With the welcome party over, we returned to the Western-style mansion I had transmuted. Klaus spoke up as soon as we stepped inside.
"Lord Allen, please leave the rest to us and get some rest."
"You sure?"
I stared intently at Klaus's face. Despite the amount he’d been drinking at the party until just moments ago, he showed no signs of intoxication whatsoever. Apparently, he was the type with an incredibly high tolerance for alcohol.
"Yes. You must be exhausted from the long journey. Moreover, you used such grand magic today."
"...Fair enough. Thanks. I'll leave the rest to you, then."
"Please, leave it to me."
"But you were drinking quite a bit too, weren't you, Klaus? Don't push yourself."
"I am grateful for your concern! However, that amount hardly counts as drinking for me."
He really was a heavyweight when it came to booze.
"Understood. Then I'll see you tomorrow."
"Understood. Good night, sir."
"Yeah, good night."
Leaving the remaining tasks to them, I headed back to my private quarters.
The room was about eight tatami mats in size. A somewhat wide bed occupied the center, with a table and chair set by the window. It was a simple room, designed for nothing more than sleep.
"...Maybe I made the bed a little too big."
I found myself muttering the words aloud.
I'd told myself a single or at most a semi-double would have been plenty, but it seems the bed I share with Ana has become my subconscious standard. This isn't quite what I'd planned.
"Well, whatever. It's all the same once I'm asleep."
I turned the thumb-turn lock, changed into comfortable clothes, and collapsed onto the bed. I stared up at the unfamiliar, simple wood-paneled ceiling.
...What is this? This sudden sense of loneliness.
I’d always thought of myself as the type who could sleep anywhere, but maybe I was more exhausted than I realized. No, that wasn't it. I was lonely because the usual warmth wasn't there beside me.
"...Ana."
I whispered the name of my beloved wife, but naturally, there was no response. I let out a long, heavy sigh and closed my eyes.
...I can't sleep. Normally, I'd be out like a light by this time.
While I lay there agonizing over thoughts of Ana, I suddenly sensed someone in the hallway.
...That's not Klaus's gait. One of the other advance party members? No, their footsteps would be heavier than that. This is far too light.
An assassin who slipped past Klaus and the others? No, if it is, their presence is way too obvious.
I sat up and gripped Nikov just in case, listening intently to the hallway. The footsteps approached slowly. Given the short stride, the person was likely small and light. And they clearly weren't trying to hide.
Eventually, the figure stopped right in front of my door.
...So my room was the goal after all.
I slipped into the shadows beside the bed, ready to fire at a moment's notice. But the person outside didn't move. They didn't try to force their way in, nor did they walk away.
...Wait! Could this be a decoy? Is there another assassin somewhere else?
Just as I began to scan the room in all directions, there was a sound.
Knock, knock.
"—!?"
It was a perfectly normal knock. I reflexively caught my breath.
"U-Um... Lord Hero?"
Rhea's hesitant voice filtered through the wood.
Are you kidding me? All that high alert for nothing!
I clutched my head at my own jumpiness, then took a deep breath to steady myself.
"How did you get in here? I didn't give permission for outsiders to enter the mansion."
"B-But..."
"Just go home. As far as I'm concerned, you weren't here tonight. Understood?"
"Ah, b-but..."
Good grief. She’d been acting strange since the party, so this is what it was about.
I let out a performatively heavy sigh.
"I’m ordering you to leave. I have no intention of betraying my wife."
"Ah, w-well..."
"I told you to go home. Do you understand what will happen if you refuse an order?"
"Hiee?! I-I am so sorry!"
When I dropped my voice into a low, threatening register, Rhea apologized in a panic and went scurrying away.
Seriously. So much for "leave the rest to us," Klaus.
Worse yet, I was now completely wide awake. I decided I might as well go give Klaus a piece of my mind. I changed back into my clothes and headed downstairs to the first floor where the party members were staying, but...
"Ah! Ahhh! Mmn!"
"Amazing! You're amazing!"
"Aaaaaah!"
To my utter disbelief, high-pitched moans were echoing from the rooms I’d assigned to the advance party.
What the hell are those guys doing?
Well, I'm a man too. I get it. But... wait! So that’s how it is!
"Haaaah..."
I let out a massive sigh and trudged back to my room.
Early the next morning, just as the sky was beginning to turn grey, I went to Klaus's room and hammered on the door.
"Hey, Klaus. You awake?"
"Eek!?"
A woman's voice shrieked from inside.
"W-Wake up! Captain! The Lord Hero is here!"
"Mmm...?"
"It's the Lord Hero!"
"Wh-huh?! Ah, w-w-wait! My apologies for oversleeping... wait, is it time already?"
"Just get your clothes on. Or should I just open the door?"
"N-No! My sincerest apologies!"
After a frantic rustling of fabric, the door swung open.
"Lord Allen, good morning. What brings you here at such an hour—"
"Yeah, morning. Look, I'll turn a blind eye to last night. But from now on, bringing women back to this mansion is strictly prohibited. Got it?"
"Huh?"
"This isn't a brothel. What was with all that screaming last night? It was echoing all the way down the hall."
"Ugh..."
"Listen. I have no intention of betraying my wife. I'm not going to stop you guys from sleeping around, but do it somewhere other than this mansion. Is that clear?"
"Y-Yes, sir..."
"You too. If you've got it, then head home."
"Y-Yes! Excuse me!"
The woman who had been in Klaus's room scrambled out of the mansion in a frantic blur.