I Became a Barista in Another World! Volume 1: New Beginnings [Completed]

Cup 20: Jesters of the Court

The portly knight hummed to himself, swinging his arms back and forth as he and his men escorted Ryu and Sylfie to the Guild Association Headquarters. The other knights towered over the party of three, making it difficult to take in their surroundings.

Ryu caught glimpses of the streets and marketplaces as they passed by, but the full wonder of the capital hadn't presented itself to him yet—if there was such a thing. Aurora seemed to be enjoying the shade cast by the tall knights, lounging on Ryu's head.

"Ahh, this is much better, nya," she sighed.

"You can't stay up there forever," Ryu remarked.

"Let me enjoy sleeping on your head for a little bit, Ryu. Think of me as a hat! That's it! I'm a hat cat now!" she said, stretching herself out.

The situation didn't seem as dire as Sylfie had made it out to be. They hadn't been cuffed and the portly knight made small talk with them as they made their way through packed streets without much resistance on account of their new friends in shining armor.

Strangely, this escort detail seemed to serve as their protection rather than their captors. Sylfie couldn't have been more serious, however. Her eyes darted back and forth between the knights. Her hands twitched back as if she were ready to pull out her bow and start shooting arrows in every direction.

"What are you so worried about?" Ryu whispered to her. "Look, if it's about paying taxes, I'll figure something out. I'm sure they'll cut me some slack if I tell them I'm from a different world."

"You idiot! If it was taxes I was worried about I'd let you handle that on your own! What if they get you on harassment charges or public indecency? It's not like you can deny it with that damning title of yours!" she whispered back harshly. "Keep your mouth shut until we can get some legal counsel."

"You're making a big deal out of nothing! How do we even know we're under arrest? They haven't said anything to us about charges against us—"

"Charges against you! I don't steal panties!"

"It was one time! And I did it to save your life! If anything, you should be thanking me for stealing them."

Sylfie sighed, placing a palm to her face. As much as she disliked it, she couldn't deny it. The Demonic Panty Snatcher had saved her life. "Oh, thank you, great Panty Snatcher. Happy?" she said through gritted teeth.

"Very," Ryu smiled smugly. "Here, to ease your worries, I'll ask them myself."

"Ryu I don't think that's a good—"

"Hey, mister knight?" Ryu called out to the portly knight.

"Hmm? Yes? What is it, Mr. Hirano?"

"I was simply wondering, are we under arrest?"

"Oh! No, no! Nothing of the sort!" the portly knight chuckled, clutching his belly. "We were, however, told to break your kneecaps, should you run. Lord Huxley isn't one for dilly-dallying, you know. He doesn't have time for games. When he requests your presence, you show up—that's how it's always been."

"I see. Thank you for letting me know!" Ryu smiled pleasantly.

"My pleasure!" the portly knight smiled back.

Ryu leaned to the side, whispering into Sylfie's ear. "Sylfie, I'm scared. Why do we always draw the attention of these wackos and nutjobs?!"

"Don't look at me! Things were going smoothly for me until you showed up! No normal person gets into this much trouble!" she stressed.