122. Mind’s Leisure (2)
Having finished the transaction, Episode III was complete.
I had also prepared for another sub-episode in advance, and all that was left was to return to Rusmayel.
As I got on the carriage, Polux’s advice suddenly came to mind.
“My advice is to take some time to relax. If not… “
“My world will forever remain in winter, then.”
That was the advice I heard from Polux.
“Huh? What does that mean?”
As I thought about it, Harnie on the opposite seat was tilting her head in confusion.
Did she hear it too?
“It’s nothing. Just something Polux said.”
“…You said your world will remain in winter?”
Let me know if you need any adjustments!
Oh. If I don’t make a single mistake, it seems like everything has been heard.
What’s the point of trying to make excuses here?
I decided to just lay it all out.
“There’s no big deal. It’s just, don’t overdo it, okay?”
Winter is the season that humans would choose as the most harsh and difficult among the four seasons.
There’s the warm spring with its gentle sunlight.
Summer, where countless crops grow with the rain and sunshine.
And autumn, which brings abundance with the harvest season.
Compared to those three seasons, winter is a desolate season with only cold winds and frost.
I told you to take some time off earlier.
If we interpret that, it’s likely that it means to take it easy and not work too hard on the surface.
“…Right? Like I said?”
“Like I said, do you think you’ve heard something?”
“Yes, yes?!”
Then Harunie jumped up.
“What, what did you hear?!”
“Didn’t Polux tell you something? You were the only one he took aside that time, too.”
“No… That’s not it! It was nothing special! Just…”
“Just?”
“That’s…!”
Harunie stuttered and tried to cover it up.
“I don’t know anything! It’s not a big deal, anyway…!”
“Hmm… Well, I guess so.”
Polux would probably say something more if he turned the conversation around like this.
Harunie would probably dodge the question skillfully even if it was a sudden one.
“Anyway, if Polux asks about it, just tell him. I don’t have time to rest right now.”
If I answer like this, Polux won’t say anything more.
Instead, Harunie, who was stuttering until just now, narrowed her eyes.
“Karsein. You have to keep our promise, right?”
“Yes. We promised to sleep for three hours a day, didn’t we?”
“You have to keep it. I’ll definitely check on it too.”
“There’s no choice.”
I also realized my limits with this body for sure this time.
“More than that, Karsein. What are you going to do after arriving at Rusmayeur?”
“What?”
“Hmm. I’m not going back to the duke’s estate right now, but I have to attend the eastern noble conference, so I need to adjust my schedule accordingly.”
“Ah, that’s right.”
▶Sub Episode. The transaction details are in progress.◀
▶The transaction details between the Karsein and Rusmayeur, and the Iferos duke’s estate have been delivered.◀
▶Clair Bagrand is scheduled to arrive at the Rusmeier estate.◀
First, let’s settle this.
“I’ll be staying at Rusmeier for a few days. I need to transport ore to the Yarik people, and there’s also a clause to enhance the villagers’ abilities.”
“Ugh, why did Poluk bring up the matter of the duel again… Hmm, and what’s next?”
“There will be guests arriving. The documents have been sent to the dukedom.”
“…I suppose it’s your family, then.”
“That’s right.”
Since I’ve completed this sub-episode, it’s not Arina who will come, but Clair.
I’ll present her with a few options, and as long as Arina doesn’t intervene, I’ll make sure she’s in a state where she can’t interfere.
Then, when I return to the dukedom, I can avoid the dead flag in the next episode, which Poluk called the “rest period”.
“Okay, that’s settled. What’s next?”
What’s next, indeed.
It’s time to take a bold step.
“───I’ll head there.”
-Dalgrak.
At that moment, Harnie, who was recording the schedule, dropped her pen.
“What, what are you doing?! Why are you going…!”
She stood up, looking like she didn’t understand, and shouted at me.
Well, that’s understandable.
It’s a judgment that defies common sense.
Especially with the Eastern Nobles’ Conference approaching, it’s an even more incomprehensible judgment.
“But for me, it’s a necessary thing to do.”
Chapter 2 will create a new episode by taking on a sub-episode.
If Karcein doesn’t move on her own to create an episode, she’ll eventually meet a bad ending.
So, most sub-episodes usually end up with absurd actions. The Rusmeier estate episode started with them buying out their territory, after all.
Even so, Harnie calmly regained her composure and sat back down.
“What are you thinking…?”
If other characters had heard this, they would have gone crazy, stopped me immediately, or tried to prevent it.
But she’s calmly asking about my intentions, in a serious tone, asking if I have a plan.
It’s hard to adapt to this.
“Don’t worry, I won’t harm you.”
For now, it’s better to draw a line like this.
We’re bound by a contractual relationship, anyway. If we dig too deep, it might get complicated later on.
Then, Harnie’s attitude changed dramatically.
“Really? You’re going to do it?”
What’s going on? Why isn’t she reacting as I expected?
She crossed her arms, gazing at me intensely.
“You won’t harm me, you say? Well, I’ll judge that for myself.”
“Harnie?”
“I don’t believe you. Remember how you slept in until morning due to the Depersonalization Syndrome? You said it was okay to sleep for just two hours, but that was a blatant lie, wasn’t it?”
“…But that’s not the case this time.”
“I don’t know. Having experienced it before, I can’t just believe what you say. I don’t know what will happen there, so I’ll follow you.”
What? You’ll follow me?
The place I said I would go to…?
