Even Though I’m a Former Noble and a Single Mother, My Daughters Are Too Cute And Working as an Adventurer Isn’t Too Much of a Hassle Ch. 132

https://ncode.syosetu.com/n2129ei/135/

We have unfortunately hit that regrettable point where we have caught up in updates to the original series. The author is still writing, but I am sad to report that it has been a while since they have updated this particular story. The manga is still ongoing though, so here is to hoping that the author is inspired to finish up this story sometime soon. I will keep out a watchful eye in the meantime, eager to continue. 

Caught by a Bothersome Angel

Not knowing their mother was close by, Sophie and Tio enjoyed the comforts of the luxury liner with their friends and classmates. 
The interior of the boat was reminiscent of a luxury inn and comparable to a villa that would be owned by a prominent noble. Passengers were free to enjoy food they would otherwise normally never be able to eat, enjoy the view of the ship breaking through the clouds, or simply look below and watch as the far off ground passed them by. 
After a lengthy voyage that stretched from the breaking of dawn into the onset of dusk, the school children eventually found themselves on the Holy City’s landing strip for air shuttles. 

“Mmm—! We’re here!”

“Heh~…….So this is the Holy City!”

Passing through the gate that acted as a sort-of border wall between the strip and the rest of the city, the students were met with a sight that couldn’t be compared to Border Town……scale-wise the city had developed to a point that rivaled the Kingdom’s capital, but the two cities had completely different taste in architecture. 
The city itself was known for its historical significance, and it carried a different atmosphere from the Kingdom as a result. 
The most eye-catching attraction would definitely be the magnificent mountain cutting into the sky at the city’s center. Famous for the rumors surrounding it and the dense foliage growing on its slopes, spirit mountain Mt. Eldorado creates an especially magical sight as a faint light exuding off its surface rises up and mixes with the encroaching dusk. 
The students eyes were shining, each one tempted to dash immediately into the city that felt like it would take them back in time. 

“Okay everyone, we are heading straight for the inn we will be staying in tonight. Remember that you will have two whole days of free time, tomorrow and the day after, so nobody better stray from the group. We need to be at the inn before it gets too late.”

“”””Okay~!!””””

The students energetically nodded their heads at their teachers’ instructions. As for the teachers themselves, they could only smile softly as they looked over the few kids who had cutely broken into a cold sweat over their plans being found out. 
The inn was apparently close by, so Sophie and Tio decided to head there first on foot, but the Holy City’s streets were packed full of entertaining sights that caught the children’s attention on the way. 

“This whole huge building is made of stone. And even though it looks so old, it feels really solid……”

“The houses built by the Holy Land’s carpenters have an old-fashioned design to them, but they are built to last with both earthquakes and typhoons in mind. Especially that big church over there.”

Tio and the other girls all spared a second to stare at Sophie as she began listing off facts before then turning to the church she was pointing at. There are several cathedrals dotted throughout the Holy City, and each one of them…….towers over the other buildings around them. 

“I think it was one of those cathedrals that I read about. It looks like it was built almost a thousand years ago, yet they’ve barely had to do any repairs on it.”

“Seriously? The orphanage’s floor is coming loose constantly, a couple of our support beams are already cracked, and the roof keeps leaking too.”

“I think you should really get those things looked at…….”

“We already have plans to repair it all. All thanks to my reliable big brother.”

With these historical facts, the kids were able to understand at least a little of how the Holy Land’s construction techniques far surpassed those of the other nations. 
As a side note, in order to minimize repair costs, Kyle was going to fix up the orphanage building himself, but an influx of requests meant he was preoccupied with killing monsters alongside Cudd and Leia. Thus any repairs had to be put off for now. 

“But you know a lot about this Sophie”

“She asked Mom all sorts of questions since she wasn’t going to be here.”

“Oh, really?”

Tio remembered back to when Sophie curiously peppered Shirley with questions since their mother had absorbed all kinds of detailed facts and historical background knowledge on the Holy Land’s culture from her time as a noble girl. 

“I also asked her if the food was tasty and if she knew any fun spots, but sadly, she said she didn’t.”

