TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 225
The carriage returning to Hamel.
Loading luggage into the luggage compartment, I exhaled a relaxed breath, wrapping up the journey to The North.
Although I came with an empty bag, I’m leaving with a bag full of souvenirs dancing at my fingertips. Money really is the best.
If there’s just one flaw.
“Young Lady.”
“Hm?”
“Instead of sitting still, could you help out a bit?”
The problem was the Young Lady sitting idly.
The Young Lady, seated in Fairy Unit 1, showed no intention of helping and just sat there quietly.
The Young Lady, with the jerky James had given her in her mouth, was stroking the horse of the carriage. She then offered me the jerky she had been chewing on and asked.
“Want some?”
“…”
“It’s tasty.”
Perhaps because she was raised as a precious Villainess, it seemed she had left her sense of tact with the Moon Rabbit. For a moment, I thought she should have been raised less delicately, but as a Butler who upholds his principles, I nodded slightly and accepted the jerky at her suggestion.
“It’s delicious.”
“Right?”
“But it’s a bit moist.”
“Yeah. I gave you the one I was eating.”
“…?”
I looked at the Young Lady with eyes filled with resentment.
“Why would you give me that?”
“I seasoned it for you. It’s boring to eat it plain.”
“…”
I stared intently at the moist jerky in my hand.
-Moist.
Now that I look at it, the jerky had clear bite marks on it. Seeing the neatly aligned teeth marks of the Young Lady with her pearly white teeth, I nodded.
‘This is a bit…’
Nodding, I tore off the end of the jerky and chewed on it. Although it felt a bit wasteful to throw some away, it was necessary to preserve my human dignity.
It wasn’t because I was thinking about an indirect kiss or anything like that. It was simply because wasting food was regrettable. Absolutely no other thoughts crossed my mind.
“Hmm…”
Sure enough, perhaps because it was seasoned, it tasted quite good.
“It’s delicious.”
“Right.”
“It must be because it’s a Northern Specialty.”
The Young Lady, without even a hint of hesitation, claimed it tasted better because she had seasoned it herself.
“It’s because I made it less salty.”
“…”
“Should I make you another one?”
Watching the Young Lady pull out a new piece of jerky from the bag and offer it to me, I let out a small sigh, wondering what I should do with this Villainess.
“Sure.”
Of course, I didn’t decline.
Chewing on the jerky leisurely, I spent about 30 minutes loading the luggage when, in the distance, two familiar silhouettes came into view.
“Hey…!”
Miss Yuria, carrying an armful of items, and James in a hospital gown were running towards us.
James, with a Bright Smile, ran cheerfully. I had no idea why he wasn’t resting as instructed and was wandering outside the hospital, but I greeted them with a small smile. After all, it wasn’t me who was sick.
“Miss Yuria, James!”
“Huff… huff… I told you to let us know before leaving! I bought souvenirs!”
“Miss Yuria said she would stay in The North to take care of her father, so we snuck out. We didn’t want to trouble you because of us. And James, do you not understand the concept of complete rest?”
James, in his hospital gown, awkwardly let out a hearty laugh and patted me on the shoulder.
“Haha! Staying cooped up in the hospital was driving me crazy! I couldn’t just lie in bed while my Savior of Life was leaving! I had to pitch in somehow. It makes me feel better…! Isn’t that right, Yuria?”
“That’s right…”
“Ah! This lovely Young Lady is my daughter, whom I mentioned before. Isn’t she beautiful?”
“Ah… Father!”
“She takes after my wife, which is why she’s so stunning.”
“Stop! Stay still.”
“Why, Yuria! This is the best The Man I’ve met so far. Wait a bit, Father will arrange—ugh!”
Yuria elbowed James, who was getting carried away, in the stomach and cleared her throat. I wondered if all people from The North were this easygoing. Watching Yuria’s unguarded demeanor after a long time, I smiled lightly.
“Why are you laughing…”
“You just look happy.”
“It’s embarrassing…”
“Seeing you laugh harmoniously with your father is nice.”
Yuria blushed and mumbled softly, in a voice I couldn’t quite catch, “He called him Father…”
James, noticing Yuria’s reddened ears, gave a smile typical of an old man. Covering his mouth with his hand like an aunt engrossed in a late-night drama, James chuckled softly before handing me a Paper Bag he had placed on the ground.
“This is a Northern Specialty.”
“No, I’ve already received plenty.”
“Take it. I’ve received far more.”
James, recalling the inn that would soon be built under Malik’s direction, gave me a thumbs-up.
“Thanks to you, we’ll have a signboard for the Forest Friends Soup Restaurant.”
“What?”
“Oh, I was supposed to keep that a Secret, but I slipped up.”
“The Proprietress arranged that?”
“As soon as I mentioned you shared the Recipe, she pulled out the contract right away.”
