【Paladin 10→12】


  Hmmhmm~, it’s growing splendidly.

  Do your best silver knight.

  I have been spending several days within the room of the inn while enjoying the new class’ level ups. It was also raining heavily in these few days.

  Nevertheless, this moment is a delightful one no matter how many times I experience it.

  Knock, knock.

  「N? 」


  During this relaxing early afternoon time, someone is knocking at the door of the room. That’s rare, who could be the one that has come as my guest.

  I raised from my bed, walked to the entrance and opened the door.

  「It’s been a while, Eiji-kun.」


  The one standing there was the golden-haired, blue-eyed vampire, Risa Haruna.

  「If I can’t get the things I need in Snori, I occasionally come out for shopping.」


  「Oh, so that was the reason. Certainly, or rather, items of different shops tend to be a little different, right? 」


  I sit on the bed, and request Risa Haruna to sit on the chair. Since no one ever came, there’s nothing but one chair. I wonder if I should buy another one.

  「Yeah. Metal products and edged tools aren’t sold over there [Snori]. After I came to this place, I thought of seeing your face too.」


  「I’m honored for that.」


  After saying such a joke-like answer, Risa Haruna smiled and shifted her line of sight to the window outside. Risa Haruna was using her plain village girl style for today too. The simple-colored flared skirt does match her very well. No wonder no one could even guess that she is a vampire.

  ………Come to think of it.

  「Say Risa Haruna-san, even though you are a vampire, are you still fine without sucking blood?」


  「Though intake of blood becomes a necessity for the preservation of my power, I don’t need it to preserve my life. Though I have not been sucking human blood after living amongst them, I’m still alive. Although, my strength is a mere shadow of what it was during the peak of my power」


  「You could already beat monsters easily, so if you become even stronger than that… 」


  「Want to try it out, with your blood?」


  「No thank you! Let me decline that offer, please!」


  When I waved my hands in a hurry, Risa Haruna made an amused smile, and is now looking at the interior of the room.

  「Nevertheless, this truly is a tasteless room, isn’t it. There isn’t even a single piece of decoration.」


  「Well, it’s an inn’s room after all. By nature, it’s not a place for staying for a long time, isn’t it.」


  「It would become good-looking if you just put up a flower as a decoration. Even a doll will look good in this place」


  「No, the doll is a bit… Come to think of it, how did you know that I’m staying in this place? 」


  「I met your adventure acquaintance at the guild and he told me about this place. I told them that I wanted to thank you for completing the commission.」


  I see. It might have been Wendy or George.

  Knock, knock.

  「Huh?」


  The door is being knocked again.

  The strange thing keeps happening again. I was wondering who it might be when,「Good day, Eiji-sama. Since I had a task in this area, and though I felt that I might be troubling you if I came suddenly, I decided to stop by.」


  The one who appeared was Alie. Wearing a refreshing one piece, though her choice is different from Risa Haruna, it matches her very well.

  「This voice, is it Alie?」


  「Huh!? 」


  Alie was stunned by the unexpected female voice. When Risa Haruna appearing from my back, she was even more surprised.

  「Risa Haruna-sama. Why are you in Eiji-sama’s room?」


  「Uhm, I wonder why?」


  Why and how did it become like this?, I can’t help but have that kind of feeling for a moment. But, Alie started to look at me and Risa Haruna alternatively with an earnest expression.

  「Eh, why are worried about that?」


  「Hahaha. Well, please enter the room without worry. I just dropped by to have a chat about the society while I had something to do in Laurel.」 [Risaharuna]

  「What’s that, so it was something like this, right. Then, please excuse me.」


  Alie entered my room after being invited by Risa Haruna. I wonder why Risa Haruna’s taking control over the situation. Well, there’s nothing and it’s a good thing too.

  Since Risa Haruna was sitting on the chair, I offered the bed to Alie.

  I am also sitting on the bed, so I offered the place next to me to Alie. I feel sorry for it for a bit but, it can’t be helped since there is no other place to sit.

  「The bed, is it?」


  「Yeah, I feel bad for it but I have no other chair, sorry.」


  「No problem! It’s definitely not bad at all. I also feel sorry and nervous for sitting on the place where Eiji-sama would sleep. ……Fu~, then excuse me.」


  Alie lowered her waist slowly. Seemingly unable to calm herself even after sitting down, Alie’s gaze wandered throughout the interior of my room.

  「This place is Eiji-sama’s room, isn’t it. ……………………」


  Then Alie, who was looking around in silence, nodded with an expressionless face without saying anything.

