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Chapter 42
I finally got out.
Only after completely leaving the lakeside did I let out a breath of relief and clutch my chest.
I wonder if I spoke too coldly.
But it couldn’t be helped. Even if we stayed together, there wasn’t much to talk about anyway. And if I talked too much and made a mistake, that would be troublesome.
“Are you okay?”
Matthias, looking down at me with concern, asked. I lightly shook the hand we were holding and smiled.
“Thanks. You saved me.”
“Who was that?”
“Huh? Ah—. Just someone I had a brief connection with before. We’re nothing now.”
It was a relationship that had already ended even for the original Aria.
“You don’t need to worry about it.”
Judging that there was no need to explain everything in detail, I urged us to hurry along.
It was a connection that had ended anyway.
But just as I was about to move, Matthias murmured quietly.
“I’ve got a bad feeling.”
“Huh?”
“…No.”
It’s nothing.
His pleasant voice gradually trailed off. For a moment, I became curious about what he meant, but leaving the area as quickly as possible seemed more important, so I started walking for now.
I wondered if we might run into them again and considered going straight home, but since we had come all this way, it felt like a waste to leave immediately.
“Should we grab something to drink for a bit?”
At my words, Matthias immediately looked around. Spotting the most noticeable café nearby, he pointed in that direction.
“How about there?”
I stretched my neck to take a look as well. A lot of people were going in, and at a glance it looked like a two-story café, so it seemed like there would generally be plenty of seats.
Besides, if we sat on the terrace, it looked like we’d have a great view of the outside scenery, which seemed like it would be fun just to look around.
“Welcome—.”
When we moved to the café Matthias chose, a staff member who happened to be in the lobby approached us with a bright smile.
After roughly telling them how many people we were, we followed the staff member toward the terrace.
“Wow—.”
I had thought the ceiling seemed a bit high from the moment we started climbing the stairs. Seeing it from a slightly higher place, the wide-open street really was beautiful. The people passing by, the prettily colored rooftops, the charming little shops.
Just looking at it felt incredibly healing. After ordering drinks from the staff, I sat down with Matthias.
It’s good that it’s separated.
Maybe because it was the terrace, there were thin curtains beyond the glass doors, so you could tell people were there, but you couldn’t see exactly who they were.
A short while later.
Coffee and tea were neatly set out alongside sweet cake. Only after filling my mouth with fluffy whipped cream did my mood improve, and I looked at Matthias.
But had he been looking at me the whole time? Matthias, who hadn’t taken his eyes off me, smiled slowly.
“……”
Feeling inexplicably embarrassed, I obediently turned my head away.
Even while eating, I kept feeling his gaze, and without realizing it, I glanced sideways at him.
He hadn’t even taken a sip of the tea in front of him.
“…Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Just because.”
His pleasant voice settled gently.
“You look like you’re eating deliciously.”
“Y-you, why aren’t you eating?”
“Because Aria is eating so deliciously.”
I didn’t know what my eating well had to do with anything, but it was a relief that he seemed to be enjoying this time.
“Let’s make sure to rest properly today and tomorrow. After that, things might get a bit tough.”
It was obvious that the next few days would be chaotically busy again. At times like that, I probably wouldn’t have time to bask in the sunlight like this.
I really need to find more manpower soon.
The servants of the mansion weren’t the problem. The immediate issue was that there were very few assistants who could help me with my work right now.
At best, there was only one. The problem was that the workload was insanely vast for just that one person and me to handle.
That was the biggest reason I kept pulling all-nighters. What would be finished quickly with a few people was something that two people were now handling by twisting themselves to the limit.
Even just one more person would be fine.
Even if it wasn’t someone I specifically wanted, if a reasonably capable person came, I’d be more than grateful.
But—
If possible, those people really would be the best.
The competent assistants who had helped the original protagonist. In fact, the reason the protagonist was able to succeed was largely thanks to the help of those talents.
If I could just bring them over, rebuilding the merchant guild would probably be quite easy.
They’re definitely in the capital.
Out of the three, two were born and raised in the capital.
Aside from the remaining one, the others were probably not far away.
It would be nice if I could recruit them directly.
No, it wasn’t like I couldn’t.
I can just go look for them myself.
It wasn’t a bad idea. If I had to find them and meet them anyway, taking action myself would be the fastest way.
I put a piece of the sweet cake into my mouth and let out a deep sigh.
That was when—
“You bastard, seriously!”
Along with a rough shout, curses flew over the railing. Startled, I put my fork down.
Stretching my neck to see what was going on, I saw two men fighting just below us.
“Who the hell are you to tell me what to do?! You suddenly come in here saying my goods are fake and ruin someone else’s business! What did you just say? M-me, scamming people?!”
“……”
“Unbelievable. To think I’d see a lunatic like this in my life. I’m doing just fine, and you come out of nowhere and ruin everything.”
Just from listening briefly, it seemed like a quarrel that had broken out with a merchant.
After listening for a while, the moment I saw the person arguing with the merchant, my mouth fell open.
“What do you mean you were doing just fine? What, were you doing a good job scamming people, and you’re mad because I pointed it out?”
“D-did that bastard lose his mind?!”
“I was just giving my opinion, but seeing how you’re getting this angry, it really does seem like there’s something going on.”
“Watch your mouth, you bastard!”
“See? Even now, instead of logically refuting me, you’re just raising your voice because I hit a nerve.”
He had clear, lake-colored blue hair and green eyes.
“Then say something, if I hit a nerve.”
At a glance, he was a truly perfect vagrant. No, calling him a vagrant was being generous. Even the beggars wandering the streets looked much cleaner than him.
“Anyway. People should live upright lives. Getting caught because you tried to be sly just makes you look pathetic.”
The man, who had not only scraped the merchant’s nerves raw but made them bleed excessively, broke into a bright smile.
As I quietly watched him, I cautiously stood up. My eyes, having realized the man’s identity, blinked faster than ever.
Found him.
I guess that’s why they say you should look for things up close rather than from far away.
“Matthias.”
“?”
“I’m sorry, but could you do me one favor?”
First, I need to pull that guy out of there.
