"Mm."
A small yawn escaped my mouth as I moved my sluggish hands against the bed cover. Suddenly, my hands landed on something warm and soft. To ascertain the unfamiliar object in my hands, I squeezed my hand faintly, and the object bent and changed shape.
(Hmmm.... what is this?)
I slowly opened my eyes, curious about the soft sensation of the unfamiliar object in my hand. Once my half-opened eyes regained focus, the first thing that reflected in my eye was a beautiful girl who seemed to be in her mid-teens, her long, glossy green hair flowed down her back and was spread across the bed, tickling my nose. She breathed peacefully in her sleep as her hands clutched at my shirt. However, what bothered me the most was the fact that her slightly transparent nightgown had become dishevelled and loose as she moved about on the bed erratically, causing her bosom to be greatly conspicuous to the naked eye.
I quickly moved my hands in a panic as my face became flushed red. Why was Alya sleeping with me? Was the first thing that came to my head, however. As though giving up, I sighed before covering her exposed body with the bedsheets. When I turned my gaze towards the sofa, I saw the figure of Nikita, who was covered in a warm blanket, still fast asleep. The way she carries herself was graceful and elegant if only a certain someone could follow her example.
I then got to my feet and opened the wooden door. Not to disturb the two who were sleeping, I tried my best to open the door as quietly as possible. Though a soft creaking still sounded. Once I made my way outside, a cold breeze brushed against my skin, sending a shiver down my spine. The clothes I was wearing were light, so I could feel the cold temperature clearly. Despite that, I continued to make my way towards the village square. It was still early in the morning, so not many people were outside. And the ones that were out and about were all farmers working in the fields.
The rain continues to pour down on the crop fields; it would most likely last until Nikita leaves the village. We will be leaving later today, so they still have plenty of time.
"Oh, if it isn't Sir Haruto. Good morning."
A middle-aged man with rough facial features, who was holding many gardening utensils, said. Hearing his greeting, I waved my hand in a friendly gesture.
"Umm... could you tell me if the village chief has awoken as of yet?"
"Yes, he usually wakes up really early in the mornings; in fact, I'm certain he is probably up by now."
The man said.
"Oh, I see... thank you."
I said, bowing my head politely.
I then made my way in the direction of the village chief's house. There are some things I'd like to ask him, since I'll be leaving as soon as Alya and Nikita wake up. I decided to ask him now, if he has time. After walking for approximately ten minutes, the slightly corroded house of the village chief came into view. It seems they had sealed the hole I had left behind from when I had punched Gael when I first arrived; maybe I was a little too hasty in my action.
(Oh?)
There was a young girl with braided orange hair sweeping the front of the house. She's the chief's granddaughter if I remember correctly. Once she had noticed my approach, her delicate hands, which were moving with the utmost proficiency, suddenly came to a pause.
"Good morning, is your grandpa awake?"
I inquired as I came to a stop.
"Good morning, yes, I'll inform him of your arrival."
She said in a slightly timid tone as she turned her back and made her way back inside the house. After waiting for a minute, I was invited in by the orange-haired girl. The interior was a bit small. Though slightly bigger than the cabin we were currently staying at. I made my way towards the living room, where the village elder was already seated. Once he saw me, he got to his feet as he greeted me in an exaggerated, polite tone.
"Good morning, and welcome, though unsightly. I'm happy you took the chance to visit my home."
He said with a wide smile on his face. As he gestures for me to take a seat.
"Please don't worry about it. I'm sorry for visiting you so early in the morning."
"There is no need for you to apologise. Though it would be a lie if I said I wasn't surprised. I had actually planned on visiting you later today when I was sure you were awake."
He said while leaning back on his chair.
"Oh, then maybe it was rather impulsive of me to come here without informing you earlier. I'm sure you must be quite busy."
"As I said before, don't worry about it. Anyway, it seems there is something you want to discuss, right?"
He asked, gazing at me from where he was seated. My expression became serious as I asked.
"It's about the three adventurers who were extorting you before. What exactly are you going to do with them?"
