s favorite...right in front of Allusia! The knights begin their escort duty, but dark shadows are on the move behind the scenes. Can Beryl help thwart these sinister machinations against Liberis? And can he handle the jealousy brewing among his adoring pupils?

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Cover

Characters

Story Summary

Chapter 1: An Old Country Bumpkin Buys Clothes

Chapter 2: An Old Country Bumpkin Meets Royalty

Interlude

Chapter 3: An Old Country Bumpkin Strikes Down the Hand of Evil

Epilogue: An Old Country Bumpkin Gets Another Drink

Afterword

Color Illustrations

About J-Novel Club

Copyright

Landmarks

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: An Old Country Bumpkin Buys Clothes

It was morning in Baltrain. I woke up, and since I no longer lived alone, I exchanged a brief greeting with my new housemate, Mewi. After that, I quickly got dressed and had a light breakfast.

“Shall we?”

“Mm.”

Mewi and I stepped out of my new home and onto the city streets. Our life together had started very suddenly, but it was going surprisingly well. Mewi wasn’t really the type to try to get close to others, nor did she know how to. We tried not to meddle with each other more than we had to, so even though there were still some logistical questions about us living under the same roof, things had comfortably settled.

“Man, the weather sure is nice today,” I remarked.

“Better than it being lousy...”

Today, I was on an outing with Mewi. To be precise, it was my duty to see her to the magic institute. Lucy had recently explained things about the institute in more detail. The magic institute was always recruiting those with a talent for magic, so even though they had a normal entrance ceremony, they accepted applicants at any time of the year. They were more than happy to welcome Mewi right away.

The institute was also used to such procedures, so enrolling her had gone really smoothly. Of course, Lucy had a personal hand in Mewi’s case, so that must’ve helped a lot. It turned out that Lucy was both the commander of the magic corps and the headmistress of the institute. Seriously, how many titles can you have at once? She apparently didn’t show up often at the institute, though. Lucy did seem more like a researcher than a teacher. It was probably rare for her to hold any classes.

“Hmm, so the institute is in the northern district,” I mumbled, staring at the map Lucy had given me.

Unlike the order’s office, the magic institute was in the same district as the palace. I couldn’t care less whether the order or the magic corps was older (or which had more influence), but there was something special about a school in the same district as the palace.

And now, Mewi was going to be a student there. As her guardian, it made me feel proud.

“You didn’t have to come along or nothing...” Mewi muttered.

I knew very well that these types of situations could feel very uncomfortable or even embarrassing for a child like Mewi. In this case, I figured she was embarrassed. I’m really starting to understand her.

“I thought I should at least greet them as your guardian,” I told her. “Also, I’ve got some interest in the magic institute.”

“Hmph.”

All I got in response was her usual snort. Mewi was still young. But she was about to become a student, so naturally, I had to go say hello. It didn’t feel right to enroll her and then just shove off, tell her to take care, and throw her out the door. Also, I was curious. The institute had been established so that the nation could secure talented wizards—this was rather exciting from the perspective of a swordsman.

I also wanted to see the place where Mewi would be staying. Though I didn’t want to butt in, I was pretty confident that I’d come flying to the school if I heard about someone bullying her. I could even imagine myself stomping in there and exclaiming, “Who the hell is bullying my kid?!”

This was what I was reduced to when it came to Mewi. I suspected I would be extremely doting if I had a child who shared my blood. But to make that a reality, I would first have to find a wife, and I’d already given up on that. Things had only reached this point because my dad refused to let me give up.

Developments had granted me a house, but I had no idea what kind of life I would be living from this point onward. Would Baltrain really become my permanent residence? At the very least, I was going to stay in this house until Mewi could live on her own. My life plan for everything after that was a blank slate. Even if I wanted to retire in peace, my dad and Allucia weren’t liable to let me.

“What’s wrong?” Mewi asked.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Let’s go.”

