[ It's nice having a chat with you, Vlad-sama. I would like to accompany you until the end, but it seems I still have my own job to do. ] as soon as the Heroes had arrived, the merchant Richard tried to excuse himself from Vlad.

[ No, don't worry about it. ]

[ Thank you very much. Carlo-san, I'll leave Vlad-sama with you. ] she turns to Carla, and again, turned to Vlad and bowed -

[ Please excuse me. ]

Again, Vlad, Ayla, and Carla were left together.

[ Vlad-san, how about we look for a place, we can't be standing here the entire time. ]

[ Ahh... Right. ]

Vlad is currently standing in the middle edge part of the room. Since there were no tables placed there, Vlad had remained standing. Most people that are sitting on the tables are in at least a group of three people. And now that Vlad has someone he can chat with and is not alone anymore with Ayla, he figured it would be good to sit in a table.

And so, Vlad and Carla came to find a table they can seat onto. And they were able to immediately find one.

[ Thank you for accompanying me, Carlo-san. ]

[ Don't worry about it. The truth is, we just finished our meeting in the merchant guild, I still have a lot to do as its representative, so it would be nice to take a small break for now. ]

( Hmm... I guess being a merchant is much exhausting than I thought... Now that I think about it, Carlo-san takes only a few days of breaks on her schedule and he mostly spends those days in my mansion, drinking tea or having a chat with me... I wonder what he thinks of me... We're just friends, right? No, we're more like a merchant and his client... )

Vlad knows that Carla treats him as her client, but sometimes, it was more than that, she visits him without even the intention of discussing business, she just goes to his mansion to sometimes see how he is doing or to have a chat with him. So Vlad thought that maybe she sees him more than her client, but rather, as a friend.

[ I thought you came here to see the hero - Hana? ] Carla asks.

[ That's right, but It would be better if we talk alone... There are many things I would like to talk to her about. ]

[ Oh? I've heard it many times already, but can you tell me what are those things? ]

[ Hmm... Carlsan, do you know where Hansan came from? She's also a n.o.ble, right? So that means so as her parents? ]

[ No, Hana is an orphan. She was raised by the church. Each generation, the church will name at least one or two orphans as "The Hero of the Prophecy", or something... I don't know about Hana's history, but the fact that she's now one of the most important people of the kingdom, it doesn't matter anymore. ] as she answers, Vlad was put into deep thought.

[ Is that so...? ]

( It seems that my guess was right... If Hana really is a j.a.panese person... Then it wouldn't be a shock that someone like me would also exist in this world... I guess I should've asked her about this much earlier... )

The reason why Vlad had come here in the first place was to ask Hana of her history - to know if there exist other people like him - people who were transported from the other world. Those people would be most likely be Hana's parents, but now that he learned that Hana was orphaned, then it would be hard to get in touch with them at all. It would even be possible that they already died. And for all Vlad knows, Hana herself might be a transported person herself.

Pretty much, Vlad would like to understand why he was sent here in this world. If he can live peacefully, he will, but there will be people that will become a threat to him, and there are also circ.u.mstances where he needs to act to fulfill what he wants.

Knowledge about this new world is what Vlad wants. And where better should he start is to understand his own circ.u.mstances - in which he can start with the existence of Hana.

[ Is perhaps... Hana is what you're aiming for? ]

[ What do you mean? ]

[ As a partner. Hmm... For a man like you, I guess your standard with the ladies will also be high, I wouldn't be surprised if I find you being partners with Hana. ]

[ That's not it at all, it's just my curiosity. How about you, Carlo-san? You're already at that age, yet you still don't have any lovers of any kind, right? ] Vlad asked with a smirk on his face; as if he was trying to tease Carla.

In terms of age, Vlad would be much older than Carla. That was why he talks with her in a manner where he seems to be more experienced.

[ Lovers, huh? It's unnecessary for my business... And in any case, I don't see any guys that will fit my criteria. ] she answered in a very casual manner, with her eyes seemingly tired and with her chin laying on her fist - looking far ahead towards couples flirting.

[ [ ... ] ]

Maybe because of the familiarity between the two that she slipped up; maybe she was tired, or maybe it was her intention, but one thing is for sure, they were both shocked with her answer.

[ Umm... You can forget that I said that, Vlad-san... What I meant was there're no ladies here that fits my criteria... ] there was a blush on her face as she tries to cover her mistake.

( Should I play ignorant here or what...? ) Vlad is having thoughts if he should reveal that he already knows.

Vlad had already known the fact that Carla had been hiding her real gender since the first time they had met. He had never asked her about it, but as Vlad thinks through it for a moment, he thought that this might be a good chance to finally ask her the very question that's been lingering inside his mind for the longest time - every time he's with her.

( Well, I won't lose anything even if I ask her, won't I? )

[ Umm... Vlad-san? ] as he stays quiet for a moment, Carla started to become anxious and called out his name.

Because of her close familiarity with Vlad, she made the worst mistake she's trying to avoid the most.

But then, Vlad only stared at her and finally says:

[ You don't really need to hide it from me, Carlo-san. ]

[ ... ] Carla became silent as she hears what Vlad had said. But nevertheless, Vlad still has a straight face and continued -

[ I already know from the start. ]

[ ... ]

Carla tried to open her mouth for a reply, but she can't seem to find any words anymore to try and say anything to defend herself. As she looks at Vlad's eyes, she realized that he was serious; she realized that he really does already know.

[ I... I - ] she again tried to reply, but then she was interrupted...

[ Excuse me, but can we take this sit here? ]

There - on the same table, a man wearing a piece of gla.s.ses turns to them and asks. And together with him is a young man that seems to be on his teen.

[ ... ]

The man waited for them to reply with a smile on his face as he holds one of the empty chairs on the table.

[ Ahh... You can take it. We won't mind. ] Vlad was the one to respond.

Although Vlad had wanted to ask Carla about why he is hiding her real ident.i.ty, he figured that this would be a bad time since many people are currently gathered in their location. Although he was still not satisfied, telling Carla that he already knows her secret seems to have lifted a weight out of his chest.

Now, he just hopes that it wouldn't change their relations.h.i.+p.

[ Thank you very, much. ] the man bowed, he then turned to his companion and said:

[ Hey, Zereal, you give them your thanks too! ] he said as he forcefully tried to turn the head of his companion down.

[ Yea, yea... Thank you very much... ]