"I apologize. My excuses have dragged on for far too long."
"N-No! People working for the state have it rough, so it couldn't be helped. Besides, my home village is far from the royal capital, so it naturally takes time for news to travel..."
Had it been somewhere close to the royal capital, they probably could have responded in time.
However, reaching my home village from the royal capital took five days by shared carriage.
Even on a fast horse it took three days, so a delayed response was inevitable.
On top of that, before any of that happened, a dungeon had appeared right by the royal capital, and a large number of soldiers had been mobilized to deal with it.
I understood full well that this issue had arisen from a series of overlapping circumstances.
"Be that as it may, I arranged this meeting today because I wished to refund the fee you paid for the request, Erik-san."
With that, Dilm-san placed a burlap pouch on the table.
"Regarding that money, would it be possible to use it for the village instead of returning it to me?"
"...For the village?"
"With a wyvern on the loose, securing food must have become difficult, and I'm sure people haven't been able to eat proper meals. Also, while Henry-san came to report our village's plight, other nearby villages might have suffered damage from that wyvern as well. I'd like the money to be used as relief funds for them."
Honestly, in my mind, that money was already spent.
Even if I took it back here, it would just end up sitting in my guild account untouched for a while.
If that was the case, I wanted it to be used to help the people back home.
With that thought in mind, I made my proposal.
"...Understood. I shall take you up on your generous offer, Erik-san, and put this money toward the reconstruction effort."
"Please do. Ah, that's right—there's no need to mention that I had anything to do with that money. If people find out, it might cause some complications."
"Is that so? Very well. We shall present it as relief funds provided by the state."
Having said that, Dilm-san promised to rally the soldiers and mobilize immediately, then took his leave.
"...Reina-san, if someone of that stature was coming, you should have warned me beforehand. I was so nervous my heart nearly leapt out of my chest."
"I'm sorry. His visit was so sudden that I was flustered myself. I never expected someone from a marquis house to show up in person."
"A-A marquis house?"
"He didn't introduce himself by his family name to you, Erik-kun, but that was Dilm von Dilligen. He is the younger brother of the current Marquis Dilligen, and he currently serves at the royal castle."
My thoughts ground to a dead halt at the revelation.
I had spoken with Belinda-san from a count house before, but this was a noble of an even higher station.
"D-Did I say anything out of line? Was I speaking to him properly?"
"Yes, you did wonderfully. You handled the conversation with complete composure."
Panicking, I double-checked with Reina-san as I mentally replayed our exchange.
"I went and turned down an offer from a marquis... Am I really going to be okay...?"
"Of course you will. Dilm-san is a man who cares deeply for the common folk. If anything, your words left a very favorable impression on him."
"If you say so, that's a relief."
Even with Reina-san's reassurance, my heart was still pounding hard and fast against my ribs.
After that, I couldn't bring myself to jump straight into the next request.
I took about ten minutes to rest in the consultation room, then managed to complete two odd jobs before lunchtime.
Both were requests paying five copper coins.
Counting the three silver coins from Hannah-san's job earlier, I had earned three silver coins and ten copper coins over the course of the morning.
"I thought working up a sweat would make me hungry, but for some reason, I can barely swallow anything today."
"Still, you're heading outside the walls for the first time in a while today, aren't you? You have to eat properly."
Having finished my morning work, I had gone to grab a bite to eat with Reina-san.
I didn't feel up to stomach a full set meal.
With that in mind, we had dropped by Sara-san's cafe.
I ordered an apple juice again, along with a small sandwich for my meal.
I managed to force it down piece by piece, chewing thoroughly and washing each bite down with apple juice.
"...Erik-kun, if you're really feeling that out of sorts, why not hold off on going outside today?"
"...No, I want to get back to leveling up as soon as possible, so I'll go. Besides, it's just a matter of nerves, not that I'm actually feeling sick."
I gave Reina-san a reassuring response.
Meeting someone as prominent as a marquis and worrying over whether I had been polite enough had simply left me on edge.
More than likely, stepping outside and fighting monsters would help clear my head.
"Well, if you're sure... but if it gets to be too much, you come straight back, all right?"
"Fufu, you really have a soft spot for Erik-kun, don't you, Reina? Here, this one's on the house. Give it your all this afternoon!"
"Are you sure?"
"Of course. It's my way of saying thanks for letting me see such a rare side of Reina."
Sara-san handed me a complimentary refill of apple juice.
Reina-san shot her a sharp, half-amused glare.
"Thank you very much, Sara-san!"
Liquids went down without any trouble, so I voiced my thanks and gratefully drank it down.
After finishing lunch, I returned to the Adventurer's Guild with Reina-san to complete the paperwork for my request.
And with that, I stepped out through the guild doors, heading beyond the walls of the royal capital for the first time in days.