Translator: Raizu
Editor: Shirayuki
[Ooohâ! Awesomeââ!]
I inadvertently let out a yell of admiration at the cityscape spreading in front of me.
Port town Verde.
It is located in the northern part of the Kingdom of Millis, facing the sea that shares its namesake.
The Kingdom of Millis is surrounded by the sea in the north and south, making the kingdom one of the important points for marine transportation and distribution.
Unlike the maritime city of Angel, which was situated on an island, Verde is located inland. Moreover, it sports a spectacular sight different from the ones I had seen so far; the waterways that have been set up all over the city.
The fantasy cityscape, like the royal capital, is good and all. But this kind of cityscape is also one worthy of admiration.
[Iâve heard about it, but this is amazing!]
[This is also Sharonâs first time?]
[Un! First time!]
Sharon, after leaving the carriage at the cityâs custody, was also impressed by the cityscape.
But what really caught my attention was when she said âfirst timeâ.
After all, Sharonâs âfirst timeâ has been taken by me a long time ago. Ehehe.
â¦..I keep acting like an old bastard recently. I need to repent.
[Haruto, Haruto.]
[Nn?]
As I was admiring the streets of Verde, Laurier pulled at the hem of my clothes.
[Fish!]
Fish?
[Ah⦠I get it. But thatâll have to wait till later.]
[Nuuuâ¦]
Laurier seems to have been looking forward to it after hearing from Etna about the many seafood dishes that are typical of Verde.
In order to fully enjoy Verdeâs seafood dishes, she even went as far as skipping breakfast.
Iâm also looking forward to it, but not now.
We need to complete the task at hand first, which is escorting Etna-san until she meets her parents.
[Iâm sorry, Laurier-san. In exchange, Iâll show you the most recommended establishment later.]
[Umu. Then letâs make it quick, letâs go, letâs go]
Laurier was coaxed, but she proceeded to run with Etna-san in tow.
You little, you donât even know the way. Where are you going?
[La, Laurier-san! Itâs not that way, itâs this way. This way.]
[Ah, this way.]
As it turned out, Laurier really didnât know, so Etna-san hurriedly gave her the right direction.
Why so excited.
[Haruto, if we donât give chase, weâll lose sight of Laurier.]
Sharon, who was standing next to me, said so and took my hand very naturally.
Weâve been holding hands many times before, but Iâm still surprised at the warmth and softness of her palms.
[? Whatâs wrong?]
[N⦠no, nothing. Letâs go.]
I tightened my grasp on Sharonâs hand in return and began running to chase after Laurier and Etna-san who just disappeared around the corner.
[So the city is still in the middle of development.]
I looked around whilst trying to catch up with Laurier and Etna-san on our way to Etna-sanâs parentsâ residence. My thoughts unconsciously leaked out.
As it is the best port city in the Kingdom of Millis, the scale of the city is quite big.
But despite that, I could see unfinished construction at the end of some waterways.
[Indeed. Itâs even more developed than before I left the city. For example, that building did not exist before.]
Etna-san replied to my remark.
I donât know when Etna-san left Verde to work for the adventurer guild at the royal capital, but apparently, the city had changed quite a lot since then.
Not long after, as we walked through the center of the city, Etna-san finally said [This is my parentsâ house] in front of a building.
[â¦Wow]
Itâs huge.
The large gate in front of us.
The garden behind it.
And a mansion further back.
Eh.
Isnât this way too elegant!
Simply speaking, itâs even larger than my mansion in Aria.
[Wowââ¦]
[Oohâ¦]
The girls were visibly amazed at the sight before them as well
[Please. Through here.]
While all three of us stood there amazed, Etna-san guided us through a smaller door next to the large gate.
[Welcome back, Etna-ojou-sama.]
[Thank you.]
O-ojou-sama?
[Excuse meâ¦]
We were greeted by someone who appeared to be a security guard as we followed Etna-san deeper into the residence.
[Haruto. Etna-san is actually an ojou-sama! Incredible!]
[Yeah, itâs shocking. Didnât you already know about this, Sharon?]
[Nnâ⦠she did tell me in passing, but I didnât expect that itâll be this huge!]
Apparently, even Sharon, who often chats with Etna-san, didnât know about this.
She only knew that Etna was a lady living in a mansion.
A noble⦠No, she canât be.
Otherwise, she wouldnât be a guild receptionist.
Donât tell me⦠the daughter of a crime lordâ¦
Nah, thatâs pretty much the same, isnât it?
What to do?
What if a scary father-in-law appears?
Ah, what father-in-law?
We are not even in that relationship yet. Iâm just getting ahead of myself here. Tehee.
â¦while my mind was running wild, we passed through the garden and arrived at the front door of the large mansion.
