After finishing our conversation with the king and the princess, we headed back to the Baskerville Marquis's mansion that day. Although we had obtained permission to enter the "Eternal Library," the opponent was one of the most difficult dungeons. Sufficient preparation was necessary before the exploration. We decided to set out on another day and called it a day for today.
"Ah, welcome back. Zenon-bocchama, and Aeris-san too."
"Yeah."
"We've just returned, Levienna-san."
Levienna, the maid, welcomed Aeris and me as we returned home. She was dressed in her usual maid outfit, wearing a gentle smile as she greeted us.
"You were quite late, weren't you? Was there something?"
"Well, yeah, a few things. Just the usual troubles."
"Well, you must be tired. It will be a little while until dinner is ready... Would you like to take a bath first?"
"I'd rather eat first... I'm in no mood to do anything if I don't eat."
I grumbled irritably, taking off my jacket and handing it over to Levienna.
Although we had successfully obtained permission to enter the "Eternal Library" as planned, there was an unnecessary addition. We ended up having Princess Electra Slayers accompany us.
Electra could also be a sub-character player could team up with in the game. She had decent strength and an unusual class known as "High-Level Enchanter (Druid)." "High-Level Enchanter" was an advanced class that could be upgraded from "Enchanter (Shaman)" or "Summoner (Sorcerer)." It was a magician who excelled in summoning and support magic. The fighting style of the "High-Level Enchanter" involved summoning spirits or magical beasts, enhancing them through support magic, and weakening enemies with debuffs. Having her in the party was useful in various situations.
So, being able to recruit Electra as a companion without triggering various events was, in a sense, fortunate. However, I couldn't be entirely happy about it because recruiting her would inevitably trigger a chain of sub-events due to her royal status. The "Three Royal Sisters" sub-event, although not directly related to the main scenario, was incredibly bothersome in terms of difficulty, comparable to conquering the Demon King's castle. Especially with Leon fallen into darkness and dealing with various troubles, I didn't want to progress through this event in such a situation.
"...I'll rest in my room. Let me know when dinner is ready."
"I'll go change as well. May I assist with dinner?"
"Of course. Please, take your time to rest."
Bowed respectfully by Levienna's farewell, I entered my room. Aeris also returned to her own room. The room, which was usually filled with women, had a king-sized bed placed in the center. It was big enough for at least five people to lie down. I didn't specify who would sleep there, but it was a luxurious bed that an Arabian oil tycoon might use.
"Sigh... I'm so tired..."
I collapsed onto the bed. While I hadn't exerted much physical effort, the mental fatigue of meeting the king was considerable. I had gotten used to behaving as a noble to some extent, but... I guess I'm still just an ordinary Japanese salaryman. Meeting the king and princess still made me nervous.
"How can RPG protagonists calmly deal with kings and princesses? They must have nerves of steel."
Why is it that game protagonists can talk so casually with kings and nobles? Clearly, the heroes tasked with saving the world are different. Perhaps I'm just a poor imitation.
"...I should get some sleep."
As I lay down, drowsiness immediately overcame me. Since there was some time until dinner, I might as well take a nap. I closed my eyes and surrendered my consciousness to a fleeting moment of tranquility.
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