Chapter 48: An encounter at the Aqua City
Razé: “Oh, I forgot. Claude-kun, thank you for the dress.”
Claude: “Your clothes yesterday has been washed and will be sent together with your luggage.
Razé: “Waa-. Thank you! It’s really hard to get rid of beast bloodstain on clothes. It’s been a while since I last fight, so I miscalculated my power.”
Claude wondered how could someone miscalculate their power to that extend, but he kept the question to himself.
Adis: “There’s something I’m curious about. When you came to the palace asking for backup, the stampede was still at the early stage.”
Claude: “I was wondering about the same thing too. Don’t tell me it was an adventurer’s intuition.”
Razé: “I woke up in the middle of the night and went out to the balcony. Then, I saw Carna-sama jumped off the balcony so I went after her. I can’t let her go out alone.”
Adis and Claude nodded in agreement.
Razé: “Same to you, Adis-sama. You’re the first one to rush over at the scene. I heard you managed to take down most of the beasts. Your mother’s training has made you stronger, right?”
Adis: “A little. Unlike someone who always lose in the first round. Maybe they lacked practice.”
Razé: “Hmm. I wonder who that is～”
They followed a gravel road on the mountain side of Beham while chatting. After a while, they saw a workshop stood aloof in an isolated location. The owner was a very friendly person. When they requested him to provide the paper for the lantern, he gladly accepted the order.
Razé: “That’s great! We still have lots of time left until lunch.”
Claude: “Let’s go take a walk around the town.”
Razé: “Okay!”
They would have to return by lunch time. It had been a while since Razé last visited Beham, so she wanted to take a look around.
Razé: “Adis-sama. Make sure not to flirt around with the girls here and cause any trouble.”
Adis: “I think you’ve misunderstood. I’ve never forced or hurt the girls. One more thing. Just call me Ady when we’re in town. Don’t use ‘sama’.”
Razé: “…Okay.”
Adis also disguised himself to mix among the commoners. But for some reason, Razé was annoyed with him, probably because of his usual behavior.
Claude: “Then, Adis should call Razé by her name too. I’ve only heard you call her ‘scholarship student’ in these two years.”
Razé: “Now that you mention it, it seems to be true. Well, I’m the only scholarship student at the moment, so it should be fine as long as no one gets confused.”
Claude: “Is that what’s important here?”
Claude watched Razé with a puzzled look on his face.
Adis: “Maybe someday. Scholarship student.”
Razé: “Up to you. Adi-kun.”
Razé didn’t mind at all. Sometimes, she had to use different names during her undercover missions. So, she was not so particular about name.
Adis looked at her and thought that she was annoying him as usual.
Razé: “Beham is famous for their fish. But that’s not suitable for a souvenir, is it?”
Claude: “Yeah. There is enough food prepared for us, so maybe you should buy something else.”
Razé: “Hmm. I wonder what I should buy.”
Razé and Claude looked for souvenirs while walking around the city. Adis followed right behind them while observing the surroundings. The bright blue and white buildings gave a fresh and unique feeling to him. The scent of rocky shore and the sound of waves. He felt like he was in a different world, completely different from the imperial capital.
Razé: “Ah! That looks so delicious!”
Adis: “Didn’t you decide not to buy food?”
Adis reminded Razé, whose eyes were shining brightly when she saw gelato.
( •̀ὢ•́ ; )ｸﾞﾇﾇ She wrinkled her brows and mumbled to herself, “I’m sure the lunch and dinner today will be nice. I’ll put up with it.”
Ignoring the two of them, Claude went to the shop and bought the gelato. Razé looked at Claude and wondered whether he was teasing her.
“One should be okay for you, Razé-san,” Claude said and gave the gelato to her.
Razé: “Huh! Is it okay?”
Claude: “Yes.”
She took it with sparkle in her eyes. Adis watched her and knitted his brows.
Adis: “Claude, since when were you this good to scholarship student?”
Claude: “We had just formed a trivial alliance. Right, Razé-san?”
Razé: “Huh? Right!”
