Chapter 149

Hiking
After returning from the royal capital, Mr. Abe promptly reported to Father. Although it wouldn’t lead to marriage right away, Mr. Abe was 31 and Suzy was 26… In this world, where people marry as early as 16 and generally around 23, the two of them were considered late. If both were nobles, it wouldn’t have been much of a problem, but with Mr. Abe being a commoner and Suzy a baron’s daughter, they couldn’t simply say, “Okay, let’s get married.”

“Father, what’s usually done in situations like this?”

“Hm? Oh, a marriage between different social ranks? Well, for example, the commoner might be adopted into a noble family, or in an extreme case, achieve some merit that grants them nobility… Ah, that’s it.”

After Mr. Abe left the study, I asked Father a casual question and it seemed to inspire something as he explained it to me.

“Grey, contact Alex immediately.”

“Understood.”

From there, Father moved swiftly.

Apparently, while His Majesty was part of the Monster Subjugation Unit, there was a time during an expedition when Mr. Abe saved him from danger. That act was recognized as a meritorious deed, and Mr. Abe was awarded a knighthood. At first, Mr. Abe declined, but with everyone’s encouragement, he accepted it.

Meanwhile, Suzy’s parents had been refusing all good marriage proposals because she had long held feelings for Mr. Abe. It seemed they had already given up on her marrying. So when Mr. Abe went to greet them, the entire baron’s family gave him a grand welcome. Because Suzy was the second daughter and had become somewhat troublesome, they had resigned themselves to the idea of her marrying a commoner. But the fact that Mr. Abe even obtained a knighthood for her moved her parents deeply.

The wedding was scheduled for next spring. Suzy was unsure whether to quit being a maid after marriage, but with Mr. Abe’s encouragement, she decided to continue commuting to work. Her Majesty and the other maids were delighted, and Mr. Abe’s reputation soared. Starting in spring, Mr. Abe would be transferred to the royal capital estate, alternating shifts with Mr. Ken.

Their new home would be built on a section of the royal capital estate. Both Mr. Abe and Suzy had initially declined, but with Grandfather and Grandother’s persuasion, they finally agreed.

With everyone so busy, I felt kind of bad about trying to cook a new dish like curry, so I decided to postpone it.

So, I was veeeery bored.

Knock, knock, knock… “Brother Brother Gene? Are you there?”

“I’m here.”

Click… “What are you doing?”

“Hm? I just finished an academy assignment. What’s up?”

Since it was a Thunder Day, Brother Gene had come home as usual, and I visited his room.

“I’m bored. Play with me.”

“Ah, yeah, everyone’s been running around over the whole Abe situation. Okay then, want to go somewhere riding Snowy?”

“Yes!”

Brother Gene and I rode on Snowy and headed to Pampas Hill just before Crimson Woods.

In the autumn season, Pampas Hill is covered in silvergrass.

We got off Snowy, laid down a mat, and took out tea and cookies from storage. I didn’t forget Snowy’s carro-gin either.

“If anything shows up here, it’d just be horn rabbits or kobolds, so even I can handle them.”

“A horn rabbit is a rabbit-type monster with horns, and a kobold is like a small dog-type monster, right?”

“Correct! You've been reading your books.”

“Of course! When I enter the academy like you guys, I’m going to register as an adventurer. I’ll catch up soon.”

“Hahaha, good luck with that. I’m F-rank right now. By the time you register, I might be D-rank.”

“Grr… I won’t lose! I’ll start at F-rank too!”

“Hahaha, not gonna happen… Hmm? Something’s there.”

“Yeah, it’s small?”

“Seems like it… (Wait, can she already sense size just from the presence!? Is she really going to surpass me?)”

Snowy looked around as well.

Brother Gene ran toward the rustling sound. After a high-pitched squeal went silent, he returned carrying a horn rabbit.

“Wow, that’s amazing, Brother Gene!”

“Eh, horn rabbits are easy. Jo, when you catch one, make sure to drain its blood.”

Saying that, Brother Gene took a leather bag from his storage pouch, placed the horn rabbit inside, left its back legs sticking out, and sealed the mouth tightly.

“If you do this, the blood drains without spilling out, so it won’t attract other beasts.”

“Ohhh, so that’s how you do it.”

After that, we sipped tea while I asked Brother Gene about the Adventurers’ Guild and the kinds of requests he’d taken. Just when we were about to head back, I thought I heard a faint whine in the distance.

“Brother Gene, didn’t you hear something?”

“Hmm? Maybe you imagined it?”

“Maybe… Snowy, did you hear it?”

(There’s a small whimpering sound. Like someone’s asking for help?)

Then, we heard the whine again, clearer this time.

“Yeah, I heard that one. Maybe it’s a kobold pup?”

“Or it might be a normal puppy…”

“Alright, we’ll take a quick look. If we don’t find anything, we’re heading back.”

“Thanks, Brother Gene. Snowy, can you tell what direction it came from?”

(Hmm, from the forest.)

“Ugh!? Seriously? Jo, we’re not going deep into the woods. Just the edge, okay?”

“Yeah, got it.”

I mean, I don’t want to go into Crimson Woods alone with just Brother Gene either.

I don’t want a repeat of last time…

Brother Gene and I got on Snowy and rode off toward Crimson Woods.

What do you think about this chapter?