Lizel's mornings aren't particularly early.
In his original world, he would either wake himself up to go to work or be woken up by a servant, but in this world, there's nothing to disturb his sleep.
Furthermore, this world is overflowing with books that Lizel has never read.
It's not uncommon for him to stay up until dawn reading them, which only exacerbates his difficulty waking up.
However, adventurers usually have very early mornings.
It's not so bad if it's not an active day, but on days when they're going to accept a quest, they start moving at dawn.
Of course, they aim for good quests first thing in the morning, but if they're heading to a dungeon far from the city, they have to leave early or they won't be able to return the same day. No one wants to camp outdoors if they can help it.
Lizel, who doesn't have such plans yet, sleeps as long as he wants until people start their activities, but if he absolutely has to wake up early in the future, he'll somehow manage, or he'll ask Gil for help just in case.
"Lizel, are you awake?"
Recently, Lizel has been hearing a voice calling him even when it's still dimly lit outside.
At the sound of the landlady's voice accompanied by a knock, Lizel, who had only been in bed for three hours, groggily woke up.
Even during his time as a noble, there were times when he was so busy that three hours of sleep a day was considered good, but this is a different story.
After the sound of the door to the next room opening, Gil apparently showed his face as usual, and Lizel could hear him talking with the landlady.
"Hey, I'm coming in."
Gil opened the door and came in without knocking.
He looked down at Lizel, who was still drowsily drifting between reality and dreams in bed, and pushed back the bangs that were covering his face. Lizel's face, with his eyes half-closed and a vacant expression, was revealed.
"You're probably sleepy because you're reading books late every night. If you say you can't move because of lack of sleep during a mission, I'll knock you out."
"...I've never said that, have I?"
"I'm telling you to stop because you might freeze up in a critical moment."
It's true that Lizel never lets personal matters interfere with his missions.
His ability to show no signs of sleep deprivation is truly remarkable, but since he often takes on dangerous quests as an adventurer, it's best for him to get enough sleep.
For a profession where physical condition is paramount, always being in top form is a fundamental principle.
Even though nothing has happened so far, there's no guarantee that nothing will happen in the future.
That being said, Gil wouldn't take away Lizel's books.
As someone who's been hired, he's confident he can cover for Lizel even if he makes a mistake, so while he offered some criticism, he didn't force him to sleep. Interfering with someone's hobbies rarely leads to anything good.
Besides, it's simply impossible to take books away from Lizel.
"The usual has arrived, is your room okay?"
"Hmm..."
Exasperated by Lizel, who nodded but refused to get out of bed, Gil called out to the landlady who was diligently opening Lizel's room window.
The landlady laughed at Lizel, who shivered in the chilly morning air and burrowed under the sheets, and then left the room.
Immediately, the sound of light footsteps climbing the stairs could be heard, and the room door opened.
"Good morni—"
"Knock."
"Sorry!"
It was Aign who had entered.
At this time of day, when those who work early in the morning are just starting to prepare, he greeted them with a truly refreshing smile. As Gil stood by Lizel's bedside and muttered something, his usually cheerful face suddenly contorted.
He had the flashy appearance of a young adventurer, but his attitude was far from rebellious.
While he would likely pick a fight and glare at any other adventurer who dared to tell him to knock, he couldn't possibly adopt such an attitude towards Lizel and Gil.
"Lizel, are you awake?"
"Barely. You'd better get to the point quickly, or he'll fall back asleep."
"Okay."
Gil shook the raised sheets, and Lizel stirred and sat up.
He propped himself up on his elbows while still lying face down and extended one hand.
Aign placed a piece of paper with a cryptic message from the labyrinth on his hand, and Lizel glanced at it.
The paper was covered in a series of symbols that were neither pictures nor letters, a string of non-existent characters.
As he followed the symbols with his eyes, Lizel gave Aign, who was fully awake early in the morning, a somewhat resentful look.
"...You should have stopped by on your way back yesterday."
"We worked really hard yesterday. I mean, the new floor was just a maze, so we had to meticulously walk through it to get through. There were a lot of monsters, but we made quite a bit of progress on our own, so we didn't get back until late at night."
"...I see."
