42 – … I’m talking to myself

Was that day today? ….

I looked blankly at the protesters.

“Reduce the amount of tribute!”

“The child is starving at home!”

It wasn’t just adults who were protesting.

There were also children wearing thin cloths behind their parents and demonstrating together.

But no one dealt with them like that.

No one tried to deal with them in Krafdon’s territory.

As if no one was in the mansion, they didn’t react, just waiting for them to get cold and leave.

While looking at them for a while, I felt someone’s presence from behind.

I turned my head around and there stood Duke, a little startled.

“Sorry for showing you something you can’t see. Rail master. Please come inside.”

“I do.”

I nodded and followed Duke into the mansion.

Before entering the back door, I turned my head once to look at the demonstrators, then looked away again.

“You must have sweated a lot. I will direct you to the bathroom right away.”

I checked the time and there was still some time left until lunch.

“Go alone.”

“Okay. I will prepare new clothes in front of the bathroom.”

So I headed to the bathroom by myself.

It didn’t take long to wash.

I showered lightly enough to get rid of the smell of sweat, and immediately left the bathroom.

And in that short time, Duke had a change of clothes ready for me at the door.

Now you can change your clothes and go to the restaurant to eat.

But I am very reluctant to go to a restaurant.

If you go there, shouldn’t you have a meal across from Chloe?

If you eat in front of her, you won’t be able to taste what the food tastes like.

But it wasn’t polite not to eat lunch together, so I had no choice but to change and go to the restaurant.

*

When I arrived at the restaurant, the food prepared in advance was placed on the table.

As I sat down, my eyes met Chloe, who was sitting across from me.

“I heard you skipped breakfast and went outside to exercise? Wasn’t it cold outside?”

“It wasn’t too cold.”

I put the food in my mouth, answering her appropriately.

Because of what happened yesterday, I thought I wouldn’t be able to taste the food if I ate it in front of her.

But the taste of the food was even more delicious than yesterday.

“Is it in your mouth? Rail said he was going to work out early in the morning, so I told him to prepare it.”

“… It sure is delicious.”

I don’t want to admit it, but I had to admit it.

Perhaps it was because Chloel spoke to the chefs separately, the quality and quantity of the food was much higher than yesterday.

A meal that was quite satisfying, I nodded and ate the food.

But I didn’t eat with my hands or binge like yesterday.

Rather, it was because he knew that such behavior would attract Chloe’s attention.

While calmly slicing the meat with a knife, I watched Chloe’s reaction sitting across from me.

Then I met Chloe’s eyes and stopped cutting my steak.

“What are you looking at?”

“Just looking at it like this makes me feel full.”

Chloe was staring at me with her hands on her chin, not touching her own meal.

That appearance was quite uncomfortable, but I pretended nothing was wrong and turned my back.

“Come to think of it, there are residents protesting outside.”

“Did you see the rails too?”

“Yes. I heard that this year is a bad year, so there are not many crops. Do you have any intention of reducing the amount of tribute?”

From nob le mt l dot com

My question erased Chloe’s smile.

“As Yeongji’s agent, I know that this year will be a bad year. But there are guys who used it to steal tributes.”

And he replied with the expressionless face he had when we first met.

“That’s why I originally intended to reduce the tribute, but I set an example and didn’t reduce the tribute.”

“Those who honestly pay tribute will be harmed.”

“Instead, I will realize what will happen if I steal the tribute this time, and I won’t try to steal it anymore.”

I fell silent at Chloe’s answer.

Even though I’m her fiancé, I’m in no position to tell her what to do.

That’s also because she has a higher rank than me, and she knows better than me how to govern the people.

But I know what will happen next.

So I hoped that such a situation would not happen, so I asked Chloe one last time.

“This is my personal request. Can you really not reduce the tribute?”

“I didn’t know Rail was so interested in our territory. But I have no intention of changing my mind, even at Rail’s request.”

“I see.”

I nodded.

Even if Chloe was interested in me, she wasn’t the kind of woman who would deflect her opinion with my favor.

There have already been many changes from the original, but I don’t think it will change this time.

I sighed inwardly and put the food in my mouth.

For some reason, food that had been flavorful just a moment ago no longer tasted like it.

