Published at 20th of February 2020 3:26 pm

Volume 6, Chapter 68 – Preparation

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Translated by: Reiji

──There was a topic that could be heard sporadically in the royal capital Centralle.

It was the rumor that the palace was forming a force to subjugate monsters.

The merchants thought that they would be able to sell various goods like weapons or food and acted busily.

Rather than renowned adventurers, it was the jobless nobles and normal citizens instead who jumped at this kind of story.

Houses that had no job even if the title could be passed down to the next generation and the knights whose title was only limited to one generation were dreaming to be promoted. Other than them there was also the commoners who wanted to obtain achievements and become a knight. Those kinds of people participated into this subjugation group. That was the state of the royal capital.

Aria was walking through the streets of Centralle nostalgically.

She was looking around the food stalls since the morning.

「H~m, the price is a bit expensive.」

The owner talked to Aria who was looking at the merchandise.

「Young lady, you must be coming from another place. The price in the capital is high. After all, there is the transport cost of bringing them until here. I’ll sell them cheaper than other shops so buy some.」

Aria could only laugh at the shop owner’s words with a complicated expression.

In fact he was giving her a cheap price so he must be a kind person, but…….

(I was born in Centralle though!)

And yet she was thought of as coming from another place.

She couldn’t accept it at all but, it was also the proof that she had grown tough as an adventurer.

She wasn’t a tomboy noble daughter like in the past. She had become an adventurer whose true strength could be seen clearly just from her appearance.

Aria received the goods she purchased before walking back to the inn.

Then, she encountered a housewife who was in the middle of shopping standing in front of a shop.

It was a sight that could be found in any city.

She was moving to pass through her but,

「Did you hear? It seems the subjugation force is recruiting applicants.」

「I want to make the deadbeats in my place to join it too.」

「Oh, in that case I want to make the parasites in my place to go too.」

The housewives laughing with each other were quite old. It seemed they had sons. They were talking how they wanted their sons who wouldn’t succeed the family to join the subjugation force to earn money or to obtain success in life.

Aria pretended to look at the goods lined up in the shop while listening to their conversation.

「I heard it’s at a small town called Gioni.」

「I never heard about that place. Is it a countryside?」

「I wonder who will be leading the force. I want to give a kick at the men in the house to make them join up.」

The housewives were eager, but their attitude changed drastically when they heard a certain name.

「You know, it’s Norma. That Norma Arnette. The female knight.」

「That Norma? So she was promoted.」

「I wonder about that. Isn’t this the army getting rid of a nuisance? Haa, then it’s no good. Even though I think that this is finally a chance for them to be successful in life.」

The housewives returned to their shopping.

(Norma? I never heard of that name. Well, I’m not knowledgeable regarding that topic though.)

Aria came from Centralle, but she didn’t know about Norma.

When she moved to leave.

「Young lady, have you decided about what to buy?」

The shop owner talked to her with a friendly smile. Aria couldn’t say that she was only pretending to look around and bought some random item before leaving that place──

.

Centralle’s inn.

When I became alone in the room, I sent my consciousness into the Jewel in order to talk with the ancestors.

I consulted them regarding the request but…….

『Heir candidate? What are you talking about? Do you seriously think that Ralph-kun will decide the heir in that way?』

The Third was exasperated.

「No, but you know. That Lionel guy was speaking that confidently so, I thought that perhaps it might actually be the case.」

『No way. It’s absolutely no way. Perhaps Lionel-kun thought that, but Ralph-kun didn’t say even a word about that. At best he was only making him to get such idea. In the first place see……the heir that Ralph-kun wants will be someone with the mentality of a civil official rather than a knight with strong physical strength won’t he』

When I thought about the Circry House’s occupation, then certainly, a heir whose strong point was his physical strength would be unnecessary.

「Then, what’s the meaning of this request?」

The Third seemed to be not really interested.

『It’s just a hippogriff right? Perhaps there isn’t any deep meaning to it and he is really just troubled?』

I pondered for a bit before asking the Third.

