On the evening of August 10th.
After shopping for school
uniforms and writing materials in the Old City, we returned home, and Liddy
started to ask if we should celebrate our acceptance.
“How about going out for
dinner somewhere?” (Guy)
Guy nodded as if we should
also celebrate our acceptance.
“Since you passed the
first and second place, I’ll try my best to find a good place.” (Guy)
It seemed that he had been
thinking about it from the beginning and had already decided on a restaurant.
“So, I’m going to change
into my best clothes.” (Liddy)
Liddy told me to change into
my best clothes, but I didn’t have much to wear other than the uniform I bought
today, and even though I had been accepted, I couldn’t wear the uniform because
I hadn’t even been admitted to the Academy yet. I just chose the most decent
looking leather pants, long boots, and a white linen shirt from my outfit. I
try on the clothes, but again, they don’t look much different from the usual.
Sharon comes downstairs,
dressed in a modest white dress and laced leather sandals. I looked at her with
an uncle’s feeling that a beautiful girl looks good no matter what she wears.
Liddy, on the other hand, was
wearing a white linen one-piece similar to Sharon’s, but this one was a real
beauty, and the clean white color suited her rich blonde hair well.
(If she wore a wide-brimmed
hat with it, she’d look like a lady of some family, but she’s holding a rugged
short sword in her hand…) (Zack)
Guy, of course, was in his
usual adventurer’s style with his longsword hanging above and below his
leathers.
At Liddy’s urging, we headed
for the downtown area of the New City- south of the city where the commercial
guilds are located.
It was still a little hot and
humid on this summer night, but still not as hot and humid as in Japan, making
it an easy place to spend the day. The people walking around the town were
enjoying themselves, perhaps on their way home from work to have a drink or
two.
Liddy paid no attention to
such scenery, and dutifully walked into a magnificent stone-built inn where a
big merchant stayed. We followed behind her, trying not to lag behind, but she
didn’t look back. She caught the attention of a waiter and said, “Lydiane
Dupré, I have a reservation.”
The waiter showed her in,
saying, “This way, madame.” There we saw not only merchants in
expensive-looking clothes, but also a smattering of aristocrats who were
apparently accompanying their children to the exam. Sharon was nervous and
stiff due to the atmosphere.
Even when I said to her,
“There’s no need to be so nervous,” she just shook her head and no
words came out. It’s true that our attire was a bit out of place in this
atmosphere.
(I know there’s no dress code,
but I wish it had been a little more casual.) (Zack)
We are guided to a table for
four while being looked at strangely by the people around us. At the table, an
elaborately made light magic tool illuminating the white cloth, and a single
flower was stuck in a small vase.
As soon as we were seated,
drinks were served. It seemed that Liddy had prepared these as well, and
everything today was going to be paid by Liddy.
A glass of white wine – made
of glass, which is rare in this world – is lined up in front of me and Sharon.
Liddy held the glass in his
hand and said, “Zack, Sharon. Congratulations on your acceptance,”
and the dinner party began.
As one would expect from a
high-class hotel restaurant, the food was served in a style similar to a French
course meal.
The appetizer of pâté, a
mixture of chicken meat and liver, was very tasty, with plenty of spices and no
gamey smell. The main course of fish was also delicately cooked, and the butter
and herbs were excellent.
I was curious about the price
and asked Liddy if it was expensive.
She laughed and did not
answer, saying, “It’s not cheap, but it’s worth it.”
We enjoyed the food and talked
about the future.
I was especially concerned
about when Guy was going to leave after seeing us pass.
I asked him when he was going
to leave.
“Well, the formalities
are over, and I was thinking of leaving the day after tomorrow.” (Guy)
If I were a parent, I would
want to see it, I asked him if he wanted to go to the entrance ceremony. He
shook his head and said,
“It has already been
about a month and a half since our departure. I’ve left the patrol of the
forest around the village in the hands of Hector, Squire Hector Marlon, Mel’s
father. So, I am to return as soon as I can.” (Guy)
As a squire, Guy’s main job is
to keep an eye on the area around the village of Rathmore. Normally, he and
Hector take turns leading the hunters Rob and his men to search for traces of monsters,
but in Guy’s absence, the burden falls solely on Hector.
“It certainly puts a
burden on Hector, but Enos—our squire, Enos Vassell, and Will–same with Will
Keegan –They will be there, too. It would be fine for another twenty days or
so. Besides, Father didn’t ask you to come back quickly, did he?” (Zack)
“The mansion has
certainly told me not to worry about the village. But, I’m not sure if Will and
Enos can handle it. I still think it’s putting a lot of burden on Hector…”
(Guy)
Guy would not budge, and he were
to leave Doctus the day after tomorrow, on August twelve.
(This early, Sharon, who will
be living alone for the first time, might get homesick. Well, we won’t be here
forever, so it might not make much difference.) (Zack)
I was worried about Sharon,
who was leaving her parents for the first time at age ten.
“Will Sharon be, okay? We
can have Guy stay a little longer.” (Zack)
She smiled at my question and
said, “I’m fine. I’m more worried about the village.”
I felt a little uneasy, but
quickly reconsidered.
(Children in this world are
quick to become independent. I heard that many children leave for an apprenticeship
at the age of ten, so maybe I don’t need to worry so much.) (Zack)
By the time the baked sweets
for dessert came out, I was starting to get a little drunk.