Oops, no point thinking about that stuff now. It’ll work out one way or another. The northern district was quite far away—I could manage it, but taking Mewi for such a long walk would be no good. So, I decided to rely on the carriage that went all the way there. At this hour, there were plenty of people commuting, so the carriage stop was very lively. All sorts of people were boarding to get off at different places.

“Oops, excuse me.”

As I got on the carriage to go to the northern district with Mewi, I found myself with hardly any room to stand. I’d traveled on carriages a few times since coming to Baltrain, but this was my first time being in one that was so packed. I was worried about whether Mewi was okay.

“Man, it sure is crammed in here,” I mumbled.

“So tight...” she complained, wincing a little.

Hmm, I guess carriages are stuffed to the gills at this hour. The institute had a dorm where the students stayed most of the time, so I wouldn’t have to throw Mewi into this hubbub too often. It’ll probably be fine. I knew I was being overprotective, but there was nothing to be done about it at this point. Mewi had spent her entire life in a gloomy world, so she was relatively ignorant about being out in the light. She hadn’t even received enough of an education to properly write her own name. I couldn’t possibly leave such a little girl on her own. I wondered whether she would make friends at school, and I wondered whether she would do well with her studies.

As such parental thoughts filled my mind, the carriage shook and rattled its way to our destination.

“Sure is big...”

“Mm...”

We soon arrived at the magic institute. I hadn’t been to the northern district since capturing Reveos, but things looked awfully different when the sun was out. Coupled with the clear sky, the soaring spires of the royal palace were a sight to behold. To get to the institute, we had to walk quite a ways from the carriage stop in the northern district. Still, our destination wasn’t excessively far—just enough for Mewi to stretch her legs and exercise a bit.

We’d relied on the map and billboards to find the place, and it was enormous, occupying a plot so large that I wondered whether it rivaled the palace. The entrance was flanked by a large gate, and through it, I could see a vast garden leading to what I assumed was the main school building. To the right was a large space that looked like a sports ground, and to the left had to be the dorms. Yup, it sure is huge. How many students do they have? It’s presumptuous to compare, but my backwater dojo is realms smaller than this place.

“Shall we go in and say hi?” I asked Mewi.

“Mm...”

After coming this far, I couldn’t put my country bumpkin side on full display. After all, I was accompanied by a little girl who needed my guidance, so I couldn’t just stand here in a daze. First, I had to make my way to the staff room or something...probably. I’d gotten a map to find the building, but I had no clue where to go next. Not that there was any point in just standing around. I’d probably find a teacher inside, and I could just catch them, explain the situation, and get them to guide us.

As that thought crossed my mind, I heard a voice from behind me.

“Would you happen to be the new transfer student and her father?”

I took a quick glance left and right, but there was nobody else nearby. However, the voice seemed to be addressing us. When I turned fully around, I was greeted by a woman wearing a robe much like Ficelle’s. She was just about the same height and age as Allucia, or maybe a little older. Her gentle features and wavy hair gave her a friendly demeanor.

“The transfer student and her father,” huh? Do we look that way? It was at least better than being mistaken for a kidnapper. It was actually pretty moving to be seen like that by a stranger. I glanced at Mewi to check her reaction. She was a little flustered, though it didn’t look like she was rejecting the idea. I couldn’t ask for more.

“Umm, and you are...?” I asked.

“Excuse me,” the woman replied. “My name is Kinera Fine. I serve as a teacher here at the magic institute.”

“A pleasure to meet you. I’m Beryl, and this is Mewi.”

The woman turned out to be a teacher. That’s great. Now I can have her guide us.

“Just as you’ve surmised, Mewi will be attending the institute,” I explained. “I brought her here today, but was overwhelmed by how splendid the school grounds are.”

“Oh dear,” Kinera said, giggling. “The magic institute is, in fact, the grandest building in Baltrain.”

