A Week of Doing This and That

The people who were trying to do something about Wataru were, after various twists and turns, completely wiped out.

… As for the "this and that" part, it took about a week, so Rokuko and I just spent our days relaxing at the inn, strolling around the shrine, eating our way through the village, or dropping by the [Storage] Dungeon to chat with Soto and see how things were going.

It was apparently a whole "Since we have the Four Heavenly Kings here, we're making them work! We're making something amazing that'll totally surprise Mama and Papa when they get back!" sort of thing.

She looked really proud of herself but didn't tell us what exactly it was. Well, I guess it's a parent's job to quietly watch over their kid's little secrets, right? I didn't press for details and decided to look forward to it when we get back… though, I can't help but feel a little uneasy.

Yeah, that probably isn't just my imagination. Probably.

If I find a weird statue or something, I won't hesitate to smash it.

Anyway, after mysteriously wiping out a mysterious underground organization, Wataru—while cuddling with and getting cuddled by Nerune in a "Well done~" head-patting session—suddenly turned to me and said:

"Hey, Kehma-san. The Mikado of Wakoku has agreed to grant us an audience. Want to come?"

"Huh? Nope, don't wanna."

"I hear it's kind of a big honor though?"

"Still nope."

"Come on, let's go together."

"Have fun. Bring him a rice ball or something as a gift."

"Turning it down could actually cause some political problems though."

"Someone like me—an uncultured commoner—meeting someone that important? It's way too much for me."

"Weren't you a baron or something?"

"I know jack all about noble etiquette, so I'm basically still a commoner. Don't lump me in with an S-rank adventurer and hero like you."

Seriously, what would I have to do if I screwed up somehow and it turned into an international incident.

… …

Wait, hold on! If it does turn into an incident, I could use that to cancel out this whole "accomplishment" thing… like hitting reset!

"I changed my mind. Let's go stir up some diplomatic trouble. Just enough of a problem to balance out this week's accomplishments."

"Ah, so that's your angle."

If they don't want a diplomatic incident, they shouldn't invite me. If they do invite me, I'll cause one. Either way—I win!

But Wataru didn't hesitate in the slightest and dragged me along anyway.

"Alright, let's go."

"… …"

"Nerune-san, Rokuko-san, you're welcome to join us too."

"Huh? We can come too?"

"Yes. They said you're welcome to bring guests. Oh, and apparently we'll be receiving some magical scrolls."

"Hmmm~. Then I guess we'll tag along~"

Why did he bait Nerune with such a perfect offer…?

Could it be that Wataru also plans to throw away his achievements?

Anyway, we ended up getting an audience with the Mikado.

You're supposed to tidy up your appearance for something like this, but—

This time, I'm going in wearing a tracksuit!!

"It's dungeon-made clothing, right? That's basically formal wear for adventurers."

"Wait, seriously?"

"Yep. Unless it's something extremely revealing, like… well, even bikini armor is apparently acceptable."

Isn't it harder to find something not acceptable at that point?

"If a regular person showed up in bikini armor, there might be issues, but Kehma-san's a hero who's killed the Yamata-no-Orochi twice. You'll be fine."

"Grrr… formidable…"

I definitely don't want to wear bikini armor. A man in bikini armor? Who even wants that?

So, we all piled into the rickshaw Wataru pulled and headed to the mansion where the Mikado was staying.

I figured we'd have to go all the way to the capital, but apparently, she's in town right now.

"She's a surprisingly friendly person."

"Oh? So you've met her?"

"Ever since I delivered some rice to her, I've been treated like a state guest. Oh, and I think the people from that organization were targeting me because of that."

"O-oh… that's rough."

"Sure is. I'm lucky you were around, Kehma-san."

If Wataru says that, then I'm guessing his [Super Luck] was doing a lot of work behind the scenes.

… Could this whole audience thing with the Mikado be part of that too?

Very likely.

While the three of us were chatting in the rickshaw Wataru pulled, we quickly arrived at the mansion.

It was a large, single-story building with a wooden structure and tiled roof—so traditional it could easily be mistaken for a shrine. Having such a grand residence right in the middle of town and using it as a vacation home? That's real power and wealth on display.

At the front gate, two blonde guards with topknots were standing watch. When they saw Wataru pulling the rickshaw, they both looked shocked.

"Wataru-sama!? What happened to the escort we arranged for you!?"

"Oh, I figured it'd be faster if I just ran."

"Uh… and the people in the carriage…?"

"They're companions I mentioned ahead of time. It's all good, right?"

"Um, y-yes, there's no problem. A-and the people with you? What is your relationship with Wataru-sama…?"

The guard timidly probed.

"I'm his lover~"

"I lent him a huge amount of money, I guess?"

"Wataru's a regular guest at my inn."

"… …???"

"Kehma-san and Rokuko-san are my friends! Oh, and Nerune-san is my girlfriend."

"I-I see… Uh, Wataru-sama? If you're having financial troubles, we could arrange some support—"

"No need. That debt is an important bond between me and Kehma-san. Please don't interfere."

Honestly, I wouldn't mind if they paid it off in full though?

"Oh, let me switch with someone else for pulling duty. We'll take the cart to the storage area, so Wataru-sama, you can stop here."

"No, I'd feel weird not seeing it through now that I've come this far."

"Please, we can't just let such an important guest do this while we stand around—our heads would roll!"

"No, no, you've already spoken up, so I'll vouch for you."

"No, no, no, seriously…"

"No no no no no no no…"

… Can we please just get to the drop-off point already?