Entering through the magnificent front doors, we were greeted by the equally magnificent interior.
Uwa. Thereâs a stuffed monster, which Iâve never seen before, displayed inside
Isnât it a bit too grand?
Behind the stuffed monster was a curtain hanging from the ceiling with a large crest on it.
The crest depicted a horned horse-like creature. Itâs also white in color.
Thatâs⦠what they usually call a unicornâ¦right?
[Oh, Etna. You returned.]
As we were marveling over the interior, a hunchbacked old man appeared and greeted Etna-san.
[Esteemed Father. Iâm home.]
Etna-san replied to the hunchbacked old man.
Is that her father? I was worried for nothing.
Good. Nothing scary came out.
[Itâs been a long time. Are you doing well with your job? I heard that you moved to another city.]
[Yes, thank you. Iâm doing well.]
The old man had an amicable exchange with Etna-san.
Seeing her not hug the old man, I somehow felt relieved. No, heâs her father. I shouldâve not thought of this.
[I seeâ¦. And these people?]
The old manâs gaze was directed upon us now.
[They have escorted me all the way here from Aria. Haruto-san, Sharon-san, and this one here is Laurier-san. By the way, my esteemed father, Haruto-san is the lord of Aria.]
[Ah, yes⦠Iâm Amagi Haruto. Etna-san has assisted me on many occasions before.
[Iâm Amagi Sharon! Nice to meet you!]
[Amagi Laurier von Steinhardt.]
Following Etna-sanâs introduction, we greeted the old man one by one.
It feels a bit weird hearing my family name added to Sharonâs and Laurierâs.
[Amagi� Nn? Lord� Nnn?]
The old man was visibly confused.
Well, sorry. Itâs a bit complicated alright.
After all, why would a Lord willingly escort your daughter all the way here?
[Hahaha. A Lord? Surely you jest. In any case, escorting Etna all the way here must have been a lot of work. Allow me to prepare a room for you three. Please take your time.]
[Ah, yes. No, uhâ¦]
Apparently, he treated it as a joke. But it isnât tho.
Should I correct him?
Though I donât really mind him treating me like a normal adventurer.
[Esteemed Father. Haruto-san is really the Lord of Aria you know?]
[No way⦠No⦠nn? What Etna said earlier⦠No way, really?]
When Etna-san insisted, the old man finally looked convinced.
Ohh.
The old man seemed to have a certain level of trust in Etna.
I guess, given her personality and conduct, itâs only natural.
[Certainly⦠I did hear that Aria recently gained a new lord⦠Hmm.]
However, the old man frowned, seemingly still in disbelief.
â¦..err, should I just continue to act as a bystander?
We are talking about me after all.
[Ah, pardon me. I really AM the new Lord of Aria.]
As someone with the Lordâs title, I shouldnât have said [Pardon me]. But being Japanese, I simply couldnât help it.
[â¦..muu.]
The old man gazed alternately between me and Etna-san.
Will he believe it? Will he believe it?
After pondering a bit more, the old man finally arrived at a conclusion.
[Of course! Forgive me for doubting you.]
The old manâs face turned brighter and he acted more friendly at once.
Apparently, he accepted it as the truth for the time being.
[My name is Rov Milfin, the head of the Milfin family who does business in this city. I do not know yet what kind of relationship you have with Etna that you are willing to escort her personally, but I would like to thank you again]
[No, I mean, you are welcome.]
The old man, whose face had turned into a brighter mood, acknowledged me with a polite tone.
Business⦠So a merchant?
What kind of business could allow someone to live in such a huge mansion?
I wonder.
But the fact that Etna-sanâs family actually has their own family name means that theyâre more than meets the eye.
[Now, now, please follow me. I feel that we have a lot to talk about.]
The old man invited us to go deeper into the mansion.
Ee. It feels like a hassle though.
Canât I reject it?
Isnât it like being invited by my future father-in-law?
[Harutoâ¦]
When I was about to follow the old man, somebody tugged at the hem of my shirt.
It was Laurier.
[Fishâ¦]
Having remained silent up until now, Laurier finally complained.
This is bad.
Laurierâs belly is at its limit.
[Oh, Iâm sorry, Laurier-san. Father, letâs talk again later tonight.]
[Nn? A, ahh⦠alright. See you later.]
Not anyone can sense it, but I guess old man Rov could feel the gloomy aura coming from Laurier.
[Sorry! Haruto! I wanna eat fish!]
Laurier apologized to old man Rov then dragged me outside.
Sharon and Etna-san followed us in a hurry.
Hey, I mean, you donât even know where the establishment is. So why bother rushing ahead?
I was a bit put off by the annoyance, but I felt relieved otherwise.