Chapter 73: This is…… My First Time (3)
The friendship between the Empire and Azot is a common goal of mine and Lime-hyung, and it’s the most important thing we’ve been thinking about.
The fact that it’s been put on hold means that the situation could really get serious.
Anyway, we talked for a long time about the embarrassing current situation.
At a time like this, I realized how important it is to have someone to share a sense of solidarity with.
Sigh, let’s finish the work quickly and go home. No matter what anyone says, my home is the only place I can rest……
I didn’t want to see people like the Baron or the City Council, so I asked for lunch to be brought to my room.
Fortunately, they didn’t play any tricks with the meal. It means that I’m just someone to ignore, not someone to harass. It’s not that pleasant to confirm this, though.
Feeling like I was having to navigate enemy territory without allies on the battlefield, I looked over the documents until afternoon tea time and was able to grasp the general clues.
Even though the incident seemed quite different from what I knew, the basics were the same.
For example, in the incident in my memory, the mastermind was the Merchant Union, but this time it changed to the ruling class of the Barony.
The overall stem was the same.
If you compare it to cooking, it’s the same fried dish, but the ingredients have changed from chicken to pork.
As I read and compared various documents, my memories came back to life, making it easier. Maybe it was because I felt more at ease after talking with Lime-hyung.
Peace of mind seems to be important at any time.
Pour……
Lucy quietly poured tea into the cup.
All day before yesterday, all day yesterday, and even last night, she showed signs of trying to seduce me.
I didn’t react to each one, and I kept my distance from her, not giving her time to talk to me in order to try to seduce me.
Did she realize that her tricks weren’t working? She couldn’t hide the urgency and embarrassment that made me worry if she would beg later.
Thanks to that, she’s quite discouraged now. She still seems to be looking for an opportunity, but she feels like she’s given up a lot.
Now is the time.
I spoke to her before she could retreat after pouring the tea.
“Ah, Lucy, is that a nickname by any chance?”
“Yes? Ah, yes. It is.”
“The nickname of the mage I knew was also Lucy. He was a perfect man except for that nickname. He liked that nickname the most.”
“Oh my, is that so? He sounds interesting.”
Lucy said with a slight smile.
Judging by the desire flashing in her eyes, she must have seen a possibility because I spoke to her a little more friendly.
I nodded and said.
“He was quite interesting. He must be traveling now. Ah, don’t think strangely about it. It just came to mind unconsciously. There are many people with the same nickname, but a man named Lucy. It’s really strange.”
“Hehehe, that’s right.”
“I should definitely tell him about you when I see him later. Although they have the same nickname, they are completely different. Ah, then what’s your real name?”
“Yes. My real name is Irsian. Irsian Degot.”
“Irsian? It feels good. It sounds pretty.”
“Thank you. Oh my, come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve had a conversation like this with you.”
Lucy smiled brightly and spoke to me first. It looked very natural, so anyone else would have nodded or something, but I read something else in her expression.
She can’t hide her expression. Is she a beginner?
I smiled as I saw the confidence in her expression.
“I’ve been busy lately. But how long have you been in this house?”
“Yes. It’s been three years now. I was originally a kitchen maid, and I only became a formal maid a year ago. Maybe because I’m slow, I’m not good at my job yet.”
Well, I know she’s not good at it. How can she make black tea, which is clearly made with high-quality leaves, taste so bad?
I nodded with a meaningful smile.
“I see. It must be hard.”
“But my seniors help me a lot, and the Baron’s family are good people, so I’m getting better little by little.”
“Good people…… That’s right.”
I smiled bitterly. It wasn’t fake, but that bitter smile automatically came out when I thought of the people here. Lucy didn’t miss it and followed my words.
“Um, I don’t know, but strangely, the Baron and the others seem to be very cold to you, so I’m thinking strangely too. You’re clearly the one who came here to solve the difficult things that happened here, but the Baron seems to be a bit too much…… Oh my! I’m sorry. This story is……”
“Ah, right. I won’t say anything to the Baron. And because what you said is true. Anyone can tell, but I’m being ignored right now. I can roughly guess the reason.”
“Why…… is that?”
“It’s a long story.”
I shrugged and took a sip of tea. No matter how much I think about it, the taste and aroma are unacceptable. Yes. This is instead of water. It’s a liquid, not a beverage.
Lucy tilted her head cutely and said.
“Why is that? I think I’m a good judge of character…… You don’t look that bad. To be honest, you seem like a good person.”
“Huh? No. I’m not that good of a person.”
