Chapter 33: The Old Man Gets Turned Away at the Gate

Eventually, I headed for an area a little ways from the center of town.

Even in a small frontier town like this, there’s a general, unspoken division, just like in any other town.

In other words, a place where the nobility and wealthy merchants like Emma-san live, and a place where commoners like me live…

It’s not like that division is officially enforced from on high, but it exists as an unwritten rule.

The area I was heading to now was, of course, the former.

Though it was, naturally, a place where I had no business being.

Even though I’ve lived in this town forever, I still don’t know my way around this part of town.

To be honest, this was my first time ever going to Emma-san’s house.

It’s not that Emma-san and I are strangers, but at the end of the day, she’s the Guild Master and I’m just an F-rank adventurer.

We’re certainly not close enough for me to be visiting her home.

Still, she has invited me to dinner more times than I can count.

But… I’m a grown man.

I knew full well that the kind Emma-san was just saying it as a social courtesy.

She probably only offered those invitations out of obligation, as a way to thank me for that business with Mira-san.

And sure enough, after I turned her down a few times, the invitations stopped coming.

So I guess my reading of the situation was correct.

Besides, even if someone like Emma-san did invite me to their home, I’d just end up struggling with what to wear, like today.

In fact, we stood out on the streets of this area like a sore thumb.

The people on the street were looking at us with such obvious suspicion.

Luckily, I’m on familiar terms with most of the city guards, so I wasn’t about to get hauled off, but it still wasn’t a pleasant feeling.

I guess people really do have their place in the world…

I sighed, using the simple, hand-drawn map I’d gotten from Mira-san to find Emma-san’s house.

Before long, I was approaching the destination marked on the map.

And there, among a line of extravagant houses, one that was exceptionally large came into view.

No way… this is Emma-san’s house…?

It had an impressive stone gate, a perfectly manicured garden, and the main building itself was lavishly constructed.

Honestly, it looked even more magnificent than the feudal lord’s mansion I saw once.

Well… in a frontier town like this, when something happens, people rely on the Guild Master, Emma-san, not the often-absent feudal lord…

Still, even so… Emma-san must be of a pretty high rank, even among the nobility.

I’d known vaguely that Emma-san came from the noble class.

But seeing her extravagant mansion up close like this really drove home the difference in our stations.

We’ve known each other for years, and yet I realize now I barely knew anything about her at all.

It feels a little lonely, but I suppose it’s presumptuous of me to even think that.

Still… charging into this mansion dressed like this might be more nerve-wracking than heading into an unknown dungeon, in a way…

The “Flee” option I’m so good at flashed through my mind for a second, but that would be far too rude.

I took a deep breath, steeled my resolve, stood before the mansion’s magnificent gate, and knocked.

Just then, an old man appeared silently, as if from nowhere.

His back was ramrod straight, and he wore a flawlessly tailored butler’s uniform.

He was the very picture of a butler.

The butler glanced at me—a middle-aged man in filthy, tattered clothes—and then at Fel standing right behind me—a young beastman girl just as shabbily dressed—and his brow furrowed deeply.

“Excuse me,”

the old butler said in a polite, yet frigid tone.

“Do you have some business with this household? I’m afraid we strictly forbid vagrants from entering the premises.”

His words were a cold, absolute rejection that left no room for argument.

For a moment I was speechless, but I quickly calmed down.

Well, seeing the way I’m dressed, I guess I can’t blame him for thinking that…

If our positions were reversed, I’d hesitate to let a suspicious guy like me into my mansion, too.

Now then… what to do?

If I mention Emma-san’s name and say I have an appointment, will he announce me?

No… from the looks of it, I doubt he’d even listen to what I have to say…

“…Hmph. You gnats… To think you can only judge things by their appearance… Humans truly are foolish creatures.”

The voice from behind me was filled with exasperation, and with it, clear contempt.

It was Fel. I whipped around in shock.

I was terrified she was about to do something reckless again.

“Uh, Fel… if you could just be quiet…”

Before I could finish, Fel’s small body seemed to blur.

The next instant, she was about to pounce on the old butler with that incredible speed of hers.

On her small hands, the same sharp claws I’d seen yesterday had already formed.

Seeing that, my body reacted in surprise before I could even think.

Just as Fel was about to make contact with the butler, I grabbed her small shoulder and stopped her.

Honestly, I didn’t have much time to spare, so I ended up grabbing her quite roughly.

“I told you… you can’t just go around scratching people! It’s dangerous!”

My words came out harsher than I’d intended.

It was probably because of that.

Fel’s eyes went wide as if she’d seen something impossible, and she began to tremble.

“Again…? Again… I couldn’t see anything… I couldn’t even sense it…”

And then, Fel’s golden eyes began to glow.

To me, her expression looked like it was painted with astonishment and an uncontrollable irritation.

“Wha-?! Wh-What do you think you’re doing?! I’m calling the guards!”

Watching our exchange, the butler was not only startled but his demeanor hardened even more.

Well… can’t blame him.

If some suspicious characters suddenly lunged at you, that’s how you’d react…

But… this is going from bad to worse…

Just as I was clutching my head, the mansion’s heavy door opened quietly, and someone emerged from within.

The person who appeared was a breathtakingly beautiful noblewoman.

She wore a lustrous, night-colored dress, and elegant jewels glittered in her styled hair.

Her posture was full of grace, and she radiated a noble aura that seemed utterly out of place in a frontier town.

Who could she be?

An acquaintance of Emma-san’s?

Man, though… she’s gorgeous…