My lady was back to her usual self, her poisonous glib forcing multiple mouths shut in the open streets of the dawn. She was excited and jumped from one shop to the other, buying me bread for the trip, and some desserts for herself, earning terrifying discounts with her tongue alone. It was our normal life, something I had strangely begun to enjoy after living in the Otome world for twenty-five years.

“Look at that fish, Rudolf,” she pointed at the weird green fish swimming in the transparent bowl, too excited to keep her mouth closed. If one thing had changed about our relationship since last night, it was that she called me Rudolf more often instead of mongrel or scum. I would say it was significant progress on my part, but I didn’t know the reasons for her abrupt change. Uneasiness welled up in me often when I watched her act ladylike in front of me at times, but the excitement of the uncertainty won each time.

We had skipped the usual family breakfast, which was bound to backfire on us later, but my lady was too excited to care about that. It was her first time venturing outside the gates, so I could understand her elation. My first transmigration was just as fun, and I had landed in a water kingdom as a soldier of the palace. I had fun breathing underwater for a few hundred years until I grew bored of it and transmigrated again.

Letitia often collided against commuters in her uninterrupted stroll, and I kept an extra eye for the wheels of the carriage or the racing horses at others. We reached the gates, and her mood had improved considerably since she had woken up, which meant more bread to me.

I don’t get paid like other maids for my services since my relationship with the Valorat household ended with the death of the former lady of the house, my lady’s mother. So, Letitia pays me from her allowances, just enough to buy some edibles, or she buys them for me.

It is worth mentioning that her monthly allowance is pitiful and only sufficient to have one good meal in a mediocre restaurant, which is forty shins. One loaf of bread costs eight, so you can guess how much of my lady’s allowance goes to my stomach. For today, we had a little over eighty shins after saving for a few months, and she had spent sixteen on my bread and twenty on her desserts.

As we reached the gates, I saw Garlan having an idle chat with the guards, who were quite familiar with him.

The enormous walls of Femor loomed before us, the battlements visible even from the ground. Stairs flanked the portcullis in the front, city ditch dug along the exterior of the city walls, filled with water. Bastion projected at the two ends of the fixture appeared sturdy, but I was sure my one [Explosion] spell would destroy them for once, along with the city towers that hung threateningly at the top of the walls, with mages probably sleeping within them. It was a great defensive structure as far they kept overpowered mages at bay. Unfortunately, they hadn’t.

“Is that portly mutt your friend?” she asked, and I sensed mirth in her voice. Was she happy that my bread lad was a portly man?

“He is a good man who knows to appreciate good bread, albeit a bit perverted. I assure you he wouldn’t do anything to you, my lady.”

“Unless he wants to be castrated, I suggest he keep his hands to himself. I don’t forgive anyone for touching me, and that includes you too, scum!”

“Yes, my lady. I wouldn’t let anyone touch you, and that includes me too,” I repeated her words and adjusted her cloak before maneuvering to the gates.

“Yo, Rudolf,” he raised his hand with a grin before moving over his gaze to my lady. “And greetings, my lady.” I was surprised to see that Garlan knew about the etiquette of the nobility. That’s why you don’t judge a bread by its crust.

“Only Rudolf is allowed me to call that, mutt! Stick to Valorat or something else, unless you want to be chained around your neck and tied to the pole beside that cloth store.”

Garlan gave me a confused look while I shrugged. “I told you that you are a mongrel for the day.”

He grunted and gave my lady an accusatory glance before leading the way through the open portcullis. The guards didn’t stop us, for we had an Amateur high-tier mage with us, and they didn’t verify our identities either, much to my relief. Unless in emergencies, they never did, Garlan had often told me.

“We will approach the Besuck woods shortly, which is the closest and the safest woods in the entire kingdom of Arlikia. Our quest is to search for Tulan’s lost deer, which wandered into the forest last night. Don’t ask me about Tulan because we mercenaries take quests from the merchants or mercenaries guild. As for the deer, it’s black in color since Tulan painted it black last night, which is the main reason for this escapade.”

“Why does this mutt bark so much?” my lady asked while I shrugged my shoulders, looking away from the irritated portly man.

“In simple words, we ought to look for a black deer. Am I clear, oh noble Valorat?”He snickered under the pretense, and I cast a glare, which he jovially reciprocated.

My lady was too occupied in seeping the details of the outside world, so she didn’t heed to the mannerism of Garlan. Her eyes shined brighter than my healing light as she seeped the novel sight with joy. Even my bread lad’s face had grown tender looking at her, so he had gladly acquiesced to being her mongrel for the day. They hit off well after that because Garlan was able to pick the words twirled within the curses, and he was able to have a proper conversation with her.

