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“But you got kidnapped, Arje-san! Of course I had to go after you!”
“Even so, I don’t think you should do anything that might get you caught, okay?”
“Uu…”

Despite that exchange, Kuzuha-chan was ultimately allowed to accompany the inspection party. I’m glad Akisame-san is so lenient… I mean, generous.
It took a full day to travel to Renshia in Akisame-san’s carriage. The group consisted of five of us: Akisame-san, Habotan-san, Kuro-san, Kuzuha-chan, and me.

“I really wanted the Oniwaban to stay and handle maintaining public order in Sakuranomiya, though.”
“No matter what, I simply can’t send you on an inspection tour with only foreign bodyguards, Akisame-sama.”

As they repeated the same exchange they had had countless times on the way here, Akisame-san stepped down from the carriage. Habotan-san was the one handling the reins, she’d been outside the carriage from the start.

Even though I was technically a bodyguard, I wondered if it was okay for me to get off the carriage after him, but I stepped down anyway.
It’s a small village. There are only about ten houses within sight.
The flower fields spreading out all around were probably for honey. They were well-tended, and the clusters of tiny flowers stretched as far as the eye could see.
The sweet scent of honey tickled my nose on the breeze. It blew playfully around me, then eventually drifted away.

“Mm…”

It’s a strangely familiar scent. Even though this must be the first time I’d smelled these flowers, there’s a sense of comfort, as if I’d known them all along.
Just as I was experiencing this strange sensation, Kuzuha-chan came to stand beside me.
She sniffed the air right next to me and said,

“It’s sweet and smells lovely, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah. Satsuki-chan really loves the honey from here. It smells especially good today!”

Kuro-san was probably savoring the scent just like Kuzuha-chan. She came down, narrowing her eyes.
Leaving the two members of a race with keen senses to enjoy themselves, I stepped forward. Since I was technically a bodyguard, I figure it’s best to stay close to Akisame-san.

When I got closer, Akisame-san was smiling cheerfully and looking around.

…Even smiling like this, he kept being wary.

His face remained smiling, but his gaze was moving.
He might seem laid-back, but he was still a high-ranking official of the country. I can’t tell exactly what he was looking at or how far his gaze extended, but I can tell just from this much that he was not the type to just stand there smiling.

“Hmm, is something wrong, Arje-san?”
“Ah, no. It’s nothing.”

Caught off guard by the sudden question, I flinched.
I thought he wasn’t looking at me, but apparently I was wrong.

“How should I put it… it’s such a peaceful place, isn’t it?”
“Is that so? Yeah, well, I guess you could say that.”
“……?”

What made me feel a bit off was that Akisame-san’s reaction seemed a little curt.
There was an atmosphere as if his expectations hadn’t quite been met.
It didn’t seem directed at me, but if not, then what was it directed at?

“Hmm, looks like she’s here.”

Before I could even think about asking, Akisame-san muttered that and shifted his gaze. Following his line of sight, I looked in the same direction and saw a girl walking toward us from that very spot.

She was a girl with black hair and striking, clear golden eyes that resembled flower nectar.
Swaying the kimono, a familiar sight in the Republic, she walked toward us at a leisurely pace.
Eventually, a few steps away from Akisame-san, she bowed. The movement was graceful, and against the backdrop of the flower field, she looked like a flower fairy.

“Welcome, Akisame-sama.”
“Mm. You look well, Renge-chan.”
“You look well too, Akisame-sama.”

The casual flow of their conversation suggests they must know each other.

“…………”
“……? Is something wrong?”
“Ah, no. Please don’t worry about it.”

I felt as though she had been looking in my direction, so when I spoke to the girl called Renge, she immediately bowed her head toward me. Was it just my imagination?
I’d been around the Merchant Guild lately, so maybe it was me who’d grown oversensitive.

“Please, this way.”

Prompted by her, Akisame-san and Habotan-san obediently followed.
As I followed the two of them, Kuzuha-chan and Kuro-san also kept up.

