121. Mind at Ease (1)
The intense training suddenly came to an end.
And to top it off, Polux, who had suddenly requested a conversation, revealed a fact to Harnee.
Carsein was falling apart.
Why had he called out only to her?
And how was Carsein falling apart?
Polux seemed to have caught on through their intense training.
She empathized.
Carsein’s downfall was something she had felt too.
Seeing him reduce his sleep to the extreme and work himself to the bone, unable to even take a break, made her feel uneasy.
So Harnee decided to confide in Polux about everything.
She also thought about what measures they could take.
Then Polux said there was a way to fix the falling-apart Carsein.
But…
“What nonsense is that…?”
She couldn’t help but think.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t trust Polux.
Carsein, as well as Polux, was Harnee’s business partner and ally.
Besides, as someone who had lived a more experienced life, he often gave her advice in various ways.
In reality, she had received a lot of help from him, so there was no room for doubt.
But this time, she just couldn’t understand.
“…What does that even mean?”
“If you’re by his side, that’s enough.”
She asked again, unsure, but he affirmed and repeated the same words.
If she was by his side, Carsein wouldn’t fall apart anymore…
Harnee thought about what that meant and soon her face turned bright red. Then, she shook her head and dismissed the thought.
“Huh, it’s just a simple ‘be with him’ kind of thing!”
Yes, that’s what it meant.
It wasn’t some deep, profound meaning, but rather, it meant to keep an eye on him and prevent him from overdoing it.
“Yep, that’s right. Polux also said that Carsein was overdoing it, and that’s why his body was affected…”
No need to overthink it.
It meant to take care of his meals, make sure he slept properly, and not work all night, to prevent his body from falling apart.
Well, he was a worrisome man.
He wouldn’t say a word even if he was in pain, and would just brush it off as a minor injury.
Didn’t something like that happen just yesterday?
The incident where his body had become so exhausted due to overwork.
If I hadn’t quickly taken off my clothes and transferred my body heat, a huge incident would have occurred…
“Whoa…! Ah, no! It’s not like that!”
Yeah, it’s okay! I’ll take a good look and make sure I’m not hurt! That’s all I need!
Harnien, who suddenly had a strange thought, took a deep breath and shook her head again.
Somehow, a strange energy surged, and I tried to resolve it with a hand fan.
But how could such a strong memory disappear easily?
“Uh, uh…! I need to forget. I need to forget…!!”
It took a while.
To erase that embarrassing memory.
***
– Dingling!
▶Episode III. I’ve cleared the proof of being a noble!◀
▶The transaction with Viscount Aiペros, Polux Tutulorum, has been successfully completed!◀
▶I’ve successfully triggered a result beyond the choices!◀
“…It seems I’ve cleared it.”
Since the duel with Polux ended somewhat abruptly, I thought there might be some variables, but it seems the clear condition has been met.
However, it’s strange that I used my bare hands to force the duel to stop…
Polux has a significantly higher status than me, so winning was impossible.
So, if I showed enough skills to meet the clear conditions in the game, it would end with a suitable dialogue. It didn’t just suddenly end like this.
“Well, it doesn’t matter anyway.”
For now, let’s focus on the fact that we’ve cleared the episode.
Just looking at the result window, I can see that the funds from the Rusmayier territory have been secured, so there shouldn’t be any problems.
But there’s one thing.
I need to take care of some work beforehand.
“I shouldn’t return to the ducal family immediately, so I need to prepare the documents.”
I’ll return to the Rusmayier territory, finish the tunnel work, and then avoid the ducal family members.
As the Eastern Noble Assembly approaches, the family will try to summon me, and that’s when the first crisis will arrive.
The Shatren territory is currently not receiving support funds from Claire due to my request.
As a result, the lives of the territory’s people have become difficult, and I’m in a situation where I’m reaching out to the Rusmayier territory and even the Aiペros Viscount family.
It’s a perfect situation for me to get caught.
First, I need to talk to Arina.
“Karcein is unable to even clean up the mess, so why did you cause trouble? If so, why did you cancel Claire’s support? It’s only natural to get criticized.”
Depending on the intimacy level and choices, multiple problems arise, and it becomes a very frustrating situation.
If I’m not careful, I might not be able to attend the Eastern Noble Assembly and end up with a bad ending.
And I’m in the middle of performing a sub-episode to prevent that from happening.
“Hmm? Karcein, what’s going on?”
