Chapter 21

“Is that it?”

“Y… Yes! That’s definitely it!”

About two hours later, we finally caught sight of the hotel.

I followed closely behind Auriel as she strode forward confidently towards the entrance.

“Um… you really don’t have to come with me.”

“I’d like to do that, but after seeing you rush out three times saying that, I just can’t. No matter how first-timer you are, how can you not know the address of the place you’re staying?”

“Ugh…”

Her face flushed as she struggled to reply.

I heard that she had always relied on the escorts for directions up till now, but even so, that was definitely at a rather embarrassing level.

People said she was a talented singer, but I couldn’t help but think, was she really only good at singing?

As she approached the hotel, her head hung low in embarrassment, suddenly—

“?”

Auriel stopped in her tracks.

With a stiff voice, she turned to me, as if worrying that it was going to turn out to be not the right place after all.

“Um… why are you helping me so much?”

“…What?”

“Why are you going this far to assist me? As you said, I’ve blundered three times already… Doesn’t that annoy you? You could’ve just made up some excuse and left me behind…”

Her voice carried a heavy sense of self-reproach.

She seemed aware that this situation was quite disgraceful.

In response, although I had my own thoughts, I maintained my patience and answered.

“If I just abandon it because I’m unhappy halfway, wouldn’t all that we’ve done thus far become meaningless?”

“!”

“Once you start something, you have to see it through. Since I’ve already helped, it only makes sense to take responsibility.”

“Um… is that… is that a law from that… Buddhism… cult…?”

She seemed to take my previous mention of Buddhism quite seriously.

In response, I said with a (not visible but) smile at the corner of my mouth.

“No, it’s a law that I, myself, established.”

“…”

At my words, Auriel looked at me with a blank expression for a moment.

For some reason, she looked rather shocked by it. I found myself slightly regretting not just saying it was Buddha’s teachings, but I quickly cut her off before she could start preaching something strange.

“Um… anyway, let’s not worry too much about it. I won’t just leave a lost child behind.”

“Lost child…”

Hearing that seemed to pull her out of her shock, but she looked a bit awkward as she formed an odd expression, stepping into the hotel while I followed her.

Honestly, I was indeed annoyed, but at this stage, she was the one who had given me an invitation I might not get again.

Considering the time and burden she saved me, spending this much time to help her was nothing at all.

Still, hoping this time it would lead to the right result while looking around…

“…Huh?”

“Ah!”

In the next moment, Auriel’s face lit up as if she had spotted a familiar face.

At the end of her gaze was a middle-aged bishop, who was sitting calmly in a chair with a shocked expression, staring at us.

“Bishop Judah!”

“Ah… Auriel? How…”

“I’m sorry for coming back so late. I was attacked by some ruffians… Luckily, this person helped me, so I was able to return safely.”

Auriel was speaking with relief and joy.

As she looked at her, the bishop’s expression shifted from surprise to a gentle smile, and he spoke in a calm voice.

“I see. So that’s what happened. I was worried because you hadn’t arrived.”

And with that, he slowly approached me.

He then looked at me, bowing politely as he said, “Thank you so much for saving our Auriel. I will never forget this grace.”

“It’s nothing. I merely did what was necessary. Don’t worry about it.”

“If it’s not too much trouble, would you like to have some tea inside? I’d like to offer you a small hospitality.”

“If… if that is acceptable! No… If you don’t have any special plans, why don’t you stay here and join us tomorrow…”

With a kindly smile, the bishop spoke, while Auriel seemed to perk up with twinkling eyes, backing him up.

Normally, I should have firmly refused at this point.

After all, I had just finished the task of escorting her to her desired lodging.

At this point, I felt like I had adequately repaid the debt of the invitation.

Plus, I needed to be careful to hide my identity to avoid being exposed, and there were still small checks to make before proceeding with my plans, so parting ways with this woman felt like the right choice.

However…

“Thank you for your kindness. Well then, excuse me for a moment.”

“Ah!”

In that moment, I decided to accept their invitation and stay here.

The reason was, just after arriving, I had noticed something and a familiar friend suddenly appeared before my eyes.

<Hidden Mission Activated - Song of the Stars>

It was the appearance of Taechang.

*

“Hmm… quite a crowd…”

“Y… Yeah…”

“Yawn…”

Three people were waiting in front of the bank.

