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"Tenma, I can see Gunjou City now."
Cain, who was driving the carriage, announced that we had reached a point where Gunjou City was visible.
"Cain. Head to the guard post next to the main gate. When we get close, guards should come out—show them Duke Sanga's family crest and follow their instructions."
Hearing Cain's report, Albert gave his instructions while handing over Duke Sanga's family crest. Apparently, Gunjou City did have something like an entry screening process when going inside, but since Albert would be with us this time, we could use an entrance that essentially allowed us to bypass the regular inspection.
As Cain drove the carriage forward as instructed, a guard standing at the entrance approached, confirmed the Duke Sanga family crest that Cain had presented, and began guiding the carriage.
"I'll contact the knights, so please wait a moment."
We had entered the city under the guard's escort, and I assumed we'd be free to move about from there—but one of the guards left those words behind and ran off.
"Albert, is something going on?"
"Yeah. Since this time it's a gathering of notable people including myself, I figured it would cause quite the uproar if we were spotted, so I told the knights to come provide an escort when we arrived. Even if a crowd swarmed us, it wouldn't be a problem in terms of combat strength, but we can't exactly just force them away. Especially since Tenma spent a long time active here, so all sorts of people are probably going to try to approach."
Albert's consideration was certainly appreciated. Between leaving Kukuri Village and reuniting with Grandpa, the place I'd stayed the longest had indeed been Gunjou City, and it was also here that I'd officially begun my activities as an adventurer. In that sense, the number of people I had connections with here was second only to the Royal Capital. Whether those people were friendly or not was another matter entirely.
"Looks like they're here."
From the direction Cain had turned to face, one mounted knight and several knights on foot were approaching.
"Isn't that Primera?"
"Right. Since I told her I was coming, the Fourth Division under Primera's command will be providing our escort."
Albert...
his own sister.
I suppose it makes sense for her to be assigned to lead the escort unit, but after my conversation with Cain the day before, I can't help but suspect she might be plotting something. Still, I'd rather have Primera than any of the other squad captains, so I'm grateful for that at least.
"Gunjou City Knight Order, Fourth Division — reporting for escort duty!"
Primera, stiffer with nerves than anyone,
up on horseback,
gave a salute.
"……Primera, don't you think that's rather rude to the people you're escorting?"
There were three people of higher rank than Primera among those being escorted. One of them — her own older brother, Albert — pointed this out with an exasperated look, as though he was thoroughly fed up with his sister's antics.
"I'm so sorry! Ahh!"
Panicking, Primera tried to dismount without properly freeing her feet from the stirrups, caught her foot, and would have smashed into the ground had Albert not caught her just in time.
Then, still visibly embarrassed, she quickly straightened her uniform and—
"Th-then, let me introduce myself properly. I am Primera von Sanga, Captain of the Gunjou City Knight Order's Fourth Division. I will be leading your escort from here on!"
She saluted us once more. It wasn't the sort of occasion where such formalities really mattered, but with her subordinates present, she probably needed to maintain at least a professional front. As it happened, those subordinates included the adjutant I'd met before and several knights I'd once taught how to clean and sort supplies, so they were likely well accustomed to Primera's blunders. Not a single one of them looked surprised. Well, that might be its own problem, but the three people of higher rank — Albert, Cain, and Chris — didn't seem particularly bothered either, so it would probably just end with Primera getting a private scolding later.
"Now, let the escort begin!"
Primera gave her subordinates their orders and was about to start guiding us forward when—
"Primera, get in the carriage. We need to discuss the plans ahead. Tenma, since that's the case, would you mind letting Primera ride along with us?"
"Not at all."
And so, Primera's lecture was moved up ahead of schedule. She made a reluctant face at Albert's words, but before she could protest, Albert had already ordered his adjutant to cut off her escape route. With no way out, she obediently followed his instructions and climbed into the carriage.
"Oh, that's right. Adjutant, please take us to Manpukutei first. When you come to Gunjou City, there are people you absolutely must pay your respects to before anything else."
