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Sigurd IV had completed various quests as an ordinary adventurer due to various circumstances before becoming an A-Class Adventurer.

And true to his high rank, he encountered many unbelievable situations that he wouldn’t have believed until he saw with his own eyes.

Unicorns debating what a pure maiden truly is.

An elf druid who became a carnivore out of love for plants.

A severe narcissist married to a doppelganger that needs to be exorcised.

Just recalling those rare experiences, over 80% of the people who heard them didn’t believe them either, made my head spin.

Sigurd IV learned through experience that the most appropriate know-how in such situations was to ‘put common sense aside.’

As an adventurer and also a dwarf, Karem’s absurd words turned out to be true.

“-So, I was forced to train against Gordon. Wow, getting hit with a spoon really made me dizzy.”

“Oh, seems like that extraordinary guy did it again.”

That implied there was a previous incident. Could it be that he even bullied his own friend? So I asked.

“Did he do that to you too, Sir Sigurd?”

“Not me, but the dignity of numerous adventurers challenging the promotion exam was utterly shattered by a wooden spoon. But you, what about you?”

Sigurd IV waved his empty hands as if shaking his head.

“Call me by name. If you’re friends with Gordon, you’re a friend of this A-Class Adventurer, Sigurd IV as well.”

“Eh, but you seem like a senior to Sir Zigmeser.”

“Ah! Gordon’s friend is my friend too! No formalities!”

Sigurd slammed his mug onto the stone floor of the prison with a clatter.

“That’ll mess up the distribution.”

“Haha, whether that guy’s distribution gets messed up or not is none of my business.”

The easiest way to make friends is to share common interests. This was all thanks to Gordon.

The absurd incidents, outrageous events, and baffling stories experienced with Gordon came bubbling out between the bars.

“Oh, right. There’s something I wanted to ask.”

“About Gordon?”

“Yeah. What was it? I was invited to a mansion only to find it magically sealed, and I had to escape after being assaulted under the guise of a body charge by some noble lady—”

“Hahahahahaha! Hahahahaha!!!”

Sigurd IV, who had been holding back his laughter, burst out. The sound of laughter echoed through the prison tower.

“They didn’t give me the details, though.”

“Come on, sit there. I’ll tell you about the amazing backdrop!”

Thanks to that, Karem quickly learned the hidden truths of the amusing, surprising, and mysterious misadventures Gordon had faced.

I must tell Sister Catherine too.

After a hearty laugh, Karem felt hungry and tore into the mackerel he’d brought to humble Sigurd IV. A drop of oil dripped from the end of the mackerel chunk.

“Oh, that was meant for me—”

“Originally, I was going to do that, but I just couldn’t hold back.”

“No, but—”

“Thanks for the meal.”

Karem inhaled the smell of the grilled mackerel and took a big bite of the large piece that he had ripped apart, following his head and body’s orders.

Crisp—

The oily skin of the mackerel, almost burned to a crisp, shattered delicately.

The flesh yielded to his teeth, breaking apart as it was crushed, releasing a rich flavor mixed with oil and the juicy tenderness that faintly melted the salinity of the salted fish.

While thoroughly chewing the skin and flesh, he suddenly sensed an unusual texture of the flesh— the bloodline meat of the mackerel.

Some chefs discard bloodline meat due to its strong flavor, but how could one throw away such a concentrated taste?

The bloodline meat, softened by the heat of the charcoal fire, broke apart gently under pressure.

The intense flavor of the mackerel was thick and deeply pronounced.

The skin, the white flesh and dark flesh, the juices, and the oil united into a single emotion.

‘Ah, I want to eat.’

The more he chewed the flesh and crispy skin, the more the unique oiliness of the blue fish thickened in his mouth.

The intense saltiness that danced on his tongue was barely neutralized by the richness of the flesh and juices, which only grew stronger.

At times like this, one must scoop a generous spoonful of rice.

Then, the rice grains soaked in oil would cleanse his tongue of saltiness while further amplifying the flavors and scents of the charcoal and mackerel.

But there was no rice in front of him. Karem took an empty mug from the prison and extended it through the bars.

“Sir Sigurd. Just one mug of beer, please.”

With eyes blazing like a dwarf craving beer, Sigurd took the mug and filled it to the brim with beer.

What his instincts and tongue desired was rice.

However, Karem thought beer wasn’t so bad either. After all, salty and greasy snacks go perfectly with alcohol, especially beer. And the grilled mackerel was indeed salty and oily.

Gulp— gulp—

And just like that, the first sip coated the oil and saltiness on his tongue with a smooth foam, and the subsequent sips swept away the remaining aroma.

“Phew…”

Refreshing.

Yet, it felt empty.

“Ah, it’s been a while since I’ve met someone who savors beer and snacks as much as a dwarf.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“Of course!”

In the eyes of a dwarf mad about beer, enjoying beer well must be the highest praise.

Karem understood and took a smaller piece of mackerel to eat.

“By the way, are you heading straight to Baron Bolton’s Territory when you get released in two days?”

“Not straight away. I still have to finish the negotiations.”

“If only we hadn’t swung weapons in the Great Hall, we would’ve wrapped this up by now.”

“Tsk, well, that’s how it goes.”

No official contracts had been made, nor even a preliminary agreement. Since Karem had already organized things with Viktor for the proposal at Ishikobaharten, only Alfred’s confirmation remained.

Initially, it would take a bit longer, but since Sigurd IV would commit rudeness and have to bend his opinions, the time was expected to shorten.

“But I just couldn’t hold back when I saw that scoundrel’s face…!”

“I heard he wasn’t filled with malice.”

“If a man from the Beolseong Family died just because of that, he should just have died.”

Such aggression, indeed.

