Chapter 58 - Chapter 57: The Retainers' Romance ②
Bart is popular with women.
Born with blessed looks, Bart had been known among his comrades since his mercenary days as a womanizer.
He didn't even need to go out of his way to pay for a brothel; he could just get close to some random girl in town and move into her house. That was how popular he was.
That hadn't changed even after he obtained the stable position of a retainer in the Arqvist territory. Rather, by gaining the status of a "retainer serving a noble," his popularity had only accelerated.
However, as he approached his mid-twenties and began to feel that it was time to settle down, Bart started to be troubled by his innate playboy nature.
A marriage partner, huh... I wonder how I'm supposed to decide.
Most of Bart's experience with women consisted of things where they simply shared a bed for one night. Partly because of his unstable position as a mercenary, he had absolutely zero experience with proper dating.
Because Bart was like this, even if he wanted to marry, he didn't know how to find a good partner.
Every time Bart came to Retovik leading a transport convoy, girls working at the shops they frequented or girls working at familiar eateries would call out to him and fawn over him.
Even now, he was in the middle of receiving a sweet invitation from the daughter of a general store he often visited in Retovik: "You're staying in town tonight, right? Come over to the apartment where I live."
Being invited like this didn't feel bad as a man. But if asked whether he wanted to marry this girl, that was a different story.
This girl is probably just attracted to my face and status...
Her face was overflowing with the ambition of "wanting to snag a high-value catch."
Of course, he didn't think that was a bad thing, but as for Bart, if possible, he wanted to become husband and wife with a woman who loved him for himself, rather than his face or status.
Yuri and Mai, Edgar and Anna, Radley and Gina—they must have been united because they were attracted to each other's inner selves. If it were them, even if the other's social standing changed, or if they grew old and their faces changed someday, they would probably love each other forever.
I want to meet a partner like that too, but I don't know how to find them. While thinking this, Bart gently declined the general store girl's invitation and left the shop.
.....
That night, Bart decided to be a bit adventurous and entered a restaurant different from his usual spots alone.
Immediately upon entering, he was called out to by a middle-aged man who seemed to be the owner: "Sit wherever you like—"
It was a small shop with only one young female employee besides the owner.
He sat in a random empty seat and gazed at the menu hanging on the wall. While he was thinking about what to order, the female employee brought him some water.
"Have you decided on your order?"
"Ah, uh... the steamed fish and stew, and some bread."
"Yes, please wait a moment."
The woman who left for the kitchen with a smile was perhaps slightly younger than Bart. She might be the owner's daughter. She wasn't a striking beauty by any means, but she had a kind atmosphere.
For Bart, who was often looked at with glittering eyes as a "high-value catch with a good face and status" by the women he knew in Retovik, her warm smile was impressive.
He received the food, which arrived without much of a wait, and ate.
He thought the steamed fish and bread were normally delicious, but when Bart tasted the stew, he was slightly surprised. It was because the seasoning reminded him of his childhood.
Born as an orphan in a certain town, Bart had lived relying on the church's soup kitchen as a lifeline until he was picked up by a mercenary group around the age of ten.
The person who had treated him kindly back then was an elderly nun who was also the person in charge of the soup kitchen. The balance of the seasoning in this stew was very similar to the stew she had served him.
It was likely just a coincidence, but for Bart, who was able to taste an unexpected "mother's taste," the meal here was satisfying.
"This stew was really delicious. It reminded me of the taste of my hometown."
"Oh, is that so? Thank you very much."
When Bart instinctively spoke up as his dishes were being cleared, the female employee replied with a gentle smile.
"Is your hometown far from here?"
"Yeah, I don't think I'll ever go back... I was originally an orphan. A lot happened after that."
"I see... I'm sorry, did I make you remember something painful?"
"No, it's fine. I'm the one who said something strange."
It seemed his feelings had loosened a bit after tasting the nostalgic flavor. He had confused a girl he had just met.
"...What part of the stew was similar to the taste of your hometown?"
"Let's see. Maybe the fact that it's a bit sweet and has a strong thickness? The seasoning of the church nun who gave us food when I was an orphan was like this. Her stew had plenty of lentils in it so that we could fill our stomachs even a little... wait, that was unnecessary talk again."