From Lizel's perspective, it would have been more convenient if they had come at night, as he would definitely be awake then, but that wasn't possible at the inn.
The inn was completely locked at night, so no one except those staying there could enter or leave.
The labyrinth in question was about a three-hour carriage ride from the city, so on days when they returned late, they had no choice but to visit Lizel early the next morning.
Lizel looked at Aign with half-closed eyes and beckoned him closer with one hand.
"What? I can't give you any advice about codes. I thought about it all night yesterday..."
"..."
"I couldn't figure it out... Huh!?"
After being silently patted on the head, Aign quickly pulled his head away from Lizel, who had been leaning in to look at the code.
Without paying any attention to Aign, Lizel handed the paper back.
Aign, who received it blankly, had a noticeably red face.
"There were ten doors...?"
"Uh, ah, yes... Ah, yes!"
"Go through the second door from the left, then the fifth, then the third, seventh, fourth... Turn around, go through the fifth door from the one you just entered, then the fourth, ninth, turn around..."
"Hey, wait, I need to write this down...!"
Lizel probably intended to praise Aign and his companions for having managed to break through several layers of the code on their own.
Lizel, who had served as the king's tutor for many years in his original world, tends to be a little lenient with younger people, perhaps due to that influence.
It's not like he's like that with everyone, and he doesn't show that same kindness to older people, but Gil sincerely wishes he would stop.
He looked at Aign, who was overwhelmed with intense embarrassment, wondering if a grown man would really be happy about being patted on the head.
"Hey, one more time from the beginning...!"
"..."
"Lizel-san! Wake up!"
"..."
Perhaps it's okay because he doesn't show any signs of disliking it?
According to Lizel, he "doesn't do it to children who don't like it," but it's completely unclear how he determines whether someone dislikes it or not.
After finally managing to wake Lizel up and get the information, Aign thanked him and went downstairs to where his companions were apparently waiting in the first-floor dining hall. After they had visited several times, the innkeeper seemed to completely trust that they were Lizel's guests, and apparently allowed them to enter the dining room while they waited, sometimes even serving them drinks and snacks.
"Heh..."
Suddenly, Lizel's shoulders trembled beneath the sheets.
"...Don't enjoy teasing younger people, you have a terrible personality."
"I was just being considerate."
Without even trying to hide his uncontrollable smile, he buried his head in the pillow.
Seeing his still sleepy face, Gil wondered if he was going to go back to sleep and started walking towards the door.
On some days, he would be completely awake and start moving around, but it seemed that wouldn't be the case today.
As Gil was about to leave the room, Lizel, covering himself with the sheets again, added a single sentence in a sleepy, unsteady voice:
"It's good that we didn't have to go back into the dungeon again, right?"
Gil slowly closed the door, where only the sound of Lizel's breathing could be heard.
He glanced at the door, which had closed without making a sound, and a smile involuntarily appeared on his face at Lizel's last words.
The reason for delivering the teddy bear during the previous request: If they had gone back into the dungeon after the appraisal, they wouldn't have been at the inn when Aign and the others visited.
He didn't think their visit would be a one-time occurrence, but that didn't mean he thought they would visit the inn again after being so harshly turned away by the innkeeper.
Being approached by them outside was not what Lizel wanted. There would be people who would question why they were told but not others.
To avoid that, meeting at the inn was the best option, and considering the innkeeper's safety, it was necessary to return here that evening.
In short, he chose to give up the teddy bear in exchange for obtaining the dungeon's treasure.
Moreover, Lizel himself didn't need to do anything; he could leave it to others and enjoy watching from the sidelines. Furthermore, if this meant gaining favor with other adventurers, there was no better course of action.
"It's still a pain in the ass, isn't it?"
Gil chuckled and returned to his room.
There were various advantages, but the truth probably boiled down to that one remark Gil had made.
Lizel woke up from his second nap around eight o'clock in the morning, after the sun had already risen completely.
Incidentally, since Gil had nothing to do until Lizel woke up, he was either training in the inn's garden or secretly taking and reading books from Lizel's room that Lizel had finished reading.
He then ate a meal at the inn, just barely making it in time, and visited the guild. Incidentally, this was the first time he had visited the guild since the last time he brought the teddy bear.