I was strangely happy that the two people I had accepted in this world got along well. There were two more, but let’s not talk about them.

My lady never left my side, though, despite being curious of even leaping crickets of the dawn. The morning breeze forced away from her cowl multiple times, so I was forced to amend it frequently, though she often elbowed me every time my gloved finger touched her forehead.

Occasional trees replaced the bushes and shrubs of the plains, and within a few minutes, the thick woods loomed around us, chirping of the birds replacing the shouts from the city. I was still wearing my usual suit below my brown cloak that almost cooked me from the inside as the sun continued to rise.

“Why is it so hot, Garlan?” I asked, unable to control the heat anymore.

“Such a wastrel,” my lady snickered and cast [freeze] spell over my cloak, which cooled me down slightly. It was inefficient since the Apprentice level spell was so weak that it couldn’t even cover my torso, but I appreciated the thought.

“There’s a lava cave at the center of the forest, which expels enormous amounts of heat in the early morning. You can often see students from the mages from the Academy coming over for research. Because of the cave, animals are largely restricted to the periphery of the forest.”

“I’ve heard about it in my books,” My lady pitched in with evident arrogance in her voice. “The academicians call it Devonov Cave.”

It surprised me to know that the mages of the Academy taught useful things. The lectures on magic were absolute trash, and so were others on ethics that ingrained in students the will to give absolute obedience toward those in power.

“Yea. No one has explored the depths of the cave, so there are stories about a dragon resting inside. Though, I am sure it’s just the old grey-haired spinning tales in their boredom.”

Why did I just feel insulted? Old I am, and grey-haired too. Was he talking about me?

“True. Those grey-haired men are absolute wrecks. They even visit taverns in the dead of night.”

I am pretty sure this was directed at me. Garlan’s hollow laughs resounded around her, and my ears caught the nestle of the bushes despite his loud voice. I glanced in the direction and saw a white rabbit rushing, who peered at us patiently for a while before rushing away.

Hunting comes to me naturally, and with one sweep, I could kill every living being in the vicinity, except for my lady and my bread lad. Dragon or not doesn’t really make a difference to an undead. Then again, I, who loves to relish in the sensation of adventures, would never opt for such a cheat while hunting. And even while searching for the black deer, because the whole point of the expedition was to lighten the mood of my lady. As long as my lady was happy, finishing this idle chore wasn’t my problem.

“Your lady is an Apprentice mage, right?” Garlan asked, slowing down to walk to my left. The faint light of the sun entered through the foliage, giving the woods a soothing ambiance.

“Yea,” I replied, adjusting her cowl that had receded again. “I am planning to train her till Progressive before the end of her term.”

“Is it possible? I mean, won’t her aptitude for mana decide on the pace of her progress? You see, I have been stuck at Amateur high-tier for more than a decade now. This is my cap, and my aptitude doesn’t allow me to go any further.”

“That’s some garbage spewed by your predecessors. Once my lady becomes a Progressive mage, I’ll let you in on the secrets. You were very fond of grey-haired men a couple of minutes ago.”

I am petty, particularly when dealing with those who have gained my acceptance. His regretful expression made me feel better.

“It was your lady who mocked you, though,” he said, openly pointing his finger at my lady. If it was anyone else, my lady would have ordered me to cut it. Realizing his mistake, my bread lad lowered his hand as my lady clicked her tongue in annoyance.

“He is mine, so I can do anything with me. Next time, don’t blame me for losing your finger. You never touch Letitia, and you never point at Letitia.”

“Yea yea, noble Valorat,” he let out a sigh.

We continued our uninterrupted walk through the woods and reached a clearing soon. Garlan took out his knife and went off to hunt a rabbit for meat. My lady ate candies under the shade of the tree, and I checked her shoes for any tear before tying the shoelace.

I had personally designed her shoes from my knowledge of the modern world. The mender had been surprised by the crude drawing back when I first showed him my sketch, but he offered to make shoes for free in exchange for my design. I had nothing to lose, so I readily approved, which resulted in the widespread use of fashionable shoes in the entire capital.

No, I don’t plan to craft airplanes or guns. Only stupid mortals would indulge in such pointless deeds.

“Are your soles hurting?” I asked, glancing at her stuffed mouth.

“I’m fine,” she replied and pulled me up by my arm. She only reached my chin, so her strength alone couldn’t pull me up unless I acquiesced, which I did like always.

“Don’t kneel before me unless I ask you to,” she said, handing me a loaf of bread from her small side-bag slung on her waist.