Category: Isekai Nonbiri Sanpo Tabi

Alongside the fries, we had also finished preparing deep-fried vegetables. All that was left was to grill the meat that had been soaking in the marinade. At this point, it was just a matter of cooking it in a frying pan and slicing it up—something the kitchen staff could easily handle on their own.

Honestly, slicing the cooked meat and sandwiching it between bread to make hamburgers wouldn’t be a bad idea either.

However, just then, I noticed a gaze fixed on us from somewhere nearby.

“Margrave-sama… what are you doing here?”

“The smell drew me in. It’s my break time, so I came to the kitchen.”

Drawn in by the savory aroma, the Margrave—who was supposed to be in his office—was now peeking into the kitchen from the entrance. Behind him, I could also see Sue and the others, wearing expressions that seemed to say, “Well, what can you do…”

Even if it’s break time, it feels like only about an hour has passed since work started…

But the curry was already finished.

Alright then—let’s get to grilling the meat right away.

Sizzle… sizzle…

“Ooh, that’s a nice smell. I’m really looking forward to eating this.”

“Your Excellency, the tasting is meant to be done together so we can gather opinions.”

“Haha, I know, I know.”

“…”

“…”

The Margrave had already come right up beside where the meat was being grilled. If he’s talking about eating it, then he’s clearly planning to sample it the moment it’s done. Sue and the others were watching him with exasperated expressions.

Then, the first piece of meat finished cooking—and the moment it was placed on a plate—

Snatch. (Nom. Munch, munch, munch…)

“Ooh, this is good. It’s just meat marinated in sauce and grilled, but there’s a slight kick to it that really stimulates the appetite.”

The Margrave picked up the large chunk of meat placed on the plate and ate it in a single bite. Not only that, he went on to eat the salted fries and the deep-fried vegetables as well.

Snatch, munch—snatch, munch.

After that, every piece of meat marinated in sauce was eaten the moment it came off the pan, and even the hamburger portion disappeared before it could be assembled. Even the potatoes… all of them were gone—cleaned up entirely by the Margrave.

“Whew… I’m full. If meat this good is served at the festival, I’m sure everyone who comes will be more than satisfied.”

“R-right….”

“Y-yes, that’s good then…”

While the Margrave stood there completely satisfied, I couldn’t help but make a complicated expression. Meanwhile, Sue and the others were practically radiating fury—like flames burning behind their eyes. We were supposed to do the tasting together but everything had been eaten by the Margrave alone.

Messing with food especially when it comes to women is dangerous.

“With that much in your stomach, I’m sure you’ll be able to work hard until evening.”

“Yes, let’s return to processing documents immediately.”

“Fufu… break time is over.”

“W-wait, hey—hold on, aahh!”

Sue and the others grabbed the Margrave by the legs and dragged him back toward the office. It was almost as if they were disciplining a hopeless child. Even though, technically speaking, the Margrave was a married man with children.

“Now then…. shall we prepare another tasting portion for Emilia-sama?”

“Yes. She is scheduled to return for lunch.”

With a collective sigh, the kitchen staff and I resumed preparing the tasting dishes once more.

By the way, the matter of the Margrave monopolizing all the tasting food didn’t stay hidden for long. When Emilia-sama returned at lunchtime and heard what had happened—

the Margrave was strictly forbidden from eating anything at all until dinner.

No meals.

No snacks.

Nothing at all.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

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“There’s no point in complaining about everything, so first—let’s think about the menu.”

Or rather… there’s an unbelievable amount of ingredients laid out here. Fresh vegetables, of course—but there were also several different kinds of meat.

“I see there’s yogurt and cheese as well.”

“We are beastman, after all. We are quite skilled in livestock management. In other regions as well, many beastman raise livestock.”

Ah, I see. That’s interesting. Because there are more beastman in this territory compared to others, dairy farming must be quite well developed.

“There’s quite a lot of oil here too. I even see soybean oil.”

“That is a specialty of the western frontier territory. We export a large quantity of it to the royal capital as well.”

With oil available, we can even make fried dishes.

Ideas were already starting to form.