(It’s been a while since I’ve
had a drink, or maybe it’s because it’s the first time I’ve had a drink in this
body, but I didn’t expect to get drunk after just two glasses. It’s strange to
feel like I’m gradually becoming an adult, isn’t it? Not just the size of my
body, but also the booze and the habits…) (Zack)
And suddenly I remembered what
happened during the daytime briefing.
“Oh, by the way, I didn’t hear
anything about the top of the class giving a speech at the entrance ceremony.
You kept quiet about it.” (Zack)
I glared at her jokingly, and
Liddy’s eyes swam.
“Umm, it was so long ago
I forgot about it. …Come to think of it, I think I did something like that…”
(Liddy)
“What kind of greeting
did Liddy give? I’d love to hear it, as a reference.” (Zack)
I grinned and asked her that,
and she turned her head down.
“That’s when I started
hating going out in public. So…” (Liddy)
Apparently, the trigger for
Liddy’s androphobia was her address as the freshman representative at the
entrance ceremony.
I immediately said,
“Sorry. I didn’t realize.”, and Liddy began to giggle.
“Ufufu… I got you. It
wasn’t a lie, but I don’t care anymore. It was such a long time ago. Besides,
now I have you guys…” (Liddy)
Soon, a drunk Liddy was slumped
over me. I was about to say something when she went ahead and said, “I’ll
tell you something nice as an apology for tricking you.”
I tilted my head and said,
“Something nice?”
“We still have the speech
cards of all the student representatives from the past years. You can probably
find them in the faculty room.” (Liddy)
The past… So if you have some
templates of the phrases used before, I can easily make one.
(It seems that the experience
of writing speeches for my former boss when I was a new employee is useful. If
you mix the old and the new, I can make it feel like the old one. One less
thing to worry about.) (Zack)
We finished our meal and left
the restaurant.
On the way home, Guy was
talking to Liddy, which was unusual.
“You knew that store well. How
did you know that restaurant? It seems like you’ve been there many times
before.” (Guy)
Liddy guffawed and patted Guy
on the back.
“It was my first time
there, too. I’d only heard about that place a long time ago. I heard it was a
pretty expensive and magnificent place.” (Liddy)
I interrupted her,
“Wasn’t taste a factor in the selection process?”
“Yes, it was. I’m not as
picky about taste as you are. That’s why I told you at the beginning. I said I
spent a lot.” (Liddy)
Liddy seemed to have chosen
that restaurant only because it was famous.
The food tasted good, so I
have nothing to complain about, but Liddy is really throwing me off balance
today. She seemed to be more excited than usual, or perhaps she was not
grounded.
When I went home and
confronted Liddy about it, she replied,
“Of course, it’s because
I’m happy. I knew you were going to get in at the top of the class, and I knew
for sure both of you were going to do great… but you still become happy when
you see the results. So, you should praise Sharon more.” (Liddy)
“Well, I’d be lying if I said
I wasn’t happy too…” (Zack)
“And now it’s confirmed
that I can live with you. Sharon also placed in the top five.” (Liddy)
(I see. I rented a house, but
if Sharon had not qualified in the top five, i.e., for the entrance fee exclusion,
she might have been taken back to the village. If that had happened, I would
have gone into the dorm to discipline myself. She was concerned about that.)
(Zack)
The next day, I went around
the old town to buy souvenirs for Rathmore village.
The souvenirs were of the sort
of practical books that could be used in the village. Here in the academic city
of Doctus, many old books are sold. Among them, books on agriculture, civil
engineering and construction technology, and illustrated books on plants and
animals are necessary for the village, but they are quite expensive, so we
decided to buy them here.
Of course, the real souvenirs
would be bought by Guy in the adventurer’s town of Pericritor.
August 12.
Guy departs at sunrise.
I had finished writing the
letter to my parents last night and had given it to him.
Guy rented a horse from the
Adventurers’ Guild, we went to see him off.
“Well, you are probably
safer on your own than with us, but still, be careful on the way. Give my
regards to Father and the others.” (Zack)
I take Guy’s hand and send him
off with a handshake.
Sharon looked a little
downcast, looking very sad.
After Guy said, “Don’t
bother Master Zack,” hugging her, saying in a quiet voice, “This is a
good opportunity for you to enjoy yourself.”
At his words, tears came to
both of Sharon’s eyes.
“Take care of yourself, Father.
I’ll do my best too…” (Sharon)
Guy bowed his head to me once
more, and then, he mounted his horse and headed east along the road.
We watched him until he was
out of sight, then slowly made our way back to the house.
From now on, the three of us
will start living together.
(For me, this is the first
time in this world that I will be out from under the protection of my
grandfather and father. Up until now, one of my squires has been helping me
out, no matter what. I have Liddy, but as for me, I want to be the one to
protect her, not the one being protected by her. So, from today on, I will be
on my own. I’m going to be the man who protects my family like my father and
grandfather…) (Zack)
I was just getting fired up when
Liddy suddenly hugged me.
“From today onwards, we’re
going to start living together today. Five years will fly by, so you have to
enjoy it.” (Liddy)
When she said that with a
smile, my spirits were somewhat dampened.
(I was so pumped up… Well,
there is such a thing as having fun… No, I’m here to get stronger. I need to
not get swept away…) (Zack)
“It’s one thing to have
fun, but we need to be strong. We need to keep up with Mel and Dan who are
still in the village.” (Zack)
Sharon nodded at my words, but
Liddy’s mouth twitched as she said, “Too serious.” But soon enough, she
says, “Right. We don’t want to play around here and regret it
later…” She really understands.
Before she changed her mind, I
said, “So, I’m thinking of heading to the forest now,” and started
putting on my equipment.