Ankoku Kishi to Issho! Volume 3 Chapter 2

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Crossing the Border

The previous day’s early morning, Garnet was resting in her room when a visitor arrived.

“Are you present, my lady?”

“What do you want?”

Garnet responded to the familiar voice and opened the door. Standing there was a young dwarf man with a beard.

“Good. Seems like you’re off work today.” The young man sighed in relief at seeing Garnet in her room.

He was actually one of the young disciples working at her father Redberyl’s factory.

“If it isn’t Jasper. What can I do for you?”

“Your father asked me to call for you?”

“My old man did? What for?”

This was the first time that happened since Garnet opted to become an adventurer.

“I’ve barely met him three days ago, what’s the big rush?”

When Garnet and the other two fought the Gluttonous Glutton, she went to see her father fix her burnt shield, and nothing weird had come up then. Garnet was confused about this, as the young man continued with a flustered tone.

“Please just come with me. If not, your father will never let me live this down.”

As the average human being he is, he probably wanted to get away from this hellhole filled with overpowered adventurers.

“I get it, I get it. Let’s go.” Garnet gently caressed the young man’s head and changed her clothes to head out quickly.

Following that, she knocked on Rufa’s door.

“My old man called for me, so I’ll be visiting my family.”

Garnet called out to Rufa, but no response came. She grew worried and put her ear to the wooden door, when—

“Hee hee hee…It’s finally completed. With this familiarity, I should be able to even see Alba-sama’s sleeping face or even when he’s taking a bath…No, that’s too much. I have to show restraint!”

Garnet heard a dubious laughing voice explain grotesque things across the door, so she swiftly walked away.

“What happened?”

“Nothing. I didn’t hear a thing.” Garnet shook her head as the young man asked her and simply prayed that Rufa wouldn’t get arrested somewhere down the line. They then rode the horse carriage and entered the 6th district at the south gate.

Everything’s as peaceful as always.

The people of the capital were walking around with smiles, watched by Garnet through the window of the horse carriage. And while doing so, she sighed in a way the young man wouldn’t find out. This district was filled with average citizens. The further you got from the royal castle in the 1st district, the less royalty you’d find. And the people in the 8th district were relatively poor. And even so, they had enough money to buy proper clothes, live in secure homes, and weren’t fighting each day to survive. This was the proof that the imperial capital was properly attended to, no matter where you looked.

And with the earnings from war and the adventurers, it’s not like this much care can’t be afforded, either.

And with such strong adventurers and skilled magicians, it helped generate this level of security within the city walls. There was no need to ask for proof when a crime was committed, as the spell Lie Detector did all of that. What happens if you find a corpse? You could revive them with resurrection magic and ask for their murderer or any other information. And on top of that, as long as you didn’t end up a Lost, money could fix any injury or health problem you could possibly have.

Though it’s different outside these walls.

Garnet was born and raised in the imperial capital, so she only knew one or two neighboring towns. And they were still relatively close to the capital, so they were in no way comparable to villages far out of the Empire’s reach.

Once we defeat the Evil God slumbering in the labyrinth, will this peace disappear?

This thought filled Garnet’s mind, as a cold shiver ran down her back. To protect the wealth and current situation of the Empire, the imperial family and nobles kept the existence of the Evil God’s soon-to-be revival a secret. To save the imperial capital from this danger, they decided to make their way down to the 7th floor of the labyrinth, but from the eyes of the citizens, who was the righteous one?

No, I can’t be led astray.

Garnet shook her head and rid herself of these thoughts. If the Evil God were to revive, the imperial capital would be destroyed. And it was up to them to stop that from happening.

But…will that really work out?

Garnet had faith in Alba. He may be a bit of a dunce at times, but his strength equaling that of the Dark Knight should be possible to defeat the Evil God…or so she believed with no further proof. But at the same time, she knew that his bottomless goodwill could not fight against absolute evil.

And what awaits after the defeat of the Evil God is the greed of humankind.

If the monsters disappear from the labyrinth and the birthing of magic items stopped abruptly, the adventurers would leave the capital soon enough, leaving the Empire defenseless. It was the perfect opportunity for countries with grudges to make their move. At the same time, many will probably take their fortune and escape to a different country.

This isn’t something a goody-two-shoes like him could easily fix.

If anything, Garnet would rather not have Alba get involved in all of this mess. She didn’t want him to fall into the despair that would result from killing the few to protect the many.

It’s a fitting role for someone wearing the armor of the Dark Knight, though…Hm?

Something popped up in Garnet’s mind, but before that could form into something definitive, the man sitting across from her spoke up with a worried tone.

“We’re here.”

Without her realizing it, the horse carriage had stopped, and they reached her family’s home in the 6th district.

“Sorry, I was dozing off a bit,” Garnet flashed a bitter smile as she got off the horse carriage.

And then she looked up at her family’s factory she hadn’t seen in the past three days.

“As bothersome as always.”

It was purposefully built away from any residential area because it created incredible noise. Each klanking of the hammer was incredibly annoying, which let all the people around them walk away. This led to only other smiths and factories gathering around.

“Anyway, I have more work left over, so if you’ll excuse me.”

“Yeah. I’ll keep it short.”

The young man returned to his work after receiving a silver coin from Garnet for his troubles, and she made her way inside the factory. Immediately after, she was greeted with a wave of hot air. Melted stone, iron, and the scent of sweaty men tickled Garnet’s nose.

With such an expressive stench, I guess a bit of a smell isn’t too big of a problem.

Garnet once again realized she said too much when speaking to Alba, as he set foot deeper. She recognized a lot of the faces currently working, hammering on iron and steel with all their might, forming new weapons to be used. It all looked so dazzling.

Though that elf who can’t deal with metal would pass out instantly.

Rufa’s metal allergy might not be as bad, but she’d surely pass out with this much around. In fact, she might just burn it all to the ground.

It’s a comedic feeling that we’re such good friends despite our origins.

Garnet remembered the time she first met Rufa, which made her smile, as she reached the deepest door.

“Father, I’m coming in.”

No response came, but Garnet was used to this, so she opened the room regardless. In the center of the room equipped with a furnace and several other smithing necessities sat a bearded man with red hair all over, looking like a large bear, working on a new sword. While carefully making every single move, he worked on the blade like it was his own flesh and blood. Despite having been called, Garnet’s father Redberyl showed no response, as she watched over him.

His work is as beautiful as always.

Granted, her opinion might end up a bit subjective in the grand scheme of things, but it wasn’t an exaggerated evaluation. Goods created by the master craftsman Redberyl were much more valuable than any low-class magic items, possessed unrivaled beauty, and were in great demand with royalty and nobles. Garnet even felt apologetic that she got to rely on this skill basically for free.

“…Hm.”

Redberyl seemed satisfied at his work and placed the sword down with a nod. Following that, he slowly turned towards Garnet.

“…Mm.”

