112. The Aiperos Family (5)
After finishing the meeting with the Aiperos Marquis, Harnein and I got on the horse and headed towards Rusmayeur.
Before long, a notification window popped up.
▶Sub-episode. You cleared the tavern brawl!◀
▶The Yalik tribe’s recognition in the Aiperos Marquis region has increased!◀
▶Polux Tutulorum’s intimacy has increased!◀
[Current percentage: 12%]
I only realized then that I had cleared a sub-episode without knowing it.
The Aiperos Marquis was just a character you meet during the episode’s progression, but I ended up meeting him first and increasing his intimacy.
Moreover, it wasn’t just a simple increase in intimacy.
Considering that he revealed his real name, Polux Tutulorum, it was clear that this would have an impact.
As the lord of Rusmayeur, I had to make a deal with the Aiperos Marquis to revive the territory.
However, the deal with them wouldn’t be smooth sailing.
To make a deal with the Aiperos Marquis family, who maintained a closed-off atmosphere, I had to undergo a test.
-‘The deal will be decided after we clash swords. Come, prove it.’
As you can tell from this in-game dialogue, it means literally clashing swords.
By clashing swords, you can determine the opponent’s true intentions and what kind of person they are, which is the logic behind this…
But if you don’t meet the predetermined passing score, the Marquis will never approve the deal.
In other words, to make a deal with the Aiperos family, I had to prove myself with strength first.
If they don’t exceed the passing score, they would say things like this:
-“You’re the one who approached us with ill intentions. Get lost!”
-“Hmph. Anyone who holds a sword like that is as obvious as a fire. Take it away before you get hurt!”
-“We don’t even bother talking to weaklings like you!”
There’s no deep meaning behind these lines.
It’s just that they have a conviction not to deal with the weakened Kalsein, which serves as a dead flag.
That’s why my stats are lacking.
I had to rush this episode, so I had to fill in these stats.
“It’s like this, we’ve reached a turning point. I’m Iferos, the Marquis, and also Polux Tutulorum.”
It would have been much smoother to deal with him as the Lord of Rusemeyer.
And…
I should thank the person who created this situation.
“Thank you, Harnie.”
“What, what’s going on all of a sudden?!”
“Just, I have something to thank you for.”
Thanks to you, I was able to meet the Marquis of Iferos.
There’s still more to be grateful for.
Then, Harnie patted my chest.
“What’s with this sudden nonsense?!”
Looking at her nagging me to straighten up, I realized it’s still hard for me to open up to her.
“…But you don’t have to do that.”
“Don’t talk.”
“What did I do wrong…?”
“Don’t talk, I said!”
I thought she was an easy person to understand, but not at times like this.
I decided to keep my mouth shut before the spike marks appeared on my back.
Then, a small incident occurred.
Since Gelgetton’s villa was located in the noble district, it took quite a distance to reach Rusemeyer’s territory on horseback.
Moreover, with the Warglu Mountain road blocking our way, the sun began to set.
“Hmm…”
Harnie started dozing off, nodding her head slightly.
-Thunk.
Before long, she couldn’t resist her sleepiness, and her head tilted towards me.
Her purple hair slightly tickled my skin. The gentle breath from her not-so-heavy head made me feel uneasy.
“‘We’ve almost passed through the dangerous areas, so it’s not a big problem…'”
It’s also a bit cruel to disturb someone who’s sleeping so well.
I intentionally slowed down the horse’s pace.
Just so she could sleep more comfortably, who had been distant from me just a while ago.
***
Warm and cozy.
Somewhere, I wasn’t lying down, but a strange, sleepy feeling was creeping up on me.
Harnie finally realized he had fallen asleep again and opened his eyes with a start.
“Whoa!”
As soon as he sat up and opened his eyes, he saw Karlstein laughing quietly.
“Are you awake?”
-Dream, dream.
He blinked his eyes, hoping what he was seeing was just a dream.
But it wasn’t a dream.
The person in front of him was Karlstein, and he had fallen asleep on his chest again.
Harnie covered his face with both hands.
“Oh, how did this happen again…!”
Not just once, but twice?
It was embarrassing. He felt like he was going to die from shame.
