Ah, the night is coming up. Hopefully we can make it to the gates in time for closing.

　Ted blurted out as he looked up at the blackening sky.

　It was just as the early evening was beginning to fade when they cleaned up the encampment and removed the circle of twins.
　Then the group walked down the road toward Thoria, and as expected, the young twins were a hindrance.

　However free their limbs were, there was no way they could keep up with the steps of the adult mercenaries, who were also strong-footed.
　Aldis carried the twins at intervals to catch up, but as expected, they couldn't carry them all day, and as a result, there was a much greater delay than originally planned.

'I can see it,'

　Orphelia said, spilling droplets of sweat from her face hidden by her hood.

'So we're finally here,'

　Ted breathed a sigh of relief, too.
　He had to take fewer breaks in the afternoon in order to catch up, and he had to push himself a little harder to get there.
　He had managed to make it to Tria before curfew.

　It was thirty minutes later.
　When they arrived, the gatekeepers were in the middle of preparing to close the gate.

'Come on, hurry up,'

　The gatekeepers would want to finish their work quickly and leave. They rushed Aldis and the others to check their passes.

　But that was only for Aldis and the others.
　As soon as the twins caught sight of them, the gatekeeper's expression suddenly turned hard and high-pressure.

"Hey, are you twins?

　The twins were clothed in child's clothes, taken from the carriage load for both of them.
　Aldis has removed the ring that identifies them as people, and they have already burned the papers describing their status as people.
　It's a little bit of dirt, but the twins are now just ordinary people.

　However, to the gatekeeper, it seems that whether they are people or not has nothing to do with them.
　They stare at the young girls as if they were looking at something dirty and intimidating.

''Say something!

Oh, no, Mr. Gatekeeper. They're supposed to be our bodyguards. Can you be a little hard on yourself?

　Ted tactfully tried to placate the gatekeeper.

'But you see--'

You must be tired. You must be really tired. This is not much, but please have a drink on your way home.

　From the other side, Norris puts a silver coin in the gatekeeper's hand.

''Ummmm ......, well, it's no use. Don't cause any problems!

　As he said this, the gatekeeper waved his hand to chase them away towards Aldis and the others.
　Gingerly, I passed through the gate and entered the main street, and Norris held out his hand, palm upwards.

'Aldis,'

　Seeing what Norris was getting at, Aldis took a silver coin from his own wallet and placed it in his hand.

'Because that's what it means to walk with twins. If you resist for some strange reason and cause a commotion, you'll make more enemies, won't you?　Well, that sounds like a lot of fun.

Yeah. Thanks for that. I'm sorry about Ted, too.

That's good. Okay, we'll report to the lumber dealer, here. We'll give you a shout when we come back to work.

"Aldis. ...... I've got a lot to say about that, ...... but if you ever need a woman's hand, don't hesitate to give me a shout. I'll do what I can to help.

Yeah, see you.

　Ted and his friends leave, leaving behind Aldis and the twins in the main street.

　Night had already spread over most of the sky and there were few people on the street, but everyone who went and saw the twins frowned at them.
　Irritated by their stares, Aldis urged the twins to start walking down the road to the inn.

　Aldis's permanent inn is located on the main street, with easy access to the main road.
　It was a medium-sized inn in Tria, and it grabbed customers by virtue of its slightly lower than market rate room rates and the amount of food it offered.
　The food had a reputation among the mercenaries for not tasting good, but it wasn't a big problem for Aldis, who didn't care about taste.

　The cost of room and board for the twins would be a lot of money.
　But fortunately, Aldis is not in need of money.
　Although I can't continue to provide for them forever, I was planning to take care of them until I could find someone to take them in.

　For now, I want to get some sleep quickly. I haven't gotten much sleep these past few days due to the encampment.
　Let's give the twins a decent meal and get under the covers. We can think about what we're going to do after we've had a good night's sleep, or so I thought.

　Until the innkeeper told me to leave - until the innkeeper told me to leave.

'You must leave.'

　The landlady, who had been so amiable when they left the inn four days ago, made no secret of her annoyed expression when Aldis returned with the twins.

'What do you mean?　I've never been late in paying for lodging, and I've always paid for it in advance. It would be awful to leave all of a sudden.

