by Funa
When Reina had proposed this plan to the group, Mile had heartily approved, so it was decided then and there. At that time, Mile had also said, “It’s a planned journey heading to the east… A Touhou Project!” but, as usual, she was the only one who was excited about this.
“Starting tomorrow, we’ll stay in the capital for six days. We’ll find some merchant caravan who needs an escort and leave on the morning of the seventh day. If there are no jobs that match what we’re looking for on that day, we might leave a couple days before or after. That sound good?” Reina proposed.
“No objections here!” agreed the others.
Given that none of the group had any special attachment to this city, they could just as easily take it or leave it. As they really did not mind one way or the other, they had no reason to object to Reina’s plan.
“All right then, from tomorrow until the day we leave, the Crimson Vow is officially on break! Everybody go and do whatever you need to do—and take it easy, all right?”
At that, the four girls nestled into bed, safe in their old, familiar inn.
***
At first, a week with nothing to do felt like an eternity, but in reality it passed in the blink of an eye.
Unfortunately, there was not enough time for Pauline to travel home to check in on her mother and brother. Even by carriage, the round trip would take eight days, and their stay did not line up with the days that the passenger carriages set out, meaning there was no way she could hope to manage the trip within the time allotted.
Mavis was in the same boat, and even if she were to travel back home alone, her family would probably try and force her into another arranged marriage situation—or find some other way to prevent her from returning to the capital.
And, of course, Reina, who had lost both her family and her former companions—and had no idea where her parents were even from—had no homeland to return to nor family, friends, or relatives to meet up with.
As a result, the three of them spent their days loitering about the inn and meeting up with the few acquaintances they had in town—chiefly the shopkeepers with whom they had grown friendly and their fellow classmates from the Prep School who were still around the city. They also spent time at the guildhall, petitioning more senior hunters for their advice and otherwise taking it easy. Mavis and Pauline did spend some of their nights penning letters to their families as well.
Naturally, there were times when the whole party went out together. Spending some time by themselves didn’t mean that they were required to spend the entire week apart, after all.
Hunting was not typically a profession where one was expected to have one’s nose to the grindstone every single day. Jobs that required a lot of exertion could leave you wiped out, and sickness and injury were always a consideration. Trying to work when you were not in peak condition was a foolish move that put not only your own life but also the lives of all of your fellow party members at risk. Therefore, it was only natural to take breaks between jobs, and even some prolonged holidays now and then.
In fact, for a party that had just returned from as long of a journey as theirs, a one-week break was probably on the short side. The Crimson Vow already did way more work than they ever needed to in the first place, considering how much more money they earned than other parties.
…And then, there was Mile.
“Long time no see!”
“Oh, Miss Satodele, you’ve returned from your travels! We really appreciate your continuing to send in manuscripts while you were out on your research trip. Your books are our shop’s lifeblood, after all!”
“Oh, please, they aren’t all that…”
Mile was in the office of Orpheus Publishing, the firm that held the monopoly on the comedic novels penned by popular author Miami Satodele. The man to whom she was speaking was Melsacus, the shrewd owner of the company, a young man still in his early thirties.
“Will you be settling down in the capital and focusing on your writing now?” asked Melsacus.
“No, I’m only here for six days. Then I’m heading out again.”
“What?!” he cried unthinkingly but soon calmed down again. He had long since grown accustomed to authors’ eccentricities—their drafting, and article writing, and travel journals, and horseback riding…
“So, where are my manuscripts?”
“They’re with the Guild post, as always.”
“And what of my royalties?”
“The standard percentage. All of your earnings so far have been deposited in your account at the Merchants’ Guild—I’ve made sure of it.”
“Ohoho! You Orpheus fellows are a wicked bunch…”
“As are you, Lady Satodele!”
“Bwahahahahaha!” they laughed.
For Mile, or rather, Miss Satodele, Melsacus, whom she could always count on to appreciate her “Fairy Tale Improv,” was a valuable asset… He had read every single one of her works after all, and they had even planned some out together.
Mile was indeed happy to finally find someone who truly understood her.
After going to her favorite restaurant, Mile proceeded to the orphanage and the shacks where the orphans of the slums resided, where she handed out the food items that she had brought back as souvenirs. Then, cloaking herself in light magic, Mile snuck into the academy.
August Academy, that was.
Just as the capital of Mile’s home country of Brandel had two academies, Ardleigh and Eckland, the royal capital of Tils had two academies as well, of which August was one. And, just like Eckland, Mile’s (or rather, Adele’s) alma mater, August was attended by the children of lower-ranking nobles who were not in line for inheritance and by commoners. In other words, it was the lower-ranking school.
This boarding academy was the school attended by Mariette, the girl she had once tutored as a side gig on a previous party break. Worried about how Mariette might be doing now, she thought that she might slip in at least once to check in on her.
