I was so surprised so I just stood there and looked at him seriously.
Despite my strong gaze, the other party wasnât fazed.
Ars-san isnât wearing his usual rough clothes. He has on form-fitting dark green jacket and black pants. Itâs a set of clothes I knew well.
--Is he a knight?
âItâs been a long time, Harutia-sama.â (Hamuti)
Hamuti-sama welcomed me in.
âYes.â (Haruka)
I was so shocked that any words of greeting are blown away. Rather, for a moment I forgot about Hamuti-samaâs existence.
What is this?
Why is Ars-san here?
Is Hamuti-samaâs subordinate?
Was it his instruction to follow me?
âPlease have a seat.â (Hamuti)
I could not get out of my confusion so I sat down on a nearby sofa. Hamuti-sama also came over and sat across from me.
âIâm sorry for having you come all the way here. Oh, donât worry about him. Heâs my guard, but for this situation heâll be here as well. Iâm sure you already know him.â (Hamuti)
âHah...â (Haruka)
No, no more. My head isnât working.
Perhaps that is Hamuti-samaâs goal.
âI have protected you from the shadows. So far I have asked you to stay at the diner but just in case there was someone to protect you. You may have been disrespectful with your attitude but everything was to protect you without revealing the circumstances. (Hamuti)
Hamuti-sama continues to explain indifferently.
But all I could hear were excuses.
Even with my head not working, Iâm aware he said some contradictions.
âHamuti-sama, please wait. I would like to ask you one thing.â (Haruka)
âOkay, what is it?â (Hamuti)
âWell Hamuti-sama, who summoned me?â (Haruka)
I donât care about greetings or recent reports.
When I went straight to the point, Hamuti-sama narrows his eyes slightly.
â-No, this is amazing. Itâs not true but why would you say that?â (Haruka)
I said what I thought slowly while organizing my mind.
âThe first time I met Ars-san was when I came back to this world. At that time... not just Hamuti-sama or even before I met Ordias-san again. The key point was that was the period where I didnât tell anyone I was the former Priestess. In other words, Ars-san has been guarding me since that time. There is only one person who knew I was already in this world.â (Haruka)
I smiled while Hamuti-san groaned low as if he were impressed.
The other party didnât think Iâll figure that out.
âIt was certainly before I could speak to you in person Harutia-sama. There was a bit of a situation but Iâm not the one who summoned you.â (Hamuti)
I couldnât trust Hamuti-samaâs words at all.
âAs I mentioned when I met you before, we are investigating the perpetrator who re-summoned you. I canât tell you everything but I will report back to you whenever itâs the right time. I will protect you so please wait.â
Hamuti-sama concluded his words.
No no. Wait a minute.
âWhen is the right time?â (Haruka)
âIt is a matter of judgment made based on the circumstances at any given time. I canât exactly say when.â (Hamuti)
âBut itâs been four months since I came here. Isnât it strange that the âright timeâ hasnât come yet? Hamuti-sama is the Prime Minister of this country. The re-summoning of the Priestess is supposed to be a big deal that could shake this country. After so long, how can Hamuti-sama not understand the situation?â (Haruka)
âI see.â
Hamuti-sama nodded indifferently.
âCertainly, as Arsâs reports said, you seem to be very agile for your age. In this situation youâve probably thought about it a lot.â (Hamuti)
No, I would rather have the answer to my question.
Hamuti-sama continues speaking at a quick pace.
âBut Iâm worried. I wonder if the obedient Harutia-sama who came here alone could be harmed by someone because of her hard work and frankness.â (Hamuti)
âWhat do you mean?... â (Haruka)
I have a bad feeling about this.
âHarutia-sama. Let us protect you in the future.â (Hamuti)
âWhat protection? Isnât it imprisonment? (Haruka)
âThatâs ridiculous. Protection is protection. I hope youâll be closer to us for your safety.â (Hamuti)
âWait, weâre not talking about that right now.â (Haruka)
âYour safety is important, isnât it?â (Hamuti)
Wow, I canât say anything at all.
You have no intention of listening to my opinion.
Itâs a setup. If I were to become frustrated by his remarks, heâll confine me. Ah, Ars-san is here to capture me. ... Youâre too much Hamuti-sama.
âI want to go back to the diner.â (Haruka)
âDonât say that. Youâre going back to your original world eventually so you shouldnât invest too much of your emotions to them.â (Hamuti)
But...the feelings have already changed.
If Hamuti-sama have his eyes on me, it would be useless.
If I leave Hamuti-sama and return to the diner, heâll surely cause trouble for the diner.
I feel my blood being drained.
I donât know what to say.
Hamuti-sama seems to have accepted my silence as an agreement.
He nodded happily.
âDonât worry, Iâm thinking of letting you stay at Otland-donoâs private residence. He is someone familiar so youâll be able to relax.â (Hamuti)
Otland-dono.
Oh, Otland-dono is also his subordinate.
Ah... what should I do?
âNow, Ars. Take Harutia-sama to Otland-donoâs residence. Donât be rude.â (Hamuti)
âYes, sir.â (Ars)
Ars-san, who had been waiting in the corner of the room opened his mouth for the first time.
Heâs different from the person I knew. His eyes turned down with an expressionless face. He didnât make any useless movement as he walks over to my side. He held his hand out for me.
I stood up myself, ignoring the hand that was held out.
Ars-san made a slight âohâ face but it soon disappeared.
âHarutia-sama, please follow me. Iâll prepare a carriage in a moment.â (Ars)
Thus, Iâm placed under confinement and protection at Otland-donoâs private residence.
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