Gather Divine Coins and Gacha! - Chapter 61

“Okay, Sera. You can speak the way you normally do.”

After we finished exchanging greetings, the old man gave me permission to drop the formalities.

Just to be sure, I glanced at the other party, and he nodded too.

Good, good.

“So? Why me again? You need something?”

He looked stunned by how different I was.

Sorry—wasn’t exactly raised in luxury.

“Ah… a-ah, yes. Indeed. I happened to hear about your blessing. I wanted, by all means, to borrow your strength, so I came to ask Lord Arios.”

“Hoooh.”

A blessing… so, a skill.

And I’ve got two skills.

With 【Prayer】, there are probably other people who can do something similar without needing to ask me, so it’s probably 【Mira’s Blessing】.

But still—why?

…Hmm.

“Hm?”

I raised the altitude of the 【Floating Orb】 I’d adjusted to match the chair height, and while I was at it, lifted my right leg too.

Then, as if to show off 【Scarlet Bee Needle】 to the old man, I gave it a little shake, waving it back and forth.

“Wait, wait.”

Maybe he understood what I was trying to say, because the old man started explaining.

Apparently, the Feld family are nobles from the same faction as the Müller family—the ones who invest in the farm I go to for skill testing.

Like here, produce from that farm gets delivered to them as well, but one day the servant who received the delivery noticed the deliveryman looked oddly neat and well-groomed.

They reported it to the head of the household—this middle-aged man sitting right in front of me—Bramus.

They looked into it, I came up as a match, and they contacted the old man… that’s the story.

“Mm-hmm.”

After hearing the report, I looked at the middle-aged man again.

Even through his clothes, he looked well-toned.

His face wasn’t puffy, either—he had a fairly sharp, capable look to him.

His hair, though… was it receding a little?

So what, was he telling me to take on that “challenge”?

I’d felt like it might be doable, but if I went too far and took a whole chunk out, it wouldn’t be a joke anymore—so I’d held back…

“Guess it can’t be helped, then.”

I flexed my fingers, working myself up.

It’s true I was a little curious.

“W-wait—no. That’s not it. Not me.”

It seemed he realized what I was aiming for from my gaze, and he hurriedly tried to stop me.

Setting that aside, though—what does “not me” mean?

If it’s not him… someone else?

“The one I want to ask you to help is my wife.”

“Your wife?”

“Yes.”

Well, if it’s beauty-related, a woman would probably bite—but she didn’t come in person…

What’s going on? I must’ve had that look on my face, because the middle-aged man began explaining.

“Actually, by good fortune, my son is getting married. His partner is the eldest daughter of a count’s family—no territory of their own, but a house that has long been involved in internal affairs in the royal capital.”

“Lyseria is not a particularly large territory, but it lies near the northern border and serves as a hub for trade. Our family has also handled diplomacy for generations, but there’s nothing wrong with building up strength at home for a change. This marriage is a good opportunity.”

The old man added that clarification.

If it’s “north,” that would be around Balka or thereabouts, right?

“Usually, I remain stationed in our territory while my father stays in the royal capital, but because there were preparations to make, my wife and I came to the capital about half a year ago. We used the opportunity to proactively improve relations with other houses, but…”

He trailed off.

When I glanced at the old man, he added another explanation.

“It overlapped with the academy’s enrollment season, and there were many parties held. She kept attending them. Bramus worked his body at the training grounds, but the lady of the house, well…”

“Ah… she gained weight.”

Before their son’s wedding… she’d let it happen.

“Yes. Between coordinating guests and preparing the ceremony, I kept putting it off. The dress for the ceremony arrived the other day, but…”

“When’s the ceremony?”

“Ten days from now. My wife is still riding horses and practicing the sword—she’s keeping active every day—but it likely won’t be in time. Even if she did manage to slim down, she might end up harming her health. I’ve been trying to keep word of you from reaching her, but I truly want you to take this on. Please—this is my request!”

He planted his hands on the desk and bowed his head deeply.

Ten days, huh… yeah, trying to lose weight normally in that timeframe would be brutal.

“Since you introduced him, old man—do you think I should take it?”

“Yes. They’re in the same faction, but beyond military people I don’t have many connections. I think it would be a good chance for you to build relationships with the ladies.”

Hmm…

“If the young lady says it’s okay, then sure.”

It should be fine, but better to be cautious, just in case.

“I appreciate it. Thank you.”

A noblewoman as the client… will I be okay with that?