He couldn’t even show his sloppy side to his servants, but he had already shown it to Karlstein twice.
If it had happened just once, he could have brushed it off, but not twice.
“We still have a bit of time before we arrive at Rusmayeur. You can sleep some more if you’d like.”
As soon as he heard those words, his hair stood on end.
“Forget it.”
“What?”
“Forget it! What just happened! Or do I need to pay a price to make you forget?”
Karlstein asked, looking puzzled.
“Do I really need to…? Can’t I just say my fiancée was tired from work and fell asleep, and that’s it?”
Moreover, it didn’t matter since no one else had seen it. Even if they had, he had only shown his lover’s side, so it wasn’t a big deal, he said.
There was no lie in his words. On the surface, logically speaking.
But somehow, Harnie was being persuaded.
“Or do you think I’m still a pervert who can’t even be trusted not to touch you?”
“No? Ah, no. That’s not it…”
“Then don’t worry about it. Your body isn’t that heavy, anyway.”
The heat that had risen to his face finally began to subside.
But the warmth of Mion’s body still lingered.
“…Was I uncomfortable when I was leaning on you?”
“Not at all. On the contrary, it’s less dangerous when you lean on me like that.”
“Was… that so?”
He didn’t know that.
He felt sorry for Karlstein for no reason.
When he tried to say something, they had already arrived at Rusmayeur.
“We’ve arrived. Please get off.”
Karlstein got off the carriage first, offering his hand with a familiar gesture.
And then, he got off the horse, spotless and without a single flaw.
This was also a noble’s etiquette, and I was going to teach him someday… but he had already mastered it perfectly.
“Didn’t I teach you this?”
“You’ve practiced several times.”
“…Practiced, huh?”
“Yes.”
The fact that he had practiced meant that he had ridden another woman, and then got off again.
Well, it wasn’t particularly wrong.
As a noble’s etiquette, it was something he could have learned.
But, the feeling was strange.
So, I kept asking.
“Who did you practice with? Your sisters?”
“No. Why would I ride them?”
It would have been understandable if it was a family member.
In Bagrande, he was the only man, so it wasn’t unusual for him to escort his sisters or female cousins.
But.
When it came to another woman, the questions became more prolonged and strange.
“So, who did you practice with?”
“Uh… just a maid.”
“A maid? You mean Camilla, that maid?”
“Yes. Well, that’s it.”
Harne’s eyes narrowed.
“Hmm. It’s almost like you rode a noblewoman’s horse. You’re from a noble family, after all.”
“That may be true, but… now she’s just a maid… and why are you asking this? Did I do something wrong…?”
“No, it’s not that you did something wrong. I’m just praising you for learning quickly without me teaching you.”
“That’s… right? Uh, but maybe there’s something bothering you…?”
“What’s bothering me? Nothing.”
“…”
From noble mtl dot com
Carsein couldn’t give a honest answer to Harne.
It was clear that his feelings were hurt.
But he didn’t know why, so he could only respond with excuses.
“It… I only rode Camilla’s horse when we went shopping. If you’re worried about any misunderstandings about our engagement, don’t worry about it.”
He added that he didn’t regard Camilla as a romantic interest, and Camilla only saw him as her master.
“That… don’t worry about it?! When you say things like that, it sounds like you’re worried that I might have an affair or something!”
“Uh… is that not the case?”
“No, it’s not like that! You’ve already forgotten, haven’t you? We’re only bound by a contract, so why worry about it?”
Harne pushed Carsein’s back, urging him towards the direction of the Rusmayeur territory.
“This conversation is over. Hurry up and guide me to your territory.”
“Yes… well, I suppose.”
“And keep talking! Forget about what happened earlier, and what Polux said too!”
“Uh… Yes. I understand.”
Carsain headed towards Rusmayeur, repeatedly nodding his head.
As Carsain did so, Harnie muttered to himself, watching him with a sidelong glance.
“…Why did he do that?”
Really, why did he do that?
Thinking about it now, it was a strange thing to do.
***
As soon as they stepped into Rusmayeur, numerous gazes turned towards the two of them.
It was only natural that the attention was drawn to the young master, Carsain, who had visited.
But today, the attention was even more intense. The reason lay elsewhere.