“Then how about something like meat marinated in sauce, then grilled or deep-fried in a bold, hearty style?”

“Hoho… that does sound like something beastfolk would enjoy.”

“And we could also deep-fry vegetables and season them with salt, or use them as ingredients in curry.”

“Spices are greatly loved among beastman. Very well—let us begin at once.”

The head chef and the other cooks all showed interest in the dishes I suggested.

Alright—let’s get started with the cooking.

“First, let’s prepare a few types of marinade for the meat. It’s wonderful that we have both garlic and ginger available. We’ll start by mixing yogurt and curry spices with garlic and ginger, then marinate the chicken and orc meat for about an hour.”

“I will take it to the refrigeration magic device to rest.”

First up—an imitation tandoori chicken. With this, all you have to do is marinate it and bake it. It’s simple, yet effective.

“Next, let’s make French fries. Cut the potatoes, coat them lightly in flour, and fry them until crispy. Then finish with a sprinkle of salt.”

“They’re fluffy and delicious. And very simple to prepare as well.”

French fries really are incredibly simple yet unbelievably tasty. If we had paper containers, they’d be perfect for takeout, but I can’t exactly be greedy here.

“Now then, shall we make a vegetable-and-meat-packed curry?”

“We will handle that. Margrave-sama is especially fond of curry.”

So the Margrave is a real foodie, huh.And just like that, I left the curry to the chefs of the Margrave’s household.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

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After breakfast, we started today’s paperwork… or rather, it turned out there wasn’t actually much sorting left to do.

“Margrave-sama, please go through all of these documents and sign them.”

“Huh?”

The Margrave stared at the stack as if he couldn’t understand what he was seeing.

But Emilia-sama was completely serious.

“Darling, most of the documents I brought yesterday are related to the harvest festival. They require immediate processing. This is what happens when you settle things with verbal promises instead of written agreements.”

“I… I understand…”

In other words, the towering pile on the desk didn’t even require sorting anymore. Every single one of them simply needed urgent signatures. With a calm “this is only natural,” Emilia-sama left the margrave slumped in despair.

Our role shifted to monitoring him and assisting the butler and staff.

Just as I prepared to do my part, Emilia-sama spoke again.

“Since there’s no detailed sorting needed today, Sue and the others can handle things just fine. I’ll be borrowing Shun.”

“…Huh?”

“““Ah, yes. Please go ahead.”””

And just like that, I was gently sent off by Sue and the others, completely unaware of what was going on, as I followed Emilia-sama out.

“Emilia-sama, where are we headed?”

“To the kitchen.”

A bad feeling crept up on me.

No way. There’s no way Emilia-sama knows I used to run food stalls in the eastern and northern margravate… right?

“Head chef, I’ve brought Shun.”

“Madam, thank you very much. So this is the famed “Lightning Chef Adventurer” huh. Mm, good, good.”

The moment I stepped into the kitchen, I was greeted by a dog beastman chef speaking with Emilia-sama.

Yeah. Confirmed. This is absolutely happening.

“Shun, I want you to help develop dishes for the harvest festival. Since there are many beastkin, I’d like something hearty and bold.”

“Emilia-sama, I am an adventurer though…”

“Talk details with the head chef. I’ll be leaving now.”

Click.

Yeah. I was smoothly abandoned.

Honestly, she’s probably capable of this level of ruthless delegation precisely because she used to be royalty and is now the Margrave’s wife.

“Ahh, we heard that a talented chef who created dishes in other margravate has arrived. We were hoping you would guide us.”

“I… I’m an adventurer though…”

“We are very much looking forward to what kinds of dishes you will create.”

Even the head chef and other cooks completely ignored my protest. The people of the Western Margravate really don’t seem to care about minor details like this at all.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

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“Let’s see… I suppose I’ll join in training after all. It’s been a while.”

“Grandpa!”

In addition to us, Emilia-sama, and Kent-chan, the former margrave—who was now somehow full of motivation—joined the morning training session.

Yeah… I already knew this, but he really is ridiculously muscular.

“Emilia-sama, how is the Margrave doing?”

“He seems mentally exhausted from unfamiliar paperwork. I doubt he’ll be waking up for a while.”