During the three years I'd spent in Gunjou City, the people I'd spent the most time with were undoubtedly the old man and the proprietress. They were also the ones I owed the most to and caused the most trouble for. The second-largest amount of trouble I'd caused was, without question, to Flute. After all, despite not being an official guild member, I'd brought in an absurd quantity of spoils and left most of the processing to her.
Going to Manpukutei first and then straight to the guild would take too much time, so I planned to visit the guild third — stopping by Manpukutei and then handling the paperwork at knight order headquarters first. Hopefully they'd forgive me for the delay.
"Tenma, is that you? If you're coming, at least give us some advance notice!"
The moment I stepped into Manpukutei, the old man came rushing over. There was a long line of customers out front, all after the sweets, but thanks to Albert displaying the Sanga ducal family crest, they parted like the Red Sea before Moses's commandments.
"It really is Tenma!"
"Ah! Proprietress, it's been a while... hasn't it?"
The proprietress, who arrived moments after the old man, was cradling a peacefully sleeping baby in her arms.
"Oh, this little one? This is our daughter. She was born just this past summer."
I recalled that the old man was close in age to Uncle Mark, which meant the proprietress should be around their age as well. Having a child at that point meant, in this world, it was considered quite an advanced age for childbirth... though, well, it was something I'd heard of occasionally in my previous life, so I was less surprised than others might have been.
Incidentally, the daughter's name, I was told, was 'Soleil'. The moment I heard it, the thought "Isn't that just Minerva?" suddenly popped into my head. Well, I didn't say it out loud, and it was just a fleeting thought, so from the outside I probably just looked surprised... probably.
After that, since the old man and the proprietress had work to do, I introduced Jeanne and the others, whom they didn't know, gave them a quick recap of what had happened, and agreed to meet up again in the evening before heading to the knight order headquarters.
Just as I was stepping outside and about to climb into the carriage—
"It's really Tenma!"
"It's true!"
"The rumors were real!"
Lily, Nelly, and Mille came running up. However—
"No touching the dancers!"
"Halt right there!"
"Stop! Stop!"
Amour, Jeanne, and Aura blocked the path of the 'Mountain Cat Princess'.
"Why are you getting in the way?"
"Move!"
"We're going to see Tenma!"
Lily and the others were complaining at the three who were blocking their way, but Amour and her group showed no signs of stepping aside. I was about to call out to try and stop the three of them, but before I could, Amour shot a glare at Primera and—
"Primera, do your job properly. We're the ones Puchimera and her friends are assigned to guard. I don't care if they're acquaintances—we don't let anyone who comes running up get close!"
she barked in a voice loud enough for the other subordinates to hear. Primera still hesitated, but—
"Primera, Amour is right. Your job is to guard us, and—
us—
your priority should be our safety. Even if that person is an acquaintance of Tenma, even if I know them too, you should stop them first."
Hearing Albert's words, Primera immediately stepped between Lily's group and Amour's group, and whether it was to persuade them or not, she led Lily and the others to a spot a little further away.
"Albert... Grr!"
"Hmph."
Amour gave Albert a thumbs-up, and Albert returned with a slight smile. The two's ulterior motive was probably to keep other women away from me... but in this case, what they were saying was actually correct, which somehow made it worse. After all, it wasn't just me—there was Albert and Cain, heirs to major noble houses, and Chris, a noblewoman herself. If they were going to be thorough about it, no one should be allowed to get close. At least not while they had guards assigned.
"Then when you come to Manpukutei tonight, we'll be joining you too!"
"You better watch your back, Amour!"
"Aura too—I'll burn off all that fat on your chest!"
The three left behind those thug-like parting shots... and entered Manpukutei. According to Primera, they had rented out the room I used to use before and were using it as their base of operations.
"Come at us anytime!"
"We'll send you packing! Also, jealousy really isn't a good look!"
"...Why isn't my name being mentioned?"
Amour and Aura were barking at the 'Mountain Cat Princess,' but Jeanne was fretting over things like "Am I too overlooked? Do I not stand out enough?" In Jeanne's case, though, I think she was simply perceived as someone who got dragged along—or egged on—by Amour and Aura.
