Facing Barrett's question, EeDechi didn't answer where her hometown was located, but instead snorted:
"Common sense? Common sense is meant to be broken! Who says women can't measure up to men? Have you heard of Elizabeth Tudor? I'm really rooting for Princess Renner! She's kind-hearted and capable, way better than that little fatty named Zanac by who knows how many times."
Barrett shook his head: "I haven't heard of Elizabeth Tudor. Besides, what good does your support do? Whether by law or tradition, it'll definitely be the second prince who inherits the throne."
He turned his head to glance around, confirming no one else was in the courtyard, then continued in a low voice: "But it's hard to say. Princess Renner holds a high place in the hearts of the common folk and some of the new nobles. I've heard she's pushed through a bunch of advanced reforms that've greatly benefited the people and boosted the kingdom's strength a lot. Plus, she's got some solid influence among the nobles and the military.
"When I head to the tavern at the Adventurer's Guild in the capital for drinks, and the talk turns to the royal family, nine out of ten people are praising Princess Renner's beauty and wisdom. Hell, some reckless idiots, after getting drunk, start spouting nonsense about how they're gonna assassinate the second prince Zanac so Princess Renner can seize control of the country. That way, as her hero, they can marry her."
EeDechi burst out laughing: "Marry Princess Renner? These guys really have some nerve dreaming that big—they don't even stop to check if they've got what it takes to match up to her. But I think that kid Climb is pretty decent. They've both got that golden hair, so he'd be a good fit for the princess."
These two were in the kingdom's palace, casually gossiping about the princes' and princesses' marriages without a care in the world—this was probably the epitome of an adventurer's wild and free spirit.
Barrett nodded in agreement: "I've heard rumors for ages that the kingdom's princess has a thing for her personal guard, and they're inseparable. Now that I've actually met them, it seems like it might be true.
"When Princess Renner looks at Climb, the tenderness in her eyes is so intense it's like they're about to overflow with water. And when Climb looks at the princess, there's a spark in his eyes! It's got this deeper affection beyond just loyalty and admiration!"
Then Barrett sighed again, wiping down a steel sword in his hand, and said: "It's just a shame—they can never be together."
"Why not!?" EeDechi asked urgently.
"Isn't it obvious? One's a princess of the kingdom, the other's an orphan-turned-guard; their statuses are worlds apart. Climb's got nothing but his sword skills and a few medals to his name. So they're both holding back their feelings, knowing how the other feels, but they can only steal silent glances at each other in a crowd.
"The princess will have to marry someday. She might wed some big noble, or maybe for an alliance with another country, marry a foreign prince. Who knows, the young emperor of Baharuth might even step up and ask for her hand.
"It's like that old saying: The knight risks his life, goes through hell and high water, rescues the princess from the dragon's clutches, but in the end, she still marries the noble prince.
"The knight escorts his beloved princess to the wedding carriage, watches the fancy golden coach roll slowly down the stone road toward another kingdom, then snaps his sword, sheds his armor, and quietly heads back to his hometown roots, marries some average girl, and lives out his days."
EeDechi clenched her fists, her face blank: "If that emperor punk from Baharuth dares to marry Renner, I'll bash his dog head in."
"The empire's emperor isn't a kobold—where's the dog head coming from?"
"It's a figure of speech."
Barrett tilted his head in thought: "I've heard other versions of this story from adventurers too. One where an adventurer saves a princess who sneaked out of the palace on her own. They fall for each other, sparks fly, and they end up banging in the tent.
"As a result, the princess gets knocked up, and the king has no choice but to marry her off to the adventurer, shower him with piles of gold and treasures, make him a marquis, and give him a huge chunk of land..."
Barrett wrapped the cleaned steel sword in coarse cloth and stored it in his spatial ring. He still remembered that night sitting around the campfire, a bald adventurer with a sleazy, perverted grin on his face, recounting the story with relish.
The most detailed part of the story was the moves when the adventurer got the princess pregnant, even though Barrett knew it must have been made up by some virgin, it still stuck with him.
EeDechi muttered under her breath, stuff like "feudal society," "dark middle ages," "patriarchal," "backward and ignorant" and the like.
Barrett half-understood, but he was long used to his captain's weird mumblings to herself, couldn't be bothered, and started sorting the next piece of gear in his spatial ring.
...
"We're back!"
A pleasant girl's voice rang out from behind the door. A cleric girl with long chestnut hair pushed open the courtyard gate, peeking inside. Through the crack in the door she opened, two small blonde figures in pink also stuck their heads out, then squeezed through the gate impatiently like little civet cats.
These two adorable girls in pink little skirts had identical faces, as if cast from the same mold. They lifted their small faces and ran toward Barrett and EeDechi one after the other.
"Uncle!"
"Captain!"
"You've learned to call me Captain too?" EeDechi said delightedly. She scooped up one of the little girls who ran to her side, ruffled her smooth golden hair, and pinched her cheek. "You're looking a lot more spirited now."
Stella swung the gate wide open, clutching two bulging satchels, her face beaming with a bright smile, unusually thrilled:
"Today I took them to the Gaia Mother Goddess Temple in the capital, and I didn't expect to run into an adamantite-level adventurer! The captain of the Blue Roses team—Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra. She's a Divine Magic caster who can use 5th Tier magic! She's super nice; not only did she not reject us for being from Baharuth, but she even healed Kuuderika and Ureirika's mental trauma."
Behind Stella, Sean stepped through the gate lugging big and small bags. He set down various fabrics, clothes, spices, and other stuff on the ground, stretched his back, and let out a sigh of relief: "Big guy, we got everything you asked for."
"Awesome, thanks a ton." Barrett replied. He'd tasked Sean and Stella with picking up a bunch of spices and ingredients while they were out shopping, so now they could brew up some fresh meat soup with that unique Re-Estize flavor. With their steady high wage of 3 gold coins per person per day, their living standards naturally had to go up a notch.
EeDechi set the little girl in her arms down on the ground. She actually couldn't tell if the one she was holding was Kuuderika or Ureirika, since they looked way too alike. But Stella could tell them apart—no clue how she managed that.
The two little girls bounced over to Stella, grabbing her hands and shaking them: "We want candy~"
"Okay, okay, I'll get the candy for you right now." The cleric girl's face was full of gentle smiles. She and Sean teamed up to haul several bags of goods into the house by the courtyard, and the twin girls followed them inside.