"Welcome Elys!"
As soon as I got off the carriage, Annie approached and greeted me warmly. However, Ian, who I thought I had become somewhat close with, was nowhere to be seen.
"Yata!"
When I high-fived Annie, who had her hand extended, she seemed satisfied and walked alongside me.
At some point, both of my bags had ended up in Annie's hands. I was sure the maid who accompanied me in the carriage had been carrying them, so I wondered when and why Annie had taken them. Eventually, I took one of the bags back from her, and the two of us, each carrying a bag, headed toward the mansion.
"Mom had to go out for some business, and Dad is in the library. Let's greet him quickly and then go to the room."
"Sure."
I didn't see any reason to refuse, so we went to greet Annie's father. Fortunately, Annie and Ian must have spoken well of me because her father greeted me warmly.
"I'm sure you're tired from the journey. Go rest. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."
"Thank you."
One interesting fact was that the head of the Klein family was not Annie's father, but her mother. Annie had mentioned it quietly before we reached the library, so I was able to avoid making a mistake. Apparently, Annie's father, Alec, had married into the family.
"By the way, you don't really look like your father, Annie."
"Right? I don't look like Dad at all, but I look a lot like Mom. On the other hand, Ian looks a lot like Dad."
Indeed, just from seeing Alec earlier, I could imagine where Ian had inherited his large frame. Though I hadn't met Annie's mother yet, Alec was quite tall, much like Ian. When we visited the library, it was a bit surprising to see such a tall man engrossed in reading.
If Annie had taken after her father just a little bit, she might have escaped from her overly short height.
Poke
"Eek! Wh-what was that? Why did you poke me all of a sudden?"
I let out an involuntary yelp in response to Annie's sudden attack. Even though it's happened several times, I'm still not used to it. I can't seem to control the sounds that slip out when I'm startled.
"It just seemed like you were thinking something unpleasant, Elys."
"N-no, I wasn't! Don't make me sound like some weirdo."
"..."
Annie gave me a half-lidded glare. Honestly, Annie's intuition is sharp enough that I can hardly keep any thoughts hidden around her.
"Fine, fine! I was just thinking about how cute you are, Annie. Is that so wrong?"
It wasn't entirely a lie; I had been thinking that she was cute because of her small size. Honestly, I can't even imagine what Annie would look like if she were taller.
"Hm? I'm still suspicious, but I'll let it slide for now!"
Thankfully, the word 'cute' was enough to smooth things over.
"By the way, this is your first time in our town, right? What do you think?"
"Well… I've only seen it from the carriage, so I'm not sure yet. But for a town close to the Forbidden Forest, it seems pretty lively."
Despite being near the Forbidden Forest, where even the demons that threaten the continent dare not enter, the streets were bustling. In fact, it seemed even more vibrant than Yuri's territory.
"Right? But just seeing it from the outside won't tell you much. I'll show you around! Let's go!"
Even though I hadn't given an answer yet, Annie jumped up from her seat and urged me to follow her. Since I had planned on agreeing anyway, I didn't refuse and followed her out.
Once we stepped out onto the street...
There were a lot of regular townsfolk walking around, but there were also many people who were clearly adventurers. Most of them had swords strapped to their backs or waists, and occasionally, I spotted mages in robes carrying staffs.
I saw a swordsman haggling over a displayed weapon with the shopkeeper in front of a weapon shop, while across the street, a woman was bantering with a vendor, trying to get some extra food supplies. The harmony between the townspeople and the wandering adventurers created a fresh and unique atmosphere on the streets.
"Even though we can't enter the Forbidden Forest, there are many dungeons and ruins around it. There are also plenty of monsters, so the bounty for subjugations is high. Our city's adventurer guild is probably the second biggest in the empire."
Of course, the largest one would be the guild headquarters in the capital.
"Since it's the city closest to the Forbidden Forest, I thought it would be more barren, but it's the opposite, huh?"
"Yeah, the emperor knows that if our city falls, it'll be a huge headache dealing with the monsters crawling out of the Forbidden Forest. That's why we get all kinds of benefits, and the city has grown bigger because of it."
"Huh, I see. So, where are we headed now?"