  Won’t she speak anything at all? I thought that she would say something like her impression about the room but, even if it’s a place that you’re quite admiring, please stop with that couldn’t-be-read reaction!

  「By the way, I wonder why you came to this place, Alie-kun? If you have a date after this, then I’ll excuse myself so that I won’t become a hindrance for both of you.」


  「D-Date!? Something like that is……」


  「If that’s the case, will you have a date with me after this, Eiji-kun?」


  「EH!?」「EH!?」


  In response to Risa Haruna’s words, Alie and I blurted out at the same time. Risaharuna ‘s saying that while smiling in seemingly good meaning.

  「Since it’s been a while, it’s not so bad to seeing around for a bit isn’t it. The tour guide was interesting person, isn’t it」


  「Ah, if that’s the case. Let me have the honor to guide you.」


  「Me too! I’ll also help you as your guide, Risa Haruna-sama. 」


  「Certainly, that’s my intention.」


  Though Alie has just come, since she had no other business in my room, we left the room and went outdoors.

  A lively atmosphere had enveloped the city after the rain that had always been pouring down stopped. We’re touring the city to visit places like plazas, the clock tower, restaurants, stores, and then went towards the temple.

  Sama as before, the white temple is releasing majestic aura. This makes the temple quite conspicuous in the middle of the city. It does not have that much value for me, though.

  The personage that I never hear or see, not even know who it is, is being feared huh. After knowing the true nature, even if it’s the God, the illusion starts vanishing.

  But, even if the illusion has vanished, the beauty of the temple hasn’t.

  「The temple of Laurel is large and beautiful, isn’t it. It should have been constructed in the period where the feudal lords were still believers and had tremendous faith, right」


  Alie looked up at the pillar with the engravings. On the other hand, Risa Haruna was looking at the statue of the Goddess.

  「They did a nice job for the statue of this Goddess. It seems alive.」


  「Certainly, it is a piece of wonderful craftsmanship. Even the finer details of the Goddess have been sculpted perfectly.」


  Alie also looked at the statue of the Goddess and nodded in agreement.

  It is almost at the level of reproduction of the Goddess’ real life figure. Because the skill【God Letter】 is a combination of skills from two classes, it won’t be strange even if the people who possessed it are few in number. If by some chance, the person who saw her is the one who carved this, that person might have left behind a picture. [ ED: It implies that the statue looks like a picture of the Goddess]

  「Yeah. It certainly is very realistic.」


  Risa Haruna nodded very earnestly.

  It seems she does feel like that too.

  At that time, a priest who was wearing a tall hat and a loose vestment, hurriedly enter into the temple as if in a hurry while the sun light reflected something in his bosom.

  Naturally, there are Priests in the temple, they would provide a sermon to the one who comes inside, or maybe, there are many place in the temple which is off-limits except for authorized personnel. I heard that the height of their hat seemingly had something to do with the hierarchy of their positions.

  I thought about that while my eyes chased after the running priest.

  「I wonder how the interiors are. Maybe, it has a place for ascetic practices or has the office of the priest」


  「Yes, typically. In addition, there’s a treasure vault too.」


  「Treasure?」


  「Ah. It was said by the person who came to collect that lance. Right, it seems it is under the custody of the temple of Laurel. I don’t know if they’re still keeping it since even if it’s broken, a treasure is still a treasure.」


  「Certainly, the adventurers who coveted for that treasure, there must be many of them in every temple.」


  「It’s very fascinating but, even though you’re a noble, is Alie not interested in it?」


  「Yes. On the contrary, even among the people of government secret agency or the temple, only a part of them can go into the vault. In addition, a justification is needed, and personal use is strictly prohibited.」


  They’re giving that much importance, huh.

  While looking at the interior of the temple, Risa Haruna, no, the three of us were imagining what kind of the treasure we would be able to see inside.

  「Depending on how it is used, it could become dangerous. Moreover, quite a lot of them tend to escape human control. You witnessed it in person, right Alie? That night, you…」


  「Certainly, it sure was beyond human control.」


  There’s an unbelievably valuable item in the place that is unexpectedly close to me. I am currently in such a place, and I wish to see it at least once, what they call as the treasure vault. The scene of watching treasure chests containing gold and silver spread everywhere on opening the door of the vault, it makes one yearn for it for sure.

  「It does make you want to see what is inside.」


  「I want to see it too.」


  Thinking that my mind was interested and familiar with mysteries, I somehow nodded along with Alie who, for some reason, was thinking about the same thing as me.

  Risa Haruna also took the opportunity to nod her head. This person tags along splendidly, doesn’t she…