Chapter 75
Chapter 75
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: Reunion and Encounter (7)
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With that incredible strength, she yanked my hair, and all I ended up worrying about was hair loss? Should I be thanking her or something?
“Of course, that’s only on the surface.”
It wasn’t hard to grasp what the follow-up words implied.
There were probably people shadowing the kid from places out of sight.
‘Some kind of bodyguards, huh.’
Mana Detection hadn’t picked up a thing, but it still sent a chill down my spine.
If I’d laid a hand on her, would I have become the first outsider executed in Bihar by now?
“Haha…….”
I let out a chuckle for a moment, but as Chelter smoothly answered, a question popped into my head that I figured I might as well ask.
“This might come out of left field, but have you had any bad blood with Temoria or Libel?”
Heserma’s reaction in front of the Resistance headquarters had been downright weird.
So I asked on a hunch, and…
“Hm?”
Chelter glanced back, surprise flickering across his face.
Like he couldn’t believe I knew about it.
“Last year, the eldest son of the Philome Marquis House, who just turned six, beat a plantkin and beastkin child to death.”
The Philome Marquis’s wife was Greg Tembon’s eldest daughter.
So the son who killed the beastkin kid was Greg Tembon’s grandson.
“I heard that Lord Horpe personally tore the boy’s limbs off as punishment.”
The Philome Marquis House held considerable sway in Ferel, and with Temoria’s apostle as the grandfather, that’s where it stopped.
In short, the beastkin side hadn’t gotten full revenge.
‘So both the beastkin who couldn’t vent properly and the marquis who lost his son are left with grudges.’
No wonder Heserma looked so troubled.
At least one thing was clear from what I’d just heard.
‘Unless I want to fall out with the beastkin, I need to steer clear of the Greg line.’
An unexpected encounter had yielded useful info.
I slotted “enmity” as the keyword between the beastkin category and the name Greg Tembon.
In the meantime, Chelter, walking down the second-floor corridor, stopped in front of a door.
Must be the reception room he mentioned.
I stepped inside after he opened the door for me.
“Wow.”
The room was impressive enough to draw an involuntary exclamation.
The mansion was all stone-built, and the corridors gleamed with marble, so I’d had some inkling.
But facing this lavish, antique space straight out of a movie made my eyes dart everywhere.
While I gawked around like a country bumpkin, Chelter politely asked,
“Are you perhaps hungry? Shall I have a meal prepared?”
We’d left Earth around noon, but due to the time difference, the sun was already setting in Bihar.
Still, I’d eaten lunch before departing, so I wasn’t hungry.
I shook my head, and Chelter nodded understandingly before withdrawing.
“Then I’ll prepare some light refreshments you can enjoy.”
“Thank you.”
“If you need anything, please ring the bell on the table.”
Chelter bowed courteously and closed the door as he left.
‘Kinda overwhelming.’
I stared at the door he’d exited through for a moment before turning my gaze away.
Then I scanned the room again.
“No joke…….”
I’d thought it from the moment I set foot in this mansion, but it was way too opulent for the rank of brigade commander.
The statues in the garden were museum-quality art pieces, which said it all.
This stuff should be designated as cultural heritage, right?
‘Carrying the kid on my shoulder in here, my eyes were seriously busy.’
Was this wealth based on the social status of being an apostle?
‘That doesn’t quite add up…….’
Because Chelter had called Rashar “miss.”
If it was due to her position in the church, shouldn’t they treat her as an apostle?
On top of that, the Palaou temple I’d seen fueled the unease.
Didn’t they say they lacked staff and had to close parts of the building?
The temple’s in that state, yet the apostle lives in luxury?
‘She doesn’t strike me as the type.’
So the conclusion was simple.
‘Personal fortune.’
Private wealth. Meaning…
“Sniff sniff.”
Rashar reeked of old money.
“Hmm…….”
She lived like this but didn’t support her own temple? Why?
I pondered while sweeping my eyes over the room.
‘Miss, huh……’
Maybe Rashar couldn’t freely use the Bennet family’s assets.
‘The estate gets inherited by an individual, not the whole house.’
That implied a separate person in charge.
Likely one of her parents or siblings.
‘At minimum, she has blood kin higher in the pecking order.’
Only after sorting that out did I settle onto the sofa.
‘Whoa, this leather.’
Insanely soft. The kind of comfort that made you sink right in.
What happened next was largely the sofa’s fault.
* * *
The tea, with a name I’d never heard before, was nicely bitter yet nutty—suited my taste perfectly.
The cookies were sweet enough and satisfyingly crisp.
Thanks to that, what was supposed to be one cup turned into a whole pot, and one cookie became a full plate.
Tasty snacks, warm tea, and a sofa that kept melting away my tension.
Perfect conditions to doze off without realizing.
Truth be told, in such comfort, falling asleep was inevitable.
