Seirei Gensouki's
Chapter 140: Meeting at the Inn

Rio was heading to a certain region in the western part of the earl Claire region by flying with spirit arts.

Precisely, the reason he was heading in the opposite direction of Christina-tachi was to buy the necessary items to travel in the city where the search operation had yet to reach this place.

He mainly bought food.

Of course despite having a large number of groceries in his 『Item Box』, most of them do not appear in the Strahl region market. Therefore he decided to prepare another set of materials.

Since the majority of them could use magic, there was no problem for fire and water supplies.

Moreover, he also needed to buy clothes and cookware.

Although it is still in the morning, many stores are already open for business after the owner has finished breakfast to get the energy needed for the day.

Although Rio went shopping immediately, as expected it was difficult for him to obtain the necessary items for six people.

After that, he borrowed a horse to put down his luggage and entered a quiet hallway, after which he stored all his luggage inside 『Barang』 Box.

And since it was just before noon when he finished most of his shopping list, he left the city without any delay to rush towards their meeting point.

Moments after crossing the highway, he entered the forest and then flew away with spirit arts. He did not face any problems along the way and managed to arrive at the meeting location, the fountain in front.

Rio decided to lean on the tree that grew next to the fountain. There, he took out the item he bought for Celia-tachi some time ago from the item box.

An hour later―― Rio suddenly raised his head to look at the sky. After that, he saw Aisha descending slowly from the sky.

「Celia-tachi will be arriving soon, Haruto. No one chasing them currently 」

Aisia reported the necessary information to him upon landing on the ground.

"I saw . Thank you, Aisia 」

「Uhn」

Aisia sat beside Rio while answering so. And that was how her head was leaning against Rio's shoulder.

"Tired? 」

「Yes. I'm sleepy"

Aisia replied while closing her eyelids.

「So yes, thank you for your hard work. Please sleep until Celia-sensei-tachi arrives 」

「Uhn ...............

So Aisia entered her sleep mode. He could hear her rhythmic sleeping breath.

（He fell asleep yes. …………. . Well, it's okay）

Actually no one would be able to see her sleeping as long as she turned into her spirit form and slept inside her body but, Aisia's sleeping face was too peaceful that she did not want to wake her up.

Rio's mind also calmed down a lot when Aisia was by his side. In the end Rio decided to let Aisia sleep that way while thinking that he could wake her up before Celia-tachi arrived.

Meanwhile he spread a light breeze filled with his magical power in all directions with spirit arts in search of hostile feasts within a range of several hundred meters in all directions.

Efficiency was better if she used a detection-type magic barrier if she stayed in one place but she could not do that with Aisia leaning on her shoulder.

Nevertheless, since there were almost no spirit arts warriors at the Rio level, he only spent time enjoying the warm sunlight on his skin.

After which, he sensed Celia-tachi's seemingly existence in less than 10 minutes.

「It looks like they have come, Aisia」

「………. . Uhn 」

His figure suddenly disappeared when he called out to her. At the same time, he could feel a comfortable and important feeling that weighed down on his shoulders disappearing along with him.

「Haruto! 」

Moments later, she could see Christina-tachi's figure along with Celia's voice coming from the path that came from the fountain towards the highway.

"I've been waiting"

Rio welcomed the seemingly worn-out group of five in an indifferent tone.

「………. . Although we ran as fast as we could to come to this place, I wonder how you caught up with us and arrived first? 」

Christina asked him in a curious tone.

「That's because I didn't go through the highway. And I just finished buying the necessary items to travel 」

Rio replied indirectly while smiling at her.

「………. . I saw . Very reliable 」

Christina only showed a resigned smile when she saw several backpack bags placed around her.

「By the way, let's change our clothes now before we enter the post city. I have prepared clothes for some people. Please let me know if the clothes do not fit your size as I will buy new 」

Currently Christina-tachi was wearing a knight uniform and noble clothes under their robes.

So their situation would become even more complicated if by chance they were requested by the soldiers guarding the post town.

