Chapter 21

“Ugh, I’m dying…”

After waking up past noon, Roo looked around, suffering from a hangover.

“Big sis…?”

Ariel was nowhere to be seen.

On the bed, Ariel’s discarded pajamas were scattered, and her outdoor clothes, which had been hanging on the wall, were gone.

“Where did she go…?”

Roo poured a handful of healing powder into her mouth and headed out to the courtyard of the lodging.

Ariel wasn’t in the courtyard either.

Only Ghost was lying down, leisurely basking in the sunlight.

“Ghost, it seems Big Sis went out. She probably went to eat that strawberry tart from yesterday.”

Roo plopped down next to Ghost.

“Big Sis is still a kid, after all. She loves sweet desserts… Well, she’ll be back soon.”

But hours passed, and Ariel still hadn’t returned.

Roo grew increasingly anxious.

“Did something happen to Big Sis? Well, she’s really strong… She probably just ate some dessert and fell asleep again. But even so, it’s getting too late…”

Roo pondered whether to go look for Ariel with Ghost.

It would be dangerous for a fairy to go alone, but with Ghost by her side, she wouldn’t be kidnapped by humans.

“Hmm…”

But would it be okay to take Ghost out without Ariel?

Honestly, Roo wasn’t confident she could control Ghost like Ariel could. If Ghost went wild and attacked people, things could get serious.

In the end, unable to decide what to do, the sun began to set.

“Did Big Sis abandon us…? No, that can’t be… But from her perspective, we might not be necessary…”

While Roo was restless, Ghost remained quite calm.

Ariel had told Ghost she would return before leaving.

Ghost believed her. There was no reason to be anxious.

“Did I do something wrong to Big Sis? Did she get mad because I drank too much? Or maybe she met a fairy cuter than me… No, that can’t be… Ah, I can’t take it anymore! Ghost, let’s go find Big Sis right now!”

Roo climbed onto Ghost’s head and shouted, but Ghost didn’t budge.

A look of annoyance appeared on Ghost’s face.

Ariel said she’d come back, so why was this fairy making such a fuss?

“Ghost! Let’s go!”

Roo tapped Ghost’s forehead repeatedly.

Ghost shook her head, throwing Roo off.

“I’m in danger alone! Ghost, you have to come with me…”

Suddenly, the door to the lodging opened, and Ariel returned.

*

“Wow, nice.”

Ariel’s lodging was much nicer than Selly had imagined.

It was comparable to the lodging Selly’s family had rented entirely.

Seeing the merchant guild’s emblem at the entrance, it seemed the lodging was provided by the guild.

“Ariel, what’s your connection with the guild? This seems like a VIP lodging.”

At Selly’s words, Ariel simply nodded briefly and opened the door.

“Big Sis~!!”

In an instant, a loud noise accompanied a small object flying at high speed.

“I was worried! I thought something might have happened to you! But I never thought you’d abandon us! Never ever!”

Selly’s eyes widened as she saw the small object clinging to Ariel’s cheek and rubbing against her.

‘A fairy…?’

The size of a finger, with wings on its back.

It was definitely a fairy.

She had seen them in books, but this was her first time seeing one in person.

“This Roo would never have such impure thoughts. I trust Big Sis!”

With Roo clinging to her face, Ariel quietly walked out to the courtyard.

Selly followed and saw a large silver object in the courtyard.

It was a giant wolf.

“Eek!”

Selly stepped back in surprise.

She had seen wolves a few times in her life, but never one this large.

‘And its fur is silver… All the ones I’ve seen were black…’

The giant silver wolf wagged its tail and approached Ariel.

It then licked Ariel’s face as if greeting her.

“I’m back, Ghost.”

Ariel stood on her tiptoes and stroked Ghost’s chin.

‘So Ghost and Roo are these two…’

Selly nodded quietly.

She had thought Ghost and Roo, as Ariel mentioned, were humans or elves like Ariel.

She never imagined they’d be a fairy and a wolf.

“Hmm, but who is this human kid, Big Sis?”

Roo fluttered over, crossed her arms, and looked at Selly with a haughty expression.

“Where did you pick her up?”

‘Pick her up…?’

Selly was dumbfounded.

If the knights of the Matiel family found out Selly was being treated like this, they’d immediately rip Roo’s head off.

Selly was, after all, a high-ranking noble. Not that Roo would know.

“I’m Ariel’s friend.”

At Selly’s words, Roo raised an eyebrow.

“Friend?”

“Yeah. We spent the whole day together today.”

“Really, Big Sis?”

When Roo turned to Ariel and asked, Ariel nodded.

“I see. Hmm, being friends with a human isn’t bad… But you should still be careful. As we experienced in Harrington Village, humans are…”

“You’re Roo, right?”

