Escapism

“You are amazing. If you want, why not break off your engagement with Mai and have me look after you?”

“I refuse, Raund-sama.”

“Hahaha, I got rejected. Ah, Kuroinu-sama was a Man huh. Hahaha, please get along well with Mai.”

“Haah…”

Oh, he knows about it? Guess the heir was told after all.

By the way, the mock fight was entirely in Meats favor as she spent the full thing avoiding Raund’s attacks, ending it by tapping her wooden knife on his neck.

If I had to place Raund’s strength in an adventurer ranking, I’d say he’s upper-mid C-Rank? He wasn’t a match against Meat, who’d practiced with the A-Rank Misha.

“B-but elder brother can use magic as well though!”

“Is that so?”

Meat glanced at me. Yeah, Meat’s also able to, but there’s no need to bother saying it.

I shook my head slightly. Meat responded with a small nod.

“… You’ve communicated something?”

“Oh, Mai-sama? Even though they’re your fiance, they’re my party member. We’ve known enough for so long that there’s no way we couldn’t do something like that. Please don’t feel envious, yeah?”

“I was just thinking that I envied how long you’ve known each other.”

“Yeah, it’s been around a year.”

“… Eh, isn’t that short?”

… We’ve been together around 99% of the time since I’ve come to this world, so I’d never think of that as short. Meat’s memories from before she became my slave are all fuzzy, so she feels to same.

It’s only been a year, but it’s been a rich one.

“… I wonder if I should become an adventurer too, then?”

“Have fun with rabbi hunting. Please give it your all, I’ll be rooting for you.”

With me saying that, Maidence looked frustrated. Good, I chose the correct answer.

“Now then, you should have a good idea about their ability at this point. Any complains, Jitter-sama?”

“… I’d be putting elder brother down if I still did. I acknowledge him!”

Good, now there’s no more obstacles for the fake betrothal!

“Now that there’s no problem… can I head back?”

“Yeah, sorry about that. You can return, have a good rest.”

On the way back to my room, I informed a maid that I wouldn’t be needing breakfast in the morning.

*

And so I decided to secretly slip out in the middle of the night and return to the dungeon.

Stuuupid! The longer I stayed there the more troubles I’d have to deal with, so now that I’ve settled it all, staying in the lord’s manor would only be a bad move!

Just in case, I left behind a later stating: As promised, I will lend Meat Kuroinu’s name for a one-month period. If you wish to borrow the person themself, inform Golen Village as soon as you can that you wish to borrow them.

“Okay then, I’m tired but I can do it… maybe. Let’s go, Meat.”

“Yeah, Goshujin-sama.”

Seeing that the sun had gone down completely, I took Meat and left the mansion.

Uuu, so tired. But I have to endure!

It wasn’t perfectly dark outside due to the shops’ lights and the other various night time lighting such as street lights and the various taverns. Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve walked around Sia after dark… I wonder if it’s darker in the side streets?

We reached the gate before long.

… It’s closed, we were too late. Crap, we can’t get out. Should we climb over the wall? No, there might be a magical defense function that stops that. We can’t go about this haphazardly. What should we do…

“Oi, what are you doing here?”

Just as I was figuring out what to do, a guard suddenly spoke to me. Night patrol I guess? How eager you are with your duty.

“Oh, Guard-san. I was wanting to get out of the gate.”

“The hours for passing through the gate are over. Come back tomorrow.”

“… There’s no way I can?”

“No way at all—is what I want to say, but I have an obligation to explain. If you have the lord’s permission or are a noble yourself, you can pass after following some procedures.”

It looks like this guard really is serious about his duty. Good guard.

… I thought about showing him my invitation from the lord, but it’d be troublesome if he went to the lord’s mansion to verify its authenticity. I decided to use Meat’s status as a noble. It’ll stay on their records, but they’ll come to Golen Village eventually after seeing I’m gone so it’s not like anything will change.

“You were a noble? My apologies.”

“No, thank you for your efforts this late.”

Receiving the noble’s (Meat’s) words of gratitude, the guard saluted. The procedures were worked on in the meanwhile.

… It’s a good think that I can write simple things with the gloves golem.

Like that, we finished the procedures and went outside through a staff entrance.

Well, we also have the lord’s permission to come back.

“Now then.”

It was pitch black outside the gate… nooo idea where anything is. Should I have a golem bring me back automatically?

I used Create Golem to make a palanquin. The type of palanquin that’d belong in the Edo period. Then I made two clay golems to carry it.

For some reason, golems are able to see in the dark rather well. They’ll have an easy time heading back by following the map.

*

“So that’s why you came back?”

“Yeah?”

“That’s so coooooool, but it’s like you gave them the cold shoulder, is that alright?”

“What, Rokuko, wasn’t it already decided that I’d do that?”

Hearing Rokuko’s reasonable question, I answered obediently.

“… I knew that!!”

Yeah, I can’t keep up interacting with nobles at all. I’m wiped. Which is why I demand a break. Particularly right now, I just got back and I’m super tired, let me get to sleep please?

The ride back on that palanquin was unexpectedly rough, I couldn’t rest on it at all.

“… I, umm, I got a bit mad, but I’m better now. You rushed back home, and even came to see me first.”

Ah, she got mad after all.

“I’m going to go sleep for two or three days, so I’ll leave it to you. Do your best at filling in for me.”

“Don’t just leave it to me. I’ll absolutely be interrogating you, you know? I’ll definitely wake you up when I come to do it!”

“… Alright. But at least let me sleep… and don’t wake me up…”

There are times where you want to escape reality.

This moment right now was one of those times.