Much to everyone's disappointment, after Isolde and I embraced for a while, we held hands and walked back to the inn. Along the way, we didn't say a word, remaining in complete silence, not even daring to breathe too loudly. I can't speak for Isolde but for my reason, I don't know much to say at that moment. Since my head is blank, all I can hear is my own heart beat.
And of course, I also have to hold back the beast inside me so I don't speed things up too much. The last thing I want Isolde to think is I am a play boy who would get on bed with my girlfriend right after the confession.
Upon reaching the inn, we shyly wished each other goodnight before returning to our respective rooms.
Although, truth be told, I didn't even make a sound and could only mumble the words in my mouth like a primary school student experiencing this for the first time. It sounds a bit idiotic, but I'll try to improve on this.
Now, back in my room.
"He he he he. I have a girlfriend he he he he he he. I'm finally in my real high note of my life!"
Naturally, I was skipping around with joy, as if I had just won the lottery. I have a girlfriend. And it's Isolde, the perfect girl who so many admire.
AND I WAS THE ONE WHO GOT HER FIRST KISS HA HA HA!
Since I usually don't sleep at night anyway, being a Blood Tribe and all, with the recent events still making my heart race like crazy, I could only lie on my bed for hours, staring at the ceiling with a million random thoughts running through my head. What kind of random thoughts, you ask? Like how many kids I want, or whether our home should be in a big city or the countryside. Because living in the city would make it easier to raise and educate the kids. The Cluel household and the Water God Style Headquarters are also in the Royal Capital, right? So there's a high chance I'll live there. The Cluel mansion isn't too big but it still has enough room for a kid or two. Or, who knows, maybe we'll decide on the countryside like Paul's family for a healthy, relaxing environment. Life there will surely be slower, we still can hire good tutors, like Roxy for example.
But this matter will require discussing with the woman of the house, e he he. Let's not get too ahead of myself then.
I also thought about how I would talk to Tantris and Master Reida. I figured Master might find this amusing; she even congratulated Isolde and me in her letter. She did ask for grandkids too, which I would be more than ready to fulfill the mission. As for Tantris, I wasn't so sure. My only impression of the guy could be summed up in a few nice adjectives like 'handsome', 'humble', and 'hardworking'.
I hadn't interacted much with my 'brother-in-law' during the time I crashed at the Cluel estate. I just hoped he wasn't the overprotective brother type who would glare at me with hostility for taking his little sister away. If he demanded a duel to see if I was capable of protecting Isolde, I wouldn't even know how to react.
Well… I believe my current abilities are, um... on par with or stronger than his. But fighting is probably a bad idea, so I started brainstorming some words to persuade Tantris if necessary.
Oh wait, hold on. Isolde and I just officially started dating (probably), so calling her my wife is a bit premature, isn't it?
Honestly though, I want to marry her. After all, Isolde has everything I want in a wife. She's beautiful, gentle, kind,graceful, modest… Um… Well, let's skip the modest part for now, she still knows how to hide her arrogance, so that works. Besides, she has plenty of strength. She's clearly a true Yamato Nadeshiko, no doubt about it.
In the past, I used to think whoever married her would be incredibly lucky. Now, I'll change that thought to: only I get to marry Isolde! The person I love must be mine! I'll be the lucky bastard in this story, no question asked!
But because of this, I also had to think a lot, especially about crucial matters concerning myself. Like what I lack and what I need to do to become a man worthy of Isolde.
That's a big issue.
I know she currently adores me, loves me and sees me as someone not really the real me. Those strong emotions are overpowering her usually strong rationality, enough for her to confess and agree to be by my side like she just did. But what happens when everything starts to fade?
I've lived long enough to see plenty of couples who were incredibly affectionate at the start of their relationship, only to suddenly notice each other's flaws after a honeymoon phase of a few weeks or months. Then they end up hating each other and breaking up in coldness and resentment.
I don't want that, boo hoo.
That's also why I want to perfect myself, to become a better person. So that Isolde will always be satisfied with me, it has to be that way.
Even though I was given a second chance, a new life, the terrible traits that have been with me since my past life are still there. Like my lecherous nature, for instance. Even though I believe I can be faithful, my reflex to look at a woman's chest before their face is truly awful. I don't want to be on the same page as Paul or even worse-Pilemon, hell no.
Also the way I spend money, for example. That's another thing I need to change.
And there are dozens of other things, from minor trivialities to bizarre quirks. I've made a list of everything so I can gradually improve them all.
I will become a better person.
