We rode our bicycles the whole way, and it wasn't until the sky had grown dark that we finally spotted the next town. The first thing we did after entering was look for a restaurant to eat.
"So tired…" Jacob complained weakly.
Honestly, I wanted to complain even more. We had kept stopping along the way to wait for him—otherwise, we would've arrived much earlier.
We found a quiet restaurant and sat down to eat. Ethefelis ordered without restraint, nearly clearing the entire menu. The waitress kept her professional smile, but I could see her eyes twitching.
After we finished dinner, we went to look for an inn. The city gates were already closed for the night, so staying outside wasn't an option. Once we found an inn, I opened the door and walked up to the counter.
"Hello, do you have any rooms available?"
"We have three twin rooms and two single rooms."
"I'll take two twin rooms and one single room."
Jacob and I would share a room. The three girls could decide among themselves—but Alice absolutely couldn't sleep alone.
"Understood. How many nights will you be staying?"
"One night."
"Alright. That will be 70 copper coins."
I took out seven large copper coins and placed them on the counter. After checking them, the clerk set down three keys.
"Thank you very much. These are the keys. Each room door has a number that matches the number engraved on the key."
I picked up the keys and looked at the markings: 03-1, 13-2, and 16-2.
"Thank you. One more thing—how much does it cost to use the bath?"
"10 copper coins per person."
"Here's 50 copper coins."
I placed five more large copper coins on the counter. After taking them, the clerk pointed to the right.
"Thank you very much. The bathing rooms are this way. The doors are marked for men and women."
"Thanks."
We headed toward the baths. Before entering, I stopped Grace and handed her the keys labeled 03-1 and 13-2. From what I understood, the number after the dash indicated the number of beds.
"Grace, take these keys. And remember—don't let Alice sleep alone. She might forget to lock the door again, and she'll probably oversleep too."
"You worry too much."
"Did you forget what happened this morning?"
"...I understand."
Grace recalled how she'd had to drag Alice out of bed earlier that day and, looking mentally exhausted, finally agreed.
After that, I went into the bath next to Jacob's. A voice suddenly came from the other side of the wall.
"Is that you next door, Karen?"
"Yeah," I replied while undressing.
"I've thought of an excuse already, but I don't have a sword. Can we go buy one tomorrow?"
"Sure."
After breakfast tomorrow, most shops should be open. First we'd buy a sword, then help Alice pick out some clothes, and finally buy chairs. If nothing went wrong, we should be done before noon.
Jacob then spoke in an apologetic tone.
"Thanks. I feel like we've been causing you trouble this whole time. I'm really sorry."
That was sudden. It was true—they'd all been causing me trouble. Jacob lacked stamina, Grace struggled even to protect herself, Ethefelis had an enormous appetite, and Alice was… just trouble incarnate.
Still, they all met my standards. I asked Jacob a question.
"Do you know what the first condition was when I asked His Majesty the King to choose people?"
"What was it?"
"The ability to communicate. Even though you're nobles, you don't have that arrogant attitude. I'm very satisfied with that."
"Is that so? Not to brag, but I'm pretty approachable."
Now I wasn't sure how to respond, so I deliberately changed the subject.
"Your family's products are pretty approachable too."
"I meant me as a person!"
Jacob knocked on the wooden partition between us, sounding a little annoyed. I did it on purpose.
"Hahaha, I know. Just joking."
After we finished bathing, Jacob and I found the room that matched our key number on the third floor. We went inside, chatted for a bit, and then went to sleep.
The next day, I woke up and shook Jacob awake as well, then stumbled sleepily into the bathroom to wash my face and get dressed. This never used to happen—was I just too tired? Or maybe it was the quality of the bed.
"I haven't slept on an inn bed in ages. This is really uncomfortable."
I muttered to myself as I came out of the toilet after changing, only to see Jacob washing his face with his hair sticking up everywhere. He responded casually.
"This is what happens once you've experienced better things—you can't go back. At this rate, I might have to ask you to sell me dungeon mattresses someday."
"They're expensive."
"More than 100 gold coins?"
That price came out way too casually. Were dungeon mattresses really worth that much? Getting them for free suddenly made me feel a little guilty.
"...Not that much."
"Then they're not expensive."
Not expensive under 100 gold coins? I stared at this damn rich guy and dragged out my words in mockery.
"Reeaaally rich."
"You are too."
"My sense of money is that of a commoner."
I admit I have money, but to me, even one gold coin is expensive. That's not stinginess—values like that don't change easily. Besides, the ten white gold coins at home are basically display items. Completely useless.
Just then, Grace and Alice—who were staying on the same floor—appeared, looking slightly tired as they greeted us.
"Good morning, Mr. Karen. Mr. Jacob."
"Morning…"
"Good morning. Did Alice wake up properly?"
Grace must've woken up early, but she was still in her sleepwear—probably spent a lot of time trying to wake Alice.
"I'm already awake…"
Alice was mumbling like she was talking in her sleep, eyes still closed, her hand gripping Grace's clothes. Grace shook her head tiredly and replied.
