Lily's Knight (3)

As soon as the next morning arrived, I was summoned by Lily.

"Here, this is what you'll be doing today."

Lily handed me a piece of paper.

On the paper was a simple map and a picture of a middle-aged woman. Below it was a brief description.

"...Escorting?"

I read it through and tilted my head.

Lily smiled brightly and said,

"Yes. A high-ranking noble has business at the Imperial Palace. Please escort her safely."

"...From Arkre to the Imperial Palace?"

In the center of the continent, there is a city called Arkre. The auction house where I obtained Penelope's Cloth and Elodie acquired the Viper steel is located in this very city.

Arkre is not far from the capital, Silvester. If you travel by car, you can arrive in about three hours.

In other words, it's a location that doesn't require an escort.

"We'll be traveling by carriage. It will take about two days to arrive."

"Excuse me?"

Both using a carriage instead of a car and taking two days to arrive are things I don't understand.

"The carriage will take a detour instead of going straight."

"Why do such an inefficient thing? It will take longer, and above all, it's dangerous."

If it takes two days to arrive on a road that normally takes about three hours, it must be outside the city limits. In that case, even if it's within the barrier, it won't be safe from monsters.

Lily raised one finger and shook it from side to side.

"We're going that way because it takes longer and is more dangerous."

"Excuse me?"

"Because that's why we need an escort, right?"

In order to call for an escort, they had to take a dangerous and time-consuming route, so they deliberately chose a dangerous path instead of a safe one.

It was a clear case of putting the cart before the horse.

But somehow, only then did I feel like I finally understood the purpose of this escort.

"...The escort itself isn't important, is it?"

"Right. You know what kind of knights my knights are. What could they possibly want from us?"

Lily's knights, who are known for being incredibly handsome. Lily only looks at a man's appearance, so the knights gathered are those with poor skills as knights.

In other words, Lily's knights are not much different from ordinary people dressed in knight's attire. They're just handsome.

"Are you disappointed?"

Lily asked, tilting her head slightly.

I shook my head.

"No. It's a hundred times better than being in danger."

"Right? By the way, the picture on the paper is the client's face, but the person you'll be escorting is someone else."

"Someone else?"

"Yes. Her daughter, Miss Ameline von Ellis."

Ameline von Ellis.

A name that sounds familiar. But I can't quite recall it.

Then Lily said,

"Remember when all the Zodiacs were called because of the devil incident last time? Before that, Her Majesty the Empress held a party for the pros, including you. Miss Ameline was at that party. You might have met her there?"

"...Ah."

That's where it clicked. The young lady I met in the hall. The teardrop mole is what I remember.

"That young lady personally requested you."

"How did she know I became a knight of Ria Lis?"

"These days, it's rarer to find someone who doesn't know your every move."

...Have I become that famous?

"Then I'll leave it to you. Ah, the Ellis family is quite a prestigious family, so don't do anything rude. Got it?"

"More prestigious than Roach?"

"Not that, but right now, you're not de Roach, but Lily's knight, Frondier."

She's right. I nodded.

"I've been assigned the escort mission, so I'll only do the escorting."

Lily smiled as if she couldn't ask for more.

"Yes, that's all you need to do."

She said with a clear smile.

* * *

As I had guessed from the route of the escort mission, the Ellis family was located in Arkre. Not only were they located there, but a part of Arkre's territory belonged to the Ellis family.

Considering that they own a part of Arkre, which boasts the continent's best auction house and shopping district, it's easy to guess the status of the Ellis family.

"Please wait here for a moment."

A man who looked like a butler had me wait next to the carriage.

In this world where passenger cars exist, carriages are rather a luxury item. Even though it's just a carriage, it's equipped with devices that would normally be found in a car, making the interior comfortable and free from shaking.

Additionally, it requires both horses and people to operate, so nobles can't easily give up carriages as a way to show off their wealth and power.

If you equip it with high-quality horses here, for example, the luxury of being pulled by a famous horse like Cassian easily surpasses the performance of a mediocre car.

"Hello."

