“No! Teacher is already very tired, and he still has to guide my swordsmanship tonight.”
Lifa blocked the way in front of Ron, her gaze lingering briefly on the Enaid family crest on the carriage before she refused with a look of high alert.
“This… if it is inconvenient for Miss Lifa, then perhaps the gentleman could come alone…”
“Absolutely not —”
The old butler who had descended from the carriage looked troubled. He could only stroke his mustache and cast a pleading look toward Ron.
“Please wait a moment.”
Ron nudged Lifa’s elbow and offered an apologetic smile.
“Not at all. Please, take your time.”
The old butler quickly stepped aside to wait. It was clear he had a great deal of respect for the man who had managed to impress his young lady.
“Lifa, didn’t we agree on this? Or… is there some kind of conflict between you and the lady of the Enaid family?”
Ron took Lifa’s hand and led her into an alley between the inn and another shop. He looked at the girl, whose displeasure was written all over her face.
After save-loading, he had decided to use his knowledge and experience to solve their financial problems upon arriving in Gaderade so that Lifa could focus on improving her strength faster.
Aside from consulting and appraisal services, Ron had a more direct and efficient plan.
Find a wealthy woman.
Please do not misunderstand; Ron had no intention of selling his looks.
Like Gaderade, the city of Enaid was also the territory of an Earl.
And the Miss Enaid he spoke of — her full name was Rosalyn Enaid.
She was the temporary lord of this city. As soon as she went to the Royal Capital of Falosha to be officially invested, she would become the new Countess Enaid.
“No.”
When Lifa muttered those two words, she looked away petulantly. She knew she was being somewhat unreasonable right now, but…
‘The assistant is truly knowledgeable. I even want to ask you to be my master~’
At that time, Lifa had directly crushed the bone china teacup in the Earl’s Mansion.
“I see. Little Lifa is worried that I will agree to the Countess’s request to stay, right?”
Ron took off his mask and moved to face Lifa again. Seeing her turn her face away again, he realized he was probably right.
Enaid was closer to the rioting magic beast forest than Gaderade, but both its scale and city defenses were far inferior to the latter.
As one might imagine, all the internal and external problems had fallen onto the shoulders of Rosalyn — a girl around Lifa’s age — six months ago.
“Lifa… Lifa doesn’t know.”
With a light huff, the throwing-a-tantrum girl bit her lower lip.
Ever since their first visit, when her teacher had surprised that woman by answering her questions, Lifa could clearly feel Rosalyn becoming increasingly close to and admiring of her Teacher Ron.
If it was just simple admiration for his knowledge, it would be fine. She was just worried that the other party had the same thoughts as those deep in her own heart.
‘That is absolutely forbidden —’
‘Teacher is my teacher —’
“If you don’t know, then don’t let your imagination run wild. I still have to go on an adventure with Lifa, and I still need Lifa to protect me.”
Ron assumed Lifa was just worried he would give up adventuring with her, so he directly restated his goal in helping Rosalyn.
“I want her to provide us with a sponsorship, and…”
“And what else?”
Since the rest of the sentence involved his new plans for himself and Lifa, Ron changed the subject.
“I’ll tell you after you come with me.”
“Fine.”
With Ron’s personal guarantee just now, Lifa was no longer troubled.
However, thinking about having to go to the Earl’s Mansion and play the third wheel while watching Teacher and that Rosalyn talk and laugh made her feel a bit sour.
“Teacher, let’s go. We should come back early. I want you to give me some pointers on that method to counter the Drawing Sword Slash tonight.”
Lifa walked ahead. Ron put his mask back on to hide his face and followed her out.
“Please, both of you, get in the carriage.”
Seeing Ron and Lifa coming from the alley, the old butler took a solid wooden step from the carriage frame and then pushed open the door to the facing seats.
“Thank you for the trouble.”
*Clack, clack, clack —*
Ron and Lifa boarded the carriage one after another. Although the seats were meant to be face-to-face, Lifa insisted on squeezing in next to Ron.
