Chapter 17 : Heading towards Ruben

“What on earth happened to make this happen?”

I glanced at Sylvia sitting in front of me and, without realizing it, let out a short sigh.

Her eyes, which were of different colors, were gazing at the scenery outside the carriage before they finally turned toward me.

Feeling a bit caught off guard, I quickly averted my gaze and turned my eyes toward the outside view, which I wasn’t particularly interested in.

Sylvia, who had been staring at me for a while, made a somewhat bitter expression and opened her mouth.

“Was I really a nuisance?”

“A nuisance? What do you mean by that?”

“From earlier, the expression on Lord Lyard’s face hasn’t looked very pleasant. Perhaps my company has been a burden after all…”

“No, it’s not like that at all. Don’t worry about it.”

It wouldn’t be correct to say it was a nuisance.

The only reason I wasn’t feeling well was because there was a slight possibility that, if things went wrong, I might put her in danger.

I didn’t understand the full purpose of the group known as “Dawn’s Eye,” but from the mission I had received before the reset, to kill Sylvia, it was clear that they saw her as a troublesome existence.

And the place we were heading, Ruben, might be where those people’s headquarters are.

The fact that I had allowed Sylvia to accompany me to such a place didn’t sit well with me, which made me feel down.

“By the way, are you really okay, Princess?”

“Okay? What do you mean?”

Somehow, I felt like she was just repeating the same question I had asked her, but from a different angle.

“I mean, are you not uncomfortable being with me?”

“Well… Is there something that would make me uncomfortable?”

“I think there would be more than enough to make you uncomfortable.”

She tilted her head with a naive expression and blinked, which only made me feel more frustrated.

I had been completely amazed when she came all the way to the castle just to meet me, but now, to think that she might be willing to travel all the way to Ruben just with me, alone.

Did she think that in that place, I might do something to her? How could she be so indifferent?

I wasn’t sure if it was because she trusted people too much or if she simply lacked awareness of such things and couldn’t even imagine it.

“What if I were to lay a hand on you, Princess? What would you do?”

I asked, trying to make her aware, albeit clumsily, of the dangers of the world.

But it seemed to have no effect at all, as Sylvia responded with exaggerated gestures as if to say, “Oh, you’re scaring me!”

“Oh my, was that your plan?”

“I’m just speculating, nothing more.”

I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was getting caught up in her playful teasing, just like in the past, and I raised my voice a little.

This made a smile appear at the corners of Sylvia’s mouth.

“Hehe, I was just joking. Of course, I’m not completely ignorant of the ways of the world. I know that traveling with a man to a faraway place like Ruben carries certain dangers.”

“I see.”

I was relieved to know she was aware of it.

I had thought there was a chance she might not know at all, but it seemed I was wrong.

“However, I have eyes, too. I can distinguish between men I can trust and those I cannot.”

“So, does that mean you trust me?”

“That’s what it seems like.”

“You’re not very good at reading people, are you?”

“Really? I think I have a good eye for people.”

Despite my rather blunt tone, Sylvia pointed to her own eyes with both index fingers, proudly as if showing off her sharp perception.

“Then, what about Lord Lyaird? Are you okay with going all the way to a distant place like Ruben with a witch from Caintreche Castle? You know, some men could pounce when you least expect it.”

With that, she seemed to turn the tables and countered my earlier words by using herself as the example.

She mimicked the motion of an animal’s paw, clenching her hands halfway and making a “Kraaang” sound with her mouth. There was no trace of witchly dignity to be found in her actions.

At the same time, hearing her call herself a witch made me uncomfortable, but I knew that if I overreacted, it would only make things awkward, so I responded in kind.

“Are you saying that the witch from Caintreche Castle devours men’s livers or something? If that’s the case, I might have to reconsider.”

“Hmm, that wasn’t exactly what I meant… but I suppose that’s close enough.”

“…?”

Suddenly, Sylvia, who had been joking around so casually, turned red and turned her face away. I couldn’t understand why she was suddenly embarrassed.

“Ah! Lord Lyard, did you see that? There was a squirrel between the trees!”

By the way, I was being just as pathetic.

Not too long ago, I thought I would be content just watching from afar as she regained her freedom and happiness.

Yet here I was, feeling joy from being able to see her smile up close.

But one day, I’d have to erase these feelings.

You shouldn’t get any closer to someone like me, Sylvia.

Luckily, we arrived at Ruben earlier than I had feared.

It was probably because it was relatively close to the dimension stone, so the actual distance we traveled wasn’t that far, and we seemed to have arrived much faster than expected.

“…!”

“Unlike me, who got off the carriage and first examined the scenery of Ruben, Sylvia, who got off later, tried to stretch and activate her stiff body.”

Her slender frame was twisting her arms so vigorously that it almost seemed like she might break something.

I watched her silently, and she seemed a bit embarrassed. As soon as our eyes met, she quickly turned her head and began gazing at a distant place.

“Thank you for your hard work, Princess Eleonore. I’ll find a suitable inn for you so you can rest and recover from your journey.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m just following along. You should attend to Lord Lyard’s business first…”

She seemed to worry that my schedule might be delayed because of her, and spoke with a concerned expression.

