Rising from the Slum City of Reincarnation in Another World ~ Gathering, Hunting, and Living a Slow Life by Eating

Chapter 99 Invasion of Eleanor

It was the day when Lania is at the Elfir Cafe on duty. It was still early after opening, and there were no customers yet.

“Ed-kun, there you are! Ed-kun~”

Stretching out like a dog, it was Lady Eleanor, the second daughter of the Lord, who appeared. She opened the door and entered alone, then closed it with a bang.

With her pink twin-tails, she is the same age as us, just six years old.

“Lady Eleanor, why didn’t you bring any escorts? What happened?”

“Those kids are so slow, it’s really troublesome.”

Her gesture of touching her cheek is cute, but it means she’s a spirited girl.

Shortly after Lady Eleanor, three girls from the Knight Order burst into the cafe, opening the door forcefully.

“P-Pardon us.”

They were girls in armor, but their mini-skirts made them look adorable. They were the type often referred to as “dress armor.” The silver armor matched with a vibrant red skirt that had plenty of frills and flares, although it was less ornate compared to princess outfits, emphasizing practicality. Additionally, their chest armor was more pronounced, giving it a distinct shape different from male armor.

I see, so female knights serve as escorts for girls.

That’s right. Girls’ bathrooms and underwear sections can be uncomfortable for boys to enter.

“So, Lady Eleanor, what brings you to this humble place?”

“Humble? Oh no, I heard that a wonderful cafe had opened and I just had to come flying over.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

“It’s nothing. By the way, I heard that you take the girls to some place called the Lanierda Blue Sky Elementary School in the mornings.”

“Yes, that’s correct. It’s Lanierda Elementary School for beginners.”

“I wanted to attend too, but I was told, ‘You mustn’t go to such a vulgar school.'”

“I see. Well, if you have private tutors, you don’t really need it. Besides, it’s in the slums, you know?”

“Uh, true. It’s hard to argue when you’re hit with such a valid point.”

Sighing, she spreads her arms and strikes a pose as if to say, “Unbelievable.”

“Well, please forgive me.”

“Yes, I forgive you. Ed-kun, so, could you please bring us some delicious drinks?”

“Yes, of course. It’s hot outside, so how about an iced drink?”

“That sounds good.”

“The menu is right there, please take a look. We have cookies with jam on the side, or if you haven’t had lunch yet, we can serve a bean lunch.”

“I already had lunch. Hmm, I’ll have this, it’s called Dandelion Coffee.”

We serve the iced Dandelion Coffee.

“Oh, interesting. It has a slightly nutty aroma and a unique bitterness. It’s delicious.”

“Thank you.”

“Well, you know… it’s just that (mumble mumble)…”

“What did you say? I couldn’t hear you.”

“Please, stop using such formal language. It feels too distant and unpleasant.”

“Is that so? Alright, then I’ll try to be a bit more casual, okay?”

“Yes, that’s perfect. Ed-kun.”

Lady Eleanor smiles at me.

It feels a bit awkward on my end, though. It’s like throwing off my rhythm, and it feels strange to see an important person casually drinking coffee in a place like this.

“Excuse me.”

Just then, ah, it’s the old man.

The priest has arrived.

The trio of girls who are always with him are here too.

“Why is the priest here?”

Lady Eleanor seems a little surprised as well.

“That’s my line, Lady Eleanor.”

“Well, why is that?”

“I heard that Lady Eleanor ran off without her escorts, so I flew over here as well.”

“I see.”

“Truly, where did your refined demeanor go?”

“It’s fine.”

“If you say so.”

Hm, these two seem quite familiar with each other.

They’re having a casual conversation.

Well, I suppose that’s to be expected.

After all, they are influential figures in the city, so they probably encounter each other at social gatherings and events.

The priest also orders an iced coffee.

Lania and I watch as their conversation continues for a while.

Since coffee is a bit expensive, I walk around and serve the female knight escort and the companion with iced herbal teas in turn.

“So, what about this? The herbal tea?”

“Is this it, Lady Eleanor?”

“Yes, Ed-kun. I heard it’s become popular in the lower town recently. But nobles like us have our beloved tea, so we don’t need it,” she says, laughing it off, “but I got a bit irritated…”

Ah, so she knows that I sell herbal teas.

Lady Eleanor gives a slightly frustrated smile.

To us, it looks rather adorable.

“I also think tea is wonderful, and herbal tea is no less impressive. But since they belong to different genres, I don’t think it’s fair to compare them.”

“That’s true. Ed-kun is more mature. Impressive.”

“Oh, no.”

At Lady Eleanor’s request, I serve her iced herbal tea this time.

“By the way, are all the escorts in groups of three? The knight trio during the parade was in three columns as well.”

“You’re observant. It’s called a Three-Man Cell. Let me explain their silhouettes.”

The woman who seems to be the leader of the female knights is reminiscent of Silhouette.

She appears to be a half-elf with a slight pointedness to her ears and fair skin.

Her hair is a light brown with hints of yellow.

She looks to be around eighteen years old.

By the way, in this world, common people start working or finding employment by the age of twelve.

Nobles and children from affluent households, on the other hand, attend higher education at the age of twelve and graduate at fifteen.

There may or may not be primary schools, but there are other institutions that resemble cram schools.

In Trieste City, there is a primary school, but it caters exclusively to upper-class citizens.

“Yes, Lady Eleanor. A group of three is called a Three-Man Cell. The one who detects the enemy becomes the shield, the next becomes the sword, and the remaining person returns as a messenger. That’s why it’s three people.”

“I see.”

“By the way, the parade was wonderful, Lady Eleanor.”

“Well, thank you. I could see that you were waving back. So, thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Hehe. We don’t have many moments like this, so it’s a bit embarrassing, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is.”

Afterwards, I asked about the female knights’ absence from the parade.

It turns out that the female knights are a small group, all belonging to the Royal Guard.

There are no other female knights in other knight orders, and the majority’s perspective is to join the Female Mage Corps or something similar.

Therefore, elite soldiers from the regular army or noble girls are selected and appointed to the Royal Guard.

There are even some who have a unique background, such as those who were former armed maids.

Basically, the Royal Guard’s role is primarily protection, so they do not participate in parades.

The regular knight orders look down upon the idea of “female knights in miniskirts fighting would be too embarrassing,” so they do not allow female knights to participate in parades, even as decorative figures.

It seems that Beast-san, who led the parade, was an advocate for allowing female knight participation and challenged these outdated beliefs. However, the veteran soldiers stubbornly opposed it, leading to its cancellation this time.

“Well, there’s a lot of interesting things, isn’t there?”

“Hahaha, yes.”

Silhouette-san smiled wryly, as if she had experienced some hardships. She has a cute face, though.

“Hey, Ed. You’re talking to Silhouette so much.”

“Oh, Eleanor-sama, I’m sorry. I got carried away.”

“Do you have a thing for female knights?”

“No, it’s not like that. I just think female knights are cool, you know?”

“Hehehe.”

“Well, that’s true, but… (Even I can fight, you know)”

When I praised them, the female knights seemed a little happy. I thought they would be strict knights, but they’re just serious girls after all.

Eleanor-sama mutters to herself, saying things like, “Even I, I’m better…” She’s making funny faces, so it’s entertaining.

“Oh-ho. It seems you get along well. That’s good.”