Reincarnated into a Game As the Hero’s Friend

“It’s been a long time, Viscount.” (Marquis)

“It has been indeed. I am sorry that it has been so long since I have shown myself in your presence, Marquis.”

I was somewhat bewildered, but the Marquis called out to me first, so I bowed. I wondered if he was here to greet me. After my greeting, Rosemary-sama curtsies to me. Compared to before, her curtsy had definitely improved.

“It’s a pleasure to see you again, Viscount.”

“I am honored, my lady. I, too, would like to thank you for inviting a guest of our family today.”

I returned the bow with a regular curtsy. At this point I was thinking that it would be a real hassle not to mention Lily’s name.

“No, I would very much like to speak to Lily again.”

“That is very kind of you.”

Oh, she’s calling her by name. And even Lily was smiling, as if she was very familiar with her. It was difficult to determine whether they bonded or were fond of each other, but it seemed like they had a good chemistry.

“I’m glad to see that she has become a good friend of my daughter’s, even though they are a little apart in age.”

“I’m glad to hear that, since I never had a sister.”

“My, thank you very much.”

The Marquis and then Rosemary-sama followed suit with smiles on their faces. However, this girl must have been educated as a genuine aristocrat, so it was a bit difficult to decide whether I should take her at face value or not.

I had a general idea of the situation based on her attitude so far. At least the Marquis Schramm did not seem to have a bad impression of Lily. It seemed that they wanted to bring her to their side as much as possible. I did not want to take advantage of Rosemary, and neither did Lily, so it was fine.

However, she was definitely pushy, even if it was only casually. It would be a disadvantage for me if she continued to push us too aggressively, and although it was a little out of courtesy, I would like to make my move too.

“Well, it’s time for us to go, and I hope you’ll excuse us for now.”

Lily moved closer to me in response to my comment and said, “Thank you very much for your time today.”

Marquis suggested, “Yes, of course. But I see that your carriage has not arrived yet… shall we lend you our carriage?”

Your Excellency, our carriage was not delayed because of your handiwork, was it? If I were to ride in a Marquis’s carriage, the factional showdown would be too clear.

“Well, we are in a noble district, so it wouldn’t be a problem for us to go back home riding like this.”

“Eh? Kya…”

Lily was petite, so even I could carry her. I pulled Lily somewhat deliberately, then lifted her up onto the (Brave Disbelt) with both hands and made her sit sideways on the saddle.

Not only the Marquis but also Neurath and the others looked surprised. Lily, of course, was also surprised, but she was quiet, as if she knew that it was dangerous to move around on the saddle. Or maybe she was just confused. 

“Now, if you’ll excuse us…”

“Ah, um, excuse us.”

It was impolite to talk to Marquis and Lady while sitting on horseback because it would look like we were looking down on them, but it was me who did it, so they wouldn’t blame Lily. I bowed once more and adjusted Lily’s seating and moved her in front of me. While taking the reins, I adjusted to look at the two once more.

The Marquis understood what I meant by “We won’t need it.” and smiled wryly, while Rosemary’s eyes lit up, perhaps recalling an illustration from a knight’s tale that shows a princess. I think girls around her age like that kind of stuff. Sorry that the person playing the role of a knight was me.

After bowing once more, I let the horse advance slowly so that the maid who was accompanying us could follow us since she was walking on foot.

I know I should not be complaining about this, but it was quite embarrassing to move slowly with a girl in a dress riding along, even though we were just riding to return home.

“Are you cold?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“How was the tea party?”

“The Marquis’ family was all very good to us. Oh, but the warning from Welner-sama was very helpful.”

“I knew it.”

I chuckled a little. For example, if she had paid lip service to Rosemary-sama by saying that she wanted a sister when she said she wanted an older sister, the Marquis might ask if Lily wanted to be adopted.

And Rosemary-sama was raised as an aristocrat. Even age and innocence could be used as a weapon by an aristocrat. There would be no room for carelessness. I guess they were looking at me that way, too.

I was thinking about that, escaping from reality, when I sensed a presence and pulled on the reins. At the same time that Neurath and Schunzel were looking around, a figure came running out from the backstreet.

The figure ran straight toward us. It was alone and unarmed. She was a girl, not dressed nicely. She was about the same age as me or a little older.

She looked at us and raised her voice.

“Please help me!”

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