The Liberion Order was filled with martial types like Allucia and Henblitz. Here at the magic institute, it seemed the people had a tendency to be more refined. Not that the knights lacked grace or anything. Wielding swords was ultimately a bloody business, so it didn’t tend to attract people with docile temperaments. On that point, Kinera gave off a really gentle air. It made me believe that, if someone like her was in charge of Mewi’s class, Mewi would be able to retract her claws and have a good school life.

“Would you like me to show you the way?” Kinera offered.

“That would help greatly,” I said. “I wasn’t sure where to go or what the proper procedures were.”

“P-Please do...” Mewi added stiffly. She wasn’t sure what to say, what expression to make, or what tone to use, but she still tried. Mewi’s really adorable.

“Hee hee, there’s no need to be so nervous!” Kinera said. “All the students here are good children.”

“Whatever... Ah, I mean, yes...” Mewi said, correcting herself. She was probably thinking that she had to fix her speech. Her charming efforts brought a smile to this old man’s face.

According to Lucy, the institute had no qualms about a student’s background as long as they had a talent for magic. In other words, there had to be no small number of rowdy children enrolled, even if none were quite at Mewi’s level. Kinera looked accustomed to handling kids like that, so it seemed like it would be fine to entrust things to them. But if anything happens, I’m still gonna come flying over.

With that, the three of us began walking through the grounds of the grand magic institute.

“It is rather large,” I remarked.

“It is. New students sometimes even get lost in here.”

Kinera guided us through the school building. Currently, we were on the first floor. I wondered how many more floors the building had. There had to be at least four, from what I’d seen outside. Considering the sheer size of this floor alone, it was only natural that some students had gotten lost.

“You’ll have to familiarize yourself with the place quickly, Mewi,” I said.

“I’ll be fine...probably,” Mewi said. Her words had started off confident, but she’d trailed off at the end, her tone becoming rather meek.

She ogled at the unfamiliar sights around us. It was pretty unreasonable for anyone to get accustomed to such a huge building in a single day. I doubted I could. The exits to the building were easily identifiable, but locating specific things inside seemed like a much more challenging task.

“Good morning, Mrs. Kinera!”

“Good morning.”

Students greeted Kinera as we passed them in the hallways, and she returned their greetings in kind. I just gave each one a short nod because honestly, I had no idea what to do in my position. As for Mewi, she awkwardly averted her eyes and hung her head.

Was she going to be all right? Would she be able to make friends? This old man was a little worried.

“They’re all very well-behaved children,” I said.

The students did indeed have good manners. They all made sure to greet and nod to Mewi and me too. This was a school with a long history and much influence, so they were probably receiving an education in etiquette too.

Taking a quick glance at the students we passed, I saw students of all ages, ranging from some even younger than Mewi to those who were very much older. There was no telling when a budding wizard’s talent would bloom, so age wasn’t much of a standard to go by. In that sense, it seemed Mewi would be able to fit in here. When age and gender were more clustered together, it tended to make it difficult for outsiders to join in.

“These children may become wizards who represent the nation,” Kinera explained. “An education in manners is part of the curriculum here.”

“I see.”

My assumption had been correct. Well, that was only natural. The Liberion Order and the magic corps represented the whole of Liberis. The knights put an emphasis on physical strength, while refinement was more visible within the magic corps. Not that physical strength alone was enough to get you into the order.

“Oh yes, have you decided on a magic major yet, Mewi?” Kinera asked.

“Magic...major?” Mewi repeated, looking up at her in confusion.

The term didn’t make any sense to me either. Lucy had never mentioned it.

“Oh my, I’m sorry,” Kinera said. “Magic can be generally classified into a few different categories. Most people have some they specialize in and some they’re poor at.”

“Hmmm, so that’s how it works,” I said. Magic really was like any other field of study, and the system here seemed similar to other types of formal education.

“All I can do is make fire,” Mewi answered timidly.

“In that case, you may have an aptitude for offensive magic,” Kinera said.

We were now being introduced to more technical terminology. On paper, I was the father of a girl attending the magic institute, so perhaps I needed to do something about my ignorance regarding magic. Maybe I can have Lucy teach me some more later. She was a busy person though—I’d just ask for the basics if we ever found ourselves with the time.