　Ardis raised her eyebrows at the landlady's response, which had changed 180 degrees from what she had done before.

It's my line. You're a twin, right?

　The landlady says, jawing at the twins standing behind Aldis.

'So what?　He's offering to pay for both of us in addition.

It's not a question of payment. I wouldn't be in business if people knew the twins were staying here!　What do you have against us?

　They were no longer in a position to talk.
　Forced to choose between pulling out of the inn or dumping the twins somewhere else, Aldis had no choice but to leave.

　Night had already spread across the sky.
　The sky was already full of night, but she couldn't just wander around with her two young children in tow.
　Aldis took the twins to every inn in the area, but everywhere she went, they were repulsed by the twins and wouldn't take her seriously.

(I didn't expect them to come this far. ......)

　Aldis' feelings sank as the disgust people directed at the twins was far worse than he had imagined.
　But now that he had heard Orphelia's story, there was no way he could abandon the twins.

　In their search for a place to stay for the twins, Aldis and his friends ended up in what could almost be described as a back street.
　It's a long way from the main street, far from the glitz and glamour of the streets lined with inns, and there are few street lights, giving it a quiet and desolate atmosphere.

'Hey there, brother!　Yes, you!

　In a street that had no connection to the bustle of the entertainment district, a woman's voice suddenly called out to her.
　Aldis looked around slowly once before finally realizing that the voice was calling to her.

　It was a woman in her mid-twenties who called out to Aldis.
　She wore her Tobi-colored hair tied up and a triangular hood over it.
　She is slender and slenderly built, and her appearance gives an impression of vivaciousness to the eye.
　The dress she was wearing wasn't flamboyant, but it was clean.

'Maybe you're looking for a place to stay tonight?'

...... What makes you think that?

Well, you know what I mean by wandering around a place like this at this hour. Hardly anyone hangs around here at night, let alone during the day, and if you've got a place to stay, you should be back at the inn by now.

　This area is full of poor houses, and there are no shops open at night like in the entertainment district.
　In addition, if you're carrying a set of luggage like Aldis, it's easy to assume that you're wandering around looking for a place to go," the woman said. 'We're just down the road,' the woman said.

We have an inn just around the corner," the woman said. How do you like it? How do you like it?

　The woman sells me on it, turning the same eyes as her hair color.
　For Aldis, who was looking around for an inn, it should be called a crossover.
　But--'

''It's nice of you to let me stay, but do you mind if these kids stay with me?

　Saying that, Aldis turned her gaze to the twins who were following behind her.

''It's not like we have kids together--''

　The woman trailed off as she was about to speak.
　She followed Aldis's gaze, and the moment she caught the twins in her eyes, her mouth snapped open and closed as if under the spell of silence, and she exclaimed.

'........................ could it be the twins?'

'Yes. Will you let these kids stay with you?

'Eh, uh, ......'

　The woman begins to hold her head in her hands as she spits out meaningless sounds from her mouth, a far cry from the crisp tone she had been using before.

　But unlike previous innkeepers, there was no immediate refusal.
　She must be in so much trouble because there are so few customers. It's a good thing that you're not going to have the twins stay with you, and yet you still want to fill the room.

''Hmm ......, is your brother a mercenary?''

Well.

Are they mercenaries too?

No, no.

　Then the woman, who had her head in her hands for a while, nodded widely to convince herself, and began to negotiate with Aldis.

'I have a few conditions, but I'll let you stay if you'll take them.

　The fact that he was instantly patronizing that he could stay overnight was, after all, only in a world where the twins were treated badly.

'Conditions?'

'Yes. First of all, don't tell anyone you're twins. If people find out you're having twins staying with you, they won't want to come back. Secondly, don't let them leave the room at the same time. As long as they don't see you both at the same time, they won't know if you're having twins.

　Aldis ruminated over two conditions in his mind.

　The first condition was no problem. The first condition is not a problem; in any case, I don't want to make a statement about the existence of twins.
　The second condition is a problem, but it is acceptable.
　It was never my intention to take them out to work, and I didn't think the twins would want to go out on their own.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find a great deal of information on the subject, but I'm sure you'll be able to find a lot more information on the subject.

