“Hehe, it’s a trip, a trip~”
Millia bit into her toast with a very happy face. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of her favorite buttered toast, only to sigh at the presence of an uninvited guest poking at my ankle.
“I can’t tell if it’s a cat or a goddess.”
“Either way, I want to taste that toast too.”
I set the plate with my share of toast right in front of Hecate. She immediately tore into the toast as if satisfied with my offering.
“How cute…”
“Ashley, I would appreciate it if you could toast more of my share.”
“Yes. Please wait a moment.”
Ashley giggled as she left the cafeteria. Was my act of handing the whole plate to a cat that funny?
As I turned my gaze away from Ashley, I noticed Millia watching Hecate devour the toast.
“Johann, is this cat really a goddess?”
“Yup.”
“So cute~”
Millia reached out and scratched the back of Hecate’s neck. Hecate shook her head a few times in annoyance, but when Millia didn’t stop, she seemed to give up and contentedly continued munching on the toast.
…Has she been a cat for so long that she’s half turned into one?
Lost in these useless thoughts, I caught Karina staring at me. Meeting her gaze, she offered me a soft smile and asked.
“Johann, have you decided where we’re going?”
“Do you remember the mansion I bought in the capital?”
“Yes. It was a nice mansion…”
“I was thinking of that hill behind the mansion. I used to stop by sometimes to maintain it. How about we go there? If you have somewhere else you want to go, that’s fine too.”
“No, I think that place would be nice.”
“I want to visit the hill that the uncle took care of.”
“Me too!”
“I agree!”
“Oh, speaking of which, I think I have the documents related to the mansion. I should check them before we go. And the siblings too…”
“Of course.”
I have to take them along.
“Since it’s a picnic, alcohol…”
“No way.”
I glanced at Renny, who looked sulky at Karina’s sharp denial, and subtly left a sign. They wouldn’t let me drink much, but I’d make sure they get a taste of it.
Renny quickly turned her eyes away, trying to hide her rising smile.
Such a tight grip.
Being bound to the duties of a knight, there’s no way around it, but if she feels that way, she really should have a day off. Problem is, it’ll be tough thanks to me, but… I don’t feel the need to bring in another knight at Yeomyeong-gwan.
The minimum requirement for a knight is to endure Renny’s strike at the very least.
If you can’t even do that, there’s no point in having a knight.
The current enemy is the outsiders, and the smallest unit capable of opposing them should be at least Renny’s level. Maybe I could stretch it to Kalintz or Geren.
If they are weaker than those guys, they can’t do the job of a knight.
Once we wipe out those outsiders, then… well, will I really need a knight?
I’ll be right there with them.
Not unless someone is crazy enough to provoke a human who just took down a dragon.
“What will you all do?”
“I’ll go too!”
“I’ll go as well.”
For the first time in a while, Lewis and Shuri will be moving with us. It’s been months.
“Then after breakfast, let’s pack our things and gather in the lobby. Got it?”
“Yes!”
Hearing their cheerful reply, I took a bite out of the freshly placed toast in front of me.
—————————-
“It’s been a while since we came to this mansion.”
Karina fiddled with her black hair as she looked up at the mansion. Glancing at her side profile, I saw a delighted expression on her face.
“Looks like everything is well-maintained.”
I hadn’t managed the mansion in the last few months, leaving it to the caretaker, but seeing it like this, I felt comfortable leaving it under their care longer. They hadn’t even contacted me, yet it looked as clean as if it had just been cleaned.
“Hehe, I’m so glad to be back in the capital! But I’d love to ride in a carriage and travel leisurely later.”
“A carriage? Isn’t that a hassle?”
It would probably be uncomfortable and take a long time.
Millia puffed up her cheeks and shouted at my response.
“That’s what’s good! Enjoying the scenery while swaying in a carriage and cuddling! Like a romance novel!”
…So she just wants to doddle in a carriage after all.
“I guess we’ll have the chance later. Didn’t you say you’d take me to Snow Mountain after graduation?”
Speaking of which, I wonder how Wendy is doing?
I should visit her when we go to Snow Mountain.
Unless she comes to me first…
“Hehe, just like Millia said, it sounds nice to ride in a carriage and enjoy the scenery while spending time!”