“Yeah, I am doing okay. Though we’ve seen each other not even three days ago.”

“…Mm.”

“I know that you never know as an adventurer, but I’ve got reliable comrades with me.”

Redberyl seemed worried with a clouded expression, but Garnet confidently pushed out her chest. From an outsider’s perspective, this conversation must seem quite surreal, but those two had gone through this time and time again. There were only two types of dwarves who worked in a factory. Those who’d scream loud enough to even outshine the sound of smithing, and those who’d go completely silent. Redberyl was part of the latter group, but Garnet slowly became able to guess his feelings and thoughts from the smallest differences in tone and gestures.

“…Mm.”

“You can tell? Yeah, actually, we were going through the 3rd floor the other day, and I got swallowed by a Sea Serpent.”

“…Mm!”

“Like I said, my allies helped me that time! I didn’t die, so relax.”

Garnet’s father rarely shot up from his chair, but she tried to calm down. If a certain goody-two-shoes was here to witness this, he’d be calling Garnet an esper. However, without this ability, she wouldn’t be able to communicate with her father. Dwarves were born married to the metal, skilled smiths, and gemstone creators. That meant they were blessed with abilities other races didn’t have, but the biggest of them all was their good sight.

They could easily sniff out any metals in the darkest cave, spot even the smallest error when smithing a new sword, and they could even cut the smallest line when working with diamonds. This kind of ability is what allows dwarves to be a cut above the rest. And since Garnet lacked the body hair and skilled hands typical for dwarves, which she was very conscious of, she may not be able to become the best, but that didn’t mean she had zero inherited abilities. She had enough power to swing a mace and shield, and she inherited her good eye from her father. And thanks to her blue eyes, she was able to read what her silent father was thinking, as well as guess the idiotic thoughts of a certain masked idiot.

“…Hm?”

“Sorry, I was just thinking of my comrades. They may all have their own ticks, but I was yet again reminded that it’s nothing that is impossible to deal with.” Garnet delivered an explanation as her father showed a dubious reaction.

In fact, this very idiot was currently seeking help from Garnet as he was dragged around by a stupid princess and clumsy samurai, which is probably why Garnet felt her headache growing stronger that moment.

“More importantly, why did you call me here? You’re not telling me that grandfather has died, right?”

“…”

“Huh?”

Redberyl awkwardly averted his gaze, and even Garnet was unable to read his thoughts. At times like these, her father would do this to hide something bad. Like he didn’t want to make things worse and hid something from his wife.

“Did you have a fight with Mom? You probably forgot your anniversary, eh?”

“…Mm.”

“You gave her a sapphire as a present? No problem then. Did you do anything else to get her mad at—”

“…Mm.”

“So it wasn’t Mom? Then what happened?” Garnet asked, but Redberyl once again averted his face.

She didn’t know what to do and scratched her head, when the door to the forge opened and the person in question entered.

“If you’re home to visit, then please at least let me know!”

Scolding Garnet for simply appearing was typical of Redberyl’s wife, Sapphire. Fitting her name, she possessed beautiful blue eyes, showing her blood-relation to her daughter, but it didn’t fit her puffy stomach and beard reaching down to her belly button.

“Did you gain weight again, Mom?”

“What a wonderful child you are. That’s the first thing you say to your mother after three days of absence?!” Sapphire swung her fist down on Garnet’s head.

However, she was met with a sensation like chopping down on iron, as her face distorted in pain.

“That hurt! How’d you grow a stone as a head?”

“Heh. I’m a 3rd-floor ranker now.”

“You’re not cute at all. That’s why you can’t grow a beard.”

“A beard has nothing to do with this!”

Garnet’s mother dropped her shoulders as she shrugged as Garnet furrowed her eyes in anger. That being said, they weren’t on bad terms or anything. In fact, they were close enough to engage in regular banter like this.

“Moving on, I have something important to talk with you about.”

“Hm? I thought Father asked for me?”

“Would you have come if I was the one calling for you?”

“Of course not. You’d probably ask for another adventurer’s autograph, no?”

“Oh yeah, our neighbor Peridot-san is a big fan of the Holy Maiden-sama, so…Wait, that’s not on the agenda now!” Sapphire became angry at Garnet despite the fact that she was the one who initiated it and got back to the main topic. “

“What is it?”

“Garnet, I want you to get married.”

“…What?”

Hearing vocabulary that couldn’t be any more disconnected from her, Garnet was bewildered.

“What are you saying? Even if I wanted to, there isn’t anybody who—”

“But there is. Someone wants to marry you.”

“Whaaaaaaat?!”

Met with another bombshell, Garnet couldn’t hold back a scream.

“No, that should be impossible! I have no beard, I’m small and attractive, so who not even the worst of perverts would want to marry me!”

“Aren’t you sad saying that?” Sapphire shed a tear after hearing her daughter’s self-evaluation.

Compared to other races, dwarves grow their beards a lot faster. A human boy has a beard growing at around 15, but for dwarves, this happens at six years for boys and girls alike. In other words, since Garnet has yet to grow a beard, she’s basically on the level of a 6-year old. On top of that, her height and figure contradicted her choice of words and manner of speaking, which created a contradicting image. In terms of a human being, it’d be like approaching a girl with the face of a 6-year old and the body of a 17-year old.

“Anyway, that’s impossible. Leave your jokes for another time!”

“Oh shut up! If you don’t believe me, then just ask the person in question!”

“Wha…He’s here?!” Garnet’s reaction was ignored, as her mother called out to outside the forge.

“Triffin-san, please come in.”

“Thank you.”

A dull baritone voice responded, as an adolescent dwarf entered the room. The moment Garnet saw him, she was absolutely entranced. He possessed silky hair and beard in a strong black color, his eyes sharp and confident, and his nose high up. He wore a luxurious armor above his well-trained body, possessing the ideal stature for a dwarf, and he was probably a skilled warrior for his race like Chidori was for the east.

“What a fine man you’ve shown me.”

“I humbly thank you for your kind words.”

Triffin gently responded to Garnet’s praise, who had frozen up completely. Amongst the dwarves who were known to be silent or rampant, his polite attitude was almost like an outcast.

“Um, your name was Triffin, right?”

“Yes. I am the eldest son of count Barsha.”

“You’re the son of a count?!”

“We only govern a small rural area to the north, I’m afraid,” Triffin showed a tender smile as he responded to Garnet’s shocked question. “My great-grandfather was a 5th-floor ranking adventurer, working in the Empire’s army after his retirement, and finally received a small plot of land.”

“That…is a respectable family history.”

To think he even had adventurer blood inside of him. Him being modest about it was more concerning than anything.

“Speaking of family history, you have plenty to be boastful about, no? Being the close aide to the princess of this country, belonging to a long-lasting family of renowned blacksmiths even.”

“That might be true, but still…”

This was all achieved by her father Redberyl, and Garnet, who had never even created a knife herself, simply inherited this honor. Seeing how Garnet was perturbed by this conversation, Triffin quickly changed the topic.

