Fortunately, Satin’s opinion was accepted by the messenger. The messenger returned with a golden carriage and brought back a different one. The interior was spacious and luxurious enough for a few people to lie down, but the exterior was modest.
“Would this be acceptable?” the messenger asked.
“Yes, well…” Satin seemed to find it difficult to refuse further and simply expressed his gratitude.
After the royal messenger left, Satin laughed helplessly.
“We almost had a big problem, didn’t we?” he said.
“Indeed,” Cain replied, nodding, though he had a different thought in mind. He suspected this wasn’t the end of it.
And Cain’s suspicion proved correct.
“Hero, we have prepared a small gift for you,” said the familiar faces of the VIP lounge staff, presenting a farewell gift. Had it truly been a small gift, it would have been gratefully received, but the issue was the quantity. There were enough gifts to fill a moving truck.
Satin, looking overwhelmed, muttered, “I must have misunderstood the meaning of ‘small’ all this time.”
The gifts from the VIP lounge included soap, perfume, cologne, indoor robes, pajamas, and new bedding (they seemed to think there was a profound meaning in the fact that Satin had torn the sheets while escaping the room). All were the same products Cain and Satin had used during their stay.
‘We only used them because they were there,’ Cain thought.
The staff had attached their own meanings to these consumables and had generously packed enough to last several months.
Satin, who had little material desire, tried to refuse several times but eventually gave up after a prolonged back-and-forth. The staff, delighted, loaded the gifts onto the carriage.
Satin was slightly dazed by the excessive gifts, but Cain saw no harm in accepting them. Satin deserved to use good things, but it would be difficult to find items of this quality in Cloverland. It seemed wise to accept them while they could. Besides, they were items for use at home, so there was no need to worry about what others might think.
After the commotion over the gifts, Satin cautiously asked, “There won’t be any more, right?”
But of course, there was.
Temple Knights from the Grand Temple arrived. With great enthusiasm, they declared, “We will safely escort you and your friend to Cloverland!”
“No, but why…” Satin had to engage in a long persuasion until the knights agreed to remove their shiny silver armor. The departure was postponed until the next day.
***
The journey from the capital to Cloverland was smooth. The Temple Knights were not only skilled in escorting but also quite adept at serving.
‘It probably depends on who they are serving,’ Cain thought cynically.
The knights treated Satin with the utmost respect, as if he were a Messenger of God. They were polite to Cain as well, but not to the same extent as with Satin. If they had been escorting someone else, they would have focused solely on their duty.
Nevertheless, thanks to them, Cain had spent the past few days comfortably. However, he did not grow fond of them. Satin joked that he might feel a bit sad to part with the knights, but Cain did not share that sentiment.
In fact, at times, the knights felt like a thorn in his side, especially when Satin expressed his gratitude to them.
‘I hope we arrive soon and part ways,’ Cain thought.
Fortunately, unlike Edward, these knights were devout. If there had been even a hint of ulterior motives in their kindness towards Satin, Cain would have sent them straight to hell.
Cain maintained a calm exterior, hiding his rough thoughts. Soon, they would reach Daisyland. From Daisyland to Cloverland was a short distance, so the journey with the knights would end soon.
As the arrival grew near, Cain felt a mix of anticipation and worry. He remembered something he had forgotten for a while.
“And now?”
In the capital, Satin had asked, “Do you still think of me as a friend?”
If not a friend, then what? Cain tried to reassure himself, but something kept gnawing at him. He remembered the heat that had spread across his face when he realized Satin liked him.
Cain spoke up without much thought, “Isn’t it natural to like a friend?”
Satin, who had been looking out the window, turned and said, “Huh?” His eyes widened in surprise at the sudden comment.
Cain, feeling inexplicably embarrassed, rubbed his face. “What I mean is, isn’t it natural to have feelings of affection for a friend?”
“Ha ha, of course,” Satin agreed with a laugh, but there was a strange feeling in the air. Why did his voice rise at the end? Before Cain could ask, Satin continued, “Though feelings of affection aren’t limited to just friends.”
