I don't know what to do.



It's a date. It's definitely a date.

　Iris declared with fervor.
　This is a guest room at Torrius Castle.
　In the room she had rented for her stay, Iris was changing her clothes before she went out.

　From now on, she would be going out into town with Yuki, on a sneak peek.
　Ofelia-Torius had lent her clothes for that purpose.
　She was in a great hurry to bring me a change of clothes as soon as Iris entered the room.

''........But why was Ofelia-sama smiling so good......?''

　It was as if he was looking at a close companion.
　I wonder what that was about. I'll ask "My Lord" about it later.

My Lord" is blunt but kind, so he easily makes allies.
　I love that part of him──, Iris murmured to the mirror.
　However, it's just that there are many girls on his side........

　While thinking about that, Iris changed into Ofelia's clothes.
　It's a traveler's outfit, with a hood and cloak. It's just right for going out on a sneak peek.
　The figure in the mirror looks like her former life - Alice.

(I've grown up a bit more than I did back then, haven't I?)

　Moreover, the me in this life and My Lord are the same age.
　I'm sure that My Lord will be thrilled to see that he has grown up from his previous life.

(──I wonder if he'll be thrilled.)

...I hope you're excited...

(──There's no chance of you being thrilled. There's a little bit of that...)

　Then Iris looks into the mirror and clenches her fists.

'Let's get fired up!　It's my first date with 'My Lord'.

　In my previous life, I never had a chance to have a date in town.

　This is because in those days 'My Lord' was not allowed to go out of town during the daytime.
To avoid being exposed as an "Immortal Magician".
　Never before had the two of them walked around town together so openly and proudly like this.

'Watch it, 'My Lord. I'm going to surprise you on our first date!

　After changing, Iris left the room, fired up.



　The view point of Yuki.



The streets on the north side of the castle town seem to be crowded today. On the contrary, the sky is empty on the south side. There are a few clouds, but the wind is blowing to the north. It will clear up in the afternoon.
　How about having a snack and looking at the scenery from the square on the south side?　Yes, it looks like the market is on the southwest street. Let's go that way first.

"'I'm surprised!　Yuki-sama, when did you look it up!

　It was just a few minutes ago.
　Dick the bat (who was following us a little late) joined us, so I asked him to go with Garum the dog to scout out the castle town.
　We got the wind direction and cloud movement from Dick, and the smell of the stalls and the traffic from Garum's report.

　Even if you are a burglar, you still have to walk with Iris.
It's only natural for the "knight escort" to do some preliminary research.

''........as expected of 'True'.......no, no, it's Yuki-sama.
........If Yuki-Grossaria-sama is here......there's no need for any other guards....

　Ofelia and Natasha sighed.

　They say so, but of course they have other guards ready to go besides me.
　Iris will have me, Ofelia and Natasha will have Dick and Garum as their guards, and they've been properly briefed.

That's good. I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make sure that you don't break the child leader formation that we just taught you.
"Wham!　I understand. Ofurisama and Tasya-sama, this is Mamoru.'
"I'm going to be with my friends.

　Garum barked, and Dick nodded over my shoulder.

'Lord Ofelia. Now, I'll leave you with my messenger. This one will ensure that Ofelia-sama and Natasha-sama are escorted.

　I picked Garum up and handed him to Ofelia.
　Ofelia was comparing me and Iris curiously, and then suddenly, she put her face close to my ear and


''Well yes. I can't tell you the details, but I'd like you to think it has something to do with the legend Ofelia knows.
I understand. I understand perfectly.

　Ofelia nodded, chomping, chomping.

I'm loyal to the True Lords. I will help you.
I'm just going shopping, so don't push yourself.
No.

　Ofelia shook her head.
　Then she looked up at me with a serious look on her face.

Protecting the secrets of the True Lords is the mission of a diva. I'll do my best.
Okay. Thanks. Good job.
Yes, sir.
"Uh-oh.

　Ofelia nodded, and Garm, who didn't seem to know any better, barked.
　We were ready to go.

　So we sneaked off to the castle town of Torias.




　We decided to tour the market first.
　As Dick and Cliff had scouted out, the south side of the castle town was relatively empty.
　The south side of the city is less crowded and safer because there are many shops for merchants and nobles to deal in, apparently.

''Your Highness, your hand, please.''
Hi, hi!

　I take Iris's biting hand and start walking down the street.
　If I do this, Iris won't go away on her own.
　Natasha and Ofelia are walking a little behind us. Garum is at our feet, keeping a close eye on his surroundings.

