street lights and the various taverns.
Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve walked around Sia after dark… I wonder if it’s darker in the side streets?

We reached the gate before long.
… It’s closed, we were too late.
Crap, we can’t get out.
Should we climb over the wall? No, there might be a magical defense function that stops that.
We can’t go about this haphazardly.
What should we do…

“Oi, what are you doing here?”

Just as I was figuring out what to do, a guard suddenly spoke to me.
Night patrol I guess? How eager you are with your duty.

“Oh, Guard-san.
I was wanting to get out of the gate.”
“The hours for passing through the gate are over.
Come back tomorrow.”
“… There’s no way I can?”
“No way at all—is what I want to say, but I have an obligation to explain.
If you have the lord’s permission or are a noble yourself, you can pass after following some procedures.”

It looks like this guard really is serious about his duty.
Good guard.
… I thought about showing him my invitation from the lord, but it’d be troublesome if he went to the lord’s mansion to verify its authenticity.
I decided to use Meat’s status as a noble.
It’ll stay on their records, but they’ll come to Golen Village eventually after seeing I’m gone so it’s not like anything will change.

“You were a noble? My apologies.”
“No, thank you for your efforts this late.”

Receiving the noble’s (Meat’s) words of gratitude, the guard saluted.
The procedures were worked on in the meanwhile.
… It’s a good think that I can write simple things with the gloves golem.

Like that, we finished the procedures and went outside through a staff entrance.
Well, we also have the lord’s permission to come back.

“Now then.”

It was pitch black outside the gate… nooo idea where anything is.
Should I have a golem bring me back automatically?
I used [Create Golem] to make a palanquin.
The type of palanquin that’d belong in the Edo period.
Then I made two clay golems to carry it.
For some reason, golems are able to see in the dark rather well.
They’ll have an easy time heading back by following the map.

*

“So that’s why you came back?”
“Yeah?”
“That’s so coooooool, but it’s like you gave them the cold shoulder, is that alright?”
“What, Rokuko, wasn’t it already decided that I’d do that?”

Hearing Rokuko’s reasonable question, I answered obediently.

“… I knew that!!”

Yeah, I can’t keep up interacting with nobles at all.
I’m wiped.
Which is why I demand a break.
Particularly right now, I just got back and I’m super tired, let me get to sleep please?
The ride back on that palanquin was unexpectedly rough, I couldn’t rest on it at all.

“… I, umm, I got a bit mad, but I’m better now.
You rushed back home, and even came to see me first.”

Ah, she got mad after all.

“I’m going to go sleep for two or three days, so I’ll leave it to you.
Do your best at filling in for me.”
“Don’t just leave it to me.
I’ll absolutely be interrogating you, you know? I’ll definitely wake you up when I come to do it!”
“… Alright.
But at least let me sleep… and don’t wake me up…”

There are times where you want to escape reality.
This moment right now was one of those times.