After parting ways with Sebirino and returning to Renant, I finally got some rest.
Somehow, ever since reuniting with Sebirino, things have been like a tidal wave… I was suddenly called “master” by him, and I can’t help but wonder if it was all just a dream. No, I want to believe that it was.
Before leaving, I was declared that next time, if I don’t call him by his name without honorifics, he won’t respond. The direction of his selfishness is a mystery.
Lately, I’ve been going out a lot, and I only visit Alesia and Kiara’s stall when I’m dropping off items. So, I thought I’d take the chance to chat with them, and we made a promise to have lunch together at the inn where they are staying. For lunch, they serve a limited menu with daily specials, pasta, and sandwiches.
It had been a while since I entered the inn’s dining room, which had a sign that read “White Spring.” There were quite a few customers, but Alesia and the others had secured a table for us.
“Iriya , over here!” Kiara waved her hand.
“Sorry for the wait. I’ll introduce you as promised.”
“These are some lovely young ladies! First time meeting you, I am the adventurer Ekvar. It’s a pleasure.”
Ekvar gave a beautiful bow with his hand on his chest. Although I had already mentioned the stall, this was my first time meeting him. I told Alesia and Kiara that he’s the first friend I made in this country.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Alesia, Iriya ‘s older sister. It’s a pleasure.”
“I’m Kiara, her younger sister!”
We sat across from them, with Belial, myself, and Ekvar at the table.
The menu was simple, with three lunch options, a daily pasta, and sandwiches. All meals came with salad and soup. Everyone placed their orders, while Belial only ordered a drink.
I don’t usually eat much for lunch. What did I come here for…?
I chose the hamburger lunch. Alesia and Kiara also picked the same, while Ekvar chose the pasta. He ate neatly, rolling it up with his fork. As expected, he’s good at it.
Even Belial, who hadn’t ordered a meal, received salad and soup. The innkeeper, who seems to be a fan of his, happily brought it to him with a big smile. He seemed quite pleased when Belial gave her a smile in return.
“I thought you were going to introduce him as a boyfriend since you said you’d introduce him!” Kiara made a surprising comment as she ate.
“Eh, do I look like that?” I asked.
“Not at all,” Alesia said firmly.
For some reason, Ekvar seemed a little happy about that. I should clarify. He’s probably not the age I’d consider a target for flirting, so it’s fine if there’s a misunderstanding.
“You know I bought a house, right? After coming to this country, I’ve been staying at my house’s second floor. If you come over, you’ll meet him, and I thought I should introduce him so it wouldn’t be a surprise.”
“I see. It’s a long way from Egdualum. What kind of work does he do?”
“I’m an adventurer. Currently at rank D.”
Ekvar showed Alesia his rank badge, and Kiara gave him a skeptical look.
“…You can’t just move in with an unmarried woman, even if you don’t have money! Dad talked about that, it’s called being a ‘sugar daddy!’”
“…Heh heh!” Belial seemed to find it hilarious, covering his mouth and looking out the window.
“A sugar daddy…! That’s a bit…”
It seemed Ekvar hadn’t expected this kind of reaction, and he looked troubled. Kiara, where did you learn that word?!
“I’m sorry! Kiara, there’s a reason! Ekvar is working hard in a country far from home!”
“…I guess it would be better if you paid rent?”
“But you don’t get any remittances from your country, right? Don’t worry, if you need money, just ask,” I said, trying to reassure him.
I was wondering how his finances were. He didn’t seem troubled, and since the royal guards also receive an item box, maybe he has something in it that can be exchanged for money.
There are people living off their earnings as D-rank adventurers, so it shouldn’t be impossible to survive off adventurer’s income.
“If you two go out, it might be a good idea to hire him as a bodyguard. Those with little should be helped!” Belial said, clearly amused.
Kiara eagerly nodded in agreement.
“Thanks to Iriya -nee-chan, our sales are doing well, so when we go back to the village, we’ll hire you, okay? Right, Iriya -nee-chan?”
“…That’s true. Once we save up a little more money, I want to bring back lots of souvenirs for the village.”
Alesia smiled, looking nostalgic as she spoke about her hometown.
The village where they lived with their family was apparently in the mountains. Since I come from a small mountain village too, I feel a bit of kinship.
Merchants would occasionally visit my village. However, Alesia’s village is so remote that no traveling merchants come. The villagers gather things from the mountains and the goods they make, then take them to town to sell, using the money to buy supplies in bulk.
