Omniscient Necromancer POV

"What are your plans for today?" I asked while having breakfast with Marceline and Rosella.

Fumiko and John, my parents, had left home very early — around dawn.

Every last Sunday of the month, there was a big meat sale at a butcher shop in the Central Market, and my parents never missed a sale.

"Um... I don't know," Marceline replied, placing her hand on her chin.

"Yesterday I showed you everything cool in the area. Maybe we should go downtown?"

"No!" Rosella and I shouted, jumping up from our seats.

Startled, Marceline's eyes widened, and she quickly remembered the delicate situation we were in.

"Oh, right..." Marceline laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of her neck.

"Yesterday was so peaceful walking with Rosella that I forgot she could still be a target."

Rosella and I exchanged a brief glance before sitting down again with a sigh.

"I don't think they'll try to kill her or anything like that anytime soon, but it's better to be safe than sorry," I said, grabbing the last rice cake from the bowl on the table.

"What about you, Brandon?" I asked Rosella, tilting my head slightly as I looked at her.

"Do you have plans for today? You left in the morning yesterday and didn't come back until night."

"Were you with a girlfriend?" Marceline asked with a mischievous smile, leaning forward on the table.

"WHAT?!" Rosella and I exclaimed in unison once again.

"Oh~! You two really are in sync." Marceline couldn't ignore it, but quickly returned to the previous topic

"But you know, dear little brother, you turned eighteen, and at that age, many start thinking about big changes. Many today want to become famous Climbers, but there are also those who just want ordinary lives, like going to college, getting a good government job, and getting married."

"Eh? Are there really people who still think that way?" I asked ironically, throwing that rice ball into my mouth.

Marceline crossed her arms. "Of course there are. I think that way myself. And there are also those who want to be Climbers and also have all that, like Rosella!" She pointed to Rosella.

The young noblewoman almost choked when the focus of the conversation suddenly shifted to her.

"Cough... cough..."

"What, Rosella? Do you want to get married and have children?" I asked, my mouth full.

"Does she want to?" Marceline smiled with the confidence she only showed before bragging about something.

"She was telling me yesterday that she has even received several marriage proposals from the sons of various nobles in the Kingdom of Felsearia. I bet many wealthy merchants here in the Kingdom of Durtch would love that idea too, since she can't marry a noble here without causing a major diplomatic crisis."

Sometimes I completely forgot that Rosella was not from the Kingdom of Durtch, but from Felsearia.

In that case, her marriage to a local nobleman from Durtch would never be accepted by the kings of the two kingdoms, as it would mean that a nobleman from another nation could have power over the lands he inherited.

"Why are you telling Brandon all this all of a sudden?" Rosella asked Marceline when she finally had her throat free to speak.

"Well, you didn't ask me to keep it a secret."

"Didn't I ask you?"

"And you've turned down every marriage proposal you've ever received, haven't you?"

"Wait a second, you turned down all of them? Wouldn't getting married have saved your family from bankruptcy?" I asked, but without putting too much pressure on her.

Rosella looked down and started playing with her fingers as her face quickly turned from a light pink to a tomato red.

"It's just that I-I... I want to marry someone I love, not someone who made the best proposal to my parents," she said, looking slightly embarrassed to admit it out loud.

It made me think of the future Rosella had had in the final stretch of 'The Journey to the Beyond'. After joining the Hunter Ruse Guild, she worked on a few smaller missions with Hunter before the guild grew too large and she became the Captain of a Squad.

Hunter didn't care about her family, so there were never many details about it, but I vaguely remember that even though she had a good salary at the guild, she had to marry a rich merchant's son from the Folk Empire to pay off her parents' debts.

To think that even Rosella, who was strong, beautiful, and rich, couldn't fulfill a common dream like marrying someone she loved.

"Phew! Being born a noble must be really complicated!" said Marceline with her arms up.

In fact, it wasn't just because Rosella was a noble. On Earth, there were no longer nobles in most countries, and yet people still didn't marry those they loved most of the time, but rather for opportunity or convenience. Marriages based solely on love were rare in both worlds.

This made me wonder: would I be able to find someone in this world that I loved enough to marry?

For some reason, my eyes slowly began to move in Rosella's direction. However, I quickly shook my head and got up from the table.

"I'm going to take care of some things with a friend nearby. I'll be back in two hours or less," I said as I put on my coat.

"But if I'm not back in time for lunch, there's still some of yesterday's stew left in the pot."

"Yes, sir!" Marceline saluted me playfully.

I felt Rosella's eyes burning the back of my neck before I opened the door and left the house.

"Hm. Did she want to ask me something?" I thought aloud as I closed the door.

If that was the case, she could ask me when I got back, so I decided to forget about it for now and focus on what I needed to do: sell all the rare items I got at the Tower of Giants!