After thinking about it for a while, Cyrus dismissed my proposal. “I can’t.”
“But why?! It’s not like being stuffed together inside a carriage! I’m sure you’ll be fine!” I countered.
“That is true, but it would still be only the two of us. When I’m working, I can focus on that and ignore the rest, but this is a personal errand. Being all alone with such a cute girl would be…unbearable,” he insisted, frowning.
I had invited Maria here so that Cyrus could spend time with her, but he had refused to sit with her inside the carriage and he’d had almost no opportunity to talk to her while helping out at the orphanage.
My proposal was that the two of them go shopping together. Since he came here every year, Cyrus was as comfortable with this town as he was uncomfortable with girls, and as a department director at the Ministry, he was talented enough to take on any kind of mission. He was the perfect man to accompany Maria. Maria also said that having him come along would make her feel safer, but he wasn’t having any of that.
I sighed and looked him straight in the eye. “At this rate, you will grow old without ever managing to speak to a girl. Are you really okay with that?”
“I-I’m not, but…”
“You think that Maria is lovely, don’t you?”
“I do, but being alone with her would be…” he mumbled, unable to find the right words. After thinking silently for a while, his face lit up. “Why don’t you come along too then?”
“What? But then you wouldn’t be alone with her…”
“Exactly. I couldn’t take it if it were just the two of us. But if you were there, I think I could manage it, like when we are working on the fields,” he continued, his eyes sparkling with determination.
Sometimes the three of us worked together on the fields, that’s true, but I would be the only one chatting with Maria, while Cyrus smiled and looked at us like a quiet grandpa watching over his two granddaughters. If that was his definition of “managing it,” then he really had a long way to go before he got comfortable around girls.
I wonder how he and Maria grow closer in the game. Finishing his route must be a pain.
After he insisted so much, I couldn’t refuse. I ended up tagging along with him and Maria. I was disappointed that Cyrus had spoiled a perfectly good chance to be alone with her, but Maria told me, “I’m very happy that you will be coming with us too,” so I figured that it wasn’t that bad of a trade-off.
We took note of how much of each ingredient we would need to cook for everyone, got the money to buy everything from an orphanage employee, and set out. I was told that it would only take a little more than ten minutes to reach the center of the town on foot.
All my other friends, probably thinking that going to shop in this little town sounded like fun, started saying that they wanted to come too, but Maggie sternly declared that three people was more than enough for such a simple errand.
“Being able to go shopping with you again so soon is a very nice surprise,” Maria exclaimed, giggling happily.
“Oh, yeah, we did it back in that port town too. That was fun!” I replied.
That was a nice memory—the two of us had managed to find some free time for a walk during our undercover mission at Ocean Harbor.
“And I also saw the sea for the first time. It was marvelous,” Maria added.
“Oh, it really was. We should go there again, but for pleasure this time!”
“Really?! That would be wonderful!”
Next time I want to go there with all my friends, and actually play at the beach, swim, and have lots of fun.
I turned around to check on Cyrus, and he had his grandpa-looking-at-his-granddaughters face on. I knew that I had to involve him in the conversation, or this whole outing would be wasted and he would make no progress.
“Have you ever been to the sea, Mister Cyrus?” I asked, and he looked surprised that I had addressed him at all.
He tersely replied, “Yes. For work.” And that was it.
Come on, you can’t cut it short like that!
He was way more talkative when it was just the two of us, but right now he sounded like he was on a very strict word budget. Just having Maria around made him too nervous to speak properly. I really wondered how he was supposed to establish a romantic relationship with Maria within the game. At this point, even Dewey, who was just a kid, had managed more meaningful conversations with her—and he was in love with her just as much.
The problem, however, was that when I was chatting with Cyrus, the topic was always farming, vegetables, or something like that. It wasn’t easy to bring up a topic like that under these circumstances.
All of a sudden, Maria asked Cyrus a question.
“If you went there for work, does that mean that your hometown was not on the sea?”
She made a thoughtful remark and gave him the chance to talk more! This girl is smart!
“Yes, since it’s way in the country. Nothing but mountains all around,” he confirmed.
That’s a slightly longer answer than before, huh. Maybe he likes talking about his hometown.
“You were born near the border with Xiarmah, correct? I did not know that it was a mountainous region,” Maria replied.
He only mentioned that once when we were working together on the fields, and she still remembers it… Wow. I just barely remembered that his hometown was close to some border.
“Oh, you remembered where my hometown is?” Cyrus marveled, sounding surprised but looking pleased. “There is a big mountain that lies exactly on the border, and several smaller ones on our side. We were always playing in the mountains when I was a child.”
That must be why I feel this weird connection with him! I also always played on the mountains back in my previous life!
“What kind of activities can children do for play there?” Maria asked, her eyes widened with curiosity.
