Oh, you're done for the day?　Would you like a drink?

'Excuse me, sir. I'll have to leave early today.

　I politely decline the senior who invites me for a drink. Today is the day I've been waiting for, so I want to leave in a hurry. It's already done.

All right. Well, be careful on your way home.

Ha, excuse me.

　I greet my seniors and leave the room. When I step outside, the samurai women bow to me and I step back. I hear whispering behind me, but it's not a bad rumor, so I don't pay any attention to it.

　As I'm walking through the royal palace like that

I found it!　Master Roy!

　A loud voice calling my name. When I turned around, there was a woman standing behind me with a number of cronies and maidservants in tow.

　Her beautiful blonde hair, so beautiful that it sparkled, was straight up to her waist, and she had a neat face with triumphantly suspended eyes. Sister Alexia........breasts that almost caught up with the queen. In contrast to her large breasts, she has a waist so thin it looks like it might break.

　Her name is Mikloua Carmine. She is the eldest daughter of the Marquis Carmine, whose father, originally a nobleman of the empire, has supported Queen Alexia since the time of the royal domain, working as the marquis of this country and the foreign minister for negotiations with other countries.

　The Kingdom of Lanwalker is still a newly created kingdom. Most of the nobles left over from the division from the Regalia Empire are still holding some kind of office. Her father is one of them.

　He's two years older than me, so he was 16 years old. This man's brother works in this royal palace as a civil servant. I've talked to him a few times.

　I'm thanking her. A little soldier like me isn't the kind of person to talk to.

"How may I help you, Master McClure?

'Already, such a stranger. I have asked you to call me Mia.

　But she's been saying that to me. It's been like this since I saved her from a group of orcs when I was her escort before.

'But since there are eyes all around me, I'll call you Lady McClure. So what can I do for you?

　But I'll tell her that. No matter how good she says it is, this is the royal palace. You don't know who's watching you.

"You're so uptight, Master Roy. But that's what I love about you!　The requirement is that we have an evening party after this. If you would like to join us, Master Roy, you may join us as well?

　Mikloua-sama smiling at me. But a commoner like me can't participate in this. The sons of the nobility would resent me. Besides, I have some important business to attend to today.

I'm glad to hear your invitation, Mikloua-sama, but it's not an invitation for a commoner like me. I'm sorry, but........''

　I bow my head to Master McClure for inviting me. From the top of my head, I can hear Mikloua-sama's lonely voice.

''.........it can't be helped. I'm going to pull out of it for today. I'll be inviting you again. Thank you for your time, Roy-sama.

　Mikloua-sama gives me a smile that I can admire, and then leaves. She is indeed beautiful and kind, but........let's go. I leave the royal palace without noticing the figures staring at me.

　My destination is an ornament shop. This is where I asked you to give me a favor. I said when I checked before that it could be done today.

　It takes about 15 minutes to walk from the palace. I look for a shop with the sunset in the background. I found the place I wanted to go, and I entered the shop. There were a few customers inside, but when one of the shopkeepers found me, he came up to me with a smile.

　In front of me stands a man so muscular that he obviously wouldn't look out of place in an ornament. His name is Palette. He is a veteran of the jewelry business and can also work in this shop. He seems to be a married man with a wife and two girls.

You're here, Roy. Hey, Roy, that thing's ready.

'Really?　May I see it?

　I suppressed my hesitation and asked Palette-san for help. Palette-san went back to the back of the store once. And when she came back, she came back with a small box in her hand.

'Here you go,'

　I opened the box handed to me by Palette-san with trepidation, and inside was exactly what I ordered.

''Haha, thank you, Palette-san. It's more than I ever imagined!

I know, right? I think it's pretty good, too. So here's how it's paid for.

Oh, yes, that's it.

　I'm going to pay out all the money I've been saving in advance. It's going to take away several months of my paycheck. But I don't regret it at all.

... oh, just in time. But you've saved it all up. It's hard to save this kind of money, isn't it?

'I'm finally saving a lot of money, too. Well, I'm used to saving money.

　I chuckle and talk to Palette. It's just better to be able to eat every day compared to when I used to spend time at the old church.

　I received a letter the other day from Sister's church in Arcadia, saying that life is much easier now that Sister Pricia, May and I are sending money to them. It's been a long time since I've been able to visit them.

So, thank you, Palette!

Oh, good luck with that!

　I leave the store, waving to the support behind me. Now, let's go home.

　I don't live in the royal palace now. Pricia asked me if I wanted to live there as well, but May said she wanted to do some work, so I rented an empty house to live in there.

　A place that used to be an empty house a little outside the palace. Alexia woman my sisters have arranged for me to rent a larger empty house at a discount.

　I went into the garden of that house.

Oh, it's my brother Roy!　Okaari~!

Roy, go!

　Children are gathering around me in a huddle, all of them about twenty in all, the youngest being only 2.3 years old, the oldest being younger than me. There are about 20 of them, the little ones are only 2.3 years old, and the oldest one is younger than me.

They're all welcome home, right?　Totally, I'm home, guys.

　I pat everyone's head. They all seem to feel good, but it's a little hot because they're like a man bun. I'm dealing with kids who adore me like that.

Oh, welcome back, Roy.

　May came out of the house in an apron. A few years ago she was a girl, but these days she's turned into a woman, and now she's somewhere in between. I turned to May like that.

I'm home, Mae.

　I smile back. This is our home now. It's a house for children without parents, a house of flapping wings that May started because she remembered Arcadia.