I inquired curiously. Since I'll be heading towards the Albanian Kingdom after this, unfortunately, we don't have the time and luxury to leisurely make our way back to the Watanabe Kingdom, and with the affairs of the Alberta Kingdom, it should be impossible to travel towards the Alberta Kingdom right now. I do feel bad for leaving those ruffians with the village; there is nothing I can do about it.
Hearing this, the village chief placed a hand beneath his chin and made a contemplative face. I patiently waited for his answer. After thinking about it for a minute, he finally opened his mouth.
"I am planning on travelling to the Watanabe Kingdom two days from now, so I, along with a few other villagers, will take him along with us. Will hand them over to the adventure guild in that kingdom."
He said in a serious tone.
"I-Is that really okay, I mean, they are from the Alberta kingdom, aren't they?"
"Maybe so, the kingdom of Watanabe and the kingdom of Alberta had always had a strong friendship between them."
He informed confidently.
"Oh? Is that so..."
I widen my eyes faintly; I didn't hear anything like that from Princess Scarlett. Though I guess not everything could be learned in such a short amount of time. Well then, I guess I can just leave everything to the village chief if that's the case.
"I see... in that case, I guess that matter is settled then, there is one more thing I'd like to ask you."
"Yes?"
"It's about the space orb you gave me, don't you know anything about it?"
I asked curiously. Last night, Alya had actually done a little research on the orb. However, according to what she found out, there was a vast amount of space magic implanted inside it. Whoever made it must have been a master of space magic. Alya wasn't able to influence the flow of magic power inside the orb. However, she could easily analyse the essence of the magic power that flowed through it. Thus, it was decided she would make an accessory which contains space magic, creating an item which stores objects in an isolated space.
I'm truly looking forward to it, at least then I wouldn't have to carry such a heavy load all the time. However, whoever enchanted that orb might be able to teach me space magic, I had a little hope that the village chief would at least know that much. However.
"Unfortunately, I do not know that orb is an item that came from my great-grandfather's generation; it was passed down to me by my father, and I wasn't given any information about its origins."
He said, shaking his head, I see... I was somewhat dejected. However, my expectations were low from the beginning, so I easily got over it. Even if I can't find a way now, I'll definitely do it someday. I can't lose hope now. With that, I resolve myself. And got to my feet.
"That is all I wanted to ask you, once again I apologise for taking up your time."
I said, bowing my head once more. With that, I left the chief's house and made my way back to the cabin.
Once I made it back to the cabin, I was greeted by the figures of Alya and Nikita.
"Good morning, I'm surprised you woke up so early, master."
Nikita, who was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, said she was completely dressed in her usual wear. As for Alya, she donned a bright blue dress that reached above her knees. It seems she was waiting for my return; our belongings were already packed and resting in the corner of the room.
"Yes, good morning. I'm sorry for doing this so early. I'd like to leave as soon as possible. Is that okay?"
"Of course,"
"Yes, please don't worry about it."
They both replied.
"Anyway, where did you go?"
Alya inquired, tilting her head curiously.
"I just went to inform the village chief about our plans to leave and also. About what must be done about those three..."
"I see..."
While saying that, I donned my black coat immediately, the streaks on the side glowed, absorbing my mana and releasing an electric spark. I then place my sheathed sword at my waist.
"It's time to go."
I declared as I opened the wooden door. The villagers were all notified of our departure. We were now standing by the village entrance.
"Once again, on behalf of the entire village, I thank you for all you have done for us."
The village chief said, lowering his head.
"Please don't mention it. The one you must thank is Lady Alice over there. After all, she's the one who requested us to help your village."
I said while briefly glancing over at Alice, who was standing behind the village chief. For an instant, she made an apologetic expression. The three adventurers were staying in an old cabin inside the village; the chances of them escaping were practically zero, as their ropes were enhanced by spirit arts by Alya, even physical enchantment magic like "Ori Loudis" would be completely ineffective. So, the villagers could take them without worrying about any retaliation.
"Haruto is right, she deserves most of the credit."
Alya said, offering her own agreement. I nodded my head at that.
"Now then, we shall be off now."
I said before turning my back. Alya and Nikita followed along behind me, and we then made our way back inside the forest.