The Ultimate Sage Who Faked Incompetence and Was Disinherited Just Wants to Enjoy His New Life! - Episode 34: Audience

Episode 34: Audience 

As the sun began to set, we returned to the Hauzinha Count’s estate. We had barely seen even a quarter of the royal capital, let alone half. Since we’d be staying in the city for a while, I hoped to eventually explore it all. 

“We’re back.” 

“Welcome home, Sir Fel, Lady Lilia. A message arrived earlier. It seems keeping Sir Fel here was the right decision. We received an official directive to do so.” 

“I see. Sorry for the trouble.” 

“Not at all, don’t worry about it. It benefits me as well, after all.” 

It was true—having a connection with a Dragon Slayer might come in handy. Maybe I should visit Sancho-san tomorrow. He might have received a message about this too. 

Dinner was still some time away. In the guest room, a soft, fluffy bed awaited us. 

Lilia let out a joyful shout and dove onto the bed. I wanted to do the same. 

“Must be nice, Lilia. I wish I could do that too. If it were a bed I bought myself, I totally would.” 

“You could do it just once, couldn’t you?” 

Maybe she felt bad enjoying it alone. So she encouraged me to try. It’s fine, she doesn’t have to worry about me. But what should I do now? I didn’t really have anything to do. Practicing magic wasn’t an option either. At times like this, I wished I had some kind of indoor hobby. 

Maybe I should buy a cookbook and read it? Yeah, that sounded like a good idea. 

As Lilia and I lay on the bed, rolling around, there was a knock at the door. When I answered, we were told that the bath was ready. Apparently, they wanted us to clean up before dinner. Since that was the case, we gratefully used the bath. 

“Wow, this place is huge! It feels like a waste for just the two of us to use it.” 

“Seriously. The floors and walls are completely white. What’s that? The water’s coming out of a lion’s mouth?” 

A stone lion with a magnificent mane continuously spouted hot water. Was it just flowing endlessly? No, that couldn’t be right. They were probably using some kind of magic device to circulate the water. As expected of a noble household. 

“Oh, there’s soap here too. We can use it, right?” 

“Probably. If not, we’ll just apologize later.” 

Saying that, Lilia suddenly jumped over. As I lathered my hands with soap, I began washing Lilia’s body. She seemed to enjoy it, her skin as smooth as ever. It was almost as if my fingers were being pulled toward it. 

“Lilia, what should we do from here on?” 

“Do you mean… whether we should go back to Colibri?” 

“Yeah. I was thinking that making the royal capital our base might not be a bad idea.” 

As we talked, I washed between Lilia’s wings. She let out occasional gasps—apparently, she was sensitive there. 

“That’s true. They did say there were a lot of Gold Rank requests here. If we want to make a lot of money, this is the best place.” 

“Ah! Hey, be gentle!” 

“Sorry, sorry.” 

I thought I was being gentle. But apparently, it wasn’t enough. Maybe I startled her by touching too suddenly. 

“Do you really want money?” 

“Yeah… I want to save up, quit being an adventurer, and travel freely with you. No ties, no restrictions…” 

“Hmm…” 

Did she not agree? Maybe Lilia wanted to settle down somewhere quiet instead. If that was what she wished for, then… 

“I think that sounds great. The world is much bigger than we imagine. Let’s travel everywhere, see all sorts of places, and experience all kinds of things together! There are so many fun things out there waiting for us. We can find a quiet place to settle down afterward.” 

“You’re right. We can always find a place to live later.” 

As we traveled the world together, we might eventually find the perfect place to settle down. We could figure that part out when the time came. Yeah, that sounded like a plan. I really should go see the world for myself. 

“Thanks, Lilia.” 

“You’re welcome?” 

Lilia tilted her head as she answered. 

After the bath, a luxurious dinner awaited us. I felt a bit awkward sitting at the same table as Count Hauzinha. But since I was invited, I took my seat. 

It had been a while since I ate using proper noble etiquette. It felt restrictive. And honestly, food tasted way better when I ignored all the manners and just ate naturally.

“Sir Fel, you have quite good table manners.” 

“Ahaha, well, I practiced for occasions like this a long time ago.” 

“I see. Then it looks like you’ll have no trouble dining with His Majesty the King.” 

“Please don’t say such ominous things.” 

Just the thought of a formal meal with the King was enough to make my throat tighten. Was that really a possibility? I hoped not. 

Count Hauzinha seemed eager to hear about our past adventures. I shared a little. And for some reason, he was deeply fascinated. 

When I asked why, he revealed that he had once dreamed of becoming an adventurer. However, as the eldest son of a noble family—specifically, a count’s household—he had to abandon that dream. Even now, he apparently still found time to practice swordsmanship. 

Because of that, the recent Water Dragon incident had stirred his bl00d with excitement. 

Being thrilled at the sight of a Dragon… He must have really admired adventurers. 

— 

The next morning. 

During breakfast, a servant hurried in with a letter. Count Hauzinha opened it immediately, scanned the contents, and then handed it to me. 

The letter stated that a carriage would arrive this afternoon to escort us. Of course, Lilia was also invited. 

“That was faster than expected. Well then, we need to prepare quickly. Sir Fel, you don’t have any extra clothes, do you?” 

“No, I don’t. Is my current outfit really that bad?” 

“Well… as an adventurer, you might get away with it. But as a Dragon Slayer, it would be better to wear something of higher quality.” 

That was probably true. My current gear was among the best I could get in Colibri. But compared to the top-tier equipment in the royal capital, it was bound to seem lacking. 

And so, we suddenly had to spend the morning shopping for new equipment. Apparently, Count Hauzinha would be covering the costs. 

He was being incredibly generous… Almost too generous. I hoped there wouldn’t be any strings attached. 

We headed to Sancho-san’s shop. It seemed that the royal capital’s branch of the Sancho Trading Company also carried adventurer gear. 

“We’ve been expecting you, Fel-san. I’ll be heading to the castle this afternoon as well. Here, the magic stone I promised you as gratitude.” 

It seemed that the large magic stone from the Water Dragon would be purchased by the kingdom. So that’s why he had mentioned knowing a potential buyer. 

For Sancho-san, this was a perfect opportunity—being able to advertise that his company did business with the kingdom was a huge advantage. As expected of a master merchant. 

He had also already prepared a set of equipment for me. There were various styles, from the latest trends in the capital to more traditional gear, as well as popular favorites. 

I chose something that wouldn’t stand out too much—gear that many others also used. 

Even so, it was significantly better than my current equipment. Since I was a mage, I would be wearing a robe. This one was finely embroidered. It had not only high magic resistance but also strong physical resistance. 

After returning from Sancho-san’s shop to Count Hauzinha’s estate, lunchtime was already approaching. After eating, I wasted no time in changing into my newly acquired attire. 

Now, at least, I wouldn’t be disrespecting His Majesty. 

Once we were ready, we boarded the carriage that had come to pick us up.