“I have to say, you are just as charming as I was told.”

“What are you saying? I’m not really…”

She figured he already knew about this, but Garnet still took off her fake mustache. To her surprise, Triffin’s attitude showed no particular reaction to that.

“Even without your beard…No, without this beard, you’re much more charming.”

“Let me guess, you’re into young girls, right?”

“That is correct.”

“You just admitted it?!”

“But please rest assured. I love young girls, which is why I would never lay my hands on them. I am the prideful son of a count known as a pervert.”

“You can’t use that as a brag!”

Garnet completely forgot her position and retorted full-throttle towards this weird coming-out. Garnet looked for a reason to reject him, but nothing worked.

“That’s right! If we were to get married and I would join your family, then nobody would be able to inherit my own!” Garnet screamed out the first thing that came to her mind, but…

“I can just have one of your father’s disciples take up that role. Or you could get children to inherit the family once they’ve grown up.”

Her mother immediately destroyed that argument.

“Ugh…Are you that desperate to see me get married, Mother?!”

“Of course. What parent wouldn’t wish for their child’s happiness?” Her mother responded with a straight face.

Garnet didn’t like having other people’s wishes pushed onto her, but what her mother said seemed genuine. That’s why she even considered getting married and giving her parents a grandchild to make them feel at peace, too.

If I hated my parents like Rufa does, I’d be able to just cut them off like she did…

They supplied her equipment practically for free, always looking out for Garnet, which made her want to keep their current relationship. As Garnet was continuously pondering about this, her mother gave her another piece of her mind.

“Also, I’ve been against you traveling with the princess from day one! Your desire to help your friend is very commendable, but as her friend, you should try and put a stop to her recklessness, no?”

Gaaaah! I swear to god!

Receiving another of her mother’s lectures, Garnet felt like pulling out her non-existent beard hair. She hadn’t told her parents about the Evil God of Demise. She didn’t want them to worry, and she also didn’t want to be bound down by them. Leaving aside her mute father, her mother didn’t know how to keep things to herself, so when she would mention anything of this to the public, the Emperor might just decide to silence her mother directly. This led to her being unable to reveal all her cards, but equally sealed off any possible reason to reject Triffin.

Tsk…Now I can only rely on Father!

Just like a certain idiot somewhere out there, Garnet’s first reaction was to immediately rely on someone else, as she sought help from her father. In response, Redberyl tapped his wife on her shoulder, stopping the lecture.

“…Mm.”

“She’s got her own thoughts so you want her to decide for herself? What are you saying? Aren’t you said that she’s far away from you, always in danger?”

“…Mm.”

“That’s not it? You want her to spend her life with the person she truly loves? How naive can you be? No way anybody would stumble in here to proclaim their love, and doubt she’d ever fall in love with somebody either.”

“…”

“Also, we got married because of our families, but we’re doing just fine, right? Or what, your proposal of ‘Love cools down quicker than melted iron, but our affection we’ve built together will never become dull, even after a thousand years’ just a convenient lie?!”

“…Mm.”

“It wasn’t, and you love me? You dummy, you’re making me blush!”

“Could you maybe flirt around elsewhere?”

Garnet was slowly getting annoyed with these two lovebirds. Hearing that, Garnet’s mother cleared her throat and went back to the main topic.

“Anyway, you won’t find a better man than Triffin-sa here, so give up on being an adventurer and get married already!”

“No, I can’t—”

“I don’t care if you don’t have a proper argument against your own parents, but I need you to at least give Triffin-san closure and a good reason to reject him!”

Garnet simply tried to get rid of Triffin with a half-baked attempt, but that only evoked her mother’s wrath further. And that’s the crux of the problem. A good catch of a man like him was actively approaching a failure of a woman with no beard to boot. She had to be sincere. However, she couldn’t speak of the danger the world was in, either. Backed against the wall, as her thoughts weren’t exactly in the clearest state, Garnet just opted to choose the final method she could come up with.

“I…I have someone I’m going out with!”

*

“…And that’s what happened. I’d like you to be my pretend-lover so I can satisfy my parents and Triffin.”

Garnet finished her long explanation and sighed. That’s what was going on behind the scenes? I almost died from the shock when she suddenly asked me to become her lover. Seemingly, Rufa was just as relieved as me.

“Good…I was thinking of killing you first and then ending my own life after.”

“It doesn’t sound like a joke when you’re saying it.”

“…I was…joking?”

“What’s with that pause?!” Garnet’s back shivered and she took a step back from Rufa, who muttered something under her breath.

…Now wait a second. Don’t tell me, they weren’t just good friends, but actually lovers all along?!

“Keep that thought going and I’ll turn your empty head into paste on the street.”

Garnet once again read my thoughts and immediately swung her mace. It…it should be fine! My jet-black armor should protect me! But I felt bad for genuinely making her angry, so I apologized.

“Still, Alba-sama in the role of the boyfriend…Leaving aside personal feelings, I don’t think he’s a good match for that.”

She’s right. No way I can pull off a role as complicated as that. That’s what I told Garnet, too, but she shook her head.

“I feel the same way, but you’re the best bet I could find. If I asked anybody else, my parents would see through it immediately.”

Yeah, that does make sense. With any half-baked acting, her parents wouldn’t buy it for one second. So why am I the best choice in this? But when Garnet saw my doubt, she threw me a question immediately.

“Alba, do you like me?”

“I like you.”

“…I kind of hoped you would say that, but a bit of hesitation wouldn’t have hurt.”

I answered exactly as she wanted me to and still got scolded. Not fair. Also, Rufa is scaring me with how much she’s grinding her teeth.

“I like you as well. You’re a trustworthy ally, and although there’s no romantic affection here, I definitely like you as a person. That’s why, if it’s us two, it’ll be harder for my parents to see through us.”

“I see.” That made sense, so I nodded.

It’s basically like covering a lie with the majority of the truth. Garnet and I may not be lovers, but we definitely like each other, and I don’t want her to quit being an adventurer, either. As long as I can convey that, her parents and the other person should be able to accept us.

“That’s what this is. I happened to drag you into this mess, but would you mind helping me?”

“Got it.”

Garnet lowered her head and asked me that, to which I nodded without hesitation. In fact, I feel bad she rejected this proposal for the sake of the world.

“You’re okay with that too, right Rufa?”

“You don’t even have to ask. Who is going to stop me from going rampant?”

“If you’re aware of it, then how about you control yourself?”

Rufa commented with a smile, and Garnet retorted with a smile of her own. Yeah, these two together are the best.

“And when are you going to see your parents?”

“I was told to bring the person with me tomorrow.”

“Then let’s go tomorrow.” Rufa said and returned to her room with a pen and paper, writing a letter towards Garnet’s parents. “Leaving that aside, what do we do about our exploration today? I fear we may lack the attention to safely wander the labyrinth today. I don’t mind taking the day off.”