“Wow… everyone’s really into this…”
“I can do it too!”
“Thanks… but is it okay to get cheered on like this…?”
Viola tilted her head, looking confused.
In a normal situation, it would indeed be weird to receive cheers from a rival in love, but since I was the one who declared I would accept all six of them, common sense doesn’t apply here.
“Johann, do you have something to say to the caretaker? I’m planning to tell them something before we head to the hill—”
“Oh, about that…”
I added that I would provide a bonus to the caretaker who has been maintaining everything well, along with various matters I wanted to convey. Sif wrote down my words in a notebook she pulled from somewhere and then dashed inside the mansion.
“Ugh, so we unpack and then head to the hill, right?”
Renny looked at me with eager eyes as she asked. Though she didn’t outright say it, I could guess what she was thinking.
Ah, she’s really thirsty for some booze.
“Yeah. Let’s unpack first.”
We each took our bags and stepped inside the mansion.
Naturally, what greeted us was silence.
Excluding a few servants, there was no one else around, which made sense. We moved to the room we used during summer vacation to unpack and gathered in the lounge with just the bare essentials.
“Johann! Let’s buy snacks for the picnic at the market!”
“Speaking of which, Martina mentioned that there’s a trending food in the capital…”
“Well, let’s set off right away.”
Weekends are short, so we’ve got to move swiftly. One by one, we stood up and headed for the streets of the capital. It was bustling, probably because it was a weekend. It was so crowded that if we lost our grasp on each other’s hands, we could get lost immediately.
“Wait, who’s that?!”
“It’s Sir Quartz!”
“Long live Sir Quartz!”
…I should have disguised myself like Karina.
With a sigh, I moved forward, greeting the citizens one by one.
It did delay us a bit, but I managed some minor gains.
“Sir Quartz, how could I accept money! Guys! Sir Quartz says he wants to eat our food!”
“We’ll prepare the tastiest dish!”
“I’m planning to have it packaged.”
“They’ll even prepare it to go!”
“Yes!”
Seeing my reputation like this was honestly quite fearsome.
Showing up unexpectedly like this and receiving such service. I took a rather heavy box and turned to leave.
“It’ll be an honor if you visit again!”
“Got it. Then do well in your business.”
I was already feeling tired. We promptly returned to the mansion’s lounge and sat down.
“Hehe, Johann is super popular~”
“I don’t get why you’re so happy about it.”
“Because Johann is popular?”
“Well, I feel a bit tired, but still, it feels nice to see Johann getting recognized.”
That’s true.
If I had taken down a dragon and no one knew, that would be quite disappointing. It’s somewhat regrettable that my reputation has risen so much that walking around feels a bit laborious.
I can’t even dream of a quiet date.
“Since time has passed more than I expected, we should head to the hill now.”
“Ugh, right. We can take a break on the hill.”
We all exited the lounge and stepped outside the mansion. The path to the hill was at the back of the mansion, so we walked around half of the mansion and started down the way to the hill.
“The path is well maintained.”
“Johann! What flower is this?”
“It’s Champetis. A flower used in alchemy, and it grows around here.”
“It feels like my heart is healing.”
“Is this healing~?”
“Healing it is~!”
“The feeling of coming out for a picnic instead of training feels strange.”
As we walked along the path that was mine alone, away from intruders, I could hear peaceful conversations from behind. It seemed like everyone enjoyed this hill quite a bit.
In fact, the charm of this hill lies at the peak.
We continued to climb the hill.
The hill wasn’t too high, so it took us about 30 minutes to reach the top.
“There’s a tree!”
“It’s really big.”
“It feels so sacred…”
“It’s the World Tree.”
“Excuse me?”
“It’s a manifestation of the World Tree.”
As expected, immersion therapy with the World Tree.
I sat in front of the World Tree and slowly began to unpack the snacks I brought. From various desserts to sandwiches, it was a feast of delicious food, making everyone gasp in admiration.
“It looks delicious…”
“To have snacks here, it’s really extravagant… It’s a place where even a thousand gold wouldn’t get you…”
“Johann, can I try that…?”
I couldn’t help but smile at Terry, who was pointing at the cookies with twinkling eyes, and replied.
“Then let’s start the picnic.”