“All kinds of things! Fishing in the rivers, climbing on trees, picking fruit…” he elaborated.
He looked like he was having fun reminiscing about his childhood, and I got lost in my memories as well. I used to fashion fishing rods out of branches, march around the forest looking for fruit and mushrooms, and sometimes I would race with one of my older brothers, the one who was closest in age to me, to see who could climb a tree faster. Those were the days.
“That sounds like a wonderful place to grow up in,” Maria concluded with a smile, making Cyrus both happy and embarrassed. I was also happy, since it felt like Maria was praising my past-world hometown too.
Right after Maria and Cyrus had finished their most personal conversation to date, we reached the center of the city, where the store we were supposed to shop at was located. The place, which was the most developed area in the vicinity of the orphanage, was bustling with activity.
“It’s way more crowded than I expected,” I murmured, seeing people going around in numbers that rivaled the capital’s downtown.
“It really is. Usually there are fewer people around though…” Cyrus, who had been there several times, remarked. He cocked his head to the side, confused.
We walked all the way to the store, staying close together so as not to lose sight of each other. Once inside, we asked the store clerk why there were so many people around, and he told us, “A troupe of traveling entertainers came into town today, and everyone’s been flocking in from other towns and villages to see them.”
“Traveling entertainers?!”
I had heard of such people, but I had never seen them in person, because just like romance novels, they were not considered a suitable pastime for nobles.
“We need to go back to the orphanage and prepare dinner. We don’t have time to go see them,” Cyrus stated before I could even ask.
Bummer… I guess I knew we were busy to begin with, but still…
We bought the ingredients we needed and we were on the way out when the store clerk stopped us.
“You’d better be careful out there. With all these people around, there’s bound to be an ill-intentioned criminal or two, and you people really stand out,” he cautioned.
“Thank you,” we answered, grateful for his warning, and we left.
That guy had a point. We don’t know what kind of people could be lurking around the corner, and we have a beautiful girl like Maria with us. We must keep our eyes peeled.
By the way, neither Maria nor I had to carry anything back to the orphanage. Cyrus did all the work, saying that he didn’t need any help.
★★★★★★
“Good luck, Sarah,” he called, sending me on my way.
The town was full of people who had come here to see the traveling entertainers. I had thought that this would mean that I had more potential experimental subjects, but things weren’t quite that easy. Maybe it was because of the festive atmosphere, but I couldn’t find anyone who looked like a fitting vessel for darkness.
The main street won’t do, I realized, and I headed for a minor back alley.
The kid I saw walking into the alley by himself was exactly what I needed. The fact that he was alone was already promising, and his eyes didn’t have much life in them either. And of course, the younger the better.
I started running after him, but I felt something hit my shoulder.
“Ouch! Whatcha think yer doin’?!” I heard someone say.
It was a man. I could easily tell that he was the rude type, and he had obviously had too much to drink on this festive day.
I have found the perfect subject… I can’t let anybody stop me before I’ve even tried capturing him.
I ignored the man to chase after the kid, but he blocked me by walking in front of me.
“Are ya ignorin’ me, huh?! Look how much I’m hurt after ya bumped inta me!” the man shouted into my face. A gust of disgusting alcohol stench came out of his mouth along with the words. “Huh? I hadn’t noticed, ’cause of yer hood, but yer a girl! I thought I was gonna ask ya to pay me, but instead I’ll just have y—”
Before he could finish speaking, I had already cast a Dark Magic spell on him. He silently dropped on the ground.
“You made me lose such a fine subject…”
I wish he had chosen someplace else to be drunk.
However, now that I knew who to look for, I just had to find him again. I dragged the man’s body where it wouldn’t be seen, to avoid any trouble.
★★★★★★
Once we left the store, it looked like there were even more people in the streets.
“Those entertainers must be all the rage,” I observed, surprised by the crowd that they’d drawn into town.
“They came near my hometown once, but I do not remember them being quite this popular…” Maria replied.
“And did you go see them?”
“I only saw them in passing; I did not see their show.”
“Oh. We should go together then, when we have the time.”
“I would love to,” she agreed with a smile.
I now had one more promise with Maria that I was looking forward to keeping. The sea, the traveling entertainers… It all sounded like fun.
“I wonder why so many people want to see them though, especially since that wasn’t the case when they came near Maria’s town.”
“Most likely,” Cyrus replied, “coming here is very easy for the people living in neighboring villages, given the geography in this area. And it’s possible that this specific troupe is a very popular one to begin with.”
“There are more and less popular troupes? I didn’t even know that there were that many traveling entertainers in the first place…”
“Of course. There are large troupes and small ones, great ones and mediocre ones. Some of them are just a few people going around Sorcié, while others have many more members and travel all around the world. When one of the latter is visiting, people just naturally rush to see them.”
