Especially Because You're Incompetent (5)
The rain continued for about ten more minutes before finally stopping. It wasn't a magical limitation. They'd only injected a small amount of mana from the start, just to test if the phenomenon could manifest at all.
"Impressive. I never dreamed you'd succeed on the first try."
Roilen muttered in admiration, shaking the rain from his hair. I felt the same way, so I had nothing to say. How could I have known the Elf would repair the magic circle so precisely?
Seeming to interpret my silence as the arrogance of a genius, Roilen chuckled heartily.
"His Majesty the Emperor and Her Highness the Princess will surely be overjoyed. I'll put in a good word, so don't worry about the compensation."
"I appreciate that."
"I'm the one who's grateful. Honestly, I thought I'd return empty-handed, but who knew you'd pull off a large-scale spell like this? I'm a lucky bastard."
Roilen flashed a friendly smile as he tucked his wand away.
"My duties as inspector are done, so I should be off. It wouldn't do for me and the imperial folk to overstay at your mansion. Oh! The refreshments were exquisite—especially the chocolate. Balgium mountain chocolate is rare even in the capital."
"We keep a stock for esteemed guests like yourself. If you'd like, I can have one wrapped up for you."
"Haha, thanks, but no thanks. I don't want to earn the ire of House Deharm or Viscount Theorad."
Roilen lifted the corner of his mouth in an easygoing grin and extended his hand.
"Well then, we'll take our leave. It was an honor to meet you."
I clasped his hand and shook it lightly.
"The honor is mine, Professor Roilen."
"I hope we cross paths again."
A meaningful remark. With a nod after the handshake, Roilen turned and walked away. The palace mages offered their own polite farewells before following him out of the mansion.
The world fell quiet once more, broken only by the faint patter of footsteps approaching. Glancing back, I saw the Elf standing there, hands clasped demurely, eyes downcast.
"M-Master... umm..."
Her face, usually too intimidating to look at directly, struck me as especially beautiful and endearing today. I grabbed her shoulders, joyfully murmuring,
"Thank you. Thanks to you, my dream—and Father's—has come true. I apologize for slapping your cheek in the study the other day. And if there's anything you want, just—"
"Master."
The Elf cut me off, a shadow crossing her face. Her red eyes drained of color, closing in with a terrifying intensity. If I exaggerated a bit, it even looked like murderous intent aimed at me.
"I... I don't understand what Master is saying at all."
"Uh, well..."
She was beating around the bush as much as possible, but I got the message instantly. Stick to the 'cruel master selling off his slave' role, or else.
Regaining my senses, I pulled my hands from her shoulders, breaking into a cold sweat.
"It's only natural your addled, dim-witted brain can't comprehend. No point praising a fool who wouldn't understand anyway."
Only then did her expression soften into a whimper. I sighed inwardly in relief and jerked my chin toward the mansion.
"If you have nothing to say, get back to your room. Looking at your face makes me sick."
"S-Sorry for my disgusting face... B-But I have something to tell Master..."
"What is it?"
"I... I accidentally broke three of Master's favorite plates. A stupid, worthless slave like me deserves to be punished..."
When the hell did you break plates, you crazy bitch?
"You pathetic idiot. I'll administer proper discipline for that, so wait for it."
Her whimpering stopped at my words. Eh? Why? In the uneasy silence, I replayed what I'd said. I didn't screw up this time, did I?
It made sense—this was the first time she'd disliked the idea of punishment. Was my acting off? No, that couldn't be. The contempt and disgust I'd honed through the Elf were flawless—even I'd be fooled. So maybe the nuance of my words bothered her?
From her perspective, she'd shown incredible skill fulfilling my rain dream, so a mere "proper punishment" might feel like a letdown. That had to be it. Clearing my throat, I tried again.
"My words missed the mark. I'll deliver a harsh punishment, so brace yourself."
My guess was right; she started whimpering again. Thank goodness.
"N-Nooo... Forgive me, Masteeer...!"
"Forgiveness? A sow like you can beg after you've been punished."
"D-Don't...!"
"Your whining grates on me. Get to your room."
I flicked my hand dismissively, and she trudged toward the mansion, tears trickling down her cheeks. Crisis averted, for now.
But harsh punishment? I'd landed an unexpected task, and my head was already starting to throb.
"Young master!"
Baynen's shout cut through my headache. I turned with a bright smile—surely a slacker like him would know what to do.
Baynen approached, wearing an uncharacteristically kindly smile.
"Congrats on completing the magic you've longed for. Oh, Habid was coughing—maybe a cold—so I shoved him to his room."
"Good work. Say, Baynen, do you know anything about things women like?"
"Pardon? Things women like...? Oh, you mean adult toys?"
"Adult toys?"
"The sexy stuff witches sell, right? But why ask out of the blue?"