“Well, that’s true, but…” Cain trailed off, uncharacteristically hesitant. Satin had already turned back to the window, seemingly done with the conversation.
As a sign came into view, Satin stretched his legs and yawned. “We’re almost there now.”
***
‘I thought we’d make it home today,’ Satin thought as he surveyed the room the Temple Knights had secured.
The journey from Daisyland to Cloverland would take only a few hours. They could have made it today if they pushed on, but the knights insisted on staying the night in Daisyland.
It wasn’t due to their laid-back nature, but the weather. Lately, the air had been thick and humid even at sunset. The horses were tired, and the knights didn’t want to overexert them. Satin couldn’t argue with that logic.
‘One day won’t make a big difference,’ he told himself, quickly accepting the situation. The quality of the room might have helped.
The room featured two enormous beds that could each sleep several people, and a sofa in the center that was clearly crafted by an artisan. The paintings on the walls were likely originals, as this world had no copying technology.
‘Even Rita would be satisfied with this,’ Satin thought, remembering a previous stay in Daisyland when Edward had chosen a mediocre inn. Rita had pretended to be fine with it, but Satin knew she hadn’t been truly happy.
Today, however, the knights had chosen an exceptional inn. Satin was sure it was one of the best in Daisyland.
“Do you like the room?” one of the knights asked, puffing out his chest with pride.
“Yes, it’s too nice. I’m not sure I deserve it,” Satin replied.
“You deserve the best, Satin,” the knight assured him.
Satin had asked them not to call him “Hero” in public, so they had taken to calling him “Satin” instead. He had grown used to it over the past few days.
The knights left, saying they would see him in the morning. They were already accustomed to Satin and Cain sharing a room, so they made no comment on the arrangement.
“Cain, which bed do you want?” Satin asked, eyeing the one by the window. Cain was silent, staring into the corner of the room.
“What’s wrong?” Satin asked.
“Hmm?” Cain seemed distracted.
“Is there something over there?” Satin asked, looking where Cain had been staring. He saw nothing unusual.
“What did you say earlier?” Cain asked.
“Oh, I asked which bed you wanted,” Satin replied.
“This one,” Cain said, tossing his robe onto the bed by the window. Satin sighed, realizing Cain was not himself today.
‘He’s just a kid, after all,’ Satin thought, deciding not to ask Cain to switch beds. He would come to his senses eventually.
“I’m going to wash up,” Satin said. “Do you want to go first?”
“N-no, you go ahead,” Cain stammered, his cheeks slightly flushed. Satin remembered another time Cain had been this flustered—when they first met the werewolf. But this time, Satin’s feelings were different.
Satin, lost in shallow thoughts, picked a grape from the table.
‘Is this also a fantasy buff?’ he wondered.
The fresh grape was sweet and lacked any tartness. He had heard that most modern fruits were the result of cultivar improvements, but he had never felt any discomfort eating the fruits of this world.
‘Come to think of it, the people are the same.’
He recalled reading that the average height of people a century ago was much shorter. Yet, since coming to this world, Satin had seen countless people taller than himself. Even Cain, standing there absent-mindedly, was an example.
‘I’m getting sidetracked,’ Satin thought, shaking off his musings. He changed his shoes to slippers, waved to Cain, who had been watching him, and left the room.
“I’ll be back,” he said.
The room Satin and Cain were staying in was on the fourth floor. Although there was no elevator, many people seemed to prefer the view from higher up, despite the inconvenience.
‘There aren’t many rooms on the fourth floor,’ Satin noted as he leisurely walked down the long corridor. He occasionally passed staff members, all of whom were very polite. One even offered to guide him to the stairs.
“I can go alone…” Satin hesitated, feeling a bit guilty.
The staff member smiled warmly. “Not at all. This is the least we can do for a guest staying in our finest room.”
“Well, if you insist,” Satin replied, feeling a bit more at ease thinking of the excessive kindness as part of the room service.
The staff member led him to the second floor instead of the first. The second floor had more doors closely spaced together, indicating smaller rooms. As they passed several rooms, Satin suddenly felt puzzled.
‘Isn’t the bath on the first floor?’ he wondered.