“Pardon the question, but are you familiar with magic, Mr. Beryl?” Kinera asked.

“Oh, not at all,” I answered. “I’m ashamed to say I know nothing about it. As you can see, all I know is how to wield a sword.”

I tapped the sheath at my hip. It was a little late to consider this, but I wondered how much my title as a special instructor meant in a diplomatic sense. It came with the king’s royal seal, so I doubted it’d just been thrown together internally. I didn’t really know how stuff like this worked.

“I see. Please forgive the impolite question,” Kinera said. “There’s no telling where the talent for magic will bloom, after all.”

“It’s fine—there’s no need to apologize.”

She was talking as if an old man like me still had a chance at developing a talent for magic. It would be a little problematic for me to awaken at this age. Frankly, I was more than satisfied enjoying the leisurely pursuit of the sword.

“The magic institute has courses in sword magic as well, but honestly, there aren’t many who practice it,” Kinera added. “It’d be nice if more students could pick it up in the future.”

“Hmmm, sword magic, huh?”

The first person who came to mind was Ficelle. Well, she was the only one I knew. As expected, not many wizards used that branch of magic.

“Ficelle in particular is—” Kinera stopped herself to explain. “Oh, Ficelle’s a graduate from the institute. She is extremely talented at sword magic,” Kinera said.

“So, Ficelle’s really successful...” I never thought I’d hear about my former pupil here. It was somehow moving.

“Huh? Ummm... Are you acquainted with Ficelle?” Kinera asked, a small hint of surprise in her voice.

“Yes,” I answered. “I happened to have taught her how to use a sword.”

“Oh my!” Kinera exclaimed, suddenly far more excited than before. “Oh, um... Forgive me.”

“It’s fine—please don’t worry about it,” I told her. “I don’t find it rude at all.”

In the next moment, Kinera wrapped her arms around herself and blushed. I had no idea how to react.

“Ficelle’s sword magic is so fluid,” she said. “I always believed that she must’ve been blessed with a good teacher.”

“Ha ha ha... You flatter me...”

If a staff member of the institute was going that far, then maybe Ficelle was actually accomplishing a ridiculous feat...despite being so low energy all the time. You couldn’t judge a book by its cover. And for some reason, I was getting praised for her accomplishments too. It was kind of embarrassing.

“A-Anyway, I’m curious about the classifications of magic you mentioned,” I said.

I felt like Kinera was starting to look at me with a weird glint in her eyes, so I quickly changed the subject. Maybe I was starting to get used to my pupils buttering me up... Well, not really. I still wasn’t used to it, so when a stranger started singing my praises, it seriously made my whole body prickle. I felt far more embarrassed than happy.

“Right, the classifications,” Kinera said. “Magic can be generally classified as offensive, defensive, healing, reinforcement, and livelihood. Though, there are magics that straddle several classifications and those that can’t be categorized anywhere.”

“Hm...”

That was a lot more types than I’d expected. Mewi being able to create fire meant she could potentially specialize in offensive magic. However, Lucy had once told me something: even all of this magic, which was known as wizardry in this nation, didn’t even make up for one percent of all magic as a whole. Magic education was truly a bottomless pit of learning.

“To start, we build up a student’s knowledge by teaching the fundamentals of all types of magic,” Kinera continued explaining. “Students pursue a specialty after that.”

Kinera seemed to be a very thoughtful person, which matched my initial impression of her. She was friendly toward everyone and very sincere. I couldn’t help but think the world would be a far more peaceful place if everyone was like her.

And just like that, after hearing a little more about magic and the institute, we reached a room where the school’s teachers were gathered.

“We’ve arrived,” Kinera announced. “This is the staff room. Do you have the transfer papers?”

I did remember signing transfer papers, but I’d left them all to Lucy. She had taken the papers with her, so I hoped that she’d brought them to the institute. Don’t tell me she forgot about them...