「I don’t understand that. There are knight orders in the kingdom, and other than them there are also soldiers right? Then, everything will be taken care of if they just send them as help right away.」

The Seventh joined the talk.

『Lyle, in the world there are also times when doing the right thing isn’t the answer. Naturally, what you said is correct but, at the same time it’s also wrong.』

The Seventh was slowly speaking in a way that was easy for me to understand.

『Do you know why there are jobless houses that don’t even have anything to do?』

「I think that they are spares though.」

『Right. They’re spares. But, don’t you think that it’s not good if the spares continue to increase in number?』

The explanation from the Seventh from there was the talk that the nobles who could pass down their title were also increasing in number. Naturally there were also houses that went extinct, but the problem was the number of nobles still increased.

The second son and third son of prestigious nobles went independent and formed a new house.

There was also cases when a knight raised achievement on the battlefield and got promoted to become a noble who could pass down his title.

The number wasn’t just decreasing, it was increasing.

In that case, it was the palace that got troubled. They were paying annuity to nobles who didn’t even work after all, so the cost was also increasing in proportion to the increase of nobles.

In that case I thought that it would be fine if they stopped increasing the number of nobles, but it seemed that was also wrong. The second son and third sons who received education but couldn’t succeed their house, what would happen if they had no dream or hope?

It would still be fine if they became adventurers, but there was a possibility that they would take the wrong path and dirty their hands with crime.

Nobles could use magic.

In a lot of cases the damage would be bigger from them compared to commoners doing crime.

『Balance is important in everything. ──It’s necessary to decrease their number moderately while creating a chance for them to climb up. It also takes money to send a knight order or trained soldiers.』

Rather than wearing away the important knights and soldiers, they wanted to wear away the nobles who weren’t working. It seemed that was the motive of the palace.

The Fourth pushed up his glasses slightly to fix its position while saying.

『Being able to select the battlefield properly is a good thing. Lyle, consider the subjugation force as a force only in name. And then, try looking at your surroundings a bit. If you work with them who are different from adventurers, there should be something that you’ll be able to see.』

The Sixth also nodded.

『Yeah. After all the people around Lyle are all too capable. I won’t say that’s a bad thing but……it’s better to know this thing beforehand.』

There were still a lot of things that I was lacking in.

Setting that aside──

「Come to think of it, this is a different topic but why does everyone hate capital nobles? No, I understand the reason, but……despite that, some of you allowed your daughter to be wedded by them or working together with them.」

Like the Circry House’s relationship with the Walt House.

I wouldn’t say that it would be fine to not have any relationship with them if it was unpleasant but, I couldn’t understand why their attitude wasn’t clear.

The ancestors spoke the circumstances by turn starting from the Second.

『I guess. The best is to not associate with them. But, we also can’t do that.』

『After all from the perspective of the palace, the feudal lords are also people that can’t be left alone to do as they please.』

『They’re unpleasant, but there is no choice of not associating with them.』

『If we refuse to associate with them, we might get attacked in the worse case.』

『Regarding this, it’s that. It’s what they called give-and-take.』

『It’s necessary. We have to associate with them even if it’s unpleasant.』

I tilted my head.

「But……everyone hates them isn’t it?」

『I hate them. Completely hate them. I want to make them a target for my arrows!』

『It makes you want to punch them when you see their face isn’t it? Or rather I hit them just once in the past. It was really refreshing at that time!』

『I want to slowly corner them. I want to see their crying face.』

『If I can cut them down without causing any future trouble……I think I’ll be able to make a mountain of their corpses.』

『They’re repulsing!』

『The word hate is insufficient to describe it. ……The urge to kill is welling up!』

It seemed the ancestors hated them more than I expected. Everyone was making a scary face.

I shouldn’t ask just what in the world happened when they were alive.

「Even so everyone got along with them?」

The Third shrugged.

『That’s right. Besides, it’s often said isn’t it……that is that, this is this.』

Both sides hated each other, but if there was profit to be had then they would get along……being a noble was hard.

I thought that I would rather stay like I am right now.