Franklin, Ambasha, and Elkana.

Each wearing a dog, cat, and rabbit mask respectively, they were staring blankly at the plaza before them, feeling a bit bored.

After completing the ‘preliminary reconnaissance’ for their mission, they were currently waiting in front of the bank for Magellan, who had some business to attend to.

“I’m hungry… I want to hurry up and eat the clam roast Elkana mentioned…”

“Yeah… I want to eat it too… It’s so delicious when you mix clams with mushrooms… I’ve been too busy lately to have any…”

“Clams and mushrooms… that sounds like a unique combination. I should try it later. I need to add something like cream cheese to get rid of the fishy smell…”

“…Franklin, you’re unexpectedly vulgar…”

“…What?”

“Nothing… just talking to myself.”

And thus, the three women continued to spout nonsensical chatter while staring blankly at the plaza.

In the meantime, Elkana decided to take off her mask to cool off a bit, saying, “Phew, even in fall, it’s surprisingly warm here.”

While it was better to keep it on, unlike Franklin beside her, she wasn’t infamous or under a bounty, so she didn’t feel particularly burdened by this action.

Seeing her do this, Ambasha, a relatively unknown pirate, also felt a slight frustration and took off her mask, which was adorned with various decorations.

As she fidgeted with the lightweight paper cat mask, a thought crossed her mind.

“If I succeed this time, I’ll get praised by Father again, right?…”

Her father would often smile and stroke her head whenever she achieved a small success.

In her days as a slave, she could never even dream of such a relationship, but now, it had become a lifeline that she couldn’t live without. She wanted to put in her utmost effort this time to make her father proud once again.

At that moment…

-Whoosh!

“Ah!”

In an instant, a strong gust of wind blew, causing Ambasha to lose her grip on the mask in her hand.

Desperately, she rushed forward to catch it as it rolled across the floor.

“Hey?”

“Wait… Ambasha!”

The other two ladies followed after her, but due to the dense crowd, they momentarily slowed their pace.

Meanwhile, Ambasha awkwardly caught the mask just before it rolled away amidst the crowd.

At that moment…

-Crunch!!!

“Hey?”

“Ah…”

Someone’s shoe had stepped on it, completely squashing the cat mask.

Although they were on a mission, seeing the thing that Franklin had bought become a mess made Ambasha’s face instantly turn cold.

“D… damn, are you hurt anywhere?”

“…”

The frantic voice of a young woman rang out.

However, instead of responding, Ambasha just stared vacantly at the deformed cat mask, as if punched in the face.

“Ah… it looks like I can’t use this again… I’m really sorry. This sister made a mistake. If it’s alright, should I buy you a new one? Or money…”

At that moment.

“Ambasha!”

“!”

Just then, Franklin and Elkana appeared, rushing towards her.

The woman looked at the two protectors, standing up cautiously and said, “I’m sorry. I accidentally…”

The moment her gaze met Elkana’s bare face, she seemed to freeze for a moment, then after a second, she spoke hesitantly.

“You are… Elkana?”

“…Uh… no, you must be mistaken…”

“What!? It’s clearly you, isn’t it? What are you doing here? Are you here to catch some pirates or something?”

“Ah… no, that’s not it…”

Elkana was flustered, not knowing how to react to the surprise.

Meanwhile, Ambasha, wanting to assist her ‘junior’ in any way possible, asked in the most straightforward tone.

“Who are you, ma’am? Do you know our Elkana?”

“Ma’am… uh… ah… I see, you must be Elkana’s colleague. Yes, I know her quite well.”

With that, the woman smiled warmly, slightly bowing her head as she reached out her hand towards Ambasha.

“Nice to meet you, my name is Achroiel Wispite. I was a friend of Elkana’s, having briefly worked together in the past. I look forward to getting along with you, little lady.”

“Ah… yes, nice to meet you.”

Ambasha took the hand of the smiling woman.

However, as she felt a warm moment unfold, Elkana…

And beside her, Franklin, still wearing her mask, spoke in a frozen tone.

“…Elkana… that person…”

“That’s right. It’s the one we talked about in the briefing…”

Achroiel Wispite.

She was a former officer in the Brittania Empire Navy, an individual who retired to become a bounty hunter, having once worked alongside Elkana.

And now…

She was the Navy Admiral of Bennessa.