After finishing our discussion, we headed down to the labyrinth, and discussed everything for the next day.

*

The following day, I rode the horse carriage with Garnet, and we went to meet her parents.

“So you must be the adventurer. Could you please show me your adventurer ID and traveling permission?”

I saw the guard who opened the door of the horse carriage and was bewildered for a moment, but he immediately showed a calm expression. It was the same thing I was asked when I first came here, but adventurers needed a permit to enter the deeper parts of the nine districts. It was feared that they would use their power for evil.

“Here.”

Garnet offered the two cards.

“Garnet Ralius…No problems here.” The guard confirmed the card and then looked towards me.

I offered him my adventurer card in a hurry and said the phrase Rufa told me.

“I’d like a travel permit for today.”

“I understand. Please wait a moment.” The guard said so and took my adventurer card to a small hut next to the gate.

After a while, he brought back a white card.

“Since you are a third-floor ranker, Alba I Rapsel, that requires 60 gold coins.”

It’s exactly as I’d heard before, but it still is pretty expensive nonetheless. Well, it’s probably intended to keep public safety in check while also earning money from the extremely rich adventurers. Still, I didn’t even show him the medal of the second floor’s guardian, so how does he know I’m active on the third floor?

“The information gathered from the Imperial Bank is being passed on to the military.” Garnet answered my question as always.

So that’s why he left that one time? I handed him the needed amount, which was confirmed by the guard, who then passed me back my adventurer card and the permit.

“This will take you to the 6th district. For going further to the 5th, you need a special permit.”

Since we planned to head to the 6th district anyway, that wasn’t a problem, but what was beyond there again? I asked Garnet with my gaze, who gave me the answer.

“That’s where the rich folks live. You won’t see any commoners there. And from the 4th district onward, you have the military generals, nobles, and imperial family, so without a summoning, average people like us can’t get in there.”

I see. So I can build my own home only up to the 5th district. But I’d love to visit there at least once. And as I was thinking that, the guard gave me one last word.

“Please come back here until 8pm tonight and return your permit. If you fail to achieve that, you may have to pay a fee, hand in your adventurer’s license, or you may even get banished from the capital forever.”

“Huh?!” I raised my voice in shock at seeing how severe these punishments are.

That just shows how careful they are when it comes to adventurers and the possibility of committing a crime. Maybe something major happened in the past which led to them tightening up their rules.

“Additionally, you need a separate permit to carry weapons with you. Do you have any weapons on you right now?”

The guard asked me, so I showed I carried no such things on me. Since Rufa also warned me about this, I left my greatsword with her. Though, is it okay if I keep wearing my armor?

“It’s probably better to show how you’re an adventurer rather than wearing your private clothes.” Garnet once again answered my doubts.

Yeah, the people who are scared of me would stay away, so it causes less trouble in general. Seeing me nod, the guard put his hand on the door of the horse carriage.

“That’ll be all. Please have a good day,” he said and closed the door, as the horse carriage slowly started moving, entering the 8th district.

Immediately after, the scenery of the 8th district completely struck me. Tall wooden-built buildings filled the streets, keeping them vast but the sky hidden. Compared to the 9th district, this felt much more like a large town, which made my heart race. What surprised me the most were the children with or without parents, gleefully walking down the stone-paved street.

Oh yeah, there were no children back in the 9th district.

I did see some smaller races like dwarves or young adventurers with dubious ages, but unlike here, I didn’t see any parents and children.

I guess this city really is different from the average.

I got so used to it that my senses had gone numb, but the 9th district is strictly for adventurers and super-strong warriors. And I don’t mean to reproach that, but it just makes me realize how different we are from the regular person. And this makes me feel lonely. Even if I build my own home, will I be able to get along with my neighbors?

“What’s that weird look about?” Garnet saw me being depressed and sighed.

She can’t see through my mask…and she can guess my exact impression?!

“You moron. It’s the air around you. Anyway, what’s got you worried?”

“The thing is—”

I started talking about my plans to her. In response, Garnet seemed like she realized something.

“So that’s what you meant when you said you wanted to make this place your home…”

“Hm?”

“No, don’t worry about it. I’m sure Rufa must have realized by now. Anyway, wanting to live in the capital has its own amount of struggles with it.”

Really? I was only worried about money, but to think there could be this many complications…

“I was born and raised here and everyone in the neighborhood knows me, which is why nobody was scared when I became an adventurer, but if a former adventurer randomly moved in next to you, I don’t blame the average citizen for being worried. After all, they are monsters that could kill the average person with the flick of a finger.”

Yeah, that makes sense. I had no such intentions, but your own thoughts and intentions aren’t always visible to the random stranger.

“Fearing those who are stronger than you is a perfectly normal natural human instinct. Your strength still scares me from time to time, so how could the average person not fear you?” Garnet laughed with a complicated smile.

The way she constantly comments on my actions, gets angry at me, and threatens to color my armor pink shows that she truly isn’t scared of me. Or, it’s hard to believe at least. This, of course, makes me happy.

“The former adventurers usually become army higher-ups or royalty, or use their earned money to build their own home, but not many actually live inside the 5th district. If they are, then it’s probably to not scare the average citizen.”

I see…So unless you join the military or adjust your own desires to fit the public, it’s pretty hard to live in the capital as an adventurer. Still, you’d think we’d have all the freedom in the world, but we are pretty limited in the end.

“Your freedom depends on your own choices, and you’ll have to take responsibility for such, so it’s not like you’re like a god living here.”

“I see.” I nodded after hearing Garnet’s explanation.

If I didn’t want to be tied down by society and its rules, I wouldn’t be allowed to have my own home, let alone friends or a girlfriend. But that is an even sadder way to live your life, too. Gramps once told me “People say that you shouldn’t get married if you intend on cheating, but the joy of the act comes from the fact that you’re promised to someone else”…Yeah, that is just awful. I do respect Gramps for what he’s done, but these parts are things I can’t agree with. And as I steeled my resolve, Garnet gave me another exhausted look.

“You’re thinking about something weird again, aren’t you.”

Huh? Normally she’d be able to guess my thoughts exactly, so something was weird when she missed her mark like this. I thought something was off about it, when Garnet sighed.

“I can just guess your thoughts from your gaze and gestures, but I can’t accurately figure out what you’re thinking. Can’t filter out what I don’t know of.”

So that’s how that works? Then how does she know Gramps and Grandma’s names?

“You seem to be asking me for someone’s name, but I can’t answer what I don’t know.” Garnet said with a bitter smile.

But the fact that she could accurately guess my intentions already feels like a superpower. Even if she can’t figure out everything I was thinking. After nodding again, Garnet continued with a serious expression.

“Leaving me aside, that crazy wench at the bank use mind-reading magic, so don’t be thinking anything necessary around them.

