Published: January 22, 2026
The woman in the cloak couldn’t contain her excitement and let out a voice.
My thoughts paused for a moment when the cloaked woman called me “Orun-sama.”
“Um, um! Would it be alright if I shook your hand!?”
The cloaked woman held out her right hand and asked in an excited, high-pitched voice.
“Y-yeah. That’s fine…”
Slightly overwhelmed by her high energy, I lightly grasped the outstretched right hand.
“Kyaa! Lore, what should we do! I just shook hands with Orun-sama!”
The cloaked woman turned toward Ms. Loretta nearby and expressed her joy.
Judging by context, “Lore” must be a nickname for Ms. Loretta.
“Alright, alright. That’s good. Now that you’re satisfied, calm down a bit. You’re disturbing the neighbors.”
Ms. Loretta admonished the cloaked woman with a tired expression.
“That’s impossible! Because it’s Orun-sama, you know!? The shadow hero who protected Tsutolairu from countless demonic beasts, preventing the empire’s invasion! Truly the hero of this country! To have met someone like that by chance, it would be rude not to be happy, right!?”
That’s quite an overestimation…
However, only a select few should know about my involvement in the empire’s invasion.
Even if she is the person I suspect, she shouldn’t know that — unless it’s already common knowledge among the nobility and their associates…
Another new question just popped into my mind.
One after another, please give me a break…
“Think about your position (……). If you make this much noise anymore, I’ll forcibly take you home, you know?”
Ms. Loretta lowered her tone and spoke in a threatening manner, probably thinking that a mere warning wouldn’t calm the cloaked woman.
“Ugh…! That would be bad!”
Though the cloaked woman showed some displeasure, she fell silent, sensing that Ms. Loretta might actually use force.
After confirming this, Ms. Loretta turned her gaze back to me and spoke.
“Geez… I never thought Orun-kun would be in the Royal Capital at this time. Could it be that the silver rabbits of the night sky have accepted the Central Army’s invitation?”
“No, I have no plans to go to the frontlines. I came to the Royal Capital for business today, and now that everything’s done, I plan to return to Tsutolairu tomorrow.”
When I said this, the cloaked woman was about to say something again, but Ms. Loretta, anticipating it, covered her mouth with her hand.
The cloaked woman struggled and made muffled noises like “Mmm! Mmm!”
“I see. Actually, we also plan to head to Tsutolairu tomorrow. If it’s okay with you, Orun-kun, we’d like to accompany you to Tsutolairu. What do you think?”
Ms. Loretta proposed this, glancing at the cloaked woman whose mouth she was still covering.
“…Yes, that’s fine. Let’s head to Tsutolairu together tomorrow.”
Understanding the unspoken meaning behind Ms. Loretta’s words, I responded.
I guessed she wanted me to be a conversation partner for the cloaked woman along the way.
It’s a bit embarrassing to say myself, but it was clear in this short time that she had favorable feelings toward me.
Since we share the same destination and departure time, going separately would probably cause her frustration to explode, something even I, a stranger, could understand.
Ms. Loretta probably wants to avoid such a situation for mental health reasons.
For me, spending a long time with two high-status individuals would be mentally more exhausting than being alone.
Honestly, I’d prefer to avoid it, but if I can gain favor from them, then it’s definitely beneficial for me.
“Thanks. Then how about meeting at the castle gate at 10 a.m. tomorrow?”
“Understood. Then, 10 a.m. tomorrow it is.”
Nodding at my reply, Ms. Loretta took the cloaked woman with her into Ms. Aida’s shop.
After confirming they were out of sight, I headed back on my way.
â—‡
The next day, when I arrived at the meeting place with my horse, the two were already there.
“Good morning. Sorry to have kept you waiting.”