“How pathetic. To be worn out by just that much paperwork.”

“Yes, indeed. His processing speed is also quite slow, so it takes quite a while.”

…Oh boy. Emilia-sama and the former margrave are openly trash-talking him now. Well, to be fair, anyone would think yesterday’s workload was insane.

“Now then, once we finish warming up, I’ll point out everyone’s areas for improvement. I’ll start with Shun.”

Oh.

It seemed Emilia-sama was about to give us feedback based on yesterday’s sparring. If I want to get stronger, I’ll need to take every bit of it seriously.

“Shun, after you finish your warm-up, lie face down on the grass.”

“Ah? Y-yes.”

Huh?

I had assumed she was going to give me some verbal feedback, but apparently my case was different. I did as I was told and lay face down on the grass.

“Alright, breathe in… breathe out…”

I wasn’t really sure what this was about, but I followed Emilia-sama’s instructions anyway.

Inhale, exhale.

“Hmph!”

CRACK—CRACK—CRACK!

“Gah—khaaa!”

The moment I exhaled, Emilia-sama placed her hands on my spine and began adjusting my joints in one swift motion. The sound was disturbingly satisfying but the suddenness of it made it genuinely rough.

“Next, the lower back. Haa!”

BANG—CRACK!

“Ghk.. ggh…”

“““E-eek…”””

Once I realized what was happening, I managed to brace myself for the next shock—but honestly, it still hurt quite a bit. My groans seemed to spook Shiro and the others a little.

“Alright, now turn onto your back. I’ll realign your shoulders.”

“Y-yes…”

After that, Emilia-sama continued correcting my body relentlessly.

Yeah… At this point, today’s training was completely over for me. I couldn’t even move anymore.

“Alright, that should do it. Shun, your body is far too stiff. You need to improve your flexibility. From now on, we’ll add daily stretching training.”

“Ugh…”

So apparently my biggest issue was simply how stiff my body was. Still… being adjusted like that every single day was honestly something I’d like to avoid. I swore in my heart, even as I lay there completely exhausted, that I would at least try my best with stretching from now on.

“Now then, the rest of you don’t have flexibility issues, so I’ll point out your individual problems.”

“““Phew…”””

Everyone else visibly relaxed, relieved they wouldn’t be subjected to joint corrections.

Haha… I would’ve liked it if someone had just told me verbally too.

“Alright then. Once you finish your basic training, you’ll spar with me.”

“Ehh!?”

And just like that, I found myself targeted by the former margrave, who was now full of motivation.

It would be nice if I could refuse right here and now……but unfortunately, that didn’t seem like an option.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

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At dinner, everyone was finally gathered, so I decided to ask Shiro and the others what they had been doing today. Meanwhile, the Margrave—under Emilia-sama’s instructions—was still signing important documents. It seemed his dinner would be delayed for the foreseeable future.

“Hmm… we rode in a carriage and went to lots of places!”

“We said hello to everyone!”

“We played with Kent-chan!”

…Right. That explained absolutely nothing.

Still, even if I asked Emilia-sama, there was no way she would tell me anything more.

“Madam, the former Margrave has returned.”

“Oh? That was quicker than expected.”

At the butler’s announcement, we learned that the former margrave had come back. Now that I thought about it… I hadn’t seen him at all this whole time.

Clack.

“I’m home!”

“Grandpa!”

“Haha, Ken-chan, were you behaving yourself?”

“I was!”

The room immediately softened at the cheerful exchange as the former margrave stepped inside.

The figure who appeared in the dining hall was, essentially, the marquis as an older man. Same face, same presence—just aged into a calm, seasoned middle-aged version of him. And like in any world, it seemed that doting on grandchildren was universal. The former margrave had Kent-chan lifted into his arms, rubbing his cheek against the child’s with clear affection.

“Emilia, these are the people you mentioned?”

“Yes, they are Shun and the others.”

“I see. My son has been in your care. His mother passed away when he was young, so I raised him alone. He ended up a bit… spirited, as you can see.”

Unlike his son, the former margrave was composed and very proper in his demeanor. He even bowed his head slightly toward us. So this was someone who had ruled as a margrave while also raising a child alone.