Polux, who easily sensed my presence, turned around and asked me again.
“If you’re here to discuss the transaction, I’m in the process of selecting the people to take with me. Can you wait a bit?”
“It’s okay with me. What I want is something else.”
“Hmm?”
I handed Polux a document, who looked puzzled.
“Is this… a transaction record between noble families?”
“That’s right. I want you to write this up and send it to the dukedom.”
There were three key points to avoid Arian’s dead flag.
One of them was the transaction method between noble families.
I had to make a clean and problem-free deal with Duke Iferos himself, and the first step was this transaction record.
“But… aren’t you planning to stay in the Rusmayeur territory for a while?”
“Did Harne tell you that?”
“Yes. I heard it from Plezia, the head of the merchant guild. You didn’t want to meet with your family, so you decided to stay in Rusmayeur instead of the dukedom. But…”
“If we send this document to the dukedom, they’ll find out about Karsein and realize that this deal has been made. Is that what you want to say?”
“…Yes.”
Polux nodded.
I knew it too.
This document was, in fact, announcing that I was here with Arian.
But if this document reached the dukedom, it would be Claire, not Arian, who would meet with Rusmayeur.
“Don’t worry. I have a plan too.”
“Hmm… alright. Do it that way.”
– Ding!
▶Sub-episode. The transaction record has been completed.◀
▶The contents of the transaction between Karsein, Rusmayeur, and Duke Iferos’ family will be delivered to the dukedom.◀
▶You will have a conversation with one of your family members later.◀
Polux silently wrote up the transaction record.
He asked his assistant, who was standing next to him, about this and that, and also suggested that I revise this part, but it didn’t matter.
It was essential not to hide where I was, which was the second condition to avoid Arian’s dead flag.
“Hmm… how about helping the territory’s people with their training during your stay in Rusmayeur?”
“This is a clause that might raise suspicions, so if it’s troublesome, we can omit it.”
“No, it’s not troublesome. It’s just that receiving compensation seems strange, that’s all.”
He brought out a revised clause, stroking his chin.
“We’ll make it so that this clause doesn’t involve compensation. Instead, we’ll increase the number of dueling schedules with you.”
“With me?”
“Yes. Your swordsmanship is quite unusual. It’s not based on instinct or physical senses, but rather thorough calculations, which makes it highly effective in real battles.”
It seemed that even the Yarikin would be interested in this aspect, so I emphasized it more.
…It was fine with me, anyway.
The more duels I had, the more my stats would increase.
And as it was a practical training, my skills would also improve. There was no reason to refuse.
When the revisions were finished, Polux rolled up the document and tied it with a string.
“That’s it. It won’t take long to deliver this to the dukedom.”
“Thanks. I’ll make sure to send a letter to the Youngjimin members beforehand.”
“Thanks are unnecessary; it’s us who should be grateful. However… Carsein.”
Polux didn’t respond and fell silent.
“Do you want to talk about something else for a bit? Is that okay?”
***
Polux, who wanted to talk about something else, changed seats, and I followed him, thinking that this scene was probably skipped as well.
He sighed faintly, took a sip of water to wet his throat, and asked me.
“Do you know that each noble has a break period before the Eastern Noble Assembly?”
“A break period?”
“Well… it seems you don’t know. Let me explain it simply. As the imperial exam approaches, they need time to adjust their physical and mental state.”
It’s a period where they can adjust their condition to the best state possible, starting from simple rest, sleep, or stress relief, each in their own way.
That’s what they call the break period before the Eastern Noble Assembly.
From noble mtl dot com
“…I see, that’s what it meant.”
I had heard of the break period before, but I couldn’t quite grasp it.
In the Bagrand Duchy, we decided to replace the main hall’s portrait with one of me. In other words, Polux’s question was about the next episode.
Thinking about it made my head ache already…
And I gained some information.
There’s a break period before the assembly, and another one scheduled after it’s over.
Thanks to learning about this schedule in advance, I can prepare for it.
“It’s scheduled. It seems like a family outing is planned.”
“Is that so.”
Polux sighed faintly when I mentioned the scheduled event.
And then, a somewhat heavy remark came.
“You calculated the distance like a pro in a duel, and even measured the friction angle of the sword through the sword’s trajectory. You read the penetration radius and stride, and confronted me. But one thing, what you felt from that sword was awkwardness.”
“…”
“My advice is to take some time to relax. If not… “
The last part of his words was…
Very meaningful.