I turned my head to the sudden voice and saw Rachael looking down at the ground. She was tightly clutching the Snorra puppy to her chest. I wondered what she wanted...
“I-I’m sorry... About the other day... I... I understand just how far I have to go, now...”
Oh my... This is a far cry from the smug little girl I spoke to recently. Looks like she’s been thinking things through. Actually, now that I look back on the day, she’s been acting more awkward around me than hateful... Guess that makes sense...
“...It’s alright. Just remember that you can’t ever assume yourself to be the best. There are many people in the world who can surpass you in a lot of different ways. Even I have people that I can’t match in certain fields, and I lose to them every day.”
“Wh-What?! Really?!” It would be more apt to call them gods rather than people, but still... I wondered when I’d actually be able to win. I was probably a thousand or so years too early...
“I... have to protect Ernie... Even though I thought I was unbeatable... I still lost to you, so I’ve been thinking more about just how strong I actually am...”
She was starting to sound more and more miserable, and she let her head hang in shame. Huh... Guess she’s the one lacking in self-confidence for once... Geez...
It wasn’t like she wasn’t strong. Her opponent was just an overpowered matchup... But I couldn’t say that to her, since she wouldn’t take it as sincere.
I was at a loss for words, but Leen suddenly opened her mouth.
“If you become strong, you’ll be able to protect the king of Palouf, that much is true. But any strong knight could do that, couldn’t they? You need to think harder, young lady. There’s something only you can do.”
“H-Huh...?” Leen’s words prompted Rachael to raise her head.
“A king’s life is a life of hardship and struggle. Sometimes it can be hard to face those things alone. That’s why you need to be his rock. Sure, his advisors can support political and military matters, but you must be there to support his heart. You need to stay by his side, to worry alongside him, laugh alongside him, smile with him, and be there for him. You don’t have to protect him with raw strength alone. You can become his support by being there for him on a personal level. That’s something only you can do. You can become a shield that protects the heart of the one that matters to you... Just like me.” Leen smiled and took my hand.
O-Oh geez, how embarrassing... Paula suddenly put her hands to her own face as if she was blushing. Damn it, Paula, your mime skills are too good!
“Can I really do that...? Can I become his shield...?”
“A good woman can be just that for her man. She can become an irreplaceable person in his life. If you ask me, you’re the only one who can do that for him. I’m sure of it... Only you can support the king’s heart, and walk by his side. Don’t lose hope.”
“...O-Okay!” Rachael smiled up at us both and ran back to rejoin the others from Palouf.
She certainly made a speedy recovery... I grinned a little as I saw her cling to Ernest’s arm.
“That was some interesting advice you had for her there.”
“Well, it wasn’t entirely my idea... It was just me telling her what your sister told me, Darling...”
So this was Karen’s doing... No wonder it sounded so sappy... But man, she really has a way with words. It’s actually a little scary, honestly.
“So, where shall we go now, Darling?”
“Ah... My arm...”
Leen tugged at my arm as if to guide me down the street. I was seriously embarrassed...
“Hmm? You don’t want to lock arms with me, Darling? I may not be proficient at clinging to you... Do you think you’re the only one shy here? I’m the one summoning the courage to take the initiative... Shouldn’t you play along?”
“Ahh... I guess you’re right. Hm... There’s gonna be a puppet show in a little while. Wanna go see it?”
“As you wish, Grand Duke!” Leen smiled and gave a wink to accompany her half-joking response, and we walked off into the crowd.
◇ ◇ ◇
The second day was well underway.
The baseball finals and the shogi placement matches were going on during this day. In the morning there’d be the semi-final matches with Lestia vs Mismede at stadium one, and Belfast vs Regulus at stadium two. Then, in the afternoon, the winning teams would face off against each other in the final match.
There was also going to be a third-place match around lunch. We made sure the teams didn’t get worn out, though. There were plenty of stamina potions on hand from Flora and the alchemy lab.
The shogi matches were going to be going on from morning until night. We’d had a startlingly large number of participants, more than we’d scheduled for.
Shogi did have time limits to the moves, but the rules were overly complicated. I decided that we’d just give each player a maximum of two minutes to make their turn.
We were able to enforce this through the use of magic shogi pieces that turned grey after one minute, and then black after two. It was pretty simple.
If they played the turn before the piece turned black, they’d be safe. Otherwise, they’d forfeit.
We also had an hourglass to show players exactly how much time they had left.
Honestly, I wished for the tournament to go on a proper schedule, but there were way more participants than we’d anticipated. Shogi was a game that cared not for age or gender, so all kinds of people decided to give it a try. I was sure that there’d also be people who would want to draw out their turns as long as possible so they could think.
Either way, the preliminaries would be concluded today, and the winners would end up going against each other and the special players I’d invited on the third day.
The hall room was crowded with participants and spectators alike when I arrived. A few of the invitees, like Dolan and the young king of Palouf, were already keenly observing some of the matchups.
I personally didn’t care all that much about shogi, so I was content just to walk around a bit.
One of the participants had intentionally flipped the table over when he was about to lose, but we had specialized shogi boards that recorded the positions of each piece. His attempt was completely in vain... Disqualified, of course. Some people really had no manners at all.