He carefully lowered himself into his seat with a quiet “oof”.

“During festival season, I travel around to meet the influential figures across the territory. Everyone gathers in the capital around this time, so I take the opportunity to hear petitions, requests, and also explain plans for the next fiscal year.”

As soon as dinner was served, he dug into his meal and began talking as he ate.

Even after handing over the title of Margrave to his son, he still seemed incredibly busy.

…So the chaotic energy we were dealing with now was, in a way, inherited.

“Then, how is my son doing?”

“He is currently signing documents. There is quite a backlog, so he will likely be confined to his desk for a few days.”

“Sigh… well, can’t be helped. I suppose I’ll accompany Emilia tomorrow for greetings instead.”

“Grandpa, I’ll go with you!”

“Haha, looks like I’ll be with you, Ken-chan as well.”

So the former margrave wasn’t going to help with the paperwork after all. In a way, I felt a quiet sense of despair wash over me.

When I glanced sideways, Sue and the others were wearing exactly the same expression. As expected, Shiro and the others were probably out walking around town, meeting influential figures.

Just as the conversation between the former margrave and Emilia-sama seemed to wrap up, I stepped forward.

“Excuse me, Sir. I apologize for the late greeting. I am Shun, an adventurer.”

“Mm. I’ve heard about you from Emilia. A very capable adventurer, it seems. I will be relying on you to keep my son in check for a few days.”

“Shun is even able to properly retort to the marquis himself, so there is no issue at all.”

“Hahaha, that is reassuring. Given his position, few people speak frankly to him. Though, he has always had a rather commoner-like temperament, so I doubt he minds much.”

And just like that, dinner continued in a calm, peaceful atmosphere. By the way—the Margrave never showed up in the dining hall that night.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

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By evening, the document sorting finally began to wind down.

“…It’s… over…”

The Margrave slumped over, half-burnt out, but at least the mountain of paperwork had been mostly cleared.

“At this rate, we should be able to finish everything by tomorrow.”

“Yes.”

“I honestly thought we wouldn’t make it for a moment there.”

Sue is chatting cheerfully with Casey-san and Telma-san, a bright smile on her face. Even the manor’s butler and staff looked visibly relieved, their expressions lightened now that the massive workload had been reduced.

Ah—right.

Something had been bothering me, so I decided to ask.

“Excuse me, but are we actually allowed to see these documents?”

“Not a problem at all. All important documents are under the madam’s direct management.”

I see. That makes sense.

Come to think of it, everything we had handled today hadn’t been anything particularly sensitive. If security is managed that well, then there’s nothing to worry about.

Click.

“Oh, right. These documents here aren’t related to the budget settlement. They’re just permit applications and the like—perfectly fine even if seen by others.”

Emilia-sama casually appeared, adding her explanation as she flipped through a few of the remaining papers. At that moment, Emilia-sama walked into the office pushing a cart piled high with documents.

Wait. Don’t tell me—we’re supposed to handle all of those too?

Still smiling, she turned an overwhelming pressure directly toward the Margrave.

“Darling~”

“Yes!”

“There were many verbal agreements you made without properly turning them into official documents. After visiting various locations today, this is how much paperwork ended up coming back.”

“I, well, that is… uhm…”

“You do always say that trust is the most important thing for a lord, don’t you?”

“Uhh… that…”

Nope. He’s done for.

It was clear by now—this Margrave is the type who’s cheerful and easygoing but completely fell apart when it came to the important details. He probably went around casually saying “sure, we’ll do that”without ever putting anything down in writing.

“Tomorrow, you will finish both the existing paperwork and all of this new paperwork. Of course, since we will be visiting other areas we couldn’t reach today, I expect even more will be added.”

“Th-that’s impossible!”

Honestly… I felt like yelling the same thing.

Sue, Casey-san, Telma-san, the manor staff—everyone had the same expression. Dead fish eyes. Because at this point, “the marquis has paperwork” basically meant—we all have paperwork. And that was the true despair of it all.

“Shun…. I honestly didn’t expect the Margrave to have piled up this much paperwork. I’ll reduce his allowance and increase the commission fees accordingly.”

