" ... Sir, we see each other again. "
The receptionist of the guild welcomed Arthur for the second time today, a sight he would be quite satisfied to see, if only she wasn't so stuck with formalities around him alone.
But what could he do ? It was his fate from the moment he acted like he did, so having no choice but to swallow the pill, he decided to play his role till the end.
" Mhm, I completed the requests, where should I put the monsters parts ? "
" Heh ? "
With her being somewhat surprised by his question, no matter how she moved her head around to try and see which secret it was, she couldn't find a single bag on his back, and his maid didn't have even a single pocket on her dress, so what monster parts was there to see ?
Yet, seeing his serious expression that left her no words for rebutal, she couldn't help but stop her doubts from coming out as she answered.
" Just here.. I'd say ? "
Nodding to her words, Arthur just made a single call to the air, something he had yet to do in front of someone in this city, but since it was more practical to do it that way, he thought that there was no bad in doing it.
" Inventory. "
Suddenly, between him and the blonde woman, something appeared out of thin air, and while he knew what it was, she didn't, thinking it could be some sort of weird magic pointed at her head.
A look of helplessness crossing her face, but he ignored her childish reaction to something unknown and took out the ' bundle ' containing the monster parts.
Horns of honed rabbits, right fangs of goblins, and finally, broken cores of slimes.
Everything was being held by the handkerchief with a nice tie on the top of it, and grabbing the item that appeared into thin air and was floating still, waiting for him to grab it, he then deposited it on top of the counter where she indicated.
" I believe there is everything inside, but you are free to check. "
Inviting her to do so, she just swallowed her saliva hardly, before opening the tissue to see the items laying inside.
Of course, there was everything, he knew it and even verified it before coming back here to make sure that he wouldn't do such a silly mistake.
" .. I confirmed it, the requests are complete, please wait a moment... "
Receiving a 'programmed' answer that felt lacking of vitality, he looked at her getting up and heading back to grab their monetary rewards, something that he wouldn't refuse.
' It's not too silent compared to this morning, but it definitely feels like people are almost whispering.. '
Of course, rumors about him and Mariane were bound to spread during the course of the day, and a lot of people expressed their curiosity, though not so openly.
" Hey, why are you so silent suddendly ? "
" Shut it, I'll tell you everything in a moment. "
" Psst, aren't they the two from this morning you told me about ? "
" Don't speak so loud, they'll hear you.. ! "
" Come on, I haven't saw them around before, why are you acting so terrified ? "
" You fucker, do you want the death of the both of us.. !? "
' Ah.. Come on, just make it quick, I don't want to wait any longer... '
Showing impatience while listening to the chatter, Arthur wasn't a man that would be in a hurry usually, showed by how he changed plans at the last minute to hunt more monsters thanks to Mariane.
But there was one thing that forced him to hurry, and it was the single fact that he could actually merge a card, with the last required shard being obtained from a monster.
He hasn't done it yet, for the simple reason that he thought about the kind of ' flashbangs ' the system would use to announce something of the sort, and he couldn't be the one in the middle of it without getting curiosity for it.
So first, he had to go back to his room at the inn, but before that, he grabbed something to eat on one of the street stalls, and decided to come here to resolve everything at once.
" Sorry for the wait, I am back. "
Less than a few minutes later, the blonde woman wearing a proper top and skirt, came back with a pouch in her hands instead of three, thinking that she must've been putting all of the coins together or something close, he just grabbed it when it was handed to him.
" Thank you. "
" Can I help you with anything else ? "
" It's alright, we'll take our leave. "
And with few words from his side, showing as much as how in a hurry he was, he left the guild, accompanied by Mariane.
" ... Master, can I ask why are we in such a hurry ? "
Her curiosity, that she could express somewhat freely from time to time since she wasn't just his maid, got the better of her as she spoke her mind and asked that question, to which Arthur decided to take his time to answer and give her the attention she deserved.
" About that.. I obtained the missing piece I told you earlier, and with that, we'll be able to summon you a cadet. "
No matter what, he wouldn't lie to her, and while he could hide things, he knew that she was the only one he could trust as of now, though someone will quickly join her, for now, she was the only one.
" A cadet.. Will she be a woman as well ? "
" ... She will, she will be a priest and a beastkin as well, though I don't know what will come out from this summoning, we can only hope for the best. "
" I understand.. And I believe in master's ability. "
Thinking that she would be somewhat jealous or afraid, he was at first unsure about his choice and showing such hurry for a new character, yet, seeing that she managed to keep her composure, maybe she was already expecting something like that to happen, and while he was sorry for her, he made the promise to try and not let her be dissatisfied with it.
' Even if the summoning is successful, you don't have to worry, Mariane, as she won't be able to replace you at all. '
A warm smile on his lips, he decided for once to ignore the eyes of others and raised his hand, only to pat her head softly, showing a sweet attention that affected her quickly and made her face flush in a bright red.
That simple action of his, easily grabbed the attention of others, who couldn't help but feel various emotions while watching them, but those two were already in some sort of different world where the passerbys don't exist.
In such a sweet place, where the flow of time almost stopped, he just kept caressing her head, while the girl was wagging her tail left and right slowly, appreciating the soft touch of the man she love and yearned for.
But unfortunately, the woman's strong senses couldn't help but betray her, feeling stares being directed at her as she showed such a vulnerable state of herself.
" Master we.. we are being watched... "
To her words, the man could only smile as he spoke, giving her a confident answer, not the one she wanted at the moment, but one that still had some kind of effect on her.
" It's okay, if they watch, it's either because they're envious, or they're jealous, but either way, they can't have you, only I can. "
The sentence he pronounced, filled with confidence and a strong emotion of possessiveness, definitely reached her as he could see her tail wagging furiously behind her.
From there, he knew what he had to do, to show others that she was his, he lowered his hand, caressing her cheek and slowly reaching for her chin, which he lifted, before leaning in closer.
The soft sensation of his lips as he stole hers was able to shut the mouth of everyone around them, or at least that's how he felt, giving her not a teasing kiss, nor a fiery one, but just a simple and passionate kiss able to stop time once again for the both of them.
Parting their lips when he felt that was enough for a show, it was regrettable, but he couldn't go further here, so he prefered showing restraints before she would actually run away from him in embarrassment.
" Master, I.. I love you... "
Her voice, closer to a whisper than anything, barely reached his ears, but it was enough for shake his heart strongly, a deep and warm, almost cozy feeling surging from the bottomless pit of emotions, that made him answer before he could even think properly.
" Mhm, I love you too, Mariane.. "