Episode 2-b. For Freedom and Adventure.
There is a nation that symbolizes freedom.
Free souls have gathered here, stepping into the world under the new name of adventurers.
The Duchy of Saravati.
It is the sacred place for adventurers and the one and only nation created for freedom.
In the past, present, and the future that awaits.
It will continue to flow through time, bearing the destiny of being a land of freedom and adventure.
However.
The freedom given to people can sometimes cause harm to one another.
So there are those who cherish only their freedom and their own adventures.
For the woman shrouded in gray, certain dangers may lurk.
There may be those who threaten the woman who steps out of the quiet peace in pursuit of freedom and adventure.
So, to avoid facing a crisis, trust those who accompany you.
Step forward first, create a new path, and believe in it.
Having risen to step forward alone, you must now learn how to lean on others.
Therefore.
I hope you can trust those who strive for you.
When I opened my eyes and looked out the window, the sun had already risen high in the sky.
I had truly slept in late for the first time in ages, rubbing my dazed eyes to gather my thoughts.
Upon entering the duchy, I hurriedly searched for accommodation to melt away the fatigue that had piled up.
I threw off the robe and clothes soaked with sweat and put on the pajamas that Rain had prepared for me before falling asleep right there.
I could say I had almost slept the entire day, and even while lying comfortably, my back ached.
Thus, I decided to get up and prepare to head out.
Creak—
That sound came from the old wooden bed of the shabby lodging.
And that sound was all there was, as my body did not budge an inch.
“…”
The reason for this is simple.
Yes.
“Yawn…, umm….”
“…”
I was certain we had all laid down in our own beds, yet here was a disheveled noble lady who had somehow crawled into my arms and fallen asleep.
“Hehe…, so soft…. This… chest is… umm….”
“…”
Thanks to Ildrin, I had gotten used to such indecent touches, which strangely had clung to me even in the duchy.
Before I knew it, there was a disheveled woman softly groping my chest while muttering lewd words in her sleep.
Thump—
I forcefully hit the head of the woman who was continuously mumbling while drooling on my pajamas.
“Gah!? That hurts…!! Kyeh!!”
I couldn’t understand why she screamed like that.
Snap—
She was yelling with all her might right next to my ear, so I frowned and hit her again.
“Gah! It hurts, it hurts…!!”
“…”
And then.
Only then did Eileen shoot up, separating herself from me and looking around.
“Oh, Asha! Asha…! An ambush, an ambush…! Wh, who is holding my head…. Ah, it hurts so much…!”
“I’m sorry, but there was no ambush. It was a legitimate attack since a declaration of war came first.”
“Ugh… it really hurts…. And what declaration of war… suddenly ugh, what are you saying…?”
“…”
As I remained indifferent to her words, Eileen glanced around with a dazed look and eventually turned her gaze back to me.
Even someone as oblivious as her would be able to figure out that I had hit her by now.
“Could it be that Asha hit me…? Why all of a sudden…?”
“…”
I pointed silently to one spot after another, looking at her as she whimpered, seemingly wronged.
First the bed.
Then Eileen, you.
Lastly, the dampness soaking my pajamas.
“Ugh, I don’t understand what you mean…. Just…, my head hurts too much….”
However, the so-called noble lady, who was nothing more than a pretender, would not have the sense to comprehend my words.
I indicated one by one for her once more, speaking.
“Ground invasion of the bed, violating the mutual non-aggression pact.”
“Huh…?”
“Being attached with a stinking body that hasn’t been washed, a biochemical attack.”
“Ah, no….”
“Serious contamination of my pajamas due to discharging polluted water from a mouth that hasn’t been brushed.”
“…”
“Eileen Freesia Delphinium, if you truly are a noble, then show us a noble’s worth.”
“Yes….”
Having thrown out all that, I grabbed a towel and headed to the bathroom.
The stench of saliva was simply unbearable, so I tossed my pajamas into the tub.