Emilia-sama said this a little apologetically toward me, but apparently the Margrave actually has an allowance system. Though, given his personality, he also seemed like the type who would casually burn through money without much thought.

Pat pat pat.

“Ah! Daddy, he’s all white!”

Kent-chan trotted into the office next, pointing at the Margrave—who was now completely drained, as if all color had been sucked out of him. It seemed the final blow had been the reduction of his allowance.

Yeah…

Kid. You really shouldn’t grow up to become an adult like your father.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

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“Umm… first, let’s sort out these documents.”

“Margrave-sama, where are the urgent approvals and important documents kept?”

“Hahaha… no idea!”

…Yeah. This is hopeless.

We need to sort this out as fast as possible.

“Sue, Casey-san, Telma-san—let’s separate anything that needs immediate approval or priority handling.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll get right on it.”

“Oh, but… the Margrave is trying to sneak out.”

As Telma said, the Margrave was indeed tiptoeing toward the door like a thief, one hand already on the doorknob.

Since we had Emilia-sama’s permission anyway… I guess it was time for him to reflect a little.

I gathered magic in my hand.

BZZZZT—!!

“GYAAAH!”

I increased the output of the lightning slightly and struck the Margrave again.

“GYAAAH!”

Then Sue—who now looked just a little angry—grabbed the Margrave by the legs and dragged him back to his seat while he was still smoking faintly.

Squeak… squeak…

Next, she used restraint magic to bind him firmly to the chair.

Of course, she left his arms free so he could still work.

After that, she cast a recovery spell on him.

“Hah—! W-where am I…? W-wait, I’m tied to a chair!”

“Margrave-sama, let’s work through these documents together. If you get tired, I’ll cast a full-powered recovery spell on you.”

Yeah, Sue was definitely mad too.

She was smiling sweetly, but there was a vein visibly twitching on her forehead. And with the Margrave securely fixed to the chair, there was no escaping now.

Bang.

“First, please sign these documents.”

“These are urgent ones that need to be processed in the near future.”

Next, Casey-san and Telma-san—both smiling brightly—slammed a neatly sorted stack of documents down onto the desk. It was the kind of smile that didn’t reach their eyes.

Yeah… they were definitely angry too.

“B-but I still have field duties out—”

“Young master, please give it up. For the next several days, your duties will be handled by the madam.”

“What did you say?!”

Even the Margrave’s last hope was effortlessly crushed by the butler who’s still smiling politely as ever.

With his shoulders slumping, the Margrave finally gave in and began working—albeit reluctantly.

“Now then, everyone else will also be quite busy today. After all, these documents were originally properly sorted by processing date, well… before the young master completely scrambled them.”

“““Yes, sir!”””

The butler called out to the other attendants in the office.

Wait—so they had been properly organized, and he was the one who messed them all up?

Hearing that, Sue and the others began radiating visible waves of anger.

But the Margrave, desperately signing papers one after another, never noticed at all.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

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“““Haa… haa… haa…”””

“Alright, that’s enough for today. Let’s have breakfast.”

With everyone thoroughly knocked down by Emilia-sama, the morning’s training finally came to an end.

Sue, Casey-san, and Telma-san were on their knees, gasping for breath. Meanwhile, despite sparring with every single one of us, Emilia-sama wasn’t even sweating—her breathing perfectly steady.

“Kyahaha!”

“““Wait up!”””

Shiro, the others, and Ao—who had already finished their turns earlier—were now playing a game of tag with Kent-chan. At least they looked like they were having fun. Then again, being a beastkin, Kent-chan was surprisingly quick on his feet.

“Today, I’d like everyone to help organize some documents. A certain someone has let quite a backlog pile up.”

“Guk—”

During breakfast, Emilia-sama explained our plans for the day.

The Margrave—who had been knocked unconscious by her yesterday—turned pale all over again. At this rate, it was easy to imagine mountains of paperwork waiting for us.

“Huh? What about Shiro?”

“Shiro, Fran, and Horn will be helping me and Ken-chan with a different task.”

““““Oka~y!””””

