Evan D. Sherden, Robs the Ocean. (2)
“Welcome, Evan D. Sherden! I have heard your name from so far away!”
As Eloa had said, Count Delod von Sirpe, the ruler of Palman, welcomed Evan’s group.
This was inevitable since Eloa was the daughter of a nobleman and was especially cherished. And the rumor that Evan was one of the current leaders of Sherden was well known in Mana Road as well!
“Thank you for welcoming us, Count Sirpe. Seeing Eloa’s noble character and remarkable ability, I’ve always wanted to meet you, Count Sirpe.”
Evan lied and shook hands without even licking his lips once. After shaking hands, Belois, who had been waiting, took a step forward.
There was a large box in her arms, and the Count was surprised to see her holding the box so casually. She was a highly trained rookie despite her slender frame.
“In Sherden, the skills of performers must be high too.”
“She’s wearing a maid’s uniform, but she’s going to join the Dungeon Knights in the future. She’s also an excellent wizard. Appearances can mislead.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Come to think of it, my daughter mentioned a magical friend in her letter which said that they debate about magic together.”
Belois first handed the box over to the butler who was next to the Count and bowed politely.
“It’s not my place, sir, but I give my regards. I’m Belois.”
“Oh, I see! I apologize again for my rudeness. And thank you for being close to my daughter. It’s rare for her to make any friends!”
The Count wanted to shake Belois’ hand out of gratitude. Of course, he may have acted on Evan’s and Eloa’s way of treating Belois preciously, but it didn’t look too bad to ask for a handshake.
“It’s an honor, Your Grace.”
“Please take good care of my daughter, Belois. My daughter, who had never been close to anybody in her life, suddenly told me that she has a friend who was a little younger, and I was so surprised that she said-”
“Father, shut up.”
Eloa threatened the Count by raising ice magic as if she would turn him into a statue if he did not shut up. The Count coughed his words away.
“Hmm, hm. So, Master Evan, this is..…?”
“I’ve put in a little bit of what’s only available in Sherden. I hope you like it.”
“Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh! Thanks to my beloved daughter, I’m getting all these gifts!”
The Count was thrilled to see the contents of the box. Even if he had said that he prepared the gifts for the Count for months, anyone would’ve believed him as the box was filled with high-grade items.
“I’m so relieved that you’re with these people, Eloa.”
“You’re such a materialistic person, Father.”
Even though she said that, Eloa still felt satisfied; it wasn’t bad because her father liked the gift from the guest she brought over. It was indeed a successful get-together.
Diona, watching the scene from behind, quietly asked Dain.
“So which side of Master is the real side?”
“That’s what I want to know. I just know that it’s not this side.”
A dinner party was held that evening when the Count listened to Eloa and politely asked the owner of the Brotherhood Skewers, Bane, to stand in the kitchen; the owner first served dishes made from his own food fusion at the Count’s table.
“Oh, I can’t believe you mixed pork and seafood like this.”
“Oh, this salmon is really big. I’ve never seen this size in the port city before. And the recipe is excellent!”
“Bane, I will remember your name!”
It was the moment when the name of the owner that Evan could not even remember began to become famous overseas in earnest.
Meanwhile, Evan tilted his head while he filled his mouth with a skewer made from the flesh of a crab’s claws—an emperor crab caught only in the port of Palman.
“I can’t see the Status, so I don’t know if my stat is getting higher.”
“How’s the taste?”
“It’s the best.”
The effect was not immediately known, but the taste was indeed the best. As the owner had the skill of cooking the meat of countless dungeon monsters without prior information, the plates of seafood he saw for the first time in his life had all been perfectly cooked to match their characteristics.
“It was so delicious that I even had a hallucination of traveling around the sea on the back of the emperor crab.”
“Haha, that’s all that matters.”
“…The owner just learned a skill, and suddenly he becomes a wise man.”
But perhaps that was really enough for now. Evan nodded at the owner’s words. Only the flesh from the skewers was removed and pushed into his mouth. Again, hallucinations ran through the sea with the emperor crab dominating his brain. It was an unabated impression.
Still, he decided to bite each dish for now because he didn’t know which one of these dishes would raise the status.
Evan was going to stay two nights in Palman, as he did in Roizen. Impressed by Evan’s gifts and the dinner prepared by the owner, the Count was willing to vacate his room for Evan so he could rest comfortably without having to find accommodation.
“Hu, I’m full.”
“You’ve gone too far today.”
Sitting by the window, enjoying the sea breeze, someone’s murmur replied to him. Of course, it was Belois. The accommodation was thoroughly divided according to gender and number of people, but Eloa made some adjustments just for her friend Belois.
Belois was confident even if she were to be caught. She could only explain that she was attending to Evan as an exclusive maid of honor. However, Arisha would be grinding her teeth.
“I can’t miss out on anything because I think it might permanently increase my status.”
“He will always make the same thing for you.”
“I suppose so. But the first time is special.”
“In the beginning, special…”
Belois’ eyes grew a little bigger at what Evan said without meaning much. The first time was special, and today was indeed the case for Belois.
The sea, harbor, lighthouse, fish, people, cooking. She was used to seeing the nobles being kind to the common people in the Sherden family, but she was surprised to see Count Sirpe asking her to shake hands without feeling inferior.
“It was a very impressive first day.”
“I’m glad Lua enjoyed it. Actually, I had fun, too.”
The sea. It was a place where Evan had little connection in his previous life. For an outsider who lived a life marked by work and games, the beach was only seen from behind the screen of a monitor.