For Isolde. And because I need to be, for my own sake. That's my vow!
...
After resolving myself fully, I continuously replayed everything that had happened with Isolde for several hours. I chuckled to myself like an idiot, even shedding a few tears. Eventually, I drifted off to sleep without realizing it. By the time I groggily woke up, I could already see the sunlight.
"Today is going to be another beautiful day to love. La la la~"
According to the schedule, Paul's group would depart at noon, so they should be gathering at the Adventurers' District right about now. From what I know, Roxy and Talhand moved to an inn in that district last night, meaning only Isolde and I are left here.
Naturally, without any hesitation, after packing my things, I immediately went to her room and knocked on the door.
"Isolde-chan~ Let's walk together~"
Perhaps my tone was a bit too overly sweet? I also accidentally put a 'chan' into my line as well. But haha, that's the privilege of a couple in love.
Now, if Isolde wakes up and the two of us walk across half the city together, that would be quite romantic. Could this be considered our first date? We'd hold hands the whole way and blush at each other just like last night, and all that. Just thinking about it made me unable to hold back my giggles.
But...
Why was there no answer? I pressed my ear against the door but heard nothing, total silence. Was she still sleeping? We got back late last night, so it wouldn't be strange for a normal person to sleep in a bit. Sleeping Beauty waiting for her prince to wake her up, he he he.
Alright, my Princess Isolde! I shall use my kiss to awaken you!
Wait a minute. This is Isolde. She's the type to always wake up at 5 AM, regardless of time, place, or reason. Back at Necross Fortress, she only woke up earlier than that mark, never later. That's how a disciplined person is. So how could she still be asleep when breakfast time has passed? Impossible.
And the door wasn't locked either.
So, I just pushed the door open and walked in. Even though I might get scolded, I'm Isolde's boyfriend now, right? If anything, I could just say I was too worried about her, no big deal.
"Hmm?"
But when I opened the door, Isolde's inn room had been cleaned spotlessly. The blankets, pillows, and mattress were all neatly arranged, exactly how a room prepared for a new guest would look.
More importantly, Isolde was nowhere to be seen.
Where could she be?
"Oh, kid, you're up earlier than usual today?" Suddenly, the innkeeper appeared. "Breakfast is ready, so go grab a bite. And remember, today is the last day of your rental, so be sure to clear out before noon."
I didn't plan on staying any longer anyway; today was departure day, after all.
"Ah, mister. Where did the girl from this room go?" I asked.
"That swordswoman? She checked out this morning and went somewhere. She didn't say much, so I didn't pay attention." He scratched his head while speaking, then reminded me again. "Remember to go down and eat soon before the soup gets cold."
And with that, the owner disappeared.
Where did Isolde go? If she was anywhere, it was highly likely she had gone to the gathering spot with Paul's group. But for some reason, I had a bad feeling and immediately ran to that place too, completely ignoring breakfast.
...
I ran non-stop through the Adventurers' District like I was being chased by some kind of monster.
When I arrived at the carriage station, I could see many familiar faces I had met over the past few days, like Vierra, Shierra, and even Lilia, preparing their belongings. Paul was in a group with several others who wouldn't be leaving Millishion, seemingly chatting and giving instructions. Talhand was over with Geese, and...
Ah, there's Isolde!
Still that beautiful face, sharp and alluring eyes, and silky blue hair shimmering under the sunlight like a goddess. She was already sitting in the carriage, relaxed and comfortable, reading some book with Roxy dozing off beside her.
Thank goodness... I thought she was planning to abandon me and leave on her own or something. Seems like I was overthinking things.
As if anyone would run away right after successfully confessing, right? We only just hugged and kissed a tiny bit last night. We're supposed to be together and inseparable for the next few decades.
Now, time to put on a bright smile and greet everyone.
"Good morning! Did everyone sleep well last night?" I poked my head into the carriage along with my question. It's been a long time since I was in such a good mood. "What are you reading Isolde? Master Roxy doesn't seem to have slept very well, huh?"
"Atur? Oh… my head." Roxy groggily opened her eyes upon hearing my voice. "I accidentally drank too much last night, so my head just hurts a bit now..."
Roxy is always like that whenever she drinks too much. But that wasn't what I was concerned about. The real issue here was something else.
"..." Instead of smiling and replying with a gentle attitude, Isolde merely gave a slight nod, not even bothering to look at me. "Just a normal one."
Then she went back to the book in her hands.
Huh? Hold on. What was that reaction?
