CH 113

Even though I changed into a dress that wasn’t unfitting to meet the King and Prime Minister just after returning from school, Katharina changed my clothes again. Wilhelm and Dietrich are dressed like ordinary citizens, but it would be strange if I was the only one wearing a gorgeous high-ranking aristocratic dress. Since I’m the guide, I’d rather be the one dressed poorly. Or at least, I should have been…

“Katharina…… isn’t this too gorgeous?” I asked. “At least with the clothes I wore before……”

“I cannot,” Katharina said. “I cannot give you this today. I won’t say anything when you’re incognito anymore, so please do as I say for today.”

The clothes that Katharina has made me wear look more like the daughter of a low-ranking aristocrat rather than an ordinary citizen. Compared to before, it is simple and I don’t look like a high-ranking aristocrat, but I don’t look like an ordinary citizen in the slightest. If I dress like this, it’s like I’m walking around advertising that I’m a noble.

Even though I’ve told her many times that I want to at least wear the clothes that a normal person wore like before, today Katharina was absurdly strong-willed. She says she will never give up.

“Isn’t this going to stand out when I guide the two of them…?” I asked.

“If you’re wearing a shabby outfit, Miss Flora, you will stand out even more,” Katharina said. “If you don’t dress at least this well, you’ll be completely obvious.”

“Huh…?” I asked.

What is Katharina saying? This outfit is like saying that I am the daughter of a noble. It’s true that low-ranking aristocrats sometimes wear ordinary clothes and walk around, but if I’m the only one dressed as a noble to guide Wilhelm and Dietrich, I’ll get a lot of attention.

“Anyway, just for today, please do as I say,” Katharina said.

In the end, Katharina forced me to wear the prepared dress. Well, if it’s like this, it’s not unnatural to say that I’m a knight’s daughter. It’s just that this is like broadcasting that I’m a noble, so I stand out, and if you walk around town, the danger of being targeted increases.

I’m still not convinced, but I gave in to Katharina, who insisted no matter what and ended up appearing in this outfit.

I’ll be guarding two targets, so I need to be armed. However, I can’t walk with a sword at my waist even though I’m wearing something like a dress and look like a daughter of a low-ranking aristocrat. Of course, carrying it on my back is out of the question. I’m a fragile maiden, and if I’m attacked by a thug without a weapon, I can’t stand a chance. I’m used to getting hurt, but if I let two members of the royal family and relatives get injured, not only me, but the entirety of House Carruthers might lose their heads.

I have a pocket knife, but it’s really more like a small knife. It was made in Caan territory, and I submitted the design and ideas. I thought it would be convenient if there was something like this from my memories of my previous life, so I’m glad I prepared it.

That’s fine, but I’m a little uneasy with a small blade like this… even if I can’t make it in time today, should I develop concealed weapons and dark tactics for the future? A cane is ideal, the epitome of romance for discreet defense. But it’s more unnatural for me to walk with a cane… 1

Since there’s nothing I can do about hidden weapons for the future, I’ll endure it with a single knife. Oliver and the others are supposed to be sneaking up behind us anyway. I’ll have Oliver bring me a sword as well.

The sword I usually use is a bit bulky, so I have no choice but to have them bring a standard sword that our soldiers use. I can’t really trust the soldier’s swords because if I hit a rock with all my might, it would break. Isn’t it scary for everyone to entrust their lives to a sword that only has that level of strength? If it were me, I’d be worried about such a fragile weapon, but…

“We’re ready,” Katharina said.

“Thank you, Katharina,” I said. “Shall we head out then?”

I really don’t want to go at all, but I have no choice but to go because it’s an order. From now on, I want you to take your own escort duty and go without getting me involved.

I took Wilhelm and Dietrich and headed to Caanza. I may never forget the faces they made when they saw me after I changed. I didn’t say anything, but I got a very strange look on my face. I don’t want to doubt Katharina’s sense, but I have a feeling that this outfit is not good after all. I’d already been seen in it, so it’s a matter that can’t be helped any more…

If you look at the front and back, you can see that Oliver and the others are escorting us around. They’re not right around the corner, but the surroundings are on guard, so it should be fine.

Even so, Oliver’s squad is always in the royal capital after all. As long as I’m in the royal capital, is it okay if I use the unit in charge of this location? But the number of people is… I think that Caan territory is probably lacking in manpower because Oliver’s squad has left. It’s said that it’s okay to increase the number of units, but it’s not as simple as saying that you can use it right away because you have to train recruits first.

