Volume 1 Chapter 11 Kindness Is Mutual
"I feel a bit nervous."
"Don't worry. Let's relax."
Randy is now sitting on the sofa in the reception room. Next to him is Elizabeth, who is carefully holding a small model of a carriage for samples.
She has been letting out little sounds like "uh" and seems to be really nervous. Randy feels the same way. Even though he told her to relax, he is also quite tense. After all, they are about to meet a high-ranking noble and Elizabeth's parents.
(No, no. I'm nervous because this is an important business meeting.)
The adventurer who was supposed to give a heads-up arrived over an hour ago. Now, his father Alan and Keith are probably attending to them. It's no wonder that this awkward waiting time feels unusually long.
The long wait inevitably raises their tension.
"Phew, haa..."
Elizabeth takes a deep breath.
"Leave it to me."
Eleonora jumps in.
"No way. You stay out of this."
Randy stops her.
Just as a heated argument was about to break out between Eleonora and Randy, there was a quiet knock on the reception room door. At that moment, both Randy and Elizabeth stood up.
Keith opened the door, and following his father Alan, a calm-looking elderly couple entered the reception room. The couple, dressed elegantly but casually, looked like nobles to those who knew them, but to anyone else, they might just seem like wealthy old people.
(What an elaborate disguise.)
Randy had heard they were in their forties, so he was quite surprised. But...
"Huh?"
It seemed that Elizabeth, who was frozen in shock, didn't react to that.
"Father... Mother..."
As Elizabeth murmured, the elderly couple removed their disguises and smiled gently at her.
"Liza..."
"Ah, really──."
In front of the teary-eyed couple, Elizabeth was completely confused.
Surprise.
Joy.
Bewilderment.
And a hint of impatience.
With a mix of emotions in her eyes, Elizabeth looked back and forth between Randy and her parents. It was as if she wanted to say, "Why is this happening?" Randy shrugged and smiled back at her.
"Oh? What a coincidence that Miss Elizabeth's parents are our business partners."
"Don't play dumb."
A hint of anger flickered in Elizabeth's eyes. It was understandable. She had tried to avoid causing trouble for her family, but now that her parents had come all this way, that effort seemed wasted. Not only that, but there was also a chance that Randy's family could get caught up in this too.
(What a kind-hearted person... Well, I might not be one to talk.)
Randy felt a sense of admiration for Elizabeth, who was angry on behalf of others. However, he had no intention of backing down this time. Just like during the banishment, Elizabeth seemed to think she could take responsibility all by herself.
But reality isn't that simple.
If she thinks she can take all the responsibility and everything will be fine, that misunderstanding needs to be cleared up here and now. It's for her own good and for Randy's as well.
Since Randy got involved, he didn't plan to treat her poorly or make her a scapegoat. So, it was about time to 'crush the mistaken success experience'.
"Sir Randolph──."
"I can hear you, no need to get angry. I'm sure you want to tell them to leave, aren't you?"
Sticking out his tongue, Randy urged Alan and Keith outside and put his hand on the door.
"That's not it."
Hearing Elizabeth's voice behind him, Alan called out to Randy in a scolding tone.
(Was that a bit too mean...?)
Randy sighed softly and turned back to Elizabeth and her parents.
"Miss Elizabeth, just one thing──."
As Randy paused, the 3 of them focused their gazes on him.
"──You are not abandoned by the world. And you, too, have not abandoned the world."
After saying that, Randy gave a respectful bow and left the reception room with Alan and Keith.
As Randy stepped outside, he was met by the servants who had gathered to eavesdrop. He let out a big sigh in front of them.
"You guys are being really rude."
Randy's exasperated expression made everyone chuckle awkwardly as they dispersed. Among them, Randy spotted Rita and called out to her.
"Rita, call me when they're done talking."
Rita nodded slowly at Randy's words, pointing to the door behind her.
Seeing Rita waiting by the door, Randy called out to another person he was looking for.
"Harrison, I want to meet the adventurers."
"I thought you might say that, so they're waiting outside."
Harrison gave a thumbs-up, proving he was a capable guy after all. He led Randy to the front entrance of the mansion.
When the door opened, there stood a group of 4 adventurers with a typical vibe. The shielder and the cleric were male, while the magician and the scout were female. It was a standard party with an even mix of genders, with a rear guard and a vanguard.
As the large Randy stepped out of the mansion, the adventurers briefly tensed up, but relaxed when they saw Harrison.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
As Randy cheerfully extended his hand, the 4 adventurers froze for a moment. Still, the shield-bearer shook Randy's hand with a smile.
"Nice to meet you. I am Randolph, the heir of the Victor family."
"Nice to meet you too. I'm Ian, the leader of the A-rank adventurer party [Iron Lion]."
"You are! I've heard a lot about you."
"Thank you."
(I see. The Marquis must have requested their protection.)
The handshake was firm, and the polite language was smooth. It was clear that this was a high-ranking party. In fact, [Iron Lion] was a well-known party in the Dukedom.
It seemed the Marquis had hired guards even on the ship and went out of his way to hire adventurers upon arriving in the Dukedom. There must be famous adventurers in his own territory, but this was quite thorough.
Of course, it seemed that adventurers weren't the only guards.
(Must be the influence of the Marquis family...)
Randy glanced around, sensing multiple presences nearby. It seemed that even for a noble family, having just adventurers as bodyguards wasn't enough.
(They might actually do it... Well, I guess that's the Marquis family for you.)
As Randy focused on the sensed presences, a man named Ian slightly furrowed his brow and spoke up.
"So? What does the Viscount family want with us?"
Randy quickly returned his attention to Ian, who looked puzzled. There was no hint of sarcasm in his expression or words, but the slight awkwardness in their conversation made Randy feel uneasy.
"No, I just wanted to see the adventurers."
Randy replied, brushing off his discomfort.
"You see, we're from a rural area. So, I've never seen adventurers before."
Behind Randy, Harrison was trying to hold back laughter, muttering, "That's a big lie." Randy elbowed Harrison, telling him to be quiet, and then smiled at the members of the [Iron Lion].
In truth, both Randy and Harrison were partly right and partly wrong.
It was true that Randy wanted to meet them.
However, saying he had never seen adventurers was a lie.
Randy had seen adventurers many times in the kingdom. But he had never seen one called a top-rank adventurer.
The only reason Randy wanted to meet them this time was simple.
He wanted to know how capable the adventurers chosen by the Marquis family were. The demand for materials from the Beast Forest would likely increase soon. That meant they would need people to gather those materials.
While processing and handling were important, gathering was also a crucial role. They couldn't keep relying on Randy and the knights forever.
That's where adventurers came in.
(They might be a good match for our knights. I have high hopes.)
In Randy's view, if they were an A-rank party, they could achieve decent results in the Beast Forest. Just knowing that made this encounter worthwhile. That's why he had to show them proper gratitude before they left.
In the future, they would need to work like draft horses.
"The business talks will take 2 or 3 days, so please wait at an inn in the town."
Randy said cheerfully, and the 4 of them exchanged puzzled looks.
"Sir Randolph, may I ask you something?"
Ian turned to face Randy directly. Sensing a subtle determination in Ian's eyes, Randy raised an eyebrow internally as Ian continued.
"Young master, are you referring to Sir Randolph?"
Ian's words had a testing tone, causing Randy to furrow his brow once more.
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