Semi-retired Adventurer Lives Leisurely - Chapter 132

132: The Woman Named Ricotta

I opened the door to Mr. Gordon’s Mansion’s meeting room.

Inside the room, there was one large table, and there were a few sofas meant for 2-3 people each surrounding it. On top of the table, there was a teapot and cups with steaming hot tea accompanied by various kinds of colorful cakes all set on a 4-layered cake stand.

Mr. Gordon is probably the one who designed all of this. They all look like high-end furniture……..or that’s what I guess……probably.

And among the furniture, there was something everyone wanted to talk about, and within the room, I heard the sound of delighted conversation. As I could have guessed, the women in our Party have become quite the friends with Ricotta.

Cyril: “Oh, Henry, Jend. Thank you for handling the negotiations. How did the talk go?” Henry: “Yeah, we were able to get him to accept our requests. From tomorrow on, we’re going to have to hunt down every Golem in this area from daybreak to dusk. We’re counting you, Party Magician.”

Cyril: “He he he. Well, you can rest assured. You can leave everything to Miss Cyril!”

Cyril puffs out her chest. And in truth, striking down two Highest-Tiers is an amazing feat. Her confidence is a given considering what she’s accomplished.

Jend: “Don’t get too cocky, Cyril. You always slip up and mess up big when you’re on a roll.”

Ferris: “Now, now, Jend. Cyril’s grown up since we knew her as kids. C’mon. Let’s have some tea.”

Jend: “Sure.” With Ferris’ invitation, Teo got up and gave her seat up to Jend, and scratching his cheek embarrassingly at the gesture, Jend sat down next to Ferris.

Cyril: “Oh, Henry, Henry. Your seat is right here. Right here.”

And Cyril enthusiastically patted the seat next to her on the sofa.

……….please, it’s really embarrassing when you do that. I will sit there regardless.

Cyril: “Hehe…” And as I sat down, Cyril let out a satisfied chuckle. Oh, she’s now leaning her body against me. …….whatever. Let’s just go with the flow.

Ricotta: “It is so good to see you two get along so well. Oh, please have some tea.”

Ricotta stood up and filled Jend and my tea cup. Her movements were incredibly refined, and I was certain that she must have gone through some sort of maid training.

Henry: “……..oh wow. This is good.” I’m more of a coffee person, but this is really good.

Jend: “Oh, the Highland’s Second Flash. As expected from the house of a Hero of Legend. You’re using quality tea leaves.”

Ricotta: “Thank you very much for the compliment. You have a keen taste.”

Jend: “My family runs a merchant business. On a rare occasion, we get to handle high-quality products like these.”

It’s good. But that’s all I could pick up from sipping the tea. Jend was able to determine the exact brand and flavor.

Jend definitely seems very trustworthy and reliable when it comes to stuff like this. He not only has a keen sense of taste, but he also has an art for art. And now, he can be considered a first-rate fighter and has a beautiful girlfriend.

……….what? I’m not envious. Never. Not. At. All.

Besides! I have a girlfriend as well! She’s a little different from Ferris, but she’s got her positive aspects. ………um, like…….her height and chest? ………………….hmmmmmm……

Cyril: “Henry, are you perhaps thinking of something really disrespectful about me?” Henry: “What? Of course not. Where’d you get that idea?” And I was a little taken back by Cyril’s sharp intuition and looked away as I babbled some excuse.

She’s glaring at me suspiciously, but I concentrate all my attention on ignoring it.

Henry: “BーBy the way. What were you talking about with Ricotta?” Cyril: “……….highly suspicious, but I’ll let it go for today. So what were we talking about? Relationships, of course!”

RーRelationships……….

Henry: “SーSorry, Ricotta for Cyril dragging you into a topic like this.”

Ricotta: “Oh no. It’s something I’m very interested in. ……you two really get along so well.”

Ricotta chuckles, but I think she meant more by what she said. ………whーwhat’s going on? What were they talking about before we arrived? I stared suspiciously at Cyril, but she crossed her arms with a, “I’m not telling you” attitude.

Ricotta: “Sir Henry and Lady Cyril. Sir Jend and Lady Ferris’s relationship. They were very helpful for me to hear your stories.”

Jend: “MーMe too……? Hey, Ferris, what did you talk about?” Ferris: “Well now, Jend. I know we are dating, but I can’t breach confidentiality with subjects I speak about with fellow women.”

Jend and I both looked at Teo for help……….but she completely ignored us and continued to eat cake with a “You’re not dragging me into this” attitude, so we both understood immediately that she’s no help.

As we both slouched on the sofa, Ricotta clapped her hands with realization.

Ricotta: “Oh yes! Could I ask you two a question? I think an opinion from men would also be very helpful.”

Henry: “A question…..? Ummm, sure. I think?” I’m a little taken back by the sudden suggestion.

From the flow of the conversation, maybe there’s someone Ricotta likes? Is she going to ask the opinion from a man she barely knows? That’s quite brave of her.

Ricotta: “Thank you so much. So, it’s about my Master…….”

Henry: “Master? ………..you mean, Mr. Gordon?” Ricotta: “Yes, I have fallen deeply for my Master, but he has yet to say yes to our relationship. If you have any ideas, I would deeply appreciate any insight you can provide.” Henry: “……..wーwait, let me think.” Ricotta is…..well, a fairly beautiful girl. She might be a little skinny, but that’s still in the realm of healthiness. And in these last few days, as we stayed with Mr. Gordon, she’s a pro at taking care of all the things around the house.

From a 3rd person’s perspective, she’s an extremely attractive woman. She’s 18 years of age, so I’m sure she has a lot of offers.