Harnie still hadn’t let go of her arms, gazing at me with a puzzled expression.
“Why? Is there a reason you can’t?”
“…It’s not that, but do we really need to? There’s no particular justification—”
“Then yes.”
Snap.
Harnie’s index finger touched her lips, as if cutting off my words.
“As a fiancée, I have the right to follow my fiancé. That’s enough.”
She added, assuming that our relationship might fall apart, that she would follow me to the end.
Why is she like this?
As a businessman, she should know that the calculations don’t add up.
-Hehehe!
“It seems the carriage has arrived. Shall we stop here?”
She took her hand away from her mouth, adopting an escort stance.
…Really, this woman is impossible to deal with.
I let out a sigh and got off the carriage.
***
It had been three days since I made a deal with Polux and returned to Rusmay.
A lot had changed.
Firstly, real customers started to appear.
“What in the world… What is this? A massive tunnel…?”
“It’s not a tunnel, but a passageway.”
“And you are…?”
“I am Melic, in charge of guarding this passageway.”
“I am Tony.”
“Does saying it’s a passageway mean… that we can use it for a toll?”
“Yes, that’s correct!”
The Wagleu Mountain was steep and rugged, with no path but a detour.
But, a passageway?
From noble mtl dot com
When you hear the news that such a strange passageway exists, anyone would be curious.
And it’s not just curiosity that drives people.
“Hey, let’s unfold the map!”
“I already have it unfolded!”
“Ah, so this is the route we’ve been using…?”
“Yes, that’s right. However… it was difficult to transport goods because of the Wagleu Mountain, so it was hard to distribute.”
“But the fact that this place is connected like this… is unbelievable. Was it not just a rumor?”
The connected tunnel led to their destination.
That mysterious tunnel, which I had only heard rumors about, turned out to be real.
“Hey, why are you hesitating? Hurry up and get out of the way!”
“If you’re not going to go, then come out!”
“I’ll do it, I’ll do it! How much will it cost?”
“Hmm. The toll will be determined by the number of people and luggage you have, according to this regulation──”
In just a few days, the number of visitors had already reached dozens, no, hundreds.
Those who had experienced the convenience of transportation here kept coming back.
There was no threat from bandits or monsters, and the bright magic stones lit up the dark place every night, making it accessible at any time.
Moreover, there were artworks created by sculptors inside.
The nobles’ gaze was also drawn to this place, and it had become a new transportation hub and tourist destination.
And it was all happening very steadily.
“Your Excellency!”
“What kind of magic have you cast on our territory?!!”
Melik and Toni exclaimed, flailing their arms.
“How much did we make today?”
“Look at this. We can’t even count how much it is. We’ll be able to pay off the remaining construction costs in no time!”
“And besides, since the merchants are passing by here, we can sell a lot of things. We don’t even need to go to the expensive noble territory!”
It was indeed a reason to be excited.
The financial situation of Rusalem had skyrocketed in just a few days.
▶As a result of exceeding expectations, Rusalem’s resource amount has increased threefold!◀
▶The prosperity level has greatly increased. Rusalem’s reputation will not fall below A!◀
The status window was saying the same thing.
The result of clearing the episode was clearly visible.
The more I thought about it, the more cautious I needed to be.
“You two, stop training and go.”
“Yes, Your Excellency!”
It’s like getting something means you might lose something in return.
That’s why I needed the help of the Aiperos Marquis family.
“Huh!”
“Haah!”
In Rusalem, the roar of the armed territory residents was echoing.
This roar was the sound of the residents, who had stayed here to transport goods, learning to catch monsters on their own according to the teachings of the Yarik people.
Of course, it wasn’t just about monsters.
“Wow…!”
“What’s going on? Did we settle it?”
“Kee-yan! If we get caught like that, what do we do? Humans are different from monsters. We have intelligence!”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”
There was no guarantee that the three knights of the Modrich Count family, who wore bandit masks, wouldn’t come to plunder this village.
Moreover, there might be people who would try to force their way through with power after the tunnel was completed.
So, they were also learning about diplomacy.
The real enemies of Rusemeyer are the nobles around here, that’s what I mean.
That’s why Rusemeyer is building up its strength to block external interference.
And.
I was the same.
“This is more like we’re on the receiving end, not the ones teaching. Wow.”
“Don’t mind, I’m also training my body to stay sharp.”
Lv. 33
▶Your SP will be automatically used for??? stats!◀
▶Strength 5.11
▶Agility 6.28
▶Endurance 6.37
▶Vitality 4.68
▶Immunity 1.33
▶??? 33%
The status window, which seemed to be glancing at me with a sly gaze.
The stats aren’t rising exponentially like before, but my level is increasing steadily.
It seems like I’m growing well, even if it looks slow.
If I keep growing like this, I’ll be able to protect myself without any problems, even if I leave the Duke’s household.
Of course,
“Hmm… can I ask for one more favor from the Duke later?”
“Yes.”
I just want to leave the Duke’s household as soon as possible.
***
After finishing my training, I was pushed by Barak’s back and headed towards a new house I had never seen before.
It wasn’t a room, but a house, because I had decided to build a house with the money I had left over from Rusemeyer. Barak, the village chief, had already started working on it, furious that I had left.
As I entered the building, I saw a cozy room.
And.
Suddenly, I felt an intense pain.
“Ugh…?! What’s…!”
-Ding!
▶The second side effect of the Dispersion Syndrome has occurred!◀
…What?
2nd side effect ? what’s that ?