I Secretly Healed the Illness of the Twin Princesses While Wearing a Mask, and Now the Entire Kingdom Is in an Uproar ~Please Stop Trying to Expose the Street Healer~ - Chapter 40

“Asuku-kun, look! I can see the border city now!!”

“So that’s the border city…”

The border city was just as its name said. It was a city that the Rudelhardt Empire built right on the border with other countries.

People from other lands had to take a test here to receive a rank before they could enter the empire.

“Yes, next. Do you have a rank plate?”

“Yeah, here you go.”

“I’ll check ―Wait, a Second Rank Plate!?”

When Ridiel showed her rank plate, the guard at the huge city gate widened his eyes in shock.

So Ridiel really is amazing? I thought she was just an easygoing girl… Cough, cough.

“I-I’ve confirmed it. It’s real. There’s no problem.”

“Thank you. You work hard every day.”

“N-no, this is just our job. It’s nothing special…”

“Being able to do the same job every day is something to be proud of. You should value yourself more.”

“Y-Yes!!”

When Ridiel smiled and praised them, the guards’ faces turned red.

“She’s really cute…”

“And she’s so kind to guards like us, who are only Third Rank…”

“Is she an angel…”

The guards looked full of energy now and started working faster.

Then it was my turn, after Ridiel.

“You, do you have a rank plate?”

“I don’t.”

“First time in the empire? Do you know how our system works?”

“Yeah.”

“I see. Then, do you have any special skills?”

“Well, it’s not really anything special…”

I took out some wood and a knife, then carved a small figure right in front of them.

“W-What is this!?”

“I’ve never seen such a detailed wooden figure!!”

“This could be Third Rank… no, maybe even Second Rank!?”

“The art tests are pretty easy. He might even reach First Rank!”

“No, no, that’s going too far… probably.”

The guards made a big fuss over the wooden figure.

But honestly, once someone gets used to it, anyone could make something like this. Ridiel and the people of this empire are just really good at praising others.

After that, one of the guards kindly explained the process to me.

“Your rank will be decided in the capital. It takes about a week, so stay in the border city until then.”

“Yes.”

“This is a temporary Third Rank Plate. If you lose it, there’s a fine, so be careful.”

“Yeah.”

As I took the Third Rank Plate, one guard leaned in and whispered to me.

“There’s a place on the main street called ‘Large Tree Pavilion.’ It’s both a restaurant and an inn. Security is good, and it’s a safe choice if you have money. But there’s one thing you need to watch out for.”

“What is it?”

“The food there is unbelievably bad. If there were a contest for bad food, it would crush all other terrible empire dishes and take first place.”

“That bad?”

“That bad, you said? Listen, people in the empire are used to bad food, so they don’t get sick easily. Even so, almost a hundred people were sent to the hospital last month alone. Be careful.”

That’s already food poisoning. They need treatment.

With a small sense of duty in my heart, I entered the city. Inside, Ridiel was already waiting, smiling brightly as she welcomed me.

“Welcome to the Rudelhardt Empire!!”

“Ohhh. The buildings are huge.”

“Hehe, right, right!! The capital city is even more amazing!!”

The capital of the Xylica Kingdom was built around the castle, with large buildings forming a circle around it. On the other hand, the empire was neatly divided into blocks, like a checkerboard.

…Hmm.

There were fewer blind spots, like narrow alleys, so secretly healing people in the streets would be harder here.

I’d have to be careful and plan well.

“Alright, we have to make money first!! The wooden figures you made during the carriage ride ―We’ll sell them, sell them, sell them all!!”

“Will they really sell that well? I only made them as a hobby.”

“Don’t underestimate me! I’m confident in my talking skills!! And the quality is good, so earning a Manni in one day isn’t just a dream!!”

Feeling a little uneasy, I decided to leave it to Ridiel.

◇　◆　◇

“They’re selling like crazy.”

“I-I didn’t expect this either. I can’t believe we sold everything in half a day and made five Manni…”

The wooden figures sold unbelievably well.

Even though each one cost ten thousand Manni, people passing by kept buying them without hesitation.

Honestly, one big reason was probably that Ridiel, who was doing the selling, was an unbelievably beautiful girl.

Oh, right.

By the way, the best-selling item was the Ridiel figure.

I was a bit troubled when one customer, while breathing heavily, said, “Please make it show more skin!!”

…Maybe I could sell a swimsuit version of the Ridiel figure for one hundred thousand each.

“Ridiel-san, would you like to open a figure shop with me in the future?”

“!?”

“…What’s wrong?”

“Ah, u-um, I see. You didn’t mean it that way. Asuku-kun, you shouldn’t say things that sound like a marriage proposal and confuse people.”

“Huh? A proposal?”

…Now that she mentioned it, I guess my words could be taken that way.

I should be more careful.

“Understood. So, what do you think? If it’s with you, I think becoming very rich isn’t just a dream.”

“Yeah, well, it does sound tempting, but I’ll have to refuse. My dream is to become a hero!!”

“Then, when you become a hero, can I make figures of you and sell them?”

“…If you give me thirty percent of the profit.”

“Deal.”

After we graduate from the academy, I’ll sell figures during the day to earn money.

At night, I’ll secretly heal people in the streets.

Perfect. You could even call it a perfect life plan.

“Since we have plenty of money now, let’s stay at the inn the guard told us about.”

“Huh? You mean the ‘Large Tree Pavilion’ on the main street? I don’t have enough money to stay at a place like that…”

“Huh? No, I’ll pay for the room.”

“…What!? N-no, y-you can’t!! That’s the money you earned!”

What is this person even saying?

“I may be the one who made the wooden figures, but they sold because of your sales talk, Ridiel-san.”

“E-eh, b-but…”

“And I also want to thank you for all the trouble I caused you.”

Honestly, it wouldn’t feel right ―Cough. To just keep using, getting help from her, so I decided to pay for her stay at the inn.

But then, a problem came up.

“I’m sorry. We don’t have any single rooms left. We do have one double room available.”

As expected of the inn, the guard recommended. It was very popular.

If there were no other rooms, it couldn’t be helped. I thought Ridiel could use that room, and I would find another inn.

When I told her that, she shook her head.

“N-no!! It’s not fair for only me to be comfortable!!”

“Then what should we do? Should we look for a cheaper inn together?”

“Ugh, but it’s already dark, and we might not find anything if we look now… I-I guess we’ll stay together!!”

“Huh?”

“Excuse me, one double room, please!!”

“Enjoy your stay.”

And just like that, Ridiel and I ended up staying in the same room.

“I-I’ll say this now. If you try anything funny, I’ll fight back!!”

“I won’t.”

“I-I mean it! Absolutely no funny business!!”

Ridiel was a girl our age, so she was clearly on guard.

Even after saying all that…

“…hehe… I’m going to… become a big hero someday… mmm…”

What should I do?

Ridiel had walked into my bed while half asleep and hugged me tight like a body pillow.

Something big and soft was pressing against me.

If I don’t escape before she wakes up, I feel like I’m going to suffer some very unfair violence.

◇　◇　◇

Afterword

One-Point Story

Author: “A cute girl who gets flustered because she thinks it might be a proposal is that great.”

Ri: “I wasn’t flustered at all!!”

If you thought, “Just how bad the food is,” “The ending was great,” “I understood the afterword,” please leave your thoughts, bookmarks, ★ ratings, or reviews.