Chapter 83

While nodding, I savored the newly served main course of salmon, scallops, and large prawns sautéed. Leon’s recommendation truly was delicious. The white wine sauce was a bit spicy, but it stimulated my appetite even more. When I first came to the restaurant, I thought, “What if I’m so nervous that I can’t taste anything?” However, as soon as I took a bite, all that nervousness flew away.

Wow, this is incredibly tasty! 

I wonder if I can come back to this restaurant with Gazelle and Felix next time. They always take me to delicious places, so it would be nice to return the favor.

“Even if the summoning ceremony were secretly conducted, it can’t be hidden. If the information hasn’t reached the Dorme family, we can assume that there’s no chance of it happening. Well, I doubt the story of the summoning ceremony to begin with. They say a hero was summoned 300 years ago, but wasn’t it just a skilled adventurer from another country who was forcibly glorified as a ‘hero’?”

Rei, who had been listening to our conversation, slowly expressed his opinion. His view was very refreshing and shattered my unspoken assumption that “the person who summoned that girl must be from Ritz Heim.” Just by having that perspective overturned, it felt like my visit to the city hall had meaning.

Smiling, I thanked Rei. Blushing, he awkwardly shrugged his shoulders. “Well, if I could be of help to you, that’s good. You’ve really helped me out; thank you.”

As Rei and I were cheerfully talking, Leon, who was sitting across from me, suddenly leaned forward. 

“Takumi! Let me also promise to mobilize the full power of the Dorme family to investigate that girl! We’ll scour every inch of Ritzheim!”

“Eh? N-no, there’s no need for you to go that far, Leon—”

“No, I want to do it. Please let me. If that black-haired, black-eyed girl is involved in some nefarious scheme, it could be serious.” Saying that, Leon leaned closer to me.

What’s going on? Why did Leon suddenly get so invested in the story— Wait! Could he be trying to use this as an opportunity to ask me to be the middleman between him and Gazelle?!

It seems that Leon has a crush on Gazelle, our commander. The other day, I accidentally overheard Leon telling Felix that he was in love with a man in the Black-winged knights. It wasn’t explicitly stated that it was Gazelle, but from what he described, it could only be Gazelle.

What should I do if Leon asks me to be the middleman? I like Leon as a friend, but—

“…If you’re willing to investigate, Leon, it would certainly be reassuring. But it feels wrong to ask that much of you, so I’ll just accept the thought for now,” I said, forcing a smile and gently declining his offer.

However, Leon responded with a smile as radiant as a blooming lily. “Don’t hesitate to ask. This is nothing for me. If it’s for your sake, Takumi, then no trial or difficulty is too great; it’s a joy.”

Having been told that much, refusing any further would be gauche.

Leon, how can you be noble, handsome, and have such a good personality?

Isn’t he a bit too perfect?

“Ah, thank you… But, don’t push yourself too hard, okay?”

“Hehe, there’s nothing too hard if it’s for you. Just leave it to me.”

Leon blushed slightly at my words, nodding happily. 

Why is Leon, the one doing the investigation, this happy about it? It’s a bit mysterious.

“Heh heh. I tagged along thinking I’d see something interesting, but I didn’t expect to find such a joyful sight. You’re quite a sinner, you know.”

Scratching my head in puzzlement, Commander Ortolan laughed softly.

Wait, why is Commander Ortolan looking so happy? And Rei, standing next to him, looks somewhat sulky and uninterested… Hmm, it’s a mystery.

Just like last time, we’ve been treated to a meal by Leon again…

Last time we had lunch, Leon somehow paid for the sandwich I was eating.

This time, he also paid for Rei and Commander Ortolan, but having it happen twice in a row makes me feel somewhat awkward. If we were just friends, I could casually say, “Next time, it’s on me!” But Leon is a noble and also the Commander of the White-winged knights.

It would be rude for me, a commoner and a regular member, to say such a thing… But really, Leon is such an accomplished person.

After leaving the restaurant where we had lunch, I thanked Leon. He responded with a cool smile, saying, “Don’t be so formal, Takumi. It was a great pleasure for me to share a meal with you.”

I feel more and more guilty because Leon is such a generous and good person… 

I wish I could fully support him if the person he liked wasn’t Gazelle, another member of the Black-winged knights… Life really doesn’t go as planned.

With these thoughts in mind, I headed back toward the Black-winged knights’ barracks.

It seemed that classroom training had just ended, and several members were heading to the training field. I bowed slightly and greeted them, before being called over.

I wonder what’s going on?

“Takumi, good work.”

“Good work.”

“Are you planning to see Commander Gazelle? If so, you should postpone it; he has a guest right now.”

“Ah.”

He pointed to a corner of the barracks.

Sure enough, there’s an unfamiliar carriage parked there. It’s a luxurious one, adorned with silver on a yellowish-brown background.

“Do you remember the last escort mission for a noble from Oster nobility?”

“Yeah, I remember. Is it them?”

“Yes. They were so impressed by the Black-winged knights’ performance that they came to see us again.”

Wow, that’s good to hear. Despite some hiccups like getting surrounded by bandits, it’s good that they were satisfied. It was worth facing off against that bearded man, even though I didn’t do much in the end.

“Got it. Thanks for letting me know.”

“See you later.”

After bowing once more, I parted ways with him.

After entering the knights’ barracks from the training field, I pondered a bit.

“What should I do… Gazelle told me to come straight to his office to report verbally as soon as I get back from City Hall. But if he has guests, I should be considerate and not intrude, right? Or maybe I should go report to Felix and Iris instead? Yesterday, when I reported at the office, Felix wasn’t there. But he must have heard about that mysterious girl through Gazelle…Still, the end result of my investigation at City Hall is ‘No results were obtained!’ So, there’s really no urgency to tell them either.”

