Cheers suddenly erupted from the Mobile Force arena. Meryl’s Zako had somehow defeated Michelle’s Kian. After such an unexpected turn of events, the entire venue was going wild, but no one was more fired up than Meryl.
“I did it!” she shouted. “I finally beat Minerva!”
Michelle silently picked up her Kian, her magic link with it having been severed, and left, retreating to the walls.
She had been zoning out a lot recently. If I had to guess, I’d say she started acting this way after our kiss on Mount Garges. I’d never seen her in this state before, but she’d been making a lot of mistakes lately, like burning her cooking.
Is she going to be okay like this? She had to go into the deepest depths of the dungeon for her research. I was worried sick about her. The truth was that I wanted to tag along, but the idea of me doing so was completely off the table. I’d encountered a monster again the other day on B2. I had managed to overcome it with my C. Giant Crow and R. Zombie Knight cards, but one wrong move and I would’ve been hurt. Yet apparently, the monsters in the dungeon depths were so vicious the small-fry enemies on B2 couldn’t hold a candle to them. The only card I had left was my R. Stone Golem card. I’d only be a burden to Michelle if I went.
I took some Monster Chips and settled beside Michelle, who was sitting with her back against the wall.
“You want some?” I asked, offering them to her.
“No, I don’t feel like eating,” she said.
I opened up the bag and found an SR. Fire Condor card inside.
“Oh, lucky me. It’s an SR card.” The Condor wrapped in a fiery blaze looked like it was strong, but Michelle only gave it a single glance before she hung her head.
“Hey now, what’s wrong? I’m worried about you.”
“I can’t stop thinking about it...” she murmured.
“Huh?”
“I can’t stop thinking about you, Yusuke!”
That caught me off guard. “L-Lower your voice!”
I looked around but the adventurers were all engrossed in the Mobile Forces match. None of them were looking our way.
“Hey, you said you were going into the dungeon depths tomorrow,” I said, “but maybe you should cancel that? It’ll be dangerous if you go there while you’re like this.”
“Yeah... I think that’s for the best too.” Something worse than a simple injury might happen to her if she went in this state.
“Um,” I started, “is our kiss getting to you? I’m sorry about that.”
“Not at all!” she blurted out. “That was an unforgettable moment for me. That’s why I can’t stop thinking about it!”
“Again, keep your voice down.” She was a wanted criminal. Who knew if or when her real self would be discovered?
“How can we make it so you can focus on your research or exploring?” I asked.
“I have no idea...”
She probably had no choice but to take a break for a while.
“How about you stay away from the dungeon until you calm down?”
“Yeah...” She paused for a moment. “Do you hate me now?”
“Why would I?”
“Like, maybe you think I’m too much, since I’m getting all worked up over something like a kiss...” she said, hugging her knees before she lowered her head onto them, gaze fixed downward.
“Of course not,” I assured her. “At any rate, take two or three days off and see how you feel. You’ll feel better in no time.”
“Can we be together during that time?”
“Sure. I’d feel more at ease that way.”
Michelle leaned against the wall that whole afternoon, zoning out. She’d occasionally giggle a little in her superhusky voice or say things like “I won’t let you get away, not now,” which would make everyone flinch.
She was probably indulging in some weird fantasy. Maybe she was daydreaming about capturing some supervicious monster. Wait, it isn’t about me, right?
✦ ✦ ✦
Baron Ethel called out to us when Michelle and I left the dungeon together. It seemed he had been waiting for me the entire time.
“Sir Yahagi, I have come here to make a request of you,” he said. Was it about the universal elixir again? That was what I had assumed, considering it was the baron asking, but he’d actually come to me with a completely unexpected request. “My domain is the town of Grantham, located about forty kilometers away from the capital. There will be a festival held there next week.”
“A festival?” I asked.
“Indeed. It is a festival held in hope of a bountiful harvest this year. The most famous part of this event is a majestic sight to behold—the Milk Can Carrying Race, in which one must run down from the top of a hill while shouldering milk cans.”
“Don’t tell me you want me to participate in that?” I said with slight dread. I was a dagashi-ya, not a festival enthusiast.
“No, not that. I would like you to open your store on the festival grounds.”
Just like how you’d open up a street stall on the day of a festival, he was requesting that I open up my shop to help liven the event up.
“I would particularly like you to sell your Mobile Forces. Their sacred grounds are at Hot Spring Yahagi, but I would like Grantham to follow in that tradition.”
“I’m most grateful for your request,” I said, “but I’m only able to sell forty Mobile Forces a day at most. Will that be a problem?”
“The festival will last for three days,” replied the baron, “so I would like you to come to the venue the day before. That way, you can sell them for four days in a row, and there will be 160 Mobile Forces in circulation. I shall deem that acceptable for now.”
For now? Did he have plans to call me to do this again in the future?
“I shall prepare the carriage and accommodations for you, so by all means, please do come.”
Before I gave my final answer, I turned to Michelle.
“Will you come with me, Minerva? I’m unfamiliar with the geography of this land, so I’ll need an escort and some guidance.”
“H-Hm. I’ll give you a hand, Yusuke. (An overnight stay... I-I’m not prepared to give him the rest of me too, but I’m definitely going!)”
“Will it be a problem if Minerva comes along with me, Baron?”
“Certainly not. I must repay Sir Minerva for letting me have the universal elixir. I shall prepare a suite in Grantham’s finest hotel so by all means, please enjoy the festival.”
Michelle needed a break, so this was a godsend. It’d also be a good opportunity for me to learn more about this world. All right, Dagashi-ya Yahagi will be taking a business trip to Grantham!
✦ ✦ ✦
The farther we traveled from the capital, the worse the road became and the more loudly the carriage rattled along. Michelle and I were headed for Grantham, shaking around inside the carriage the baron had prepared for us. She had cast a strong barrier spell on the carriage, so no one could see inside. The Wind Magic she had used to create a noise barrier ensured our voices wouldn’t be overheard either, so Michelle had taken off her silver mask and relaxed.
“Have you been to Grantham before?” I asked.
“I haven’t,” she said, “but I’ve heard it’s a pretty big town. It’s known as a major center of wool production.”
“Yeah, the feudal lord, Baron Ethel, seems like a rich guy.”
“The town’s also famous for its mutton dishes.”
“So sheep, huh,” I mused. “Oh yeah, I used to often eat lamb skewers a long time ago.” I had loved the spices they sprinkled on the skewers at my favorite family restaurant, so I had often ordered them.
“You like lamb meat then. I’ll cook some for you next time.”
“It’ll definitely be delicious if you make it.”
“Oh, Yusuke, you...” she blushed. “Very well, I’ll go pick the Eviren spices that only grow in the deepest parts of the Savra Desert to flavor the skewers just for you.”
Michelle’s love was extraordinary, as always.
“You don’t need to go that far...” I said.
It’d be evening soon. We’d be spending tonight at an inn along the way and then continuing to Grantham tomorrow. Since the horse was allowed to rest along the way, our journey was a relaxed one. My butt kept getting sore, but Michelle used her Healing Magic to help with that each time.
“Wh-Whoa!!!” the coachman suddenly bellowed and stopped the coach. Judging by how densely the trees grew on both sides of the road, it seemed we weren’t in town yet.
“What’s the matter?” I asked, sticking my head out of the window. The old coachman looked troubled.
“It appears that the road ahead is blocked, so there is a crowd of people gathered here.”
We still had ten kilometers to go before we reached Grantham. I didn’t want to be stuck here.
“Let’s go have a look,” Michelle said. She put her mask back on and left the carriage as I followed suit.