“Oh, right. They were adventurers too.” [Ryouma]
“Yeah. They were in the same B Rank party as me. They tried to hide their social status at first, but they just couldn’t hide their interest in luxurious goods.” [Hyuzu]
‘They were so out of place in the guild’, Hyuzu-san said with a laugh.
“At first, i just thought they were some weirdos, but a huge job was posted, requiring the help of many adventurers. I was made to participate with an impromptu party, but we couldn’t coordinate well, and we ended up getting almost wiped out. When everyone was hurt and the only one left who could move was me the two of them appeared and saved us. I wanted to thank them and repay them for saving my life, but we hit it off and so we started working together.” [Hyuzu]
“By the way, I also got to know them because of that job.” [Zeff]
“You too, Zeff-san? Does that mean that was the case for you too, Camil-san?” [Ryouma]
“Ah, no. In my case, I…” [Camil]
“Camil came later than us. He’s good at magic, but the rest of his skills are questionable. We had to take care of him for a while.” [Hyuzu]
“Hey! Don’t tell him that! Ryouma-kun, don’t misunderstand, okay? My skills aren’t ‘questionable’, they’re ‘normal’. I just wasn’t good enough to become a first-rate B Rank adventurer. That’s all.” [Camil]
“Well, let’s just leave it at that.” [Hyuzu]
“He actually is a skilled mage able to deal with various situations, though. Even if the master had taken him with him, he still couldn’t have become a guard if he didn’t have the abilities for it.” [Jill]
When Jill-san said that, Camil-san breathed a sigh of relief. It was also then that I understood that although the four of them had a good relationship, the reason Camil-san always felt like he was their kouhai was because he was their kouhai back when they were still adventurers.
“Anyway, near the end of our adventurer days, we thought of striving to become A Rankers, but the duke and the madam had already run out of time. It was then that they first revealed to us their social status. They said that they had to marry each other and inherit the house of a duke.” [Hyuzu]
“That shocked the hell out of me… Although the marriage wasn’t a big deal since the two of them were already always together, and we already knew that they were nobles, but…” [Zeff]
“You never once thought that they would be the heir to a duke and his fiancee?” [Ryouma]
“Yeah, exactly. But anyway, since that was the case, we had to talk about what we would be doing next. It was then that we were invited. He told us that since he already knew our abilities and already knew that we could be trusted, we should become his guards..
To be honest, I was worried, but at the time, I felt that even if we parted ways, I wouldn’t find a party stronger than what we had. Moreover, it would be hard for a normal adventurer to meet with the heir of a duke, so if I responded poorly then, I figured we probably wouldn’t have the chance to talk again. That would have been a waste, after all, we finally became friends. I couldn’t just up and leave and say ‘Aight, nice knowing you.’ …Know what I mean?” [Hyuzu]
So that’s why Hyuzu-san was hired. He could retire anytime he wanted, but being employed by a duke was an opportunity hard to come by, so he decided to take the offer first.
“Unfortunately, it’s because I joined with that kind of mindset that I kept getting in trouble with Jill. Turns out that was quite the problem.” [Hyuzu]
“Of course it was a problem! The guards of the nobles, especially those that are to be positioned near them, need to be completely loyal. Ever since I’ve been permitted to work at this manor, I have been resolved to offer my life—” [Jill]
It’s probably because of the liquor, but Jill-san started to nag at Hyuzu-san. The other two calmed him down, but he continued talking.
He mostly talked about the things he was anxious about that he couldn’t talk about before because Hyuzu-san wasn’t married. They weren’t things I could understand since I myself have never married despite having lived two lives. I still tried to encourage them in my own way despite that, but…
“Zzz…” [Hyuzu]
“…Maybe, that’s why…” [Jill]
“…” [Zeff]
“…” [Camil]
“Hello? Guys? …It’s no good. They’re completely out of it.” [Ryouma]
Everyone had fallen asleep.
“…Can anyone help?” [Ryouma]
When I called out like that—
“Did you call?” [???]
—After a few seconds, a voice responded.
It sounded like it belonged to a woman. Only, it came from behind me. And as far as I know, there shouldn’t have been anyone there.
And then, I heard it. The sound of footsteps approaching as they grazed through the grass.