“I guess that makes sense if your mom only ever visited the Holy Land for work without ever staying here.”

“…….Uh huh.”

Since none of Sophie or Tio’s friends knew about Shirley’s past as a noble, it was only natural that they would assume all of her knowledge came from visiting as an adventurer, and Tio let the comment pass by without correcting them. 

“Oh, it looks like we’re here”

While in the middle of talking with one another, Sophie and the other girls arrived at the inn Canary had arranged for the kids. The Holy City is a popular tourist destination……and the class was staying in the most magnificent, luxurious inn that this tourist city had to offer. Once inside, the building was virtually indistinguishable from an upscale ritzy mansion. 

“I can’t imagine how much this place costs…….at times like this, do you think the Chairman is trying to be generous?”

“It might be like with the sports meet. When it comes to events, the Chairman likes to go all out on everything.”

“……Hey, look at that”

Tio tugged on Sophie’s sleeve after finding something of note and pointed towards one of the inn’s further walls. Lisa and the others’ gazes followed shortly after, focusing in on what Tio was pointing towards without having to follow her finger. 

“A huge picture of the Chairman.”

“So this place definitely belongs to the Chairman then!?”

The girls nearly tripped over nothing when they found a giant picture of Canary sitting in an armchair with a glass of wine in one hand and a fearless smile on her face that was taking up the entire wall. 
It is said that just like her air shuttles, every inn Canary owns is decorated with statues, paintings, and photographs of herself all over the place. Yet for some reason all the guests are going about their business as if there was nothing out of the ordinary, and there is even an opinion among some that the giant photograph somehow meshes well with the rest of the hotel’s decorations. 
In fact, even the girls quickly accepted the presence of the photo without a second thought, chalking it up to a simple, “It is the Chairman after all.” It is further proof of the influence the witch called Canary has on the world.

“After you’ve put your luggage away in your assigned room, head over to the baths. They’re reserved for us since we have a large group, so don’t go causing any pranks or making trouble for the other guests during different times. After that, we’ll meet in the lobby for dinner at seven.”

“”””Okay~!””””

“Then the leader of each group should come up and grab your room key. Once you have your key, you are dismissed.”

After receiving their room key from the teachers, the students began mixing together with their groups to explore the inn as they pleased or to check out their rooms. Among those students, the group led by Sophie decided to immediately take their luggage to their room and take a bath as soon as possible.

“Our room is supposed to be on the top floor I think. Um, the stairs are……..”

“……..Hm?”

While Sophie and the other girls were looking for the stairs, a soft metallic clank sounded nearby. When Mira heard it and turned her attention in that direction, she found a room that looked like a tiny closet. 

“Hold on Sophie, there”

There wasn’t a door there, and it seemed too small to be any kind of usable room. The wall on the far side of the entrance was fitted with an iron plate that provided an explanation. 

“Let’s see…….this room is called an elevator, a facility that works with space magic. You can instantly move to your desired floor…….without having to use the stairs!”

“Mm……just what you would expect from the Chairman’s inn. It is a pain having to walk up and down the steps, so this is a huge relief.”

“Let’s hurry up and try it!”

The five girls squeezed into the small room. Reading the instructions as written, Sophie touched the little crystal labeled for the fifth floor……..and after a bright light flashed around them, the girls suddenly found themselves standing in the hallway for the inn’s fifth floor. 

“Wow~, convenient! We can use this to go up and down”

“……even so, what was that sound from before…….?”

“It’s probably nothing important—. Let’s put our luggage away and head to the bath!”

The girls double checked the number on their room key before heading to the door with the same number. 
From what you would expect of the top floor of a luxurious inn built in such a prime location, the room is huge to accommodate a large number of people with five beds spread around the bedroom along with a balcony outside to allow guests a wide view of the Holy City. 

“It reminds me of the royal capital”

“Mm. It’s not as good as the castle, but it’s a good room.”

After a short moment to chat and enjoy the scenery and the interior of the room, Sophie and the other girls threw their luggage to one corner of the room and got ready for their baths. They pulled out a change of clothes from their bags and started towards the bathroom. Just before they could leave the room though, Sophie and Tio suddenly stopped and looked back into their room. 