“Thank you for showing us the way,” I said. “As for the papers, Lucy...um, the headmistress handled them for us.”

“Is that so? I see. Then I’ll confirm afterward,” Kinera said. “I still have to explain the process of matriculation and the dorms, so come with me, Mewi. What will you do, Mr. Beryl?”

“Hmmm...”

Maybe I should stick around for this? Though if I don’t, I can probably ask Mewi about it later too.

“Parents often stay to listen,” Kinera added. “I suppose everyone is uneasy about entrusting their children to others.”

“Then I’ll listen in too.”

I would be lying if I said I didn’t care, though this had nothing to do with being a doting father. While I was at it, was it best to mention that Mewi and I had different family names? They could see that much from the papers. I honestly had no idea who I should tell about our circumstances or how much to reveal.

“I’ll be fine on my own...” Mewi protested weakly, embarrassed about me sticking close to her.

“Ha ha ha, c’mon, I’m just a li’l curious,” I told her.

“Hee hee.” Kinera stifled a giggle.

“Hm? Is something the matter?” I asked. Was there something to laugh about? I couldn’t think of anything beyond Mewi being cute.

“Not at all! You were just rather frank about it,” Kinera said.

“Aah... Sorry about that.”

This was plainly embarrassing. I’d done my best to keep my behavior prim and proper, but that was hard to maintain. My pretense had easily been peeled back.

“Please come in,” Kinera said. “I’ll explain all the details.”

“Ah, right. C’mon Mewi, let’s go.”

“Shut up. I get it already.”

I urged Mewi along, trying to hastily change the topic, and got a blunt reply. Even after seeing that, Kinera didn’t say anything. I hoped she could see that Mewi just had a slightly strong temperament. The girl’s words were barbed, but she wasn’t harsh by nature.

At any rate, even if a whole lot had happened, I never thought I’d walk within the halls of the magic institute. There was no telling what the world had in store for you. Upon entering the room, a few adults who looked like teachers glanced at us. However, they seemed to be used to visitors and immediately returned to their work. I was glad they didn’t give us any weird looks—I’d had enough of those ever since coming to Baltrain. But that was mostly Allucia, Surena, and Lucy’s fault.

“Please take a seat.”

Kinera guided us to a reception area in a corner of the room. Mewi and I sat down on a well-made sofa. It was quite comfortable. There was a certain sense of quality to every piece of furniture in here. Okay then, time to pay attention. This involves Mewi’s future, after all.

◇

After getting a full explanation from Kinera, we left the magic institute. By the time we passed back through the gate, the sun was high up in the east. It was almost time for lunch. I wondered what to do about food as we continued walking home.

“Did you understand everything, Mewi?” I asked.

“Hmph. I’m not stupid.”

The majority of what we’d heard at the magic institute were the basics. Kinera had told us about the general curriculum at the school, how rooms were assigned at the dorms, how curfew worked, and other fundamentals we needed to know. On that point, students weren’t forced to live in the dorms. The only institute in the nation was in Baltrain, so the dorms had been built to allow those from outside the capital to attend. Those who lived nearby were indeed allowed to commute. However, parents of children who had the potential to be wizards tended to be very careful about their child’s surroundings, and thus, many applied to stay in the dorms. Lucy had mentioned something about this too—would it have killed her to share some of the details? She was quick to act, but sometimes, she was exquisitely sloppy.

“Anyway, want to find somewhere to grab lunch?” I suggested.

“Mm.”

We’d only come here today to say hello and get an explanation of how things worked. Mewi wouldn’t actually be starting until next week. We did need time to process everything, so this timing was about right.

“Anyway, are you really sure?” I asked as we walked through the relatively quiet northern district.

“About what?” Mewi replied somewhat awkwardly.

“Not using the dorms.”

“Whatever... I can just stay home and go to the institute every day.”

