Dream Life Vol II Chapter 72.1: “From Quartet to Sextet”

　August 28, 313 in the Tria calendar

　It was an early afternoon that day when I returned to our house in Doctus for the first time in two months.

　However, there was much to do, such as returning the horses and greeting the Litorf and Novello families next door, and eventually, as the sun was setting, we were finally able to settle in.

　After taking a breather, I realized that there was a problem.

　It was the room assignment.

　Up until now, the four rooms on the second floor had been used as bedrooms, and when there were four of us, one room per person was no problem. However, with the addition of two more people, there are now, of course, six of us, and there is not enough room.

　It was relatively easy to decide that Mel and Sharon, who have been good friends for a long time, would share a room, but it was difficult to decide on a room for Dan to sleep in.

　At first, I thought it would be easy enough for Dan to share a room with me since we are both men, but Dan, Mel, and Sharon objected to that.

　The reason was that as the head of the family, I should have my own room, which would mean that Liddy and Beatrice would share a room.

　Liddy wanted a private room, and I decided it was appropriate considering her personality. That left Mel in the same room with Beatrice and Dan in the same room with his sister, Sharon. However, Sharon is getting to be old enough to not want to share a room with a man, no matter how much they are brother and sister. Mel, although she was used to it, would not feel comfortable in the same room as Beatrice.

　After much deliberation, they decided to use a two-tatami mat room on the first floor that had been used as a storage room, it became Dan’s bedroom. It was originally a maid’s room and had a window. It is a living room, but it is quite small compared to the other rooms.

　For now, I took out the things that had been in there and put a cot for guests, but it almost fills the room by itself.

　When I said I was sorry, Dan smiled and said, “This room is more than enough. “

　In a typical rural house in this part of the world, the whole family sleeps in the same room. Even in the village of Rathmore, most of the farmhouses are built that way.

　Our squires’ houses are not that small, but it still has a couple’s room and a child’s room, and Dan said that after Sharon entered the academy, he and his youngest sister, Eunice, occupied a room together.

　He had been in the same room with his sister before coming here, and he was really happy to get a room by himself for the first time.

　The next day, August 29.

　We went to the guild to register Mel and Dan as adventurers.

　Beatrice became their guardian, so they registered without any problems, and we quickly made our way to the training grounds behind the guild.

　The weather was unfavorable, as it looked like it was going to rain this morning, and we had not originally planned to go into the forest to recover from the trip.

　Mel and Dan entered the guild’s training grounds for the first time, and their eyes lit up at the sight of adventurers and mercenaries training around them. However, their expressions soon turned to disappointment.

　When I asked Mel why, she honestly replied, “I thought there were more strong people in the village.”

　There were indeed a lot of fierce fighters of over 50 levels, and the Lockhart family, which treats the village patrol mercilessly, was doing more worthwhile training than the city.

“Well, they’re not here today, but there are some extremely talented people here. Just like Beatrice is.”  (Zack)

　Mel gave a small nod and began to swing a wooden sword in his hand. I did the same, and when I had warmed up to a certain degree, I began a mock battle with Beatrice.

　After about an hour of mock battles with Beatrice and the others, we were taking a break when Gerald, a second rank adventurer, approached us.

　He smirked and said, “There are two more of them, are they part of your harem?”

　Before I could respond, he said, “You’re the all-around harem prince, the all-range prince.” I thought he was talking lightly as usual, but he tapped me on the shoulder as he looked at Dan.

　I thought it was my usual flippant remark and tried to let it slide, but Mel shouted, “Don’t you dare mock Master Zack!”

　Mel is a beautiful girl with red hair and double-lidded, bright eyes, and she usually has a cheerful expression on her face that keeps her smiling. However, at that moment, her eyes were wide open, revealing her anger.

　As long as I’m in the village, no one will make fun of me, so she’s not immune to such things.

　So Mel was really angry.

　Gerald was startled for a moment by the force of it, then, with an evil-looking smile on his face, he said, “Zack,” and put his hand on my shoulder.

“After a tiger, now a wildcat? Boy, you can handle these types, can’t you?” (Gerald)

　Gerald teases me again in his usual tone.

　I don’t respond to his teasing but introduce Mel and Dan.

“Melissa Marlon. That’s Dan Jakes. We’ve known each other since I was a kid.” (Zack)

　Gerald mutters, “Oh, childhood friends, huh…,” and squints.

　Mel is still glaring at Gerald, as her anger has not subsided. Dan’s was not quite as friendly, but he bowed his head in a sort of casual bow.

　At Gerald’s unreserved stare, Mel said, “I won’t allow this to go any further! You, fight me!” and thrust a wooden sword at him.

　As was the case with Beatrice, Mel seemed to have a tendency to talk to each other with his sword rather than using words.

　But Gerard waved his hand and said, “You’re no match for me, girl.”

(He’s got a point. Even I can’t stand up to him. He may look lousy, but Gerald is a first-rate swordsman. In the Lockhart family, he’s probably as good as Nicholas.) (Zack)

　I was about to call out to her to get her to stop. But a moment earlier, Dan had called out to Gerald.

“Please fight with me too. I think two-on-one would be a little more competitive.” (Dan)

　Gerald muttered, “Two against one, huh…” but showed no sign of complying.

　Beatrice interrupted, smiling.

“Why don’t you just put Zack and Sharon in there and spar with the ‘Zack Quartet’?　Wouldn’t that be more fun? (Beatrice)

　Gerald shook his head.

“You are being unreasonable. I’m going to become a vanguard against Zack and Sharon, and I’m no match for them. I’ll end up getting blown to bits by an [Air Hammer].” (Gerald)

　Beatrice was about to say something else when Gerald cowered and said, “All right, all right. I should be fine with that young lady and young man.”

　Perhaps bored, the adventurers, who had been watching the scene, gathered around to see what fun they could see.

“Two against one against Zack’s friend. Gerald, don’t lose even as a mistake.” (Adventurer)

　Amidst these voices, Mel and Dan began preparing for the mock battle.

　Mel, as usual, was armed with a bastard-type wooden sword, while Dan had a short, one-handed wooden sword at his waist and a short bow at the ready.

　Then, as usual Mel and Dan split into their roles as vanguard and rearguard.

　Gerald sees this, says a small “Huh,” and grabs his wooden sword. He did not hold it up, but held it like a staff and said, “Whenever you’re ready, kids.”

　As a matter of fact, this is Gerald’s style, but first-time opponents often mistake him for a lousy bastard.

　At first, I thought he was insulting me, too, but his response was the same no matter who he was dealing with.