It was embarrassing, as expected. Bart laughed awkwardly, paid for the meal, and hurriedly left the shop.
.....
Some time passed after that. Visiting Retovik for supply transport work as usual, Bart visited that restaurant again.
He felt a bit bashful because of the conversation at the end of his last visit, but the desire to feel that nostalgic taste again won out.
The female employee in question seemed to remember Bart. Seeing Bart enter the shop, she gave him a little chuckle of a smile.
Bart returned the smile while blushing, and sat in a random empty seat again. This time, of course, he ordered the stew.
Eventually, he received the stew and scooped up the first bite with a spoon.
There, mixed in with the vegetables, were lentils. There shouldn't have been lentils in the ingredients when he ate it last time.
The taste of the stew he put in his mouth was even closer to the stew he had eaten in his childhood. It would be fair to say it was almost the same.
He felt that the face of the kind nun, which he could no longer remember well, floated more vividly in his mind than before.
Having finished the meal as if savoring every single bite, Bart spoke to the woman who came to clear the dishes.
"...There are lentils in it today."
"I remembered the story you told me before... it's a service from me."
The woman said, smiling a bit mischievously.
"Thank you. But why would you... I don't think I'm quite a regular yet?"
"When we talked the other day, you had a slightly lonely expression. I thought it would be nice if I could make you smile, even just a little."
The smile she directed at Bart was filled with a pure kindness that had no ulterior motives or hidden agendas.
Bart looked at her left hand. There was no ring on her ring finger.
"Do you, perhaps, have a lover?"
"Eh, no, I don't..."
"Then, um, I want you to marry me. I will definitely cherish you and make you happy."
By the time he realized it, Bart had already said it.
.....
"Hmm, the name is Michelle. Her family home is a restaurant in Retovik, and this time she has migrated in order to marry Bart..."
"Y-yes!"
At the guardhouse stationed at the gate of the capital city Noeina, Noein was interviewing a new migration applicant.
Behind Noein, as usual, Matilda and Pence stood by as guards, and in front of them sat the migrant this time... Michelle, with a nervous expression. Beside her, Bart, who had brought her from Retovik, was also present.
"You don't have to be so nervous, Michelle. Noein-sama is a kind person."
"U-uh-huh..."
Bart reassured Michelle with a sweet expression and a gentle voice, while Michelle softly leaned toward Bart.
Watching this while feeling exasperated inwardly, Noein continued talking.
"If you're marrying Bart, you'll just live at Bart's place... so there are no other items to confirm or procedures to handle. Please explain the various things about the territory to her, Bart."
"Yes. Leave it to me."
"Well then, that's all for the migration interview. Congratulations on your marriage, I wish you happiness from here on."
Offering their thanks to the congratulating Noein, Bart and Michelle left the guardhouse while flirting.
"...Damn, even Bart finally."
The one who let out that voice was Pence, who had finally become the last bachelor among the former mercenary group.
"I heard he proposed on day zero of dating and was accepted just like that. As expected of the popular man, Bart."
One day, Bart, having returned from Retovik, suddenly reported, "Next time, I'll bring back a marriage partner from Retovik."
When he heard the story, he had suddenly proposed to the restaurant girl he had only exchanged words with a few times, and received an OK on the spot. Given that they had become that harmonious despite such a lightning marriage, Bart likely did have a talent for capturing women's hearts.
"That guy has spent his time playing around with flashy women without any strings attached until now, right? And yet in the end, it's a homey and kind-looking girl like that... the world is unfair."
"You don't have to be that seriously jealous. If Pence really gets stuck searching for a bride, I'll do something about it for you. If I make a call for one within the territory, I'm sure we'll find someone."
Being told that by Noein, Pence imagined the scene of Noein proclaiming "Urgent recruitment for Retainer Pence's bride" in the name of the lord. From the perspective of the one being targeted, it would be an utter living disgrace.
"...No, I'm fine. I'll manage somehow on my own."
"I see, good luck. I'm looking forward to hearing a good report."
Even though Noein said that, Pence sighed, thinking of his own circumstances where there seemed to be no prospect of being able to marry for a long time.