TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 48
The Young Lady shouted at me.
“Take it off!”
The Young Lady uttered provocative words.
Hugging myself, I said to the Young Lady.
“Eek. How could you say something so indecent?”
The Young Lady grew irritated. She claimed she never said such a thing, then looked at my gloved hands and spoke.
“I said take it off! I’m going to return it!”
Take it off? Such an indecent phrase.
Fidgeting with the mittens on my hands, I scoffed at the Young Lady’s words. They might be small, but they were still usable. Why was she asking me to take them off?
Because returning them felt like losing the memory of that time, I firmly rejected the Young Lady’s demand.
“Why bother with a return?”
“They’re too small!”
“They’ll fit if I stretch them.”
“That’s not why I bought them for you!”
“I thought you got them small for this exact reason.”
Shaking the tight gloves in front of the Young Lady, I boasted.
“They’re warm and nice, you know.”
The Young Lady glared at me. Her eyes looked fierce as if she were going to devour me, but the corners of her lips curled up into a pouty smile.
Responding to the Young Lady’s smile, I said.
“Clothes naturally stretch when worn and shrink when washed, don’t they? Since they’ll stretch anyway, it’s best to stretch them thoroughly and wear them comfortably.”
“But still…”
The Young Lady looked apologetic.
She felt sorry for buying me tight gloves that hurt my hands. She said wearing such tight gloves was bad for circulation and health, but I couldn’t help feeling reluctant because returning them seemed like it would dilute the memory of that time.
-Sniff.. Are they really that small?
Just looking at the gloves made me laugh.
I recalled the Young Lady struggling to put on the gloves, her nose running all the while.
Judging that negotiation was hopeless, the Young Lady exhaled deeply and looked at my gloved hands as she spoke.
“Ricardo.”
“Yes.”
“The chick turned into a chicken.”
The Young Lady remarked as she looked at the stretched chick embroidery. Since I had forcibly shoved my hand in, the embroidery inevitably stretched.
Gently stroking the chick embroidery on the mittens, I said to the Young Lady.
“This guy needs to grow too. That way, we can raise him and eat him.”
“…You can’t eat gloves.”
“I know.”
The Young Lady pouted and put a piece of chocolate in her mouth.
“You’re mean.”
“I know.”
A day that began with a small incident.
We didn’t leave the estate for a week. While the Young Lady begged to visit Friends of Forest, unpleasant faces were bound to arrive in Hamel soon.
If we met them, there would surely be snarling, and the Young Lady would undoubtedly bite. Considering the master’s dental health is part of a butler’s duties, I decided we would stay in.
Though the Young Lady’s desire to go outside was refreshing, I wiped the chocolate from the corner of her mouth, hoping she’d hold off for a while.
“By the way, Young Lady.”
“Mm?”
“Do you remember the wheelchair I made for you last time?”
“Wheelchair?”
Erasing the monstrosity from her memory, the Young Lady fell into deep thought. I wasn’t sure if she remembered the ill-fated masterpiece, Venx Prototype 1, which had faded into the annals of history.
Thinking of the Poxche Prototype 1 to be unveiled in December, I cautiously brought up the topic. Even if she didn’t like it, I planned to let her ride it. Still, it was polite to ask for the owner’s opinion.
With a nervous heart, I awaited the Young Lady’s reply.
“Hmm…”
Crunch.
The Young Lady bit into a piece of chocolate and chewed it slowly. To aid her memory, I grabbed a nearby chair and mimicked pushing it.
“The wheelchair where I push from behind, and you turn the wheels, like this.”
“Hmm… Ah! The wheeled firewood?”
Firewood?
As the creator of the so-called firewood, my pride was damaged.
“It’s not firewood; it’s Venx Prototype 1.”
“…You name wood now?”
“Venx Prototype 1… Anyway, what did you think of that so-called firewood? I thought it was quite good.”
The Young Lady firmly shook her head and said.
“I hate it.”
“I haven’t even said anything yet.”
“Aren’t you planning to make it again?”
The Young Lady was unnecessarily perceptive in such matters.