Razé was busy eating her gelato and replied with a smile. Adis and Claude burst out laughing when they saw Razé with gelato all over her mouth. It was rare to see such attitude among the aristocratic ladies. Even if she was studying at an aristocratic academy, she still behaved like a commoner.
Adis: “By the way, I heard there is a famous designer store selling charms in Beham. Shall we go take a look?”
Claude: “That sounds great.”
Adis: “I’ll go and ask the girls where the shop is.”
While Razé was enjoying the lemon-flavored gelato, Adis went to the group of girls who had been eyeing him since earlier. The girls were screaming and chatted excitedly with Adis.
Razé: “Claude-kun. I heard you’re his childhood friend. Since when did he become like that?”
Claude: “I’ve been busy with my job since I was young. Before I knew it, he was already like that.”
“Hmm～” Razé continued to eat her gelato.
Adis return to them with a smile on his face. “I know the place. Let’s go.”
This world was based on an otome games. Originally, Razé was a little worried about what would happen to Adis as the main character in the game sequel. But she decided not to think too much of it as he should be able to take care of it himself.
Adis: “I think this is the shop.”
Claude: “It looks like it.”
The shop’s exterior had a luxurious feel to it. Adis and Claude immediately entered the shop, but Razé stood hesitantly in front of the door for a while and then pulled her self together before entering the shop.
“Welcome.”
Inside the shop, magic stones that have been processed were displayed in rows. Magic stones were indispensable in Ordiana, so it was a valuable item and were used by both men and women. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that one’s life would depend on the magic stone that they used, especially the knights and soldiers. So, they needed to choose their magic stone very carefully. Currently, Claude was wearing an anklet charm, while Adis was wearing a necklace charm.
“Claude, look! This one is S level.” Adis called out to Claude when he saw the ring at the back of the room.
Claude read the description written on the display tag. “Amazing. The person who defeated the monster… is Wolf Fang. That makes sense.”
Razé was surprised to hear her name. Hmm. When did I harvest this stone? Looking at the processed stone, she couldn’t recall when she had harvested them.
When they were busy looking at the display case, they heard the door bell ringing as someone stepped into the shop.
“Welcome, Sesemann-sama! We’re glad to have you here today!”
“It’s been a while. I’m here looking for something.”
The middle-aged man who came into the shop looked like a high-ranking influential figure. Although he was not young, he had a dignified appearance. Once they saw him, Adis and Claude straightened their back instantly.
Sesemann: “Oh. You are…”
Adis: “It’s been a while, Sesemann-sama.”
Sesemann: “Welrian’s son and Bard’s son. You’ve grown up.”
The man’s name was Clarodos Hasche Sesemann, a respected senior among the dukes.
W- Why would he come here of all places?! Razé was at a loss for words as she hid behind Adis and Claude.
Sesemann: “Oh, I see. Two guys brought a girl shopping? Looks kind of weird.”
Adis: “She is our classmate. We were preparing for the school festival and has some free time, so we decided to come here.”
Sesemann: “Uh-huh. You there. What’s your name?”
Razé had been holding her breath hiding at the back. Since the person had called her, she couldn’t just ignore him.
“…Razé Granoli.” She bowed down and held the edge of her dress.
Sesemann stared at her from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet. “Razé Granoli?”
！！(ﾟﾛﾟ;ﾉ)ﾉShe had a bad feeling.
Sesemann: “Oh. It’s you.”
Razé gave up hiding and raised her head. “…It’s been a while.”
Sesemann was the General of Shian Imperial Army. He had met Razé many times before.
Sesemann: “I almost couldn’t recognize you in that dress. It seems like you’re having a lot of fun. Don’t tell me you’re going through a rebellious phase and neglecting your job. That’s out of the question. You know, right?”
Razé: “Yes, sir.”
Razé immediately straightened her posture as she listened to his words. Every time she met him; he always gave her a lecture. Probably because she had no parents and he wanted to make sure that she wouldn’t act spoiled.
However, she was inwardly crying when she was lectured at this kind of place. She ignored the astonished look on Adis and Claude’s faces, and focus on Sesemann’s words.
