We were led inside the inn and guided to separate rooms for men and women.

The men’s room we were brought to was so spacious, it was hard to believe it was meant for just three people. Inside, there were vases and art pieces that looked incredibly expensive. There was even a magical device on the ceiling for lighting.

Magical tools themselves are said to be quite costly… I wonder how much that one would cost. If that vase were accidentally broken, wouldn’t it be a serious issue...?

“Wow~ What an amazing inn! And all the female staff were super cute too!”

“Yeah. I didn’t think there was a place better than the last inn we stayed at, but that’s the royal capital for you. And as Lange said, the employees here, even the men, are all good-looking. Not quite at Angel’s level, though.”

“………………”

Dolph is as usual, acting like himself.

Just like Lange said, all the staff at this inn are indeed very attractive. I’m surprised that even in a top-class inn, they would care so much about the appearance of their employees.

That said, Berna, Ferry, and the staff at our store could fit right in here without looking out of place, so I wasn’t particularly shaken by it.

...If I worked here, I’d probably stick out like a sore thumb all by myself.

“And tomorrow, we finally get to meet Lady Ruhail! I can’t wait!”

“Now that you mention it, it’s been a while since we last saw Lady Ruhail. Tomorrow, Lange will be coming along as a guard, but please make sure not to do anything inappropriate.”

“Of course! I’ll behave. Still, I’m really looking forward to it~”

“………………”

Back when we left the royal capital, Lange said Lady Ruhail was exactly his type after seeing her off. So this time, Berna, Ferry, Lilia, and Lange will all accompany me to the Adventurer’s Guild.

When it comes to other things I’m not too worried, but Lange tends to get a little too excited when women are involved. Even back at our shop, he flirts with cute female customers while working...

That said, he’s never caused any real trouble for the store, so I’ll trust him on this one.

“Meeting Lady Ruhail is one thing, but meeting royalty is nerve-wracking… Honestly, I’d rather cancel that part.”

The main reason we came to the royal capital this time—our audience with the royal family—is scheduled for a few days from now. Our arrival has already been reported through the knights at the gate.

Although we were summoned, from a social standpoint it’s still us requesting an audience. That means we’ll need to adjust to whatever time is convenient for the royal family.

Apparently, there’s even a chance we could be made to wait more than a week. Still, since they were the ones who asked us to bring the dry shampoo to the capital, Rizac and Patrice both said it’s unlikely we’ll be treated too poorly.

I mean, I’m just a regular merchant, and our lodging here is being covered by the Adventurer’s Guild, so I don’t intend to complain. But considering the new store we’re opening in Al-Flare, I’d really like to leave the capital within a week at the latest.

“I get how you feel, Tetsuya. Honestly, I’d rather not deal with royalty either. I’ve heard the royal family here has a decent reputation, but what kind of people are they really?”

“If they’re requesting dry shampoo, it’s probably a woman. Maybe the queen or the princess.”

“Yeah, Dolph’s probably right. Most likely the queen or the princess.”

According to the information we heard beforehand, the current royal family consists of the king, the queen, an older prince, and a younger princess. That being the case, it’s quite likely that the one who wants the dry shampoo is either the queen or the princess.

“Either way, it’s a heavy feeling… But that’s something to deal with later. For now, we’ll meet with Lady Ruhail tomorrow, hear the details, and discuss the map and the Belmarcon situation.”

“Knowing you, Tetsuya, I’m sure you’ll be fine, but be careful.”

“Yeah. Also, let me know what the princess is like afterward.”

“…Yeah, I’ll be careful.”

I’ve heard the royal family of this country is composed of decent people, so I’ll hope that nothing troublesome comes of this.

And even if the princess turns out to be beautiful, I feel like I won’t be able to tell Lange about it…

“Well then, first, let’s enjoy the bath at this luxury inn. Then we can enjoy the dinner afterward!”

“Yeah. The journey was comfortable, but still, being able to take a bath is a blessing.”

“And with an inn like this, I’m looking forward to dinner too! I bet they’ll serve some high-end ingredients!”

This inn has a bath. Let’s wash off the fatigue from our journey to the capital.

After that, we’ll join the women for dinner. Given the reputation of this inn, I’m sure the food will be extraordinary. Just imagining it makes my stomach rumble. Sometimes, a little luxury is important.