Before I could even comprehend what was going on, a monkey-faced guy by the cargo area waved and called my name.
"Oi! Atur, you're here?"
It was Geese, an S-rank demon adventurer.
Ah, that introduction doesn't do him justice. To be more specific, this guy was the final member of Paul's old party, the Fang of The Black Wolf. In other words, he was the 'thief' in the stories I was often told. A few days before arriving in Millishion, he and I had run all over this city doing all sorts of jobs, very fitting for a 'thief' role in a party.
A pretty knowledgeable guy, that was my impression. He knew the answer to whatever you asked him, which was also the reason I knew about the existence of the Bridge of Trust and went there last night. You could say Geese played a significant role in getting me a girlfriend, albeit unintentionally.
But never mind Geese, dealing with Isolde's situation was more important right now.
Yet the S-rank adventurer kept calling.
"Could you give me a hand here? My back is about to break. Gah!"
Holy crap, Geese actually broke his back!
With injuries like this, Shierra—the gloomy mage of Paul's group—could handle it, but she seemed busy further away. And since she was also afraid of men, I was the only one who could take care of this.
But Isolde... I glanced over at her, still paying no attention to anything but the book in her hands. I was extremely uneasy, not knowing what to do.
Whatever, I'll go save Geese's life first.
…
Fortunately, Geese's back wasn't broken. I mean, he did fracture it, a cracked spine, not fully snapped, so an intermediate-tier healing magic was enough to fix him right up. However, for a proper recovery, Geese was also put in a carriage to rest. Which meant I had to do a fair amount of the loading.
I did say this world was quite gender-equal, didn't I? For the most part, whatever men could do, women could do too. Be it warriors, swordsmen, adventurers, blah blah, there were women in all of them. But even so, transporting luggage was still mostly a man's job. Women, even warriors like Vierra, were assigned other, more suitable tasks.
I'm not complaining, mind you. At least I agree with this point; there's no harm in guys carrying a bit of weight.
But I couldn't stop wondering why Isolde seemed so cold towards me. Could it be she regretted it? Already? It hasn't even been 12 hours!? What the hell!?
Urg...
But that's probably not it, right? If she wanted to dump me, she would've just run away. Or at most, left a short, emotionless letter like 'we are not equal', maybe along with a lock of freshly cut hair or something like in those old movie tropes.
Yet Isolde was still here, traveling with us, so I was probably just overthinking it.
Maybe I'll try striking up a conversation again when we hit the road.
...
The group started working right at dawn. We didn't have too much luggage to bring, but just as we finished, we were approached by guards for an inspection. Because of the recent surge in illegal slave trading, they needed to ensure we weren't up to no good.
But we don't look like some kind of slaver, so why do they have to check us?
The reason was actually quite funny.
It was because Paul had been kidnapping people who were slaves in Millishion for a long time then taking them out of the kingdom. Sounds like a villain, right? But the thing is, the people being kidnapped were citizens of Fittoa affected by the mana calamity who were forced to be slaves. So it was actually a good deed.
But the upper class, the nobles, or simply the owners of those slaves weren't too happy about it. Slaves are their property after all, moreover, the Millis faith also has laws against freeing slaves against the owner's will. Because of that reason, Paul's group had been attacked many times, with some even losing their lives. Plus, there were dozens of times they were harassed, blah blah...
And what was happening here was just one of those attempts to cause trouble.
I just found it a bit baffling that they were causing trouble even as we were leaving. Shouldn't they be happy? Those people are just weird.
Luckily, I was here.
The thing is, I had a pretty good relationship with the knights of Millishion. My days in this city had given me quite a few opportunities to build connections with influential figures. Especially with the Order of the Church. And guess which knight order those guys in white armor belonged to.
"It seems there is no problem." The captain, clad in armor from head to toe, sought me out to report, rather than Paul. "Apologies for the intrusion, Sir Atur. I hope this does not delay your journey."
"No problem at all," I took my bow. "You're just doing your jobs."
"Thank you for understand. Then we shall take our leave. Wishing you a safe journey, Sir Atur."
The heavily armed and terrifying squad of knights bowed to me and left with utmost discipline.
The feeling of being respected sure is nice, huh?
"Hey," Paul, standing next to me, finally spoke up. "When did you become friends with the Order?"
"It's a long story. I'll tell you about it over drinks sometime," I scratched my head with an awkward smile. "Let's get going now."
"Alright, it seems like an interesting story eh," Paul didn't seem to want to ask further for now. He crossed his arms and pointed toward the luggage carriage. "Ah, I plan on riding in the luggage carriage to keep an eye on things today, you wanna ride with me?"
