Chapter 21
“Is that the place?”
“Y-yes! It must be!”
Two hours later, a hotel finally came into view.
Following Auriel’s determined strides, I approached the building as well.
“You really don’t have to follow me inside, though.”
“I’d like to think so too, but after seeing you head into three wrong places only to come running back out, I can’t trust you to manage. Seriously, how can someone not know the address of their own lodging?”
“Ugh…”
She flushed red and struggled to come up with a response.
Apparently, she had always relied on her escorts for directions.
While that made some sense, this level of dependency was rather excessive.
Sure, she was said to be an incredible singer, but was that all she was good at?
As Auriel lowered her head in embarrassment and approached the hotel,
“?”
She suddenly stopped in her tracks.
Just as I was wondering if this was yet another misstep, Auriel, her voice slightly tense, turned to me and asked:
“Why… why are you doing this?”
“…What?”
“Why are you helping me like this? As you said, I’ve made three mistakes so far… Honestly, wouldn’t this kind of person be frustrating? You could’ve easily made up some excuse and left me behind.”
Her voice carried a heavy sense of self-reproach, as if even she couldn’t believe her behavior.
In response, while I had plenty I wanted to say, I maintained a semblance of patience and answered:
“Abandoning something halfway just because it’s inconvenient renders everything done up to that point meaningless.”
“!”
“When you start something, you should see it through. Once I decided to help you, it became my responsibility.”
“…I-is that… a law of the… um, Buddhist faith?”
It seemed she had taken my earlier mention of Buddhism seriously.
Suppressing a grin that was hidden under my mask, I replied,
“No, it’s my law.”
“…”
Auriel stood there, staring at me with a blank expression, seemingly stunned by my words.
Her reaction seemed overly dramatic, making me regret not attributing it to some Buddhist teaching.
Hastily, I spoke again to preempt another sermon from her.
“Anyway, don’t overthink it. I’m not the kind of person who’d leave a lost little lamb wandering alone.”
“L-lost lamb…”
While she seemed to snap out of her shock, her expression turned somewhat conflicted.
Without another word, she walked into the hotel, and I followed behind.
Honestly, helping her was getting on my nerves, but the invitation she gave me was too valuable to ignore.
Considering how much time and effort she had saved me, this level of assistance was a small price to pay.
As I scanned the surroundings, hoping this was finally the right place—
“…Oh?”
“Ah!”
Auriel’s face lit up as she seemed to recognize someone.
Her gaze landed on a middle-aged bishop seated comfortably in a chair, his expression frozen in shock as he stared at us.
“Bishop Juda!”
“A-Auriel? How… How did you…”
“Apologies for returning so late. I was attacked by some ruffians, but thanks to this gentleman’s help, I made it back safely.”
Auriel’s voice was filled with relief and gratitude.
Hearing this, the bishop’s initial astonishment softened into a smile as he spoke in a calm tone.
“I see. So that’s what happened. I was starting to get worried when you didn’t return. And…”
Trailing off, the bishop slowly approached me.
Then, bowing his head respectfully, he said,
“Thank you so much for saving Auriel. We will never forget this kindness.”
“It was nothing. I simply did what had to be done. Please don’t worry about it.”
“If it’s not too much trouble, would you join us for some tea inside? It’s a small gesture, but I’d like to express our gratitude.”
“Yes! Or… if you don’t have any pressing engagements, perhaps you could stay here and accompany us tomorrow…”
The bishop’s kind smile and Auriel’s sparkling eyes urging me on were… difficult to refuse.
By all accounts, I should have declined.
I had already completed my task of escorting her to the hotel.
The invitation she gave me meant the debt was paid.
Moreover, I still had to finalize preparations for the upcoming operation, and staying with them risked exposing my identity.
Yet—
“Thank you for your hospitality. I’ll gladly accept your offer.”
“Ah!”
In that moment, I decided to accept their invitation and remain here.
Why?
Because the moment I arrived, a familiar friend appeared before me.
<Hidden Quest Triggered: Song of the Stars>
***
Franklin, Ambasha, and Elkana.
