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I bought a bouquet and a ring the next morning and returned to the Inn.
Yes, to propose. It’s better to strike while the iron’s hot.
Gadius’ Inn is a normal building with a dining room on the ground floor, Cortina should be there eating right about now.
As I went in and looked around, I spotted her sitting down at a table by the wall slurping some pasta.

Watching her eating with her cat ears standing up straight with her cheeks puffed out like a squirrel, she looks childishly cute.
I clumsily barged towards her table to avoid losing my resolve.

Gadius looked surprised seeing me approaching with a bouquet and serious look.
That’s to be expected, I just made up my mind last night after all.

Cortina stiffened up as she saw me approaching.
She should know what’s about to happen since she can see the bouquet.

Kneeling in front of her, I presented the flowers to her.

“Tina. Please marry me.”

I’m not one to beat around the bush. I decided it’d be better to just be direct with her.
Cortina opened her eyes wide as she looked at me.

The other guests were confused by my actions here.

If this were any other adventurer they’d probably be whistling and jeering at them.
But it’s me kneeling here, the famous assassin Shadow Wing.
The strongest assassin said to rain down deadly threads in the middle of the darkness.
If you make fun of such a guy, what’ll happen… Well anyone can guess.

Cortina waved her hands around as if she was trying to say something. She put down her napkin on the table as she hurriedly wiped her lips in a fluster.
For some reason, after looking around a bit, the look on her face said she was pissed.

“Y-you…!”

She clenched her fist until it was trembling.
That’s strange. Things turned out much differently in my head.
I was sure she didn’t hate me.
She raised her fist as if to betray my expectations.

“You! Can’t you learn to read the room a little!?”

At that, she swings her fist down at me, I immediately avoid it but that’s what she was expecting.
Before I evaded, she sent a kick flying at me.
I caught it with my face and rolled onto the floor.

“Gadius! Here’s the bill!”
“Y, yeah…”

She slammed some coins on the table with a smash and her footsteps could be heard as she left the inn.
I was sure she’d give me a positive response. However, I had no choice but to reconsider that assumption after seeing that reaction.

“She, hates me?”

For some reason, Gadius and the other guests all shook their heads at my monologue.

“That’s not the problem here.”

Gadius’ comforting words didn’t reach me.
Cortina hated me and I couldn’t get over that fact.
I didn’t know how I was supposed to face her from now on.

I tread to my room with a heavy step and locked myself in.
I was depressed from that day on.
I’d act normally, but put some distance between myself and Cortina.
Then, at night I’d drown my sorrows away with Gadius out of sight of the other guests.

“Damnit, I hate Lyell, that ⓑⓐⓢⓣⓐⓡⓓ…”
“You’re taking it out on that guy?”

Gadius who is good at socializing despite his threatening face is keeping me company on this day.
That’s why the alcohol keeps flowing.

“Normies should die.”
“When it’s you saying that, I can’t take it as a joke, please stop.”
“It’s fine. I’m jealous.”
“You’re acting pitiful right now.”

I gulped down my glass and laid flat on the counter.
I’m a lightweight so this one glass is enough.

“Please don’t make me keep you company every night. Are you ready for tomorrow?”
“My bad, I’m thinking of making it a habit.”
“Jesus, you’re annoying.”
“Tina was pretty distant, did I fail?”
“Something like that. Consider the setting.”

Yeah, it might have been a bad idea to rush in during her mealtime.
But it’s between me and Cortina, does it really make a difference if she’s got some food in her mouth at this point?
And yet, since she rejected me, I’ve decided it means there’s no hope.
As I was feeling downcast Gadius handed me a piece of paper.

“Huh, will you look at that… I’m popular with the work requests.”
“What, you don’t feel like workin’?”

With that said, I scanned over the paper.
On it was a request to inspect an orphanage.

“An orphanage inspection?”
“Originally it was a request I planned on passing on to some beginners.”
“Is that really a job for us adventurers though?”
“It’s not like that, there aren’t many government officials in this country and on the other hand there’re a buncha orphanages.”
“An aftereffect of the Evil Dragon’s rampage huh.”
“That’s right. Many people were conscripted into the army for the sake of subjugating the Evil Dragon, but now those soldiers’ children are pouring into the orphanages at a number beyond the government’s ability to administer.”

The northern countries combined their armies to create a subjugation force to defeat the Evil Dragon and were in turn crushed.
Death and retaliation. The number of dead has climbed beyond comprehension and national strength has reached the peak of exhaustion.
The country may have been rebuilt but there aren’t enough people around to manage it properly.
And the orphanage can’t run without funds.
The request is to go visit one such orphanage and observe if they’re operating properly.

“Go with Cortina and try to reconcile. Go play with some kids for a change of pace.”
“W, Wot!?”
“What, she doesn’t hate you, y’know.”
“Is that so?”

I don’t know if what Gadius says is true, but working with her… might not be bad.
I don’t want things to stay like this.
It’d be great if we can return to being friends and pretend that the proposal never happened.