Then, the Second raised his hand slightly. He looked somewhat embarrassed.

『By the way……can I borrow Lyle?』

Everyone else made a really complicated expression.

『Ye, yep. Do your best.』

The Third too didn’t joke around this time. He even gave his support.

The Second looked embarrassed.

『Sto, stop that! It’ll be a success for sure this time! This time I’ll absolutely pass down my Art to Lyle and vanish for sure!』

The Second……you still hadn’t given that up?

.

Inside the Second’s memory room.

The scenery of the territory that the Second once ruled was spread out. I could see the scene of a tranquil and well ordered village.

For the Second who went through hardships to improve the messed up territory, this scenery must be his number one.

The village’s scenery looked like the representation of the Second’s precise character.

We walked in that village heading to the training place for bows.

Although I called it a training place, it was only a spacious place with several targets lined up.

In front of the targets that looked used really frequently, the Second fired up himself.

『Yosh!』

「Err……we’re still doing this?」

『See here. Our role is to teach our Art to you! Even though previously I said my farewell to everyone as though it’s the end, and yet I returned together with you to that place. Do you understand my feeling? It was just extremely embarrassing.』

Certainly it felt like I had done something bad. I felt responsible that I couldn’t inherit the Art. But, it was the ancestors who thought on their own that I’d be able to do it.

……It shouldn’t be my responsibility.

The Second fired up himself again and explained his Art.

『The third stage of the Art is Select. Originally it’s something to make you able to fix your aim at the target that you want to use the Art at but, it too will become like this if you use it in this way.』

The Second took out his bow from somewhere.

This place was a world of memory. Weapons could be summoned right away, and even inflicted wounds could be healed completely instantly.

With five arrows in hand, he faced a target and fired.

Then, the arrows changed direction midway. They were heading toward the targets that were lined up. The five arrows each hit the center of the five targets.

I made a small applause.

「It’s mysterious no matter how many times I see it.」

『Amazing right? It’s different from its original use but, it’s really convenient. Now then……Lyle, try it.』

The bow was handed to me.

The bow of the Second was solid and showed sign of frequent use. It made me felt its age.

The number of arrows handed to me was three.

I took a stance and focused on the Art.

It was like a mark was floating at the spot that I aimed at. It felt like the arrow would head there naturally if I let go……but, when I fired the arrows.

『WHYYYYYYYY!』

The Second held his head with his hands felt distressed seeing that the arrows only headed at the direction I was pointing at.

『You should be able to do it! Lyle, aren’t you holding back there?』

My shoulders dropped.

「I’m not doing anything like holding back. This is really difficult.」

『Really? You aren’t lying?』

The Second was doubting me but, a rustling sound came from a nearby bushes. The Second took the bow from me and then readied it right away.

The movement was flowing smoothly that my gaze was spontaneously stolen by it.

A one horned rabbit rushed out from the bushes.

──It was a monster that was considered as the Walt House’s hated enemy, especially by the First until the Third.

『Haahh-!』

The arrow was fired and instantly pierced the heart.

『Yossha!』

The Second put away the bow.

「……Why did a one horned rabbit come out here?」

The Second replied vaguely at my question.

『Well, I strongly hate it, so that might be why. More importantly, what’s the reason for the failure? I thought that you would absolutely succeed though.』

The Second was obstinate.

.

──The night Lyle and the others returned from the Circry House’s mansion.

Clara piled up the ten books that she purchased in the royal capital and stared at them. She was troubled of which book to start reading first but, before that she threw a question at Novem who was in the same room as her about something that was on her mind.

「I heard that Lyle-san accepted a request from the Circry House but, is Novem-san alright with that?」

There were few times when Novem objected to Lyle’s policy.

At best she would protest if it looked like there would be danger to Lyle.

「It’s Lyle-sama’s decision. I won’t object.」

Thinking from the monster’s strength and scale, it was unthinkable that they would lose.

Certainly, it would be a convenient request if they wanted to raise their fame.