　I'm just checking," he cut in and Aldis asked the woman.

It's a good idea to have a meal and wipe yourself down with hot water in your room.

Oh, that's okay. I'll pay for the labor.

'My job sometimes keeps me from returning to the inn for days at a time. Can I ask you to take care of these girls when that happens?

Umm ......, it's going to cost extra, ok?

That's okay. What's the cost of the room and board?

Normally, a room for three people costs one silver coin. A meal is five small coppers per meal. ...... I'll get two silver coins for the room since I'm taking the risk too.

　Although the price was set completely underfoot, Aldis liked the fact that the original price was honestly revealed.
　There are not many lodgings that can accommodate mercenaries who are rough around the edges to begin with.
　As long as there is no other place to stay, whether it is more expensive or not, Aldis actually has no choice.

''We don't need beds for each of us. "We don't need a bed for each of us, a room for two is enough. Three meals for breakfast and dinner. Three meals for these children, including lunch.

The cost of the room is just one silver and four coppers. Together with the cost of food, that's one silver and eight coppers ...... per day. The hot water is a tubful of hot water and one copper for each time. Five small coppers for carrying the meals. I can only take care of ...... when I'm not home, but I can only visit from time to time, so how about one copper?

That's it. Just give me ten days.

　What used to be six coppers a day when Aldis was alone has ballooned to nearly two silver coins in one fell swoop.

(Not that my pockets are cold enough to dry up like that, but ......)

　Although he was somewhat frustrated with the woman's bullish price tag, he was relieved to have a place to settle down for a while. Aldis also wants to quickly crawl into the warm bed and go to sleep.

It's settled. Then follow me. If you go in the main entrance, the other guests will see you, and I'll show you the back door.

　Although Ardis didn't notice, it seems that the woman called out to him at a place that could almost be called directly in front of the inn.
　At the entrance, which at a glance looks like a slightly larger house, there was indeed a small sign hanging at the entrance that said 'Stoplight Pavilion'.
　If the woman hadn't approached me, I would definitely have passed by without noticing.

　The woman's guidance led Ardis and the others away from the public eye and around to the back door of the inn.
　The building looks even more like a private home when you go around the back and enter through the kitchen door and show them to their rooms.

Actually, you'll have to go to the counter and go through the formalities before you can come in.

　After checking in at his room, Aldis paid for his room and board for ten days in advance, and then had his dinner brought to his room immediately.

Oh, yes. My name is Kashikha," she said. It's just me and my father," he said. I'll tell your father about Aldis, so you can come back tomorrow to see him," he said.

　With that, he left the room.
　What was left in the room was Aldis, the twins, and the food for the three of them. The flames of the candles, the only source of light, flickered and illuminated the room.

'It's dark,'

　Aldis murmurs, and the room is filled with a light so bright it can't be compared to a candle flame.
　The light source suddenly appears out of nowhere, a ball of light that sticks to the ceiling area.
　It was a little larger than my palm and emitted a dazzling light that drowned out the unreliable light of the candle.

　The twins, who had rarely shown any emotion on their faces before, shrugged in surprise.
　Then they both looked up at the ceiling and blinked at the strange light floating in the air.

'Eat while it's warm,'

　He must still be wary of Aldis.
　After bluntly telling the twins, who were huddled in the corner of the room, peeking at us, Aldis sat down in a chair and began to eat.

　With their hoods off, the twins' hair was shorter than I had expected. Their short-cut hair, which revealed the nape of their necks and ears, had lost its original shine from the pile of dirt.

　They scooped up the stew with a spoon and silently brought it to their mouths without saying whether it was good or bad.
　In less than five minutes they finish eating it, but the trouble is, the twins don't touch it at all.
　It's not that I don't see any sign of approaching the table, on the contrary, it's just that while Ardis was eating, she was crouched down in the corner of the room, looking at us.

''You're not going to eat?''

　When Aldis calls out to him, he doesn't respond. They are looking at you and seem to hear you. I'm not going to be able to say a word back to you both.

I'm going to go to bed now.

　In addition to the work, Aldis, extra tired from the search for lodging, quickly crawled into bed and began to sleep.