Thanks to the frantic efforts of my massive swarm of slimes, clear water was once again flowing into the lake.
Since I had temporarily closed the water gate to drain the basin completely, the water was still shallow. However, at this rate, it would likely return to its original level by morning. There was no real need for me to keep watch, but I found myself idly gazing at the lake as it restored itself.
The night air, especially by the water, was quite cold, but it felt refreshing after finishing the day's labor. As I sat there, the maids who had finished setting up the wedding venue began to head back to the mansion.
"And then there were none... I remember reading a novel like that a long time ago."
Of course, that was a mystery novel and wasn't nearly this peaceful. As I lost myself in idle thoughts, I heard the footsteps of four people approaching from the direction of the mansion.
"Yo, Ryoma!"
"Hughes. And Jill, Kamil... even Zeff."
The four familiar guards were carrying baskets that smelled delicious and a box filled with bottles of liquor.
"What’s with all the gear?" I asked.
"Dinner. Since it’s the night before the ceremony, we thought we’d eat with you tonight," Hughes replied.
Apparently, on the eve of a wedding, the groom and bride are supposed to share a meal and talk with their families as much as possible, but I had heard that Hughes's parents had already passed away.
"I know I’m no substitute for your folks, but I’m only alive today because of you. Besides, we didn't get a chance to drink together yesterday. How about it? A drink under the stars?"
I felt honored that he would choose me as a companion on such an important night.
"I would love to join you."
"That’s the spirit!"
"Then let us prepare at once. Kamil, Zeff."
"I made sure to ask the head chef for the food, so you know it’ll be good!"
"We’ve got a table and chairs right here, too."
"Then I’ll set up a barrier to keep out the cold. I’ll also get the slimes ready, so if you have any scraps or trash, just toss it their way."
After a few minutes of dividing the labor, we were set. Warm stew and fresh bread sat before us. Atop a magic tool stove, a pot was filled to the brim with cheese fondue. Various other appetizers that paired perfectly with alcohol were packed tightly onto the table.
"Well then, a bit early to celebrate Hughes's marriage—cheers!"
"Cheers!"
As I took a sip from my glass, a mellow, rich aroma wafted through my nose.
"Ngh! What is this? This is some incredibly high-quality stuff!"
"Jill, you prepared the alcohol, right? This must have been expensive."
"It is a celebratory occasion," Jill replied flatly. "A little extravagance is permissible."
"That may be so, but if I’d known we were drinking something this good, I’d have thought of better snacks to go with it," Zeff added.
The four of them chatted away comfortably. They seemed much closer than mere colleagues. Come to think of it, I had never heard the full history of their relationship.
"How long have you all been working together?" I asked.
"Hmm? About ten years now," Hughes said. "Jill originally served the Ducal House, while Zeff, Kamil, and I were adventurers who transitioned into the guard. It’s been that way since then... the three of us were in the same recruit group, and Jill was the one in charge of training us rookies."
"I see..."
"Kamil and Zeff aside, Hughes gave me nothing but trouble," Jill said with a sigh. "His strength was remarkable, but he absolutely loathed discipline and stiff traditions. His basic etiquette toward nobles was non-existent."
"Jill was pretty desperate back then, wasn't he?" Kamil teased.
"Even as a guard, there are times when one must appear before guests. If a problem were to occur, it would bring shame upon the Master and the entire household."
"Ah, I remember the lectures... 'You! How did you ever think you could serve in a noble's mansion with that attitude!' Was that the one?"
"I truly could not understand it," Jill admitted. "Neither your way of thinking, nor Reinhardt's reasoning for deciding to hire you."
"What was it actually like back then?" I turned to Hughes.
He looked thoughtful for a moment before answering. "Back in those days..."
Hughes told me about how he was the eldest son of a frontier farm. He had hated the prospect of a life of poverty where he would do nothing but till the fields, and since he was confident in his strength, he had run away as a young man to become an adventurer.
