In the northwestern mountainous region of the Kingdom of Hervor, there was a small town named Beinen.
A tiny town surrounded by wooden palisades instead of stone walls.
It was such a small town that it didn't even have a single regular soldier, and the palisades were guarded by a vigilante group formed of idle young men from the village.
Befitting northern youths plagued by all sorts of threats, they all looked ferocious enough to beat a wolf to death with their bare hands, but in the end, it was just for show.
Judging from the faint aura they gave off and their clumsy, crude equipment, it seemed they would scatter and flee in all directions, wailing about the arrival of calamity if even a few bears attacked.
"They manage to live in a place like this. Moving here from the capital must be an incredible culture shock."
A chuckle escaped involuntarily.
No matter where I looked, it reeked of a rural village, making it hard to believe this was a city where a knight approaching the realm of high-ranking knights resided.
"W-wouldn't it be good for the two of us to live quietly...? Getting a small brick house... living there together, j-just me and Hilde... heheh."
On the other hand, Friede seemed to like the tranquil atmosphere of Beinen.
She said we could roll around together all day without worrying about others' gazes?
Of course, the rolling around I was thinking of and the rolling around she was talking about had vastly different meanings.
To be specific, should I say it's as different as the difference between unemployment and yuri?
I can tell just by looking at her expression.
Friede's words meant she wouldn't let me sleep for three days and nights, using me like a sheet on the bed.
In a secluded house in a quiet rural area, no one would care even if a tragedy occurred where a person turned into a water pipe, turning the bed into a waterbed for three days straight.
...Alright. If we ever finish everything and can live in quiet seclusion, I should choose a crowded and noisy city if possible.
A person needs to sleep to live, right?
Of course, even if we roll around for three days straight, she probably wouldn't torment me to the point of not letting me sleep a wink...
But I need to rest properly when resting.
I want to enjoy comfortable sleep in a warm and cozy wool bed, not on a sea of water soaked with lemon-scented bodily fluids.
To guarantee my right to sleep, it seemed I would need to choose a bustling area where the neighbors would complain about three days of noise pollution, flooding, and fever events.
* * *
On the outskirts of Beinen. In a remote corner of this quiet town with little floating population, a two-story brick mansion stood isolated.
Judging from the outside, it had about seven rooms.
Too small and rustic to be a noble's mansion, but looking a bit too grand for commoners to live in, it had the feel of a villa.
This was Verloren Esther's residence.
"Hmm..."
I stopped in front of the fence and stroked my chin while observing the exterior of the mansion for a moment.
It looks a bit too large for a single woman to live in. Did she originally live here with her daughter?
If so, I should probably avoid contact with the villagers as much as possible. If I met someone who was close to Verloren's daughter, they would realize I'm not her.
"This place is bigger than I expected. Does this knight... Esther? Live here alone?"
"Well, I suppose she might have a servant or two?"
Even being an unemployed single requires some ability.
A female knight who's probably never held anything but a sword in her life would find it difficult to manage a seven-room mansion alone, so there's likely at least a servant to help with cooking and cleaning.
...Or the mansion itself might just have a decent exterior while the inside is a complete dump.
"Let's go in and see."
We won't know which it is until we check. I walked up to the mansion's door and lightly knocked to announce my visit.
"Is anyone home-?"
After knocking about three times like that, the old-fashioned wooden door creaked open and someone poked their face out.
"...Who are you?"
A woman who looked to be in her late twenties, with dull brown hair wrapped and tied with cloth, wearing a rough everyday dress with an apron over it.
Just looking at her, she reeked of a country person, so she wasn't Verloren herself... It seemed like she had picked any local woman and hired her to take care of the housework for a monthly wage.
"Excuse me. I've come to see Sir Verloren Esther who lives here... Is she in right now?"
I nodded in greeting as I lowered the hood of my cloak. My hair, dyed black with a magic tool, flowed out from under the helmet and swayed.
"Ah, could you be the one who was said to be coming..."
The servant nodded back as she looked me over with wary eyes. It seemed she had been notified in advance that I would be visiting around this time.