“I hope you’re doing well, Miss Mariette…”
A few hours later, Mile exited the academy, still invisible, and utterly disappointed.
“I shouldn’t have gone…”
In this world and any other, it was not advisable to overdo things.
This was something that Mile had come to realize.
***
“So, what are those girls doing now?”
“Well, it seems like they’re taking a break after their journey. They’ve been stopping in at the guildhall to check the information board but not taking jobs. Instead, they’ve been reuniting with old friends, going to the library, and making other outings, as well as loitering around the inn and idling about.”
“Well, I suppose everyone needs to take some time for that, now and then.”
In the king’s private offices, his Majesty and Count Christopher carried on a pleasant conversation.
“So then, what of the search for a suitable suitor for Lady Mavis?”
“Well, we’re currently considering the sons of counts, as well as the second and third sons of various marquis’ lines. Should we find someone of good quality and character, we plan to introduce him to Lady Mavis directly.”
“Very good. We can’t force it upon her—we have to let them be introduced to one another naturally. Those sorts of people value things like destiny and romance, and revile being forced into anything, after all.”
“By your will.”
And yet, the pair were trying to decide on a suitable partner for Mavis, the girl’s own opinions be damned!
“I’ve got it! Why don’t we invite the girls to the palace? We can make up some reason for the marriage candidates to be present as well, and we can have them all mingle. If they at least know each other’s faces, then next time, when they ‘chance’ to meet, they can say, ‘Ah, you’re that one from the palace…’ and have a place to begin their conversation. Besides, I would love to meet her myself. If one had the chance to meet with one’s ruler face-to
-face, would that not elevate the love for one’s own country beyond one’s interest in any other?”
“I see… As the girls were previously involved in helping to unmask a certain lord’s criminal actions, it wouldn’t be so peculiar to use that as an excuse to invite them. I should certainly like to be present for that as well.”
“Yes. You are, after all, their greatest role model as a hunter—the brave Count Christopher, living legend—the hunter who became a noble. I think your attendance should have just the right effect. That’s it! I’ll have my children attend also. There are two girls of about twelve or thirteen amongst the Crimson Vow, yes? The prince and princess are both close to them in age, and if they should all grow close, why that should raise their loyalty to and affinity for the royal family sevenfold—no doubt about it!”
“Oh, that’s a splendid idea! I shall go drum up some candidates at once, and we’ll send invitations to the girls a few days from now!”
And so, the king and the count set about their plans gleefully.
It is true, after all, that the days before one goes on a trip—when one spends one’s time cooking up all sorts of different tricks, planning for this and that eventuality, can be some of the most enjoyable. Thus, the pair were currently having the time of their lives.
Regardless of how the day of the actual event might unfold…
***
“What? You’re leaving again already?”
Lenny’s eyes opened wide at the news of the Crimson Vow’s sudden departure, only one short week after their return. Still, she had been the daughter of innkeepers since the day she was born. No matter how fond she grew of some of their guests, she was well accustomed to saying goodbye.
“I-I-I-I see,” she stammered. “Well, since you dug that well for us, we’re able to get the water for the baths, a-and I’m sure you’ll be able to come back and see us again soon…”
Even so, being accustomed to goodbyes and being all right with them were two separate matters.
Last time, she had been prepared for the fact that the Crimson Vow might be leaving, and so she had been able to put on a brave face in front of them. This time, however, she had been struck by a surprise blow, thinking that they would be able to spend more time together now that the girls had finally returned. Much as she may have been a level-headed person, Lenny was still a child of ten—or rather, eleven—years old.
“Well, of course. Tils is where Mavis and Pauline were born, and where both of their families live, and we still have over four years left on our minimum term of service with the kingdom. We may leave the country from time to time, but I think this will always be our base of operations in the end… We’ll never change our registrations to another country’s Guild, anyway. Don’t think of it as us leaving for another journey just as soon as we got back—consider this as a stopover, with us just popping in to say hello in the midst of our original journey. If we finished up our self-improvement trip and came running back home this quickly, we’d be the laughingstocks of the Guild, after all…”
Of course, all they had to do, if they wished to be exempt from their obligations, would be to pay back all the money that had gone towards their educations. But even though they were now in a position to pay back that money easily, they still intended to carry out their obligations dutifully—except, perhaps, if a situation arose that required them to get away immediately. Trying to pay back honor and kindness with money was against their policies.
Plus, there was one among their number who was firm in her insistence: “In any case, we have no plans to relocate to another country within the next five years, nor any reason to. It’s a useless expenditure and a waste of money. I forbid it!!!”
Even if they did try to pay their way out of their obligations, people would suspect that it was because they intended to leave the country, and things would become bothersome as a result. In order to avoid such an outcome, the optimal choice was simply for them to maintain the status quo.