After the encounter with the 'Mountain Cat Princess,' Primera received another warning from Albert inside the carriage heading toward the Knight Corps headquarters. As far as I was concerned, Primera's response at the time was somewhat understandable, but as far as conduct during a guard assignment went, Albert and Amour had a point, so I couldn't defend her.
Before long, we arrived at the Knight Corps headquarters, where various procedures for our stay in Gunjou City and details about our guard duties were discussed. We also heard from the commander-in-chief, Alan, about recent events in Gunjou City. Among other things, he told us that something astonishing was happening at the guild, but he wouldn't say what it was—just that it would be best seen in person. We also learned that Simon, captain of the Second Unit, and Aida, captain of the Third Unit, had gotten married and had a child, leading to Aida's retirement. Finally, because Amour had tattled on Primera about her blunder—the greeting from horseback and her failure to stop the 'Mountain Cat Princess'—Primera received a chewing-out from Alan as well. As punishment for all of it, she was ordered to temporarily leave the Knight Corps and accompany us for the duration of our stay, serving as a guide and liaison to the Knight Corps.
During Primera's absence, her adjutant would take over command of the Fourth Unit. Since there had even been talk of the adjutant replacing Aida, there was apparently no concern about his capability. Incidentally, the reason the adjutant had declined the offer to become captain of the Third Unit was that having someone from another unit suddenly placed above them would cause problems, and more than anything, he was worried about Primera.
"So, next up is the guild. What's Albert going to do?"
"I'm planning to stop by the guild as well. But first, I need to go to the Gunjou City council."
And so, with everyone except Albert, we headed for the guild. Having suddenly been left to act on his own, Albert wore a slightly forlorn expression, but since his report to the council would likely involve classified information, tagging along would only mean twiddling our thumbs—not a single person offered to accompany him. Well, to be fair, several members of the Fourth Unit would be going along as his escort, so he wouldn't be completely on his own.
"So, Primera—what exactly is happening at the guild?"
"Um, that's... I don't think you'd believe it if I told you. I think it'd be better for you to see it firsthand."
Getting nothing out of her no matter how I asked, I decided we'd just have to see for ourselves at the guild. Based on Primera's tone, it didn't sound like anything bad, so there probably wouldn't be any trouble... or at least, that's what I thought right up until I opened the guild's door.
I swung open the familiar door of the Gunjou City Adventurers' Guild, and the very first thing that leapt into my eyes was a sight that was, to put it mildly, utterly unbelievable.
"Tenma, what's the matter?"
"No... it's just that the sight is so unbelievable, my brain seems to have gone into rejection mode... Give me a second, let me try once more..."
What I saw was a scene my mind simply could not process, and I'd reflexively slammed the door shut. But steeling myself, I opened it again—only to have the exact same reaction.
"What on earth could be in there?"
"I'm curious too, obviously."
Having witnessed my second rejection response, Cain and Chris, brimming with curiosity, elbowed past me and opened the door to take a look together. But—
"I think my eyes are broken. Maybe my head too..."
"I might be the same way... Tenma, do you have any medicine?"
Cain and Chris both came down with the exact same symptoms. The old guys were staring at us with thoroughly bewildered expressions. And then—
"Clanging that door back and forth like that—how is anyone supposed to concentrate on their work! ...Wait, is that Tenma? If you're going to come in, then just come in—what are you standing out there doing?"
Throwing open the door from the inside and shouting at us was Max Bellcap, guild master of the Gunjou City Adventurers' Guild.
The furious expression on the guild master's face instantly softened into a cheerful smile... no, not the guild master—
it
was a fake—and he gestured for us to come inside, but...
"Everyone, stay back! That thing's an imposter!"
"Right!"
"Jeanne, Aura, get out of here now—head for the Knights' headquarters!"
Cain, Chris, and I drew our weapons and dropped into fighting stances.
"H-hey..."
"Don't move! What did you do with the real guild master!"
"Yeah, seriously. The real one's a worn-out old guy who wouldn't know a cheerful smile if it bit him."
"If something like this is sitting here so brazenly, then maybe everyone inside the building's already been taken out—or brainwashed... Tenma, if the worst comes to pass, I need you to cast the spell that confirms you took down a lich."