"D-rank... there aren't any escort requests yet, are there?"
"Escort missions start at C-rank. It's not just about being able to fight, you know."
Having been promoted to E-rank after the previous quest, Lizel was now able to accept D-rank quests.
As he was looking at the quest board to see if there were any new quests, he suddenly heard a voice from the reception area.
It was a flat, monotonous voice; he didn't even need to turn around to know it was Studd.
As usual, the adventurers who were seeing Studd speak up on his own for the first time were bewildered, but Lizel ignored them and headed to the reception desk.
"What's wrong, Studd?"
"This way. Actually, the person who requested the labyrinth item the other day is overjoyed and wants to thank you personally."
"Huh?"
"You too, please."
He had never heard of someone wanting to express their gratitude for a quest in person.
Gil glanced at Lizel, who had a puzzled expression on his face, and Studd started walking, leading the way.
Gil frowned at being told to come along. It wasn't the request itself that was the problem, but the fact that Studd had told him to come along as well. Normally, Studd would ignore even the slightest interference, but this time he told me to stay with Lizel.
What was even more troublesome was that Studd had accepted the client's request.
Gil was certain. He was certain that Studd would absolutely refuse any offer that Lizel wouldn't want, no matter who the client was.
Seeing him start the tour without giving Lizel a chance to refuse, Gil could only imagine the worst.
He glanced at Lizel, who was following Studd with his usual unchanging smile.
There was no way Lizel wouldn't have noticed what he had noticed. Since he was going along with it knowing that, there probably wasn't a problem, Gil thought, sighing resignedly.
"Please wait in this room."
They were led into a room that resembled a guild's reception room.
The room, more elaborately furnished than the others, was clearly for guests, but it was definitely not a room where ordinary clients were received.
Lizel sat down on the sofa, looking as if he understood everything. Studd, seeing this, told them to wait a moment and then left the room.
Gil, who remained standing instead of sitting next to Lizel, looked down at him with a displeased expression.
"You, you knew what you were doing, didn't you? You're attracting trouble."
"I didn't know, really. I just thought that it was possible that a type of person with such strong exhibitionist tendencies, like a collector, who wouldn't reveal their name, and that they would offer ten silver coins as a basic reward no matter what the request was."
"...So, why did you choose this, even though you don't want to get involved?"
"Because..."
"I'd like to meet the person in charge, too, you know."
Could it be that sending the ridiculously overpriced, labyrinthine item, and even wrapping it, was all for this purpose?
He probably would have done the same regardless of who the recipient was, but it's unlikely he hadn't considered the implications at all.
"If you don't want to, you can wait somewhere else."
"Idiot."
Lizel knowing that he would refuse, Gil clicked his tongue and looked away.
He had the pride of an adventurer who would fulfill a request, and Gil was aware that his presence here or not would make a significant difference.
Even without intending to intimidate, Gil's widely known name would change the impression given to the other party.
Lizel, with his naturally gentle face, was easily underestimated. He didn't know what kind of person would be coming, but it was better to be prepared.
They waited in the reception room for thirty minutes while chatting. As expected, waiting in an empty room was quite tedious.
If the conversation had ended, Lizel would have struggled to pass the time without the book he always carried.
By the time the knock finally came, Lizel was completely absorbed in his reading, and if Gil hadn't stood up from the sofa and snatched the book from him, his reaction would have been delayed.
As he stood up, Gil put the book he had been reading back into his pouch.
"The client has arrived."
"I apologize for keeping you waiting! ...Hmm, did I enter the wrong room?"
"You're in the right place."
The man who entered with a beaming smile was a dazzling figure.
He wasn't wearing particularly flashy clothes, but his attire, which clearly indicated he was a nobleman, his gleaming blonde hair, radiant smile, and handsome, masculine face seemed to brighten the very air around him.
He was probably in his late thirties or early forties. The slight wrinkles around his eyes hinted at his age, yet he exuded a remarkably youthful aura.
Although he lacked dignity in the way he was being decisively refuted by Studd, no one would conclude that he wasn't a nobleman upon seeing him.
Lizel smiled and bowed slightly to the man who was tilting his head and looking at him.
