Published: July 30, 2025
Ryoma’s unexpected duty of guarding the young lady continued until Sebas came to fetch Eliaria, saying they were going to the inn. Now, they were in the inn’s lobby, confirming the reservation, but...
“Ouch, ouch…”
“Are you alright… young lady?”
“Yes, my legs are just a bit tired. Also, the carriage ride... Ryoma-san, are you okay?”
“No problem.”
If it was just the pain in the backside from travel fatigue and the carriage’s shaking, it was nothing to Ryoma, who was a physical powerhouse with pain resistance lv8. Understanding that he genuinely meant it, Eliaria felt a little down, thinking, “Ryoma, who is about my age, is fine, yet I’m not…” Noticing this, one of the maids spoke up.
“That’s quite normal at first, young lady.”
“Arone.”
“As you ride more often, you’ll gradually get used to it. Ryoma-sama seemed fine, but have you ridden in a carriage before?”
“This time... is my first.”
“Oh? I thought you had, since you seemed so comfortable.”
“I haven’t ridden... but I have run alongside and pulled one…”
Ryoma recalled how during his student days, he often ran alongside rickshaws and even overtook them during his daily runs, which led to rickshaw drivers scouting him to work part-time pulling rickshaws. He reminisced and blurted that out.
But Eliaria and Arone, unaware of this, misunderstood that Ryoma was being harshly used as a horse substitute.
The sudden misunderstanding caused the conversation to stop, and the atmosphere grew heavy.
(…What’s wrong? Did I say something weird…?)
Ryoma, who usually tried to avoid talking about his past at length to prevent revealing too much, was unaware that his words had caused the misunderstanding. Suddenly seeing Arone and Eliaria’s pained expressions confused him.
Trying to steer the conversation back on track, he asked,
“Um, young lady, have you never gone out before? You seem unaccustomed to the carriage, so I was just curious.”
“Well, I have gone out before, but when I had business in other towns, I rode my mother’s or grandfather’s familiar spirits. I do ride carriages around town sometimes, but for very short trips.”
“I see.”
Ryoma, who had spent over 40 years being socially awkward, had no special conversational skills to break the silence, and an awkward pause stretched out. It was then that Reinhardt returned from discussing the guard duty and tomorrow’s plans.
“You’ve worked hard today. Eliaria, no sleeping outside tonight, so get a good rest.”
“Yes, Father.”
“And Ryoma-kun, we couldn’t book a room with us... Sorry, but there’s a room prepared for servants of guests, so you’ll stay there.”
“That’s fine.”
“It’s a large room, but Sebas is handling the arrangements, so you’ll probably share with Zeff and the others. It’ll be more comfortable if you know someone.”
“Thank you.”
After expressing thanks, Ryoma completed the check-in with Sebas, and the young lady went to her room with her parents.
~Duke’s Household Room~
The four members of Duke Jamil’s family were relaxing in their room when Reinhardt suddenly asked Eliaria,
“Eliaria, what were you talking about with Ryoma-kun in the lobby? The atmosphere seemed off.”
Eliaria shuddered at the question.
“W-well, I may have touched on Ryoma-san’s past a little…”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Since Ryoma-san seemed fine with the carriage, I thought he was used to it, but... um, today was actually his first time. He said he never rode before, but he did run alongside or pull one in the past…”
“I see... But he didn’t seem bothered by it. He was normal afterward, right? So don’t dwell on it too much.”
“Take it easy. You dragged Ryoma-kun all the way to the inn, didn’t you? Just be as casual as that.”
Eliaria blushed at those words.
“That was... embarrassing now that I think about it. I was too excited.”
“Yes, a little bit rude.”
“Ooww…”
“Hoho, being lively is a good thing. Eliaria is still a child; a bit of charm in that. But reckless behavior is no good. That was like inviting troublemakers to target you. Be careful yourself.”