"It was another case of dragging her out of bed. Mr. Jacob, your hair is sticking up."
Out of nowhere, Grace reached out and fixed Jacob's messy hair. Jacob froze instantly, staring blankly at Grace through the reflection in the mirror.
A few seconds later, Grace looked at the mirror and finally realized what she'd done. She immediately pulled her hand back, touched the hand that had brushed Jacob's hair, clasped both hands to her chest, and hurriedly apologized.
"...I'm sorry. I touched your hair without asking."
Jacob finally snapped out of it. He reached up and touched the spot Grace had fixed, then slowly looked at her, replying shyly.
"I–It's fine. Thank you."
After thanking her, Jacob even gave Grace a smile. That smile seemed to land a critical hit—Grace's face turned bright red as she lowered her head. Jacob did the same, and the two of them fell into silence together.
"..."
What exactly was I witnessing right now? It was blinding! How was this inn's glass made?! Why was the sunlight reflecting off the mirror straight into my eyes?!
(Looks like I'll need sunglasses from now on.)
Ahem. Let's sort things out. Was Grace's sudden action instinctive, or was it intentional? Could it be that Jacob actually has a chance? But there are too few clues to be sure.
And yet, watching their interaction, I realized the corner of my mouth had lifted without me noticing. What's that about? Honestly, just watching them like this wasn't bad. I had no intention of interrupting—I wanted to see what would happen next.
A few more seconds passed. Jacob and Grace were still standing there with their heads lowered, shyly stealing glances at each other, neither willing to take the next step.
Then a voice cut in.
"What's wrong with you two? You feel… weird."
It was Alice—the one I'd completely forgotten was still here. She seemed to have fully woken up and was looking back and forth between Jacob and Grace in confusion.
Both of them turned to look at her. Grace looked like she'd just been saved, her eyes filled with gratitude. Jacob, meanwhile, seemed half-awake, his hand still lingering on his hair.
Well, no more show. Time to break it up. I stepped in—aiming my words at Alice.
"Alice, go wash your face."
"Yes."
Alice let go of Grace's clothes and slowly walked toward the sink.
"I–I'll go wash up too!"
Grace clearly wanted to end the atmosphere. She followed my lead and quickly moved to another sink. Jacob finally snapped fully awake and walked into the toilet with a thoughtful expression.
Then I remembered Ethefelis was alone, so I spoke up.
"I'll go check if Ethefelis is awake. Meet downstairs later."
I went down to the second floor and stopped in front of room 03-1. I knocked first, then called out.
"Ethefelis, are you awake?"
There was no response after a few seconds. Still asleep? I decided to try the doorknob—if it turned, that meant she was awake.
I could've used "Detection" to check if she was inside, but that magic shows a top-down map. It ends up overlapping people from upper and lower floors, making it impossible to tell. That's one of the drawbacks of "Detection."
I gently turned the doorknob, and it turned smoothly. So Ethefelis must've gone to wash up…
I knew she was a smart kid, but she was still a kid. I decided to peek inside—just a glance.
I slowly pushed the door open when suddenly my clothes were tugged twice, followed by a confirming voice.
"Bro Ren."
I turned around. It was Ethefelis, already dressed to go out, tilting her head at me in confusion. Only then did I realize how my actions looked—like some creep trying to sneak into a girl's room.
I quickly closed the door and hurriedly explained.
"Ethefelis, don't misunderstand! I wasn't trying to do anything—I just wanted to check if you were awake. Are you all ready?"
After hearing my explanation, Ethefelis straightened her head and answered.
"Ready."
Hearing that, I pointed toward the stairs.
"Then let's wait downstairs for Jacob and the others. They're probably not done yet."
"Key."
Right after I finished speaking, Ethefelis said that and held out her fist. Understanding immediately, I held my hand beneath it. She opened her fist, and a key dropped into my palm.
"Alright. By the way, what did you say earlier?"
I suddenly remembered the word she'd said when she tugged my clothes.
"Bro Ren."
Bro Ren? Was that… a nickname for me? I confirmed my understanding.
"It's the last sound of my name plus "brother," right?"
"Cannot?"
She tilted her head again—this time asking for my opinion.
"It's fine. It sounds nice."
I gave her a thumbs-up. I genuinely content it. Even though Ethefelis was an assassin, she wasn't anything like the assassins you see in movies.
Those assassins erase their emotions and exist only to kill, like tools. Some would even kill themselves if ordered by their master. I hate that kind.
Ethefelis, on the other hand, clearly grew up with care. She wouldn't blindly follow orders that harmed herself.
Honestly, among the four of them, my evaluation of Ethefelis was the highest. Sure, cooking massive amounts of food every day exhausted me—but as long as she didn't make me worry, it was fine.
After that, Ethefelis and I waited downstairs. I tried my best to make small talk with her until the remaining three finally came down.
We returned all three keys, then went to find a restaurant for breakfast.