It seemed Shiro and the others were going to do something with Emilia-sama, but I had a feeling it was better not to ask too deeply. Ao would be joining Shiro’s group as well.

Just then, Emilia-sama turned to me again.

“Shun, if the Margrave tries to slack off, feel free to hit him with lightning. He’s sturdy, so make it a strong one.”

“Hey, hey, that’s going a bit far, don’t you think!?”

“““Ahaha….”””

Sue and the others let out awkward laughs at Emilia-sama’s completely unhesitating demand.

As for me, I could only silently pray that I wouldn’t actually have to shock the Margrave.

And so, we headed straight for the Margrave’s office together.

Bang.

“M-Margrave sir, what exactly is the meaning of this?”

“Hahaha. I wonder what indeed!”

“Shun, do it.”

“W-wait just a—”

BZZZT—!!

“GYAAH!”

The moment we stepped into the Margrave’s office, there it was—a mountain of documents piled high on the desk, as if defying gravity itself. A surge of irritation hit Emilia-sama, and with her command, I unleashed a bolt of electricity at the Margrave.

“Daaad, that’s so uncool!”

“Ugh…”

Kent-chan poked at the Margrave as he lay there, still twitching from the shock.

It’s a really uncool looking at an adult sprawled on the floor in the least dignified way possible.

“Alright then, I’ll leave the rest to you. Ah, don’t worry—he’ll need occasional tea breaks to recover properly, but the butler will handle that.”

“Shun-oniichan, I’m off!”

“““We’re going too!”””

Having said her piece, Emilia-sama promptly left the office with Shiro and the others in tow.…And just like that, I was left staring at what felt very much like a high-difficulty mission in human form.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

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Starting the next morning, we were set to begin our work in earnest within the Western Margravate—but of course, our daily training came first.

Inviting Casey-san and Telma-san to join us had been part of the plan… but for some reason, Emilia-sama and Kent-chan dressed in full knight attire and brimming with enthusiasm, were already waiting in the courtyard too.

“Fufu, we train every morning as well. Let’s do our best together today.”

“I’ll do my best!”

Hmm… I wasn’t quite sure how intense to make the session, but for now, we might as well stick to our usual routine.

We began, as always, with exercises to circulate and control our mana.

“Sue-san, would you mind teaching us how to control mana as well?”

“We mainly use it for physical enhancement, but we still can’t handle it very well…”

“Of course—let’s practice together.”

Casey-san and Telma-san immediately gathered around Sue, eager to learn everything they could about mana control. They were the same age, both noble daughters—and seeing them so openly teaching and learning from each other like this was honestly refreshing.

After that, we moved on to some light sparring practice.

“Toryaaa!”

“Whoa amazing!”

Kent-chan was absolutely thrilled as he watched Shiro and Ao’s usual high-speed sparring match unfold before him. More importantly, Kent-chan isn’t even two years old yet, and somehow he can actually follow their movements.

“Fufufu, Ken-chan has exceptionally sharp eyes. As a fighter, he’s quite the promising prospect.”

“No, no—his education as the future Margrave comes first.”

I couldn’t help but interject as Emilia-sama beamed with pride, but there was no doubt about it—Kent-chan had clearly inherited her blood.

“Sue, your movements are truly impressive.”

“But I’ve only just started learning swordsmanship from the Northern Margrave’s soldiers.”

“In that case, we shall be the ones to teach you next.”

Sue, Casey-san, and Telma-san had completely hit it off, pushing each other to improve.

Watching them, both Emilia-sama and I couldn’t help but smile.

“Now then, I’ll spar with Shun.”

“Yes, I look forward to it.”

Fran and Horn were already paired off as usual, leaving me without a partner—so I ended up doing combat training with Emilia-sama. An opportunity to face a top-tier martial artist like her doesn’t come often. I’d better give this everything I’ve got.

“Come on, anytime you’re ready.”

The moment I looked at her, a bead of sweat slipped down my cheek.

Emilia-sama stood there with her arms hanging loosely at her sides, completely unguarded. At a glance, she looked wide open—but if I rushed in carelessly, I’d be countered in an instant.

No tricks, then. I’ll go all out from the start.

