Kent woke up in the morning.
Beside him, Caro was sleeping soundly.
Since there was still time before he had to wake up, he gazed at Caro’s face for a while. Her sleeping face was cute, and he could watch her forever without getting bored. After watching for a bit, Caro’s eyes blinked open.
“Ah, Kent. Good morning.”
“Good morning, Caro.”
“I was relieved to see your face when I woke up. Chu!”
Caro gave Kent a good morning kiss. After they cuddled for a short while, they decided to have breakfast. Carrying the bucket and towel they had used the previous day, they went downstairs. In the dining space on the lower floor, several customers were eating breakfast. Kent and Caro returned the bucket and towel and sat at a vacant table.
“Good morning. Two for breakfast, is that correct?”
A young waitress asked them.
“Yes, for two, please.”
“That will be 4 large copper coins (400G) for the two of you.”
Kent paid four large copper coins to the waitress.
“Thank you. Please wait a moment, I’ll bring it right over.”
After a short while, the waitress brought breakfast for the two of them.
“It’s just bread.”
“It’s just bread.”
Caro and Kent said in unison. A drink that resembled warm milk was served with it, but the main dish was one slightly large, flat bread. Looking around, other customers had the same menu. However, the others seemed to be eating their bread with enjoyment.
“May I sit here?”
“Yes, please do.”
Someone spoke, and Kent replied without checking who it was.
“Faaaah. Good morning.”
“Good morning.”
The person who sat next to them was the female swordsman they had met on the stagecoach yesterday.
After paying the waitress, the same menu as Kent and his companions was placed on their table.
“You look very sleepy.”
“Yeah. The couple next door was quite active last night. It was the room at the back on the second floor, and it seemed they were… occupied. Their noises were so loud, I couldn’t sleep if I got curious.”
“That must have been tough.”
When Kent asked, the female swordsman replied. However, the room she was referring to was the one Kent and Caro had used. Caro blushed shyly and looked down. The female swordsman apparently didn’t know that Kent and Caro were staying next door.
“To think they’d serve flat bread these days… In Tiol, the bread has become fluffy.”
“Are there other towns that sell fluffy bread?”
At the female swordsman’s words, Kent was surprised to learn that there were other towns that sold fluffy bread. He thought that yeast, which is necessary to make fluffy bread, could be easily made if one could just manage the temperature, so it wouldn’t be strange for someone to know how to make it.
“Kent… are you serious?”
“Huh?”
Caro looked at Kent with an expression of disbelief and asked.
“Do you not know the name of the town you live in?”
“Now that you mention it, I might not.”
“The town where I, and Kent, live is Tiol.”
“Wh-What!!”
Kent exclaimed, his face looking like someone investigating a mystery in glasses.
“I-I didn’t know…”
“Even though you seem to know everything, sometimes you don’t know things everyone else knows. I like that playful side of you, Kent.”
The female swordsman, who could only watch as they entered their own world, pondered what to do.
“Is it alright if I continue…?”
The female swordsman said apologetically.
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry.”
Kent and Caro hurriedly turned towards the female swordsman.
“Still, I’m surprised. To think that at this age, there are people who don’t know the name of the town they live in.”
The female swordsman said, looking at Kent with interest.
(Don’t worry, I know one other person who doesn’t know their town’s name.)
“So, about what I was saying earlier, my sister really liked that bread and told me to try it too. The moment I took a bite, my world changed. Ever since then, I’ve only eaten fluffy bread.”
The female swordsman said, her eyes distant as if thinking of her family. Kent hadn’t really observed her closely until now, so he decided to examine her at his leisure. Her build… for a swordsman, she was slender, about the same height as Kent, and her chest… felt like it was non-existent. Her face was well-formed and beautiful. She had long silver hair tied back.
“Kent… don’t stare so intently.”
Caro scolded Kent when he was observing the female swordsman.
“That’s right, young man. It’s not good to stare at women like that. You won’t get any girls that way.”
“What are you saying to Kent? Kent is very popular with girls.”
Following Caro, the female swordsman also spoke, but Caro’s mood soured, and she yelled at the female swordsman.
“I apologize for that… I will atone.”
The female swordsman apologized and bowed her head, unable to withstand Caro’s pressure. However, given that Kent had been looking at her in the first place, she seemed to feel it was unreasonable.
“Um, from listening to your conversation yesterday, is it Kent and Caro?”
“Yes.”
“I see. Then I’ll introduce myself as well. My name is Elnet. My profession is a swordsman. Please take care of me.”
“By the way, what kind of work is being a swordsman?”
After they had both introduced themselves, Kent asked.
“Mainly guarding and security, working for those who employ me. I don’t have an employer right now, so I’m basically… unemployed.”
“Unemployed? If you’re having trouble finding work, I can introduce you. By the way, what is your business in this town?”
“Hahaha, at that time, please take care of me. Well, I came to this town to visit a friend, but unfortunately, he’s not here. It seems this trip was in vain.”
“Is that so? That’s a shame.”
Their conversation was flowing well between Kent and Elnet.
“Ow!”
Suddenly, Kent felt a sharp pain in his thigh.
“Kent, what’s wrong?”
“…No, it’s nothing.”
The cause of the sharp pain was Caro pinching his thigh.
“Kent, how can you be getting along so well with her when she’s right here?”
Caro said, extremely angry.
“Sorry, sorry. But Caro, you do things like this too, don’t you?”
“…Ah, how could I…”
Caro drooped and looked down at Kent’s retort.
“You two are very close. I had a fiancé, but he unilaterally broke off our engagement. I took up the sword to release that stress, and it turned out to be surprisingly fitting… I’ve said too much unnecessary things.”
“Elnet, you had a fiancé?”
“Well, yes. He was a prince of a certain country… well, this country, actually. Honestly, that damn prince.”
When Kent replied to what Elnet said, he received an astonishing answer.
“Won’t this be considered lese-majesty?”
“It’s not a public setting, so it’s a gray area… probably.”
When Kent asked Caro, she replied.
“The prince of this country, is it Lord Gordon?”
Kent asked Elnet.
“Gordon… Ah, he’s one of the lower princes. No, it’s not him.”
“But if you could be engaged to a prince, Elnet, are you of very high status?”
“Well, my family is of a certain standing. But now I’m a swordsman like this, so you can treat me like a commoner, I don’t mind.”
Elnet replied with a laugh to Kent’s question.
“You two are returning on today’s stagecoach, aren’t you? I’ll be relaxing in my room until departure, so I’ll see you later. I haven’t slept much, so I’m going to take a rest.”
“Yes, see you later.”
“Good night.”
Elnet finished her meal, yawned, and went upstairs.
“Kent… I feel like I’ve met her somewhere before…”
“Really? Well, her family seems to be quite well-off, maybe you saw her at a noble’s party or something?”
“That might be it.”
After finishing their meal, Kent and Caro left their luggage with the front desk until the time for their return carriage and proceeded to conduct their second day of inspection.