「I heard that the circumstances in the royal capital is different from Arumsaas. Like how the majority of the participants are nobles and citizens rather than adventurers. Will it be alright?」

For Lyle and the others, this was a request they didn’t have experience in.

At the same time, there was also the circumstances of the royal capital. Thinking of the essentials when doing work with adventurers like normal, Clara thought this request would become a painful experience.

Clara had understood just how troublesome nobles were from Arumsaas.

Besides, there was a point that Clara was concerned about.

「It seems that the Circry House said they won’t allow Miranda-san to come along.」

Don’t bring along your party member.

There was no adventurer who would accept being told that.

But, the reason was as it was.

The Circry House was the house of Miranda and Shannon. Those words could be taken as them worrying about the two of them.

Novem replied indifferently.

「They didn’t mention Shannon-chan’s name, and from Lyle-sama’s story it’s the egoistic circumstances of the other side. There is no need to pay attention to that.」

Clara was also intending to do so.

Miranda had refused that demand and declared that she would bring along Shannon too.

But──

(Novem-san’s evaluation standard for everything is a bit strange. She knows who she faced, but she is still putting this attitude even when dealing with nobles. Isn’t she scared of nobles?)

Even though she should have lived in the noble society until now, when she was judging about the right and wrong of everything she would consider it with Lyle as the center to a degree that could even be called absolute.

If she looked at Lyle’s upbringing and his relationship with Novem, then there was also a part that could make her understand Novem’s way of thinking. However, there was also parts that made her unable to understand at the same time.

Lyle might be formerly a noble, but right now he was nothing more than an adventurer.

The way he spoke was soft, and he also gave a kind atmosphere. Clara evaluated Novem highly, but that aspect of her still weighed on her mind heavily.

(She is also not stupid by any means, she should understand that the possibility of Lyle-san being able to return to being a noble is low, and yet)

Novem’s attitude as though a noble was something that wasn’t worth it for her to pay attention to strangely weighed on Clara’s mind.

Even while thinking that, Clara judged that it wasn’t something so serious that she had to express her opinion to the party’s reliable magician. Her hand reached to one of the piled up books──

.

──The next day.

Aria and Sophia gathered inside a room in the inn.

Together with them was Shannon who was house-sitting.

Novem and Miranda were going out, while Clara was looking around the bookstore in the capital, so they weren’t here.

「Right, then we will start the class now.」

Monica was acting as a teacher.

She was holding a small whiteboard in front of the three who were sitting side by side.

The word “tsundere” was written on the board.

「The lesson today is regarding tsundere. Everyone, don’t think that a tsundere is something easy. Tsundere is extremely difficult to balance, and yet it’s a captivating──」

Sophia stopped that explanation of Monica.

She raised her hand slightly with reservation.

「Say……Monica-san.」

「Sensei. Call me that right now.」

「Se, sensei. What is tsundere?」

It was an unknown word for the three of them.

Monica made an exasperated face and answered.

「It means taking a cold attitude to an opposite sex who you like while sometimes also acting kind to them.」

Aria expressed her thought honestly.

「What’s that? Isn’t that just a troublesome person?」

Monica put her hand on her forehead and then she shook her head like that.

「You don’t get it. Now listen well, the attitude of you three to chicken dickwad. It can also be categorized as tsundere if you think about it.」

Shannon who was listening to the talk while eating sweets laughed with a mouth that was stained around it.

「That’s something unrelated to me. Because I hate that guy.」

Monica snorted.

「That attitude is already tsundere you know, this little girl!」

「Wait, what do you mean by that!? More importantly, isn’t your attitude to us really bad?」

Monica answered with a straight face.

「What about it? Then, we’re continuing the lesson.」

Aria who was listening to the talk thought.

(There was nothing to do so I tried talking to Monica by mistake but, this is troublesome.)

The three of them had nothing to do, so they asked for an explanation from Monica who was using incomprehensible words like usual.

Because of that it turned into a troublesome thing like this.

Monica’s lesson continued.

「Tsundere, it’s a double edged sword. If you take a wrong step you will anger the other party and they won’t notice your fondness to them at all. That’s why, hopeless tsundere like the three of you should stop right away.」

Sophia got dejected.