Even though he was originally a noble, he had no hesitation in bowing. While there aren't many nobles who can readily accept their current circumstances, Lizel's ability to adapt to the situation made him a rare individual.
He raised his head and met the man's gaze. This wasn't the royal palace; performing a stiff, formal bow would be strange.
"I'm Lizel, an adventurer who accepted this request."
"This is a surprise!"
The man spread his arms wide in an exaggerated display of surprise, his eyes sparkling as he eagerly approached Lizel.
He unhesitatingly looked him up and down, from head to toe, and then suddenly grabbed Lizel's shoulders.
Looking at his bright golden eyes, which shone like his hair, peering at him from such close range, Lizel inwardly chuckled, maintaining his smile, thinking that this place seemed to have its share of eccentric characters.
"I never imagined there would be an adventurer like you! Perhaps it's because you're so far removed from the typical image of an adventurer. When I entered the room, I thought another guest had arrived! Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean that in a bad way."
"I hear that often, so please don't worry about it."
"You're too close, please step back, Lord Ray."
"My apologies, please sit down!"
Lizel sat down, accepting his offer. Gil stood behind Lizel, and Studd remained near the door, not leaving the room.
The man, who had released his grip on Lizel's shoulders at Studd's words, introduced himself as Ray. The Viscount, who oversees the military police—after Ray introduced himself as such, Lizel also offered a brief self-introduction.
Unaware that Gil thought he was an unusually restless nobleman for his age, Lizel extended his hand in a friendly manner.
Returning the handshake, Lizel began to speak, bringing up the main topic before getting to the point.
"I caused some trouble for the military police a while ago; I'd like to take this opportunity to apologize."
"Oh, you don't seem like the type to need their help... Are you perhaps more mischievous than you look?"
"No, it seems some strange rumors were circulating."
"Strange rumors, a while ago," Ray muttered, looking up at the ceiling as if trying to remember.
Then he suddenly looked at Lizel and burst into laughter. The fact that he didn't lose his composure even while laughing loudly was truly impressive.
Ray narrowed his eyes playfully and looked at Lizel, who was still seated, observing him carefully.
"I see, you're the nobleman who was spotted in the castle town! I see, I see. Well... it's understandable!"
Ray laughed heartily, but also seemed impressed, as if to say, "It's only natural for him."
Compared to when Lizel first arrived in this world, his aristocratic demeanor had significantly diminished, but even Ray, a nobleman himself, wouldn't doubt him if he claimed to be a nobleman.
If he had met the previous version of Lizel, he would have been convinced at first glance that they were in the same profession.
"Lord Ray, please get to the main point."
Studd calmly addressed Ray, who continued to laugh merrily.
He had thought that Studd was rather unforgiving towards the nobleman earlier, but it seemed that Ray and the guild master here were on good terms.
Perhaps their attitude had become more relaxed after several visits. However, it was also possible that they had been like this from the beginning.
"Alright, let's get down to business!"
"We heard you went to all this trouble to come here for us. Did we cause you any unnecessary trouble?"
"No, no, not at all! That wrapping, that labyrinth artifact, it gave me a feeling I haven't felt in a long time! I came here because I sincerely wanted to thank you!"
"Those are very kind words."
As Lizel gave a polite, non-committal reply, Studd placed a cup of tea, which had been prepared without them noticing, on the table.
Lizel, noticing the fragrant aroma of the tea and thinking that good leaves had been used, immediately took a sip.
Ray didn't put the teacup back on the saucer, but instead placed it directly on the table next to it. Then he took a gold coin from his pocket and placed it on the saucer, handing it to Studd.
Studd silently accepted it and quietly placed it in front of Lizel.
"I haven't given you the reward for the labyrinth artifact yet. Please accept it."
Glancing down at the saucer with the gold coin on it, which was prominently displayed on the table, Lizel smiled awkwardly.
"It seems to be different from the appraisal result... Even as a wrapping fee, it's too expensive."
"It's the price of my Gǎndòng (deep emotion or to feel moved)! Well, that's just a pretense, though."
Nodding to himself, Ray looked at Lizel with a serious expression.
"Someone who could create such wonderful wrapping as you did must understand the value of that teddy bear."
