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Since then, we have made good progress on the trip for the next two weeks.

There were some monsters that attacked us on the way, but I preemptively sensed them and Michelle took them out before they managed to get to us so our combo managed to repel practically all of them.

Thanks to that, the preserved foods that we planned to consume on the road were almost untouched now.

“Sho, wewu bwe awywymgh in waum shoon. (So, we’ll be arriving in Raum soon.)”
“Michelle, choose between speaking and eating.”
“Munch, munch.”
“So you’ve chosen to eat huh?”
“Yup.”

I asked in exasperation as Michelle started munching on the overnight dried jerky of a Huge Viper that attacked us last night. Her appetite really knew no bounds. I waited until she finished off the jerky and asked once again.

“So, what were you saying again?”
“Oh yeah, I was wondering if we could stay a night in Raum since we are about to reach it.”
“Hmm…”

I understood what she wanted to say. Raum was where her parents and close friend lived. I did not feel so nostalgic since I could frequently return to Raum, but she hadn’t seen them for three years.

It was natural for her to want to meet them. That said, the situation in Raum still hadn’t calmed down, and some power-hungry nobles beyond Maxwell’s reach could aim for her. It could be dangerous for her to enter the city so brazenly.

“Can you wait outside for a bit then? I’ll go ask Maxwell.”
“Lady Nicole, we should let Sir Temuru know first.”
“Oh, right. Cloud, I leave the guarding to you.”
“Got it.”

We were being hired after all. If we were going to leave our posts, it was common sense to at least let our employer know. I stopped and went to the second carriage. Seeing me stop before his carriage, Temuru called out to me.

“Is something the matter, Nicole?”
“No, we were just talking about Raum that’s ahead, and Michelle and I had something to do there.”
“I see, shall we wait for you outside the city then? Fortunately, our food reserves haven’t gone down, so we can depart once we refill our water.”
“No, well, I’ll like to discuss that first, so I’d like to go on ahead, do you mind?”
“It would be a little worrying without your guarding… But this region has public order maintained so I suppose it would be fine.”
“Thank you. I’ll be off then. I will come back fast.”

He felt a little hesitant, but he still gave permission so I used the Teleport spell. That said, it needed me to construct a complex magic circle, so it’s not like I could cast it immediately. I fully understood how separated from common sense Maxwell was for being able to use it in the middle of a battle.

It took me a few minutes to construct the spell, though partly because I was walking while doing it, and then I teleported to Maxwell’s mansion in Raum. Just before I did, I felt like I heard Temuru saying something about being envious of the teleportation magic. Certainly, for peddlers like him who had no choice but to walk, this spell was the object of envy.

The scenery before my eyes changed momentarily, teleporting me into Maxwell’s familiar living hall. This was both the place where I studied my magic and also the one I was the most familiar with.

And ever since I learned to use the teleportation spell, Maxwell had removed the teleportation jamming from this room, so I could teleport only here inside the mansion.

“Oh well if it isn’t little missy Nicole. It has been a while, hm?”

Waiting for me there wasn’t Maxwell but Mateus. The way he was dressed in dusting clothes with an apron on rough-looking clothes, it was hard to imagine that he was a first-class Swordsman.

That said, the way he moved his body had no faults, making it clear that he had gotten accustomed to his housekeeper role over the years.

“It’s been a while, Mateus. Sad to see you in good health.”
“Now that was an awful greeting. Do you have business with the old man?”
“Yeah. Is he around?”
“No, he is in the academy office, I think?”
“I’ll head there then.”
“Gotcha.”

It’s been a while since I’ve become an Adventurer, so I seem to have lost my sense of weekdays.

After I returned a rough greeting to Mateus, I ran off towards the Academy right away. I rushed through the streets as my silver hair fluttered to the wind, and passed through the academy gate.

I felt like the passersby gazes were focusing on me on the way, but I decided to ignore it. It was probably people mistaking me for Haumea that I disguised myself as before.

It would be bad if an outsider stood out inside the academy, so I used my Stealth Gift and avoided the eyes. Then sneakily barged into the board chairman’s office where Maxwell was while erasing my footsteps.

“Waah!? Oh, it’s you, Reid.”
“Sorry for the scare, Maxwell.”

I pulled out a reserve chair and flipped into it facing Maxwell. I crossed my legs and conveyed Michelle’s wish to him, asking whether it was possible. Maxwell’s expression wrinkled up as he observed my behavior.

“Hmm, you are asking if it is okay for her to enter Raum, is it?” He brushed his beard and pondered over my question. After a while, he squeezed out an answer, “Well, a few days would not hurt I suppose. I should not be saying it so self-importantly when I can’t even control the nobles. I feel very apologetic towards her.”

“Well, yeah. I mean if someone you really can’t handle comes up, I’ll deal with them.”
“Assassinating them at random would only make them harder to control.”
“I suppose that’s true too…”

It wasn’t like nobles didn’t do any work at all. They acted as agents of tax revenue in the management of land, and they worked considerably when it came to the circulation of goods too.

If such nobles decreased, the lands left without a supervisor would fall to ruin and the kingdom would also lose the tax yields.

That would lead to the weakening of the kingdom, and would come to threaten the lives of its citizens. Maxwell knew that well, hence why he was against excessive punishment.

“It’s a tough situation. Oh well. We were only going to stop by to replenish water, so a few days’ time is already more than enough.”
“Do apologize to little Michelle for me.”
“Will do.”
“Also, are you planning to show your face to Cortina?”
“Now that I think about it, I haven’t done that as of late.”

Maybe because I was seeing her once a month as Reid, I haven’t been showing up as Nicole all that much. We were talking about that company-loving girl. I’m sure she was grumping about being neglected. She was my benefactor even from Nicole’s standpoint and was even my guardian for a time.

Still, I couldn’t go right away.

“Well, I’ll do it once we actually arrive here. I have to return quickly now. I’m on guard duty, after all.”
“I see. But I have to say…”

Maxwell suddenly pointed at me.

“The way you sit is honestly improper, so I hope you stop doing it.”
“Hmm…?”

I noticed it after his words. Having my heels on my knees left my crotch exposed, so it was looking quite immodest for a lady. When I was before Maxwell, my manly behavior leaked out involuntarily. It was probably because I was often assuming Reid’s form whenever I returned here.

I had to keep it in mind to not do the same before Cortina too.