“No. If you’re the kind of person who listens to a maid like me, you must be a good person. I believe so.”
“I appreciate you believing in me, but I’m really not a good person. I knew from the beginning why you were here.”
I said so without changing my expression.
Lucy blinked for a moment, then stepped back slightly with surprise in her eyes.
“Ah, stop there. If you step back one more step, I’ll call the security forces. The excuse that a maid stole my jewelry is classic, but it works well.”
“How did you know?”
Lucy’s expression changed sharply. The appearance of the maid who was seductively tempting me had disappeared somewhere. What remained was aggression, vigilance, and a slightly provocative look. I shrugged and said.
“A Baron who blatantly ignores you, a maid who is perfect as a target for venting anger. And you were too seductive. Ordinary maids aren’t like that. And the decisive thing is……”
“The decisive thing is?”
“The black tea tastes bad. I’d rather make it myself.”
“I practiced hard……”
Lucy sighed. She crossed her arms and looked at me. Her red lips moved.
“I apologize for disturbing your eyes and mouth with my clumsy acting. Was it fun to tease me?”
“Ah, of course. It was quite fun. Now it’s time for confession. Who are you, and what kind of deal did you make with the Baron?”
“Do you think I’ll tell you?”
I said with a sly expression.
“If you don’t want to, don’t. I’ll just hide a piece of jewelry and say you stole it. Since it happened in the house, the Baron won’t be able to protect you. You know that, right? A noble like me has the right to summarily punish servants.”
It’s a right that personally turns humans into savages, but nobles actually have it. If servants or maids make fatal mistakes or wrongdoings, they can be immediately questioned and punished for their sins.
This right, which becomes stronger as you go up to higher nobles, can be punished by summary execution if you rise to the rank of Duke. Of course, it’s a right that I can exercise as well.
Lucy glared at me.
“That’s a threat.”
“If there’s something more important than your life, protect it.”
“Phew, fine. I’m a Night Cat who moves on commission. I heard through the Baron’s butler that there was a good job. They only said that I had to seduce a hot-blooded boy from a noble family, but it seems that it’s not just his blood that’s hot.”
“Why?”
She snorted.
“Hmph. There’s no way I’ll tell you that, is there? As I was commissioned, all I had to do was seduce you appropriately. I was happy because I thought I could nourish my body after a long time. Whew, I’ll have to pay a penalty because of this. What do you eat to be so smart?”
“How about reflecting on your own stupidity? No matter how I look at it, it’s too obvious. Your actions are saying so.”
“Usually they don’t know. You’re the strange one. I didn’t know you were such an old man.”
I agree with that. If I had come before I died, I would have been blinded by her every move. No, I wouldn’t have come here in the first place, but.
She nervously chewed on her thumbnail and muttered.
“What should I do? I can’t tell the Baron…… Hey, smart young master, there must be a reason why you didn’t play with me a little more, right? If you wanted, it wouldn’t have mattered even after you had fun, but you’re telling me now.”
She asked, turning her eyes towards me like an angry cat. Her red hair went surprisingly well with her golden eyes.
I smiled and said.
“How much do you get paid?”
“Yes?”
January 17, 373rd year of the Imperial Calendar.
“The training is tough, but it’s not like supplies run out easily. The principle is to receive things that can be used for a long time on purpose. Even so, we need to have reserve supplies, so we repeat the sorting every two months.”
“Is there a gap there?”
“I’m curious about that too. The Supply Officer isn’t playing around. If there was such a guy, I would have placed him at the outpost in front of the monster den.”
The captain of the Dolen Mountain Patrol, ‘Pereiro Rochei’, was crooked but cooperative enough.
The embezzlement case was quite a headache for him too.
It’s a unit that deals with harsh terrain and strong monsters, so if this kind of thing happens, it affects military discipline.
That’s why, even if he’s clearly showing signs of ignoring me like the others, he’s reluctantly cooperating. Even this much is actually a blessing for me.
The information Lucy brought me was useful.
“But it’s a bit late to notice.”
“It can’t be helped. We don’t usually pay much attention to things like that. It’s enough if we can bring the necessary items when we need them, isn’t it? Even though they’re high-quality supplies, they’re military items, so I thought no one would touch them. In fact, the other guys are like that too. They’re the kind of guys who worry about how to get into bed with a village girl instead of worrying about taking out supplies.”
“They’re honest soldiers.”
“It’s embarrassing as a superior.”
Pereiro has a sturdy physique, a stiff beard, and bushy hair, making him look more like a bandit leader than a mountain patrol captain. He roughly threw the cigarette he was smoking and crushed it with his boot.
