"Are you...!?
Claudia raised her voice with a surprised look.
"Do you know him?
"... oh, a little at the feast seat"
Claudia keeps an eye on the man while we have a conversation. The man has named himself Joshua Richardt, a kingdom-bound nobleman. Beautiful face with a soothing noticeable nose, silky linen hair. And about a minute taller than Ashton's head. The softness of the waist goes hand in hand with the impression that it is likely to be felt by women.
"Is it time for me to give you your name, too?
After a bitter laugh, Joshua has spoken to Ashton.
"Ah! And excuse me. Ashton Zenefilda."
When he hurried to tell him his name, Joshua gave him an unexpected look.
"Heh, you're the rumored genius warrior. I heard the story, but it doesn't look that way. - No, that's why it's horrible..."
With that said, Joshua snorts as one convinced. Claudia quickly got stuck in front of Ashton as she felt the blame for her words with the genius warrior. If you look closely, he slightly drops his hips and puts his hands on the sword pattern. It looks like it could be released right now.
"Lieutenant Claudia?
"Just shut up and stay on my back." So, what do you want?
Seeing Claudia, who was clearly on guard, Joshua shrugged her shoulders and said.
"I don't like it. What are you so vigilant about? Claudia Jung, who has a tough look on her face, is nice, but women still have the best smile."
"... I certainly don't remember you naming me?
Claudia's voice goes low for a moment. Then there was the sound of stepping on the sand.
"I thought it was rude, but let me use the shorthand to find out. The next head of the high Jung family in Takemen. Forgive me for asking such a beautiful woman her name."
Joshua bowed his head on one knee to the ground. It's a truly elegant thing to do, and the women walking down the street look at the sight with a lucid look. If I assumed I was a woman, it was still enough to make me think I might have dyed my cheeks.
But Claudia doesn't go through with it at all. On the contrary, he raised an obviously irritating voice with a crease between his eyebrows.
"Stop that playful attitude. And why don't you answer my earlier question?"
"So my name is Dinner with you. I never remember being so vigilant..."
Standing up, Joshua is scratching his head like he's in trouble. Even as Ashton, I don't see why Claudia would be vigilant until she put her hands on the pattern. He said he knew him at the feast seat, but he hasn't heard there was something wrong.
"Is that how you're going to cut white? I know you're not the only one. In the first place, why don't we eat together?"
"Well, that's not good. Dining is more fun for a lot of people."
Cracked and in, Olivia slaps her shoulder as if to relieve Claudia of her vigilance.
"Major, but this man..."
"Dear Olivia Valedstorm, Thank you very much for your concern. I can't thank you enough, but I'll take care of the outdoor dining bill."
Joshua, who got on well with Olivia's words, says with an unspeakable grin. The standing behavior and words and actions shown by Joshua from earlier do not make you feel the loathing characteristic of the nobility. Rather, it's enough to even be fond of it. I guess I could say talent in a way.
"Are you going to treat me?
"Yes."
"Then can I eat a lot?
Olivia turned her anticipating eyes to Joshua. Ashton has no idea how luxury leads to a lot of good eating. In contrast to her like that, Joshua slapped her big in the chest just saying she had no problem.
"Of course it is. Joshua Richard doesn't have two words."
"Yay!
Joshua's clothing is luxuriously made of fine fabrics. I could see at first glance that I was a wealthy nobleman. It won't be anything enough to treat you to a meal. But he doesn't know. That Olivia is the owner of the bottomless stomach.
"Dear Joshua, I don't know what to say, but Olivia eats quite a bit. That's enough to pull around already."
Joshua looked at Ashton with a decent face and immediately laughed kaka.
"Mr. Ashton. Isn't that a big deal? It means I have a treat too."
When I say that, I bang Ashton on the back with pleasure. An extra word leaks into the casual attitude of the nobles.
"It's too late for regrets. Olivia keeps her words in her mother's womb."
"You make an interesting statement inside. Then, Shizuku, I may have left words in my mother's womb saying all the way."
Joshua narrows her eyes so that she can see somewhere far away. When I'm overweighing what that word means, Olivia pulls my sleeve glitchy.
"Enough, let's go to the dewstore."
I guess I'm tired of talking about the two of us. Olivia walks early enough to finish the conversation forcefully. Ashton and Joshua look at each other and follow it with a bitter smile. Only Claudia at the rear looked to Joshua without alarm.
The outhouse greeted the Ashtons with a voice of great prestige, no different from the others. Compared to the morning, the number of people going out is more than doubled. Sometimes at noon, voices were particularly noticeable from outdoor stores dealing with food.
"Alright! I'll eat a lot for free -"
Olivia, wrapped around her arms, rushed to the dewstore. Entering the alley to follow, the store, which was closed in the morning, is also starting to open. What stands out is the outdoor shop, which deals mainly with fabrics. The kingdom of Furnest is known for producing finer cloths than other countries. It's one of the key export industries for the kingdom. Ya (Miyabi) fabrics, such as those that are not handled in outdoor stores in other countries, are also usually lined up.