"There's no mistake in the appraisal."
"But that's not the whole truth."
As expected of someone who calls himself a collector, he clearly has a keen eye for things.
He had completely seen through the value of "five gold coins, depending on the person," which Lizel and the others had heard at the beginning.
The reason he wasn't offering five gold coins was simply to show that he wouldn't deviate from his position as the client.
Because he didn't break the "up to one gold coin" written on the request form, the guild could treat him as a client.
"Then, I gratefully accept."
"Hmm!"
Lizel took the gold coin, conveyed his acceptance, and placed it back on the saucer.
Then, since it had been offered, he reached for the tea.
He picked up the saucer from the low table, grasped the handle, and slowly tilted the cup. As he returned the cup to the table after tasting the tea, he smiled at Studd, conveying that it was delicious. Gil saw a single flower fly from Studd towards him.
Even though he wasn't particularly careful, not a single sound of the tableware could be heard during the entire sequence of movements.
At the sight before him, performed so naturally, Ray blinked his eyes and shrugged his shoulders dramatically.
"More aristocratic than a noble! I never thought such an adventurer existed. I wish the younger generation would learn from you!"
"That's too much praise."
"There's no need for modesty! Besides, if you have the famously skilled 'Single-Stroke' serving you, that means he considers you superior to me, doesn't it? There's really no need to say that you're unworthy of my praise."
Ray grinned at Lizel, who smiled awkwardly.
Ray had previously (in strict secrecy) requested Gil's services as a bodyguard.
When he wanted to go to the commercial nation of Marcade without permission and incognito, his usual escape-partner knight wasn't available.
So, he decided to hire a skilled person from the guild, and since he wanted to see the rumored "Single-Stroke," he requested his services, but he was immediately refused.
Since the interaction was through the guild, Gil himself didn't know that the request came from Ray, but it's true that he wasn't interested in "guarding a certain viscount."
Gil, who easily threw away the opportunity to connect with a viscount, accepted a connection with Lizel. Ray, who made no attempt to hide his amusement and showed no sign of anger, Lizel simply replied that it was merely a coincidence.
He glanced at Gil, who silently shook his head. he didn't seem to remember.
"Hmm, it's about time, isn't it?"
Ray, who had been watching them with amusement, finished his tea and stood up.
Lizel also stood up, and was about to bow his head to see him off.
"Stay as you are."
However, Ray stopped him.
The hand pressed against his chest was warm and large; he straightened his back, which he had been about to bend, as he gently pushed Lizel.
"You said your name was Lizel, right? I'd like to be on good terms with you."
"I'm honored. However, I'm just an E-rank adventurer, so if the Viscount were to favor someone, it should be someone more..."
"That's not it."
With his palm still pressed against his chest, Ray looked at Lizel with a fearless smile.
His golden eyes seemed to see through everything, but Lizel maintained his smile without changing his expression.
Ray noticed the wariness in Gil's eyes and the slight displeasure shown by Studd, but he didn't remove his hand.
He leaned closer, and in a low, resonant voice that suppressed his usual cheerful tone, he whispered:
"I just thought it would be better to have a personal connection with you. It's a nobleman's intuition, do you believe me?"
"...If that's what you think, I have no way to deny it."
Lizel narrowed his eyes slightly, still smiling.
After a moment of silence, Ray's hand suddenly withdrew.
"That's good then! Next time, please come and visit me. I'll show you my prized labyrinth collection!"
Laughing heartily, Ray left.
Judging by the direction he went, it wasn't the guild entrance; he was probably leaving through a back entrance or somewhere else. As Lizel let out a deliberately exaggerated sigh of relief, Studd approached him with an expressionless face.
"I'm sorry, he's always like that, I really wish he'd stop."
"You don't need to apologize, Studd. It's an honor to be addressed by the Viscount."
"You're welcome to rest here for a while."
"Thank you, I'll do that."
Lizel looked at Studd as if trying to gauge his reaction, then patted his hair lightly before he left the room with the same indifferent expression.
Listening to Studd's footsteps fade away, Lizel collected the gold coin on the table.
He put them in his wallet and sat down on the sofa, and with a soft thud, Gil sat down opposite him.
