119. The Aiferos Family (12)
-Is it possible… to let Carcsein rest here for a day?
Polux had heard Haruni say this yesterday and wondered why she said it.
The boy had tried to save himself from being beaten up at the tavern.
Yarikin and the Empire didn’t treat people differently, and although they had a unique creed, it wasn’t the same as theirs.
Even though he belonged to the powerful noble family of Bagrande, the highest-ranking noble family in the Pesseros Empire.
So, I judged that there would be no problem even if we proceeded with the transaction immediately.
However, asking him to stay for a day meant delaying the deal, didn’t it?
It wasn’t like I was going to steal Carcsein’s busy time.
Since he had to attend the Eastern Nobles’ Meeting, he needed to prepare accordingly, and as the Lord of Rusmaye, it wasn’t a leisurely position.
But after meeting Carcsein, I was convinced.
Just a few words of conversation, and a light pat on the shoulder was enough.
I could clearly see that Harnie had seen right through me.
“Well, we’ve temporarily set the transaction conditions, but I don’t know what will happen.”
Polux let out a faint sigh.
He asked Carcsein to stay for a day to recover his condition and face the duel in top shape, and also to check his sleep time to resolve the Sleep Deprivation Syndrome. It was the right approach, no matter how you looked at it.
But if he didn’t fall asleep, it would be a waste of time.
He might pretend to have slept enough and get up early to stretch, or he might be working even at this hour, who knows?
Anyway.
Today was the day of the duel with Carcsein.
Polux headed towards where Carcsein was staying, wanting to inform him of the time.
As he walked, a figure faintly came into view.
Polux wondered if Carcsein had finished sleeping early, just as he had expected?
If so, Polux would have let out a sigh of relief right away.
But.
The figure’s size wasn’t that big.
When he stopped and looked, it seemed like there was a guest.
“Oh ho.”
Polux stroked his chin and nodded.
It was someone he had expected.
The figure’s true identity was a woman with purple hair, hiding her face with her hands.
Her noble aura, which couldn’t be hidden, was unmistakably Harnie’s.
“A woman who visits a man’s room from morning.”
-Nod nod.
His head nodded involuntarily.
They looked quite compatible now.
They shared similar facial features, and both were in a position to help each other, with a budding romance.
I had seen them making progress in the carriage, too…
It was lovely.
Youthful.
Could I even say that?
My heavy heart had finally lifted.
Polux smiled wryly and approached Harnie.
“How’s the explanation going?”
“Huh, wh-when did you…!”
Harnie’s eyes widened in surprise.
Before long, she let out a sigh of relief, as if she had been fortunate.
The reason was that the person who had called her was not the one she had been conscious of.
“Why are you so surprised? Did you do something wrong to Karsein?”
“No? I mean, it’s not… wrong…”
“Then? Did something not go well?”
“What do you mean by ‘omething’?”
As soon as Harnie heard the words “something didn’t go well,” her face turned bright red.
Polux looked at her with a puzzled expression.
“Ah, you wanted to give Karsein a break, didn’t you?”
That was the reason Karsein had stayed in the Aiperos mansion.
It was because Harnie had asked to delay the deal a little.
It was her wish to give Karsein a break.
“You wanted to keep him here for a day and persuade him to acknowledge that he was overworking due to the Depesan syndrome, didn’t you?”
Although Harnie didn’t explicitly state her intentions, Polux understood it that way.
The heat in Harnie’s face, which had been burning fiercely, began to dissipate.
“Oh, I managed to persuade him. While solving the Depesan syndrome, he acknowledged that he had been overworking… and took a good rest.”
“Oh, I see. That’s good.”
Polux nodded in agreement.
If his condition had recovered today, they could just adjust the schedule and continue the deal.
However, on the other hand, there was still an unresolved question.
“But, President Plezia. Where were you yesterday? I couldn’t find you anywhere.”
“Did you look for me?”
“Yeah, I was worried. I thought there might be some side effects on Karsein. I would have explained it thoroughly, but I wanted to ask you anyway.”
“…”
“If you had caught a cold this winter, it would have been really dangerous… but, well, since you’re saying you’re fine, I guess nothing happened. Haha!”
Harnie’s face turned red again at those words.
Polux continued to speak, but when he saw that Harnie didn’t respond, he carefully turned his gaze towards her.
And then, he discovered a strange point, and soon began to sweat profusely.
“Wait a minute. President Plezia is… wearing the same clothes as yesterday, isn’t she?”
It was impossible for her to be so particular about her clothes.
She wasn’t the type to insist on wearing the same outfit.
Polux’s gaze shifted in one direction. This area was where Karsein was staying.