That thought struggled in Karem’s throat but eventually, he decided to withdraw his astringent gaze and reluctantly agree.

“By the way, it’s strange to think of Gordon as a Baron.”

“Well, I bet Gordon wouldn’t welcome it if his friends call him ‘Lord.’ He’ll probably tell them to use honorifics.”

“Damn, that feels really weird.”

Karem nodded at Sigurd’s casual mumbling. Honestly, Gordon’s behavior had no semblance of the so-called ‘nobility’s dignity.’

‘Not that it matters much.’

Gordon was the very Swordmaster of Iceland.

For that, the Duke of Iceland personally conferred the title with both hands.

However, would there be a quarrel about dignity in Iceland, which prioritized ability over nobility?

“Speaking of which, are you going to see him?”

“Well, I suppose it’d be nice to see him, but I do have work to attend to.”

Having been robbed of work from Mary and having little to do, Karem was the personal chef for Catherine, the top magic consultant.

His job was essentially to follow Catherine around and serve meals and snacks.

Of course, if he wanted a break, he could go anytime. But then Mary would be delighted and hastily tell him to leave.

And he couldn’t leave just to spite that.

There wasn’t much reason to be apart from Catherine either.

*

*

*

Great Hall, Dinner Banquet.

“This summer, we’re going on vacation.”

Catherine, who was eating the quiche on the fork that Mary handed her, secretly eyed Karem.

“Eh? Just like that… Hrm.”

Karem closed his mouth tightly. Come to think of it, ever since entering Winterhome two years ago and starting the chaotic operation in Wintersend and Kingsland, until now, it had been a whirlwind of events.

During that time, he had never had what one would call a vacation. There were days without work, but strictly speaking, those were just lazy days, not vacations.

Karem recalled once again the events that had happened during this time.

…

He decided to stop recalling it.

Even he would feel like wanting a vacation.

“There has been a lot of work from last year to this year. Hoh hoh.”

“Just in time, the mercenary sent an invitation, so it would be nice to combine the vacation with a housewarming visit.”

“Invitation?”

When did such a thing arrive? Mary, who was serving, replied in place of Catherine, who had stopped eating her pie.

“Do you remember the letter I asked you about during the day?”

“Ah, that letter was the invitation?”

“Yes.”

It seemed Karem had missed it while following Zigmeser. He bit into the pie and chewed.

“Looks like your destination overlaps with Sigurd.”

“Sigurd? Sigurd IV?”

Catherine, momentarily focused on the Brownie’s joy, set her glass down, caught off guard by an unexpected name.

“Yeah. Coincidentally, he also received a letter and is going to meet a friend, and that friend happens to be someone we know.”

“A friend of the mercenary?”

“Yeah. But how long do you plan to keep calling him that?”

“Ha.”

Catherine slightly turned her head, looking at Karem with a mildly disapproving expression, lightly snickering, with pie dust on the corners of her mouth.

“If you were to gain even a little bit of the refinement of a noble with that attitude, I might consider thinking about it—”

“Ah, wait a second.”

“What? Ugh!?”

“You have some powder on you.”

As pie dust fell, his fingers brushed her mouth corner. Startled by the unexpected contact, Catherine flinched but quickly continued speaking as if nothing happened.

“If our destinations overlap, it might be reasonable to request an escort.”

“Sister. Your face is turning red.”

“If our destinations overlap, it might be reasonable to request an escort.”

Catherine, with a faintly flushed face, repeated what she had just said, as if to convey, ‘I didn’t hear anything.’

Karem, who was amused inside, met the eyes of Mary, who was holding a napkin and sending sharp glances from behind Catherine.

‘I was going to wipe it up first, though.’

‘No, it was so obvious right in front of me.’

‘I never expected to be ambushed like this.’

‘That’s not it.’

‘I thought I had been considerate enough between the two of us!’

Rather than turning his gaze away, the emotions carried in Mary’s eyes grew stronger. Yet, it was absurd how she tended to everything without a single mistake.

Although Catherine mentioned she would go on vacation, it didn’t mean she could go right away.

She needed Alfred’s approval, a housewarming gift, to hand off her work tasks, and to swiftly finish urgent requests, while Karem packed with Mary.

During that time, while Catherine busily prepared to go on vacation, Karem met the now-released Sigurd IV from the dungeon.

“Are you talking about an escort request?”

“Yes. Since our destinations overlap, the top magic consultant wishes for an escort.”

“Going to meet a friend, what do you need an escort for? We could just go together.”

“But just so you know, Sigurd’s escort fee is this much—”

“However, thus, for the sake of friendship, one must be even more thorough with calculations!”

With that, Sigurd IV gathered the silk scrolls which served as his proposal and finally joined Catherine, who had been waiting along with the hired adventurer party.

Rumble, rumble, rumble—

“Whew, this ain’t the crazy thoroughfare for nothing. You may start your journey.”

Pulling a small cart filled with beer barrels himself.

“What is with all this beer?”

“It’s for drinking on the way to Baron Bolton’s Territory?”

Didn’t they say it was an escort request? But beer? In the middle of a careless drinking atmosphere, Karem wondered if this was really okay, trading glances between Catherine and the cart.

Though he knew dwarves wouldn’t get drunk on beer, still…

“Hurry and get in the wagon.”

“…Well, alright.”

It seemed like it didn’t really matter. After all, being an A-Class adventurer, and a dwarf at that, surely no troubles would arise.

Meanwhile, Sigurd IV fastened the beer cart to the back of the wagon and kept drinking.

Had they allowed beer in exchange for handling the driving?

Gulp— gulp— gulp—

“Burp— what’s this? Want to join me for a drink?”

“…Yes. Well. Just one for me.”

 

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