Chapter 77: Mayor

I jumped when I heard Brandish’s voice—the same one I had heard in Freya’s palace. The shock was so great that I pushed the chair backward with my feet.

“W-Wahh!” The startled sound escaped me as I realized I had lost my balance. The rest followed the laws of gravity, ending with a rather loud thud.

“Rick! Are you okay?!” The girls outside my head spoke in unison with the one inside it, all of them worried about me.

“I-I’m fine. I just got distracted for a moment,” I replied to all four of them.

I could hear the people at the other tables laughing at my fall.

’Geez, that’s the second accident I’ve had today. Are you sure there isn’t a hidden luck stat somewhere and I’ve got zero points in it?’

I asked myself, but instead, I heard Brandish’s voice answer.

’T-There is no luck stat. Y-You’re probably just having a bad day.’

’Thanks for the explanation, Captain Obvious.’

“Honestly, sometimes you really have your head in the clouds. Be more careful from now on,” Sarah told me.

“Right, I’ll be more careful,” I said, pulling myself back into my chair, not wanting to explain about Brandish—at least not yet. I knew her, and even so, this situation had caught me off guard.

’Sorry, Rick. I didn’t expect you to react like that,’ Brandish said, her soft voice filled with guilt.

’Don’t worry about it, Brandish. I’m fine. It’s not like a fall like that would kill me,’ I replied, though I was still curious. ’But what happened? You usually talk to me through text messages only.’

I heard a slight pause, and then Brandish spoke, her voice tinged with shyness. ’Lady Freya. She said it would be… better if I communicated with you by voice… to help with my shyness.’

’I see,’ I simply replied, though I knew that was likely just the official reason. Knowing Freya’s nature, I suspected she had another objective in mind.

It was hard to believe this was all just to help the girl with her communication issues. Freya had probably enjoyed seeing her all flustered and shy, and given that order purely for her own amusement.

Even if the intention behind it wasn’t exactly noble, I couldn’t deny that I liked the change. Brandish’s voice was light, soft, and very pleasant to listen to. I could say it was perfectly suited for the role she held.

’Well, at least we can talk again, right, Brandish? It’s been a while, and I hope we can continue working together,’ I said to her mentally in a positive tone.

’Y-Yes… I think… the same. It’s good… to work with you, Rick,’ she replied, her voice carrying a shy but cheerful note.

Sarah stood in front of me, holding out spoonfuls of soup and giving me very little choice in the matter. So I kept accepting each bite she fed me, taking the opportunity to clear up my doubts with Brandish.

’About the Affection level… is it a problem that Sarah’s is this high?’ I asked her.

’A-Ah, about that… don’t worry too much. The girls’ Affection levels can fluctuate a lot depending on the situation. It usually depends on your actions, but in Sarah’s case, I think her emotions simply intensified because she was away from you for so long.’

’Hmm…’ I looked at the red-haired girl gazing at me so lovingly while treating me with all the affection in the world. ’Maybe it’s not so bad being treated like this.’

’I believe she should return to normal after some time. But now that one of your Valkyries has reached Affection Level 20, you can receive rewards when they hit that milestone. In fact, I think Sarah already has one waiting for you. It should be in your inbox.’

’I see.’ I remembered all the messages from Freya and decided it wasn’t the best moment to open them. No one could see it, but I didn’t feel comfortable checking them in public. Opening it here would feel like opening xv*deos in public. ’I’ll look at it later.’

At that moment, footsteps approaching our table caught my attention. I was sitting with Sarah, Alicia, and Diane when the innkeeper approached us, accompanied by two other people.

The first was a woman with dark brown hair tied back. She had a beautiful figure, with full breasts and a slim waist, covered by a modest dress. I guessed she was his wife—and I had to admit, Joseph had good taste in women.

The second person accompanying them was a child. He had the same shade of brown hair as Joseph, and some of his facial features resembled the tall man, so I assumed he was his son. The boy seemed to be avoiding eye contact with us.

“How’s the food?” Joseph asked as he approached our table. Only then did I notice that my bowl was already empty.

“It was very good,” I replied. Alicia, who had also tasted the soup, nodded in agreement.

The woman beside him brought a hand to her face, and a satisfied smile appeared on her lips. “I’m glad you enjoyed my cooking.”

Joseph smiled and introduced the other members of his family. “This is my wife, Ingrid, and this is my son, Carl.”

Sarah finally took her eyes off me for a moment, noticing the little boy standing with the couple.

“Your wife saved our son’s life earlier today. Sarah, you will always have our gratitude,” Joseph said to the red-haired girl, who immediately grew embarrassed.

“N-No, you don’t have to thank me that much. I just did what any normal person would do.”

“I doubt a normal person could defeat a ghost. Carl, thank Sarah and apologize for the trouble you caused.”

“Thank you… and sorry for causing trouble,” the boy muttered reluctantly.

I could swear that all the men in the hall were looking in my direction—not with envy this time, but with expectation. The conversations at the other tables had stopped, with all attention focused on our exchange with Joseph.

“Rick, Sarah told us that she’s part of a party with her husband. So that means you’re an Awakened as well, correct?” he asked, more out of courtesy than curiosity. The answer was obvious—just like where this conversation was heading.

“That’s right.”

Joseph looked me straight in the eyes and said, “Then I would like to ask you a favor, as the mayor of this town.”

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