*

Kung.

Rail, who hadn’t even eaten half of his food, left the restaurant.

All that was left was the dinner prepared for Rail, Chloe, and her butler, Duke.

“Duke.”

“Yes. Miss.”

“Have I made a mistake?”

Duke was silent for a moment at Chloe’s question.

And after she had finished thinking, he communicated his thoughts to her.

“Maybe the young lady doesn’t do her favor, Mr. Rail, so she seems a bit disappointed.”

“Really? You’re dissatisfied with me because I didn’t do a favor.”

In short, the two thought that the rails were sprained.

“Rails also have a pretty cute corner.”

Unlike the ferocity he showed yesterday, his concern for the residents felt quite fresh.

And looking at the book written in the language of the elves, he looked quite emotional.

Chloe smiled, delighted to see another version of Rail.

“Duke. What happened to the elf book you talked about last time?”

“Sorry. Miss. A simple note can be interpreted quickly, but he said that it takes quite a while to interpret a book.”

“Okay then.”

“Yes?”

“Because I can ask Rail directly.”

Duke didn’t understand Chloe’s words.

It was because he did not think that Rail, who had been dissatisfied with not listening to him a while ago, would listen to her request.

However, I could understand why she answered that way to Chloe’s question that followed.

“Duke. You must have said that Rail likes to drink, right?”

“Yes. I have heard that he has been drinking every day since he became an adult.”

“Sure. Bring that drink to dinner tonight.”

“You mean that drink?”

“Yes. Wouldn’t Rail have to drink that much to make him feel better?”

“I see. With that much alcohol, even the Rail Master will be able to relax. hahahaha.”

After replying like that, Duke left the room to prepare a drink, bowing his head to Chloe.

Kung.

The door closed and left alone, Chloe looked at the empty spot on the rail.

There, you could see Rail greedily eating his own food, bleeding and glaring at him with contempt, and Rail a bit disappointed that he didn’t do his favor.

“I wonder what expression he will show this time.”

Chloe looks forward to seeing what her booze lover, Rail, will be like this time around, and she laughs.

*

Back in my room, I laid down on the bed and took a little rest.

Fortunately, he didn’t come to my room on his own during the break.

But after an hour of lying in bed, boredom set in.

I thought about going to the reading room and reading a book, but it seemed that Chloel would appear again and make me uncomfortable.

I got out of bed and looked around the room.

In the room, there were only a few artifacts to help with sleep, but nothing to pass the time.

So I decided to pass the time and practice magic.

As I raised my mana, blue mana rose above my hand.

And using that magic, I moved the objects in the room freely.

I didn’t really need a chant to use psychokinesis magic like this.

And.

A bullet made by compressing air also consumes mana, but it didn’t really need a chant.

However, gravity magic could not be used without a chant.

I chanted an incantation to the pillow I made to levitate.

“Kneel.”

“… ….”

But nothing happened.

I didn’t feel the mana being consumed either.

That’s why I changed the chant once.

“Get off.”

“… ….”

But still nothing happened to the pillow.

I tried other chanting like that, but in the end I didn’t succeed.

Perhaps the reason is, as Fenia said, not only the proficiency in magic, but also the ability to fully conjure the image.

So I think the reason why I can make bullets without any special chanting is because I saw bullets so often that I was bored in the military.

Nevertheless, I did not give up.

It was a time when I continued to memorize incantations and use magic until I was able to succeed.

Knock. Knock.

Duke’s voice came along with a knock on the door.

“Brother. It’s dinner time.”

Has the time already been like this?

When I turned my head to check the window, the sky was already dark.

Okay, I got up and put the furniture in its place.

And then, in preparation for future situations, I changed into clothes that were easy to move in and left the room.

Duke started talking to me while I was on my way to the restaurant under the guidance of Duke.

“I heard voices talking to someone in the room. Is there anyone else in the room?”

“… ….”

In response to Duke’s question, he shut his mouth for a moment.

Could all my voice be heard across the room?

Get old and kneel down. Did you hear all that you said from across the room?

It was embarrassing enough to make my face heat up, but I told the Duke without showing it as much as possible.

“…… Talk to yourself.”

“… Okay.”

After my answer, Duke asked me no more questions.

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