Selly reached out and grabbed Roo.

“This is amazing. I’ve never seen a fairy before. I really wanted to raise one when I was little.”

“Let go! Do you want to fall asleep?”

Roo struggled in Selly’s hand.

Selly rubbed Roo against her cheek, just as Roo had done to Ariel earlier.

“You’re so tiny. So cute. I want to raise you.”

“……”

Roo stopped struggling. A slightly embarrassed expression appeared on her face.

“Hmph, don’t get too attached. I’ve already pledged to serve Big Sis until I die… Ah, don’t grab my wings!”

After playing with Roo for a while, Selly gathered her courage and approached Ghost.

Ghost’s silver fur, shimmering in the moonlight, looked mystical, and she wanted to touch it.

But as Selly reached out, Ghost bared her teeth and growled.

“Eek!”

Selly flinched and stepped back.

“Does she not like being touched?”

“Of course not. Ghost is prickly, unlike me.”

Roo, sitting on Selly’s head, spoke.

“Only Big Sis or I can touch her. A human she just met? No way.”

Then Ariel gently stroked Ghost’s chin to calm her down.

“It’s okay.”

With just those words, Ghost stopped growling and wagged her tail.

Selly mustered her courage again, approached, and lightly stroked Ghost’s front leg.

“Wow…”

Ghost’s fur was unbelievably soft.

It was even fluffy, perfect for cuddling.

Ghost no longer seemed wary of Selly and lowered her body, lying down.

Thanks to that, Selly could stroke Ghost’s head and chin, and with Ariel’s help, even climbed onto her back.

It was a happy time for Selly.

“Ah!”

Then, noticing the clock on the wall, she jumped in surprise.

“We have to go to the banquet, Ariel!”

It was already past the time the banquet was supposed to start.

They were late.

*

Leaving the lodging, Ariel and Selly hurried to the banquet hall.

They had no choice but to leave Ghost and Roo behind.

They couldn’t bring a wolf and a fairy to a gathering of high-ranking nobles.

Originally, Ariel wouldn’t have been allowed in either, but with Selly accompanying her, they could manage. They could just say she was a maid.

As they reached the entrance to the banquet hall, a woman with purple hair strode over.

“Lady Selly! Where have you been all day?”

The woman, holding a large staff, glared at Selly with a cold expression.

“What if something dangerous happened while you were wandering around alone?”

The woman’s name was Pamelia.

A mage from the Matiel family, she was Selly’s escort.

Pamelia was originally skilled enough to enter the royal court.

But she owed a debt to the Matiel family and was repaying it by looking after Selly.

“I just wanted to see the city.”

“Then you should have gone with me!”

“But I couldn’t find you.”

“Don’t lie. You sneaked out while I was eating…!”

“Okay, sorry, Pamelia. We’re late, so let’s go in.”

As Selly smiled and pulled her along, Pamelia let out a deep sigh.

“Sigh…”

Selly, as always, tried to brush it off casually, but Pamelia felt her blood boiling with worry all day.

“Don’t do this again. If something happens to you, I wouldn’t know what to do…”

“Okay, I won’t do it again. Sorry.”

“Promise.”

“Yeah.”

It was a promise she’d likely break, but Pamelia decided to leave it at that.

There was no point in saying more.

For now, she was grateful Selly had returned safely, and she’d just have to keep a closer eye on her from now on.

“By the way, who is this…?”

Pamelia glanced at Ariel and asked. With her pointed ears, she was clearly an elf.

“A friend.”

“A friend…?”

“Yeah. We just became friends today, and she’s joining us at the banquet.”

Selly grinned, took Pamelia and Ariel’s hands, and led them into the banquet hall.

*

The banquet had already begun.

The hall was lavishly decorated, filled with nobles, and the mayor was giving a speech on the stage.

Selly, Ariel, and Pamelia found a seat at a corner table and waited for the mayor’s speech to end.

The speech was nothing special.

Just the usual thanks for visiting Sierra, an honor to have everyone at the banquet, and hopes for continued support for the empire.

Selly stifled a yawn and glanced at the food set up on one side of the hall.

As expected of a high-ranking nobles’ banquet, there was plenty of delicious-looking food.

“With that, I conclude my speech. I hope you all have a wonderful evening.”

Clap clap clap.

Finally, the mayor’s speech ended.

Music began playing in the center of the hall, and people started getting up from their tables to head toward the food.

“Let’s go quickly, Ariel!”

Selly also got up with Ariel.

Just then, someone approached and spoke.

“Hey, Selly, long time no see~ I knew I’d find you here.”

It was a boy with a bowl-cut blonde hairstyle, prominent cheekbones, and buck teeth, giving off a somewhat sly impression.

“……”

Selly’s expression darkened instantly upon seeing the boy.

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