Old man Naito was in charge of overseeing these matches, but he was clearly hungover from his partying the previous night.
“Yeah... Pretty sure he’s still a little drunk, actually...”
“It still seems that everyone is enjoying themselves, it does. Look over there, an older man is happily playing with a younger opponent, he is...” Yae pointed over toward what was probably a grandpa and grandson playing a match of shogi together. From the looks of things, the kid was giving the old man a serious run for his money.
“Oh, that reminds me, Yae... Is it fine for you to be away from Jutaro?”
Yae and Hilde had ostensibly signed up for security detail with their families, so I was curious why Yae was here instead of walking around with her brother like Hilde was with her own.
“My brother will be working hard in the tournament tomorrow, he will. That is why he has been training in the grounds since this morning, he has. I do not wish to bother him, so... I... I thought I would join you today, Touya-dono...” Yae blushed slightly as she interlaced her fingers together. I certainly had no reason not to go along with her, so I was flattered.
“Alright, should we check out the baseball stadiums? It should be about time for the teams to be decided.”
“A-Ah... W-Well, in that case... could I go and change my clothes first, could I? I would like to meet you at the Silver Moon, I would...”
“Huh? Sure, I guess...?”
Yae nodded and began making a beeline for the castle. I didn’t really think there was a need for her to change... But she was probably self-conscious about being sweaty from her morning training.
I started heading toward the Silver Moon, but stopped when someone tugged hard at the hem of my coat. I almost tripped over.
Just as I turned around to complain, I noticed it was the tiny little boozehound gremlin... Suika. Just what the hell did she want?!
“...Just what are you doing?”
“Touya brooo... The god of alcohol needs your helppp... Money... Money me now... I need money... Karina took my booze! Gimme money! It’s a sin not to get smashed during a festival! Auuugh!” Suika started to loudly grumble as she clutched on to me.
Let go already! Your nose is running! I figured since she was the god of alcohol she could make her own booze out of nothing, but that wasn’t the case. Since it required divinity, she wasn’t allowed to do that down here. As far as her powers went, she had advanced analysis allowing her to identify any booze she drank, and she also had the ability to remain sober no matter how much alcohol she ingested. She didn’t really have much in the way of practical powers, it seemed.
Then again... I wonder if she can use the drunken fist style... That’d be scary...
“Don’t you have a magic cup that can produce infinite liquor? It’s one of your sacred treasures, isn’t it?”
“Don’t gimme thaaat! That cup can only make sacred wine! I’m sick and tired of drinking iiit, aaagh! I don’t wanna drink that! I wanna drink the different stuff in this festival! There’s stuff from all over here! C’mon! C’mon!” Suika started stomping her feet like a child. I could understand her feelings, but I wished she acted a little more adult... She was supposed to be a divine being, after all. Did she have no pride as a goddess?
They said that you couldn’t win an argument against kids or drunks, and sadly she was both.
Ah crap... People are looking at us...
I sighed quietly and squatted down so my eyes were level with hers.
“You can drink after the festival is over. If you stay sober and help the maids out, we’ll arrange it so you can drink some varied stuff afterward, alright?”
“That’s all you had to say, Boss! I’ll drink nothing if it means I can get what I want later! Promise! I’m going sober from now on!”
It was honestly a little weird to see someone who resembled a child talking about going sober. But frankly, it was whatever. I was just glad she wasn’t gonna be annoying anymore.
“Alright, then. Is that fine? Just... take this with you for the time being, okay? It should tide you over.” I opened up [Storage] and took out one gold coin, and a bag of beef... Or rather, dragon meat jerky. Then, I passed them over to Suika.
The one coin would be enough of an allowance for her, and I was sure she’d spend it on booze. Cheap or pricey, alcohol was alcohol to her.
According to Suika, even the taste didn’t matter all that much. She said that even bad booze had its own nuance and flavor, which was something I couldn’t wrap my head around. I was honestly curious about why she wanted to savor the various drinks at the festival when she’d probably tried them all before anyway, but I couldn’t be bothered to give her the time of day. Still, with that much, it’d be fine for her to last the three days. At least that way I didn’t have to worry about her hounding me again.
“Woohoo! Thank youuu! Thanks so much, Big Bro!” Suika gave me a quick peck on the cheek and toddled away rapidly in the direction of the liquor store. Buying her affection sure didn’t take much...
After leaving her behind, I headed on to the Silver Moon, which was far more crowded than usual.
It was just before noon, and the dining hall was absolutely packed with diners. The guests were being kept waiting even longer than they were on the first day... It was probably understaffed because Dolan had gone to watch the shogi matches.
It wasn’t usually so busy, so just a couple of wait staff were enough to handle the crowds on an average day.
I poked my head into the kitchen and saw Micah desperately working on dish after dish. She was clearly fighting her own war in there.
“Hey there. Need any help? Pfft.”
“Ah, come in, come in! I’m really busy, sorry! Could you take this order to table three, please?!”