Each wearing masks of a dog, cat, and rabbit, respectively, they gazed absentmindedly at the square in front of them, feeling somewhat bored.
Having just finished their “preliminary reconnaissance” for the mission, they were now waiting outside the bank for Magellan to finish his business.
“I’m hungry… I really want to try that grilled clams Elkana mentioned…”
“Me too… I’ve been craving grilled clams with mushrooms. Mix them together, and the taste is incredible… I’ve been so busy lately I haven’t had a chance to eat any.”
“Clams and mushrooms, huh… That’s a unique combination. I’ll have to try it sometime. Though, to balance the flavor, I’d probably add a little cream cheese…”
“…Franklin… you’re surprisingly… bold.”
“…Pardon?”
“Oh, nothing. Just talking to myself.”
Lost in their stream of consciousness, the three women idly shared trivial conversations as they stared at the square.
Then,
“Phew… Even though it’s autumn, it’s still surprisingly warm here.”
Elkana removed her mask for a moment to cool off.
Though it was safer to keep it on, unlike Franklin, she wasn’t yet a wanted criminal or widely recognized by reputation, so she didn’t feel much concern about removing it.
Seeing this, Ambasha, who was similarly unknown as a pirate, also felt a bit stifled and took off her own mask.
She held the lightweight paper cat mask, adorned with various decorations, in her hands, momentarily lost in thought.
‘If this mission succeeds, Father will praise me again, right?…’
Her father, who would always smile and pat her head whenever she achieved even the smallest success.
It was a warmth she couldn’t imagine during her days as a slave, but now, it was something she couldn’t live without.
Determined to make him proud again, Ambasha resolved to give her best effort this time as well.
At that moment—
Whooosh!
“Ah!”
A sudden gust of wind blew the mask from Ambasha’s hand.
As it rolled along the ground, Ambasha hurriedly ran after it.
“What?”
“Wait—Ambasha!”
The other two called out, but the crowd around them momentarily slowed their steps.
Meanwhile, Ambasha narrowly caught the rolling mask amidst the throng of people.
But then—
Crunch!
“…Huh?”
“Ah…”
The mask was crushed under the heel of someone’s shoe.
Looking at the mangled mask Franklin had bought for the mission, Ambasha’s face turned cold.
“Are you hurt?”
“…”
A young woman’s hurried voice reached her ears, but Ambasha didn’t respond.
Instead, she stared blankly at the crushed cat mask, her eyes reflecting emptiness.
“Oh no… This is completely ruined… I’m really sorry. It was my mistake. Would you like me to buy you a new one? Or perhaps pay you back…”
At that moment—
“Ambasha!”
“!”
Franklin and Elkana finally caught up to her.
Seeing them approach, the woman stood up and cautiously said,
“I’m so sorry. I accidentally stepped on her mask…”
At that moment, her eyes met Elkana’s unmasked face.
Her expression froze momentarily before she hesitantly spoke,
“Elkana?”
“Uh… you must be mistaken…”
“What are you talking about? It’s definitely you, Elkana. What are you doing here? Are you hunting pirates again?”
“Uh… n-no, that’s not it…”
Elkana’s flustered expression made it clear she didn’t know how to respond.
Watching the situation unfold, Ambasha decided to step in and, with a bold voice, asked,
“Who are you, lady? Are you someone Elkana knows?”
“A la—oh… Hmm. You must be Elkana’s colleague. Yes, I know her well.”
With a warm smile, the woman extended her hand toward Ambasha and said,
“Nice to meet you, young lady. My name is Arcroyal Warspite. I worked with Elkana for a while. Pleased to meet you.”
“Ah… Nice to meet you too.”
Ambasha shook her hand, returning a polite smile.
But while the scene might have seemed heartwarming, Elkana…
And Franklin, still wearing her mask as she observed, spoke coldly.
“Elkana… that woman…”
“Yes. She’s the one mentioned in the briefing.”
Arcroyal Warspite.
A former officer in the Britannian Empire’s Navy, she had retired on personal terms and once worked alongside Elkana as a bounty hunter.
And now…
She was the admiral of Bennessa’s navy.
—
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