"Well, I'm heading out."
"Yes. Take care."
After spending the day uneventfully, I set out for Bode again the next morning.
Mornings lately seemed to be filled with departures. Or perhaps it wasn't just lately? Had it been like this for a while? I had a feeling things had been more or less the same since the beginning.
In this world, it was impossible to schedule a meeting for a specific time, like two or three in the afternoon. If you wanted to see someone, the crack of dawn was your best bet. Trying to arrange a meeting for exactly 11:45 was out of the question. If you tried to meet at midday, you inevitably wasted hours waiting around, and the whole thing turned into an all-day affair. It was most efficient to catch someone in the morning before they left for their own business.
And so, today was no different; I set off as usual.
"His Excellency is in his executive office."
"I see."
At Bode Castle, the routine was the same—I was told to just head straight through to the back.
"Um. Thank you very much."
"Hmm?"
Wait, that wasn't the usual greeting.
"I heard you took my wife to another city yesterday."
I was stopped by the guard, but it seemed his wife had been one of the Female Elf Adventurers from yesterday. I hadn't laid a hand on her, mind you. Though I might have wanted to. Scoring a beautiful wife like that... I suppose even this receptionist was one of life’s hidden winners.
Well, I couldn't really be sure. Even among elves, who all looked like paragons of beauty to humans, there were likely degrees of attractiveness. It wasn't out of the question that this man believed the entire face of the earth would have changed had his wife’s nose been a mere millimeter taller.
"Ah, that."
"My wife was absolutely delighted. She's completely fired up now, saying she’s going to earn enough to get a mirror of her own."
It seemed I had ignited the lady's material lust. In other words, she was telling him to earn more because she wanted a luxury item. I followed the logic. She’d probably told him, "I've decided—my birthday present is going to be a mirror!" I could see it now. He was probably being interrogated with questions like, "Do you even remember when our wedding anniversary is?"
Heck, it might not even be their anniversary; it could be the day they bought their first plate together. Or the anniversary of the first time they bought clothes as a married couple. Like I would know. That had nothing to do with the husband.
Marriage truly was the tomb of life. Just because he’d landed a beautiful wife didn’t mean he was one of life’s winners after all.
No, wait. He didn't think I'd taken her somewhere inappropriate, did he? He didn't think I'd dragged his wife down a path of depravity, right? Surely he didn't think I was the villain here? I-It wasn't my fault.
"Ah... right."
I gave a noncommittal response and hurried toward the Duke's executive office. The Harz Ducal House custom of letting me walk right in felt like a blessing today of all days.
"Who is it?"
"It's Michio."
"Enter."
When I reached the office and knocked, a reply came immediately. That voice belonged to Gosler. Oh, the sense of security Gosler provided. The Harz Ducal House wasn't all bad. Everything would be fine as long as Gosler was around.
"Lord Michio, thank you for your help yesterday."
Cassia was also inside the office. She bowed to me with practiced elegance. With Cassia here as well, the Harz Ducal House was in good hands. We didn't even really need the Duke.
"Lord Michio, please, have a seat."
"Thank you."
I sat on the sofa at the suggestion of the Duke, whose presence was entirely redundant.
"Lord Michio, we tested it after you left yesterday, and they were able to reach Pelmask successfully on their own. Thank you very much."
As I sat, Cassia bowed politely to me once more. No matter what she did, she was the picture of grace.