This damned noble lady.
Why on earth does she climb into someone else’s bed while sleeping all alone?
I truly could not understand.
Thus.
Eileen and I washed up and put on our clothes, and then we stepped outside the lodging together.
“Asha.”
“Yes.”
“Do you really have to hide so much…? Tightly wrapping yourself in a robe and a bandana scarf makes you look even more suspicious.”
Eileen walked beside me dressed much like usual, while I had covered myself more tightly than when driving a carriage to avoid being discovered.
She kept stealing glances at me and cautiously spoke.
“Is it that bad?”
“Yes, I feel like I’ll be investigated and arrested if I stay with you….”
“…, but you clearly said there would be people capable of recognizing my identity beyond the Empire.”
With a sapphire necklace that could change my appearance, a robe that obscured recognition, crystal orbs that could hide gray mana, and bracelets and ankle bands that made me appear like an ordinary person, not a magician.
I thought that wouldn’t be enough, so I was trying to hide even my exposed face.
“Just… if you get discovered, just knock them all out and escape…. Look, that guard over there is already looking at you strangely, Asha….”
“…”
Eileen looked at me with an unusually disgusted expression and pointed subtly to a guard in the distance.
I sighed deeply and quickly removed the scarf, stuffing it into my pocket.
“Yes, now it’s a little less suspicious.”
“Stay quiet.”
And then I had to press my robe down tight to hide my ears and the reddened tips.
Regardless.
We took a step forward.
The guard, who had been watching me from afar, did not actually stop or investigate me, and we simply walked toward our destination.
“Then, let’s hurry to the Adventurers’ Guild! I’ll go in first and take a look! Hmm, this will definitely help!”
“Hmm.”
“Not ‘hmm’! There are things we need to say!”
Indeed, the very first thing we needed to do was register as adventurers.
That was only natural, as both Eileen and I were still not adventurers, but ordinary travelers or tourists at most.
I wanted to get a proper identification through registering as an adventurer, while Eileen simply had a pure desire to become an adventurer.
“Yes, that will help.”
“No, that’s rather nonchalant….”
“Wow, thank you very much, Eileen Freesia Delphinium. I’m at a loss for words.”
“…”
“Let’s hurry, then.”
So with oddly light steps, I headed toward the prominently visible Adventurers’ Guild in the distance.
Soon, I noticed that a woman who had been grabbing my clothes had a sulky expression, so I too grabbed her wrist and dragged her along.
The Adventurers’ Guild.
The large building had those words inscribed clumsily.
“Wow…, adventurers….”
Eileen, standing next to me, had shed all her earlier gloom and was now sparkling with excitement as she gazed at the guild’s building.
So I lightly nudged her back and spoke.
“Well then, please do this for me, Eileen. Take a peek inside and come back.”
“Ahem! Just leave it to me!”
Eileen puffed out her modest chest and opened the door with a creak before stepping inside.
Her bashful smile flashing through the closing door was quite cute.
“…, phew.”
In other words, we had finally reached the starting line.
We would gradually finish the adventurer registration, find Ain’s traces, and simply follow the path he had taken.
And.
Indeed, having someone to help me is.
I think it’s pretty good to have someone who strives for me.
Just like the people who must be waiting for me and Ain to return from the Empire, I now had a noble lady who would assist me.
Therefore.
I felt quite grateful for her.
Bam—
“Waaah…, I’m really not a child, I came to register as an adventurer….”
“Children are not accepted. Please come back when you’re an adult.”
“I’ll be an adult next year…, next year…! Kyaah!”
Thud—
Hmm.
“…”
“Ehehe…, I failed!”
“…, were you not even an adult?”
“W-well, being one year off, I’m practically an adult anyway, right…?”
Yes.
So, as I was about to express that Eileen, who had just vanished in front of me, wasn’t particularly reliable after all.
Eileen was indeed still a child.