The fake in front of us wore a shocked expression, but that was probably just an act to catch us off guard. The old folks still hadn't quite figured out what was going on, but they were keeping their guard up, ready to move at a moment's notice. Primera was the only one who tried to intervene—she kept trying to stop us. But approaching unarmed was too dangerous, so Chris made her grip a sword, then dragged her back behind us.
Ready to strike first and win—I charged at the imposter, blade raised—
"What's all the commotion about?"
A familiar voice from inside the guild, and with it, the person we'd been looking for appeared... except one small detail was way off from what I remembered. But that was definitely Flute's voice...
(Ah! I have Appraisal!)
The shock of the situation had completely wiped my usual verification method from my mind. I hurriedly cast Appraisal on both of them—
(They're real...?)
Both of them were the genuine guild master and Flute.
"Cain, Chris... these two seem to be the real deal. Shiromaru, can you confirm?!"
"Wafu! ...Kuchun."
For the benefit of the two who didn't know about Appraisal, Shiromaru had been about to prove the guild master's authenticity the old-fashioned way—by scent. But the very moment he sniffed the guild master, he sneezed at the worst possible time. The result...
"Just as I thought—fake!"
"Shiromaru, get away from him!"
And the unfortunate chain of events continued. Shiromaru immediately obeyed Chris's words and distanced himself from the guild master.
"No, no, no! He's the real deal!"
The guild master desperately insisted he was genuine, but Cain and Chris refused to believe him.
"Both of you, that person really is the guild master!"
In the end, it took Primera stepping in to mediate before the two of them finally, reluctantly, accepted that he was the real guild master.
"It's been a while, Flute."
"Yes, it really has been a while."
Leaving the guild master still under their suspicious gazes, I greeted Flute—and she answered with the same smile I remembered from the old days... though my eyes couldn't help but drift to that one changed part of her that I had no memory of.
"By the way, Flute... that"
"belly"
"of yours?"
Flute's belly was conspicuously swollen.
"The thing is... the guild master assaulted me..."
At Flute's words, the guild master—the very person she had just named—froze solid. That only made her story sound more credible, and the women's gazes turned razor-sharp. Even Primera, who among them all seemed most likely to know the truth behind this, was staring at the guild master with a faintly cutting edge in her eyes.
"The guild master rarely treated me to dinner to thank me for my hard work... but the sake he served that night was extremely strong. When I woke up the next morning, the guild master was stark naked, sleeping right beside me..."
It was borderline criminal—no, it was the kind of act that would be judged as almost certainly guilty.
"W-Wait! I've told you over and over — that night, I warned her not to drink at that pace because the sake was extremely strong!"
"But you were the one drinking nothing but the weak stuff the whole time, weren't you? And apparently, near the end you only ordered tea?"
"There's no way I could keep up with that sake at that pace! And what I was drinking was pretty strong stuff too!"
After that, their lovers' quarrel—or rather, Flute's continued ribbing of the guild master—went on and on. What became clear from all of it was:
"So in the end, you two are lovey-dovey, huh."
When I said that with an exasperated look, Flute's cheeks flushed red, and the guild master looked embarrassed... Flute was adorable, but
the guild master
looking bashful was more than a little unsettling.
"Following the old man and his wife, now Flute's having a baby too... Happy news just keeps on coming, doesn't it."
"Tenma... you sound like an old man."
Amal picked up on my muttered comment and pointed out that I sounded like some middle-aged guy... Do I really seem that old? I thought to myself, and happened to glance over at Cain.
"It's not the words themselves — it's the way you said it just now... You looked a little like my father for a moment."
When I looked around at everyone else, they were all nodding along with what Cain had said.
"Well, I suppose that means I've matured... But Tenma, the celebrations aren't over yet. And it involves someone connected to you."
The way Flute said "someone connected to me" sharpened the gazes of the women in our group, I could feel it. Primera, for her part, seemed to already know who it was — she had the expression of someone who'd just realized, "Oh right, I was supposed to tell you about that."
"First, let's head inside the guild. We'll only be causing a disturbance out here. Besides, this 'someone connected to you' also works at the guild."
And so, with Flute leading the way, I stepped inside the Gunjou City Adventurers' Guild for the first time in a while.