[V7EX3] Party of Delinquent Friends

One of Ridill’s Seven Sages, the Barrier Mage Louis Miller, widened his eyes to the limit at the scene in front of him, expressing profound dissatisfaction.

“How could this happen…?”

On the sofa in front of Louis, his beloved daughter Leonora was frolicking with the detestable knight Einhard.

The almost-two-year-old Leonora giggled while grabbing at Einhard’s clothes and hair.

“Aw, Leonora-chan is such a good girl. Here, big brother Einhard will lift you up.”

“Buh, wah-buh. Kyaa!”

“Oh, I see. You want to marry the perfect Einhard when you grow up?”

“Guee, gueee!”

In response to Einhard spouting utter nonsense, Leonora repeated the sound “guee.” By the way, “guee” was often how Leonora referred to Louis’s disciple, Glenn Dudley.

It was doubtful if Leonora really understood the concept of marriage, but when the word was brought up, Louis’s beloved daughter constantly shouted the name of his disciple.

As a side note, Leonora said “maa” for her mother, “jii” for her grandfather, and “rii-rii” for Ryn. There was no word in her vocabulary for father.

“Leonora seems pretty friendly. She warmed up to me right away.”

Now it was Lionel’s turn to lift Leonora. The infant began climbing all over his body, giggling and squealing. She enjoyed climbing onto people very much.

Louis, on the other hand, could recall no memory of Leonora ever climbing on him, let alone hugging him. For some reason, Leonora would lurch backward and start sobbing whenever Louis tried to lift her.

“I see Leonora takes after Louis. Her hair color and eye color are quite similar.”

“Oh, true. Her facial features too. I can see a bit of Louis in there.”

Lionel and Einhard were in agreement, but Louis pursed his lips and raised an objection.

“What are you both talking about? Look carefully. Leonora takes after her mother. See, just look at those eyes.”

When Louis leaned forward and reached for Leonora, the girl instantly burst into tears. Einhard swiftly picked her up before she could fall off Lionel, then gently patted her back.

Leonora eventually settled down thanks to Einhard’s soothing, and she began to suck on Einhard’s clothes. Meanwhile, she stubbornly refused to look at her father.

Einhard turned to Louis and spoke with a completely serious expression.

“Rejoice, Louis. Your daughter has a discerning eye for men.”

“As if. Anyone can see that I am a much handsomer man than this dimwitted knight.”

In response, Einhard simply shrugged his shoulders.

＊　＊　＊

Princess Cecilia’s extended stay led to a hectic string of events, but once everything settled down, the three gathered at the Miller residence for a modest drinking party.

Although it was still a bit early for dinner, this was the only time the busy trio could make in their schedules. For a brief period, the three would be able to enjoy their drinks and engage in the unreserved exchanges typical of their long-standing friendship.

“You know, I’ve been itching to ask this for a while now, but why do you have such long hair? A religious tradition or something?”

“Because well-maintained long hair is a symbol of affluence.”

Louis chuckled and swept his hands across his long braid. Einhard rolled his eyes in exasperation.

“I guess, but after a certain point, long hair just looks like a display of your vanity. Also, isn’t it your hair’s fault that you had to dress like that earlier… Ngh!?”

Without a single word, Louis jabbed his fist into Einhard’s side.

Fortunately, Lionel had been busy entertaining Leonora, so he wasn’t privy to their conversation.

As Einhard had pointed out, one of the reasons Louis disguised himself as a maid was to conceal his hair. Such long hair would draw quite a bit of attention, so his only option was to tie it up with the chignon cap of a maid.

“I guess the Seven Sages are completely free from rules and stuff. How envious. There’d be a line of people waiting to give me crap if I tried something like that. Just having a bit of bedhead will earn me a knuckle from the captain.”

Einhard continued ranting about the struggles of the Imperial Guard.

Ignoring everything Einhard said, Louis took a sip of his wine glass, which caused Einhard to pull at his braid.