But for me, it was easier to let her rest comfortably at an inn and go off on my own, so I said it for that reason.

“It’s alright. It’s not urgent.”

I lightly waved my hand to gently refuse her consideration and walked towards an inn nearby.

By the way, this place has an unexpectedly lively atmosphere.

Given what I had heard about the Moon Sect, I had expected Ruben to have a more closed and gloomy atmosphere, but it was the complete opposite.

In fact, the faces of the townspeople looked happier than any city I had visited, and the streets were so clean that walking around was very pleasant.

Though, considering the size, it was more of a village than a city.

“Are you from out of town?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“I see. Well, I hope you have a peaceful and enjoyable time here in Ruben. May the Moon’s blessing be with you.”

“Thank you very much.”

Moreover, the passing townspeople, or should I say, the believers, were all wearing thin dark blue veils, which were a symbol of the Moon Sect, and every time they saw us, they greeted us with smiles.

It seemed the rumor that they were friendly to outsiders wasn’t a lie after all.

“Well, it’s quite a comfortable village, isn’t it?”

“Indeed.”

Perhaps Sylvia felt the same way, as she whispered to me in a lower voice.

Of course, just like with any other place, it’s hard to judge solely by appearances. Ruben may seem lively on the outside, but there could be something else going on behind the scenes.

However, at least it didn’t seem dangerous enough for me to worry about Sylvia’s safety, so for now, I felt relieved.

“By the way, what brings you to such a distant place, Lord Lyard?”

“It’s not something particularly important. I just came because I was personally curious about something.”

“I see. I thought maybe you were considering joining the Moon Sect.”

As we made our way to the inn, her words subtly felt like she was probing me. Could it be a misunderstanding?

Since we arrived in Ruben, I had started to feel like someone’s gaze was becoming more intense, but I tried not to show it and quietly continued walking.

“Welcome.”

As we entered the inn, a woman who looked to be in her forties greeted us kindly.

I had already noticed from the outside that the inn was quite clean, but seeing the inside, I felt a bit more at ease.

At least, I wouldn’t have to worry about Sylvia staying in some shabby inn where rats might pop out suddenly.

“I’ll take two of your best rooms.”

“Oh my, what a coincidence. The rooms are mostly taken, but there’s only one good room left on the top floor…”

“One room?”

When I requested two rooms, the innkeeper gave a troubled expression, and the rest of her words trailed off.

I, caught off guard by this unexpected situation, stammered and briefly glanced at Sylvia.

“Though she had clearly been listening just a moment ago, Sylvia still looked at me with an expression of pure ease, smiling cheerfully.”

“I’m sorry, but is there another inn nearby?”

“No, there’s only this one in Ruben.”

Indeed, the residents of this place probably don’t need to use inns, so this place is essentially only for outsiders.

But I suppose the fact that this is a village inhabited by followers of the Moon Sect may be why outsiders rarely visit, and naturally, there are fewer inns available.

At least, the size of this inn seems big enough to handle the people who do come here.

Anyway, this is quite troublesome.

“Princess Eleonore, why don’t you rest here for now? I’ll go out for a bit and see if I can find another place to sleep.”

In the end, I had no choice but to leave my luggage and Sylvia here while I went out for a stroll.

I wasn’t planning to stay here long anyway, and I planned to return tomorrow evening, so missing one night’s sleep shouldn’t be a problem.

“Huh? Why?”

“Why, you ask…”

I was about to pay and leave, but just as I was about to turn around, Sylvia, looking confused, asked.

Surprised that I needed to explain this, she spoke again after seeing my stunned expression.

“I meant, why doesn’t Lord Lyard sleep here too?”

“No, that won’t do. Didn’t I tell you earlier, when we were in the carriage? You lack awareness of the dangers.”

“That’s separate from this, right? This is a special situation. Are you really going to leave Lord Lyard alone outside because of something that hasn’t even happened yet? If that’s the case, then you should just take me with you.”

Honestly, her stubbornness was impossible to break.

As she made a dismissive sound and gave me an attitude of “do as you please,” I was left wondering how to convince her.

“I’m sorry, but does the room only have one bed?”

“No, it has two. It’s actually a double room.”

“See? It’s a waste for me to take such a big room all by myself. Such a waste.”

This was truly an absurd situation.

I, the one paying, didn’t think it was a waste for her to use a large room alone, but Sylvia, the one directly involved, kept insisting on the “waste” issue, as if she had caught some opportunity to convince me.

“Besides, I’ve never stayed in such a remote inn before, so I’m scared to sleep alone. So, can’t you make an exception just this once? Please? Please? Lord Lyard?”

“…Fine. I’ll do it.”

I had promised not to give in this time, but with her pleading voice mixed with snorts, I eventually had no choice but to raise the white flag.

Yes, I was only agreeing because leaving Sylvia alone would be dangerous.

I rationalized my decision and, with an awkward expression, began to ascend the stairs with her.