「Really, let's change our disguise immediately. Vanessa, help me change my clothes 」

Christina said it was because she probably realized the advantages of changing their clothes before entering the post town.

☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★

「Ooh, beautiful girls line up, let's follow them ASAP ……… ……

While the three girls entered the forest deeper to change clothes, one of the two black-haired youths muttered those pitiful words. After which, the other young man looked at him with a stunned face.

「Shouldn't we change clothes too? They will be back soon, you know 」

「Kouta, you really can't understand men's romance at all ya」

「Romantic you said, does it have anything to do with changing clothes? 」

The young man named Kouta sent a doubtful look at his senpai while looking at Rio who was standing next to him from the corner of his eyes.

「GOD！ THE MOST IMPORTANT FACT IS THE FACT THAT THE BEAUTIES CHANGE THEIR CLOTHES RIGHT THERE! doesn't that make your imagination run wild? 」

「Please stop such rash ideas」

Rio who was leaning against the tree was looking at their conversation with a wry smile on his face. Then–,

「Kouta, you really ………. . You should be able to understand this romance of mine, Haruto-san? 」

So senpai Kouta was trying to gauge Rio's reaction.

Kouta showed a surprised face.

「....... Unfortunately I am with Kouta in this case」

After a short pause, Rio retorted awkwardly ………. In japanese.

「S-As I thought, so you can speak Japanese right? Your name and surname are the same. You ………. A Japanese is right? Could it be that you are involved in summoning heroes like us as well? 」

Kouta threw question after question in a shrill voice.

"Quiet"

"Ah sorry"

Kouta suddenly calmed down when Rio told him to do so.

「By the way please change your clothes before they return. Then let's continue our conversation after that 」

「Ah, you are right. Understood 」

And then, a few minutes later.

「How about we start with self-introduction? I mean after a messy situation 」

Rio proposed that right after Kouta-tachi finished changing their clothes.

By the way they wear travelling gear.

"Religion . Now that you mention it, we have not introduced ourselves 」

Kouta accepted Rio's idea.

When Rio introduced himself in Strahl area style, Kouta-tachi showed a slightly confused face.

But, they had to complete their self-introduction first.

"……I see . So you're of the same age as me, or maybe a year younger? I'm Murakumo Kouta, 17 years old"

「In this case you are older than me. Anyway, I am 16 years old this year Please take care of me 」

Rio reached out to shake hands as he said so.

"It's nice to meet you"

Kouta also extended his hand and shook hands with Rio.

「And then, this person is my senpai, his name ………. . 」

Afterwards, Kouta urges his senpai to introduce himself.

「My name is Saiki Rei. Even though I was Kouta's senior at one year, I was still 17 this year. Possibly . I mean, I don't even know the date and day in this world. Nice to meet you"

「Ya, please treat me well」

Rio also did a handshake with Rei.

「Then, I think it is enough for self-introduction. Although I want to hear your answer to Kouta's question now 」

And, Rei broke the ice and attacked the topic.

「Understood. First, it is true that I can speak in the language you call Japanese. But I am a native born of this world and not a Japanese 」

「Eh ………? 」

Rei and Kouta were surprised as they might not expect such a reply from Rio.

There, before they had a chance to provoke him with too many questions, he decided to explain the situation to stop such things from happening.

「Actually I spent several months living with people involved in hero summoning. So I learned Japanese in the process of teaching them regional languages 」

It was common knowledge that Rio and Miharu-tachi were living under the same one roof just a moment ago. There was no point in feeding them with lies at this moment.

「As expected, others also called beside us yes ..........」.

He changed the direction of their interest towards the fact that other people were also called with us》 away from 《Why he could speak Japanese》.

「You two can't understand it huh? 」

「Yes. After all, even though I learned the language of this world, it was the best I could do. I have no other way to collect 」 information

「.......... By the way, how did you two learn the language of this world? 」

「For some reason spread that we are just friends chosen by heroes. . So we do our best to cooperate with him 」

"I saw"

Yeah they don't have any other choice. Because they will not live a good life as long as they cannot communicate with the people of this world. They should be desperate in learning the language of this world.