Countering her, I questioned the Young Lady. I needed to change her perspective now so she’d be in a good mood for the test ride.
If she declared it disappointing after unwrapping it, that would be problematic in its own way. Thinking of the three million gold coins, I began persuading the Young Lady.
“This new project is different.”
With a hint of madness.
“Using the Latest Magical Technology and immense capital…”
Letting the pinnacle of innovation, infused with the patron’s and the possessor’s souls, rot in a warehouse without ever seeing the light of day wouldn’t do justice to the world.
“A whopping… three million…”
“Three million?”
Today, the Young Lady was unusually quick-witted. To avoid further rebuttal, I shoved a piece of chocolate into her mouth.
“Mm… It’s sweet.”
“That’s fine. You should eat a lot at times like this.”
Nodding, the Young Lady chewed on the chocolate.
“Anyway, this new project is different. I’ve put considerable effort into it, so I can confidently say it will satisfy you, Young Lady.”
The Young Lady asked me.
“It’s not made of wood like last time, is it?”
“Don’t compare it to such trash. It’s made of mithril…”
“Mithril?”
“No, crafted steel with intricate designs. It’ll look quite good, and reflecting the current nobles’ tastes, I plan to make it in black, which you like.”
The Young Lady’s eyes lit up with interest.
“Oh…” She set down the chocolate in her hand. It felt like I was on the verge of winning her over.
As I passionately delivered my pitch, the Young Lady asked.
“Is it faster than a carriage?”
As expected, the Young Lady had an eye for vehicles. I straightened my shoulders proudly and replied.
“Isn’t that obvious?”
“Oh…! Then can it shoot Fireballs too?”
“If it couldn’t do that, I wouldn’t even have brought it up.”
The Young Lady’s eyes sparkled brightly. She looked like someone seeing an imported car at a used car lot, ready to commit to a full loan.
She was hooked.
If only I’d realized in my past life that I had a talent for negotiation, I could’ve escaped the convenience store triangle gimbap life sooner and thrived as a used car dealer.
The Young Lady was falling for my eloquence.
“Then can we climb mountains and stuff with it?”
“Mountains?”
“Yeah. The air is nice, isn’t it?”
“Do you want to go hiking?”
Gazing at the Hamel Mountain Range basked in sunlight, the Young Lady shook her head.
“No, it’s tiring, so I don’t want to.”
“Then why did you ask?”
“Isn’t there a chocolate tree on the mountain? Fresh chocolate would taste better, don’t you think?”
“There’s no such thing.”
The Young Lady clicked her tongue with disinterest, saying she didn’t need it then.
The Young Lady gazed at the blue sky and asked one last question.
“Can it fly?”
“No. Only Archmages can do that, can’t they?”
“It can’t do that?”
“…”
I should ask the Patron.
Judging by the Young Lady’s reaction, she seemed to like it. The astronomical cost compared to the first prototype and the disastrous failure of the previous model probably raised her expectations even more.
Was it fortunate that the first prototype failed?
Unintentionally, I was able to set the groundwork for the Young Lady.
The Young Lady looked at me.
More precisely, she looked at my right hand.
Glancing at my right hand, still tightly wrapped in bandages, she averted her gaze to the floor and muttered softly.
“I’ll ride it. Ricardo’s arm hurts, after all.”
A Butler wasn’t someone to ignore the Young Lady’s dejected tone. Hanging my mittens around my neck, I crouched down to meet the Young Lady’s gaze.
“Why are you crouching like that? Do you think I can’t carry someone like you?”
The Young Lady nodded her head.
“Yeah. I’m heavy, aren’t I?”
“No, not at all. You’re very light.”
The Young Lady shook her head, accusing me of lying.
“Last time, Ricardo said I was a pig. Heavy and fat. What if your arm hurts?”
My Master was considerate.
For now, I could easily carry the Young Lady. My dulled senses were gradually returning, and my Dark Magic Resistance had improved, so the oozing wounds and cracked scars on my hand were slowly fading.
At most, a month. At least, a year. That’s how long it felt like it would take for my right hand to fully recover. I waved my bandaged hand energetically to reassure the Young Lady.
