Avoid the Death Route! Chapter 23

I’m going to the town with Ria today.
It’s probably Ria’s first time going to the today, isn’t it?
My cheeks melted seeing Ria fidget joyfully.

However, a problem occurred before going out.
It concerned Kyle Spinel, the personal guard dispatched from the castle for Ria.
He’s wearing the Imperial Guard Knights uniform.
Imperial Knights uniform can be recognized at a glance, so if he went out like that, he would gather unnecessary gazes.
That’s why Ria asked him to change clothes, but she got rejected by Kyle Spinel, the person in question himself.
Thereupon Ria declared that we are leaving him behind.

However, Kyle Spinel stuck to us as if it was only natural.
Thus, he walked right behind Ria’s back.
Of course, wearing the Imperial Knights uniform.
As I thought, he stood up in the Imperial Knights uniform while walking around the downtown~
Because Imperial Knights wouldn’t normally loiter around the downtown, he was drowning in attention.
From shopkeepers to pa.s.sersby, many people were looking our way.
We felt uncomfortable under the storm of eyes.

「Uu~~~」

Especially Ria who was about to cry.
But, the person himself wasn’t minding it at all.

The existence of Kyle Spinel wasn’t complete without the gazes from the surroundings.
When we entered the shops to look at their goods, he made sure to glare at the shopkeepers so they wouldn’t approach.
No, they are serving customers, so it’s natural for the shopkeepers to approach the customers, right?
Why is he coercing them this much?
Ahh…… the shopkeeper is trembling……
Ria noticed that the shopkeeper was trembling, looked at Kyle Spinel for a moment, and said「We should leave」while letting out a deep sigh……
A guard for a five-year-old child, you say…… That’s completely not it!

「……」

Ria is completely dispirited.
Even though she looked towards the shopping so much, she couldn’t look at the goods to satisfaction, so it’s only natural that Ria is at the brink of tears.

「Look, Ria. That cafe over there is famous for their delicious cakes. Let’s go in and have a cake?」
「Un, un. The gazes of the pa.s.sersby will disappear if we enter a store. Let’s take a break!」
「…… Un」

Little brother Bard and I comforted Ria and decided to enter the cafe that has been recently the subject of talks.
Ria’s mood will surely improve a little after having a delicious tea and cake.

When we enter the store, we divided into two tables.
One is Ria, Bard and I.
The second one is Ria’s maid Aisha, my butler Riley and the guard Jean.
Because we can’t take all guards inside, we took just one and left the others on alert outside the store.

That’s when another problem occurred.
Kyle Spinel was imposingly standing behind the chair Ria sat on.
Ria told Kyle to sit down, but Kyle refused by shaking his neck.
Seriously, this man……
Even though we changed the mood with much effort, aren’t tears forming in Ria’s eyes again!

Ria gave up on him and made sure he won’t enter her field of vision.
He was camping behind Ria’s back after all.
Thanks to that, a cheerful expression floated on Ria’s face when she was choosing from the several types of cakes.
But, when Ria was about to taste the tea and cake that was carried to her, Kyle Spinel stopped her.
Poison tasting, you say……
Of all times, why did you have to say it right in front of the shopkeeper……

Uwa!
Before I noticed, the tears in Ria’s eyes seemed that they would spill at any moment!!

「Ri, Ria!? Calm down?」

I tried to soothe Ria in a panic.
It would be terrible if Ria started crying.

《Ria, what happened!?》
「Fue…… Hugh……」

Ah~… too late……
Ria’s contracted spirit, Hughley-dono sensed Ria’s abnormality and appeared.

Since the incident of Ria’s kidnapping, Hughley-dono’s overprotectiveness of Ria escalated in one go.
Once Ria’s mood swings like that, Hughley-dono will come rushing like this.
Although something like a tolerance level was recently established at last, it was all lost in a moment……
For that very reason, Ria did her best enduring Kyle Spinel, but……

《Who was it? Who made Ria cry……》

Hughley-dono looked threateningly around and asked in a dreadful low voice.

《…… Fred? Bard? What happened, quickly explain to me. Or what? Was it perhaps you guys who made Ria cry?》
「N, no! That’s not it!」
《That’s right, isn’t it? Father-dono and you brothers wouldn’t make Ria cry, right? Then, who made her cry?》

Un, does he recognize that Father and us wouldn’t intentionally make Ria cry?
Ah~ but, he’s totally mad.
If I don’t tell him honestly, I believe that we will get rolled up in it even though we didn’t make her cry.

「…… Ria’s guard did……」

I decided to sell off Kyle Spinel.
I have a few feelings of guilt, but there’s a possibility that everyone here will become a target of Hughley-dono’s anger if we kept silent.
As expected, it’s not like we can involve the customers and shopkeepers in this.

《I see, Ria’s guard, huh……》

Hughley-dono’s eyes that were looking at Kyle Spinel looked like the eyes of predator targeting its prey.