"This is ...... your house, huh?

　I was expecting to be taken to her house.
　What we arrived at was a castle-like building.
　It had solid stone walls and a large, massive gate.
　There were gatekeepers on either side with spears, guarding the gate.
　Rather than a house, it looked like a castle of a king in a fairy tale.
　But if you were brought here, you must be .......

...... Yes. I know it's a little out of the ordinary, but this is my house. ....... Please come in.

　And with that, she slipped past the gatekeepers without a care in the world.

Are you going to keep going?
Yes, I'm in a hurry. Besides, I don't want to interrupt their work.

　If anything, I thought their job was to keep an eye out for anyone suspicious.
　But the gatekeepers don't even look at us.
　It's probably because she's using a skill called [Concealment].

　We walked into the castle-like house as we were told.

We were told to go into a castle-like house, "By the way, you haven't told us your name yet. If you don't mind, I'd like to know .......
Is that me?　Noor.
"Mr. Noll, right?

　I answer as I walk.
　But when she said my name, I remembered that I didn't know her name.

So, what's your name, ......?
"Oh, ......!　I'm sorry, I completely forgot to tell you my name.

　She stopped, turned to me quickly, put her right hand on her chest and bowed lightly.

My name is Linneburg Kreis. My name is Linneburg Crace, which is a bit long for the world, so I'm going by Lean for now. Please feel free to call me Lean.
"Right, Lean. Okay.

　You're right, Linnea ...... something is a bit long and hard to remember.
　Lean would be more convenient.
　Short and easy to remember, good name.

It's a good name, short and easy to remember. "Let's break the cover from here. We're already in a safe place, and it'll look suspicious.
Okay.

　And so, we walked deeper again.


　It's a really big house.
　I felt like I had walked a long way, but there was still more to go.
　From the looks of it, her family must be quite wealthy.
　Or is she what we call a noblewoman?
　I guess this is why the adventurer's guild uncle told us to be careful.
　But that doesn't mean I know what to do.
　I've never had any experience with the manners of aristocrats and wealthy people.

That's ...... just fine. Let's ask her where your father is.

　After walking down a very long and wide aisle for a while, a woman with long, golden hair appeared.
　She wore a skirt like a maid's uniform, but on top of that she wore a heavy silver armor.

"Welcome back, Miss Linneburg.
"Ines. Thank you for coming. I'd like to see your father in the audience hall at this time?
The man there is ......?

　The woman in armor narrowed her eyes and looked at me before answering Lean's question.
　It's like she's judging me.
　Apparently, she wasn't feeling very welcome.

"Inez. This is my guest. ...... Please do not be rude. He was the one who saved me from the attack.
"......!　Yes, sir. I'll lead you in.

　I wonder if this person is a maid of this house.
　She is wearing a very heavy armor, which makes it difficult for her to do cleaning and laundry. .......
　I've been looking at her curiously and our eyes met and she glared at me hard.
　She seemed to be very wary of me.

　Well, that's understandable.
　I guess they think I'm an out-of-place person in such a luxurious house with many servants.
　That's what I think, too.

"Come in. Through this door.

　The armored woman called Inez said, opening a heavy metal door at the end of a long hallway.
　At the end of the door stood a man with a beautifully ornamented golden spear.
　The man looked at us with a swarthy air and held up his spear, looking at ...... me alone.

I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that. You too, Linnea. What's wrong with you at this hour?　...... Who's that guy over there?



　The man asks me a series of questions in a somewhat light tone, but his gaze is sharp.
　The tip of his spear is pointing straight at me.
　It's as if he wants to be ready to stab me to death at any moment.
　As I thought, this man is also wary of me.
　This is a dangerous house.
　Lean's house.

Gilbert. Go through there. This man is an important guest of the Linneburg lord. Don't be rude. And you're coming with me to the audience.
"My guest. So you are the one ......?　...... Okay.

　For a moment, the man's gaze seemed to sharpen.
　For a moment, the man's gaze seemed to sharpen, but then it quickly returned to an ambiguous, swarthy mood.
　We followed Inez through the doors and soon reached the "audience chamber".
　As we opened the heavy door again, we saw a young man talking to an older man on the platform.

"Brother?
Is that Lean from ......?

　The young man seemed to be Lean's brother.
　He seemed to be around 20 years old.
　He seems to be around 20 years old.

The robe is the robe of the hermit,......?　I don't think so. You've been out?　I thought I forbade you to go out for a while. ......!
I'm sorry ....... But I really wanted to look for the benefactor on my own.
...... Who is this man?
"This is the man who saved my life.
......!　This is ......?

　Lean's brother looks at me and is quite surprised.

　Well, I suppose it's understandable.
　I spent the early hours of the morning scavenging, worked as an earth mover until late in the evening, killed a cow, and chased after some strange men on my way to the Adventurer's Guild.
　Thinking about it, a lot has happened today, and I'm looking pretty dirty.
　If I had the time, I could have gone to a public bathroom and cleaned myself up.
　I didn't expect to be taken to such a luxurious house later that day.

I'm sorry to be dressed like this. Leanne wanted to hurry.

　I apologized for my behavior.
　Lean's brother was staring at me and smiling silently, but Inez was glaring at me so hard she looked like she was about to jump me.


　...... Maybe I just did something wrong.

I don't care how you're dressed. In fact, I'm the one who said I wanted to meet you in a hurry. I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused you.

　A low voice echoed in the large room.

　The voice was so dignified that I could have been convinced that it was the king of some country.
　It's the kind of voice that naturally makes you feel taller and more comfortable.

　Inez and the man with the spear, Gil ...... something or other, dropped to one knee and bowed their heads.
　So the owner of the voice would be the landlord ......, or Lean's father.

"So you are the man who saved my daughter's life... you are younger than I thought. Let's talk closer.