“Speaking of envy, there’s also the girls! There are like three witches among the Seven Sages, right? Three girls out of seven! That’s just unfair! Give me one for my bland workplace!”

“The first is a young boy-lover, the second is a man, and third is a child, you know.”

“But that Silent Witch, Monica Everett-chan is your colleague, right? Why can’t I have a female colleague ten years younger? I’m so jealous.”

“In case you haven’t noticed, she is quite the monster. Do you want to hear about the ordeal she put me through during the Sage Selection Exam?”

As Louis struggled to reclaim his braid from Einhard, Leonora began shouting, “Rii-rii!” They turned to see Ryn carrying them some additional snacks.

Einhard promptly dropped Louis’s braid, stood up, and straightened his posture. The sleazy grin that had been on his face vanished, replaced by a refreshing smile.

“Madam, our encounter must be fate. Can you give me your name?”

“I am Rynzbelfied.”

“That has a lovely ring to it, it sounds like it came straight out of a poem. Would you be willing to give me some of your time tonight?”

Along with the invitation, Einhard placed his arm around Ryn’s shoulders. In response, Ryn tilted her head so far to the side that she looked like a doll with a snapped neck.

“Einhard Berger-sama, I have a question for you. Is this a courtship ritual?”

“Of course, I’m trying to win you over.”

“In that case, I must humbly decline. My heart already belongs to another.”

“Oh, that’s interesting. I’ll make you say that you love me more. I have confidence in my abilities.”

Despite Ryn’s off-kilter response, Einhard remained unfazed. His nerves were quite something.

Meanwhile, Louis pushed up his tilted monocle, casting an exasperated glance.

“Einhard. Ryn is my contracted spirit.”

Einhard blinked a couple of times, before staring intently at the beautiful maid. Perhaps the fact that Ryn was not human came as a shock. However, Einhard went on to ask Louis a completely serious question.

“…Despite being a married man, you dress up your spirit as a cute maid and flaunt her in front of guests? Those are some strange inclinations.”

Unbelievably, this dimwitted playboy was looking down on him with disgust. A line had been crossed. Louis retorted with a scowl.

“I am not making her dress like that. The outfit is Ryn’s preference.”

“No, this is not a mere preference…”

Louis’s words were promptly interrupted by his maid.

After straightening her posture, Ryn stared directly at Einhard and continued with a strangely powerful tone.

“It is a conviction.”

“O-Okay.”

What kind of conviction would lead a spirit to dress in a maid outfit? Einhard already knew that he probably couldn’t comprehend the answer.

While Louis was privy to the circumstances, they were so absurd that he couldn’t be bothered to explain. He simply kept quiet and took another sip from his wine glass.

Indeed, there was a reason why the greater spirit wore a maid outfit, which also led into why she formed a contract with Louis. However, this was a story he had no interest in telling. Even if it resulted in others misinterpreting their relationship, he cared little.

Moving on from that subject, Louis dropped a few dried fruits into his wine glass. He had always liked wine-soaked fruits, since a bit of sweetness was welcome in stronger drinks.

“Ryn, bring me the raspberry jam, and keep it a secret from Rosalie.”

“Louis-dono, I have been highly recommended by various sources to report to Rosalie-sama when you attempt to intake more sugar than necessary.”

Casually ignoring an order from her master, Ryn tattled on Louis to his wife in the kitchen.

“Rosalie-sama, Louis-dono is asking for jam.”

“He’s already had enough for today. More than a bottle per day is absurd.”

Rosalie quickly entered the room and glared at Louis with such a cold gaze that he couldn’t help but tremble.

By the way, the playboy Einhard Berger had once openly declared that he preferred strong-willed women. Or more precisely, he enjoyed being glared at by women with a cold gaze.

The icy glare from Rosalie Miller was apparently quite attractive to him.

“Milady, I wish I could have met you sooner.”

Einhard took Rosalie’s hand and kissed the back of it.

Meanwhile, Louis threateningly lifted the wine bottle, only to be restrained by Lionel. Ryn was busy covering Leonora’s innocent eyes.

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