It was awkward to explain. I cleared my throat without answering, and Baynen grinned lewdly, as if he understood everything.
"Makes sense. You're at that age. It's late today, but tomorrow I'll take you to a witch I know. No worries."
I nodded silently. Even though it wasn't my idea, my face burned. Trying something new felt like death.
*
Late that night, Roilen arrived at the palace via warp gate and headed straight for Benelia's chambers. No need to knock—the door stood open, as if expecting him.
Taking a deep breath, he entered and spotted Benelia seated before a massive tapestry depicting a white lion. She ignored his arrival, utterly absorbed in the chessboard on her desk.
"......"
Roilen started to speak but held back; her intense focus was more serious than he'd expected. He simply observed her.
Her black hair, tinged with gray, cascaded past her waist. Half-lidded eyes gleamed with brilliant gold, boredom etched in their depths. Her sharp jawline and neat lashes befitted her title of princess, exuding elegance.
That elegance wasn't just facial. Dressed in the military uniform of imperial generals, she wore it without a hint of awkwardness—far from the frilly dresses girls her age donned to charm men.
She was the picture of a sovereign inspiring unwavering loyalty, save for one issue: her ample figure drew the eye to the graceful curves of her chest.
"Your eyes wander filthily."
Gah. Roilen snapped his gaze up. How does she know without looking? He cleared his throat to steady himself and changed the subject calmly.
"Your Highness, if you wanted to play chess, why not wait for my return?"
"No mood for it. I'd have the advantage against you anyway."
"Heh heh. Losses build skill."
"You make me repeat myself. I said I don't want to noob-stomp you."
"Noob-stomp?"
Roilen blinked at the unfamiliar term, and Benelia clicked her tongue lightly.
"A university magitower professor who doesn't know his students' slang? 'Noob-stomp' is short for 'noob slaughter'—used when the skill gap is huge."
"What vulgarity... I'll ensure the students watch their mouths."
"Leave it. It's amusing—no need to stifle fun. Besides, you have bigger concerns. There's that seditious book making noise lately, isn't there?"
Clack. Benelia captured the white bishop with her black knight, pondering the white side's next move.
Roilen watched, clearing his throat again.
"The culprit behind that obscene book insulting Your Highness has been apprehended. The trial awaits, but..."
"Don't kill them."
"Pardon?"
"The despicable methods scream Second Brother's work. He's scheming to tarnish my reputation. Even setting that aside, I rather liked the book."
Cold sweat beaded on Roilen's forehead.
"...Did you read it?"
"Yes. I still remember the scene where I, the story's me, get captured by the enemy commander and raped for three days and nights. The psychological depiction was exquisite—quite arousing."
"Y-Your Highness!"
"No need for shock. I'm serious. Don't kill the culprit, but don't spare punishment either. Sever their left wrist and right ankle—without anesthesia, using a saw, not the guillotine."
Cutting wrist and ankle without numbing? Death by blood loss or shock was likely. Even if they survived, they'd bear the traitor label and live crippled—easy to identify, doomed to mob death.
Benelia claimed to spare them, but it amounted to execution. A warning to her second brother and a threat to rivals. Her calm scheming sent chills down his spine.
"As you command."
"Good."
Benelia acknowledged him while moving a piece, then chuckled softly. "Checkmate."
Beating herself, yet she looked delighted.
"Um, Your Highness."
"Speak."
"I have a report on House Deharm's artificial rainfall magic, as mentioned before."
"Ah. It failed, naturally. Time was short."
"No. It succeeded."
Succeeded? Benelia finally looked up from the board.
"Succeeded? Are you jesting with me?"
"No jest—it's true. We even tested the phenomenon with the palace mages."
"What?"
Ripples crossed Benelia's serene face. Amazement laced with bewilderment pierced her heart. How on earth?
Leoberg Count had blabbed endlessly about Theorad during his imperial summons, so half in jest, she'd ordered a research report from House Deharm. If progress was nil, it'd curb the count; if promising, the palace could buy and refine it.
But completing artificial rainfall? The records from three years ago were riddled with errors—a mess.
Unless...
It was all a ruse. The research finished long ago, hidden until the right moment. Why? The previous Deharm head died suddenly. If Theorad monopolized the credit, waiting for his father's death...
"Hahaha."
Silly laughter escaped Benelia. She'd spotted a kindred spirit in Theorad.
Sly little phoenix.
How could she dislike an ambitious youth? Compared to bootlickers and eunuchs, he had backbone.
No wonder Leoberg praised him nonstop.
But raw gem or fake? Only polishing reveals truth. Benelia held judgment, fixing Roilen with her gaze.
"Intriguing. Come, sit. Tell me more about Theorad Deharm."
Had Her Highness ever shown such interest in another? Roilen wondered but gladly complied with her request.