Chapter 4 Are escort requests a breakfast

 You're not going to ask me to escort you out of here?

 When Nina joined the Adventurer's Guild, she immediately noticed trouble.

 A girl who looks like a wizard is being teased.

 That means she doesn't have a commission to accept.

(...I want to work, but I can't. I'm the same way.)

 That's when Nina sprang into action.

 I ordered a girl, Emily, to be my escort, and she accepted.

 Then he took Emily, who still hadn't fully grasped the situation, and went outside the guild.

"...sorry, thanks. I'm calm now. You saved me."

"No, sir. I was trying to get Emily-san to help me."

 They were in a park in the city.

 It's not a park with playground equipment, but a square with a little greenery and a few benches.

 The two of them sit side by side, with a space of one person between them.

You mean the escort request? But, I can't do it. Did you hear? I'm a mage but I can only use 'first level' magic."

"It's okay... well, I guess, it's okay. All I'm asking is that you accompany me to a spring in the suburbs."

"Oh . You mean the Clay Spring. It's probably the best time to see the peach blossoms..."

"Yes! Has Emily-sama ever been to the Clay Fountain!"

 Emily is a little reluctant to bite Nina, who has been biting her so hard that the space between her and Nina has been cut in half.

"Yeah, yeah... there is, but..."

"Good! I've heard that the way to the spring is simple, but I've never walked outside the house before, so I'm not sure. So I would like you to escort me."

"It's not an escort, it's a guide. I'm fine with that."

 Well, I've already accepted the request," Emily continued.

 Nina had taken her out of that tense situation through the adventurer's guild by "requesting" Emily.

 If you have a problem with a client, the guild will stare at you.

 At this point, the man had no choice but to back off.

"Then let's go!"

"What, now?"

"Yes. Is there a problem?"

"It's already lunchtime, and if we leave now, we'll be camped out in the woods."

"Nonei!"

 A word that I never used or heard when I was working in the mansion.

 Nina gets excited, but Emiri looks at her as if she can't believe that there are women who enjoy camping.

"Are we really going now?"

"No...is it?"

 Emily feels a mysterious sense of guilt for Nina, who has lost her energy like a deflated balloon.

"Okay, okay. It's not too dangerous to set up camp in the woods near Clay's Fountain."

"Wow, you really are an adventurer-sama!"

"......"

 Emily does not feel bad about being called an "adventurer-sama". In fact, I want her to be treated more like an adventurer.

"Well then, let's get ready to set up camp before we go."

"Yes! I will follow Emily-sama's instructions!"

"...No, you're my employer, remember? And stop calling me 'Emily-sama'. Then I'll have to call you 'Nina-sama' too."

"Uh... okay. Emily-san."

"Hmm, well, that's about right. But I'm going to call you Nina."

"No problem!"

"Huh. Strange client."

"Is that so?"

"Yes . I've never heard of a request to escort a maid--"

     △

 The commercial city of Furmun is surrounded by a city wall.

 Outside the city walls, there are some farmhouses and stores selling travel tools, and although there are some houses, the nature is basically untouched by human hands.

"Two women. Even at the Fountain of Clay, you should be careful."

 The guard said as he returned Emily's adventurer's card.

"Bandits don't come out in that area, but I've heard some disturbing rumors lately about giant birds kidnapping horses."

"Giant bird? Clay's Fountain is in the woods, so I'm sure it's fine."

"Hmm . That's true, too. Either way, I'd be careful."

"Yes."

 Emily waved her hand and the guards moved on to check on the next traveler.

 They walked through the open meadow.

 The path was narrow, but we were not worried about our footing.

 We passed people who seemed to be coming back from the Fountain of Clay, but not half of them seemed to have guards with them. It seems peaceful.

 Three hours after leaving the city, we came to the entrance of the forest.

"The forest is just beyond here, but I wouldn't recommend spending the night inside. Let's spend the night here."

"Yes."

"...are you okay?"

"What's that?"

"Uh, yeah, nothing, nothing."

"?"

 It's not surprising that Emily would say something like that.

 In order to make a camp that we didn't have to make, we brought the necessary blankets, foodstuffs, and even cooking utensils since Nina said she wanted to cook outside.

 They have to be carried as "baggage".

 Normally, the adventurers would share the load, but Emiri is the only one who can carry it, and Nina says, "I'll carry it too," as if it's a matter of course, so Nina has to carry a lot of the load too.

 I don't know how her tiny body has such strength, but little Nina has been carrying a large backpack for the past three hours.

 And yet, Nina is nonchalant.

"You know, you're pretty strong, aren't you?"

"Of course, if you're a maid."

 Nina bowed politely with her hands on her head.

 --Is that so? Is this what a maid is supposed to do?

 I wonder, but I don't know because Emily has never had a maid around.

"Okay, I'll make a fire but I can do this much. Actually, this is all I can do."

"Is this all you got?"

"It's okay, don't worry about it."

 Emily holds her hand over the firewood she has expertly collected.

"Spirit of Fire, gather in my hands and dance."

 After the chanting, Nina sees the flames light up and says, "Wow.

 The flame is sucked into the dry branches and burns them.

"...you've never seen magic before?"

"I've never seen fire magic before--it's so magical. And it's mysterious and beautiful."

"I see."

 Emily smiles sadly, but Nina doesn't know why.

"Well, I guess it's my turn from here!"

 Nina rolls up her arms and pulls out the food,

"What? You can cook? Oh, you're a maid... right?"

"Leave it to me."

 Nina put her palms to her chest and hung her head reverently - every gesture, Emily thought, was elegant - and wielded her cooking skills.

"Dead Eurasian..."

 It's too much to say that she could have died like this, but that's how happy Emily was.

 I was shocked.

 I never thought a meal in the field could taste so good.

"I'm dying of hunger..."

 The items she bought in town were from the same store Emily usually uses, so there was nothing strange about them.

 However, Nina's cooking was very elaborate.

 I burned the surface of the meat with fat before boiling it, added several kinds of herbs that Emily would never use, and to top it off, a number of seasonings.

 It looked like a tomato-based meat soup, but it had the deepest flavor she'd ever had, and Emily couldn't help but have another - a whole pot (...) of it.

"I'm glad you like it."

"I don't care how you like it, you can do it professionally. I never thought I'd be able to eat Italian (・・・・・) here..."

"It's Itali, isn't it?"

"Oh, no, no, no, it's okay, it's okay."

"Is that so? Well, why don't you take the rest of the day off, Emily?"

"!"

 Emily, who had been lying down, woke up with a start.

"The night watch is the job of the adventurer. I'm not going to give that up."

"Well, well, well, don't be so sure."

 Nina, who was sitting beside her, pulled her hand away, and for some reason she could not resist the force and lay down. The back of Emily's head touches something soft, and it is Nina's knee.

"Huh? What? Huh?"

"You look very tired, Emily. If you could just relax a little..."

"E--"

 I can run my fingers through my hair and forcefully apply pressure at certain points.

 After a tingling sensation like an electric current, I felt my body relax.

 Scalp massage.

"Hmmm..."

"You've taken care of me as an escort. Thank you very much. Please relax for now."

"Squishy, squishy..."

 Emily feels her body relax from the pleasant stimulation.

 A bonfire is blazing nearby, and the surrounding area is silent in the darkness of night.

 Look up and see the stars.

 In a moment of doze, Emily fell asleep.


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