I spoke to one of the horses that was being prepared to pull the carriage next to me. I wondered if this horse also possessed intelligence comparable to Cassian's.

Snort-

But unfortunately, this horse did not. It didn't even look at me for a few seconds before turning its head away and making a meaningless sound.

It seems like it didn't even recognize my words as a "greeting" in the first place. Well, that's natural. Cassian is just exceptionally smart.

"Oh, I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting!"

Soon the mansion door opened, and a woman in a beautiful dress hurriedly approached me.

Again, a familiar face. It was Ameline von Ellis, whom I had met at the party. Even then, she was wearing quite elegant clothes, but this time, it was as if she had put in all her effort, leaving no part untouched from head to toe.

"I am Frondier de Roach, the one in charge of this escort mission."

I bowed lightly to her. Ameline checked my face and nodded with a broad smile on her face, as if she were relieved that I was truly Frondier.

'...This is a subtle feeling.'

I already knew that Frondier's appearance was outstanding. Immediately after possessing Frondier, it was largely thanks to his appearance that I was able to barely recall who the character Frondier was.

So, I inwardly understood why Lily liked Frondier and why she was happy when I said I would become a knight.

However, since I am not the real Frondier, and therefore this face is not my real face, I can't simply be happy about being handsome.

It's ironic that Elodie, who initially disliked me, and Selena, who approached me as an enemy, are now more trustworthy.

"Please, get in. It's a long way, so we must hurry."

"A long way, yes! That's right! It's very far!"

Ameline repeated the fact that the destination was far away, as if she were happy about it, and got into the carriage. When I followed her in, the coachman started moving the carriage on his own.

'...To think I'd be assigned a mission like this.'

I was worried that becoming Lily's knight would transform me into someone loyal to her, and that she might do something to me, but instead of doing anything, I ended up not even being able to meet her.

Is this also evidence that Lily is wary of me? Or is it not the right time yet?

'I heard that Lily wants to recruit men with outstanding looks as knights, and that's actually the case, but does she have no intention of monopolizing them after recruiting them?'

As I learned when Lily explained this escort mission, Lily's knights are probably all doing similar things to what I'm doing now.

Using their looks to please women, chat with them, and so on. They're fulfilling the image of a "handsome knight."

But then I think Lily, who has gathered all these handsome men, wouldn't be happy about it, but she doesn't seem bothered at all and is even encouraging it.

"Do you remember what I said last time?"

Ameline asked me cautiously.

As I glanced at her, she smiled awkwardly.

"Ah, ahaha. Of course you wouldn't remember. Actually, I..."

"You said you liked cooking."

Ameline's mouth fell open in surprise at my words.

I added one more thing.

"I promised that if I had time, I would try it and give you my evaluation."

"Th, that's right."

"Of course I remember."

I smiled. My gaze fell on the bundle she was holding preciously in her arms.

"Is that today, by any chance?"

"Yes, yes! If it's okay with you..."

"Just a moment."

I quickly stopped Ameline, who was about to open the bundle.

"Wh, why?"

I soothed Ameline, who had become crestfallen in an instant.

"It's not even lunchtime yet."

"...Ah."

I maintained a kind smile towards Ameline, whose face was turning red.

"That's a good thing. There's no need to rush."

"...No need to rush..."

"It means we have plenty of time."

Ameline slightly opened her mouth at my words and stared at me blankly. Then she smiled brightly and nodded.

"Yes! That's right! The journey has just begun!"

...A journey.

A strange journey that stretched the distance that could be covered in three hours by car into two days.

There's no way Ameline doesn't know about this bizarre travel route. And she wouldn't think that I, the escort, wouldn't find it strange.

Simply put, this is Ameline's amusement. She wants to enjoy the mood, even though she knows it's a fake journey.

Being escorted by a knight, traveling a long distance by carriage, spending a night somewhere other than a luxurious accommodation. All of these things must have been the romantic fantasies of a young girl.

So, well, since the mission has been given like this, what I have to do is set.

I'm more familiar with 'fakes' than anyone else.

Something that suits a rich young lady's mood... I can do that much.