Cortina took us to Maxwell's compound.
Unfortunately, Michelle's parents didn't come with us because they had unloading to do.
The four of us here are Cortina, me, Michelle and Finia.
That guy used to be royalty, but when he set out as an adventurer, he gave up his position as a noble in this country.
But he was still a heavyweight. After finishing the slaying of the evil dragons, he was reinstated to a position of some standing when he returned to this country.
However, even with the cause of defeating the evil dragon, there were various legal issues involved in bringing a man back to a key position after he had once been thrown out.
So he had authority, but not public office. In view of such a position, he assumed the position of Chancellor of the Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
He is a former king and dragon-slaying hero. And a rare sorcerer.
Maxwell cannot be confined to a dilapidated house, so he has a rather grand house.
Undaunted by the opulent gate, Cortina steps into the grounds of the mansion.
The other members of the group, except for me, had never lived in a mansion like this before, so they were already cowed by the fact that they had never been in a house like this.
'Maxwell, I've brought you! Come on, get on with it and open up!"
Unlike the rest of us who were cowed, Cortina hit the door repeatedly without hesitation.
Finia's face paled at the sight of her unmannered attitude.
The two were also in the same boat, but they had to be taken to a different destination.
'She's being absolutely noisy. Vasya has a short life ahead of her. ...... Let me relax once in a while."
The old man opens the door at his own pace, not seeming to mind the noisy Cortina at all.
He has a beautiful beard and pointed ears that would make a dwarf look like a dwarf, and he has not changed at all in 17 years.
Come to think of it, Cortina's short-cropped hair has not lost any of its lustre.
Although not as long as the Elves, the Cat People also have a reasonably long life span. As I recall, she is already well over 30 years old, but if you look at the race as a whole, she should still be a youngster.
'She's barely out. If your future is short, make the most of the time you have left.'
'I wouldn't mind that much. I'll leave it to you to take over when I pass away."
''No, it's a pain in the arse.''
After busting up Maxwell's claim, Cortina abruptly lifted me up in her arms.
'Look at that. 'Look at Maria's daughter, Nicole! Isn't she cute?"
After picking her up, he hugs her further and rubs her cheek from behind.
The thin cheek flesh is rubbed up and down, deformed and quite painful.
Finia notices my annoyed expression and moves her hands around furtively, but can't do anything about it.
The other party is a colleague of her employer Lyell. She has been trained strictly in hierarchical relationships, so she is not the one to interfere.
'Hohoho, it's rare to see eyes that are different colours. I hear that those with such eyes are more likely to develop magical talent.'
''They say you have a gift for interdiction magic.''
'I heard about it, but I didn't hear about the eyes. I can't wait to see what's in store! Come on, get inside. We'll at least offer you a cup of tea."
Maxwell invites us in and shows us around the house.
We walked along behind him, and when we saw the inside of the house, we were even more exclaimed.
It was dirty. There was dust everywhere in the corridors and piles of rubbish, including scraps of paper.
''This, this is .......''
'It's as tidy as ever. You should at least hire a servant."
'In case you're wondering, there are classified documents and so on. We can't just let people in.'
"Then at least clean it up."
''It's a hassle. Would you do it for me?"
''Why should I ......?''
The two men clank and squabble, leaving Finia in raptures.
Watching this scene, I was driven by a bit of nostalgic sentimentality.
They are a magician and a soldier. They used to argue and make the place lively.
I had thought that Cortina had calmed down with the way she greeted us, but it seems that her character does not change easily.
After leading us into a room that looked like a living room, Maxwell was about to leave the room again.
'Here, wait here. I'm going to make some tea, relax...'
'You don't! Remember why I came all the way here, you old fool!"
Hmm?" Oh, yes, you did. Measuring magic values. Then I shall bring the measuring instrument too."
Maxwell walked out of the room, looking as if he had no patience.
Meanwhile, we dusted off the sofa and finally decided to sit down.
'You'd be surprised, wouldn't you? I've been particularly blurry lately."
'No, that was just aloofness, wasn't it ......?'
'It seems that's how people see me. It's made me short tempered too.'
'It has been for some time.'
I blurted it out and held my mouth.
I was sure I didn't know anything about the past Cortina. But Cortina did not miss my mutterings.
'Hmm? How did you know me in the past ...... Oh, I see. You've been put in by Maria! Annalo, you are betraying female friendship."
'Eh, hehe ...... eh, yeah?'
That Maria is now nearly forty. Yet her appearance is so youthful that she still looks good enough to be in her twenties.
Lyell has mutated into a suitably aged face, and yet ...... he too looks like a spectre.
It is also frightening to be a human being who is second to Finia the elf and Cortina the cat person.
'Sorry to keep you waiting. I found some good tea leaves and brewed some.'
A short time later, Maxwell returned with a complete tea set on a tray.
The way he hurriedly arranges them on the table in front of the sofa shows none of the dignity of a hero.
But I know. I know that he is a master at unleashing magic so great that he could put the finishing touches to the evil dragon Colchis.
But Cortina knew this and was not intimidated.
She again attacked Maxwell, who was quickly arranging the tea utensils.
'Hey, we don't need tea, we need to measure the magic first! What's wrong with the measuring board?"
''I told you I wasn't out of my head yet, too. I haven't forgotten. Here, here."
Maxwell then turned the tray over to show it.
No, what appeared to be a tray was the magic value measuring board itself.
'You ...... shouldn't use an expensive magic item as a tea set!'
Cortina was quick to tsk tsk tsk tsk at the way she handled it so well.
Maxwell ...... Sorry, but I have to agree with Cortina on this one.