「Ho, hopeless tsundere? So we are hopeless.」

The diligent Sophia was seriously dejected, but Shannon consoled her.

「You don’t need to mind that. Because, this is Monica. This girl is broken.」

From the perspective of Aria and the others, Monica who was calling Lyle as chicken dickwad even though he was her master only looked like a broken thing.

Even so, she wasn’t a bad person so they got along like this but…….

「It’s rude to call someone broken. Very well. This Monica will show you what a genuine tsundere is. Oh, nice timing. Chicken dickwad is coming to this room.」

Footsteps came from the corridor.

Monica seemed to understand who was coming from that sound.

She immediately put away the whiteboard with tsundere written on it, but it looked like it got sucked between her maid uniform and her apron.

The three were always puzzled seeing how anything could be stored into that gap.

Monica’s own existence was too mysterious that no one asked her about it, but they were curious just what was with the gap between the maid uniform and the apron.

There was a knocking sound. Monica replied.

It was Lyle who entered.

「Eh? What are you all doing together here?」

Aria shrugged.

「There’s nothing to do so we’re playing. More importantly what do you need?」

Although she said that, in reality it was their turn to guard their items in the inn. They also served as Shannon’s guards.

The people of the Circry House might come to take back Shannon. If it was Miranda she would be able to escape, but they were worried if it was Shannon in such a situation.

「I’m thinking to go out buying food.」

Sophia tilted her head.

「I heard that we would go out for dinner though? Besides, Novem-san and Miranda-san said that they will arrange for things like emergency rations and the like.」

Lyle grasped the Jewel hanging on his neck.

「……Well, it’s for reserve I guess? I’m borrowing Monica.」

Lyle would take along Monica for this kind of time.

But, Monica brushed up her blonde twintail, and then she took a different attitude from usual in order to put tsundere into practice.

「Oh, you are calling on this Monica? Allow me to refuse. Well, if you insist though──」

When she spoke until there, Lyle easily withdrew.

「You don’t want to come? Then, Sophia-san, please help out.」

Sophia nodded and stood up. Then Monica clung onto Lyle’s leg.

「Wait! Please wait! I’m lying. It’s a lie! I want to go shopping with chicken dickwad. Don’t leave me behind!」

「What a troublesome girl.」

Lyle shrunk back from Monica who started crying, but he apologized to Sophia and then talked to Monica.

「If you want to go then say so from the start.」

「That’s not it. I only wanted to attract chicken dickwad’s attention.」

Lyle was exasperated at the crying Monica. Even so he took her hand and made her stood up. Although he said ‘What a hopeless girl’, he had a smile on his face.

「I’ll be waiting ahead at the lobby, so come down when you finished preparing.」

Lyle got out of the room.

When Lyle was gone, Monica turned around to the three.

「Did you see? This is tsundere. Oops, I can’t waste time like this. I have to hurry to where chicken dickwad is. Well then everyone, sayonara~」

Monica hurriedly chased after Lyle.

The three were dumbfounded.

Sophia opened her mouth.

「So that’s tsundere. How should I say it……it only looked like their usual conversation.」

Shannon didn’t look bothered.

「Isn’t it pointless to pay that any mind?」

Among them, it was Aria alone who was falling into thought.

(……Eh? Just which one of them was the tsundere?)

Rather than the crying Monica, Lyle who was pushing her away at first before acting kind to her at the end even with some reluctance was the tsundere wasn’t it?

She didn’t speak out such doubt. And then the three of them deeply talked about tsundere with excitement. It was a deep talk for the three, however from the perspective of an outsider it was a shallow talk without any meaning.

The conclusion that they reached was 「Tsundere is an abyss」 which was incomprehensible except for the three of them. The three of them passionately talked together of that conclusion to Clara who returned back.

The one who was the most bothered must be Clara who suddenly got dragged into such talk──

.

I who took along Monica in order to go shopping looked at the bags that I got my hands full with.

