Combat Cat Maid !! Nicole

Chapter 37: Trip to royal capital

Maybe because it was early afternoon, there weren’t many people in the Commerce Guild.

When I went to the reception desk, Mylene-san, who seemed available, was there.

"Nicole-san, what is the matter?"

"I’ll be going to the royal capital for a while, so I came to report it. So, I’ll be counting on Tirumina-san for the matter regarding the eggs, okay?"

Though I said that, almost all of the matters regarding the eggs had already been left to Tirumina-san.

I was only consulted about the price every once in a while.

"You plan on going to the Royal Capital?"

"It’s a little bit of escort work."

"How long do you plan on staying at the Royal Capital?"

"I also want to see the King’s birthday commemoration that will be going on, so I was thinking of staying until it is finished."

"Is that so? In that case, since you’re going to the Royal Capital, I’ll be looking forward to some souvenirs, okay?"

"That’s fine, but is there something you want?"

"I’ll leave it to you to decide."

"That’s the most troublesome answer, you know? Ahh, that’s right. It’s not a souvenir, but I’ll give this to you."

I took a pudding out of the cat Box.

"What is this?"

"It’s a delicacy called pudding, made from Clucker eggs. Make sure you put it in a refrigerator, then you can eat it during your break. Also, please tell me your impression when I return, okay?"

"Thank you very much. I’ll take up your offer and eat it later. It’s not to thank you or anything, but please take this."

Mylene-san wrote something on a piece of paper, sealed it in an envelope, and handed it to me.

"What’s this?"

"My letter of introduction. If you run into some trouble at the Commerce Guild in the Royal Capital, please hand this over to the [Commerce Guild] there. I think they’ll be a bit more accommodating after that."

"Thank you."

I gratefully accepted her letter of introduction.

I did have plans to go to the Commerce Guild there.

"Please don’t forget about the pudding, and eat it while it’s still cold, okay?"

I warned her about how to eat the pudding and exited the Commerce Guild.

The three places I needed to go to after this were Marie’s house, the Adventurer’s Guild, and the orphanage.

I decided to go to the Adventurer’s Guild first.

The adventurers who had finished their requests were returning, but it looked like I had arrived just before it got crowded.

"Ah, Nicole-san."

"I would like you to take care of this, if possible."

I handed over the letter Cliff had entrusted to me.

Helen scanned over the letter she had received.

"This is a designated request from Cliff Foschurose-sama, I see. To escort someone to the Royal Capital, is it? I’ll handle the necessary processing, so if I could see your guild card, please."

I handed over my guild card.

"Nicole-san will be away from this town for some time because of this, right?"

"I’m not really sure for how long though."

"Hey Nicole, are you planning on going somewhere?"

The guild master appeared from out of nowhere.

"Due to Cliff-sama’s request, Nicole-san will be going to the Royal Capital."

"That fellow’s request, huh. Ah, is it about the King’s birthday commemoration?"

"Because Cliff can’t go to the Royal Capital for a while, it’s been decided that I’ll be escorting just his daughter, Noa, there."

"The Royal Capital, huh…"

The guild master looked me over slowly and carefully.

"Nicole, wait just a sec."

The guild master returned after a short while.

"Here, take this."

Yet again, another letter was handed to me.

"What’s this?"

"It’s for the sake of keeping you from rampaging at the Adventurer’s Guild in the Royal Capital."

"What is that supposed to mean?!"

"Hey, did you forget what happened the first time you came here? In any case, you’re planning on going to the Royal Capital in that getup, right?"

The cat suit had been accepted in this town.

There was already no one left who would try to fight me when I enter the guild.

The strange looks I received when walking through the town had also decreased.

On the contrary, children often gathered near me instead.

I felt like I had turned into an official local mascot character…

"If you hand over this letter, the guild should more or less look after you."

I appreciated it.

Knocking out idiots one by one was annoying.

"Thank you, I’m sure it will be handy."

I expressed my thanks and accepted it.

After leaving the Adventurer’s Guild, I headed over to Marie’s house.

