Chapter 228.2: A Great Detective's Entrance? (Part 2)
If the detective had simply let Mira go up the stairs, he would not have fallen down and made her worry about his legs. In the end, rather than making her feel more welcome, he had made things worse. Hearing Julius' remark, he looked even more downcast.
「By the way, I'm assuming you have ties to various spirits considering you're called the Spirit Queen? If that's the case, would you happen to have one of the rare spirits of light in your care?」
The detective quickly switched topics though, as if trying to gloss over things. Julius had a forced smile noticing that, but Mira puffed up her chest with pride to reply.
「Yes, of course. I possess all the staple Divine Protections of summoners!」
Depending on a summoner's skill, they could have various spirits ready to be summoned, and in Mira's case she already had all of the elemental spirits. On top of that she had the Spirit King's Divine Protection, so there was probably no one else who had such a varied assortment as her.
「Now that's a surprise... I can see why they call you the Spirit Queen.」
The staple Divine Protection Mira mentioned referred to the eight elemental spirits. Obtaining the Divine Protection from all of them was not an easy task, and it was common knowledge that only someone like a Wiseman would be able to accomplish something like that.
Mira's response had been even better than what the detective had expected, so he was clearly surprised.
「By the way, Mira. Do you like sweets? The pancakes they have over there are the best.」 The detective was pleased with Mira's reply, so he pointed at the restaurant built on a side of the lobby.
「Hm, pancakes? I certainly don't hate them!」
If she had to say whether she liked them or hated them, she definitely loved them, so she nodded vigorously. 「Let's go there and stop standing around like this then,」 said the detective, turning his wheelchair around and heading to the restaurant.
That was a really alluring invitation for Mira, so she quickly followed after him too.
The whole incident with the detective sliding down the handrails and falling to the ground had attracted a lot of attention, though Mira and the detective did not seem to care about it. But it did bother Julius, as he quickly apologized for causing a scene before following the other two.
In tune with the rest of the Baron Hotel, the restaurant was also extremely gaudy, and it almost felt too sparkly.
Once Mira stepped inside, she heard some people talking, and it seemed like they were gossipping about the detective.
They were discussing how there was a thief that exposed wicked men to be lawfully investigated, and a detective that was trying to empower those wicked men. It was clear they were antagonizing the detective.
But he did not seem to care, almost like he could not hear them. It was obvious Julius could also hear that, but he showed no reaction. Both remained unbothered and collected.
Seeing that, Mira stopped worrying about it too, and instead looked around the restaurant.
「Now this is quite luxurious as well.」
The entire place was heavily decorated, making it look very luxurious, though Mira was not sure if it was the right choice for an eating location. As Mira looked around doubtfully, the detective explained that this was exactly the Hotel's allure.
The Baron Hotel was built to look like an expensive mansion, but it was certainly not a luxurious lodge. It was basically a place that could fulfill the fantasy some people had of experiencing the life of a noble, for a rather fair price. Because of that, everything was adorned as much as possible.
「The decorations might be a sham to trick common people, but I assure you the taste is the real deal.」
The detective said that as he continued moving through the restaurant with guests talking loudly. Mira noticed some of the guests eating there stopped to stare at them as they passed by, but she pretended not to notice.
Eventually they sat next to a window, which showed a garden outside that was carefully taken care of.
「There might be no flowers like Brilliant Roses or Royal Orchids that are favored by nobles out there, but through much care and patience they built a garden that is in no way inferior to a noble's. They took what's common and turned it into something very special. That's why I really like this garden.」
The detective looked out the window as he mentioned that. It seemed like that was his favorite spot of the restaurant. Mira also looked outside, wondering what he was talking about, and then she noticed he was looking at a specific spot out there.
Following his gaze, she found a maid who was tending to the garden. Due to the nature of that job, she had her sleeves rolled up and skirt slightly lifted, revealing more skin and making her look a bit sexier.
Mira resisted the urge to shake her head, having heard that elaborate excuse to like the garden when the real reason was far more vulgar. But then again, she could relate to him and agreed that it was a good spot.
「Mira, here's the menu.」
While the detective was clearly looking at the maid, Mira just looked like a young girl that liked flowers. Julius carefully placed the menu in front of Mira, then turned to the detective and warned him, 「I'll tell your wife.」
「Alright, what pancake should I get...」
The detective quickly took his own menu and began looking through it. His hastiness was palpable, showing the effect that his wife was mentioned had. But Mira was more surprised to find out that the detective was married in the first place.
「Wait, does that mean you're actually married then? I wouldn't have thought that hearing how intently you've been chasing after the phantom thief everywhere.」
Mira asked without much hesitation, and the detective began to avert his gaze with embarrassment, adding 「I have a daughter too...」 As it turned out, he had left home and his family, vowing to not return until he had caught Fuzzy Dice.
「Well, I guess it's normal for a man to not want to relent on certain matters.」
Men would often find something they would obsess over and refuse to let go, regardless of whether it was the right thing to do or not. It might not be the best choice for him, as a husband and a father, but Mira could still understand his choice.
「Ohh, this is the first time a woman has seen it that way.」
There had been various other women who had heard that story, and had quite a lot to say in return. Seeing that Mira did not antagonize him for it was a welcome surprise though, one which he appreciated wholeheartedly.
While talking about that, the trio also decided what to order, all of them choosing a different type of pancake.
「I'm so glad you're with us today, Mira. It's been a while since I've felt this comfortable ordering pancakes.」
Julius commented in a joking manner, though he was also half serious. The detective had a sweet tooth, so sometimes the two of them would order desserts together. But considering they were one a burly adventurer and a rather attractive man, they felt some apprehension to be seen having sweets just the two of them. It seemed like that was a common trend no matter what world one was in.
But this time the two were accompanied by Mira, who did not look out of place in the slightest there. Whatever the true nature of her mind, on the outside she looked like a pretty girl who was fond of sweets.
Mira herself understood how useful that was. Back in what had once been her real world, there was a time when she went together with Luminaria and Solomon to a cake bakery, which had been recommended to them by Kagura, who was actually still a school girl.
That bakery was exceedingly popular amongst girls, so it was a pretty rough experience for the three guys to eat there.
「I wouldn't mind hanging out with you again in that case.」
Mira was fully aware of how Julius felt, knowing the difference being accompanied by at least one girl could have. So she made that offer out of kindness, and Julius happily accepted.
Seeing him smile like that, Mira thought that if he just asked, he could easily get a girl or two to accompany them. But doing that would be an awful lot like him picking up girls.
And an attractive guy that also picked up girls was the natural enemy of all men, so Mira decided to not mention it.