Vegetables and fruits, then cheeses and other things. I had purchased various items.

Even after purchasing this many, considering our number it couldn’t be said as more than enough.

When I looked back, Monica was carrying a wooden box and a sack that was filled with items.

From an outsider’s perspective, it only looked like a man was making a woman carry heavy luggage while he himself was carrying light things.

In fact it was exactly as it looked so it was troubling.

「For now, we’ll be alright for food with this I guess?」

Monica answered while holding up the great amount of luggage.

「Please don’t worry. I will at least secure the food for chicken dickwad no matter what the cost. You can even leave procuring food on site to this Monica.」

This girl was really able to do anything huh.

But──

「We are stocking up food because we don’t want to search for food on site, though. Or rather, from your reply it means that this amount isn’t enough then?」

「Well, frankly speaking this amount is worrying when thinking about the scheduled period of the subjugation. In the first place, we also don’t really understand how long we will have to stay there.」

It was the ancestors’ suggestion to stock up food.

Procurement on site. Monica was saying that in the sense that she would gather up foods like wild animals or edible wild plants at our destination, but with our deployment this time the place for the procurement on site would be──Gioni.

It was possible that the subjugation force that would be dispatched in order to protect the city would ransack the town because the food wasn’t enough.

We stocked up food in order to prevent that.

Besides, with the Seventh’s Art then it was possible to preserve fresh food.

It was a really convenient Art.

While I was walking into a deserted alley in order to throw the foods in my hands into the Seventh’s Art, I heard a familiar voice.

「Aa~, this is the worst.」

A girl──an elf was sitting on the ground. When I thought that I had seen her somewhere before, it was actually Eva-san.

My reunion with this girl who I encountered in another city was in a narrow and dirty alley while she was sitting down on the ground……it was really hard to call it a moving reunion.

.

「Thank you Lyle!」

Eva-san continued eating while saying her thanks.

The restaurant table had dishes lined up to an astonishing degree. Eva-san who was eating them up one after another seemed to be really hungry.

She──Eva-san was an elf who ran away from the forest where she was born and lived as a performer. She was also an unusual person who didn’t belong to a troupe and acted by herself.

Elves were a hunting race living in the forest, but at the same time they had strong curiosity and there were also a lot of elves who left the forest and lived as a troupe of traveling performers.

They loved song and story, to a degree that people’s impressions of a performer was strongly attached to elves.

I met Eva-san when I joined a dungeon subjugation previously. At that time she would perform her singing for us in exchange for taking care of her daily needs in our tent.

Even I who hadn’t heard many songs and stories enjoyed her performance, so she must be skilled.

She was a person overflowing with energy as could be seen from how she was traveling throughout the country seeking material for her songs. Her expression would frequently change with her various emotions becoming clear to see.

She cooperated with me during the dungeon subjugation.

Such Eva-san right now was ravenously eating food joyfully in front of me.

Monica was sitting beside me with an astonished look.

「What’s this woman who might break the image of an elf? Even though I thought that an elf will be a more fantasy creature, she is eating ravenously like this.」

This girl, just what kind of image she held about elves?

Eva-san objected.

「When I’m on stage then I’ll sell as much dream and fantasy as you want. But, you can’t fill your stomach just with that! Lyle, can I order seconds?」

Eva-san asked for seconds with a sweet voice, so I looked at the table. There that great amount of food had been finished up.

Just how much was she able to eat?

I asked for second serving and I asked Eva-san’s story until the food came.

「By the way, why are you in the capital? Didn’t you say before about going around the west region?」

「I went to do that. And then I headed to the capital next, but I was unfortunate and couldn’t find a troupe who could go with me. When I entered alone all my money was used up.」

When I asked, it seemed that the place to perform in a large scale town and city was fought for by many groups. Everyone would want to perform in a place with many people. It would be difficult for someone to suddenly come and performed their art in a city like this.

「When I sang my song without asking permission, I got my money taken away with various excuses like venue fee or whatever. The royal capital is an unpleasant place.」

Monica was tilting her head.

