... live free!

Then two days later, in the morning, someone knocked on the room as I was relaxing in the inn after a routine workout.

"Mr. Lena, are you in your room?

That's what I heard. The voice was Lana, the general of this inn.

"Yes."

That's what I replied and opened the door.

"What's up?

"I hear the guild guy has business for Mr. Lena, and he's waiting downstairs. What do you want to do?

"Someone from the guild?

"Yes."

I wonder what an Alliance guy could do for me?... Are you referring to Elena? But I'm done with Aldine, and I don't think I'm coming all the way here to report that. If you want to make that report, you can do it when I visit the Alliance... Well, I don't know if I can even think about it, so why don't we just go see the guild guy.

"Okay. I'm coming to see you."

That's what I said. I went downstairs and there was Mr. Rondo.

"Mr. Rondo?

"Mr. Lena, may I ask you to come to the guild because I need to talk to you for a moment?

"Oh, yes."

That's how I knocked on the door when Mr. Rondo stopped in front of the same room as before this when he took me to the guild. Then I heard Emilia's reply from the inside and went into the room, so I followed suit.

There was Emilia who seemed busy walking into the room.... like more piles of paperwork than before... Mr. Emilia looked up when she thought of that.

"Lena, I'm sorry to call you so suddenly, aren't you?

"No, I'm fine. So what's the story?

"That would be a request from the guild, but I wonder if it's because I have a request that Lena would be happy to take? Think..."

"... is it okay to ask what the request is for now?

"Yeah, I'm fine. Uh, this is what I asked for."

That's what I said. I received a request from Emilia and read what it said. It was a request for an escort from a certain person. The period is as long as one month. Apparently the place ranges from this city to the village of Coccolo. Is it a pretty far away place because it's a long time?

"How long will it take to get to this, the village of Coccolo?

"Is it about half a day's ride to that village? It's not that far."

"? And yet you'll be escorting me for a month?

"Yes, … I'll take the request from here, and I want you to keep it to yourself, whether you don't take it or not, but that escort is for Elena."

"Huh? Mr. Elena? Didn't you clean up the Aldine thing?

"That's right, but there's a lot going on with Aldine's officials broiled out... So I thought Elena would take a vacation and leave the city for a little while."

"I see."

Maybe I was going to ask you to leave the city because there might be a risk of harm to Mr. Elena?