“Something wrong you two?”

“Hmm, I’m not sure…….”

“…….I got this strange feeling out of nowhere just now. Sorry, it’s nothing, so just forget about it.”

Scratching their heads, Sophie and Tio closed the door and quickly caught up with their friends. The sounds of children’s footsteps faded away as the girls made for the bath……and once the sound disappeared entirely, Shirley and Grania climbed up from underneath the room’s balcony. 

“I never thought our invisibility would get revealed like that. So skilled at that age……it’s almost enough to scare me.”

“I told you before didn’t I? Their ability to see through magic is getting better with each passing day.”

“……true, but let’s remember that the entire reason why we were in that situation to begin with is because you got too absorbed in taking pictures and snuck in the room with them.”

“………I have no excuse. My apologies.”

Seeing her daughters excitedly absorb the sights in their new casual clothing, Shirley blocked out Grania’s warnings and whipped out her camera. Grania tried grabbing Shirley’s collar to keep her in place, but that only resulted in her being dragged along for the ride as Shirley sped around at supersonic speeds to take her photos. A cold sweat broke out on the back of both their necks when they thought the girls would connect the further question the sound they had created to alert them of the elevator, but things somehow ended for the best. 

“Well I have regained my senses…….and Sophie, Tio, and the other girls are heading to the bath. They are at their greatest risk while in such an unprotected state…….we have to keep an eye on them.”

“Sure, but put the camera away first. You wouldn’t like it if someone was taking pictures of you while you were bathing.”

“……..Excuse me, it almost slipped my mind.”

Shirley and Grania exited into the hallway, killed their presence, and quietly followed after Sophie and the others while using magic to muffle their footsteps.

“……..looks fun. So this is what the school field trip is like.”

On their way, Grania murmured her thoughts to herself while watching the other students happily pass them by. 

“Saying it like that……have you never gone on a school field trip before? Did the school you attend not have them?”

“No…..I went to one of the schools run by Grandma like this one, and it had a proper field trip……but I caught a cold the day of and couldn’t go.”

Just like the students here, Grania had been looking forward to her school’s field trip, and it was devastating for her when she found out she couldn’t go. She told Shirley about how her pillow was soaked with her tears while she was quarantined in her futon with a fever. 

“When Granny heard about it, she burst into my room after my cold healed, told me to pack my bags, and dragged me all over the continent from the Kingdom’s capital to the Demon Country to the Holy Land and all the way to the Trade Federation. ……..I don’t know why she had me pack my bags though. I never opened them even once.”

Grania gave an awkward smile, but it didn’t feel like there were any negative emotions behind her expression. That alone would be enough to clue someone in to how important her memories of Canary are to her. 

“When I saw this request, it made me remember back then, and I figured I would give Grandma back the time she gave me. ……Besides, a few unpleasant memories mixed in with my experience isn’t a bad thing.”

“Is that so? ……So that is why you took this request――――”

“That’s so sweet”

Out of nowhere, a voice cut in, interrupting the conversation between two women who were supposed to have disappeared from anyone’s notice. When they both spun on their heels, they found Hermes who had tears streaming down her jewel-like eyes while staring straight at Grania. 

“Oh Sensei, long time no see. It makes sense since it’s you, but I’ll admit it is still a little disappointing having someone so easily see through my invisibility magic…….but I have to ask, what are you crying for?”

“Your feelings have deeply moved my heart!”

“You’re exaggerating……um, huh? Why are you hugging me? Could you let go for a second…….”

Hermes was moved to the point where she had begun enthusiastically and tightly hugging Grania. Apparently she was so moved that she could no longer hear what anyone else was saying, and her grip around Grania was so tight it would take a crowbar to loosen it. 

“……..I will go on ahead. You can leave the rest to me.”

“Hold on just a minute. You know what kind of troublesome personality Sensei has…… Sensei? I seriously need to go? You’re getting tears…….and snot on my clothes…….”

The curse of getting involved with an angel……Shirley knew exactly what kind of trouble personality Hermes had as well as her indiscriminate hugging habit, which is exactly why she mercilessly sacrificed Grania to chase after Sophie and Tio. 

Chapter 131