Chapter 82

Caught in a bind, I suddenly spotted two men entering from the main door of the City Hall. Relieved, I called out to them with a sense of desperation.

“Leon, Rei! Are you here for work?”

“…Oh, is that you, Takumi? And who is that with you…”

“That’s Commander Ortolan of the Yellow-winged Knights. Why are you with him?” The two looked at us curiously.

The newcomers were Leon, the captain of the White-winged knights, and his subordinate, Rei. Both are nobles, but they are friendly and kind, not minding if a commoner like me omits honorifics.

Actually, they even told me it’s okay to address them without any honorifics. They’re very generous.

“Personal matter for me, but Takumi here is on a mission for the Black-winged knights.”

“I see. So you met here, then?”

“Yeah, I was waiting to be called at the reception and chatting with Commander Ortolan.”

Listening to my explanation, Leon nodded, seemingly relieved for some reason.

Well, never mind. At least I managed to dodge Commander Ortolan’s question earlier, thanks to their timely arrival. Thanks, you two! Really nice timing!

“Are you two here for work?”

“Ah, you see, after the recent fraud incident, there was an arrest among our staff, right? The higher-ups ordered me to conduct interviews regarding future personal information protection measures.”

In response to my question, Rei shrugged his shoulders.

Rei didn’t seem too enthusiastic about this mission. Seeing Rei like this, Leon gave a wry smile.

Leon is a young noble with silver-white long hair and ice-blue eyes. Even with such an expression, he still looks elegant. The uniform he wears, belonging to the White-winged knights, is primarily white, adding to his fairy-tale-like appearance.

Women passing by had all been staring at Leon in a daze. Well, upon closer examination, it wasn’t just Leon who was drawing attention.

Before I knew it, almost everyone in the city hall was stealing glances at us.

If one listened closely, you could hear whispers like;

“Is that the rumored Dorme family? How beautiful…”,

“Although he’s in plain clothes, the one sitting in the chair must be the Yellow-winged Knights’ Commander Ortolan, huh? What an impressive physique”,

“Who’s the young man sitting beside him? He has hair and eyes as beautiful as black pearls…”

Indeed, Leon and Commander Ortolan are something else. Ah, Rei is quite a good-looking guy too, you know?

His hair is a bright orange-tinged brown, and his slightly slanted green eyes somehow remind me of a cat.

He also has well-proportioned, handsome features, but commanders Leon and the Ortolan are just in a league of their own.

“That’s tough. Sorry for stopping you, Leon, Rei.”

“No. I was glad to see your face again after such a long time… Oh, would you like to come over to my place sometime? My sister has been pestering me, saying she wants to meet the rumored Black-winged knights, the ‘Black Knight.'”

“Leon has a sister? I didn’t know that.”

Just then, I suddenly realized something.

Black hair, black eyes—That girl had black hair and black eyes just like me. At a glance, it might not be noticeable due to the sun giving it a light brown hue, but there’s no doubt it was black hair.

However, I’ve never heard any rumors about her in the royal capital.

Maybe black hair and black eyes are not as interesting to everyone as they say?

“Takumi? Is something wrong?”

“Ah, sorry. I met a girl with black hair and black eyes like me the other day. We’re searching for her in the Black-winged knights to protect her…”

Hearing my words, Rei’s eyes widened.

“Eh? A girl with black hair and black eyes, like you?”

“A girl like that is in Ritzheim? I’ve never even heard rumors…”

“…This is the first I’ve heard of it. Takumi, if you don’t mind, would you like to tell me more over lunch? My errands will be over quickly.”

Eh? Is it that surprising?

Wait, what? Lunch?

Sure, I was planning to eat out once my business at the city hall was done, but… ah, is this already a situation where I can’t refuse?!

“Today is on me. Order whatever you like, Takumi, Rei.”

“Ho, don’t mind if I do, Dorme-dono.”

“…I didn’t say I would cover your part, Ortolan-dono.”

“What are you talking about? A man like the commander of the White-winged Knights shouldn’t hesitate.”

“Geez, that’s not a line that the person being treated should say…”

Against Leon’s grimacing face, Commander Ortolan couldn’t care less.

Watching the two, I whispered to Rei sitting next to me, “Commander Leon and the Commander Ortolan seem to get along well, huh? I didn’t know.”

“…You think that after seeing them?”

Somehow, Rei looked at me with a dumbfounded face. Uh, what’s weird… Anyway.

After finishing our business at city hall, we came to a restaurant in the royal capital.

…And now, to be honest, I regret a little that I followed Leon so readily.

