We left the royal castle and headed for the adventurers' guild. The king had a letter for Dex, and we planned to have lunch at the guild.
The moment we stepped through the guild's main doors, someone suddenly shouted:
"Our heroes are back!!!"
"OOHHHHH!!!"
Everyone else joined in with even louder cheers—definitely louder than this morning. Looks like the people who were hiding in the dungeon had returned too.
And then I remembered… Lani was exhausted and sleeping.
Naturally, with this kind of volume…
"Uwaa~! Waaah! Waaah—!"
Lani woke up crying. I immediately pushed Lina outside and asked her to calm Lani down while I went in to warn everyone to keep it down.
It took a lot of effort, but I finally made them understand the situation. Still, expecting total silence from this bunch was asking too much. I walked out to bring Lina and Lani inside—only to hear Lina singing to her.
"Sleep tight～Sleep tight～Child, drift off to sleep～Sleep tight～Sleep tight～Child, drift off to sleep～…"
It was the lullaby I sang once when Lina couldn't sleep as a child. I didn't expect her to remember it.
I didn't call out to her; instead, I stood quietly beside her, watching whether Lani was falling asleep.
Lina seemed unaware of my presence. She focused entirely on singing, her gentle voice soothing Lani.
Under Lina's sweet singing, Lani quickly drifted back to sleep.
Then I stepped in front of Lina in a way that wouldn't startle her—though she still jumped a little when she finally noticed me.
"K–Karen… When did you get here?"
"Before Lani fell asleep."
"…So you heard?"
Lina's face turned red. Was she embarrassed? I gave her a thumbs-up in praise.
"You sang beautifully. I'm sure Lani loved it too."
"…Thank you."
She lowered her head, her voice small but clearly pleased.
But standing outside too long wasn't ideal, so I pointed back toward the door.
"Let's go in. Not that I expect it to be quiet."
"Mm."
We entered the guild again. This time there was no cheering—only shameless stares.
These people were getting scary. They didn't even bother hiding their curiosity anymore.
Everyone stared at us, waiting. They didn't move because they knew she would ask first, and all they had to do was sit and listen.
And that "she" was Sally.
She came rushing over, eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Lina! Karen! What did you wish for from the king?! Did you ask to become nobles?! Or endless money?! Are you going to retire from adventurer and live carefree lives? I'm so jealous…"
By the end, she wasn't even talking to us anymore—she was just venting her own wishes. I hurriedly waved my hands.
"No, no, nothing like that. Our wishes were simple."
"What were they?"
"First, Lani become a recognized citizen. Second, have a house."
"Not become nobles? Why?"
"What's so good about being a noble? It's not free at all."
Why did nobles come up again? What's so great about them? Nobility is basically a symbol of no freedom. Freedom of speech is a joke when power is involved. If someone high-ranking gets offended, you might as well dig your own grave.
"But nobles have lots of money!"
Sally was imagining things too beautifully. Money doesn't magically appear just because you're a noble. Nobles have to work too.
"Sally, nobility is just a social status. They still have to work to make money. It's not easy at all."
"…I don't really get it."
Sally thought for a moment and shook her head. Maybe my explanation wasn't deep enough, so I tried again.
"Nobles all have territories. The people living there pay taxes because they are tenants. The noble's job is to manage their territory and improve the people's quality of life. If they do well, more people move in, and tax income increases. But if the noble does a bad job, people leave, taxes drop, and the noble becomes hated. So now do you understand?"
"Nope."
Sally shook her head without hesitation.
I had explained so clearly… What part didn't she get?
I stared at Sally, speechless, unsure how to even continue.
Then I remembered we were here to meet Dex. If this continued, Sally would keep us here forever. I turned to Lina.
"…Lina, hand Lani to me. You take some paper and a pen and explain everything to her slowly. I'll go find the guildmaster myself."
Lina had been holding Lani for a long time—she must be tired. And with everyone about to get noisy again, it would be better to let Lani sleep quietly in Dex's office.
"Mm."
After Lina agreed, I took the sleeping Lani from her. At that moment, Sally shouted at me:
"I not a stupid! No need paper and pen to understand!"
I didn't think Sally was that hopeless… but after she shook her head at something even I found easy to explain, what was I supposed to think? Not that I could say that out loud.
"Come on, Sally, let's sit over there and talk."
Lina dragged Sally to a nearby table, saving me from further trouble. I carried Lani toward Dex's office. I knocked, and once given permission, I entered.
The moment I opened the door, Dex was working behind his desk. When he saw me and Lani, he spoke up.
"Oh, Karen and the little red dragon…? Hm? Lina isn't with you? That's rare."
He craned his neck as if hoping Lina would appear behind me. Since Lina and I were almost never apart, us splitting up was indeed unusual.
"No. She's explaining the trouble of becoming a noble to Sally."
"Nobles? Did you two become nobles?"
Before answering, I laid Lani down on the sofa, making sure she was comfortable, then sat down myself.
"No. I think living as commoners is better."
"Then what did you wish for?"
"First, Lani become a recognized citizen. Second, a house."
Dex nodded and then looked at Lani with a warm smile.
"You really do adore this little red dragon—she even has a home now."
"Of course. It's important."
Creating an environment where Lani can grow up happy and healthy is a top priority.
"So, where is your house?"
"They said it used to belong to the ex-baron, near the guild."
"The ex-baron?! A noble's house? You're sure you didn't become nobles?"
Dex looked completely shocked. Maybe he thought we were tricked. I hurried to reassure him.
"We checked the land deed before we signed anything. No problems. Ah—The king gave me a letter for you. It doesn't seem to be confidential."
I suddenly remembered we weren't here for small talk. I handed him the king's letter. Dex took a small knife from his drawer, slicing open the envelope while answering me.
"Of course it's not confidential. It's not like the king and I have any special relationship."
Good. It would be terrifying if he did.
Dex read the letter, and a slow smile spread across his face. For a moment I wondered—are you sure you two don't have some relationship? A ridiculous thought flashed through my mind. I asked carefully:
"What does it say?"
Dex answered while enjoying the contents of the letter far too much.
"It's not a secret… but it is a surprise."
"For who?"
"You'll understand when you come to the guild tomorrow."
Damn it. Now I was even more curious. If Lani weren't sleeping, I might've snatched that letter right out of his hands.
"Fine. Then let's change the topic. I have something to discuss with you."
"What is it?"
We finished our discussion quickly. Not wanting to disturb him further, I picked Lani up and left the office.
Outside, I saw Lina still teaching Sally.
"Lina."
Lina lifted her head to look at me, her eyes full of exhaustion and defeat. Then she shook her head and muttered:
"Karen, I can't do this anymore. Sally is just… so stupid…"
"Lina, that's too much! That hurts, you know!"
Sitting right beside her, Sally clearly heard the word "stupid" and immediately grabbed Lina's shoulders, shaking her in protest.
I picked up the sheet of paper on the table—covered with Lina's notes, simple and easy to understand. I had no idea what part Sally wasn't grasping, so I asked:
"Sally, what exactly don't you understand?"
"Why don't you two want to be nobles?"
I was speechless. We had somehow circled right back to the very first question. Was it our explanation that was flawed… or something else entirely?
"…Sally, is our explanation really that unclear? Or are you just… You know what, forget it. We just like living as commoners. That's all you need to understand."
I gave up. No more explanations. Just chalk everything up to preference.
"That part I understand."
Thank goodness. If she had followed up with "But why do you like being commoners?", I might've actually coughed up blood.