Gentz-san wasn’t there, but the three girls were.

"Oh? Welcome Nicole-chan. What’s up, coming here at this time of the day?"

"Big sis Nicole, you came!"

Marie came down from the second floor.

Shuri followed close behind her.

"I’ve decided to go to the Royal Capital for a while, starting from tomorrow, so I came to inform you."

"Big sis Nicole, you’re going to the Royal Capital?"

"It’s a bodyguard request, you see. I thought Tirumina-san would be fine, so I’m leaving matters regarding the orphanage to you."

"Okay. Well, it’s not something that would become troublesome, so it’s fine for Nicole-chan to leisurely go sightseeing at the Royal Capital. It’ll be your first time there, right?"

"That’s nice, the Royal Capital…"

"Marie has never been there before?"

"Never desu."

"Well, that’s because of me. After my husband died, I fell sick, and I gave this child a lot of trouble."

"Then, do you want to go together?"

"Eh, is that okay?"

"Well, even if the targets I have to guard increases from one person to two, it’s not really a problem, you know."

"Is that okay, Nicole-chan? You have your job too…"

"In that case, tomorrow, I’ll ask the person I’m guarding if she objects. If she approves, you can go. If not, you’ll have to stay home."

"Isn’t that great, big sis?"

"Shuri can’t go. Stay home together with mother."

"Uuuuuuuu!"

"Is it unpleasant being with your mother, just the two of us?"

Shuri shook her head from side to side in denial.

"It’s not unpleasant!"

Tirumina-san embraced her daughter, Shuri.

"In that case, I’ll come by tomorrow morning to pick you up. Although you won’t need to make travelling preparations, be sure to prepare any items you want to bring with you, so I can place them in my item bag."

Finally, I went to the orphanage and told the director and the children that I wouldn’t be coming for a while, and I left behind a large quantity of wolf meat.

On the first day of the escort mission, I first stopped by Tirumina’s house to pick up Marie.

After that, we headed to the feudal lord’s manor to meet up with Noa.

"Big Sis Nicole, are you escorting Forschurose-sama?"

Marie anxiously asked me.

"That’s right. Didn’t I say so?"

"This is the first I’ve heard of this! To meet Foschurose-sama or the like…"

Marie’s complexion became rather pale.

Was the disparity between an aristocrat and a commoner in this world that large, like I had expected?

"You’re not going to be plucked and eaten, so it’s all right. Besides, the client who is supposed to be guarded is his daughter, Noa."

"Noire-sama, is it? Even so, for someone like me…"

Oh? Even though I’ve been calling her by her nickname, Noire’s name came out instead.

Were they acquainted to some extent?

"In any case, let’s go, alright? If it’s no good, I wonder if I should decline the request?"

"I-I understand!"

Marie followed along reluctantly.

When we reached the feudal lord’s manor, Noa was already waiting in front of the gate, standing with her hands on her hips in an imposing stance.

"You’re slow, Nicole-san!"

"If you thought so, wouldn’t it have been fine if you waited inside the house?"

"W-Well, when I thought that I could travel with the bear-sans, I got excited with anticipation and couldn’t endure it."

She said in a mildly embarrassed tone.

"Although I understand your reasoning, can I ask something?"

"What is it?"

"I also want to take this child along. Do you have any problems with that?"

I pointed to Marie, who was being timid next to me.

"Who is that girl?"

"The savior of my life…"

"T-That’s not it! I’m the one whose life was saved by Big Sis Nicole, geez!"

"So then, this girl is going to be coming along with us?"

"I wanted to get permission, just in case."

"It’s not particularly a problem. However, I won’t hand over bear-san!"

I could hear the c***k of a whip in my head as she resolutely thrusted her finger at Marie.

"I was going to have the two of you ride on a bear."

"Then it cannot be helped. However, I won’t give up the front!"

"Is it necessary to greet Cliff?"

"It is fine. Father has given me permission to depart as soon as Nicole-san arrives."

"In that case, since permission was given, shall we depart for the Royal Capital?"