Ah, that former 6th-floor ranker working at the bank? She can remember a person’s name and face with just magic, even influencing their minds with some crazy technique, so she’d probably be better kept at the police.

“The girl Aibis from the Plunderers can also use that magic. Just a heads-up, since outside the labyrinth, you’re full of openings.”

That’s unexpected. The Kurokage Style techniques should allow me to remain calm no matter the situation. That’s what I told Garnet, but she just shook her head.

“You’re not wrong. However, when it comes to people you talked to before and lowered your guard towards, you’re full of openings. You had your sword stolen by Eclair and pushed into Sloth’s room, so don’t tell me you’ve forgotten about that?”

Urk, why’d she had to remind me of that?

“I don’t know what sort of secret you’re carrying with you, but if you can’t even tell me about it, you should probably take good care that nobody else finds out, or that you don’t accidentally spill the beans.” Garnet said and finished it off with that.

Just as she said, I should be careful from now on. But…didn’t she and Rufa already realize that I’m a fairy hybrid? That’s why Rufa asked me to not show my face in public…Huh? If that’s not what she meant, then why did she ask me to do the same thing my childhood friend did?

“No clue what’s going through your mind, but I could bet you’re brewing up some incredible misunderstanding again.”

Seeing me hold my head in despair, Garnet sighed once more. How cruel! I’m being totally serious about this! But when I wanted to voice my protest, a voice called out to us.

“Sir and madam, we’ve arrived.”

“Mhm, that was fast.”

Garnet had seemingly forgotten about her meeting with her parents, as she sighed yet again. Well, everything will work out fine!

“Will it really? I wonder—”

The horse carriage slowly stopped, and right as Garnet stepped out, she tilted her head in confusion.

“Why was I called here?”

Last evening, the response from Garnet’s parents came, telling her a time and place to meet, and that’s where we headed to, but…

“A castle?”

The splendid castle standing tall in front of us left us both bewildered. Watching our reaction, the horse carriage driver gave us an explanation.

“You didn’t know? This is the most expensive restaurant in the entire district, known as the ‘Golden Lion’.”

“What?!”

“See, you can spot the gate leading to the 5th district in the distance. It’s where all the nobles go to eat, and we mortals can’t even dream of trying their food.”

Looking towards where the driver pointed, I spotted the tip of the gate. That alone showed how popular this palace must be. After a brief hesitation, we entered inside, with Garnet commenting that she herself wasn’t used to this type of place, as she was just the daughter of a smith.

“Welcome.”

The moment we set foot inside, we were greeted by a male employee with an expensive-looking suit. He didn’t seem flustered to see me in my uniform, keeping his pleasant smile.

“You must be Garnet-sama and her companion. Triffin-sama is waiting for you in the private suite on the highest floor,” he said and guided us to the stairs.

“Right here.”

The employee opened the door on the top floor, where two people were waiting for us. One of them was a young man with a black beard. He must be Triffin-san. The other one was a tall man despite his beard, looking like a middle-aged human. That’s not Garnet’s father, is it?

“Who?” Garnet tilted her head.

But right after, she apologized to Triffin-san.

“Apologies for the wait.”

“Don’t mind it. We’ve simply arrived earlier than planned.”

“Thank you. By the way, who might this person be?”

Receiving Garnet’s gaze, the middle-aged man stood up and named himself.

“I’m Redberyl’s friend Count Giraffe. I was the one who introduced you to Triffin. I wanted to hear the reason you intended to reject his marriage proposal, so I took the freedom of joining you today.”

“Is that so?” Garnet seemed satisfied with that reason as she once again took a closer look at the count.

He must be in his later fifties, his hair colored a brown color, emitting a docile atmosphere. His luxurious outfit did a good job of hiding it, but he was tall and fairly well-built, showing no signs of aging. His body alone would be in his thirties. Also, he seems to be holding it back, but I can feel aura emitting from him. He’s probably an ex-adventurer. Right as I guessed that, Garnet had a question of her own.

“If you’re Father’s friend, then have we met before?”

“No, I figure this would be our first meeting.”

“I see. But then…”

“For now, why don’t you have a seat?” Count Giraffe urged us to sit down.

I obeyed that, and we sat down facing them. Following that, Triffin-san opened his mouth.

“Garnet-san, I do not wish to be seen clingy, but let me ask you again. Won’t you marry me?” It was a genuine confession of love aimed at Garnet.

“I’m sorry, but my answer hasn’t changed. I’ve fallen for this man.” Garnet responded as she hugged my arm.

Even if I knew this was acting, it still made me feel flustered. Triffin-san watched this and looked at me with a sharp gaze.

“So you are Garnet-san’s lover?”

“Yes.”

“His name is Alba. While adventuring, we’ve fallen in love with each other.”

Garnet explained in my stead. She was probably relieved to see her parents weren’t here. Triffin seemed to doubt this fact, as he looked at me.

“Alba-san, you may have a reason for this, but could I ask you to take off your helmet?”

“…” I didn’t answer and just went quiet.

I mean, I understand that I was being the rude one, not even showing my face to the people in front of me, but I promised Rufa…I didn’t know what to do and looked at Garnet, who asked me to do it with her gaze alone. Hence, I apologized to Rufa while putting my hands on my helmet, slowly taking it off.

“So you were a human man.” Triffin saw my face and seemed slightly surprised.

Did he think I was an elf woman or something? I mean, that’s probably the type Garnet likes the most. How many more times do I have to tell you how wrong you are—is Garnet saying to me with her gaze, but Triffin-san asked me before that, first.

“And Alba-san, you love Garnet-san despite being a dwarf?”

“Yes.”

“Then what do you like about her?”

“She’s small and adorable. Her red hair is stunning. She cares for her parents a lot, always looking after me, and she makes me feel at peace.” I answered bluntly.

Hearing this, Triffin-san showed a glimmer of admiration.

“I see. You’ve got a good eye, Alba-san.”

“Right back at you.” I responded genuinely.

Since bears are the sign of an adult, a lot of people seem to treat Garnet like a child, but he’s different. He saw the charm she holds. As for Garnet herself, she was currently covering her face with both her hands.

“Why do you keep secrets all the damn time only to then blurt out everything at times like these?”

“Garnet?”

“It’s nothing!”

I was worried and moved closer to take a look at her face, only for her to get angry at me with a beet-red face. We’re trying to put up an act here, so getting angry like this will only make them more suspicious. She must have realized this as she grit her teeth and looked at Triffin-san with a pained expression.

“This should be enough, right? Alba and I are lovers, so could you please give up on me?”

After a brief silence, Triffin-san nodded with a serious expression but shook his head.

“Yes, I can tell you two like each other. I just question the fact that you could become happy in your marriage?”

“What?!”

Triffin-san looked away from the shocked Garnet and gazed at me.

“Alba-san, what kind of life do you plan on leading with Garnet after you two get married? Have you worked towards securing a safe future?”

