Chapter 66 66: Relationships

"Just twenty years ago, a pair of adventurers successfully defeated the Dungeon Guardian of the Imperial Dungeon after the first emperor. The current emperor granted them the titles of Baronet as there rewards for their deeds."

"Ah. The duo of the Sword Saint and the Sage…"

Michael blurted out the titles of their main body's parents. Claire Raeven and Mylene Lavender, their maiden name that time, were the second ones to conquer the Imperial Dungeon. No one was able to reach the 70th Floor since then.

"Ah." Eisherz realized they lost track of their conversation and decided to change the topic. "There's something I wanted to ask if it's fine with you."

"Go ahead."

"What is your relationship between the two?" Curious, the noblewoman tilted her head upon asking a person question.

Michael and the girls looked at each other and shook their head up-and-down indicating their response to Eisherz inquiry. Michael glanced at the other two besides the lady before fixated his eyes at the amber gleam.

"…Well, Gabrielle and Uriel are, more or less, my comrades and friends." Michael answered with  subtleness on his face, noticeably difficult to distinct whether he's telling the truth or not.

"Just friends? Not your lovers?" Agnostic, Eisherz asked again to clear her doubts.

"The truth is, they are not my lovers. In fact, they are…" Michael averted his eyes suddenly, "my sister's…"

"…"

After denying Eisherz's claim, Michael reluctantly dropped a bombshell. The impact rendered the front row speechless. The blast of explosion even broke Estella's stony expressionless face.

Having seen their mixed reactions, Lucy tried to break the ice. "What my brother said was true." Then Lucy put her hands on Gabrielle's lap. "Gabrielle and Uriel are indeed my lovers."

"They're right, Lady Eisherz. Lucy is my lover, along with Uriel."

"Indeed. We love Lucy."

The girls themselves confirmed the case. Hearing that, the noble side eventually get over from their shock.

"…Well… I heard about same-sex relationships before. But it's quite surprising seeing it personally, moreover, a polygamous one." Eisherz let out a sigh to metaphorically exhaust her inner shock. "Even though we just discussed about dungeons, I completely forgot that the Sword Saint and the Sage were both women and got married. I heard they even have children with the power of a Skill."

(And one of their children is the SirBoss himself.)

Words of bisexual marriage are known in this world, albeit rare. A queer couple is already rare sight, a throuple or more is ever rarer.

"So Michael…" Since Michael said he's not the girls' lover, Eisherz wanted to confirm something.

"Is what you think, Lady Eisherz. I have been never in a relationship once." Yet, Michael just answered remorselessly.

"Even though you are so strong? And surrounded by these gorgeous women?"

"Me and my sister has been known Gabrielle and Uriel since childhood. I see and treat them like my sisters. Besides, I have preferences."

"So, Michael… have I meet the standards of your ideal woman?"

"Hmm?"

"Milady! What are you saying!"

"Milady! A proper lady shouldn't said that kind of thing!"

Van and Estella went on an uproar hear the words came out of the lady they serve. Eisherz, on the other hand, blurted it with a simple smile.

"Geez, I'm just kidding." Eisherz raised her both hands calming down the two. "Having their team on our side is essentially beneficial for us."

"Well, you're not wrong about that…"

"Their current strength alone are more than enough to defeat a large group of bandits. If they train enough and get stronger, they might granted knighthood peerage in just a short time."

A noble household should have a strong and powerful military prowess in order to protect and defend their own jurisdiction. That's the reason they are eager to gather as much forces as possible.

Recruitment of retired veteran adventurers is a staple within aristocracy. In average, human adventurer would stop adventuring with they hit fifties, when they pass their prime. But that means they were able to serve for a very short time.

When a noble eared some uprising adventurers, they hastily offered them a recruitment of serving a noble. It's up to the adventurers whether they will accept the offer or not.