…With that massive body, she moves completely silently?

What really surprised me was Habotan-san’s movements. Standing at least two meters tall, she walked more silently than anyone else in the group. She should be the most conspicuous, yet she was completely unnoticeable.
The Oniwaban Guard. I don’t know the details, but judging by Habotan-san’s appearance, she must be a stealth specialist. If she weren’t in my line of sight, I might not even realize she was moving.

Impressed, I kept walking and was eventually led to the front of a house. It’s a bit larger than the others, so I guess this must be the village chief’s house?

“Father is waiting inside.”
“Yeah. That’s a big help. Um… Kuzuha-san and Kuro-san, could I ask you two to stand guard outside. You seem to have a keen sense of smell.”
“Woof, got it!”
“Understood.”

After giving instructions to the pair of beastfolk with keen senses of smell, Akisame-san headed inside the house ahead of us.

…These two seem a bit uneasy, huh?

Sure, their ability to sense danger seems high, but there’s something about them—a slight lapse in focus, or perhaps their attention span itself is a cause for concern. Will they be okay?
That said, my role today is strictly to serve as Akisame-san’s bodyguard, so it’s not my place to interfere with personnel assignments.
If push comes to shove, I have my healing magic, and besides, from what I can tell, this is a peaceful village. I don’t think we need to be on high alert.

I entered the house and was led straight to the back.
In what appeared to be the living room, there was a large table that could seat about six people, and a slightly plump man with a mustache was sitting there.

“Welcome, Akisame-sama. Please, have a seat.”
“Yeah. I’m glad to see you’re doing well, Village Chief. Though I do think you should lose a little weight.”

Akisame-san made a light-hearted remark—just enough to make it clear it was a joke—and took his seat.
Since I’m technically here as a bodyguard, I remain standing, just like Habotan-san.

“Thank you for coming all this way.”
“Oh, it’s only about a day’s ride by carriage. More importantly, this year’s honey turned out great, didn’t it?”
“Oh, so you can tell, after all?”
“I get to taste it every year, you know. This year’s harvest has a particularly nice aroma.”
“The weather was mild this year, so the flowers bloomed beautifully…”

The two of them are deep in conversation, but for me, standing here the whole time, it’s a bit boring.
Since this is supposed to be an inspection, I suppose it’s only natural for it to be this formal, but when the conversation keeps going on about things I’m not interested in, I start to get sleepy… slee… eepy, zzz――

“—nya”

Oh no. For a split second, I completely dozed off.
What snapped me back to consciousness was a sensation on my right arm. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Habotan-san subtly pinching my upper arm.

“Nya?”
“Oh, no. It’s nothing. Please don’t worry about it.”

Renge-san, who had been keeping quiet so as not to interrupt the adults’ conversation, gave me a puzzled look, but I brushed it off with a casual excuse.
After that, I continued my security duties, going through the cycle several times where I’d periodically start to doze off only to have Habotan-san physically snap me back to attention.

“By the way, Village Chief. Is there anything troubling you?”
“…As expected of Akisame-sama. You really figured it out, didn’t you? Actually, the Honey Eaters have been more active than usual this year, and it’s causing us some trouble.”
“Hmm. I see, I see. In that case, since we’ve come all this way, let’s take care of them ourselves. You two are okay with that, right?”
“Of course, Akisame-sama.”
“……Uh, yes.”

I was half asleep, so my response was a bit slow.
“Honey Eaters,” was it? I don’t know what they are, but if Akisame-san says so, I suppose we have to get rid of them.
It feels like a hassle. But right now, I’m in a position where I have to accompany Akisame-san on his inspection. Since I’m already involved in things that would normally be much worse than this, I might as well just go along with it.

“Well then, shall we get started right away?”

Akisame-san gave me a smile and signaled for me to move.
If I just stood there spacing out, I’d end up falling asleep, so in a way, this might actually be better. Thinking that, I nodded.