A few days after making the request regarding the Fog Sound, Rei was receiving instruction from Elena on etiquette.
No — to be precise, it was not etiquette but speech patterns.
As for etiquette itself, Rei had already become reasonably proficient. The formal manners were certainly complex and troublesome, but the procedures themselves were fixed. Once he memorized them, the rest was not difficult. Granted, most people could not simply memorize them that easily, but Rei had some foundational knowledge to draw on, so he managed that part without much trouble.
Unlike etiquette, which involved set movements, however, speech patterns could not be reduced to fixed forms.
Rei's casual speech toward Daskar was tolerated precisely because it was Daskar. But that was a courtesy afforded by a true noble; Rei was, at the end of the day, an adventurer. As such, the nobility and Royal Family would normally overlook his manner of speaking as long as it was not egregiously crude.
In other words, there was originally no need to drill Rei's speech patterns in such detail. But from Elena's perspective, the day might come when she would have her father and Rei meet under those particular circumstances. Better to have him practice polite speech now than to panic and cram when that time arrived.
"Hmm, then let us see. Why don't you try rephrasing 'Please give me your daughter'?"
"...Huh?"
Elena's sudden words left Rei momentarily bewildered, wondering what she was talking about. Naturally — the polite speech they were currently practicing was meant for professional use. Why would such a phrase come up in a work context?
(Could it be that A-Rank adventurers pose as fiancés?)
That was the conclusion Rei reached. Political marriages among nobles were not always welcome. For those actually getting married, it would hardly be strange for some to wish to avoid such an arrangement for any number of reasons — a separate lover, fundamental incompatibility with the prospective partner, a high likelihood of being assassinated at their new home. As grounds for declining such a match, asking an adventurer to pose as a lover was not inconceivable.
Of course, if it was merely a matter of pretending to be a lover, there was no need to specifically enlist an A-Rank adventurer. But these were nobles. If handled poorly, the situation could spiral into trouble, so one would presumably need to bring along someone of considerable strength — or so Rei reasoned.
...In reality, it was a complete fiction.
No, it was true that such requests existed, and it was also a fact that high-rank adventurers were sometimes asked to pose as lovers. But the reason Elena had tried to make Rei say those words just now was driven purely by her own desire.
Ara was also present in the room besides Elena and Rei, but perhaps because she understood Elena's feelings, she simply watched the two without interjecting.
"Right. Then... hmm, wait a moment. 'Please give me your daughter' — can't I just say that one as-is without rephrasing it?"
"I wonder. You should think about that yourself and manage it somehow, Rei."
"Even if you say that... you're you, right? No, wait. Saying 'give me your daughter' is essentially asking someone to become my father-in-law, so should I address you as 'Father-in-law'?"
"!?"
The moment Rei said "Father-in-law," Elena's body jerked to a halt. The words that had come out of his mouth must have carried far more destructive force than she had anticipated.
...It wasn't as though Rei had actually called Elena "Father-in-law." But being addressed that way made it feel as though her relationship with Rei had become something definitive.
"Rei, once more... hmm?"
She wanted him to say it again. Elena was about to ask him just that, but a voice from the entrance alerted her that someone had arrived.
Since the spirits had permitted entry, it was likely someone without malicious intent. Elena understood that as well, but having her blissful moment interrupted, she found it thoroughly disagreeable — and understandably so.
That said, this was not Elena's house. It was Marina's. Since she was looking after the place in Marina's absence, she couldn't simply ignore whoever had come to visit. Moreover, the fact that someone had come here meant there was also a possibility they were calling on her.
"Ara."
"Yes."
A single brief word, but it was enough to convey everything to Ara. With that, Ara headed toward the entrance.
『......』
Silence filled the living room. Elena, wondering why on earth she had done such a thing, felt a wave of embarrassment in retrospect, while Rei, for his part, could not fathom why Elena had suddenly gone quiet.
And so the living room remained wrapped in silence, until...
"Lord Rei, a guest."
It was Ara's voice, upon returning to the living room, that broke the silence.
"A guest? For me?"
Since they had come to this house, Rei naturally assumed the visitor was either calling on Elena, who was stationed here on assignment from the Noble's Faction, or had business with Marina, the homeowner. But Ara had unmistakably spoken Rei's name. If that was the case, the visitor had undoubtedly come for him.
"Yes. From the Guild."
"...I see. That was fast."
Given that someone from the Guild had come specifically for him under these circumstances, it was easy to guess it was related to the A-Rank promotion exam. It was also possible that, for some reason, they urgently needed his help. Gilm was home to many adventurers, but even among them, what set Rei apart was his mobility and transport capacity. Thanks to Set and the Misty Ring, no one in Gilm currently surpassed him in those two areas. When the Magic Fever had broken out before, Rei had ridden Set to deliver the medicinal ingredients. Thinking this situation might be something similar, he looked at the person who had entered the living room — Lenora — and immediately dismissed the thought. There was no desperate urgency in her expression.
(Come to think of it, Lenora was the one who came to fetch me during the Magic Fever too, wasn't she?)
With that in mind, Rei spoke up.
"The fact that Lenora came personally — is it about the promotion exam?"