Mewi had declined to use dorms. They’d mentioned it being optional, so that was fine with me. However, seeing that most kids chose to use the dorms, living at the magic institute had to be highly regarded. Even if the commute wasn’t that far, living on campus would save a lot of time, making it easier for her to focus on her studies. What’s more, the dorms guaranteed all her daily necessities. Well, not that staying at home was much different, but having the problem of food solved so easily was supposed to be a nice bonus.

Now that we were living together, the housework would likely be divided between us. I had no intention of pushing everything on a young child, of course, but it would also be unnatural for Mewi to do no housework whatsoever. I was going to get her cooperation on that front. Also, the commute was nothing to sneeze at. I factored in my daily walk to the office as part of my exercise routine, so it wasn’t much of a problem for me. For a child, it was only normal to want to be rid of what they saw as a waste of time.

“What...? You got a problem with me staying home?” Mewi asked a little angrily.

“Ah, no. As long as you’re fine with it.”

It definitely wasn’t a problem. This wasn’t my first time living with someone, so that part would work out one way or another. Mewi had also spent time living with her sister. However, her having the choice to live in the dorms but choosing to live with me instead made me feel a little itchy. Ultimately, there was no point in interrogating the little girl about it. I’d accepted the house on the premise of living there with her to begin with, so I decided to just make the best of it.

“Are you fine with it?” Mewi asked.

“Hm? With what?”

“Umm... You had work today too, right?”

Oh, that? I wasn’t foolish enough to skip out on work without saying anything. It was difficult to get others to trust you at this age, and it only took moments to shatter that trust. That was why I’d discussed my absence with Allucia already. I’d told her everything about getting a house and living with Mewi. At the time, it’d seemed like all emotion vanished from her face for a moment, but I’d decided not to pay any attention to that reaction.

“Don’t worry about it,” I said. “I adjusted my schedule.”

“I guess that’s fine...”

Besides, I wasn’t obligated to show up every day. The original plan had been for me to come to Baltrain from Beaden periodically, so they weren’t expecting a tight schedule from me. And frankly, after my dad had kicked me out, my schedule had become a big question mark—I’d decided on my own to go to the order every day.

“I have the day off today,” I explained. “Your future is more important, Mewi.”

“Hmph.”

Was that a little corny? Mewi huffed and turned her head to the side once more. Still, I was planning to drop by the office today once things calmed down. Swinging a sword every day was a habit at this point, so I wanted to at least continue that.

“Oh yeah, about lunch,” I said while riding the carriage back to the central district. “Is there anything you want to eat?”

“I’m fine with whatever...”

Her response was what I’d expected. Mewi wasn’t the type of girl to be selfish about her own tastes—she almost never exhibited such behavior. I didn’t know whether this was because of her upbringing or because she was acting reserved around me. Probably the former. She hadn’t lived a life where she could be picky about food.

However, seeing as I had a fair bit saved up and was making a decent amount of money, I wasn’t going to let Mewi live a life of poverty. I was ready to respond to an appropriate amount of willful indulgence. Though, even if I got that message across to her, she wasn’t the type to nod along with it. I could only change her way of thinking little by little as we continued living together.

“Let’s just find a random restaurant,” I suggested.

“Mm.”

The carriage continued rattling as we rode along. I decided to just get off at the next stop and pick a restaurant that caught my eye. It would be a waste of time to fret over what to have. Besides, if we weren’t picky, Baltrain was overflowing with restaurants. That was especially the case in the central district. It just showed how many people lived here and how prosperous the place was. This reminded me, for the umpteenth time, how different the capital was from Beaden.

Not too long later, the carriage arrived in the central district. I paid the fee and we got off. The air was filled with an altogether different tumult from when we’d left this morning.

“Oh, how about over there?” I asked.

“Wherever’s fine.”

Baltrain was a large city that had been scrupulously planned out by the nation’s administration. Many shops peeked out over the sides of well-paved roads. It was just around noon, so I could hear lively voices coming out of various buildings. One of these had a banner that caught my eye—it looked like a charcuterie shop. I rather liked sausage, so I decided to go with that for lunch.

