A while after Shooter got back to the village, the village chief put a stop to the warrior lessons she had ordered. “There’s no point any longer.”
This was a little after we sighted the tribe of bull-kin by the lake in the woods. Wak’wakwhatever, the goblin leader of the hunters, and I were scouting the area when we found their footprints.
The village chief ordered Shooter and Nishka to sneak in and assess the bull-kin colony, but they were far more culturally advanced than we assumed. Suddenly, we were on the brink of war.
Diplomacy looked like it was going to be tough, but then the illustrious folks on both sides reached a decision peacefully. The minotaurs agreed to become vassals of the village chief, so she didn’t need her diaper-bound rich-kid warriors anymore.
“Besides, training these little snots is hopeless. We’ve got a good number of adventurers together now to balance them out, so I decided to let the kids off the hook. Now that we can mobilize bull-kin soldiers, it would be foolish not to use them.”
“I agree, that’s an excellent idea. Since Shooter has been appointed to a knighthood, he can take care of the rest.”
Speaking of unsuccessful ideas, just look at me considering Shooter a good prospect for a future marriage, ha. I mean, Shooter had his young wife Cassandra and also had a new bull-kin bride in Tanne d’Arc, not to mention the lovely young lady Elpaco as his lover. I would never get an opening.
Besides—and if I ever said this out loud, I’m sure she would probably kill me—Shooter was the village chief’s favorite pet! He was strong, he was educated, he was a perfect advisor to discuss management of the territory with. That was no doubt why she’d elevated him to knighthood—so she could keep him by her side.
And if she found out that I’d fallen for him, I might get chased out of this village right when I was starting to feel at home.
“Changing the subject…I want you to serve as my personal attendant from now on, Electra.”
“But ma’am, you have Shooter to consult with on matters of administration, and Camulla to handle guild matters. If you need a bodyguard, Dyson and I were already doing that.”
“Yes, that’s true. But now that I’ve sent Gimul off as pledge in a kinship alliance, I only have my servant Melia and the woodcutter N’aniwa at home with me. It’s a bit lonely. Even if you don’t want to be my attendant, I would still like to have you around just to talk with. What do you think?”
“How could I refuse you? If you don’t mind dealing with someone like me, I would be happy to attend to you!”
“Would you, now? Marvelous. Then stop sleeping at the adventurer’s guild and move to my manor immediately. Tonight. And if you like, I’ll even keep you company at night.”
“K-keep me…company…?” I gulped.
If things went on like they had much longer, I would rot away in this village without ever getting married, an old maid of an adventurer long past her prime. But even so, I’d never imagined that I might be the village chief’s companion in her bedchamber. There were worse fates.
The village chief’s voice cut through my thoughts. “You spend all your evenings grousing over your drinks in the mess hall of the adventurer’s guild, do you not? I have responsibilities in managing the territory, so I don’t ever take alcohol personally, but I can give you someone to talk to. I haven’t been able to leave the village in the many, many years since I married into Apegut, so I would love to hear stories about the outside world.”
“Ha ha ha…of course, yes, that’s it! Yes, that makes perfect sense.”
“Hm? Why are you so flustered? Do you need fresh air?”
“I-It’s nothing, ma’am!”
I’ve always been a talkative sort, and I can talk as long as someone is willing to listen. When I told the village chief that, she regarded me dubiously, then looked up at me. “You’re an odd one.”
And of course she was so lonely now that she was all by herself. If I could satisfy her, then I would do my utmost to keep her company. And if she deigned to open up to me, I could handle anything. Even tears—anything!