「So an elf is a traveling performer who displays their song and performance. Well, it’s natural that there is that kind of rule for performers in a city this big, aren’t you the one in the wrong here? You should talk with the one in charge beforehand.」

Eva-san couldn’t argue back.

Monica continued.

「Even so, a business of selling dreams is it? For everything outside of that, you have it realistically tough. As an elf you should aim to be a more fairytale-like creature.」

「Why are you harboring such strange fantasies about elves huh?」

「Elves have an image of being fairytale-like, magical, noble, high-handed, and also frail.」

「How can elves be frail when they’re living in the forest or living while traveling everywhere! I’m telling you, elves are a hunting tribe! We can also use magic but physical strength is also important! Besides what do you mean high-handed! If you’re picking a fight then I’ll take you on!」

「What an elf who is easy to lose temper. Even though I thought that you’re a more intellectual creature, how unfortunate.」

「What’s with you? What’re you looking for from an elf?」

When the dishes were brought, Eva-san resumed her eating.

I asked Eva-san about her plan going forward.

「Then, after this you will talk to the people in charge and sing somewhere?」

「I was considering that, but in the end I couldn’t pay the venue cost so I have to earn money first.」

「Should I lend you money?」

「H~m, that’s an attractive offer but I’ll refrain from that. I want to manage somehow with my own strength.」

While I was feeling impressed by Eva-san’s words, Monica was chuckling.

「You’ll persevere by yourself after sitting on the road hungrily and ended up getting treated to food by chicken dickwad? An elf’s sense of humor is really first class. You should aim to be a comedian.」

No matter how you thought about it, that only sounded like she was making fun of her. Eva-san’s eyebrows were twitching.

「I, I’ll repay this back properly. I’ve also obtained new song materials, so I can also sing.」

Monica snorted.

「That’s great. But, although you seem to be very confident……we don’t really have time so allow us to decline. Good grief, even though it’s my time to be alone with chicken dickwad, it got stolen by this kind of glutton elf instead.」

「You, cut it out. I’m sorry, this girl is broken.」

When I apologized, Eva-san seemed to be curious and stared at Monica.

「Broken? What, did she get her head hit?」

「Ah, no……well, this girl is like an ancient relic. She is an automatic puppet called an automaton.」

Eva-san’s eyes started to sparkle when I explained.

「What’s that how curious! Hey, tell me the story. I’ll do anything. I’ll do anything so tell me!」

Eva-san pitched forward with great interest.

「Right now I’m a bit busy so──I’ll tell you next time.」

「You’re busy.」

「Yes. Actually I’m participating in the subjugation force.」

.

Monica and I……and also Eva-san returned to the inn.

「I’ll participate in the hippogriff subjugation so please take care of me!」

Novem and Miranda-san who were in the lobby each showed different reactions.

「Long time no see isn’t it, Eva-san.」

「An elf……will she be useful?」

「Long time no see, Novem! Also, the rude woman there. Even though I look like this I’ve been together with a troupe of traveling performers. I’m used to traveling, and I can also use magic and a bow. I won’t be in the way.」

Miranda-san and Eva-san started arguing for some reason.

Novem came to my side.

「Lyle-sama, you are making Eva-san to join?」

「Yes. She said that it’s her thanks for treating her to food. Other than that, she said that she wanted to come along because she wanted to get song material and because she wanted to hear about what happened at Arumsaas.」

An elf who was brimming with curiosity would do absurd things in their search for material or story topics.

It felt like she would come along even if I ignored her, then in that case it would be safer for us to act together.

「Elves are good walkers after all. It will be helpful if she is with us.」

「You’re right.」

Eva-san was still continuing her quarrel with Miranda-san. It seemed she didn’t get on well with her.

「It’ll be troubling even if you come along for playing around.」

「Playing around!? I’m serious here! I’m seriously wanting new song material!」

「……Elves are really troublesome.」

「What do you mean by that!?」

I wished they got along but, it seemed the two of them got the worst impression of each other.

We would join the hippogriff subjugation force with these members but…..would it be okay?

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