“I see…!” I was very interested in that explanation, and Maria, who probably didn’t know much about traveling entertainers either, was also listening intently.
Traveling the world as an entertainer… That must be so cool. I really want to watch one of their shows one day.
“Now, let’s go through this crowd and back to the orphanage already,” Cyrus instructed, persuading us to work up our courage and plunge into the sea of people.
“I’m scared that this time, even staying close together won’t cut it. We’re definitely going to lose each other.”
“You’re right,” Cyrus concurred. “Should we tie ourselves to each other with a piece of string or something?”
That sounded like a very bad idea. In the first place, we didn’t have any string, and even if we did, I didn’t want to be tied on a leash.
“Can’t we just hold hands?” I suggested, and I saw him immediately freeze in shock.
Oh, right. Holding hands with a girl would probably make him too nervous. But…
“We must do it. But don’t worry, holding hands is no big deal. I’m sure you’ve had to escort a noblewoman or two before,” I whispered to him.
All nobles had to be accompanied by a member of the opposite sex during their debut in high society, and that definitely involved holding hands. I figured that this wouldn’t be his first time.
“Whenever I’ve had to escort a woman…” he whispered back, looking down at the ground, “I’ve always asked my mother or my aunt to be my partner…”
So he’s only escorted relatives so far… Well, Keith escorts me all the time, and he’s my brother. Cyrus really goes out of his way to avoid young women though… I guess that’s in character for him.
“Do you want to live the rest of your life without having ever held hands with a girl? This is your chance. Just go and take Maria’s hand. It’d be perfectly natural to do so now. Go! I’m sure you can do it!”
“Hng…”
He thought for a bit, then he finally reached his hand out to Maria.
“I-I, um… I am by no means trying to force this on you, but, if you wouldn’t mind, I suggest that holding hands would materially aid in our strivings to avert unintended dissolution of our party as we traverse the crowd…”
I’ve seen tables less wooden than that…
Maybe another girl would have been put back by Cyrus’s stiffness, but Maria was too kind to be bothered, and she also knew how nervous he was around girls.
“I would not mind that at all. Thank you,” she responded, taking Cyrus’s hand and leaving him astounded.
“I think it would be wise for Lady Katarina to hold my other hand, would it not?” Maria then offered, extending me her free hand. I didn’t mind, since by doing so I could avoid getting lost without interfering with those two.
“Thanks, Maria!” I took her hand.
Cyrus, still as nervous as could be, led us through and out of the crowd. We got far enough from the city’s center that there weren’t too many people around, and Cyrus quickly let go of Maria’s hand, saying that we would be fine now.
“Thank you very much, Mister Cyrus,” she said, making him blush once again.
Cyrus got one step closer to being a grown-up! Good for him! I thought before remembering that he was actually older than me.
I was busy watching my friend and my superior awkwardly interacting with each other, but I still noticed a familiar face out of the corner of my eye.
That’s the kid I saw earlier while playing hide-and-seek at the orphanage, isn’t it? I wonder if he’s on an errand. Looks a bit too young for that though.
Before I had time to make heads or tails of it, the kid disappeared into a small back alley. During my mission at Ocean Harbor, I was taught that leaving the large, open streets for small, hidden ones was dangerous, as all kinds of bad people lurked there. This probably also applied to this town, and I started fearing for that kid. That being said, if I went after him by myself, far from being able to help, I would only make things worse, so I decided to get some help.
“Excuse me,” I addressed Cyrus, who could probably manage to do something about it, “I just saw a child from the orphanage walk by himself into that dark alley.”
“What? Are you sure it was one of the orphanage’s kids?” he asked, surprised.
“I could be wrong, but I saw him back at the orphanage just earlier, so I’m pretty sure…”
“I see. But whatever the case, it’s too dangerous for a kid to wander in a place like that by himself. I’ll go check on him. You two wait here,” he ordered, and ran toward the alley.
He can really be cool when he wants to… If only he wasn’t so awkward with girls… I thought, looking at his back as he sped away from us.
“I hope everything is fine…” Maria spoke, sounding concerned.
“Yes, I hope so too,” I replied, and I started wondering what Maria actually thought of Cyrus.
Anyone with a pair of eyes could see that he was in love with her, but did that feeling go both ways? The problem with Maria was that she was so kind to everyone that you couldn’t tell who she actually liked. After all, she didn’t even fall in love with any of the romanceable characters at the academy from FL1, reaching a friendship-only ending instead.
Between her kindness, her beauty, and her strength, she was a perfect girl. Any man would fall for her. On the other hand, I never heard about her falling for anyone. Strangely, that also went for my other girl friends, Mary and Sophia. They liked talking about romance novels, but they almost never talked about any romance of their own. Even if I asked them if they liked anyone, they would just dodge the question by saying that they liked me a lot.
