The carriage arrived safely at the elven village without a single casualty.
　The merchant man---Debris turned to us and said.

We have some merchandise to sell to the elves. In the meantime, you guards can take your time and go sightseeing in the village.

　And with that, the merchants walked away.
　It may be a time of rest for us, but for them it's just the beginning. They were serious as they walked to the battlefield of trade.
　They had come a long way and risked everything. Good luck with that.

Well.... Let's take a look around the village. How about you two?
I'll pass. I still have some work to do today.
What's your routine ...... working out again?
Yes. I need to hone my sword skills even more and aim for greater heights.
You're good at this. Don't push it, okay?　It's not like you're saying ...... . Because if you're going to be strong, you're going to have to be a little reckless.

　You won't break through just by training the same amount as the others. I knew that part well.
　Elsa nodded and then looked at Regina.

"Um. Miss Regina. Would you like to see me?
...... What?
You'll have to go one-on-one with me.
It was settled before.
That time, we came very close to catching Regina by surprise. This time, we're fighting under the same conditions.

　She looks at Elsa like she wants to challenge her, and Regina is stunned.

"It's a waste of time. You're no match for me. All the more so on equal terms.
I've got to try.
Will you come along for the ride?
　I said.
"It would be a good experience for Elsa to go up against a swordsman of Regina's caliber. I thought I'd lend my heart to the cause.
Father: ......

　Regina, who had been sniffling, eventually muttered to herself, "You can't be responsible for breaking my heart.

'You can't be responsible for breaking my heart.
"Don't you worry about that. My daughter's not that fragile," I said, and Regina sniffed boringly.
Okay. Little girl. I'll deal with you.
Thank you.
"If we're gonna do this, we're gonna do it with everything we've got. You better be prepared for that.
Of course.
I don't want to get in the way of that. I'm going to take a walk through the village for a while.

　I turned on my heel and left them.
　The village of the elves at the foot of the Great Tree was bustling with activity. They were friendly to me, even though I was from a foreign country.
　That's why I ended up buying so much stuff. It made me feel good to shop.
　After wandering around the place, I went back to Elsa and the others.

　It was about time to settle the matter.
　Sure enough, it looked like Regina had broken Elsa's heart. I found her on her knees on the ground, biting her lip in frustration.

...... hmm.

　Regina tucked her greatsword behind her back and walked over to me as she cut her gaze from Elsa. Her expression was cool, without any danger.

'Looks like you just finished.

　I handed Regina a bottle of water from the market.

"What's this?
They say it's special water from the Elven village. It's rich in nutrients and good for beauty. It's our way of saying thank you for keeping Elsa company.
"Hm.

　Regina took the water from my hand and gulped it down.

"So, after all, in your eyes, Elsa's not ready yet?
Yeah. I can't believe we're going to lose. But ......
"But?
"You are much sharper than when we last met with swords. You have made such an impressive leap in such a short period of time, it's remarkable.


Yeah. That's weird. Regina telling someone else a nice story.
"I haven't decided not to praise others. I just haven't found anyone who deserves it. I'm just a person who takes the good with the not so good.

　Regina drank some of the elf's water and began to walk away.

'Where are you going?'
I'm going to look around the village. I saw something in the shop earlier that caught my eye. I'm telling you, don't follow me.

　What exactly is he buying?
　Well, I don't mean to pry.
　I walked over to Elsa after I saw Regina off.

"Elsa. You're done. Here's some food.

　She knelt on the ground and handed Elsa the elven water.

"Father. I was no match for Miss Regina again.
Like I said before, he's one of the best swordsmen in the world. Don't worry so much. And he did say nice things about Elsa, didn't he?
Miss Regina?
Yeah. He said it's a big deal that he's gotten so good at it in such a short period of time.
............
What's going on?　Shut up.
No. I think it's frustrating.
Do you regret it?
"A compliment means that you are not seen as an equal. If they were seen as equals, they would be a threat.

　Oh...
　I thought maybe Elsa was right.
　I praise a man for fighting because he's still got room to spare. If you're in real danger, you can't afford to praise your opponent.
　To Elsa, praise is not something she would appreciate.

"But you've been working harder than ever lately, haven't you?
I really want to beat Miss Regina.
To prove your sword right?
No. . . there's that too, but ......

　Elsa mumbled and then

I want to be the one standing in line next to your father, not Mr. Regina . ...... I don't want to give it to anyone else.

　She looked me straight in the eye and told me so.
　After she finished, she came to her senses and blushed. She looked embarrassed as she looked down and whispered to herself.

I'm sorry ....... I'm sorry for being so thick: ......
No, I didn't know Elsa felt that way about me. I'm glad.

　I smiled at Elsa and patted her on the head .

'But then, I'll have to work on that too . I need to train myself so that I won't be inferior to Elsa when I stand alongside her.

　I can't let my daughter get in the way of that.

We're gonna get through this together.

★

　They were beaming as they met the merchants in front of the carriage. I heard that the negotiation went very well.

Oh no. Thanks to you, we made a lot of money. Even if you subtract your escort fee, it's more than enough to make the change. Ha-ha-ha.
I'm glad to hear that. We're happy for you.

　It would be too sad if we came all the way here only to end up losing money.
　We'll get paid for the escort mission whether the deal goes well or not, but what good is it if the client isn't happy?
　That's why we're going on this mission, not for the money.

So, you'll be my escort on the return trip.
I'll take care of it.

　After leaving the Elven village, the carriage started to drive towards King's Landing.
　Compared to the journey home, the journey back was peaceful itself. We made it back to the Adventurer's Guild before nightfall as we had planned.
　Anna is there to greet us.

"Papa. Elsa. Miss Regina. Good job. Your mission went well, too. The merchants were very pleased.



　The merchants offered me an additional reward when I returned to King's Landing. That you had done their work for them.
　But we turned it down. We got paid well enough.

"Oh, right. Dad.
Hmm?
Dad has been running high-ranking missions at an alarming rate lately, hasn't he?
Yeah. Yeah.

　Ever since he came to King's Landing, he had achieved high rank missions in a row.

''If I continue like this, maybe I can be promoted to S-rank.
'What?　I'm an S-rank?
I'm not sure yet.
............

　I froze when I heard the news from Anna.
　I'm an S-ranked adventurer?
　I've been chasing this dream since I left the village and became an adventurer. I gave up on it once, and now it might come true. .......

''Regina-san, you meet the qualifications for promotion, but you've been adamant about it all along, haven't you?
　Anna said to Regina.
"Why don't you and Dad move up to the next level?
...... Right.

　Regina muttered with a sense of not being bothered.
　Anna, who was watching the situation, poked her cheekbones at the receptionist and said mischievously, "I don't know.

''I mean, maybe the reason Regina wasn't promoted is because she wanted to be promoted with her dad.
............

　Regina looked away from Anna's words and looked like she was in a bad way.

'What?　Could it be that you were right?
Hmph!

　Regina didn't affirm or deny it, but tried to cover it up by sniffing. She turned her face away, but her ears were ripe and red.
　...... I see. So I'm an S-ranked adventurer.