I Have a Task Log

"Come with me then, Colin... Oh, and is it alright if I call you that?" Karen turned and walked toward a floral pavilion.

Colin nodded and said, "That’s fine."

The two young women from Karen’s party immediately positioned themselves on either side of Ale and Orelia. With considerable social grace, they introduced themselves.

Things were as quiet as ever around Kase and Dorn, likely because the other male nobles hadn’t figured out how to strike up a conversation.

They hadn’t gone far when Karen looked back and said, "I saw you having dinner with Mr. Weston at a restaurant the other day. How was the food?"

’Oh, so he’s after Albert.’

Colin thought to himself, ’We must have been seen eating with Albert last time, and word somehow reached them.’

’Generally, "Mr. Weston" is a rather formal address. People who know him well would probably call him "Young Weston" or something similar.’

’This implies Karen isn’t on the best of terms with the Weston Clan. But given the current turbulent times, both families probably feel the need to connect.’

’It’s not a big deal that these nobles ignored me earlier. There’s no need to hold a grudge. Since he doesn’t seem to have any ill intent, there’s no harm in being a little friendly in return.’

After a moment’s thought, Colin replied with a smile, "The snails at that restaurant were quite good."

Karen let out a sigh of relief, looking as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

He continued, "They are indeed. Say what you will, but the Elves certainly know their way around a kitchen."

"You can say that again," Kase complained. "My stomach’s been feeling a little off after chewing on leaves these past two days. There’s hardly anything here you could call meat, and even when you find some, it’s not good."

The Half-Orc’s tone made the others smile in spite of themselves.

"Elves only eat animals that have died of old age or disease," Karen said with a smile. "They only eat what you’d call ’proper’ meat during sacrificial rites or other special occasions. Plus, those animals aren’t castrated, so the flavor is bound to be a bit off."

The group continued to chat as they arrived at the floral pavilion.

Many human nobles in traditional attire were seated here, along with a few Elves.

After Kase made the introductions, the nobles warmly welcomed Colin and his companions.

The group chatted for a while and watched the games the nobles were playing.

’I thought nobles would be playing elegant strategy games like chess,’ Colin mused. ’I didn’t expect them to be playing something as simple as dice. It must have something to do with their traditionalist background.’

During this time, Colin noticed the party of new-school nobles he’d seen earlier had also gone to report to Edwin.

’It looks like Asvir really does want to introduce his "own people" to someone over there.’

After chatting for a while and grabbing a bite to eat, Colin made an excuse to slip away. He left the party and headed back toward their cabin.

Orelia glanced back timidly. "We’re finally out of there," she said. "I had no idea what to say about the things those ladies were discussing. Was I terribly rude...?"

"It’s nothing," Colin said. "They just wanted to say hello. The actual topic of conversation was meaningless."

"I don’t much like their ways. I can tell they don’t see us as friends," Kase snorted. "Still, I wouldn’t mind having a few more friends like Albert."

’This Half-Orc has turned into a real snob,’ Colin grumbled to himself.

The group returned to the cabin, falling back into their previous routine.

As Colin opened his Spellbook, he glanced over at Ale. She was still absently reading a novel about Knights.

’The Half-Elf’s mood still seems off. Maybe... we should try to relax a little?’

Colin closed his book, cleared his throat, and said, "How about we try a game of dice?"

"My god, you finally learned how to have some fun. I’ve damn near polished my Dagger into a mirror," he cursed. "Alright, spill it. How many coppers a game?"

With that, Dorn scrambled up from the floor, found a shoddy-looking Kobold statue, and started carving dice from it with his Dagger.

"No stakes," Colin said. "We’re just playing for fun, to relax a bit."

As he spoke, Colin handed Burning Blood to him. An Ordinary Dagger would have a hard time carving wood.

He looked back and asked, "You want to play, Ale?"

"If you insist, I’ll give it a try," Ale answered quietly.

A short while later, Dorn placed six freshly carved wooden dice on the table.

"I think I remember the rules. First, you roll one die to get a number. Then, you have to toss that many dice into the air with one hand and catch them. Your score is how many you catch. If you don’t catch any, you lose. I’ll go first."

As he finished speaking, Colin picked up one of the dice and rolled it.

「Half an hour later.」

Her face flushed red with frustration, Ale reached out a trembling hand, picked up a die, and threw it. The crude six-sided die landed cleanly, settling on the face with six small dots.

"...Yes!" The Half-Elf pumped her fist, cheering herself on.

"Watch this, Elf Princess." "Go for it, Pointy-ears!" "You can do it, Ale!"

Cheers and encouragement rose up from all around her.

Following the rules, Ale picked up six dice and carefully tossed them into the air.

When the dice had fallen halfway, she swiped with her small hand, and all six dice fell to the floor with a CLATTER.

The cheering stopped abruptly. The room fell silent.

Colin silently raised a hand and rubbed his eyes. He suddenly felt like he was in a time loop.

’We must have played about twenty rounds in the last half hour.’

’Ale had been like this the entire time. Her luck was great—she’d rolled a six many times—but her dexterity was shockingly bad. Most of the time, she only managed to score one or two points...’

’It’s just like when she uses a Crossbow. Her aim is terrible, and she only ever gets a surprising hit through sheer luck.’

At first, Dorn and Kase had been laughing at her from the sidelines, but by the end, the two of them were cheering her on.

After a moment, Ale sniffled. "I’m going to go wash up and head to bed. See you tomorrow."

With that, she retreated into the small room she shared with Orelia and actually went to wash up and go to sleep—several hours earlier than her usual bedtime.

Orelia asked hesitantly, "Mr. Colin, you weren’t bullying Ale, were you?"

"I just wanted her to relax a little," Colin said, rubbing his cheeks.

"Well, she’s certainly ’relaxed’ now," Dorn teased. "Good thing we weren’t betting, or that Elf Princess might have tried to kill us. I have to admit, for a Mage, you’ve got some foresight."

"Shut up, Dorn," Colin shot back.