Walk for a while guided by Joshua, who looks uncommonly outdoor. Then I saw Olivia, who had gone earlier, eating something at the store. Turning to the roof sign, it says Wang Du's specialty in red letters, smoked sandwiches of grey pigs. I've lived in Wangdu for a long time, but this is the first time that the food was Wangdu's specialty.
"Oh, are you with this soldier?
When one Ashton is smiling bitterly, a small shopkeeper rushes to speak up. As soon as Claudia replied that she was taking him, the shopkeeper raised a voice of relief from the bottom of his heart.
"Good -. More and more people are paying for the goods in the store. I can't even say it too strongly because I'm a soldier..."
The shopkeeper opens his mouth hard to say as he sees Olivia wearing a smoked sandwich as a flicker.
"... hey"
"Ah! There's food over there that looks delicious too"
"Whoa! Wait a minute..."
Through Ashton's hand trying to catch him, Olivia rushes to the back of the alley. Shortly after, he disappeared into the mess.
"You know what?"
"Ha. Olivia's fine. - I'll pay for the store owner. How much?"
Joshua reaches for her nostrils laughing happily.
"Heh! Thank you! All in all...... it will be ten silver coins!
"─ What? Ten silver coins?
"It's ten silver coins!
The shopkeeper offers his right hand with a flamboyant smile. Joshua stared blankly at his hand and immediately turned to Ashton. I know what I'm trying to say, so I asked the store owner instead.
"How much did she eat?
"It's all about everything. Today is no longer a good day."
The shopkeeper said so with a full smile and started cleaning up with enthusiasm. When you move your gaze to the merchandise shelf, there is certainly nothing left. Claudia had a mean grin when she saw Joshua giving her silver coins with a pulled smile.
And then, thirty minutes later...
Ashton, who had finally caught Olivia, was settling his hips in a spacious outdoor shop where he could sit and eat. Since all payments are Joshua owned, the table is lined with dishes with unevenness. Moreover, the food never disappears from the table because Olivia orders one after the other from the side where it disappears.
Joshua looked at the sky as if his soul had fallen out.
"─ Look, I have to eat a lot because I'm growing up."
"Don't use the growing season as a reason. What are you going to do when you're older?"
"Where's the big one?
Olivia asks with a spoon in one hand.
"Where..."
Ashton accidentally glanced at Olivia's chest. Then there's the compressive air coming from the front. Claudia had a dry grin as she shifted her rough gaze to the side.
"I'm as good as the Major. That means I'm big, too."
"Right, right"
Never mind that the subject would have been deliberately omitted, Ashton nodded loudly and showed. I can see twitching and sweat seeping out of my neck muscle. Joshua opened his mouth suddenly as if he remembered something as he was starting to feel so breathless.
"Dear Olivia, do you have any plans after your meal?
"Hmm? Nothing in particular."
"That's good. So can you work with me?
"Meet me? - Nothing. You had lunch. 'Cause I'll help you not to kill me."
"Thank you for your concern - and Lady Claudia. I was wondering if it would be rude to pull the sword out here."
Joshua says as he rinses his tea very naturally. When I saw it, Claudia's sword was halfway out of her sheath. Ashton can't keep up with the development of the story too suddenly.
"What do you mean by a little sudden fitting together?! Explain it to me so I can understand."
"Ashton kept his mouth shut - you finally showed your horse leg. Are you an Imperial Army spy?
Claudia turns her murderous eyes to Joshua.
(Master Joshua is an Imperial Army spy? Increasingly, I don't know what it means)
The story rolls in a smelly direction, as if to bruise Ashton's confusion.
"I apologize for not meeting your expectations, but I have nothing to do with the Empire. Instead, we can't help but say we're common enemies. In the first place, will a secret detective dine with you in dignity?
Claudia's face is distorted in the wake of Joshua's words, which can also be called a true argument. Now only Olivia kept eating flat.
"And if you're as powerful as Master Claudia, you already know that. I don't care how you stand up to me, you can't win."
Joshua said that with a serious face. Claudia shakes her body nor speaks a word of denial. Half-plugged swords also fit into the sheath at some point. There were also a few people who noticed this not calm air, but they played a strange gesture for fear of hindsight.
After finishing the meal with an unusual atmosphere, Joshua and Olivia leave without each other. I spoke to Claudia with a blurry view of the situation.
"Do you want to go after him?
"Stop it. You forgot the Major told you not to come?
Claudia's face, saying so, is full of bitterness. If it's true, you want to go after him soon. I feel the same way as Ashton, but Olivia's exploration is beastly. Even if you sneak after him, it's self-evident that he'll notice right away.
"Who is that guy after all? I know you're not an enemy from talking to me..."
Ashton doesn't answer that question either. Claudia stared after the two of them walked away forever.