The three of us headed to the gate and left the town.

I summoned Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear.

I would be riding Hugging Bear today.

The other two got on Swaying Bear.

"I said so earlier, but I’m in front."

"Yes, Noire-sama."

"That reminds me, what’s your name?"

"Yes, my name is Marie."

"Then, my best regards until we get to the Royal Capital, Marie."

"Yes, it’s a pleasure to meet you too, Noire-sama."

Noa got on Swaying Bear, and Marie sat behind her.

I rode on top of Hugging Bear.

"With that, let’s depart for the Royal Capital!"

It wasn’t a rushed trip this time, so we took our time heading to the Royal Capital.

"Ufufu, Swaying Bear~ I’ll be counting on you to get us to the Royal Capital."

Noa was gently patting Swaying Bear.

"Noire-sama is acquainted with Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear?"

"Ehem, I was allowed to ride them on one occasion, and we took a nap together afterwards. Geez, I could not help looking forward to today since yesterday."

The two of them were getting along well and chatting.

"So then, I asked earlier, but what kind of relationship do the two of you have?"

"When I arrived at this town for the first time, the one who helped me when I was lost in the forest was Marie."

"That might be the case, but since I was being attacked by wolves in the forest, I am the one who was saved by Big Sis Nicole. I only guided her to town."

"After that, I became an adventurer but couldn’t dismantle the monsters, so I ended up asking Marie for help."

"Yes, I am grateful to have been able to make some money as well."

"Marie, you can dismantle monsters?"

"Yes. I have been doing it in the guild for a long time."

"For a long time, you say; how old are you?"

"10 years old."

"Aren’t you the same age as me? To be dismantling monsters…"

Noa was surprised.

As I thought, even in this world, a 10-year-old being able to dismantle monsters was strange.

After that, the two of them continued getting along and chatting on top of Swaying Bear.

It’s good to make a close friend.

Their conversation was pretty lively.

Since both of them were the same age, I hoped that they would get along, without caring about their relationship as a noble and a commoner.

Meanwhile, the bears leisurely advanced forward on the road that lead to the Royal Capital.

We didn’t encounter any monsters or thieves, and the sky gradually darkened on our leisurely journey.

The road to the Royal Capital continued onward.

I checked the surroundings as I searched for the optimal spot to camp out, before I Marielly led the two of them a short distance away from the road.

"Is it good enough around here?"

I stopped the bears in order to set up camp.

"Nicole-san, could it be that you plan to camp out here?"

"That’s right. By chance, did you think that we would be staying at an inn?"

"I didn’t think that, since I usually slept in the carriage."

I see. You always moved around in a carriage, so you concluded that it was natural to sleep inside one?

"It’s my first time sleeping out in the open."

"Rest assured, there’s a place to sleep properly."

"…?"

I told the two of them to back off a bit and took out the Bear House from the Bear Box.

It had its usual appearance of a couple of bears.

However, it was now travel-sized.

It was about half the size of the Bear House in the city.

Although I didn’t think that the size was big enough to attract that much attention, it was still big enough to attract attention in an open area.

"Nicole-san, this is?!"

"The Bear House. Though, it’s a bit smaller, since it’s for outings."

"I wasn’t asking for its name, I was wondering where it appeared from! Uuun, though I actually understand where it appeared from, was this even an item you could place into an item bag?"

"I can put it inside, though even I don’t really understand the size limit for the items I can place inside."

"Is that the case? Still, Marie isn’t surprised, huh?"

"I’ve seen the Bear House appear out of nowhere before. Later on, I also saw the Black Viper monster come out, so…"

"This matter is a secret, so don’t tell anyone, okay?"

I gave Noa a warning.

"Well then, let’s go inside. You’re probably tired from traveling all day, right?"

I unsummoned Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear before entering the house.

"Ah, sorry Noa, but please take your shoes off here, okay?"

It seemed like, in this world, it was basically a custom for middle-class households and above to take off their shoes.

