A Gentle Noble's Vacation Recommendation

Jill and Eleven’s sparring matches usually took place either in the inn’s courtyard or outside the Capital City while out on a quest.

The former was cramped, but for these two, it just changed their strategy without causing any problems. As for the latter, sometimes others—usually other adventurers—would catch sight of them and watch from a distance.

Today, it was in the inn’s backyard.

“Got any advice or anything?”

“If you want, I’ll give you some.”

Eleven’s horizontal slash was blocked by Jill’s sword, and when the second strike from the twin swords came in from a blind spot, Jill grabbed Eleven’s wrist to stop it. Just as Jill was about to pull him in with force, Jill’s hand was suddenly released when he noticed Eleven’s feet bouncing lightly off the ground.

Jill staggered backward, leaning back, as a sharp blade on a booted foot grazed right past his face.

Eleven’s foot was still off the ground. His red hair swung as he hovered midair, just about to land but unable to move freely. Without hesitation, Jill swung his greatsword.

“That was close.”

The blades clashed with a high-pitched ringing sound.

Jill’s sword, which normally couldn’t be parried once swung, was knocked aside. Using that momentum, Eleven spun his body and landed crouched on the ground. Looking down and back up, their eyes locked for a moment as Eleven completed his preparatory move.

His hand was hidden behind his back, lips curled in a smile. By the time Jill noticed, the hand that should have been hidden was already raised to strike.

“All right! …Ah—”

A palm suddenly appeared before Jill’s eyes. Something white and squishy was crushed in that hand. A sweet scent began to fill the air strongly.

“Are you just gonna take that? I thought attacks without killing intent were weak.”

Eleven didn’t follow up with another attack. In this crouched position, Jill’s sword couldn’t be stopped or dodged. He might’ve made a slight opening, but Jill could still swing his greatsword faster.

Feeling a satisfying sense of accomplishment after dirtying Jill’s black glove, Eleven stood up relaxed.

“I was trying to use the leader’s advice, though.”

“…”

“Wow, you look so annoyed. If I could just poke at that mouth, I might actually win.”

Suddenly, Eleven slapped his sticky palm right onto Jill’s face, causing him to shout out.

“Hey, leader, listen! Big Brother’s not here…”

After borrowing the inn’s shower, Eleven had rushed to Rizel’s room but quickly got his spirits down after realizing she wasn’t there. There was no point making a fuss if she wasn’t around to comfort him.

The door wasn’t locked. She wasn’t in the dining hall either, so she must have gone out. It was careless, but since she carried all her belongings in her pouch, nothing much should be at risk.

“Where could she be…”

Eleven muttered, sitting on the bed and lying down.

By the way, Rizel was currently handling a quest she had taken at the guild alone. It was an F-rank request titled [Pretend to have a friend who’s an adventurer to negotiate better terms]. She worried that she might lack the necessary presence and approached the client with a serious look, only to be gently asked for a change with “Actually… about the friend…” which left her feeling a bit down.

“All right.”

She swung her legs off the bed and stood up with a bit of momentum.

It was still early, so she could have gone back to sleep, but after some exercise, she wasn’t very sleepy. Jill had probably gone to the labyrinth anyway, so she stepped out, wondering what to do next.

Eleven’s next stop was a familiar chocolate shop.

His stock was running low and he wanted something sweet, so it seemed perfect. He could eat sweets, spicy, and heavy foods first thing in the morning.

“Welcome.”

“Hmm.”

The clerk, dressed in a classic apron dress, greeted him with a wonderful sales smile.

Eleven raised his hand in greeting and peered into the showcase. He followed the usual offerings, the beautifully decorated and patterned chocolates with his eyes.