“Um... Yes, I’m Saarya, but...”
In front of the inn’s reception desk, it seemed that girl had been waiting for Saarya.
“Details later. You should check in first.”
“O-okay.”
Still confused, but realizing her point was reasonable, Saarya went to the counter.
At reception, she wrote her place of origin and her name.
The guest ledger existed to record who was staying and submit it to the administration. It was mainly used to maintain public order. Saarya had heard that much from her father.
“Lady Saarya, correct. I have confirmed it. Then, we will take payment for your stay. If you have an Itari silver coin, one will do, or you may also pay by gram. In that case, we can accept a 100-gram banknote.”
“Gram payment, please.”
The rate was exactly what she had been told in advance. It was the expensive end of the spectrum. Still, Saarya was, in her own way, the Headman’s daughter.
And this was Duke Silverhead’s direct territory.
She’d been given plenty of gram banknotes too—those had only recently started circulating.
“Yes. ...There is no discrepancy. May we guide you to your room immediately?”
“Ah, um...”
Still flustered, Saarya turned around.
Ixia—the girl who had given her name—was sitting in a chair in the waiting area.
“If you can put your luggage down and come back here, it would help.”
“O-okay.”
The woman at reception didn’t look confused in the slightest. If so, then at the very least, this wasn’t a suspicious person.
“Please take me to the room.”
“Understood. This way, please. I will carry your luggage.”
Escorted to her room by the staff member, Saarya handed over a 1-gram banknote she’d kept for tipping and received the key in exchange. She’d heard gram banknotes were well received, and sure enough, the woman’s face broke into a broad smile.
After the woman left, Saarya let out a long sigh. For someone who had barely ever left her village, everything that had happened felt like one forced tension after another.
Fighting off the temptation to throw herself onto the bed as-is, she kept only her pouch on her, locked the room, and hurried right back down to the reception lobby.
“Sorry... to keep you waiting, Ixia?”
The girl nodded and stood from the sofa.
Just as she looked, she was small. Saarya, for a woman, was on the sturdier side. The top of Ixia’s head only reached Saarya’s shoulder.
“You don’t need to be stiff. There’s a cafeteria. That way.”
“H-huh...?”
If she smiled, she would probably look adorable, but the girl was astonishingly expressionless. Still, she moved without hesitation, and everything about her felt brisk and efficient. She reminded Saarya of the attendants Amajio sometimes brought to the village. The movements of a soldier.
“Hot tea, straight. This bagel and herb-cream set. Two servings of both.”
After telling the clerk that at the counter, Ixia turned back.
“Saarya. Do you need milk for your tea?”
“Ah—no, I’m fine with it straight, but...”
“Then that. Gram is fine?”
“Yes, we accept it. ...Confirmed. Thank you very much. We will bring it to your table.”
The girl paid quickly, flicked her gaze toward Saarya, and headed for a seat by the window. Still bewildered, Saarya followed.
“You don’t need to worry about payment. Amajio Silverhead provided more than enough.”
“Eh—ah, you... know the Duke...?”
After confirming Saarya had sat down, the girl slid a letter across to her.
It was the same type she’d been exchanging since this morning. A letter with Duke Silverhead’s wax seal—its origin beyond doubt.
“It’s for you. I want you to read it first.”
“...”
She broke the seal and checked the letter. It laid out the circumstances in Amajio Silverhead’s own handwriting.
It guaranteed the identity of the girl in front of her, Ixia.
It asked Saarya to live together as a trainee with Linanel and Ixia.
For now, it instructed her to go with them by rail to the capital, Moar.
And finally, as the important point: the day after Saarya’s expected arrival in Moar, a welcome party would be held at Duke Silverhead’s residence, so she should come.
“S-so that’s how it is...”
Linanel, and this girl Ixia—living together with these beautiful, polished girls made Saarya feel a little self-conscious. More than anything, she found herself feeling something she couldn’t quite name toward the Duke, who seemed to trust women like that.
“So, that’s the situation. For a while, I’ll be in your care, Saarya.”
“Y-yeah... Same here. Nice to... meet you...”
Right as the quiet introductions between the two girls ended, the tea and light meal they’d ordered were delivered.
“This is Shiroania Diba from the Kingdom of Diaratline. Please enjoy at your leisure.”
“Thank you.”
The clerk left quietly.
Ixia lifted her teacup with elegant, composed motions.
“Good aroma.”
It was high-quality tea imported from countries to the east—its availability had been increasing recently. Saarya’s village had gotten to where it could drink it too, but—
“...Delicious.”
Saarya hadn’t drunk much tea in her life, but she understood right away that the leaves used here were extremely good. The fragrance was clean, with no muddiness. A faint sweetness, and a slightly restrained bitterness.
“Among Diba teas, Shiroania leaves are considered the most standard flavor. And even within that, this is upper-tier quality. Proper storage is a given, but shortening the transport time through high-speed rail shipping is what makes it possible to drink tea of this class even in a frontier city like this. It’s a very good thing.”
“Yeah... I guess it is.”
Ixia set her cup down quietly, then picked up the bagel. She tore off a bite-sized piece, spread the cream cheese that came with it, and ate.
“...Don’t hold back. Go ahead.”
“Ah, yeah... Thanks.”
Following her lead, Saarya picked up the bagel too. Some kind of herb was mixed into the cream cheese, and the green of the herbs arranged beside it stood out—it looked strangely stylish.
“The cream cheese is made from fresh raw milk brought in from a dairy farmer in a village about 130 tf tarfar from here, and it was made this morning. Both raw milk and cream ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) cheese used to be treated as rare delicacies you could only taste near the dairy farmers, but at least now, you can get them even here.”
“You know a lot...”
“The manager told me. He’s a good person.”
With gentle, refined motions—and yet without the slightest hesitation—she kept bringing bagel to her mouth. Even put mildly, she had an appetite. With perfect distribution, she finished the bagel and cream cheese, then dabbed her mouth with a napkin.
“This inn’s food is excellent too. Enjoy it.”
“Thanks.”
She’d felt expressionless and hard to approach, but apparently she was an entertaining type. And she was making sure to recommend the good food to Saarya too. Most likely, she was a good person.
With her tension easing a little, Saarya let out a small laugh.
“Again—nice to meet you. Ixia.”
“Nice to meet you, Saarya. Starting tomorrow, we’ll basically be roommates. We’re heading to the capital, Moar, on the night train, so we’ll sleep one night on board. Anything you’re worried about?”
“Honestly... I don’t know. It’s my first time even leaving the village...”
“I see. I came here by train, so it’s fine. I want you to rely on me. Also, in the morning, staff will wake us two hours before departure, so you don’t need to worry. Since this city is the first stop on the line, delays aren’t that common.”
“Is that so. I’ve never seen a train, but... is it amazing?”
“Well, compared to a carriage. Ten passenger cars, each the size of four carriages. Ten freight cars. Everything connects, and the locomotive at the front pulls it. The top speed is 36 tf tarfar. It runs on iron rails, so it’s incomparably faster than a carriage. The suspension is solid too, so it shakes less than a carriage. You’ll be surprised.”
“Huh... I’m starting to look forward to it a little.”
To be honest, she’d been full of worry when she was told to head for the capital by riding something she’d never seen or even heard of: a train. Having Ixia alongside her brought a deep sense of relief.
Come to think of it, Linanel probably knew this was coming. It hadn’t even occurred to Saarya, but she realized she hadn’t really been told how to ride a train at all.
Maybe this was what people called a surprise.