　Dick is under the shelter of the building, watching for anyone who comes near us.
　In addition, Dick's allies, the Bats of Torrius, are hiding in the shadows of many of the buildings.
　It seems that the people who saw them fighting the Beast King's Horsemen the other day have been following Dick and his friends.

　The security is now complete.

''So, what do you want, Yuki-sama?
I'd like to have as much dry food as possible, since it's only near the Inland Sea and the fish and shellfish in Torias territory are delicious. The fish and shellfish in Torias territory are delicious, as it is close to the Inland Sea.
Something a little more romantic, please.
Now, Martha how about some of that maid's hand cream to prevent roughness? I can synthesize it myself by using the Flower of Katra, but it doesn't grow in the royal capital.
Would you like to move away from the practical things?
.........Speaking of which, Alice, do you know that 200 years from now, hoes and scythes will have advanced considerably. They are lighter and stronger than the ones Lyle and I used to use in Fira Village. I'm sure they would have made it easier to plant rice terraces with these things.

Maybe a ring or an ornament?
Yuki-sama and I are very conscientious in our approach.

　Didn't you just say to yourself, 'How about a ring or something?
　.........well, that's okay.

　I decided to ask Ofelia and others to lead me to a place that sells ornaments.
　The place is a nearby street stall.
　It is a shop that sells goods for the Count's family.

　However, they seem to deal in cheap goods for the common man.
　I'm a burglar, and I have no intention of letting Iris spend a lot of money, so I'm fine with that.
　As soon as I took a look at the front of the store, I found out that...

"...this is the 'Stone of Lapiris' pendant?

　A pendant with a small blue stone on it caught my eye.
The "Stone of Lapiris" is a crystalline body that has a magical power accumulation effect 《Marijuccion Effect》.
　I gave it to Lyle and Remilia as a wedding present in the past.

　However, the ones lined up in this store are of incomparably lower purity than that.
　The prices are cheap. Even the contents of my purse are enough to buy it........

''Excuse me. This "Stone of Lapiris" pendant...
Two, please!

　Before I could finish, Iris took out a coin.

''........Moo. I said I would give you a gift. Why are you trying to give me money?
No, no, I was just...
And........this is the stone that Remilia's mother used to wear as a pendant, right? I heard that 'My Lord' gave it to her.
What, you remembered?
'Yes, sir. Of course. Ehehe.

　Iris received the 'Stone of Lapiris' pendant in exchange for a silver coin.
　She hands one of them to me, stands tall, and closes her eyes.
　Put it on, I guess that means you have to wear it.

　I put the chain around the back of Iris's neck and closed the clasp.
　The silver chain looks good on me, probably because it's the same color as Iris's hair.

"........My Lord.......no, Yuki-sama.
I'll see you later.
Yeah.
Let's go... I mean, let's go. Mr. Iris.

　I walk away from Iris' hand.
　Natasha and Ofelia, who was smartly blocking her sister's eyes, follow me.
　Ofelia already seems to have completely figured out something and is smiling happily.
　Natasha is nodding her head in wonder, though.


　Then we look around the stalls for a while.
　By the time we arrived at the south square, the clouds had cleared and we could see the mountains to the east.

...Is that the mountain where the village was.........

　Iris was sitting on the ground in the square, looking vaguely at the mountains to the east.
　Ofelia and Natasha were sitting a little further away from me, as if they'd been paying attention.

　I sat down next to Iris and held out a small bag to her.
　When Iris received the bag, she looked surprised and...

That smell.........that's your homemade baked goods!
You know what I'm talking about.
'I can tell, because it smells like 'Vanilara'. Perhaps you made it before you left?
Yeah.

　These baked goods are easy to make, but they don't last very long.
　So I borrowed the kitchen before I left for the day and made them quickly.

The vanillala flowers I use in these sweets were picked from your garden.
At my ... Alice-Carmine's house...?
I was visiting my hometown the other day. It was Alice who planted it, wasn't it?
'Ha, yes. But.....

　Iris took a bite of her baked goods, then looked a little frustrated.

'I planted that one after my reincarnation, thinking I would use it to make a wedding cake for me and My Lord's wedding...'
Was it?
But that's okay. That's how I got to see my hometown and eat the sweets I've missed so much.
'When we were all studying together, Alice was always the first to solve the problem and ask for the candy. It wasn't even baked yet.
That was to help 'My Lord' and to stay with him as long as possible.
I didn't know.
Don't forget that this time.
Yeah. I promise.
But I'm glad. To be able to eat sweets like this, just like 200 years ago.

