Chapter 134: Return to the Royal Capital
We scattered the bandits, and after that, we reached the royal capital without any further incidents.
Since defeating humans makes my dragon powers grow, I’d hoped to encounter more bandits if possible, but it seems things don’t go that smoothly.
I want to defeat humans soon!
“Well then, Dee. Thank you for everything.”
“Let’s meet again.”
I parted ways with Eleonore and Claudia at the Baumgarten Residence in the royal capital.
At that time, Claudia kissed me on the cheek. I got scared and looked at Cornelia and Lily, but Cornelia just had an inscrutably deep smile and said nothing.
Um, Cornelia-san? That’s even scarier…?
The Baumgarten Residence in the royal capital is still the old one we’ve been using up until now. At Cassandra’s suggestion, we’re building a new, larger residence, but it seems it will still take some time to complete.
The new residence is planned to be about six times the size of the current one. With such a large residence, we’ll have to hire a large number of maids and butlers to manage it, but… Well, if that’s what’s necessary as a Count, then I suppose I should do it. Cassandra is the most knowledgeable about the affairs of the nobility in the royal capital, so I should probably follow her words.
Now then, we’ve returned to the royal capital, and an audience with the King was immediately scheduled. I’ll probably be reporting on the development progress of the Baumgarten Territory.
That said, the audience with the King will take time.
In the meantime, I decided to check on the matter I was most concerned about: Reinhardt’s growth.
The fate of the world is at stake, after all. Reinhardt has to defeat the Evil God.
If he doesn’t, it looks like Cornelia, Lily, and I will be called upon.
Incidentally, it seems Cornelia and Lily are being taken by Cassandra to attend a tea party hosted by other nobles. They’ll probably be putting the etiquette they learned while in the Baumgarten Territory to a practical test. Good luck, Cornelia, Lily.
While I was waiting for Reinhardt at the coffee shop we used before, a group dressed in the rough attire typical of adventurers, unsuited for a high-class establishment, came in. Reinhardt was at their head.
“Yo, Dee! Long time no see. Has it been about a year?”
“It hasn’t even been a year yet, has it? Well, sit down, Reinhardt. Are those members behind you your companions?”
“Yeah! Alright everyone, let’s take a seat.”
“Halt, are you sure it’s okay for us to come into a place like this?”
“We’re clearly out of place, you know?”
“Besides, we don’t have any money, y’know-ssu?”
“Now, now, just sit down. I’m gonna introduce everyone to Dee.”
After Reinhardt forcibly made his companions sit, he began introducing the members to me. Everyone had a stiff, nervous demeanor.
Roderich, Dorothea, Abel, Sabine, huh. Hmm. They have traces of how they looked in the game. Meeting characters I’ve actually seen in the game somehow gets my spirits up!
Of course, Bianca was also among Reinhardt’s party members, which was a relief.
“I am Dietfried Baumgarten. We’ve finally met like this. This must be some kind of fate. This round is on me. Order whatever you like.”
After everyone introduced themselves, I said that, and Reinhardt immediately called over a waiter and started ordering.
“Halt-kun, ordering that much…”
“It’s fine, I tell ya.”
“That’s right. Bianca, and the rest of you, don’t hold back. Order as much as you like.”
“Just as expected of the rumored Count-sama, huh.”
“Thank you very much-ssu.”
Our physical ages are certainly similar, but our mental ages are more than twice different. I felt a warm, fuzzy feeling, like I was giving sweets to a relative’s children.
Well, in my previous life, I didn’t have any relatives I could rely on, though…
“So, how are your adventures going? Is it going well?”
“Yeah! We’re planning to challenge the ‘Glacier Forest’ next.”
“Oh?”
The ‘Glacier Forest’ is the name of a dungeon within the kingdom. True to its name, it’s a frigid land covered in ice and snow year-round. Monsters like Snow Rabbits, Snow Wolves, and Snow Golems appear there, but a Snow Dragon resides in its deepest part. It’s a low-tier monster for a dragon, but can Reinhardt and his party defeat it at their current level?
“Do you have a chance of winning?”
“Barely.”
“Well, before that, we need to get our equipment ready to challenge the ‘Glacier Forest,’ you know. If we go as we are, we’ll freeze.”
“Ah, yeah, that’s true…”
Roderich’s words made me think, ‘Indeed.’ Certainly, in the game, coldness didn’t matter, but reality isn’t like that. They probably have to properly prepare cold-resistant equipment.
Adventurers sure have it tough.
Reinhardt’s somewhat strange demeanor is also bothering me…
Looking closely, Reinhardt’s party members are wearing well-worn equipment. Their appearance might make them look like veteran adventurers, but in short, it means their equipment hasn’t been upgraded for a long time.
I’d like to tell them to earn their own money, but this might require some intervention. Even in the game, fundraising took more time than grinding EXP.