Even in Noa’s manor, they would take off their shoes and put on slipper-like footwear.

However, lower-class citizens like Marie lived in dirty houses, so they wore shoes even inside the house.

Even the inn was fundamentally a place where you were supposed to wear your shoes into your room.

Noa, who had come inside the house, raised her voice in surprise.

"What is with this house?!"

After taking off your shoes, the first room you encountered was the living-room-c*m-dining-room.

The interior of the room was lit up by the light magic stone installed in the ceiling.

The size of the dining room was just large enough to accommodate roughly ten people at any one time.

"Well, for now, properly sit in a chair and rest while I go prepare dinner."

I headed to the kitchen, spread oil on a frying pan, and laid out ground meat and eggs for making hamburger steak.

At the same time, the preparations for salad were progressing, since vegetables were important too.

When the hamburger steak was appropriately fried, I portioned out the soup, which the inn had cooked, as well as some bread.

Lastly, I poured fruit juice into some cups, and with that, the preparations were complete.

I carried the completed dishes to the table. The only thing left to do was to eat.

"Nicole-san, what is this?"

"Dinner. If you were expecting cooking on the same level as the stuff at the manor, that’s impossible."

"No, I wasn’t thinking of such a thing at all; rather, it’s the opposite. It seems to give off an aroma that’s even better than the dishes at home."

"If that’s so, then all’s good. Let’s eat while the food is still warm."

Both Noa and Marie started to eat.

"What is this? This food is super delicious!"

"It’s just hamburger steak though?"

"Hambagu?"

"That’s right. Isn’t it eaten in this country?"

"It’s not a local food, to my knowledge. This is my first time eating this."

"Is that so? This is just made from ground wolf’s meat and orc’s meat though."

"Big Sis Nicole, can my family make it too?"

"You can make it, but it might be difficult to make the sauce, and it’s more delicious with grated radish."

"Then, please teach me next time. I want to let my family try it too."

"That’s fine."

"Me too!"

"Noa is a noble, so isn’t it unnecessary for you?"

"That is the case, but it kind of feels like I’m being excluded. It’s an unpleasant feeling."

"For the time being, I’ll teach you after we return to town, okay?"

"This soup is delicious too!"

"That was made by the inn, you know."

"What about this bread?"

"I found a delicious bakery, so I bought them up."

While having such a conversation, we finished dinner.

"Well then, after the meal, take a short break before entering the bath. We’ll depart when the sun rises, so sleep early, okay?"

"Okay, understood."

"We’re heading out that early?"

The one who rose early because of her work: Marie.

The one who spent her mornings leisurely due to her noble status: Noa.

Their reactions were wonderfully divided.

"I don’t want to let other people see this house, you see. Other travellers should sleep at night and move out when it’s morning, so we will also move like that."

"I got it already. Also, if my ears were working properly, I heard you say something about a bath?"

"You didn’t hear incorrectly, there is a bath. Even if you only rode on Swaying Bear, you still sweated, right? Please go clean yourself in the bath. As for how to use the bath, Marie, please teach her."

"Uuuu, my common sense is crumbling."

Marie took the dumbfounded Noa to the bath.

I cleared the table after the meal.

Though, it was just washing the dishes.

After the two of them got out, I lent them the dryer and told them to dry their hair.

I also wanted to take a bath.

When I finished my bath, both of them were waiting for me.

"Not going to sleep?"

"Where?"

Ah, I didn’t assign rooms yet.

On the first floor, there was the living-c*m-dining room, the kitchen, the toilet, and the bath.

The second floor had three small bedrooms.

One of those was my room.

The remaining two were for guests to use.

In the guest rooms, there were two sets of bunk beds.

All in all, each guest room was supposed to allow for four people to sleep in each room.

After showing the two of them to a room,

"What do you want to do?"

I tried asking them.

"I’m okay either way, so I’ll let Noire-sama decide."

"I also wanted to talk before sleeping, shall we sleep together?"

"Okay!"

"Still, go to sleep soon."

After making them heed my warning, I headed to my own room.