　Alice, by the way, put her head on my shoulder.

''I'm the first person to eat 'My Lord's Special Sweets' in this era, so........''
Well no, I fed Odette and Ofelia, but
Mmmm.
I don't know why you're so pissed off that you're testing your baking skills.
'I'm not angry. If you made it for Odette and Miss Ofelia, you can't be angry. Moo!

　Eventually, Iris's mood didn't improve until I nodded her head.
　Natasha, who was in the same square, a little further away, seemed to have a hard time with Ofelia blocking her eyes and ears in turn. Thanks Ofelia.

　Odette and Elmira-san of the 'Cain School' returned that night.
　When all of them were present, the whole castle was in an uproar as a party was to be held to defeat the 'Beast King Rider' and welcome His Highness Iris.

　It seems that everyone drank so much alcohol that they were all crushed by midnight.
　Me and Iris both left the venue early, so I don't know about that.

　However, I did see Elmira-Lotus-san and the soldiers from the royal capital getting drunk.
　The castle's security was also confirmed by the messenger's report, where the security of the castle was a little loosened, and where it was lacking.

　So...



'Boosted' doubled, plus 'flying' skill activated.



　I could have easily snuck out of the castle without anyone knowing.
　It wasn't difficult to summon the jet-black lord, who was treated as a member of the household, in the middle of a deserted forest.

　When I performed the summoning, a magic circle was created on the ground.
　It's the same as when I summoned Iris, who had become my family member.
　A slightly larger magical circle, a jet-black king's horseman appears from inside the magic circle with his wings folded.

　I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not, but it's a good idea.

　It's a good thing that I'm not the only one.
　I hid the Black King's Horse in the old castle again.



I invoke the summoning spell. Come and join my family, Iris Liestier!



　I summoned Iris to the 'Ruins of Fira Village'.
　Iris appears from inside the magic circle, holding her nightgown tightly.

''It's a successful strategy!　My Lord.

　Iris looked at me, clapped her hands and laughed.
　Then me and Iris both looked around the site of the 'Fira Village'.
　No one was there, but an army of bats greeted us.

　We walked around the old castle, Lyle's house, and the meeting place - and finally, in the middle of the village, Iris stopped.

This is the place where Lyle's father proposed to Remilia's mother 200 years ago.
'That's where you got your proposal accepted. Lyle's guy, he asked Remilia to marry him fifty times.
Yes. So I think I'll follow suit.

　Iris stood up taller and I bent over a bit.
　Then Iris wrapped her arms around my neck and put on the pendant she had bought during the day.

'Please take me as your wife, properly. 'My Lord,'
Yeah. I know.
'If you disappear from the human world without me, I'll use the power of the princess to find you.
I wouldn't leave you behind.
Yeah.
You're my family, my beloved family.
...My Lord.
Also, Iris is a very dangerous thing to be around, if left unchecked.

　Even before he regained the memories of his previous life, he'd usually walked into the mountains of the baronial estate.
　Normally, I would have let my subordinates do that kind of thing.
　Even for a princess, she's really dangerous. Iris.

.........hmmm.... It's the time to treat them as children like that, right?

　Iris said, and flicked her tongue out.

'One day I'm going to be a great lady and make My Lord say, 'You look great! You've grown up, Iris!

　Iris made such a declaration as if she swore to Lyle and Remilia, who are not here.



　Then we looked around the village a bit more...

　Before dawn, I flew on the wings of the Jet Black King's Riders again, returning to the forest near the castle...



"Come, my household, Iris Liestier...



　I summoned Iris and sent her back to the castle.
　Since I needed to return the King's Horseman of the Jet-Black, I ended up being away for the day tomorrow.
　I'm sure Iris and Odette will make up an alibi at random.

'Good night. I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused you, 'My Lord'.

　When I said that and returned to my room, Iris's hands were covered in dirt, which bothered me.



　Then I took the "Jet Black King's Horseman" to "Fira Village" again.
　I decided to sleep in the old castle until noon and then return to the castle.

　When we were leaving the village.


"...Is this why Iris's fingers were covered in dirt?


　On the ground in the village square, there was a sign with a finger that said 'My Lord and Alice Carmine got engaged here', but...


Well, okay.
It's okay... and I like the bat army... and I'll be watching.


　In the end, I decided to leave the letters as they were and go back to the guys.