Chapter 19: The old man receives a special request.

I was escorted straight to the house.

We ended up having the discussion in the reception room.

In the reception room, there were two sofas facing each other in the middle.

There was a table in between.

And on one of the sofas sat a beautiful young woman.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you for the first time, Tatsuya-sama.”

She nodded at me, so I returned the nod.

The butler stood behind the woman.

It seems like this woman is the employer.

I was instructed to sit opposite her.

Then I took out my adventurer’s card.

“Um, hello. I’m Tatsuya. Just your average, unimpressive old guy.”

As I said that, I smoothly handed her the card with a robotic motion.

I always show my card like this when taking on a request, but since she’s who she is, I’m feeling quite nervous.

(Is this okay? Dealing with nobility. She’s a noble, right? Ugh, hmm…)

As I pondered, the woman chuckled and responded.

“I am Shadi Bluefield. Please don’t be so formal.”

“Y-Yes. Thank you for your kindness. As you can see, I’m not very good with manners. I’d appreciate it if you could be kind to me.”

Shadi responded.

“Yes. You’re welcome to speak with me as if we’re friends. I find it refreshing that way too.”

Shadi cleared her throat.

Then, she got to the point.

“Tatsuya-san, I have a request.”

“Yes.”

It’s a request she’s making even after testing me. 

It must be quite challenging.

I braced myself and decided to hear her out.

“I’ll tell you. I want you to be my bodyguard.”

“Bodyguard?”

I tilted my head in confusion, and Shadi nodded.

“I’m heading to a certain town from here. I’d like you to escort me until we reach there.”

A click in my mind.

I never expected to be involved in a bodyguard mission.

“Are you sure about me?”

I asked, and Shadi nodded.

“I believe Tatsuya-sama is a trustworthy individual. I’ve been observing your work here, and I’ve been impressed by your diligence and thoroughness.”

Shadi turned to me and asked.

“How about it?”

“Well, it’s fine, but… why me? I mean, there must be more suitable candidates. I don’t consider myself particularly strong or anything.”

I said, and Shadi responded.

“It’s because you seem earnest and trustworthy.”

Shadi said so.

(I don’t really get it. Being earnest and trustworthy seems like a normal thing to me.)

I thought to myself, wondering if I’m really that different in this world for being just an average person.

As I was pondering, Shadi spoke up.

“We’ll depart from here in three days. Can you prepare by then?”

“Prepare? Well, there’s nothing special for me to prepare, so I don’t really need any preparation time.”

I replied, and Shadi said:

“If it’s alright with you, could we depart tomorrow?”

“Can the departure date be changed?”

“Yes. I would prefer to leave as soon as possible.”

With that, I nodded.

“That’s fine. Actually, we can leave right now if you want.”

I didn’t have any particular belongings. 

With just my body, I could go anywhere.

“Well, feel free to let me know whenever you’re ready. I’m available anytime.”

Shadi nodded in response.

“We’ll start preparing from now.”

She bowed her head as she said so.

I decided to wait a bit longer in the room.

Left in the room were me, Hina, and the butler.

I decided to engage in some light conversation with the butler.

“Why the rush?”

“Well, there are some circumstances… They’re not pleasant, so it might be better for you not to know.”

“I see.”

It seems like it’s not information relevant to the request.

I’ll refrain from prying further.

The butler spoke up.

“It’s going to be quite a journey. Shall we handle meal preparations?”

“Is it going to be that long?”

“Yes, there’s quite a distance to cover. And the road is challenging.”

The butler chuckled.

Though he laughed, I sensed from his tone that the journey ahead might be quite challenging.

Several hours later, Shadi arrived.

“I apologize for the wait, Tatsuya-sama.”

“It’s late at night though.”

*Grumble grumble.*

Hina was sound asleep.

“I’d prefer to depart at night if possible. There are concerns about monster activity, among other things. Would that be too harsh?”

It seems there are various circumstances at play.

I nodded in understanding.

“Alright.”

I decided to follow Shadi with Hina in my arms.

As we left the mansion and stepped outside the gate, Shadi spoke up.

“We’re heading to a town called Dones.”

I nodded.

“Why at this late hour?”

Shadi ignored my question and glanced at the butler before asking,

“Do you sense any movement from ‘it’?”

“Please wait, milady.”

[Clairvoyance]

Cool!

The butler’s eyes widened.

(Oh, can he see something?)

Then the butler looked at the young lady and said,

“It’s stopped moving.”

Shadi nodded and looked at me.

“It’s the path to Dones, but there are golems.”

“Golems? How does that relate to moving at night?”

“At night, golems move slower. We plan to take a detour, just to be safe.”

“I see.”

As I replied, the butler opened the entrance to the carriage.

“Please get in, young lady, and Tatuya-sama.”

Upon hearing that, Shadi and I boarded the carriage.

The inside was quite spacious.

(As expected of nobility.)

The carriage carrying us passed through Shadi’s estate at a moderate speed.

And when we reached the checkpoint leading out of town, Shadi gasped.

*Gulp*

(Hmm? What’s with that reaction?)

Why did she just gasp?

I don’t think a checkpoint is a particularly alarming place.

“I don’t think it’s anything illegal like smuggling, but if it is, I’ll have to decline this request. I can’t be complicit in a crime”.

Shadi shook her head.

“No, it’s not that. There are some unsavory characters at this checkpoint. There’s a possibility we might run into them. I’m a bit nervous.”

I understood.

“I see. So you chose late at night to avoid running into them.”

“Yes. I’ve actually been followed, and I really don’t want to meet them.”

Seems like being a noble isn’t easy.

But I understood why she came out at this hour.

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