It had probably been about an hour since I parted ways with Ray.

The battle itself was over quickly, but the moving and body disposal took quite some time.

During that time, I had asked Ray to wait in the carriage.

As a member of the royal family, I couldn’t expose her to danger, especially since the enemy was a A-rank monster.

I felt bad for making her wait, even though it couldn’t be helped. Maybe I should bring her a gift.

Despite thinking such negative things,—

“Arios—!”

As soon as I returned to the carriage’s guest room, Ray suddenly hugged me.

“!?”

It’s happening, it’s happening.

I won’t say what, but—

“W-wait! What’s going on?!”

“I’m so glad… you’re okay…”

Wait, she’s crying.

She’s worrying too much.

“I told you I’m fine. I’m not going to drop dead from something like this.”

“R-really…?”

Well… it’s not that surprising.

The opponent was that Giant Orc, after all.

Even though there were three Class A adventurers, I couldn’t completely rule out the possibility of an “if” happening.

“I was worried. I kept thinking, what would happen if something happened to Arios…”

“I see… Thanks.”

I gently patted Ray’s head for a few seconds before offering her a flower that I had behind my back.

It was a Prisia flower.

It’s a faintly pink flower that she’s liked for a long time. I remember secretly giving her one of these as a gift when we were kids.

“I’m sorry. This is all I can give you… Please forgive me for causing you trouble.”

Ray blushed lightly and nodded, saying, “No… it’s fine. It’s okay.”

By the time we arrived at Rastal Village, the sun had completely set.

Unlike the Imperial Capital, the village had few light sources. There were only a few street lamps scattered here and there, barely shining.

It was incredibly quiet.

But— it wasn’t bad.

As someone who had gained a bad reputation for having a “bad” skill, this quiet place was just right for me. There was nothing to do anyway.

“Oh! Mr. Arios, we’ve been waiting for you!”

As soon as I got off the carriage, Kaya greeted me with a big smile.

“Haha… it’s been a while, Kaya.”

Yeah.

Looking at her again, Kaya is quite a beauty.

I didn’t have the luxury of noticing such things on the battlefield, but she also had a great figure. She must be popular.

She’s probably a little older than me, but being an A-Class adventurer at her age is impressive. She’s a pretty promising figure in the guild.

“I’m sorry… I would have liked to welcome you with everyone, but it was so sudden…”

“No, no. You don’t need to worry about it.”

It feels a bit bad to make her go that far.

“Well then, let me show you the way. This way—”

“Ah, wait a moment. There’s one more companion with me.”

“Eh…?”

Kaya blinked her eyes in surprise.

Ignoring her, I waved my hand towards the guest room.

“Hey, come on in.”

“Sure!”

With a lively response, the figure of Raymira Rii Arceus appeared.

Though she was disguised, anyone from Rastal Village would probably recognize her identity.

“Eh!? Eh!? Wait, no way…!”

Kaya was naturally startled, and Ray stuck out her tongue and smiled.

“Hehe. Sorry, Kaya. I came to play.”

“Came to play? You…!”

Kaya was clearly flustered, but considering the coachman was nearby, she didn’t say anything further.

Instead, she quickly walked over to Ray and whispered in a low voice.

(Wh-what are you doing…!? A young princess like you alone with a man in a carriage… What kind of rumors are going to spread if anyone finds out…!)

(Fufu. I wouldn’t mind that, you know?)

(C-consider your position a little…!)

(Oh my. Saying that, Kaya, I think you just want to target Arios, don’t you?)

(Ugh…)

Hmm.

I can’t catch all of their conversation, but it seems like these two are really close.

They feel like childhood friends.

After that, we paid the coachman and set off to have Kaya guide us through the village.