I had actually been joking when I said that, but it looked like she’d seriously taken me up on the offer. She immediately thrust a tray of soup, meat, and fried veggies on me. What, seriously?! There’s no way I can say I was kidding now... I’ll look like an asshole! I took out the order to table three, lining up the dishes in front of the guests. As I finished up there, another diner raised their hand and waved me over.
“Hey there, get us a tato stew, a veggie salad, and a grilled polo.”
“Huh? Ah, right... Tato stew, veggie salad... Grilled polo. Got it.”
Alright, that’s the order memorized... Wait a second. I’m not a waiter, damn it!
I returned to the kitchen and gave the order to Micah. She then handed me another tray and sent me back out.
Wait a second, damn it! I tried to speak up, but I was silenced by the intensity of her gaze. She was practically screaming at me with her eyes. If this was a warzone, then Micah herself was a terrifying warlord.
Not even I could stand up to her in this place, grand duke or not.
I sighed in defeat as I took the next order out to the designated table, internally lamenting my own fate.
“Milord?! What are you doing...?”
The voice came from Lanz, one of our knights. He’d just walked into the room and spotted me. Oh, is he here for lunch? Or maybe he’s here to see Micah... Either way, this is my out!
“Lanz! I hereby give you a royal order!”
“H-Huh?! Y-Yessir!”
“For the rest of today, you need to work here at the Silver Moon! You’re under command of Micah! I’ll let the knight order know. You need to take orders and carry out dishes. This is a vital duty, Lanz!”
“Huh? But... Ah... Yessir!” Lanz gave a salute and then dashed into the kitchen. I was pleased to see how dutiful he was. Made sense, since he was from Lestia and all.
Almost immediately he came out wearing an apron, carrying dishes to tables and taking as many orders as he could.
Don’t think badly of me for this, Lanz... Just use it as a chance to get closer to Micah.
I didn’t want to be used for waiting tables anymore, so I hightailed it out of the Silver Moon and left Lanz to his fate.
I waited near the entrance for Yae and sent a text to Lain about what Lanz would be doing for the rest of the day. It seemed like he wasn’t really needed for training or anything, so it was all good.
Dolan’s gonna be busy tomorrow too... Micah should definitely post a part-timer notice in the guild or something... That’d probably get her some extra hands.
“I-I am sorry for making you wait, I am.”
“Ah...” I turned to the voice and saw Yae. She was wearing a beautiful yukata, and her hair was tied up.
Her yukata was light purple and had flowers printed up the side, they were morning glories. She wore geta sandals and had a blue obi tying it all together. In short... she looked stunning.
“Y-You said this would be a festival, did you not? So I asked my mother to have my brother bring it, I did... D-Do you like it, do you?”
“Ah... It really suits you, Yae. I don’t know if I can put it into words, but... you look great...”
“A-Ah, is that so, is it?”
There were other people wearing yukatas in town today as well, that was because Brunhild had a lot of immigrants from Eashen living in its land. In this world, yukatas were traditionally worn during Eashenese celebrations.
However, Yae looked the most at home in her yukata of anyone else I’d seen all day. I’m probably biased since I love her, though...
“I had to leave my katana behind, I did.”
“Well, that makes sense...”
A katana and a yukata... It wouldn’t have looked all that good if she’d gone for a more boyish look this time around. I was glad Yae had opted to be more girly, rather than looking lik
e a lordless samurai.
“Do not worry, do not. I am concealing a dagger in my bosom.”
Of course she is.
“Alright then, let’s head toward the stadium. The finalists have probably been determined already, come to think of it. The consolation match is probably going on.”
“Ah, very well... A-Ah... Touya-dono...? May we hold hands, may we?” Yae nervously held a hand out to me, and I took it with a firm grasp. We were both clearly embarrassed, red flushes on our faces, but we happily continued on through the town.
I honestly had no idea that this event would attract so many people. According to the day one report, a bunch of people had set up tents outside town because they couldn’t get accommodation. We probably needed more inns if we were gonna do this again.
We’ve got a lot of accommodation as it is, so... maybe we should just have special inns that are only open during the festival period?
We arrived at stadium two in time to see the ongoing consolation match that would determine third place. The results of the qualifier match were being displayed on a large signpost.
“Stadium one’s winner is Mismede, and stadium two’s winner is Belfast...”
“That means the consolation match is between Lestia and Regulus, it is.” That seemed about right. We entered the stadium to find the match at its third inning. The score was still zero on both sides. Regulus was up to bat.
Just as we sat down, a cheer erupted from the batter’s box. I looked up and saw the white ball soaring through the sky. Oh, it’s heading this way...? Oh, it is! Oh, it landed.
Laughter and joy rang out through the stadium in a flash. It was a spectacular home run!
The batter raised his arm into the air as he walked the bases. Regulus had a lot of heavy hitters, probably the best ones in the entire world.
The score was now at zero to two. The match seemed like it was just getting into the swing of things, and it felt like the other team could make a comeback. We both decided to watch the game for a while...
In the end, Regulus continued to hold a two-point lead and Lestia just couldn’t catch up.
Thus, third place had been determined.
In Another World With My Smartphone: Volume 13 Page 4