"Yes. Regarding Rei-san's A-Rank promotion exam, the Guild Master has something to discuss with you. If you're willing, he'd like you to come to the Guild even now — would that be alright?"
"Yeah, that's fine."
Rei had been waiting, ready for the promotion exam discussion to arrive at any time. Given that, he even felt willing to take the exam right this instant. ...That said, even taking the current situation into account, doing so would unquestionably be reckless. Being summoned today was likely not to conduct the exam immediately but rather to explain it — that much was predictable. Which was precisely why there was no reason not to head to the Guild now.
"With that being the case, I'm heading to the Guild for a bit."
"Umu. Be careful... though, knowing Rei, there's probably no need to worry that much."
Knowing Rei's strength, that was how Elena phrased it. What surprised Lenora was Elena's demeanor. Lenora knew that Elena and Rei were on friendly terms — not to mention living together in the same house — but even so, she had not expected Elena to worry about Rei to this extent.
(I wonder... what Kenny will do about this.)
All things considered, there were quite a few women rumored to be involved with Rei. But among them, Kenny had been the first to meet him. Despite that, there had been no progress whatsoever in the relationship between Kenny and Rei. For a fleeting moment she thought of her friend, but with work to do right now, she quickly shook her head and set the thought aside.
"Then shall we go? The Guild Master is waiting for you, Rei-san."
"Knowing Worker, he'll probably be working, thinking even the time spent waiting for me is a waste."
Lenora nodded unconsciously at Rei's words. At the Guild, even now with Lenora absent, many Guild Staff Members were hard at work, and Worker was no exception. Lenora had come to fetch Rei, but once she returned to the Guild, she would need to get right back to it herself.
Remembering that reality, she turned her gaze out the window in something of an escapist frame of mind — and caught sight of Set and Ielo running around the courtyard. But for an instant... truly just an instant, she felt as though there had been something else out there besides Set and Ielo. However, perhaps because she had only glimpsed it for a split second, as she tried to look toward the courtyard once more...
"Lenora, we're heading to the Guild, right? Let me get ready, so wait for me out front."
Rei's suddenly spoken words immediately drew her attention away.
"Understood. I'll be waiting outside, then."
Saying that, Lenora departed the living room.
"Phew."
Watching Lenora go, Rei let out a heavy breath. And it wasn't just him — Elena and Ara both looked equally relieved. Naturally. At the moment Rei had spoken up, Lenora had been looking toward the courtyard. And in that courtyard right now were Set, Ielo... and Nielson.
Since there was no particular reason to return to the Treant Forest today, rather than going with Vihera and the others, she had stayed behind to play with Set, Ielo, and the rest in the courtyard. To Rei and the others, Nielson's presence was an everyday sight. That was precisely why they hadn't given it a second thought — but seeing Lenora turn her gaze toward the courtyard, they finally remembered Nielson and hastily cut the conversation short.
They had been told to keep the fairy matter under wraps. Given that, Lenora discovering Nielson was something that absolutely had to be avoided. Under normal circumstances, they should have registered that fact first and foremost, but perhaps because everything had happened so abruptly, they were slow to catch on.
"That was close... huh."
At Rei's murmur, Elena and Ara nodded in agreement.
"Umu. The sight of Nielson being here had become so routine that I forgot entirely. I must be more careful from now on."
"Even so, Nielson is normally not at this house during the daytime, so it can't be helped," Ara said, trying to encourage Elena.
But Elena shook her head. "No. This was because I let my guard down. Under normal circumstances, I should have noticed."
Ara had no reply to that. In truth, it wasn't just today — Elena had been spending more time with Rei lately, and that sense of relaxation... or rather, her lapsing vigilance, was something Ara couldn't deny either.
"In any case, Rei, you should head to the Guild. But since you're going there, it would be best not to bring Nielson along."
"Nielson might say she wants to come, but it'd definitely turn into trouble."
Nielson was fiercely curious. If she set foot inside the Guild and saw all those people working busily, her fairy instincts might well compel her to pull pranks. If she did something like that in the Guild, there was a very real chance her existence would be exposed. After all, the Guild was full of adventurers. What's more, some of the Guild Staff Members were former High-Rank Adventurers. If such people were pranked by Nielson inside the Guild, it would without question become a major incident. At that point, concealing the fairy matter would be impossible.
"Then leave Nielson to me. Ielo will want to play with her too, after all."
Rei nodded at Elena's words and headed for the courtyard.
"Set, I got called to the Guild for a bit, so I'm heading out. What about you?"
"Gruu!"
At Rei's words, Set let out a cry — of course I'm coming too!
"Hey, Rei. What about me?"
Even as she asked, Nielson's attitude made it plain she wanted to go, but Rei shook his head.
"Sorry, but that's a no. Where we're going is the Guild — a place packed with adventurers. A lot of them aren't particularly skilled right now, but there are some who are. If I brought Nielson to a place like that... Marina would definitely be furious."
Since Nielson looked ready to throw a tantrum, he preempted her by invoking Marina's name — Marina, the Shrine Maiden of the World Tree. And once Marina's name was brought forth, there was nothing more Nielson could say.