“That’s…”

Th-This is bad. We didn’t discuss anything about this, you know?! As I couldn’t answer, Triffin-san pressed me further.

“You seem to be working as adventurers right now, but you can hardly continue such a dangerous job after becoming married. So what happens after you retire? Will you open up a business? Or will you join the army?”

“…”

“You haven’t thought of anything, have you? Living all by yourself, that much is fine. I’m a man, so I admire the moment-to-moment lifestyle you live. However, forming a family with your loved one starts by securing a safe life all the way to ensuring a secured future.” Triffin-san’s comment argument was sound-proof, leaving me speechless.

My relationship with Garnet is nothing but an act, and I never thought of getting married either. Nor did I think of what to do after possibly achieving my dream of building my own home here in the capital.

He’s right…My life doesn’t suddenly end after I finish building my home…

I didn’t even realize that my initial idea of ‘What am I building this house for?’ has been lost completely over time. Seeing me evidently dejected, Triffin-san seemed sympathetic but continued his onslaught.

“I’m aware that a marriage not born out of happiness can’t succeed, but love only can’t keep a marriage going. I don’t doubt your feelings for Garnet-san, but I’m not sure if you can provide as her husband.”

“…”

“I may not be a well-known noble, but I own a small rural area. My family has position and riches. And more than anything, I’m a fellow dwarf. I should be able to make her happier than you could.”

“Huh?”

Why did he suddenly bring up the topic of race? Triffin-san must have seen my confusion as he declared once again.

“I’m aware that this may be considered foul play. However, humans and dwarves aren’t the same. You may be no orc or lizardman, but with differences in culture and living rhythm, it will always create problems.”

That is true. Especially when it comes to the appreciation of bears. Right now, Garnet is just trying to adjust to my conceptions, but if we actually lived together, I’d quickly realize all the differences.

“With just you two, you’d be able to cross the boundaries pressed upon you. However, a marriage isn’t just your own problem. Your families, relatives, and friends will have to follow. Alba-san, can humans really get along with dwarves?”

“That’s…”

I can’t answer. I don’t have the confidence to be able to drag along everyone else. And while I kept silent, Triffin-san continued with another bombshell.

“And when dealing with a marriage crossing racial boundaries, the children born are a problem in itself. You must know of the existence of hybrids, right?”

“…?!”

Of course I do. After all, I’m one of those hybrids. I nodded, to which Triffin-san continued with a stiff expression.

“When a child born between two races is born, they usually end up the race of one of the parents. However, some children are born with distinctives of both. That is what we call Hybrids, and there is close to no happiness to be found for them.”

I want to tell him he’s wrong. I want to explain how happy I was, being raised by Gramps and Grandma and everyone else on I-Rapsel. However, I can’t.

“If a hybrid was born from the both of you, they won’t fit into the human world, and neither will the dwarven society. Could you really make them suffer like that?”

“What if our child becomes the bridge to bring humans and dwarves closer?” Garnet argued.

A bridge to connect two races…I aspire to the thought of humans and elves finding common ground so that Gramps could undo the barrier around the island, but I’m not arrogant enough to believe I could actually do that. Not knowing of my feelings however, Triffin-san continued with a bitter smile.

“Leaving aside the question of hybrids, the child born will have countless worries. If it ends up as a human, their mother would be a different race, and with a dwarf, they’d be alienated from their father. This isn’t something you should ignore as potential parents, no?”

Is it really that big of a problem to be this concerned for?

“I hear that this is the case with the current Emperor Geraf and the 7th princess Rufa.”

“What?!”

To think Rufa’s name would pop up here. I raised my voice in shock, as Triffin-san glanced over at Count Giraffe. He probably is worried if he evoked a noble’s anger. However, he nodded in silence, so Triffin-san continued.

“Rufa-sama was born from the current Emperor and his 5th mistress Phophia-sama, an elf. However, many humans looked down on the elves, which brought her great amounts of trouble.” Triffin-san said as his expression grew grim.

He probably received plenty of harsh treatment simply because of his race, which allowed him to sympathize.

“However, even more than the fact of her own race itself, the absolute difference in lifespan between her and other humans was probably the most detrimental.”

“Livespan…”

I never even thought about it, but Rufa and the rest of us observe time in a completely different way.

“An average elf’s lifespan reaches from 300 to 1000 years. Granted, she may not have her mother’s traits as a hybrid, but half of her blood is human, and she was raised in the large city instead of the forest, so she’ll still live a good 200 years or more.”

Since I can’t even confidently reach 100 years, I won’t even live half as long as Rufa? A sudden rush of loneliness filled me, when Triffin-san continued.

“It is a given that parents will die way before their children, but when dealing with a girl who has been living in disdain and denial by their surroundings her whole life…How much pain did the Emperor feel, I wonder…”

Huh? Rufa called him a shitty old man who didn’t even believe her when she told him about the Evil God of Demise, so I doubt he’s really that good of a father…but it must look different to other people. I was confused and looked over at Garnet, but she seemingly felt the same way as me. As she’s been Rufa’s friend this whole time, hearing such a statement from an outsider must be weird.

“And just like Rufa-sama, the child born between the two of you surely will suffer a lot because of the wall between races. You might call this racist thinking but don’t you agree now that dwarves should get married to dwarves?”

He signaled that his explanation was over, as he closed his mouth and waited for our answer. This brings up the question of…what do we say? Saying ‘Love can overcome any obstacle’ would be easy, but I don’t think a convenient excuse like that would satisfy him. However, Garnet sighed once and spoke up.

“Actually, people once thought I was a hybrid.”

“What?!”

“Baseless accusations. From the folks who despised my father.” Garnet continued, ignoring my shock. “However, you see how I look, right? ‘A dwarf without a beard is not a dwarf. She must be a hybrid born from a dwarf and human’, and so on. The children heard their parents say these things and said that to me without even knowing what it meant.”

“Unforgivable!” A voice filled with rage escaped my mouth.

Even if they’re a child, there are good things and bad things that can be said.

“Alba, your aura is leaking.”

“Ah, my bad.”

Garnet stabbed her elbow into my side, warning me of my leaking aura, so I quickly put myself under control. Looking over, Triffin-san had started to sweat profusely. It might even look like I was threatening him. Meanwhile, Count Giraffe was doing just fine. He really is a former adventurer. Garnet however moved the conversation along.

“I’m not bothered by it much, but it all happened when I was like 6 or 7 years old. Back then, it really hurt me to the point I just stayed in my room for today. And I wouldn’t talk to anybody other than my parents and the disciples at the factory.”

Looking at her now, that was practically unthinkable. However, it must have happened. Her expression right now was the absolute proof of that.

“My father was probably trying to cheer me up, as he took me to a friend’s home, who turned out to be a noble living in the second district.”