"No," I refused instantly.
"Huh? You're usually pretty quick to agree, why the blunt refusal today?" Paul raised an eyebrow. Then, he furrowed his brow, his tone shifting into lecture mode. "Don't tell me you want to ride with the women. I know you're at that age, but acting like that won't make women like you, you know."
"What kind of person do you think this nephew of yours is?" I popped a vein.
"The kind with Notos blood in their veins, just like me." Paul crossed his arms. "Don't tell me you're not the type who likes girls."
I couldn't really argue with that part. I like girls, of fucking course I do. But being lumped in with Paul made my blood boil a little.
"I do still like girls," I admitted. "But definitely not the way you're thinking."
"So which carriage do you want to ride in?"
"Obviously the one with..."
Wait. I think Isolde is riding with the women.
I don't know who came up with this idea of segregating men and women like this, but that's how it was. We rented a total of four carriages. One of them contained luggage, food, and a few important items, so Paul wanted to guard it carefully. Three of the remaining ones would be divided in a ratio of two men to one woman.
"Huh?" Paul raised an eyebrow. "I hit the nail on the head, didn't I? Tsk tsk. Even though the men's carriages are a bit cramped, I don't think the girls will let you ride with them. Vierra won't let a lecherous brat like you near her little sister."
Give me a break, I just wanted to be near Isolde...
"Hmm?" Suddenly, the person whose name was called, Vierra, appeared. Talk about perfect timing. Today she doesn't wear her bikini armour anymore but a proper set now. Which, it's safe for me to look at her now. "Atur wants to ride in the women's carriage? If it's him, it's fine."
"Huh? What? Why!?" Naturally, Paul reacted strongly. "What kind of magic did you use!?"
Please don't grab each other's collars and shake like that... I'll die of vertigo.
"Paul. Please behave yourself." The world's top maid had arrived.
"Ah... right." Paul let go.
Thank you, Lilia. You are the best.
However, his face remained serious. "I thought you were the serious type who didn't actually make a move, Atur, so I was just going to tease you a bit, but I didn't expect you to be this smooth. I think you already surpassed me then."
"Don't get any weird ideas." Vierra shot an annoyed look at Paul, then gave me a trusting smile. "Shierra feels safe around Atur, so I thought if he wanted to, he could ride with us. He's a true gentleman."
"Really?" Paul seemed even more surprised. "Atur? Gentleman!?"
Yes I am. You guys need to learn more from me.
"Oh, what sounds so interesting?" Geese also popped up. Well, no, he was lying in the carriage and poked his head out. Truly impressive for someone with a broken back to have so much energy. "Only a few days and you've already befriended the grumpy knights of Millishion and earned the trust of so many girls. Truly impressive Atur!"
"It's nothing special." I raised my hands in surrender. "Can we please get back to the main topic?"
As for why Shierra and Vierra suddenly trusted me so much, I'll explain later; it also involved Larry. But right now I only cared about Isolde. Please let me get back to my girlfriend.
"If that's the case, then Atur riding with the girls is fine. Aisha and Norn seem to like you anyway." Paul shrugged. "But who do we find now?"
Right, right, find someone else, Paul. Geese or Talhand or something.
"How about me?" Geese raised his hand.
"You've got a broken back, go lie down and rest," Paul shook his head. "Talhand is so drunk he's dead to the world. As for the rest, let's see..."
While Paul was trying to figure out who was most suitable, a voice rang out.
"Then let me ride in the cargo carriage with you."
Yet the person who volunteered for the incredibly shitty deal of riding with a thirty-something middle-aged man was none other than Isolde.
What the fuck?
"Wait a minute." I raised a hand. "You went to sleep late last night so you might be sleep-deprived, why don't you..."
"I'm fine." Isolde seemingly ignored me and asked Paul. "Isn't okay?"
My uncle looked at me with a confused expression, then looked at Isolde as if trying to figure out what was going on.
"What do you think, Atur?"
Why you ask me!?
Ah no, asking me was the right thing to do. Obviously, I couldn't let Isolde ride with one of the world's top womanizers.
"I'll ride with you." And so I conceded defeat.
"Then it's decided." Paul clapped twice to signal. "It's late, let's get moving."
And so the carriages began to roll. We began our journey leaving Millishion, heading west.
I should have been incredibly excited to be heading to strange new lands again, but my mind could only dwell on Isolde and her bizarre behavior.
Just what the hell was going on?