Fishing in the harbor was a delightful experience for him, even though he could see the collection of his original treasure chest.
It was also fun to see Eloa’s face crumpled up every time he caught a fish. He acted as if he had never done fishing in his life, and it was a complete lie.
“I’m starting to feel really sorry for Shine.”
“In the next Pellati Dungeon Festival, we will protect Sherden and let Shine go.”
Evan felt a little guilty about letting Shine remain in the dungeon city because of his position as Deputy Head of the Dungeon Knights Team, which had yet to be launched officially. If the next opportunity came, he was determined to give way to Shine.
“He lost the honor of looking at the sea with you.”
“Is that important?”
“Yes, it’s the most important,” Belois nodded and smiled shyly at Evan’s question. “Shine has never seen you fishing out of the sea squirt.”
“No, wait. I need to lend Shine the Golden King’s gear. It’ll be worth seeing him wearing these earrings.”
As he spoke, he thought it was quite a plausible idea not only for Palman but also for Roizen. Evan had devastated Roizen once and was no longer welcome in the city, but Shine, armed with the Golden King’s equipment, will once again be able to rob that place!
“That’s going to be fun, too. But I don’t think Shine can make a big profit since he can’t control his expressions like you can.”
“Right. …No, hold on, Lua. Wasn’t I pretty good at making a poker face in Roizen?”
“I’m sorry, Master… it was most plausible when you didn’t see any cards.”
“I knew it. I thought so.”
Since then, the two had small talk and looked out through the window at sea. Drinking her tea made Evan feel more comfortable, as if the food in his stomach had melted down.
“Master, are you still anxious?”
Suddenly, Belois asked this. Before leaving Sherden, Evan was so worried that he kept paying attention.
“Lua… no, it’s okay now,” Evan smiled slightly and shook his head.
“We’ve prepared enough. I was just sensitive because the signs kept appearing, and the incident didn’t go off.”
There was always an absolute law when playing a game. If there was a sign, then there must be a reasonable event. It was also called Chekhov’s total theory, and so was the Yo-Ma Great War Series….but Evan now knew that this world was not a game, and he was sick and tired of viewing it as one.
“My absence won’t make much of a difference.”
“That’s never true, but…… even if anything happens, they’ll be able to stop it. You’ve prepared us for that.”
“If you say that, then I’m sure you’re right.”
“Yes, you can believe me. Especially Shine and Raihan, who can’t be beaten unless it’s you, Master.”
Belois said this and reached out to warm up the teapot. Evan smiled softly at the tea she was serving. He couldn’t believe the relationship he was building with her.
However, if he were to say this out loud, the relationship would begin to shake significantly from that moment. It was probably the direction Evan was in, but he had to endure it all the more.
“…The sea is beautiful.”
“Pellati must be a beautiful place, too.”
“I’m sure it will. You can look forward to it.”
Even the CG on the game screen was so beautiful. How great would it be if you saw it in person? Moreover, the Pellati Dungeon Festival was an event that was not even featured in the game scenario.
It would have been a mistake if Evan had refused Arisha’s invite and remained in Sherden because of his irrational anxieties—but maybe he was right to feel them as well. It was an event that should never be missed for Evan, a no-lifer of the Yo-Ma Great War Series.
“Lady Arisha seemed determined.”
“Oh… yes, it seems that she is.”
He thought the topic was going in a different direction. Evan nodded with a bitter smile. Belois confirmed that the teapot was empty and spoke, organizing it.
“Arisha is a very straight woman.”
“Isn’t she the opposite?”
“Her heart, not her tone.”
When Evan shrugged, Belois smiled back.
“Of course, it would have taken longer without Serena.”
“We’re only 15 years old.”
“We’re already 15, Master, and you have less than three years to become an adult.”
Indeed, more than six years had already passed since he recovered the memories of his past life.
On the contrary, it had been more than six years since they met in this world. She was a seven-year-old little girl when they met, and she was now thirteen. Appearance-wise she was already half an adult.
“If you avoid it any more, I will feel sorry for Arisha.”
“……I was a little too hard on her.”
“Yes, Serena won’t be daunted, but Arisha has a soft heart.”
Belois gulped down the words, “So I’m grateful.” Although she quarreled with Arisha, she did not completely forget the alliance she had made with her, even by a hair’s breadth.
“I can’t just run away forever. I was different when I fought with Grandpa Leo.”
“I know, of course. But when it comes to relationships, you’re still cautious.”
“That’s… that’s true, for now.”
Evan glanced out of the window, vaguely. The sad beauty of his side made Belois’ mouth slip.
“But if you open your heart to me like this… I’ll keep getting confused… Oh, no. That was a slip of the tongue. Please forget what I said.”
Belois’s face quickly turned red. She couldn’t believe she made such a mistake even though she knew that being too close would scare him. Evan’s cheeks turned red, so there was no way to escape. Belois spoke again in a dying voice.
“Forget it. Please.”
“I’ll forget it.”
They knew each other’s mind to some extent. The mind was deepening faster and faster, but both knew that it was not yet time to move forward.
“Belois?”
“Yes, sir.”
Belois replied with a fairly calm voice. Evan took a short breath and said,
“That… The moon, it’s so pretty.”
“…Yes, that’s right.”
“Shall we watch some more before we go to bed?”
“Yes, that would be fine.”
Indeed, novelists in this world did not enjoy metaphorical expressions.
Evan smiled at Belois’ peaceful reply, but turned his eyes to the beach. If he said something, it would just become a big deal, so he thought that it was better this way.
It must have been because of Evan’s great agitation that he could not see Belois with reddened ears.