“Don’t tell me…”

“Indeed. That’s where I encountered the young and extremely cheeky elf girl…Rufa.” Garnet said with a gleeful smile. “I’ve heard many things about elves, and that was when the whole rapier thing was popular. When I met her, she said ‘You reek of metal’, and I countered with ‘You reek of grass,’ and we immediately started beating the living hell out of each other.”

“Seriously…?” I commented, but I guess it wasn’t too shocking of a revelation.

With how close they are, and how they show no remorse in front of each other, it makes sense they had a rough start and only slowly deepened their bond.

“And after we were done beating each other up, I felt extremely refreshed. And soon enough, we ended up like we are right now.” Garnet awkwardly scratched her cheek, showing a bothered expression. “I’m guessing both my father and the Emperor thought we were similar through a twisted way and hoped for this to happen. We played perfectly atop their palm.”

She must be glad that they’ve become such good friends, but equally annoyed that it all happened because of someone else’s influence. But before I could tell her to not mind all that, Count Giraffe opened his mouth.

“Maybe it was all just a coincidence as two fathers were genuinely worried about their daughters?”

“Hm?”

“Not even rulers are omniscient beings. Some things could happen out of their control.”

“That might be the case.” Garnet still seemed doubtful but nodded anyway.

From the seams of it, Count Giraffe has a daughter that’s constantly on his mind. I sent him a gaze of sympathy, only for him to return with a glare as sharp as a knife. But, why? Did I make him angry in any way? I was flustered, but the count quickly returned to his calm expression as urged Garnet to continue.

“So?”

“Well,what I’m trying to say is that all this stuff doesn’t really matter, since people can still become happy nonetheless.” Garnet finished her story with this and smiled.

It was a happy grin that made me feel fulfilled. Seeing that, even Triffin-san didn’t know what to say.

“…I give up. Please become happy, you two.”

He must have really liked Garnet. He held back his tears, deeply lowering his head. Ack, deceiving him is making my stomach hurt…I glanced over at Garnet while rubbing my tummy, seeing her suffering in a similar way. But at the very least, the engagement has been dissolved now, and she won’t have to retire as an adventurer. With that decided, I was about to stand up, when—

“Wait a moment.” Count Giraffe’s deep voice stopped me from heading to the exit.

“What?” Garnet asked with a dubious voice, as the count continued with a sharp voice.

“The whole talk of marriage between races may be resolved, but even before that…Are you two even truly dating?”

“…?!”

He probably had a hunch that something wasn’t quite right. Maybe my facial expressions made it too obvious.

“I can tell you trust each other…as members of the same party. However, I feel no romantic affection whatsoever. Aren’t you just pretending and attempting to deceive us?”

“Is that true?!” Triffin-san swallowed his breath as he joined.

…This is bad. We’ve come full circle again. I was completely lost on what to say, when Garnet lowered her head…only for it to swing up again as she declared.

“I agree that we may be inexperienced, but we truly love each other.”

“I won’t believe empty words.”

“Then let me give you the proof you need,” Garnet said and pulled my hand.

Wondering what she was about to do, I didn’t react much as she placed both her hands on my cheek, closed her eyes, and pushed her face towards me—pressing her lips directly onto mine. Oh, wow. Garnet’s eyelashes are so long. And her breath is hitting me. I’m really ticklish when it comes to…Wait, isn’t this a kiss?!

Play along.

Garnet muttered quietly. Following that, she pulled her lips away and looked at the pale-frozen Triffin-san, as well as the count, who showed a shocked expression for the very first time.

“I believe this is enough. If you’ll excuse us,” Garnet said, once again grabbed my hand, and left the room.

We went down the stairs, stepping out of the restaurant, and before I realized it, we were already heading back to the 9th district.

“G-Garnet, that just now was…”

My head finally worked again, as I spoke up with a quivering voice. In response, Garnet showed a surprised reaction.

“Was that your first kiss? I’m sorry. It was mine, too, so let’s just say we’re even, yeah?”

“No, that’s not the problem here—”

“Enough, enough! I just got annoyed and acted like a fool! Let me repent in peace!” Garnet brushed off my words and suffered in agony as she blushed beet-red.

It seems she was just trying to put on an act, but was actually embarrassed as well. But then…even if it was necessary to satisfy Count Giraffe and Triffin-san…should she really have kissed me of all people? I looked at her with an apologetic gaze, as she glared back at me.

“Just to let you know, it may have been acting, but I wouldn’t suck on the lips of someone I hate.”

“What?!”

S-So then…I started shaking in anticipation, as Garnet laughed like a devil.

“Nobody said I like you as a man, right?”

“Daaaaaw!”

That’s just cruel! You played with my heart! As I was filled with anger and relief, Garnet suddenly continued with a serious expression.

“Either way, Triffin must have given up with this. He seemed like a genuine person, so he’ll convince my parents. Once again, thank you for helping.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

We’re team members, so I’d help her for less, and I don’t want her to suffer while just watching. In fact, I feel bad that our duty got in the way of letting her marry such a wonderful person. That’s what I told Garnet as I lowered my head, when she showed a complicated smile.

“You’re really too sincere for your own good. In fact, you’d be wasted for some moron princess out there.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t mind me. I have no intentions of letting this end up in some weird mud fight or triangle relationship. I’ve read enough about that in romance novels.”

Why’d she suddenly bring up Rufa? I don’t really get it, but there was something else that caught my attention.

“Garnet…you read romance novels?”

“Why are you so surprised about that?” She glared back at me.

I mean, you just didn’t give me the image that you were into this type of stuff…I made excuses like that, when Garnet threw the question back at me.

“What about you? Do you read any romance novels?”

“I don’t,” I answered bluntly.

Gramps had some in his bookshelves for me to read, but I didn’t really understand the appeal too much. Also, Gramps bought some other romance novels for me to learn about society, but my childhood friend stole them because I could read any. She even said “What if you get interested in human girls after reading this?!” and gave me some weird reasoning I didn’t understand, firing a rising star kick straight at my eye. I don’t understand girls. And for some reason, Garnet sighed deeply.

“I bet that childhood friend of yours is part of the reason you grew up to be such an idiot.”

That’s a cruel assumption. My childhood friend is important to me…although it’s true that she probably influenced me a lot.

“Not to mention that you didn’t even realize why she did all that. As Rufa’s friend, I should probably welcome that fact, but as a fellow woman, I can’t believe you,” Garnet said and sighed once again as she looked at me in disbelief.

What is she even talking about…? All I know is that she’s complaining about me…How cruel…

“Nothing’s cruel! I’ll make sure to fix your dense head by having you read plenty of romance novels from now on!”

“No way…”

“Don’t sound so bothered by it…What else have you been reading then?”

“Heroic tales,” I once again answered immediately.

Like the six braves who fought eons ago to protect the people of the world. It’s so exciting, right?! And yet, Garnet just flashed a bitter smile.

“Don’t know about that, but I get you’re into the whole hero stuff. Some even have romance in them, so I’ll lend you a few from the library. Read them when you have the time.”