He glanced at Harnie once.
He glanced at Karsein’s room once.
Did she really want to wear those clothes again?
…No. That’s not it. It’s definitely not that.
Considering the direction she had come from and the fact that she was looking around…
It was reasonable to think that she had come out of that room.
However…
Hadn’t he said he slept all day?
Harnie knowing that fact… all day…
“Uh-hm! Hmm!”
He let out a dry cough and turned around.
“Oh, oh no! Ah, no. It could be… possible, right? Yeah, taking care of a sick person is a natural thing to do!”
Polux stumbled over his words, trying to make excuses.
It was pointless to try to justify himself. The fact that Harnie had been trying to hide was already out.
The girl’s face turned red again.
“Hmm? Harnie?”
She immediately opened the door and took action.
“Why are you suddenly coming closer… uh!”
She was embarrassed, her body trembling as she hit Carcsein’s back.
***
Before he could even think about why Harnie had hit him, the brutal morning meal time was over.
He still didn’t know why he got hit…
But he did feel like something had changed within him.
▶Western Region Exclusive Status Abnormality: Defusion Syndrome has been removed!◀
▶The stats that were supposed to be reduced will remain the same!◀
This debuff, which he had never removed while playing the game, was finally gone.
The status abnormality that had been with him since he entered the Iphellos Viscount’s estate and cleared the episode had disappeared.
So, his stats remained the same.
It might seem insignificant, but the meaning of removing the debuff was enormous.
It meant that his chances of passing the test against Iphellos Viscount had increased.
But.
That possibility didn’t guarantee his victory.
His lacking stats would be far behind Polux, who was eager to test him.
The experience Polux had accumulated was vastly different from his own, which was focused on dueling.
So.
He had to be prepared.
If he didn’t want to die.
“Hmm?”
When he arrived at the dueling site a little earlier than the scheduled time, Polux sensed his presence and turned around.
He immediately drew his sword and took a stance.
“Hmm. We still have time before the duel. We don’t have to start early. It’s better to loosen up a bit more.”
“…”
“You’re still too impatient.”
When Polux didn’t back down, he also pointed his sword at me.
“Calsein? Do we have to go straight into a duel…!”
“Stop it. It’s the top priority.”
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“…Pollux.”
“That kid already has no intention of backing down. Right?”
“Right.”
There’s no point in wasting more time.
There’s only one way to clear this episode.
It’s to prove my skills to Pollux and make a deal.
“…”
Harnie reluctantly stepped back.
Pollux narrowed his eyes, sizing me up.
“When did you start wielding a sword? Can you tell me?”
When did I start?
It was a slightly difficult question.
I wasn’t sure whether to base it on “me” or Calsein.
Then Pollux asked another question.
“No. It was a pointless question. We’ll find out when we clash swords anyway.”
Check.
“Let’s go. Calsein.”
Thud!
He stomped the ground and quickly approached me.
Ching!
A sharp, piercing sound echoed through the air.
***
When Calsein set foot in this place,
Pollux had already made a guess.
He had steeled himself for something,
And his gaze was different.
He looked at me clearly, but his eyes held a sharp, fierce glint.
What was inside him?
To find out, I had to clash swords with him.
Calsein accepted the challenge from the other side.
“Yes, I want to see it. What’s that cold, sharp beast inside you?”
After a simple warning, Pollux charged at Calsein immediately.
All that was left was the conversation of swords.
– Ching!
The first clash occurred.
It was a heavy, intense clash.
Physically, Pollux had an overwhelming advantage.
Calsein’s incomplete body would have struggled to withstand Pollux’s first clash.
Despite that.
He didn’t get easily pushed back.
“Hoo, by momentarily retreating and reducing the shock, he regained balance with his front leg and pushed forward, didn’t he?”
Pollux narrowed his eyes.
It wasn’t just any ordinary match, but a real battle.
This attack would have been a one-hit knockout if it were just a casual swordsman, but…
He regained equal footing with excellent judgment and calculation.
And then…
-Chang!
He took advantage of the opportunity to counterattack, not missing a single beat.
Those who were barely holding on were already overwhelmed.
It meant that he was already thinking about his next attack while defending.
In other words…
He was taking this match seriously.
He exchanged a few more blows.
It was a great move.
Calculative, practical, and efficient.
It was hard to praise him enough.
“…”
Pollux’s expression turned dark.
Even though they had only exchanged a few blows, Pollux was drawn to the scent of Karcein’s sword, his brows furrowing involuntarily.
He thought to himself, his brows completely furrowed.
“What is this sword?”
How could a person’s sword feel so cold, dark, and lonely?
What had happened to this young boy?
How could a person be so doll-like?