Sesemann: “You really should re-evaluate your own competency. Are you aware of how many of your comrades had to go through danger risking their lives while you were away at school? I’m not going to spoil you like those people did, Granoli.”
Razé: “Yes, sir.”
Adis and Claude had only seen a gentle Sesemann before. They were totally bewildered by what was happening. At the same time, it made them questioned Razé’s identity.
Adis: “What do you mean, Sesemann-sama? What did she-”
Looking at the confused Adis, Sesemann cut off his words. Razé’s identity as a soldier was supposed to be a secret. But since the situation had come to this, it seemed she could no longer escape. Razé hold her breath and listened to what he was going to say.
Sesemann: “I can’t tell you the details. Let’s just say she’s an adventurer-type of person valued by the country. Or maybe I should say a handy courier.”
Adis: “Courier?”
Sesemann: “You know her specialty?”
Adis: “Movement magic…”
Sesemann: “Exactly.”
At that moment, Sesemann looked like he had recalled something. He wrote something on a paper and passed it to Razé. “Carry this for me. If you got time to play around, you should be able to do it. Right?” He smirked up at her.
Razé’s face was twitching as she replied, “Yes, sir.”
Sesemann: “That’d save me the trouble. I’m counting on you, Granoli. I’ll treat you to a cup of tea someday. See you later. Adis-kun, Claude-kun.”
Sesemann left them with a nifty feeling. Once she made sure that he was gone, she heaved a long sigh of relief. She opened the note and saw the words:
『 S level magic stones : ƚen p.』
“Aaahhh. Goodbye, my holiday.” Razé dropped her head. This note was an order for her to go harvest some magic stones at Baruda. Just when she thought she could enjoy her holiday, she met a terrifying person.
Sesemann was known as a battle freak and his reason was so that he would not forget his young days. He was an active person, and would even come to this kind of place himself. Razé felt bitter for her bad luck to meet such person at this place.
Adis: “Oi.”
Claude: “Razé-san, come here for a second.”
Adis and Claude took her outside the shop.
I’ve been doing my best to hide my identity until now. That old man. Look at what you’ve done? Razé complained inwardly. She knew for certain that the general was making fun of her situation because he was that kind of person.
I’m not busted yet. Damn it! I was hoping to make it look cooler when others find out my identity. And yet, she almost got busted while being lectured. She regretted it in her heart.
“Who are you actually?”
Razé was being confronted in a deserted alley.
Regardless whether it’s adventurer or courier, they already know I’m acquainted with a high-ranking officer… Is there any meaning for me to keep it a secret?
Although the situation was troublesome, they still (barely) hadn’t found out that she was a soldier. Sesemann had avoided the topic, so she had to make sure to cover it well too.
Razé: “As Sesemann-sama had said, my mission is to carry things.”
Adis: “Didn’t you say clean-up, cooking and office work yesterday?”
Razé: “It was a roughly speaking.”
Razé was not telling a lie. But an ordinary commoner would not have such conversation with Sesemann, so the two guys were sending her a doubtful look.
Razé: “Let me put it this way. Do you really think an ordinary commoner could enter Centrior Imperial Magic Academy as a scholarship student? I’ve lived my life so far with this kind of effort. It’d be meaningless for you to ask any further.”
A soldier was more or less similar to an adventurer and courier. There was nothing more to answer. She’d rather to be thought as being used because she was young and capable. She didn’t think it would be good for them to know that she was a soldier and carried the title Wolf Fang. Claude and Adis should know that as long as Sesemann was someone they trusted, then they should not have to be cautious towards her either.
Rather than that, Razé was more embarrassed that her superior had seen her dressed like this.
“Aa-. I’m sure he thinks I look terrible. This is so embarrassing. I really shouldn’t wear skirts.” She felt depressed when she looked at her dress.
Claude: “Is that what’s important here?”
It was his second time asking that question today.
“It feels like a guy getting caught cross dressing! Did you see the way he looked at me? It was like he was looking at a rare creature.”
The two guys looked at Razé, who was holding her head in her hands, with an indescribable face. They could never imagine this girl was someone with talent that was valued by the country.
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