I should’ve realized when Leon first asked, “Is my regular spot okay?” The place he took us to was an outrageously high-end restaurant.

As soon as Leon entered the restaurant, what seemed to be the manager led us directly to a private room… Well, this private room is so spacious…! We were led to a private room on the top floor of a three-story building, one wall of which was entirely made of glass. From the table, you can overlook the park adjacent to the city hall. Furthermore, this glass is treated with magic to reflect light, making it impossible to see inside from the outside.

The room could easily fit not just the four of us but ten people. A vase is placed against the wall, large roses are arranged on the table, and a crystal chandelier is shining above.

…That’s right. Leon is so friendly with me that I often forget, but he’s the son of a very high-ranking noble family in Ritzheim… Of course, his regular spot would be of this class…

I wonder if I’ll be able to appreciate the wonderful dishes that will be served as I look at the menu distributed to each of us.

However, I have no idea what’s written on it.

“What is ‘Roneon de Vuil’? Is it a spell?”

“Have you decided, Rei?”

“No, to be honest, I don’t usually come to places like this. Unlike Commander Leon, we’re genuinely poor nobles.”

Upon being asked by Rei, he mumbled in a slightly uncomfortable manner.

I’m relieved to hear that. Good, even Rei, who is a noble, doesn’t often come to such a stylish place. Naturally, it’s okay if I can’t read the menu!

“Have you decided, Takumi?”

Feeling reassured, this time it’s my turn to be asked by Leon.

I gently put down the menu on the table and respond to Leon with a smile.

“Well, everything looks delicious, but since we’re here, I’ll go with Leon’s recommendation.”

Hearing that, Leon smiled happily.

“Really? Then how about this appetizer, and fish for the main course?”

“Ah, sounds good. Rei, want the same?”

“Ah, yeah. Let’s go with that, Commander.”

Phew, it seems I’ve successfully navigated this!

Rei, sitting next to me, quietly said, “Thanks” with a relieved face.

No problem—we both managed to get through this smoothly!

On the other hand, Commander Ortolan ordered a different menu, saying, “I prefer meat; fish won’t fill me up.”

Unlike Rei and me, he showed no signs of nervousness.

High-ranking officers of the Yellow-winged Knights must be accustomed to places like this. Or perhaps it’s due to Commander Ortolan’s bold personality.

“So, can I hear about what’s on Takumi’s mind?” After finishing our orders, Leon asked me with a serious look. I briefly explained the events of yesterday.

However, I didn’t mention that the girl “might have come from another world.”

“Yesterday, I questioned a girl working at a perfume store called “Ingrid Perfume. When I spoke to her, she turned pale and ran away.”

I explained that both events were far from normal.

“—Today, the reason I went to the City Hall was to investigate that girl. If she had registered as a resident or completed immigration procedures, there would be a record. However, as far as the staff could tell, there was no record of such a girl in the past month. Also, the staff had no memory of a girl with black hair and black eyes.”

“So she’s a foreigner in Ritzheim?”

“However, her clothes were made in Ritzheim and were of high quality. Based on the conversation, it didn’t seem like she came to Ritzheim yesterday or today. Probably someone in Ritzheim is providing her with food, clothing, and shelter.”

“Hmm. Considering her appearance, she shouldn’t have trouble finding a backer in Ritzheim. You’ve been here for quite some time, but you’re still a hot topic.”

Saying this, Commander Ortolan gazed at me intently.

Before I could ask what he meant by “a hot topic,” a waitress in a chic black dress brought the soup. It was a sweet potato potage. The golden, creamy potage was emitiing a sweet fragrance, and just the smell made my stomach growl.

The timing to ask Commander Ortolan is lost, but well, the conversation right now is more about that mysterious girl than about me.

“Anyway, she’s a girl full of mysteries. Where she came from, where she’s living now, we don’t know. …By the way, there’s a summoning ritual in Ritzheim, right? In the past, it was used to summon a hero who defeated the demon king. Could she have come to this country through that ritual? I’ve heard that the hero had black hair and black eyes…”

“You sure know some unusual stories.”

Upon hearing my question, Leon widened his eyes in fascination.

“However, that’s unlikely. Summoning ceremonies require enormous amounts of magical power, and you need to use a specialized magic circle. I’ve heard that the circle is securely stored in the Ritzheim royal palace… Also, I’ve heard that the one who conducts the summoning loses their magical power forever. Losing an excellent mage just to conduct the summoning now— I can’t see the merit for our country.”

“I see. You’re right.”