-- one evening.

　I had finished my work that day as usual, and I was walking leisurely through Green Hollow at dusk with Garnett, trying to figure out where to have dinner today.

　Sakura has been a bit busy with a few requests lately, and the promise of a consultation we made before has yet to be fulfilled.

　However, it's not an urgent matter and he doesn't seem to be in a hurry, so fulfilling the promise will not be a problem as soon as his hand is free.

　While thinking about this, we were discussing whether we should go into a shop we've never been to before, when we bumped into an unexpected opponent in a crowded corner of the crowd of adventurers and travelers.
I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this. It's a strange place to be.
"Lord Theodore,

　Dragon Slayer, Theodore Beaufort.

　He is one of the A-ranked adventurers based in Green Hollow Town, and the heir son of a frontier county family whose territory is near the northern border of the continent.

　As long as he's based in this town, it's not surprising to see him face to face. ...... His position is special in many ways, and to be honest, he's an unusual opponent to see in a place like this, where shops for the public are lined up.

　It's a good thing that you're able to have a good time with them.

　From the side, it might have seemed that he stepped aside so as not to interfere, but in reality, he was acting out of a sense of urgency that his true identity would be exposed.

　The Beaufort family, which is responsible for the defense of the northern part of the continent, and the Argentia family, which is responsible for a section of the Senior Knights, are both famous families, so they are said to be related to each other in social gatherings.

　So the daughter of the previous head of the family, A(r)ma(...), that is to say, Garnett, who has not misrepresented her gender, has also met face to face with the Beaufort family as part of her socializing.

　Honestly, I don't think Theodore remembers Alma (this guy), but he seems to try not to see her too often, just in case.

　And fortunately, Theodore was only interested in me, and seemed to recognize Garnett only as 'the subordinate he's always dragging along'.

'It's unusual to see you here. Isn't Miss Maria with you?
I just need to pick up some supplies for the next leg of the search. Maria is negotiating the price at the store. I'm usually the one who does all the procuring, but the next few days are critical, so I wanted to make sure I had a good idea of what to expect.

　Theodore neatly blurred out the important parts so that only I could understand the real implications, and he approached me with an unassuming pretense to make small talk.

　From this point forward - that is, the resumption of the search for the 'Ark of the Elements' on the premise of cooperation with the Demon King's Army.

I'm going to place an order with the white wolf store as well, of course. ...... Well, if you haven't had dinner yet, why don't you join us? Of course, we'll have the money to pay for it.

　He acts as if he's inviting his business partner to entertain him, but he clearly wants to talk to ...... about his future explorations and, by extension, his confrontation with Agart Ram.

　If that's the case, there's no reason to refuse, and Garnett has sent eye contact to say that he's fine with that.

　In fact, if the topic of Agaat Ram comes up, he must want to be there, no matter what.

'Thank you. I'll take you up on your offer then: ......










　Theodore took me to one of the most exclusive restaurants in Green Hollow.

　It's a high-class restaurant that no ordinary person, let alone an ordinary adventurer, would stop by, and in the old days it was the kind of place where aristocrats and the upper classes would visit for hot springs, a place I hadn't been associated with for a long time.

　Not only is the interior luxurious and opulent, but the use of the land is also very extravagant.

　It's a good idea to have a single table for me, Garnett and Theodore to sit at in a space that would normally be crammed with six or so tables.

　...... To be honest, it wasn't very comfortable.

　If anything, I couldn't help but feel as if I was disproportionate or too unsuited to be here.

''The White Wolf. You're a Knight Commander and a territory holder too, so you should get used to a place like this, right?　You can't do anything if you're scared of every single thing.

　Garnett, sitting next to me, smiles at me.

　It's true that Garnett is right.

　Considering this or that, it would be better to get used to a shop with this kind of atmosphere.

　If not, you will get in trouble with the people you will be visiting with.

Let's finish eating first. It will be hard to concentrate on the important things we have to talk about when you're hungry.

　On Theodore's signal, an employee brings the food to us.

　It's a high-class dish that emphasizes quality rather than quantity as you can see.

　It's a different field from the food at Spring Wakaba-Tei, where I've always been a part of.

　Although Spring Wakaba-Tei is one of the largest inns in Green Hollow Town, its main target is the general public, which makes up the majority of visitors, and the quality of the inn and the food is, so to speak, the best in what could be called the "common man's range".

　Of course, for me and other ordinary adventurers, such an inn is the most ideal.

　However, this restaurant completely ignores that type of clientele.

　It's a reasonable business strategy, but for someone like me, who visited here unexpectedly, I felt very out of place.

　Anyway, I remembered my fake table manners and decided to get through the meal.