"I struggled a fair bit at first, but gradually my life stabilized. I eventually made it to B-rank. Personally, I was fine with continuing as an adventurer... but once you hit B-rank, you start seeing people quit. Some say they’ve hit their limit, or they’ve saved up enough to live safely while working a normal job. I was drifting between parties that were about to disband when I met the Master and Madam."
"Now that you mention it, I heard those two were active as adventurers for a time."
"Yeah, the two of them were also former B-ranks and had formed a party. They were acting under hidden identities, but they couldn't hide that refined noble—or rather, 'rich kid'—vibe at all."
The two of them had clearly stood out at the Guild. Hughes laughed happily as he recounted the story.
"At first, I just thought they were a pair of weirdos. But then a huge request came in that drafted a bunch of high-rank adventurers. I was forced into a makeshift party, our coordination was a disaster, and we were nearly wiped out. Everyone except me was too injured to move, and just when I thought I was dead meat, those two showed up and saved us. While I was trying to repay the favor, we hit it off and started working together."
"By the way, I’m also one of the ones who got close to them because of that request," Zeff added.
"Zeff too? Does that mean Kamil as well?"
"Ah, no, I was a bit later..." Kamil started.
"Kamil was slightly after us," Hughes cut in. "This guy’s magic was great, but his other skills were a bit shaky, so I looked after him for a while."
"Hey! Ryoma, don't get the wrong idea," Kamil protested. "I wasn't 'shaky,' I was 'ordinary.' I just didn't reach the top tier of B-rank like Hughes and the others."
"Well, let's go with that for now," Hughes chuckled.
"In truth, his magic is versatile enough to handle a wide range of situations," Jill said, offering a rare bit of praise. "Even if the Master brought him in personally, one cannot become a guard without a baseline of ability."
Kamil looked relieved at Jill’s assessment. I finally understood their dynamic. While the four of them were close, the reason Kamil felt like the junior of the group was a relationship that had been established during their adventurer days.
"In the end, I think we could have aimed for A-rank," Hughes continued. "But those two ran out of time. That's when they finally revealed who they were. They said they had to get married and succeed the Ducal House."
"That was quite the shock," Zeff said. "As for the marriage, they were always together anyway, so we saw that coming. We were also pretty sure they were nobles of some kind."
"We just never imagined they were the heir of a Ducal House and his fiancée!" Kamil added.
"Exactly. So then, the talk naturally turned to what we were going to do. They invited us to join them. They said they knew our skills and knew they could trust us. I was honestly conflicted, but I felt like even if we found other parties, we’d never have a better group than the one we had then. Besides, it’s not exactly easy for a common adventurer to meet a Duke. If we parted then, it might have been for good. We were companions who actually got along; saying 'That's it, goodbye' just didn't feel right."
And so, Hughes had decided to enter their service. He figured he could quit anytime, but the chance to be hired by a Ducal House was rare. He decided to take the offer and see where it led.
"Well, because I entered under those circumstances, Jill and I locked horns constantly."
"And for good reason!" Jill barked. "Loyalty is paramount for the guards who serve the master's inner circle. When I was granted permission to work in this mansion, I prepared myself to dedicate my entire life—"
Perhaps because the alcohol had finally kicked in, Jill began pestering Hughes with lectures. The other two tried to calm him down, and the conversation grew even livelier. The talk eventually shifted to the anxieties and concerns Hughes had been holding back as his wedding approached. As someone who had never experienced marriage in either of my two lives, I couldn't fully relate, but I offered what encouragement I could until...
"ZZZ..."
"...And that's why... I'm saying..."
"............"
"..."
"Hello? Anyone home? ...Well, I guess that’s that."
Everyone had passed out drunk.
"Could someone please give me a hand?" I called out.
"Did you call for me?"
A woman's voice answered from behind me just seconds later—a place where no one should have been. Then, the soft rustle of footsteps on the grass reached my ears.