A Gentle Noble's Vacation Recommendation

Rizel was enjoying her post-breakfast coffee alone in the inn’s dining hall.

At that moment, an unusual visitor appeared — an elderly gentleman. He was the husband of the old woman who ran the inn.

In fact, Rizel rarely had opportunities to meet him. He usually stayed at their home downstairs, and seemed to start his day early and return by evening, so their active hours rarely overlapped.

When he had free time during the day, he would relax in the dining hall, but so far, Rizel was usually busy with her adventurer activities during those times. Of course, they occasionally crossed paths but their greetings were limited to a simple “Hey” or “Yo.”

This time, he probably came to see his wife. She assumed he would exchange a brief greeting and then head to the kitchen where she was.

“Hey, haven’t seen you around much lately.”

“Hm? Yes.”

Rizel felt a bit odd at the unexpected remark but nodded vaguely.

Perhaps he meant she had been staying here a long time. It was a strange way to put it, though.

Before Rizel could ponder further, the elderly man stopped in his tracks. Despite his age, his sturdy frame showed no sign of faltering. Running a hand through his closely cropped hair, he gave her a dubious look.

Just as both were about to speak, the old woman peeked from the inner door.

“Miss Rizel, wasn’t breakfast a bit much for you?”

“Yes, more than usual.”

“You ate well. That’s good.”

“It was delicious.”

“Oh, you’re quite skilled.”

As they exchanged gentle smiles, the elderly gentleman suddenly opened his mouth wide as if having realized something.

“A guest of the inn!”

“Yes, thank you for your hospitality.”

“Oh dear, what did you think I was?”

“I thought you were a customer of yours. You came from the country before, right?”

As expected of a former rank S adventurer, he was someone people relied on.

Laughing heartily, the elderly man stomped over with loud footsteps. Smiling reassuringly at his wife, who looked apologetic, he sat down forcefully in a chair opposite Rizel.

He surveyed Rizel’s adventurer equipment from head to toe and deepened the wrinkles around his mouth into a wry smile.

“Looking closely, that’s definitely adventurer gear. What’s this? An adventurer who doesn’t seem like one at all.”

“That’s something I’m a bit self-conscious about.”

“Ha ha, sorry about that!”

The elderly man never doubted that Rizel was an adventurer.

Though he said she didn’t seem like one, he firmly stated that she was. For Rizel, this was both rare and welcome, and she couldn’t help but soften her expression. Surely, it was because he had met many different adventurers over the years.

He was a man with a strange charm. Even his rough mannerisms and speech, when combined with his aura, came off as frank and magnanimous. While he bore the scars of a battle-hardened life, he also radiated the fierce, burning gaze of a fledgling adventurer eager to prove something to others.

Not so much a hero (hīrō), but rather a charismatic figure (karisuma). Though Rizel felt immodest saying so, he was very much a “true adventurer.”

“Hmm, so that means, oh, you mean…”

The elderly man squinted mockingly, leaning sideways in his crooked chair.

“That kid’s party, huh?”

Rizel chuckled amusedly at the man leaning skillfully on the chair with his hips.

The “kid” he referred to was probably Jill. Since their sparring match on the first morning of her stay, Rizel had occasionally clashed swords with him when passing through the space behind the inn.

She sometimes heard Jill muttering complaints like “Old man, come on,” or “Don’t hold back.” It was just behind the inn, but they both knew that if the former rank S and the strongest current adventurer fought seriously, it wouldn’t end well.

By the way, Eleven was known as the “bad snake.” He got angry, saying, “I haven’t done anything yet!”

“I understand you mean no offense, but I need to correct one thing.”

“Hm?”

Raising one eyebrow, the elderly man watched as Rizel slowly tilted her head.