……….if her partner was a Pure-Human.

When we first met Mr. Gordon, he called Cyril a “stick.” I’m sure he was half-kidding, but it’s still one example of how Dwarves’ perception of “beauty” is quite different from us Pure-Humans.

Henry: “UーUm, to be honest, I think it might a little difficult? WーWell, you see, when you’re a different race, your perception of ideal beauty can be different too, right?” Ricotta: “Oh, I have no concerns there. Once we are dating, I plan to shape my Master to a man who will only be attracted to a slender, Pure-Human woman who’s name starts with ‘Ri’ and ends with ‘ta’.”

………..holy………..whーwhーwhーwhat is this girl saying?!

Cyril: “You see? She told us the same thing, but she’s so self-sacrificingーー”

Ricotta: “Lady Cyril, you’ll embarrass me with such compliments.”

Wait, wait, wait, wait. How can Cyril interpret this as self-sacrificing?! That’s a huge red flag, and I’m starting to feel endangered here!

Ricotta: “…….so well, as far as being a different race, there’s no issues there, but my Master will still not say yes. I’ve already proposed to him at least 10 times.”

If he says no that much, just move on for crying out loud!

Jend: “UーUm, well. I’m not very knowledgeable about Dwarves, but Miss Ricotta, what is it about Mr. Gordon that you like……?”

Jend follows with an excellent question.

That’s right. We need to hear her side of the story……..and hear more……..and drag it on to gain as much time as we can!

Ricotta: “Well, let me see…….before I explain, is everyone aware of the Varsaldi Empire’s law on the right to exclusive employment?”

Henry: “……just the basics. It’s a modification of the slave policies from the past, right?” About 200 years ago, there were slaves everywhere. The Alvenia Kingdom and Salaiz Republic eventually got rid of it as times changed, but in the Varsaldi Empire, they still held up the law Ricotta mentioned.

Well, it’s just like it sounds. In short, they give one individual the right to employ a certain individual.

Of course, though this is an exclusive right, they must operate under the law. They cannot force someone to work without pay all year which would just lead to poor efficiency.

……….and there’s been many complicated reformations in the law surrounding this issue, but that’s really all I know.

Ricotta: “Well, you can actually purchase and sell this right, and when I was being trained by a certain Merchant Group to work as a maid……….my employer was unable to pay for my Master’s work, and I was paid to my Master instead.”

Mr. Gordon only works when the money is paid upfront, because someone failed to pay him in the past.

I wonder if this was the specific incident.

Ricotta: “When my Master learned that they were unable to pay, he was quite upset. At the time, I was only a maid-in-training, but he grabbed hold of my hand and said, “If you don’t have the money, I’ll take her instead. I needed someone to take care of things around the house.” He was very passionate at the time…….<blush>.”

Hm? That ending was a little strange, no? Henry: “BーBut regardless, why did Mr. Gordon take you, Miss Ricotta? You would have been what…….8 or 9 years old?” ……and besides that, they trained children at that age as occupational trainees? Well, I was around 10 when I joined the Fezard Kingdom’s Knights as a squire.

AーAnyways, was there no one else besides Ricotta at the time? Ricotta: “My Master said children would be able to adapt to a different environment much faster. If it was an adult, there would be many relationships to deal with…….and what’s more, I had no other family, so my Master must have pitied my situation. For a few years, he treated me as he would a daughter when I first arrived.”

Whoa, seriously? That’s unexpected……….actually, no. He might have a bad mouth, but Mr. Gordon has a good heart.

Ricotta: “So that is how I got to know my Master. As we lived together for 10 years, I cannot remember if there was an incident that made me fall in love……..but…..hehe…..my heart may have already been his since he took my hand that day.”

Cyril: “Wow～～～ it’s such a romantic tale～”

Cyril is applauding quietly at Ricotta.

Romantic? …….Romantic? What is romance in that case……? If I was in Mr. Gordon’s shoes, I would be deeply troubled. If someone that I thought of as a daughter began to think of me as a future husband…….

And besides that, at this age, falling this hard for someone and not letting it go one bit…..isn’t that a little too…..extreme? Jend: “BーBut I can’t believe a Merchant would fail to provide the promised amount. Miss Ricotta’s former employer must have been extremely disreputable.”

Ricotta: “Yes. But because of that, I am here today, so I am actually thankful for my former employer’s faults.”

Jend: “Hーhaha…..yeah, I guess… that’s true….”

Jend tried to change the subject and failed.

……..and Ferris and Teo have not been participating as much as Cyril, but they have been intently listening to and seemed approving of Ricotta. Well, yeah, though the content of the story is a little strange, on the surface, it’s not a bad story overall.

But no matter how many times I think about it……..Ricotta’s passion seemed……..I dunno, a little…….muddied and heavy? If the feelings towards your first crush can be described as a splash of clear water, her’s was a bit syrupy, and it made chills run down my back. I was certain that Jend felt the same as me.

Henry: “SーSorry to interrupt in the middle of our conversation. IーI need to use the restroom.”

And I got up quickly and left the meeting room.

Outside the room, Mr. Gordon stood there with a bitter expression as if he chewed 100 stink bugs at once.

HーHe scared me by appearing out of nowhere. I was so focused on the conversation, that I didn’t even notice.

I lifted a finger to gesture to follow him. I walked after him for a while, and once we were far from earshot from the meeting room, Mr. Gordon opened his heavy set jaws.

Gordon: “Henry.” Henry: “YーYes.” Gordon: “Can you please convince Ricotta to give up?! I’ll even take half off your bill!”

Henry: “That’s not possible!!”

And with a <DASH!> I ran at full force away from that spot.