"I'm taking you to the café with the best desserts in our town!"
Although I only started going to cafés after entering the academy, the cafés in there have set a high standard for me. Many of them cater primarily to students, and since a lot of those students are nobles, I've gotten used to a certain level of quality.
Annie, having explored the cafés with me, must have known this, yet she spoke with great confidence.
"I'm sure you'll be surprised after just one bite, Elys."
Annie isn't a stranger to lying, but when she gets this excited, she genuinely believes what she's saying. Seeing her more excited than me, I couldn't help but start looking forward to it as well.
* * * *
"Ta-da!"
The café we arrived at was more rundown than I had expected. Most cafés tend to have a stylish interior, but this one, if I were to put it nicely, had an old-fashioned vibe. Honestly, it looked a bit shabby.
Still, the café was quite spacious, and despite the poor interior, it was already packed with customers, making it hard to find a seat. For the café to have so many patrons despite its lackluster appearance, everything else must have been good enough to make up for it. Now I understood why Annie had spoken so confidently.
"What do you want, Elys? My recommendation is the double chocolate shake and the chocolate mud cake. How about it?"
...Just hearing that made my mouth feel sticky. Normally, sweet cake pairs with bitter Americano, doesn't it? But I doubted talking to Annie about that would change anything.
"Then I'll have that..."
"Okay! Grab us a seat, Elys. I'll go order."
Though I felt a bit apprehensive, since Annie had recommended it, I decided to just indulge in the sweetness and follow her lead.
"How much is it? I'll pay half."
"No way. If I let a guest pay, my mom would kill me."
Annie spoke seriously like its a life-and-death matter. Wow, their family education must be strict. Though, I probably have no right to talk, having grown up with assassin training.
I left Annie, who was placing the order, and wandered around in search of a seat. However, no matter how much I looked, I couldn't find an empty spot inside the café. Thinking there might be open seats outside, I stepped out just in time to...
Bump
Well, it was more like a soft bump, but I still felt something collide with my chest. Looking down, I saw a small child with their face buried in my chest.
It seemed I hadn't noticed the small child in front of me while I was busy looking around for a seat.
I quickly stepped back and checked on the child, surprised. For a second, I mistook her for Annie due to her bright red hair and short stature. She looked so much like Annie that if they were standing side by side, people would mistake them for sisters. However, a quick glance at the counter confirmed that Annie was still waiting for her order.
"Sorry about that, little one. I wasn't paying attention and bumped into you. Are you hurt?"
Fortunately, the child didn't seem to be injured.
...I suppose my chest, small as it is, had acted as a cushion.
But the child didn't respond to my question, only looking up at me silently.
"Do you know who this person is?!"
Instead, a man beside the child raised his voice angrily. Turning my head, I saw a man in armor holding a giant sword in both hands. Despite already having a sword strapped to his waist, he wasn't carrying the large sword on his back but rather holding it separately. It was a strange sight.
Judging by the child's fine clothes, it seemed she was the daughter of someone important, out on a stroll. Sure enough, when the child raised her hand, the man who had been yelling immediately stopped and stood at attention.
"Hmm… Are you a newly settled adventurer? You seem to have some decent skills."
Despite her small stature, the child looked up at me and spoke with a tone of authority. But given her tiny frame and cute voice, her words only came across as adorable. It was like watching Annie try to act serious.
"Hehe, our little one has quite the eye for talent, huh? I've been told I know my way around a sword."
I only humored the child because she was cute, but the man next to her, who seemed to be her bodyguard, looked nervous. It wasn't like I was about to harm the child, so why was he acting so tense? Even I felt a bit hurt by his overreaction.
"Oh, Elys! There you are."
While I was talking to the child, Annie appeared, carrying a tray with drinks and cakes.
"Couldn't find a seat yet… huh?"
But as she got closer, Annie made a strange sound and stopped in her tracks.
"M-mom…?"
?
At Annie's mention of her mother, I looked around but didn't see anyone who matched the description. I turned back to look at Annie, and followed her gaze to where she was staring.
…?
Annie was looking at the child I had bumped into.
I glanced back at Annie, but she was still staring at the child. I turned back and forth a few times, but her gaze remained fixed.
Ah…