“The people’s gazes…”
“Yes. They’re all focused on you.”
I had somewhat expected this to happen.
Rusmayeur had been receiving pressure from the nearby nobles.
They had even gone so far as to ruin a party, so it was no wonder the nobles’ gazes were unfavorable.
Carsain’s reaction when he stepped into this place was also unusual, but it wasn’t surprising considering the reaction towards him.
“I’ll try to alleviate the tension. Let’s take a break here for a—”
Carsain was about to whisper to Harnie when a girl suddenly ran up to them.
“Oppa! Who is this pretty sister? Is she your girlfriend?!”
“…What?”
“Yes…?”
Carsain and Harnie let out awkward sounds, and other children also swarmed over.
“Are you dating this sister, Young Master?”
“No way! It’s not dating, it’s being in a relationship!”
“Yes. Don’t you see the ring? It’s a perfect pair!”
“Heol! They’re in a relationship!”
The children were enthusiastically cheering, unlike Carsain, who was anxious.
“Hey, kids!”
“No, no! You can’t talk to the Young Master like that!”
Before long, the adults rushed over, shocked, and scolded the children.
The children, who had swarmed over, hung their heads in shame and were dragged away by their apologetic parents.
“It seems we didn’t need to worry about that in the first place.”
“Yes?”
Carsain asked, puzzled, and Barak, who had arrived, bowed his head.
“I apologize. It was the children’s mistake. Please forgive them.”
“No. It’s not a big mistake… But why are the children acting like that? Don’t they all dislike nobles?”
“If it’s someone the young master has brought, the story is different, isn’t it?”
Only then did Carsain catch on.
“No. So that’s why?”
Now, the eyes of the Young Masters didn’t seem that ferocious.
Even though they brought a noble, a first-timer.
“The absolute trust in the Lord is being established in this territory. It’s an unusual sight.”
“Heh, it’s inevitable.”
“Yes, the person is great, isn’t he, Lord Carsein?”
“Hey.”
Carsein seemed to be saying something with his gaze.
Words that only he knew were being exchanged again.
It seemed like they wouldn’t tell me anyway, so it was better to just move on to business.
“More importantly, Barak, how’s the task going?”
“Ah, yes… regarding that part…”
Barak replied in a weak voice.
“We can dig through, but with our current technology, we can’t dig through that mountain within the given time frame.”
“Why is that?”
“It’s due to the cost. We know exactly how to break through and dig, but that mountain is a rock mountain. Without the right equipment, the work is impossible.”
The money to prepare the equipment.
That was the problem.
Most mountains, when investigated, would yield treasures. Whether it’s minerals, gems, or precious herbs, it’s possible to secure the funds.
But Rusmayier couldn’t do that.
The Waglu Mountain had nothing but rocks, making it impossible to prepare the funds, and especially in an isolated territory like this, the daily necessities would be depleted in about three weeks.
Even if they received money as tolls, the nearby territories would crush Rusmayier, causing a huge fluctuation in prices. It didn’t make sense.
The more time passed, the more difficult it became for Rusmayier.
“The Waglu Mountain was, as expected, empty. There was nothing but trees and rocks. Even if we went inside, there were only a few wild beasts. Ah, of course.”
Barak turned his head, looking at the pile of rocks, and continued speaking.
“We didn’t throw away the rocks, just in case, as the young lord said. We gathered them in one place, but I don’t know where they can be used…”
Then, Carsein chuckled and replied.
“That’s your treasure. The most valuable treasure buried in this mountain.”
“Yes…? But this is… I heard it’s just a useless rock when I examined it.”
“That’s right. So it’s even more important.”
“What did I say? That’s right.”
Harnier chuckled, following Carsein.
“Yes, rocks are important in many ways. With just wood and earth, there’s a limit. But right now, there’s a place that needs rocks the most.”
“Where is it? Where can we sell them!”
Harnier, with a smile, locked eyes with Carsein.
The answer seemed to be saying, “You do it.”
“To build a sturdy castle wall, you need sturdy rocks, don’t you?”
At that moment, Barak was like Archimedes, who had discovered something, and rushed towards the Young Masters.
he wants to walls around his territory to guard against demon beasts !