“But are there people who would dispose of such supplies?”
“Needless to say, it’s the fences. Military supplies are sold at high prices to the hot-blooded kids in the back alleys. Sometimes I hear that the guys who have leftover supplies make pocket money that way. Of course, the tradition of our mountain patrol is to beat such guys for three hours and hang them on a pole for three days and nights.”
“That’s a great tradition.”
I said sincerely and looked at the mountain patrol candidates who were training hard.
It is said that the Dolen Mountain Patrol candidates, after becoming official patrol members and after about 3 years, have the same level as a full knight.
If you simply compare knights and mountain patrols, knights have much better combat power, but mountain patrols use tactics specialized for the region and terrain. If you limit the region and terrain, a 3rd year mountain patrol member can sufficiently surpass the same number of knights.
This is probably because it’s difficult to survive in the harsh environment of the Dolen Mountains without high-intensity training. Because of this, I can fully understand that people are a bit rough.
While I was checking a few things I needed, a mountain patrol member came running in a hurry.
“Captain, reporting!”
“What is it?”
“A carriage that looked like it belonged to travelers was attacked by monsters on the way to the territory!”
“What? So what happened?”
“8 patrol members, including the 8th Patrol Unit, ran to save them…… but they were all wiped out.”
Puke?! Wiped out?
“Are you saying the 8th Patrol Unit was wiped out?”
Pereiro asked with a stiff expression. If the mountain patrol was wiped out, how strong of a monster appeared? Or how many appeared?
The patrol member who came running to report stammered.
“No, it’s not the 8th Patrol Unit!”
“Then are they the travelers? Speak clearly!”
“Yes, y-yes!”
The patrol member, who was clearly flustered, barely managed to speak.
Two hours ago, a carriage climbed onto the road leading to the territory from the southeast. There were no suspicious movements, so they just kept an eye on it.
Then, an hour ago, monsters suddenly jumped out from the ridge. They said they were Rat Men that looked hungry.
The Rat Men horde attacked the carriage indiscriminately, and the patrol member who was watching immediately called all the other patrol members nearby, but…… it was already too late.
“When 8 patrol members, including the 8th Patrol Unit, arrived at the scene…… 30 Rat Men were all wiped out. There was no damage to the carriage.”
“What? How many people were on that carriage?”
“A total of five people…… and one person took care of all the monsters.”
“What?!”
Pereiro was greatly shocked.
Rat Men are low-level monsters, but they have a habit of attacking in groups, so they are a pain to deal with. 30 of them is a number that can even hunt 6 Bearmen.
It’s hard to wipe them out without considerable skill……
Listening to the story, I feel strangely familiar. Is it because I know someone who can do that?
The patrol captain said, his beard bristling.
“Who is that person? Did one of the Five Strongest of the Continent come to visit? No, where are they now?”
“Yes. That is, well……”
“Speak clearly!”
The patrol member’s eyes glanced at me. He hesitated for a moment, and then spoke after being yelled at by Pereiro once more.
“Ah, they are the people who came to visit Sir Arisein Pen Herduke!”
“As expected.”
It’s not surprising. I suddenly felt a migraine and pressed my right temple.
What’s going on, Levidian?
“What’s going on, Aila?”
I was quite surprised because someone unexpected was there, but I calmly crossed my arms and asked the pretty girl with ash-gray hair and golden eyes.
Without speaking, my good friend smiled brightly and answered.
“Yeah. It looks like I’ll be going home. So I thought I’d stop by and say hello on my way. How’s work going?”
“So so. But why did you bring the others?”
“Just because. A winter trip because I was bored. Why?”
“Nothing.”
I looked at Joey, who was looking around behind Aila who was smiling brightly, Namia, who was sitting with her eyes slightly lowered, and Levidian, who was hanging her head.
It was Levidian who wiped out the Rat Men. It would have been enough if just one person other than Aila went out. If it were me…… I’m not so sure.
I scratched my head and sat at the head of the table.
“Your father surprisingly allowed it.”
“He couldn’t find a reason to object when I said I’d see them off on my way back and that everyone was going on a trip. I just stopped by on my way. I have to say goodbye.”
“Did something happen at home?”
“Phew, something a little complicated happened. It’s better to think of it as a good thing. I was going to go back when spring came anyway, so I’m just going back a little early.”
“Is there anything I can help you with?”
“Hehehe. I’ll gratefully accept your heart. But this is an internal matter. Outsiders are prohibited from entering.”
Aila winked refreshingly and said.
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