“Really?!” I nodded with joy.

I didn’t know there was a library here. I wanted to save the money by not buying books, but this way, I can read to my heart’s content! And while we were discussing all this, the horse carriage reached the 9th district. I returned the permit to the guard as I felt oddly nostalgic being back with my own kind.

“Mister and ma’am, we’ve arrived.”

“Thank you.”

Once we reached the 7th district’s residential area, we thanked the driver and got off the horse carriage. We walked through town a bit longer as the sky started turning dark, when Garnet suddenly pulled on my arm.

“One more thing.”

“What?”

I wondered what she was about now, when she forced me to crouch down, whispering into my ear.

“Keep the fact that we kissed a secret from Rufa, okay?”

“?!”

The sensation of her dampened lips flashed back up in my head, making me blush furiously as I staggered backwards. As I landed on my butt, Garnet offered me her hand with a devilish grin.

“That reminds me, we didn’t even get to eat anything. Should we call Rufa and treat ourselves for our hard work?”

“Y-Yeah…” I took Garnet’s hand and stood up as we kept walking towards their apartment.

I was feeling pretty hungry myself, so I was more than fine with grabbing a bite to eat, but I was afraid that meeting Rufa now could make things incredibly awkward. But in the end, all I could do was chase after Garnet’s small but resolute back.

*

After Alba and Garnet left, Triffin managed to regain his composure, kneeling down in front of Count Giraffe.

“My sincerest apologies, I couldn’t respond to your expectations.”

“It is fine.” Count Giraffe’s tone suddenly changed, as he took off his beard, wiped his face with a towel, and removed his makeup.

In the end, the person appearing was the current ruler of the Empire—Emperor Geraf.

“I simply recommended a friend’s daughter for marriage. However, I can’t force anything.”

“I’m thoroughly thankful for your kind words. However…” Triffin’s expression grew grim.

The main goal of this marriage was to have her parents force Garnet into it, which would make her retire as an adventurer, which then would disrupt the progress of Rufa’s party. However, the Emperor remained calm and did not show any signs of anger.

“I’m saying it is fine. I found out what I wanted to know.”

“Huh?”

“If anything, I caused you nothing but trouble. Forgive me.” The Emperor deeply lowered his head and apologized to one of his followers.

Seeing this, Triffin panicked further than if he had been punished.

“It is all because I did not manage to charm Garnet-san’s heart quick enough. You hold no blame, Your Majesty.”

“You’re willing to say this much? It seems I have quite wonderful followers.”

“Of course!” Triffin deeply lowered his head again.

Seeing this, the Emperor spoke with a gentle tone.

“I shall reward you together with my apology later today. You are free to return to your home.”

“Thank you very much. Please excuse me.” Triffin stepped backwards, bowed one last time in front of the door, and then left the room.

Once he was alone, the Emperor sighed.

“Close.”

He would have loved to have Triffin join his ranks, but in the end, he was still a dwarf. Allowing him to live in a rural area in peace would probably give him greater happiness, so the Emperor decided against inviting him to his imperial court. Then after, he left the room, only to enter the one right next to the one he was just in. Sitting there was his good friend, the smith Redberyl, with a crystal in front of him that was imbued with Vision and Wiretap magic.

“I assume you’ve seen the result.”

“…Mm.”

The Emperor sat down in front of Redberyl, who nodded deeply. He could see and hear exactly what was going on in the room next to his.

“…Mm.”

“Redberyl, I’m not as talented as your daughter in guessing what you feel. At least talk a bit.”

“…It hurts.”

“My apologies, friend.” The Emperor apoligized.

Having witnessed that kiss, even the legendary smith Redberyl needed time to recover.

“That being said, going for a kiss despite their clear acting, I assume your daughter must be quite infatuated with the Dark Knight nonetheless.”

“…Doesn’t matter.”

“You don’t mind even if she marries a human? Well, I figured you’d say that.”

The only person who supported the Emperor in marrying an elf was his good friend Redberyl. Remembering what happened twenty years ago, the Emperor began feeling nostalgic. However, this smile quickly disappeared, as his expression changed into that of a ruler.

“There goes my plan to make her quit as an adventurer. Don’t blame me for whatever happens to your daughter from now on.”

“…Mm.” Redberyl nodded without a change in expression.

He knew that the Emperor needed the conviction to not protect his friend’s daughter if the safety of more than several thousands of people was on the line. However, he also knew that, even if the Emperor had to resort to killing her, he wouldn’t completely remove her from the surface of the earth. His only goal was to return Rufa to the castle. That’s what he used Garnet for.

“…Thanks.”

“It’s too early to thank me. Once your wife learns that the marriage failed, you’ll have bigger problems.”

“…”

Redberyl tried not to think about it, but with the Emperor pointing it out, he grew pale and silent. The Emperor flashed a bitter smile as he grabbed the crystal ball and stood up.

“Then, until next time.”

“…Mm.”

Redberyl watched the Emperor walk off and attempted to come up with an excuse towards his wife. Meanwhile, the Emperor hopped into a horse carriage that would take him back to the imperial castle.

“Are you here?”

The moment the Emperor muttered that, a black-clothed shadow appeared inside the horse carriage.

“Yes, your majesty.”

“When do I have time again?”

“Evening in 7 days.”

The shadow answered without looking at the Emperor’s schedule. Then again, the Emperor hadn’t forgotten either, he just wanted to make sure.

“I have to head south tomorrow for reasons, so I need that much time, huh?”

He wanted to get rid of this thorn in his side as quickly as possible, but sighed at the fact that things weren’t working out the way he wanted. In response, the black shadow disappeared from the horse carriage without making a sound.

“Now…what to do next.”

So he muttered, but his next plans were already decided. He may have been able to cover up the previous attempt at getting rid of Alba by using the Imperial Knight Ox and sending him to prison, but the other nobles and royalty were slowly starting to catch on. In fact, many had their eyes opened by the 7th princess Rufa, who willingly became an adventurer for the greater good. The only reason nobody dared to question things was because the nobles and adventurers were strictly separated.

It was only a matter of time until the current adventurers, not the former adventurers under the Emperor, would catch on to the truth. If they found out that the Evil God of Demise would destroy the whole world at his revival, he couldn’t just laugh it off as a conspiracy theory instigated by Alba. He needed to get rid of this threat that could ruin the Empire’s peace. And for that, the Emperor had to act himself.

“It seems I’ve lost my restraint all the same.” The Emperor sighed.

Usually, the ruler of a country should always act as the throne’s seat-warmer, but he himself enjoyed moving at the frontlines. One of the examples of this was the fact that, before he became Emperor, he stormed into the elves’ territory to steal their princess and make her, Princess Phophia, his wife. He remembered the adventures of his early days and closed his eyes as he drowned in nostalgic feelings.

“Dark Knight Alba…I look forward to seeing what you can do.” he formed a smile and took a quick nap until the horse carriage reached its destination.