"Did you turn down the Viscount's request? What a waste."
"Shut up. You almost turned down your little friendly arrangement too, didn't you?"
They looked at each other, one snorting with laughter, the other smiling amusedly.
"So, was it as you expected?"
"Mostly. I thought it would be someone from the military police if they were going to contact me directly, but it was just as Gil said."
"The top of the military police is there, after all. If they can't force their way through the guild, then someone in the middle ranks wouldn't be able to either."
From the moment they were shown into this reception room until the person they were waiting for arrived, the two people were discussing who would be coming.
How did they know it was related to the military police? It was simply because, as mentioned in the conversation, Lizel had already had contact with the military police.
At that time, the military police had said they were "checking things out," so the matter of confirming the noble's identity must have gone all the way up the chain of command. That person was Ray.
Since the military police had been told that Lizel was an adventurer, he must have visited the guild today to confirm that information, in addition to expressing gratitude for the dungeon items.
Judging by their reaction, they didn't seem to know that the person who gave the gift was Lizel himself, the one suspected of being a noble.
"So? Do you think the suspicion has been cleared?"
He came to the guild to confirm things. That's what it was.
He came to question whether the person suspected of being a noble was truly not a noble.
Since he had the opportunity to meet Lizel face-to-face, he seemed to have saved himself the trouble.
"Well, it's definitely cleared up."
"What's your basis?"
"Because he checked, didn't he?"
As Lizel tapped his chest, Gil let out a sound of understanding.
The hand that had been pressed against him as he left, the hand that hadn't left even after Lizel sat up, seemed to have another meaning.
If someone had come from another country to investigate something, they would have interpreted Ray's questions as surveillance and would have been somewhat flustered.
Even if a person can control their facial expressions to hide their emotions, they can't control their heartbeat.
Lizel was genuinely impressed that there were people who could read various emotional changes from a person's pulse.
"You could probably deceive someone completely, even with your heart."
"I wonder."
"You should deny that..."
Lizel started seriously considering whether he could do that, even though he had never consciously tried, and Gil recoiled slightly.
"Lord Ray, the adventurers who gave you such wonderful gifts must be truly wonderful people," the old servant, who had been waiting in the carriage, said happily, looking at him.
"Hmm?"
"Your face shows how pleased you are."
He touched his own face and realized he was indeed grinning.
The servant sitting opposite him, having been with him since childhood, looked at Ray with a fond, almost paternal gaze.
"Listen to this! That adventurer was the very person involved in the previous fake noble incident!"
"Is that so? Then the suspicion has been cleared?"
"Yes, I thought he was a fallen noble who had fled because he couldn't stay in his own country anymore, but that wasn't the case at all. Well, there was hardly any suspicion to begin with!"
Ray laughed heartily.
If Lizel had been using a noble's name and acting as he pleased, the suspicion would have been much deeper, but that wasn't the case.
He had intended to go to the guild to hear about the adventurer in question, just to completely eliminate the already weak suspicion (yes, for Ray, the investigation was just an afterthought), but since he was able to speak with the person directly, that became unnecessary.
Indeed, there was nothing more valuable than speaking directly with Lizel.
"He's not the kind of person who would fall from grace."
The words he muttered softly didn't reach the servant.
A noble would only leave their country alone if they had no place left in their own country.
If their wrongdoing was exposed, they made enemies of their country, lost enough money that no other country would accept them, and were facing death.
Only then would they leave everything behind and start a new life as an adventurer in another country.
That's why Lizel was different.
Ray looked down at his hand and clenched his fist. The completely unwavering heartbeat not only cleared up the misunderstanding but also clearly conveyed that Lizel felt no fear or apprehension towards Ray.
It wasn't the heartbeat of a commoner towards a noble. Rather, it was the heartbeat of someone in a superior position.
"How frightening,"
"Lord Ray?"
"...It seems the only way to avoid making him an enemy is to build a friendship! Alright, I'll definitely invite him to my collection room next time!"
As Ray's handsome face twisted into a defiant smile, his attendant smiled, thinking, "After all, a smile suits my master best."
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Author Misaki Note:
Incidentally, Rizel is properly showing respect to Ray.
But he was misunderstood...