“By the way, didn’t you two used to be traveling merchants? Haven’t seen you out there lately?”
“Since customers come to Renant every day, we haven’t had a chance to go. We used to go out because we couldn’t sell everything here, but we don’t have fixed sales routes now, so there’s no real need to go out anymore.”
Recently, Alesia has become capable of making potions. She has expanded the types of magical medicine she can make, and with my amulets and other items, their product lineup is more than enough. They seem to be gaining more regular customers too.
Hiring a bodyguard for a traveling merchant is only worthwhile if you have reliable sales channels or products that will definitely sell. Unless you have regular customers waiting for you, it doesn’t lead to profits. Alesia and her friends were just experimenting to increase their income, so they really don’t need to go out as traveling merchants anymore.
Belial, who had been looking out the window, suddenly spoke up.
“…Isn’t that black cat a familiar?”
“How cute!”
An adventurer was petting a cat. Alesia and Kiara seem to like small animals. But that cat, originally, was a little demon acting as a familiar.
“…That’s my familiar. I’ll go check on it for a moment.”
“Wait, Ekvar, you have a familiar contract?” Alesia asked.
“Well, it’s for work…” Ekvar seemed a bit awkward, perhaps because he hadn’t mentioned it before, and stood up from the table. His half-eaten pasta was still there.
Since we were sitting by the window, I could see him talking to the adventurer outside.
Apparently, the adventurer had mistaken the cat for a regular one and started petting it. Once the adventurer realized, they returned the familiar to Ekvar and apologized.
I thought he would be back soon, but then the black cat suddenly puffed up its fur and hid behind Ekvar.
Ah, Belial left. That’s scary…
The little demon quickly transformed into a human-like form, a cute little girl demon around ten years old with horns and a tail, and purple round eyes. She was holding onto Ekvar’s clothes, nervously bowing to Belial.
“Go on, introduce yourself.”
The three of us entered the shop and returned to our seats. Prompted by Ekvar, Leni nervously looked down and introduced herself in a small voice, her purple eyes shaking with uncertainty.
“…I’m Leni.”
“Nice to meet you, I’m Iriya . You’re Ekvar’s familiar, right? Feel free to come to our place anytime.”
Next, Alesia and Kiara introduced themselves, and Leni responded with an awkward smile. Since our seats were already taken by the three of us, Leni sat next to Alesia, who had an empty seat.
“Don’t you want to eat anything, Leni-chan?”
Kiara poked her fork into her hamburger, smiling as she said it was delicious. She probably wanted to take care of someone who seemed to be around her age, though the actual age of a demon is unclear.
“Leni, don’t hesitate—eat whatever you want. I can afford it, you know, I!”
Ekvar handed her the menu, telling her to choose something. Leni hesitated, but eventually ordered the same hamburger lunch as us.
“By the way, what is she doing? If it’s something you can’t talk about, we won’t ask.”
“It’s no problem, she’s just gathering rumors for now. Like, how a certain duke loves magic and is willing to provide unlimited support, for example. Sometimes we follow up on those kinds of things to investigate further.”
“I see.”
I was relieved to hear she wasn’t involved in any dangerous work. Despite being a little demon, she looked like a small child, so I was worried if she had dangerous tasks to do.
When the hamburgers came out, Leni cut hers into small pieces and ate slowly. She seemed to really like it, smiling with each bite as she chewed slowly.
Halfway through her meal, Leni suddenly stopped.
“U-Um… I have a request…”
“What’s wrong, Leni?”
She peeked at Ekvar sitting across from her, then looked at Alesia and Kiara, who were seated in the same row.
“I… I want to be friends. I don’t have any friends here…”
“Of course! I’d be happy to,” Alesia replied with a smile.
“Come visit our shop sometime!” Kiara added cheerfully.
Leni’s anxious face brightened, and she grabbed Alesia’s hands, holding them with both of hers. It was a heartwarming sight.
“Let me be your friend too, Leni-chan!”
I couldn’t help but want to join in. It felt like I was getting a new little sister, and it was so cute!
“Then I’ll be your friend too, Leni,” Belial said, folding his arms and grinning.
Leni was startled and immediately turned into a black cat.
“…Belial, please don’t scare her. Leni, change back and eat your hamburger.”
It was unlikely that a king and a little demon could actually be friends, after all.
Leni, a little demon girl, suddenly turned into a cat, causing the people at the nearby table to be surprised.