The server connection alert had woken me at dawn, so I’d only gotten an hour of sleep.
Missing one night wasn’t a big deal.
I just felt fatigue less acutely; my body still needed sleep.
Maybe to make up for it, my body befriended the plush sofa and conked out.
Of course, it was a brief peace.
I jolted awake when the kid, stuffed with chocolate, barged into the reception room—Velta.
-Hey, no clawing!
Did she think my head was her nest or something?
There’s a perfectly fine sofa—why keep climbing on my head?!
While I suffered her antics, Chelter knocked on the reception room door again.
- Sir K, are you hungry?
I’d just woken up and my stomach felt a bit empty, so I nodded, and food arrived.
From appetizers to dessert, a full course.
It was tastier than expected, so I dug in heartily.
I even fed the kid some while she kept clambering over my shoulders or head.
-Don’t eat with your hands— it’s getting on my clothes!
No choice if I didn’t want food smeared everywhere.
Even with my efforts, sauce still ended up caked in my hair, but it wasn’t a bad time.
While wiping my face with a damp cloth, I heard some backstory from Chelter about how Velta’s mother and the Bennet family had long-standing ties with the beastkin.
Thanks to that, I learned the Bennet family currently maintained smooth relations with the beastkin.
Pretty satisfying outcome. I patted my full belly, then glanced at the clock.
Four hours had passed since arriving at the mansion.
The orange sunset sky had long turned pitch black.
And still no Rashar.
When I asked Chelter about it…
-I’m sorry. Lady Rashar isn’t at the church headquarters or the lower temple.
-We told her to reply immediately upon return, so why not wait a bit longer?
All I got was that they couldn’t reach her.
‘On vacation, ditching her own house to wander where?’
Not that it was inconvenient.
For crashing in an empty house, it was pretty comfy.
‘Scratch that—way more than pretty.’
Time flew by unnoticed, so it was insanely comfy.
Never imagined enjoying this level of luxury in Bihar; I was a bit dazed.
That’s why the thought hit me: wouldn’t this huge mansion have an empty room?
‘Even currency exchange costs mana.’
The new exchange function in the shop took mana as payment.
‘Staying the night here for free would be ideal.’
Mana more precious than blood.
Blood regenerates if you eat right, but mana doesn’t come free.
If I could save it, I should.
Decision made, I gently laid Velta, who’d claimed my thigh and dozed off, down.
Worried the bell might wake the sleeping kid, I slipped out without ringing.
‘If she wakes, I’m the one who suffers.’
Since meeting her in front of the temple, she’d tormented me more than not.
Couldn’t exactly pay back a tiny kid yanking my hair.
‘Best to dodge her.’
I snuck out of the room and peered down the empty corridor.
No bell, so I planned to find a servant and ask to see Chelter—request an overnight stay.
Gotta ask if it’s okay to crash.
If not, I’d head out now and find lodging.
But it was late; no one around.
Not a soul from the room to the central stairs connecting to the hall.
‘Call out loud?’
No phone made it inconvenient.
‘Rashar’s no player, so no chat…….’
Mid-thought, I froze in place.
‘Hang on.’
On a whim, I checked the church homepage.
Opened the org chart and long-pressed Rashar’s name.
No new window.
‘No friend add or chat.’
Reluctant to give up, I went to the church-only community page.
Posted there in the empty space.
「Title: Rashar, where the hell are you? - Author: K
Content: Waiting at your mansion, why aren’t you back? Gonna die of boredom.」
I’m the only player in the church, so no views expected.
‘But they’re climbing.’
Fast too—every refresh, more.
And it didn’t stop there.
- Rashar Bennet: Sle… [email protected]#%! …be… ^%^&**$
“…….”
The name with the apostle indicator from the org chart—definitely Rashar.
Couldn’t make sense of the content, but it was a reply.
‘At least she knows I’m at the mansion…….’
Now just wait for her return.
Glancing around, a perfect spot caught my eye.
Where the central stairs met the second-floor corridor.
A slightly rounded protrusion with a backless chair and small table by the window.
‘Waiting area, huh.’
I took a seat.
Legs crossed, arms folded, waiting a few minutes.
Then Mana Detection, left on since leaving the temple, pinged a massive mana source.
Couldn’t distinguish signatures, but I was sure it was Rashar.
“K! Butler! K! Butleeeer!”
Sure enough, the mana hurtled closer at terrifying speed, followed by a familiar voice booming through the mansion.
“Where’s K?! K!”
She was climbing the west stairs, not my east ones.
I blinked at her storming strides.
‘What the hell happened?’
Her blue hair, usually calm even after days camping, was a total mess.
Dazed, but she was hunting me, so I made some noise.
“Hey, over here.”
Rashar, mid-climb on the west stairs, whipped around at light speed.
“K!”
Her vibe was downright menacing; my shoulders twitched involuntarily.
Damn system