We’ve returned to the town of Akoup.

It feels both like a long time and no time at all—a strange sensation.

"The air is so clear here. What a lovely place..."

Maria leaned out of the carriage, squinting against the gusts of wind as she held down her wind-tossed hair. Instead of her usual blue-and-white clerical robes, she wore a finely tailored silk outfit. She looked just like a cherished daughter from a noble or affluent merchant family.

"As Saintess M... I mean, Lady Maria says, it truly is a wonderful place."

Hamill, who was peeking out beside her, had traded her dark combat attire for a maid outfit.

On the way here, we worked hard to correct how Hamill addressed Maria, since calling her "Saintess" wasn’t appropriate anymore. It seemed, however, that changing a single way of speaking would take more time.

Both of them had come here with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Naturally, traveling in those outfits would have drawn too much attention. So along the way, Katya, Shannon, and Ivy picked out some clothing for them, coordinating their appearance to suit the occasion.

Thanks to the guidance (?) of those three, the two now looked unmistakably like a refined noble lady and her loyal maid.

"Hamill, get a grip. We’ll have to work hard together from now on."

"Ugh... I know that, but still..."

Hamill made a conflicted face and retreated into the carriage. She looked downcast, clearly disheartened.

It seemed she still strongly resisted addressing Maria as anything other than "Saintess." Well, that was an issue between the two of them, so I hoped they’d take their time resolving it.

Maria, on the other hand, remained fascinated by the bustling crowds, leaning out of the carriage as if entranced. She clapped her hands and expressed amazement with a remarkable variety of exclamations. It was almost shocking how many different ways a person could voice their surprise.

Her body swayed rhythmically, suggesting her excitement was through the roof.

"Mii!"

As I watched the town of Akoup through Maria’s figure, Ivy began nibbling on my finger. She seemed to think I was staring at Maria and got jealous. There’s no need to be jealous—I only have eyes for you, Ivy.

"What are you looking at, Bruno?"

"You scoundrel, ogling Lady Maria’s rear—!"

Shannon and Hamill, misunderstanding the situation, joined in angrily. Even Katya, Ivy, and Maria, who had slipped back into the carriage unnoticed, started raising a ruckus.

The commotion escalated to a ridiculous degree, with everyone voicing their complaints about one thing or another.

Back when I traveled with the members of Lapis Lazuli, it was the same: when I was the only man in the group, I always ended up being the bad guy.

How utterly unfair.

But I had already learned an important lesson: in situations like this, numbers are justice.

Having learned this, I kept my mouth shut, nodding quietly as I waited for the storm to pass. Please, don’t call me pathetic!

Before bringing Maria here, Katya had written a letter explaining the situation to the Marquis of Endlord. However, since it would be necessary to meet face-to-face at least once, Katya and I decided to head to the Marquis’s mansion together.

"Ah! It’s Sanshita! Sanshita’s back!"

"It’s Ivy! Ivy’s here too!"

"Welcome back!"

With Sanshita here, it was obvious who was in the carriage. Riding on Sanshita with Ivy, I waved to the crowd as they called out to us. Until we passed through the noble district, I spent my time responding to the townspeople.

When I finally caught my breath and returned to the carriage, Maria greeted me with a warm smile.

"You and the others are so popular in this town, Bruno."

"Mii!"

Maria cautiously patted Ivy on the head, while Ivy, seemingly at ease, let herself be petted without resistance.

Once we entered the noble district, the reduced foot traffic meant Sanshita no longer caused a commotion, allowing us to proceed smoothly. Before we knew it, we’d arrived at the Marquis’s mansion.

When we met with Marquis Endlord to explain the situation, his opening words were:

"You lot always, ALWAYS cause trouble!"

He unleashed his anger at us with incredible force right off the bat.

—And so it began.