“…”
Thinking of Malik’s efficiency, I clicked my tongue. I wasn’t sure how well gukbap would sell in The North, but since it was Malik, it seemed destined to succeed.
Smiling faintly, I thought of Malik.
‘Well, he’s someone who knows what he’s doing.’
-For now, rest.
-Pardon?
-I’ll come to collect the Recipe separately, so focus on resting. No objections.
-What about the loose ends…
-I’ll handle it. I’ll write the Statement Report myself, so you can stretch out your legs and rest.
-Understood?
-Then I’m off.
Someone I once thought to be the most rigid person in this world turned out to be the most capable. Surprised, I nodded slightly and wished James good fortune.
“Do your best. You’ve encountered great luck.”
“Really…? I’m not familiar with Capital Trends.”
“Yes, it’s incredibly good fortune. I’ll occasionally visit with the Proprietress, so make sure to prepare well.”
“I noticed her Martial Technique isn’t ordinary, and now she’s running a business too?”
“No, I just follow along. The brains of the operation is the Proprietress.”
James and I talked for quite a while about business. Until the jerky in the Young Lady’s Treasure Pouch ran out, we kept chatting and exchanged our final farewells in The North.
Climbing onto the carriage, I waved at them lightly to say goodbye.
“I’ll be off, then.”
“Safe travels.”
“Thank you, Savior!”
Olivia waved lightly at Yuria.
“Take care.”
“…”
Yuria nodded slightly.
With emotions that weren’t entirely unpleasant, Yuria expressed her gratitude for Olivia’s farewell, carrying the weight of the debt she owed.
*
On the road in the carriage.
The Young Lady, pulling out jerky from new wrapping paper, was soothing the monotony of the rattling carriage by chewing on it.
“Eeeek!!!!”
“Young Lady.”
“Eeeeeeek!!!”
“No matter how much you do that, your teeth won’t fall out, Young Lady.”
The Young Lady, wrestling to see whether the jerky was tougher or her gums were stronger, showed no intention of giving up the tug-of-war.
“Eeeek! Rakaro, scissors.”
“…”
In the end, I lightly drew a line for the Young Lady to find a compromise. Perhaps because I was a Sword Master, something like this was easy.
“Oh!”
The Young Lady, who had been looking at me with sparkling eyes, responded with a “Thank you” and went back to tearing at the jerky.
-Rattle.
I spoke lightly to the Young Lady.
“Young Lady.”
“Hm?”
“Since when have you been hiding Dark Magic?”
“Hik…”
The Young Lady froze in place with the jerky still in her mouth. Like a game item from my previous life, she remained still and unmoving, sneaking glances at me before eventually starting to chew the jerky again.
“Ricardo said even dogs aren’t bothered while eating.”
“Didn’t you eat an hour ago?”
“Nope.”
“Haha…”
I let out a Bitter Smile and shook my head at the Young Lady’s excuse. It didn’t seem like she would easily tell me.
Still, there was no choice. I needed an answer. Only then could I think of alternatives and avoid feeling disappointed. Carefully, I spoke to the Young Lady.
“I won’t scold you.”
“Lie.”
“Well, I might scold you a little, but not too much. After all, I survived thanks to you this time.”
The Young Lady, sneaking a glance at me, quickly chewed the jerky she had stuffed in her mouth and wiped her saliva.
“You really won’t scold me?”
“Yes. Just a little.”
“Really, really?”
“Of course.”
The Young Lady fidgeted with her fingers and spoke in a Small Voice.
“From the beginning…”
“Pardon?”
“Since my leg was injured. I felt something throbbing and booming…”
“Haha…”
I nodded with a serious expression at the Young Lady’s timid demeanor.
“I see.”
“Hm.”
“Then why did you hide it?”
“I was afraid Ricardo would scold me. He already dislikes me, and I was scared he’d hate me more.”
Smiling slightly, I placed my hand on the Young Lady’s head.
“Correct Answer.”
-Eeeeeek!!!
The Young Lady’s Scream echoed inside the carriage. While massaging her forehead, I spoke softly.
“But what should we do?”
“What?”
“I told the Head of the Household.”
“Huh?”
“That…”
-The Young Lady has awakened.
“That the Young Lady has awakened. By the time we arrive, he’ll probably have read the letter, don’t you think?”
“Really?”
With an awkward Smile, I closed my eyes, thinking, ‘Well, it’ll work out somehow.’
I closed my eyes.
*
After traveling for a long while, we arrived at the Young Lady’s Estate.
Under the sky veiled in Darkness, the estate appeared with its lights turned off. Anticipating the arduous Cleanup after being away for so long, I subtly leaned out of the window and gazed at the familiar house.
“Huh…?”
A massive carriage was parked in front of the estate’s gate. A carriage with the emblem symbolizing Desmond was stationed at the main entrance.
Seeing the person stepping out of the massive carriage, I burst into laughter.
-Olivia!!!!!
The voice of an Overprotective Father echoed.