「By the way, there is something I want to ask you Haruto-san, is your name and surname from the Strahl area? I mean, this is very similar to the name and surname where we came from 」

Kouta looked at Rio as if measuring his expression.

「……. . This surname and given name are from Yagumo region, birthplace of my deceased parents 」

Rio replied after a short pause.

「AH, sorry！ To ask such a thing. I think it might be a clue to return to our world 」

Kouta apologized in a confused voice when he heard the fact that his parents were dead.

「It's okay, don't mind it. Please stop being polite 」

「There's no way I can do that, you know. Yagumo Region. I only heard that name when I learned about the geography of this world. Maybe I'll try to go to that place someday. Isn't that right, senpai? 」

「Yes, that sounds good. That sounds interesting 」

Rei agreed with Kouta who tried to change the subject.

After that, Christina-tachi who had just finished changing clothes would return at the same time.

Even that bundle of traveling clothes looked good on all three.

「They are back yes. Let's continue this conversation another day 」

「Uhn」

Thus Rio-tachi ended their conversation.

「My apology keeps you waiting. We have finished changing our clothes as well. Let's take our time to go to post city 」

Vanessa's advice is for them all to go to a post town built along the highway.

☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★

「............. This .................... Our inn? 」

Christina muttered those words while looking at the inn.

The inn is a three-story building―― It brings a historical feeling in it. [TL: The building is obsolete] Although it is not too obsolete from Rio's point of view, it may be as good as a tattered house from Christina's point of view.

First, Christina who was born and raised as a princess may never rest in the inn. Although it was quite a high inn among the inns in the post town, he looked at the inn with a dumbfounded expression.

「Although this is not the best inn, it should be a fairly high lodging among the inns in the post town. I know that this inn can not meet his great request but please put up with it during our trip 」

Rio conveyed his apology from Christina's side.

By the way since they could call her by her real name during this trip, they decided to use an alias for Christina. It was to hide his true identity.

「B-Not that I'm not satisfied with that. Enough . Let's go inside"

Christina led their way to enter the inn with a reddened face. Perhaps he only felt embarrassed to be seen in that appearance when he looked at the inn curiously.

Rio-tachi follows from his back with a wry smile on their faces. After entering the inn, a middle-aged man was already guarding the reception desk.

「We would like to book a room at this inn, sir. There are six of us 」

Perhaps because she wanted to remove her embarrassment from before, Christina started the negotiation without any awkwardness.

「He hee's. Then the cheapest option is to share room 」

Perhaps because she was confused by Christina's beauty, the man who seemed to be the shopkeeper replied in a shrill voice.

「Share room? 」

「This means you will stay in the same room with other guests」

Rio was doing an explanation for Christina who had a big question mark over her head.

「……. . As expected, I want to be forgiven from it 」

Christina answered with a narrow face.

"Yes nih . In this case let's rent a room for each of us. Sir, I would like to rent a room that does not share a room but, how much space is left? 」

Rio engaged in a pleasant conversation with the shopkeeper. Christina took a step back to pass the stick to discuss and then listened to their conversation with a very curious face.

Have We have but the biggest is the five-person space. Hehe"

The shopkeeper replied with a business smile plastered on his face. He probably rated Rio-tachi as a good customer.

「Please give us 2 rooms then」

"Yes nih . The cost is 4 small silvers! 」

「This is it. Keep it back"

Rio had taken out a large silver coin and placed it on the table when he said it.

「EH? 」

The shopkeeper looked at him with a dumbfounded face.

「Actually the two princesses behind me are the daughters of a prosperous merchant house, they are currently on an undercover trip. Well even though their house is partially acknowledged, I can't limit bad guys from aiming at them without turning into a fight. This is my secret money for you to tell those people about us. You don't want anything troublesome to happen as well, sir? 」