While walking around the royal capital, I came across Caanza’s Royal Capital Branch No. 2 plus crepe cafe in the downtown area. It is crowded as usual today, and a long line has formed. It’s been like this since it opened.

“It seems that it is crowded, so maybe we should change the day, or today we can just look at it from the outside and try the crepes that I can make at home…” I said.

“No, we’ll line up,” Wilhelm said. “Where’s the queue for dining in the store?”

“…… Here it is,” I said.

It seems that Wilhelm has no intention of giving up. Reluctantly, I make the two of them line up in the dine-in queue. I wonder how other people would react if they knew that the King and the Prime Minister were dressed like commoners in the downtown area and lined up at a crepe cafe. At least it may be interesting to watch from a distance without being involved. But if I was in charge of security, I would not allow it.

After waiting in line for a while and talking while killing time, it was finally our turn. The two are choosing while looking at the samples and the menu and asking the clerk about this and that.

It’s the same in this world, and even on Earth, until a little while ago, there was almost no concept of a menu. Even if you enter a store, it is rare for customers to order for themselves and just eat from a fixed set of offerings. In ordinary dining establishments, if customers can choose from a menu when they arrive, it is limited to drinks at most.

It’s a matter of course, and it’s practically impossible to make a lot of offerings every day. If you want to make various offerings according to the customer’s order, you need a wide variety of ingredients. They are not always available every day.

Well, it’s not as easy as just making a menu with only the ingredients that you can get that day on a daily basis. Even so, if you want to make it according to the customer’s order, you have to store a large number of ingredients and keep them edible.

If a large amount of a wide variety of foodstuffs became available, storage methods such as refrigerators should have become widespread, and it must also be possible to freely use fire at all times. You can’t do that even in the early modern period, let alone the Middle Ages. It may have been possible if we disregarded the cost, but it is not viable as a business.

Of course, it would not be an exaggeration to say that a business like our crepe cafe is probably the first in the world. There is a lot of ingenuity involved to keep the freshness of the ingredients and to prevent the waste of ingredients.

This style is possible because of modern knowledge and a certain degree of capital investment that ignores profitability, and it would be impossible for other stores to imitate ours easily.

Wilhelm and Dietrich were gleefully ordering their first crepes, regardless of their age. The sight of the two old men ordering crepes while giggling among themselves was a terrible sight for someone like me who knows modern times.

But for the sake of their honor, they’re not the only ones. There are old men everywhere in the store, and many of them buy takeout. In modern Japan, sweets shops have the image of being a woman’s place, but here people of all ages and genders buy crepes.

After finishing the order and getting to our seats, I immediately bite into the crepe. I had a regular crepe today. It’s because I ordered the Mille crepe before.

“Houh! It’s delicious. And it’s easy to eat served like this,” Wilhelm said.

“Yes. This might be good for a standing buffet party,” Dietrich added.

Above all, both of them seem to have a good impression of the products. I thought it would be troublesome to guide and escort them this far, but I don’t feel bad to be praised for our company’s hard work and trial and error. The two finished eating the crepes in no time. And when Wilhelm turned his gaze to Dietrich, Dietrich nodded in response.

“Right,” Dietrich said. “This is the reward for escorting us today.”

“Huh…? Thank you?” I said as I was handed a package.

If I take a peek inside, I’ll see that there’s some kind of document inside. I’m curious about the contents, but I’ll check it after I get home.

Other than handing me the bundle of documents, there is nothing in particular and I relax and hang out while drinking tea. Even though they usually drink good tea, they seem to like dandelion coffee as well. We both ordered dandelion coffee because we are used to drinking other more normal teas and drinks, but in my heart, I thought it was cheap stuff, and sorry we didn’t have anything better.

After relaxing for a while and talking about trivial things, I noticed that the outside of the store was getting noisy. When I look over there, I see an old lady screaming with a soldier in tow. I recognize that fat old lady with the paint all over her face. She is Marquess Valtek, the woman who threatened Louisa.

Most of the soldiers she’s taking with her are wearing armor with the coat-of-arms of House Valtek. It seems that she’s brought the Marquis’s private army. In addition, some ordinary Ploissian soldiers are mixed in. Judging from what I’m hearing, it seems that Marquess Valtek is bringing in the kingdom’s soldiers to arrest us.

“This store’s product, crepes, use the name of the Kreff Duchy without permission! It’s disrespectful! Arrest them immediately!” Marquess Valtek yells.

Ah~… it seems that the name “Crepe” is disrespectful because it resembles “Kreff” as in “the Kreff Duchy.” Although the accusation is extreme, House Valtek’s soldiers are shouting in response to their Lord’s wife. The kingdom’s soldiers have troubled faces, but since the leader is a high-ranking noble, they don’t know what to do and just seem to be at a loss.

