After that, we left the building of the temporary branch of the Silver Wing Knights without exchanging any words.

　It's not in the mood for me to talk to them in any way.

　Garnett kept muttering something with an expression that made me want to say, "Are you planning to head to the battlefield now?", and I even had a feeling that he would bite me if I spoke to him poorly.

　Not metaphorically, but physically like this, gruffly.

　Such an awkward silence was broken a short time later as we walked out onto the main street of Green Hollow.

'...... Hey, White Wolf's,'

　Garnett let out a muttered voice as he dropped his gaze anxiously.

''That was a suggestion earlier, though. You weren't thinking of accepting it, were you ......?
I can only say that it's not there for now. If they drank our clause, they might indeed have no excuse to say no.

　Avoid using proper nouns as much as possible and use vague phrases in the conversation.

　This is a form that I tried to make sure that even if a third party overheard the conversation, it would be interpreted as being about the work of a weapons dealer.

　In this case, the proposal(s) in this case are the conditions that the 'conditional supporters' of the Dragon King's Knights may offer.

　If you want to say it without wrapping it up, it's a political marriage.
　It's a custom that I thought I had no connection to, but I didn't expect it to become me in this way.

　And the article(s) case(s) is that even if I'm knighted, I don't intend to do knightly activities and want to continue running the White Wolf Store in Green Hollow.

　Although I don't have confidence in being able to live a straightforward life as a knight, I can't help but agree if it's treated as a nominal title and doesn't change my life up to now.

　Although the head of the Silver Wing Knights said he was fine with it, not knowing what the other knights thought of it was just a big cause for concern.

''I see ...... well, that's true. Is it natural that I can't assure you of what's ahead? Sorry, I asked a weird question.

　Garnett exhaled briefly and then suddenly slapped himself on the cheek with both hands.

'Ush!　The white wolf!　I know it's a little early, but let's grab a bite to eat on the way home!
'...... Yeah, the Guild House Tavern is closer from here. Let's go check out the guild from time to time.

　It doesn't seem to be a completely divided ...... now.

　I'm sure he decided that there was no point in bothering his head in this place.

　On the way to the guild house, I remembered what Carmine had said to me before.

　-- does Garnett always smile like that in front of you?
　--No, you're the only one who's special.
　--You are special to Garnett.
　--I'm sure you're aware of that.

　I don't consider myself to be such a bad judge of character.

　If I didn't have good judgment, I wouldn't have been able to continue being an adventurer without any good skills.

　It was as good as a requirement to find the slightest clue, decipher the true intentions that leaked from every word and action of the other party and continue to take appropriate action.

　Of course, I wasn't always successful, and there were times when it hurt badly, as in the case of the brave party, but overall I think I was able to get around it well.

　So I think I understand the emotions being directed at me by Garnett, even if they are dimly understood.
　If you ignore the whispers of self-control that say "don't be smug," though.

　But - I was afraid to show it.

　The reason?　I don't need to tell you again.

'Welcome. Please take an empty seat ......, isn't that Luke? Then I'll show you a special seat.

　Marida, the tavern's signature girl and the guild house's first receptionist, led me and Garnett to our seats, laughing in the same light tone as always.

''It's a special seat, or rather a counter seat, isn't it?
'Oh no, it's a prime spot for a freshly prepared meal. You're here for dinner, not alcohol.

　For now, I take a seat and look around the tavern and guild house.

　It was a bit early for dinner time, but still a large number of adventurers had gathered there.

　The receptionist, who seemed to have been newly hired, was also busily working on the achievement reward procedure for the request.

''As I thought, there are more and more faces that I haven't seen before. Judging from the high cost of the equipment, it's either D-rank or C-rank ...... and that guy is B-rank, not armor you can get your hands on below C, but if it's A-rank you should at least know his face).

　As I spoke with Felix earlier, new adventurers are coming to Green Hollow Town.

　The entry of new adventurers due to the approval of the E-ranked dungeon "Sundial Forest".
　The appearance of dragons and the discovery of the Demon King's Castle Realm brought in highly skilled adventurers and their parties.
　And the end of the Demon King's War has brought an influx of adventurers from all walks of life.

　For Green Hollow, this is the third change involving adventurers.

　The economic benefits to the town's people were the only thing that could be gained, and this is where the real money would come from.

　But as far as Felix was concerned, this was also a risk to public safety.

　Unfortunately, not all adventurers are well-behaved, and we know of a few who would be beaten out of the area by the local residents and other adventurers for spreading trouble wherever they went.

　Fortunately, Green Hollow will have a unit of the Silverwing Knights stationed in Green Hollow, and the deputy chief class is in charge of it.

　This should be perfect as a deterrent and as a viable force in case of an emergency.

The food here is much richer than Sylvia's.
'I suppose it's because I'm assuming you'll be drinking and eating. If it's not to your taste, I'll tell Marida?
No, no. I like this kind of thing ......, I don't hate it.

　...... Garnett, why did you rephrase there?

'Hey, Marida!　Wine!　In fruit pickles (sangria)!
Oh my God, it's so rare to find Garnett drinking alcohol. This is a product for ages 15 and up. I'm not ready for whiskey or brandy yet, but this is fine.

　Marida poured a glass of wine, which had been mixed with fruit and syrup and allowed to sit overnight, as she spoke in a silly tone.

　I was just about to ask for something, when Malcolm, the guildhouse manager, called out to me from the stairs leading to the second floor, where the office was located.

'Just in time, Mr. Luke!　Could you give me a little help!　I'll buy you a drink!
...... I can't help it. Garnett, I'm off for a bit.

　Although Malcolm is the caretaker of the Guild House, he's hardly any different from the average person, as the owner of the tavern is just a trained guild member.

　In many cases, he can't handle things that are outside of his normal duties, and I often help him for a fee - including buying him drinks - for a fee.

　I immediately go to the office of the guild house and quickly take care of the business that Malcolm can't handle.

　The content was not very difficult.
　Although the Silver Wing Knights had asked for materials, I just didn't know which materials they were requesting and was having trouble understanding which ones they were talking about.

　After finding the relevant materials and telling them to take them to the temporary branch tomorrow morning, I decided to return to the counter seat where Garnett was waiting for me.

　-- and so, as I descended the stairs, I suddenly stopped in my tracks.

　At the counter seat, Garnett seemed to be trying to start a conversation with two girls.

　One, of course, was Marida, the tavern's signature girl.
　The other was Sylvia, who seemed to have come on an errand for the innkeeper.

　Just as I thought I should wait a minute if we were chatting, I almost stopped thinking when I heard the conversation.

'I'm really surprised. I didn't expect Garnett-kun to ask me for relationship advice.'
So it's not about me. It's about an acquaintance ...... or sister, yes, it's about my sister.