Witnessing the strengths of Michael's team, Eisherz desirously wanted to take their team under their wing. Taking advantage of Michael's bachelorhood, Eisherz attempted to fit herself in his standards. But his reaction was too hard to grasp so she couldn't perceive his response.

In the group's eyes, or rather, Raphael's, Eisherz is indeed a beautiful and attractive woman. Though not as much as his family, Eisherz's still acceptable.

He didn't knew her yet so he will treat her neutrally for now. Michael's profile was a common birth. Fantasizing a noblewoman is too prudent for the likes of him.

◆◇◆

There chitchat chitchat continued for more than an hours as the terrain which wheels of their carriage track changes. As they reached the distance ten kilometers away from the city gate, the road seemed to be hardened and compacted.

Although not brick or stone paved, the Imperial government financially managed to hire earth mages to apply Soil Compaction and Soil Reinforcement on the earth road. Even and dry road are still better than delayed arrival.

As they travel, a few monsters frequently popped up on the highway. Since they are almost at the capital, the monsters' strengths are weaker than before and the accompanying knights alone are enough to subjugate them.

Not even a half-hour had passed before the wheels finally rolled freely over the brick road. The highway five kilometers from the capital solidified by Roman brick pavement.

The patrolling guards are now more often to inspect their carriage first before proceeding further. They had pass other carriage that are leaving or entering the Imperial Capital.

Be it a merchant's, passengers' or personal, all of it are using the same road.

Various types of people walking along the road. Adventurers who are leaving to Vagoth Forest for succeeding a quest and coming back to the capital to claim their rewards.

Peddlers with heavy luggage on their backs containing their goods to be sold town to town. Wagoned villagers to sell their newly harvested spring crops to the prosperous city of Jeffer.

The Warhorses clicked its hooves as they walked the paved road. The they move further, more and more people and vehicles make a use of the wide highway. Not long before they saw the walls skirting the whole Imperial Capital.

"Seems like it's about time for us to separate."

"Seems so." Not only Michael, but all the people inside the carriage though the same.

Just as the noblewoman said, it's just a few hundred meters away from the city's south gate. Meaning, the moment for them to separate apart is about to come.

Although they are about to enter the capital, there paths will divorce as they enter. Eisherz will go to their estate first before coming to the academy while Michael and the others will start their way to the Adventurers' Guild.

When they reach the gate, the convoy went to another direction instead of following the impending long line of vehicles for the checkpoint. The impatient coachmen of parked carriages and wagons just stared at the splendid magic carriages as it's entering the unoccupied gate for VIPs.

That makes sense because it bears the crest of an earl.

"Your identification, please." The bored tollman ordered tediously at the full-plated coachman of the front carriage.

"Now then, you all have your IDs, right?"

"Of course, Lady Eisherz. We cannot cross nations without that. Although outdated, so we need to renew our cards." They put a hand in their pockets and revealed some shining quadrilateral iron cards.

"Is that so? So you really neglect taking quests just to improve yourselves."

"That's right."

The cards they are holding looks like a real one but its actually fake. Raphael created exact replicas of the Adventurers' Guild cards using Alchemy.

Since it were irons, the material for lowest rank adventurers, they will encounter no problems renewing it. But it's actually registration instead of renewal since they never got registered in the first place.

They handed their cards, including Eisherz's, to the coachman then passed it to the inspector to confirm their identities. Nobles are not exempted from identifying themselves so Eisherz did too.

"You can enter the city now."

After the tollman confirmed their identities, they paid the toll fee and ultimately entered the capital. The convoy halted a few meters from the gate then the door of the rear car opened before the four figures exited from it.

"It may be a short meeting but full of memories. As a promise, I'll make sure to keep your identities hidden." Eisherz said, still at the carriage. "Thank you again for saving our lives. I hope we'll meet soon. Farewell."

"Farewell, Lady Eisherz."

The door closed and the convoy move again. Michael, Lucy, Gabrielle and Uriel waved a hand for several times as the carriages blend in the traffic.