Argentir must have informed her through a messenger or carrier pigeon. Although his personality is a bit unpleasant, he's certainly thorough in his work.
"Did you bring a letter of introduction?"
"Yes, here it is."
I handed her the letter of introduction Argentir had written.
The letter of introduction I was told to show to Verloren Esther. I don't know the contents. There was a wax seal on the outside, so I couldn't open it.
Surely, it doesn't say something like cut off and bury the head of the person who brought this letter...?
"Thank you. The wind is cold, so please come in for now. If you wait in the reception room, Madam Esther will come down."
The servant who received the letter of introduction opened the door wide and let us in.
* * *
The interior of the mansion was bleak and desolate. It was being maintained, but just barely at the minimum level necessary to keep up appearances.
The corridor was dark and chilly, and there wasn't a single decoration like a painting or sculpture on the walls, making it look desolate.
I wonder if this is a house where people live or an old ruin. If you told a girl in her prime to live in a place like this, wouldn't anyone run away saying life here would be miserable?
"You can sit here."
At least the reception room was somewhat decent.
A wooden table and leather sofa were neatly placed on the carpet on the floor, and there was even some decoration near the fireplace on the opposite wall.
As befitting someone from a knightly background, there were swords hanging on the wall.
Two two-handed swords crossing in an X shape, a round shield in front of them, and a longsword placed horizontally on a stand.
Seeing that there were as many as three swords, I thought she might have been more successful as a pirate than a knight.
"Please wait a moment. I'll bring tea right after delivering the letter of introduction to Madam Esther."
"Ah, yes. Thank you."
"No need for thanks."
The servant smiled faintly as if it was only natural and went upstairs with the letter of introduction. She said Verloren Esther's personal study was up there.
I sat on the sofa with Friede and waited. For the first meeting with Verloren Esther, the woman who would become my mother.
"I'm a bit nervous..."
"Me too."
Amidst the creeping tension and faint anticipation.
"Sorry for the wait. Madam Esther said she'll be down soon. I've brewed some tea to wet your throats, please have some if you'd like."
"We'll enjoy it."
I received the cup of black tea the returning servant poured and took a sip.
A slightly bitter and astringent taste. The tea leaves didn't seem to be of very good quality, perhaps just prepared to meet the bare minimum for hospitality. Or maybe the servant's skill was poor.
Well, it's better than nothing. As hunger is the best sauce, thirst is the best drink. I moistened my throat with the bitter tea, blowing on the hot cup.
Several minutes passed like that.
Clack.
Finally, it seemed all preparations were complete, and someone came down from the second-floor landing.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir Siegfriede. And your companion as well."
Leather boots and black pants. A somewhat large pelvis, perhaps due to childbirth or horseback riding.
A woman wearing a beige blouse with her thin waist cinched by a leather corset looked down at us.
A slender woman with long black hair braided and thrown over her shoulder, wearing crude earrings at her ears. The small tear mole under her left eye was striking.
"I am Verloren Esther, the owner of this mansion."
Her sharp eyes were heavily shadowed and looked somewhat tired, and the blue pupils within held a mineral-like, inorganic light.
"I apologize for the inadequate hospitality. It's been a very long time since anyone has visited this mansion. I hope Marika hasn't been discourteous."
"Uh... It's nice to meet you."
"Ah, hello...!"
Friede and I quickly stood up and greeted her back with a lukewarm tone. We couldn't hide our surprise. Honestly, we were quite - no, very perplexed.
That's because...
'...Didn't they say she was thirty-eight? With that face?'
The woman who appeared before us and introduced herself as Verloren Esther looked young enough to be in her late twenties.
The only trace of her thirty-eight years of age that could be glimpsed was a single, very faint wrinkle nestled in the inner corner of her eyes.
It was a face that made me feel like I should call her older sister rather than mother. Moreover, she was quite beautiful.
"..."
A faint wariness-like emotion settled in Friede's eyes as she looked back and forth between me and Ms. Verloren.
It was a look like a hyena facing a lion.