“Excuse me,” I called out as I entered.

“Welcome!” a friendly voice called back.

It was the right time for lunch, so there were many customers inside. If our party had been more than just Mewi and me, it might’ve been hard for us to get seats. I wondered where to go. Since Mewi was here, I wanted to avoid splitting a large table if possible. Just then, one of the seated customers raised her voice.

“Hm...? Master?”

“Huh? Well, if it isn’t Surena. What a coincidence.”

It was the adventurer guild’s black rank, Surena Lysandra. She’d apparently arrived here a little ahead of us. I saw that she was just about to dig into a plate of sausage.

“Would you like a seat?” she offered. “That is, if you don’t mind sharing a table with me.”

“Yeah, that helps,” I said. “Thanks.”

Meals were naturally better when surrounded by familiar faces, so I gladly accepted.

“Um... Master? Who is that girl?” Surena asked, looking at Mewi.

“Aah...”

Crap. Now that I think of it, I haven’t had a chance to see Surena lately, so I haven’t told her about the house or Mewi. Now then, what to do? Well, I guess being honest is the only way.

“Mind if we sit down first?” I asked.

“Ah, yes, of course.”

Surena gave me a weird look, but there was no helping that. It must’ve been unusual to see an old bumpkin right out of the backcountry sticks suddenly appear with a child in tow. Still, we were here to eat. Chatting could take place on top of that.

I got myself situated, and Mewi sat beside me. “Hmm, where to start...?” I asked, putting a hand to my chin.

“I can guess that there must be some complicated circumstances,” Surena said.

She could tell that some kind of inevitable flow of events had brought Mewi and me together. I was grateful for her perceptive nature. Perhaps top adventurers simply had to be sensitive to such subtleties. That said, we were going to be eating together, so I decided to at least get the two acquainted.

“Well, let me introduce you,” I said. “This is Mewi.”

“Hello...” Mewi said quietly, lowering her head.

She wasn’t really used to interacting with people, but once she started going to school, she would familiarize herself with this scene more than she could ever want. Maybe I should teach her how to greet people.

“I’m Surena Lysandra. I was once in Master Beryl’s care.”

Surena seemed to know exactly how to interact with Mewi—she was acting rather casually. Though, her voice was just a little more austere than when she spoke to me.

“Let’s see...” I pondered for a moment. “To cut to the chase, I’ve become her guardian and we’re now living together.”

“Pffft!”

“Whoa?!”

Surena spat her drink out. Hey! You don’t have to act so shocked. Fortunately, there hadn’t been much in her mouth, so none had sprayed on us.

“Hak! F-Forgive me...” Surena mumbled.

“It’s fine. Sorry for surprising you.” I still questioned whether I’d said anything to be so shocked about.

“B-By the way, does Citrus know about this?” she asked.

“Yeah, of course.”

Allucia was acquainted with Mewi and knew some of her circumstances, so telling her had gone rather smoothly.

“W-Well, it’s not my place to interject, but...” Surena said, turning to Mewi. “Hey, you.”

“Wh-What?”

Surena’s expression and tone were far more severe than before. If someone who didn’t know Surena saw her face, they would probably be frightened, but Mewi and I had just seen her spit her drink. I’d also known Surena as a little girl, so I thought this change of attitude was somewhat charming.

“Don’t be a bother to Master Beryl,” Surena said, a sharp glint in her eyes.

“I-I know...” Mewi responded, shrinking back.

“Ha ha ha, take it easy on her, Surena.”

Surena was an adult currently wearing a relatively scary expression—she’d definitely frightened Mewi more than necessary. Mewi was still young, so I wanted Surena to cut her some slack. I was paying due consideration in my own way, and I wanted Mewi to be able to stretch out and relax.

“Anyway, let’s get something to eat.” I turned to the server. “Excuse me, I’ll have a sausage platter.”

“Coming right up!”

