A Gentle Noble's Vacation Recommendation

When the grass and trees still glistened with morning dew, Rizel slowly opened her closed eyes.

She felt the chill seeping through the gap in the blanket more intensely than when she had been staying in the Capital City before. It was probably because she had been in the warm Astarnia, so she pulled the blanket up to her shoulders, tucking herself in snugly.

She realized she had been away from the Capital City long enough to find something slightly off about the shape of the window. With half-lidded eyes, she gazed absentmindedly at the wood grain and enjoyed the drifting consciousness.

“Mm…”

She could still go back to sleep if she wanted, but if she tried to wake up now, it seemed she could get up easily.

The bed felt comfortable after several days, and with a slow motion, Rizel brushed the hair from her eyes. After a breath, she slowly rolled onto her back.

What she saw was red scattered across the white sheets. Eleven, who had been sulking and insisted on staying the night yesterday, was sleeping face down with his face buried in the pillow.

“(He’s probably still asleep.)”

Rizel watched with her eyelids drooping and came to a quiet conclusion.

This inn only had two private rooms. Probably because demand was low, she had heard that even the private rooms were often forced to be shared by two people.

Rizel and Jill had luckily gotten the two available rooms, but Eleven had complained. He wasn’t happy about the idea that there was a place to sleep without paying extra.

“(Maybe he didn’t like being assumed like that.)”

The beds were too small for two grown men side by side; lying fully on their backs, their shoulders would touch. The warmth they felt from each other was pleasant on this chilly morning, so Rizel didn’t even try to move to the edge of the bed.

“(It’s true it’s convenient to stay at the same inn.)”

Her eyelids fluttering as she nearly drifted off again, Rizel glanced at the vivid red and thought about it.

For example, when going out to take a request or when she wanted someone to accompany her, it would be easy to call out if they were staying at the same inn. But even back in the Capital City, Eleven always kept track of her whereabouts, so it wasn’t really inconvenient.

So likely, he was just unhappy about being treated like that from the start. Perhaps today they’d return to the base, or more romantically put, their hideout, as if nothing had happened.

“(I wonder where that is.)”

Maybe in the city center; perhaps the elites stayed there too. Lost in thought, Rizel gazed at the ceiling.

From her perspective, staying in the same inn didn’t matter at all; she could even move to a large room and share a room as a party if needed. But since Jill and the others hadn’t said anything, they probably preferred private rooms.

“...Ah.”

At that moment, a low growl came from beside her.

Turning her head lazily toward the muffled voice muffled by the pillow, she saw Eleven only moving his neck, his sleepy, grumpy eyes watching her.

“You can still sleep.”

“Mm.”

When Rizel softly whispered to encourage him, Eleven buried his face in the pillow again.

She often wondered how he could sleep so comfortably like that, then propped herself up on the bed and slowly sat up. Since she had woken early, she thought it would be nice to enjoy the Capital City for a while.

Noticing Eleven’s bare shoulder looked cold, she adjusted his blanket, then swung her legs off the bed, wondering what to do next.

Judge’s shop was an item shop for adventurers.

Though called an item shop, the products were diverse — from essential adventurer gear to highly specialized tools. Many dungeon items were accurately appraised and bought from adventurers, so the shop carried only high-quality goods.

The shop’s customers weren’t limited to adventurers; people seeking powerful magical tools or miscellaneous goods also visited.

“Thank you very much.”

Even now, Judge was bidding farewell to adventurers who had just finished shopping.