“Please wait. Our company’s product, ‘crepes’, has nothing to do with Duke Kreff. If you are going to make such an accusation, please follow the formal procedure and file a lawsuit in the appropriate channels. To cause a commotion like this in front of our store is obstruction of business.”

Oooh…! Bianca came out of the store and said all that to Marquess Valtek. Amazing. I was right in pushing Bianca forward. She is a very good employee. I have to protect such a wonderful clerk even if she finds out who I am and even if I get into trouble with Marquess Valtek. When I thought about it and tried to leave, Dietrich stopped me. With a smile, Dietrich heads up to the front of the store.

“If Duke Kreff himself says otherwise, wouldn’t it be more of a problem for Marquess Valtek to use his name to threaten a trading firm and interfere with its business?” Dietrich said.

“Huh…?!!” Marquess Valtek shouts, offended. “What is a commoner saying to me, the Marquess of Valtek?! Shut up if you have nothing to do with this! Or do you want to be destroyed alongside this store?”

Woah… this lady sure is a piece of work… and she doesn’t even remember his face… she only judges people by their appearances, so she can’t tell who the other person is just because they’re wearing commoner’s clothes. It’s amazing in its own right…

“Hmm…” Wilhelm said, standing up and stroking his beard. “Did you say, ‘Do you want to be destroyed alongside this store’…? Does that mean you seriously intend to destroy this business?”

The kingdom soldiers behind Marquess Valtek seem to have already noticed. They are on their knees in panic. But the Marquess and the private soldiers who didn’t even look back still didn’t seem to know who they were dealing with.

“And so what of it!?” Marquess Valtek said. “I am the Marquess of Valtek! If I say as much, I can destroy as many as one or two entire businesses! You’re dressed like a merchant, but are you connected to this place? Are you associated with them? If so, I’ll crush you too!”

Aa~aaahhh… I just ca~n’t… how brave is this lady? I would never say that. In the first place, you really don’t see the other person except by their clothes. If she were to become a marquess, she would have met the King at social occasions such as evening parties…

“I see, I see,” Wilhelm said. “Do you want to crush me? Does that mean you will crush the royal family of Ploiss?”

“I also don’t find disrespect in my name being invoked by these ‘crepes,'” Dietrich said. “Rather, I’d be quite pleased to be named after such a delicious dish. Well, I suppose it has nothing to do with my family, to begin with, does it?”

“Huh? What are these idiots saying? Can someone please explain so that I can understand what these uneducated commoners are saying?” Marquess Valtek said.

Uwah… if you say this much, there’ll be no protest if Marquess Valtek is crushed, will there…? Since there are so many witnesses, it is impossible to make excuses. In the first place, they said this much to the King and Duke Kreff themselves, so there’s no defense.

“Is that so? Then let’s listen to your accusations at the royal castle. Take this person away!” Wilhelm yelled.

“SIRE!” the kneeling kingdom soldiers shout as they rise to their feet and apprehend Marquess Valtek.

“Wait! What are you doing!? You incompetent soldiers!” Marquess Valtek yelled. “If you’re going to arrest someone, it’ll be the two commoners over there who yelled at me, the Marquess!”

“Goodness, gracious, it seems that you really don’t remember me,” Dietrich said. “Then let me reintroduce myself. I am Dietrich von Kreff, Head of House Kreff. Our family has had no qualms about the name of these ‘crepes.’”

“Perhaps I should reintroduce myself as well?” Wilhelm said. “I am Wilhelm von Ploiss. Your behavior is outrageous. You will be examined thoroughly at the royal castle, then dealt with accordingly!”

“…………Huh?”

Marquess Valtek is stunned with a face that doesn’t understand what was just said. Perhaps she still doesn’t think these two are the genuine King and Prime Minister.

“Huh? The King?”

“That’s Duke Kreff, no, it’s the Prime Minister?”

Oh~……, the surroundings started to get noisy and the turmoil began to spread. It’s like the drunk old men partying or the rampaging shoguns I used to see in modern times.

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“Our apologies for the unnecessary trouble today,” Wilhelm said. “We will return another day.”

“Now then, let’s be on our way,” Dietrich said.

Hey… don’t call out to me specifically… after the identities of the two became clear, they called out to me, so even I got a lot of attention from the people around us. After we left with the soldier and the arrested Marquess, I could not bear to stay there anymore, so I hurriedly fled the scene.