While contemplating this, I stopped midway down the corridor between the offices. Suddenly, I heard voices coming from around the corner.

“―Well, that’s too bad. I really wanted to meet and thank that black-haired guy from last time.”

“Thank you for your kind words. Unfortunately, he’s out, but your words will surely encourage us for the future.”

“Is that so? Then it was worth coming! Well then, Gazelle, if he comes back―”

Appearing around the corner were Gazelle and a nobleman I had met before. Behind them were three men who seemed to be the nobleman’s servants and bodyguards.

It looked like they were on their way to see off the departing nobleman. I quickly stepped aside and saluted. However, for some reason, the nobleman stopped right in front of me and broke into a smile. 

“Well, speak of the devil! What a pleasant coincidence, isn’t it, Gazelle!”

Gazelle turned around and smiled, albeit with a somewhat strained expression.

“Yes, indeed, it’s good timing, Lord Audley. Takumi, this is Lord Bernard Audley. You remember he entrusted us with an escort mission the other day, right? He has come specifically to commend our efforts.”

“My name is Takumi. Lord Audley, thank you very much.”

I’m sure my expression is even more strained than Gazelle’s right now.

Oh man! Despite being warned by the other members that ‘we have guests,’ this is terrible timing!

Why did he have to stop right in front of me!?

“You’re Takumi, right? My, you’re even younger than I thought! Up close, you don’t look like you’re past your early teens.”

“Uh, yes…”

Lord Audley enthusiastically moved closer, and I responded with a non-committal answer.

Bernard Audley, a noble from the Oster country, has bright brown hair and eyes the color of a clear spring sky.

He appears to be in his early thirties? His palm, extended for a handshake, is thick, and despite being shorter than Gazelle, he has a muscular build. His square face and gentle drooping eyes give more of a jock senior vibe than that of a noble.

“Ah, I hope you’re not offended! I didn’t mean anything by it; I was just happy to see you again. The last time you escorted our carriage, you didn’t flinch even when facing the largest and toughest bandit, remember? I was genuinely impressed. Ever since, I’ve been curious about you!”

With a big smile, Lord Audley vigorously shook my hand. “Well, it’s really good to see you! By the way, we’re planning a dinner party at our place. Both Gazelle and you, Takumi, should definitely come.”

“Thank you, that’s very generous of you.”

Wow, he’s a really friendly guy, affable in a different way than Leon.

But then again…why is he still holding onto my hand?

Could you let go of my hand soon…?

Ever since we started shaking hands, Lord Audley’s fingers had been caressing my palm and the joints of my fingers. It was probably accidental, but there was a sense of discomfort that made my skin crawl.

“Um, Lord Audley?”

“Please, call me Bernard. Anyway, your hair and eyes, Takumi, are so beautiful. Even up close, they’re truly jet black, aren’t they?”

“Thank you. I appreciate the sentiment, but I, a mere knight like myself, can’t afford to indulge in such flattery. Please excuse me.”

“I see… Well, can’t be helped. But you’ll surely attend the dinner party, won’t you?”

I wanted to say, “I absolutely don’t want to go to such an annoying event,” but I swallowed those words. Still, I can’t really refuse his invitation given the flow of the conversation.

…Could it be, he brought up the name thing to make it harder for me to refuse the dinner party?

No, that can’t be it. I’m probably overthinking.

“If my schedule allows, certainly.”

“Great, looking forward to it!”

Lord Audley returned a broad, cheerful smile to my words.

Oh no, is this another unrefusable situation?!

“Lord Bernard, it’s about time.”

While I was bewildered by my own hands being gripped and wouldn’t release by the man, one of his accompanying servants timidly spoke up. Looking at them, all of Lord Audley’s servants are tall, lean, and handsome. One has blond hair and green eyes, another has pink hair and pink eyes, and the last has blue hair and golden eyes—quite a variety.

“Ah, is it that time already? Well then, Gazelle, Takumi, let’s meet again. Don’t forget the promise for the dinner party!”

“Thank you. Take care, Lord Audley.”

What a dizzying experience in many ways!

Gazelle returned a forced smile to the cheerful Lord Audley.

It seems attending the dinner party is now a given for both of us. When did we even agree to this?

“Gazelle, sorry. I came back at a weird time.”

After seeing off Lord Audley and his entourage, I spoke to Gazelle with a wry smile. Gazelle also had a wry smile on his face.

“Well, can’t be helped. I actually wanted to get this over with to meet you at the city hall… but they stayed so long that it’s gotten late.”

Hmm? From what you’re saying, did you send me to the city hall because you didn’t want me to meet Lord Audley? Now that I think about it, it was Gazelle who told me to have lunch outside when I was sent to the city hall. I interpreted that as, “It’ll be lunchtime by the time you’re done,” but now that I think about it…

“So, Gazelle, you haven’t had lunch?”

“No, I had it early before they arrived. But I didn’t expect it to be such a long engagement… I’m tired.”

“Good work…”

Gazelle shrugged his shoulders and laughed tiredly.

Oof… I can see how draining it must have been to continue talking to such an energetic noble from a neighboring country…

Of course, I appreciate him coming to commend the Black-winged Knights’ efforts…

“…Oh, right. Takumi, do you have any plans after work today?”

“Plans? No, nothing at the moment.”

I tried to sound cool, but I’m free all year round!

At my answer, Gazelle grinned, showing off his white teeth.