“Hah—sei!”

“Good. Come at me with everything you’ve got.”

I launched a series of thrusts and kicks straight at her, but Emilia-sama deflected and evaded them all with the bare minimum of movement. I had planned to study her technique as we fought—but I didn’t have that kind of leeway at all.

She was on a completely different level.

Thud.

“Guh—!”

“Let’s call it a day here. Your movements are excellent, Shun, but your body control is still lacking. Before trying to copy my technique, you should first refine your own.”

“So you saw right through me. As expected of you, Emilia-sama.”

With a light sweep of my legs, she sent me off balance—and before I even realized it, the edge of her hand was already poised at my throat. She really is on an entirely different level.

“Now then, the rest of you—come at me one by one. I’ll point out each of your areas for improvement tomorrow.”

“Then Shiro’s next!”

“I’m after that!”

Without breaking a sweat, Emilia-sama took on challenger after challenger.

At this point, the defeat was so absolute that it almost felt refreshing.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

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The guest rooms were divided among me, Sue, Casey-san, and Telma-san, while Shiro and the others would drift between rooms whenever the mood struck them. At this rate, there was a good chance my room would end up empty.

After dropping off my luggage, it was time for a bath. Luckily, there was a simple bath area attached to the guest room, so I decided to use that.

“Man… I’m exhausted. So much has happened…”

I let out a long sigh as I soaked in the bath alone for the first time in a while.

The commotion had settled down for now, but it would still take several days before the national army arrived to take custody of that adventurer. More importantly, the harvest festival would come first. I should probably stay on guard. I’ve got a feeling something’s going to happen.

That said, the Margrave’s household will likely handle things at the outset. For now, we’ll just wait and see.

Alright, out of the bath—time to get dressed.

Click.

“““Let’s go eat!”””

““““Ah—””””

Just as I had finished putting on my underwear, Shiro and the others burst the bathroom door open with full force.

And just like that, I made eye contact with Sue, Casey-san, and Telma-san.

T-that was close….

If they’d opened the door even a moment earlier, I would’ve been completely naked.

“Ahaha… sorry about that…”

Sue’s cheeks flushed faintly as she quickly shut the bathroom door again.

Yeah,  I’m definitely going to have to give Shiro and the others a lecture.

“Shiro, Fran, Horn. You can’t just open doors like that. You need to knock first.”

“““Yes Sir!”””

Whether they really understood me or not was questionable, but the three of them replied cheerfully all the same.

With a feeling they’d probably do it again anyway, I finished getting dressed.

“Hm? Is the Margrave still not available?”

“My husband left a mountain of work behind when he went out, so he’s still tied up with it. Don’t worry about him.”

When we arrived at the dining hall, Emilia-sama explained why the Margrave wasn’t present. Apparently, he already had an overwhelming backlog of work—and on top of that, he’d gone all the way to the Adventurers’ Guild just to meet us. The way she put it, it almost sounded like he’d used the guild as an excuse to escape his duties.

Well, in that sense, I can see why Emilia-sama is absolutely furious.

“Well then, let’s not worry about formalities and simply enjoy the meal. Cheers.”

“““““Cheers!”””””

With Emilia-sama leading the toast, dinner began.

A lavish spread of dishes covered the table, and Shiro and the others wasted no time digging in.

The Western Margravate was known for both its vegetables and meat, and the quality of the ingredients truly stood out in every bite.

“Mommy, the meat’s really yummy!”

“I’m glad you like it. Go on, eat as much as you want.”

“Okay!”

Kent-chan really lives up to being a beastkin—despite his young age, he’s got quite the appetite. He’s small and adorable now, but at this rate, he might grow as big as the marquis someday.

What caught my attention, though, was how Casey-san and Telma-san were eating. Watching them, I couldn’t help but wonder if—like Sue when we first met—they hadn’t been given enough to eat before.

Sue seemed to notice it too, so we’ll have to keep an eye on Casey-san and Telma-san for a while. And sure enough, as soon as the meal ended, the two of them fell asleep almost instantly.Even Shiro and the others knew better than to disturb them while they slept, so they obediently curled up beside Sue and me for the night.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

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