I was here for charcuterie, so my order was naturally sausage. I’d had sausage at the tavern near the old inn, but it was time to see how a specialty shop fared. I was going to savor it.

With nothing else to do until the food arrived, I struck up a conversation with Surena. “So, how’ve you been lately?”

Surena took a hearty bite of sausage and washed it down with water. “Pretty well,” she answered. “I’ve been spending most of my time lately hunting monsters around the capital. It’s the season, so there’s no helping it.”

“That’s good to hear. What do you mean by ‘the season’?”

I was a little curious about it. The distribution of monsters was complicated and all over the place. Large and small species alike lived in the wild, forming overlapping spheres of activity. Even in Beaden, there were beasts and animals who came out depending on the season. I was ignorant about such things in the vicinity of Baltrain though, so I wanted to expand my knowledge. Not that I wanted to go out hunting monsters or anything. No, as someone who lived by the sword, I was simply curious.

“You don’t know?” Surena asked. “Sphenedyardvania’s delegation will be visiting soon.”

“Hmm?”

I’d been under the impression that her activity had to do with monsters’ habits, but that apparently wasn’t the case. Surena looked at me curiously. I didn’t have a terribly good impression of Sphenedyardvania after recent events, though that sour taste had been left by the church’s knights, not the nation itself. I understood that much.

“They visit every year to improve relations,” Surena explained, still chewing her sausage. “So, we adventurers busy ourselves with improving public safety.”

“I see.”

Even though the adventurer’s guild wasn’t tied to any one country, they couldn’t avoid such fetters when they were running an international business. And Liberis had put out an official request for the guild’s help—not for the sake of the country, but to maintain public safety.

“Does that mean the knights will be involved with the visit?” I asked.

“I’m sure they will,” Surena said. “How you fit into things is up to Citrus, I suppose.”

I wanted to avoid involvement if I could—having an old man from the sticks meeting with VIPs sounded troublesome. I just wanted to spend my days in peace teaching others how to use a sword. However, now that I’d been given this exaggerated title of special instructor, things probably weren’t going to go my way. Please spare me that. I don’t even have a formal outfit.

“Here’s your sausage platter.”

As we talked about such things, our food arrived. Looks delicious. It was served on a large plate—many varieties of sausage, some roasted and some boiled, were arranged. The spread really stimulated my appetite.

“Let’s dig in. C’mon Mewi, eat up.”

“M-Mm...” Mewi replied, still a little nervous.

I started with the boiled sausage first. I bit into the soft meat, and juices poured out. That was the way meat was meant to be. Mewi was being somewhat shy, but she eventually used a fork to poke at the sausage and take a nibble. Yup, eat well and grow well.

“Oh right. Mewi will be attending the magic institute,” I said.

“Hmm? A budding wizard, is she?”

The way Surena looked at Mewi changed a little. To be precise, it was like she went from looking at a little brat to looking at a little brat who had potential. Well, maybe it wasn’t all that different. What was with Surena’s aggressive gaze?

“The magic institute is a place of great competition,” Surena said. “It’s rather harsh there.”

“Ugh... I-I know...” Mewi muttered.

“Now, now,” I cut in. “Don’t scare her too much.”

It was true—the magic institute was a gathering of elites. In a world where talent decided everything, competition was inevitable. But Surena, don’t go putting too much pressure on such a little girl. I’m a little scared of how convincing you are.

“Even if only on paper, she’s now your direct descendant,” Surena continued. “She has to keep that in mind.”

“Seriously, what do all of you see in me...?” Surena and Allucia really put too much stock in my abilities. Calling Mewi my direct descendant made it sound so grand.

“Well, I know the old guy is super strong...” Mewi said.

“The...old guy...?” Surena repeated threateningly.

“Eep!” Mewi shuddered and flinched away from her.

“Now, now. Enough of that,” I said.

C’mon, stop with the weird pressure. She can call me whatever she wants. I just want to enjoy a chat and have lunch. Why’s the air in here getting so tense?