Could it be that they actually are in love with someone, but they don’t want to tell me because I’m too naive to understand love?! I want to think that they would never do something like that… They probably wouldn’t, but if they did, that’d make me so sad. M-Maria would never… Would she?
“Say, Maria…” I started to ask her, but then I felt someone run into me. “Ouch!” I shouted in surprise, and Maria immediately approached me to ask me if I was all right.
I took a look at the man who had just run into me. Judging by how burly he was, he was probably a manual laborer of some kind.
“Oh, s-sorry. I…didn’t see you,” he grunted, not sounding sorry in the slightest. From his red face, slurred speech, and alcohol stench, I could tell that he’d been enjoying some daytime drinking. A lot of daytime drinking, probably.
I thought that it was probably better to get away from this clearly drunk man, but four other men, equally burly and probably equally drunk, joined him. We were quickly surrounded by them.
“What’s the deal? Huh? What’s the problem? Hmm?”
This doesn’t look good. We need to find a way out of this…
“Excuse me, but we have to go,” I stated, trying to sneak in between two of them, but they quickly blocked my path.
“What’s the hurry? Won’t you two have a little chat with us?” one of them drawled. The smell of liquor got worse as soon as he opened his mouth.
That’s why I can’t stand drunks…
“Now that I look at them, huh… These two are pretty, aren’t they?”
“Hey, you’re right! Pretty, yeah. Real pretty. Come and have some fun with us!” one of them leered, after taking a very good look at Maria’s face.
She’s pretty, yeah, and kind too. She is totally out of your league, I thought, taking Maria’s hand.
“We’re really in a hurry right now,” I insisted, trying to get away once again.
“Don’t run away like that. We’re gentlemen, the whole lot of us. We wouldn’t do anything bad to you, y’know?” one of them answered, grinning as he grabbed my arm.
“What are you doing?!” Maria shouted, even though I was the one who’d been grabbed. I could tell that she was trying to look angry, but no amount of frowning could make that beautiful face of hers scary.
“Aw, would you look at that! She’s even cute when she’s mad! I’ve never seen a girl this stinkin’ cute!”
Not only had Maria’s bluff not worked on them, but now one of the men had gone ahead and grabbed Maria’s arm too.
“Now, be nice and spend some time with us,” he smirked, getting uncomfortably close to her face.
I couldn’t stand it. “Don’t you dare touch Mar—”
Before I could tell him off, I saw Cyrus approaching the man from behind with a deadly cold stare.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he asked, loud enough to be heard over the five noisy men.
“And who are you?”
“Are these girls with you?”
All of them looked at him with contempt.
“Yes, they are. So take those filthy hands off of them,” he commanded, his voice just as icy as his expressionless face.
“Huh? You think you can take all the girls to yourself and tell people what to do just because you’re kinda handsome?”
The way the drunk man had said “handsome” made it clear that he hated Cyrus for it. However, even though he was handsome, he probably didn’t look very strong to people who didn’t know him. One of the men grabbed him by the lapel. The drunk probably thought that he could easily win in a fight against Cyrus.
I had been relieved to see Cyrus come to our rescue, but I wondered whether he could use magic in a place like this. For the most part, only nobles could use magic, and I’d been taught that we weren’t supposed to use it against commoners. But before I was done wondering about what to do, I noticed that the man that had grabbed Cyrus was lying on the ground facedown.
Wh-What happened?
I was confused, but the other men had clearly seen what Cyrus had done to their friend, and they all started shouting at him and running toward him, just for him to throw them to the ground one by one as if they were little kids.
Is this magic? It didn’t look like he was using magic though…
Four of the men were already on the pavement, and only one was still standing. Cyrus, who hadn’t even broken a sweat, fixed his gaze on the last drunkard.
“Are we done yet?” he inquired politely.
“E-Eek!” the man squeaked before taking a step backward. He clearly had no intention of challenging Cyrus anymore.
“You, take care of them,” Cyrus ordered him, pointing at the four drunks on the ground. He then checked whether Maria and I were okay, and, since we were, he quickly dragged us away, as staying there would make us stand out too much.
“That just now wasn’t magic, was it?” I casually inquired while we walked.
“What do you mean that just now?” he asked back, confused.
“The way you beat up those drunks, I mean.”
“Oh, that? I guess you could call it a self-defense art. If you hit someone in the right spots, they won’t be able to move for a while. It works on most people, even if they’re very strong,” he nonchalantly replied.
“R-Really? I never learned anything like this…”
I had learned the basics of sparring to protect myself from Fortune Lover’s bad ends, but I’d never even heard of this technique that Cyrus was talking about.
“Hmm, I learned how to use it back in my hometown. Maybe it’s not common around these parts.”
“You mean they taught that to you at home?” I gasped, surprised. Some noblemen learn how to use the sword as a fancy pastime, but street fighting like this was unheard of.