“It’s fine. Though you’re just a teeny, tiny bit heavy, you’re manageable.”
“Liar.”
“If I’m lying, I’ll take you to Friends of Forest at sunrise tomorrow.”
“…”
The Young Lady spread her hands wide.
She challenged me to carry her.
Saying she was heavy and that I’d be shocked once I tried, the Young Lady issued a bold warning. Smiling lightly, I offered her my back.
-Hup!
The Young Lady climbed onto my back with an exaggerated sound.
She was lighter than a feather.
If the Young Lady ever felt heavy to me, I’d have to quit being a Swordsman and Butler altogether and go into recovery. My body wasn’t that weak yet.
Just as I was about to flash a smug smile and show her my confidence—
-Squish…!
A vivid sensation, livelier than usual, pressed against my back.
“Huh…”
No way. It couldn’t be.
With trembling eyes, I looked at the Young Lady. Her pale face came into view as she held her breath, trying to make herself lighter.
It was definitely a funny situation…
She was so cute I wanted to laugh.
But this…
Uh…
“Young Lady.”
“Wha! (What?)”
“It’s just that…”
The Young Lady urged me impatiently, holding her breath.
“Hurry up and say it… I’m suffocating (Hurry up and say it, I’m suffocating.)”
“It’s just… could it be, Young Lady.”
‘Are you not wearing undergarments?’
The blunt words didn’t leave my mouth. Instead, the black undergarments crumpled in the corner of the bed answered for her.
An ominously large-sized undergarment.
Hm.
I gently set the Young Lady down on the bed.
“I concede.”
“…Uh…”
Leaving the Young Lady, who declared she’d start a diet, I quickly fled the room to cool my flushed face.
***
On the way to Friends of Forest.
-Clatter clatter…
The Young Lady, sitting in a cart, wore a Pleasant Smile. A cart frequently seen on the streets. The Young Lady, riding in the cart, looked around with an excited expression.
“This is so fun.”
“Young Lady.”
“Mm?”
“Why don’t you just let me carry you?”
The Young Lady, dressed in a Black Dress.
Taking the effort to dress up, she sat in a cart, and I carefully spoke to her.
Though she had pressed her hat deeply over her face to hide it as much as possible, there was no avoiding the stares from the people around us.
The Young Lady said to me.
“You’ll hurt your arm.”
“Isn’t it uncomfortable? The people, too…”
Pressing her hat down firmly, the Young Lady replied.
“It’s fine. It’s better than Ricardo being in pain.”
My heart swelled with emotion.
Compared to her first outing, the Young Lady seemed less concerned about people’s gazes, but a sudden change was impossible. Whenever she met someone’s eyes, her shoulders flinched, and she pressed her hat down deeply.
Though we were walking through less crowded areas, it was impossible to avoid a few people here and there. I feared that this rare outing might turn into a bad memory.
When I offered to carry her, she refused.
When I suggested not going out, she scolded me for breaking my Promise. As a Butler who always wanted to give the Young Lady only the best, it weighed on my mind.
I had to hurry.
That was my resolve until I overheard a passing conversation between a child and their Father.
-Father… That looks fun.
-Indeed…
Hm?
-Father used to play like that when he was young.
-Really? Make one for me too!
-No, Father’s back isn’t as good as it used to be…
-Why not!
Come to think of it, I used to play like that as a kid.
Riding carts, pretending to be a king,
Speeding downhill and getting hurt too.
Rather than sneaking around, openly drawing attention made it seem like the playful antics of a Noble Lady.
If you can’t avoid it, enjoy it. A famous saying flashed through my mind.
I felt a surge of confidence.
I spoke to the Young Lady with a meaningful tone.
“Let’s make this fun, shall we?”
“Young Lady, isn’t this too slow?”
“Hm?”
“Don’t you want to go a little faster?”
“…?”
The Young Lady looked at me with trembling eyes.
“Ah… no?”
I pressed the Young Lady’s hat down deeply and grabbed the cart’s handle, saying.
“Gear 3.”
“Huh?”
-Heeeeeeeek!!!
The Young Lady’s scream echoed loudly.