Hearing Mile’s explanation, Lenny was a bit relieved. Normally when a group of hunters said that they were going off on such a journey, they usually came back in half a year at the earliest, and some of them took a few years or more. Of course, there were many among those who never came back at all. Perhaps they were still on their journeys, or had found a new place to call home along the way and settled down there, or else…
No, there was nothing at all strange about a hunter meeting a spouse and wishing to settle down in the place where that person lived. That was what happened to all of those who vanished, surely. There were plenty of other reasons why they wouldn’t return, too, like if they had earned some great renown and been granted a title, or saved a village and won the hand of the village elder’s daughter in marriage, or some such.
Little Lenny clung to such possibilities, even though deep in her heart she herself did not truly believe such fancies. However, without fantasies, the hardships of reality would be too much for a young girl to bear.
“Well then, next time you’re back, please come stay with us again!”
“Hmm, I mean, I guess we could…”
“What?”
At Mile’s reply, Lenny froze up. She had expected to hear an enthusiastic, “Of course!”
“Oh, um, I mean, it’s not that we’re unhappy here. It’s just that I was thinking we might like to get an actual home of our own, sooner or later…”
“Ah…”
Hunters who were always traveling to hither and yon, only staying in the capital for a short while, naturally took rooms at inns. Renting a room or leasing a house was a waste of money, as they would be spending only a few nights there, and most of their time staying at inns or camping out in other locations… However, that was only the lifestyle of hunters who were single and hurting for money.
Anyone who was married would take a house. The same was true for those who were not strapped for coin, even if they lived alone. With a house, you could leave all of your belongings in one place, and there was no need to secure lodging every night, so there was no worry of finding a place to sleep if you returned to the city late. If you were alone, you might rent a room, or join forces with friends to rent a small house, which became the party’s collective residence.
“Have you four been earning much money?”
“Well, a fair bit, at least…”
“It’s that storage magic of yours!”
That was Lenny for you. As much as Mile had tried to deceive her, Lenny had seen right through her act. They always seemed to have some catch of theirs on hand as a souvenir, so she knew that Mile’s storage capacity must be quite big. With acumen like Lenny’s, such conclusions were not difficult to draw.
“B-but your ability to draw in customers…” Lenny began. However, the fact was that the inn was not hurting in that regard. After the Crimson Vow left town, other all-female parties had taken the fact that the Vow had stayed there as a good sign and begun frequenting the establishment.
Inevitably, as their reputation as an inn where female guests felt comfortable grew, other women who were not hunters began to stay, too. And then, once they became known as an inn that was popular with women—and an inn where you might be able to mingle with all-female parties, their male clientele began to increase in number as well. The whole thing had unfolded exactly according to Lenny’s plans.
Of course, being an inn where female guests can feel safe, as well as an inn where male guests looking to find women gather was a clear contradiction, but the men were, for the most part, quite genuine in simply wishing to get to know the women guests—there was no rudeness or violence, and no attempts at anything untoward. If anyone did try such a thing, there was always that.
The perfect chance.
If a man wished to prove himself to a woman, there was no better opportunity than to be her gallant savior in such a time of need. Men who sought to show themselves as allies of justice, as heroes who defended women, would come flocking—some perhaps even forcing
others aside.
If a man so much as began to bother a woman, a sudden glint would appear in the eyes of at least ten others, and they would surround the offender with glee…which was probably quite terrifying. Thus, all of the men who stopped by the inn were perfect gentlemen.
The members of the Crimson Vow had become aware of this on the first day that they returned to town. While none of the male hunters who knew of the Crimson Vow came around to make passes at them, they were vexed to find that the female hunters seemed to be following just a little too closely, poking or brushing past them now and then, “for good luck.”
“We really do need to find our own place soon…” Reina grumbled, getting fed up with being lumped in with Mile and treated like a child as a result.
Lenny, however, protested, “Oh c-come on… You all are still greenhorns, aren’t you? It’s too soon for you to be settling down in a house!”
“Exactly!”
“P-Pauline!”
Reinforcements had appeared, from the most unexpected quarter.
“A house is a luxury that you shouldn’t even consider until you have at least 80,000 gold pieces saved up!”
“Th-that’s right! That’s exactly right!!!” Lenny agreed, fired up by the support of her new ally.
Of course, if that amount were truly what was required to own a home, then there was not a single hunter in the entire world who would ever be able to afford it.
“Well, there’s no point in us discussing this right now. We’ll consider it when the time comes. We have no idea how our situation will change in the future.”
“Y-yes, that’s right!”
This time, it was Mile who backed up Reina, for even she seemed to have realized that it was her words that had so disturbed Lenny in the first place.
“Anyway, even if we didn’t stay here anymore, you’ll always be our friend, Lenny…”
“I-I already know that!” Lenny shouted, her cheeks going red as she promptly retreated to the kitchen.