She listened to the sound of the wheels crushing the stone-brick road and watched the sky gradually lose its blue to the dusk.
“Teacher, Lifa will earn a lot of money in the future.”
The carriage had been moving for a few minutes when Lifa suddenly grabbed Ron’s arm very seriously.
“Lifa doesn’t want Teacher to go looking for other women for money anymore.”
“Pfft —”
After the first sentence, Ron only felt a sense of paternal pride, but Lifa’s second sentence truly felt strange and full of ambiguity.
But that was indeed what Lifa was thinking.
Just like in the previous timeline that only Ron knew about, after Lifa arrived in Enaid, she still chose to let things take their course after agonizing over whether to confess her feelings directly.
The price was that she had to endure the anxiety of worrying that someone would beat her to her teacher.
In terms of looks, she wasn’t worse than that woman who pretended to be pure.
In terms of strength, it was a complete victory!
‘But that woman is very rich —’
‘And she can chat with Teacher about history, and things in books —’
‘And she’s about to become a Countess —’
Lifa’s fingers hanging by her thigh clenched into a fist as if expressing her determination regarding what she had just said.
“Alright, Teacher understands.”
In any case, Ron could sense Lifa’s dislike for Rosalyn. Whether it was a misunderstanding or a prejudice against nobles, he chose to stroke the girl’s blonde hair to show his understanding.
While Ron and Lifa were interacting, the carriage had already driven out of the city’s main road.
Among the pedestrians it passed, a figure wrapped in a hood stopped in their tracks.
“The scent of Destiny?”
White hair fell from beneath the hood, and a soft murmur escaped.
“We have arrived, you two.”
Accompanied by the neighing of the horses, the butler released the reins and was the first to leave the driver’s seat. After setting the step again, he opened the carriage door before Ron could.
“Thank you, Grandpa Butler.”
Lifa didn’t use the steps. Instead, she poked her head out of the carriage and jumped down.
“Haha, it is my duty.”
The old butler had a kind smile.
“This doesn’t seem to be where we came before.”
Ron followed her out of the carriage. After visiting for several days, he had a certain understanding of the various areas of the Earl’s Mansion, but he had never been to the place where the carriage stopped today.
“That’s right. Today, the young lady is waiting for you in the back garden.”
The old butler handed the carriage over to a servant who came to take it. While leading the way, he glanced at Ron out of the corner of his eye.
“The back garden?”
Lifa looked around curiously, while Ron thought that rather than the Earl’s Mansion, it seemed more appropriate to call this place an estate.
It occupied a vast area and had beautiful scenery.
Even though Ron had seen all kinds of extraordinary scenery on the Uthis Continent, the sense of relaxation and comfort that instantly arose upon entering this garden courtyard was unprecedented.
“The young lady is waiting for the two of you in the gazebo ahead. Please excuse me, as I have other matters to attend to.”
The old butler stopped in front of a carefully trimmed small tree. After bowing, he pointed out a gravel path to Ron and Lifa that led deeper into the garden.
“Alright.”
“Thank you~”
Ron straightened his clothes, while Lifa waved goodbye to the old butler.
Next, the two of them entered the path that was only wide enough for one person to pass. Due to the screen of winding bushes, Ron only felt the field of vision gradually broaden after walking ten or so steps.
‘It really feels like finding a hidden paradise…’
When the two of them stepped off the gravel path, what appeared before Ron and Lifa was a Western-style domed garden gazebo built of pure white stone blocks, and…
“You’re finally here~”
Leaning against the handrail of the gazebo, a girl dressed in a white gauze dress seemed to have been waiting for a long time.
“Miss Enaid.”
Ron’s etiquette was very standard. After all, he had experienced various identities and professions during his time as a Player.
“I told you, you can just call me Rosalyn.”
The Countess-to-be walked down the steps of the gazebo and came before Ron to return a friendly handshake. Her two fair little hands naturally covered Ron’s palm as she held it.
*Stare —*
Standing to the side, Lifa petulantly turned her head away.