Chapter 41: Preparations
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 41: Preparations
The temperature seemed to plummet. The fine hairs on my arms stood on end. The ambient noise faded away, one sound after another, until all I could see were Jin’s eyes, fixed squarely on me.
The rhythmic tapping of Jin’s fingers on the counter, from her ring finger to her index, sounded like thunder.
The silence, which felt as if it would last forever, was broken a moment later. Jin’s hand stopped moving, and her lips parted.
“How do you propose to help me? Projecting power across the sea to another continent is a feat impossible even for a grand lord.”
At the same time, the surrounding noise, which I thought had vanished, rushed back in. In truth, the noise had never disappeared. I had simply been so focused on Jin that I hadn't perceived it.
My heart was pounding like I’d just run a marathon, but I spoke with a casual air.
“You should be more precise. It’s not that it’s impossible, but that they feel no need to do it. The potential losses would far outweigh the gains. If the legendary Golden City of the East actually existed, even the king would be scrambling to form an expeditionary force.”
“That was merely a figure of speech.”
“I know. And I also know you’re not in a position to be picky.”
Jin pouted.
“Even so, this doesn’t seem like a profitable deal in exchange for playing the part of a nanny. As it stands, Lord Allen’s help is as good as none. Is that not so?”
“‘As it stands,’ you’re right.”
“Are you saying things will be different in the future?”
Jin stroked her chin, her eyes scanning me from head to toe as if gauging my worth.
“The day you finish your preparations to return, I too will be by your side, a completely different man from who I am now.”
“Hmm, so it’s just an empty promise in the end?”
“What if I offer a down payment?”
“I wonder.”
Having already secured the position of the brothel’s manager, Jin was not short on money. In fact, she wasn’t the type to be moved by money in the first place.
“The down payment is information. The very information you need most right now.”
“You know what I desire most…?”
Jin looked intrigued. However, her eyes were perfectly calm, suggesting she didn’t have high expectations. She probably thought there was a limit to the kind of information a knight’s son could offer.
But it didn’t take long for her indifferent expression to vanish.
“The lower one’s station, the more sensitive one must be to even the cough of a superior. The same must be true for you, having decided to settle in Quaran.”
“Don’t tell me.”
Jin’s eyes widened as she guessed what information I possessed. I lowered my voice so only she could hear.
“The Castellan of Quaran is a Jini.”
“…!”
In the East, a Jini was the equivalent of a witch in the West. Looking at her disbelieving face, I said, “This should be enough for a down payment, don't you think?”
“I heard she was a princess. If that’s true, what kind of abilities does she possess? And is this information truly reliable?”
Jin fired off a rapid-fire series of questions. It was a clear sign of how crucial information about the castellan was to her. She had essentially revealed her own hand.
Now, it was time to play the cards I’d been dealt. I stood up from my seat and continued.
“You’re asking for too much for a mere down payment. I’ll tell you the rest after I see how well you handle your end of the deal.”
“But this, too, is just words, is it not?”
“Then I’ll give you one hint. Never approach the castellan.”
Jin tilted her head, then clapped her fist into her palm.
“Ah, so that’s why…!”
She seemed to know that the castellan kept her distance, even from her own vassals. A fact I had learned through Andrei, this mere brothel manager already knew. As I thought, she was not someone to be underestimated.
“I trust you will carry out your part of the deal well.”
“Lord Allen! Allen—!”
Leaving Jin calling desperately after me, I left the brothel. If I stayed any longer, she might ask about the source of my information, which would put me in an awkward position. I couldn’t very well tell her I knew because of memories from a past life, could I?
*
A cool chill brushed the tip of my nose. Even though I had raised the bed and moved it in front of the fireplace, it was impossible to block out the midwinter cold.
Perhaps it felt even colder because I was alone. Just a few days ago, there had been two soft female bodies that would cling to me whenever I reached out, but now, I was the only one in the bed.
Maybe I shouldn’t have sent Aenya away.
I missed Aenya, whom I had sent off three days ago. Even though the days we had spent in the same bed were far fewer than the days we hadn’t, waking up alone like this felt strangely awkward.
But it couldn’t be helped. Aenya had a role to play. I couldn’t ruin the future for a moment of selfish desire.
Besides, hadn’t Aenya bid me a mature farewell? She had promised to perfectly complete the mission I gave her. For the sake of a happy future with Aenya, I had to cast aside such weak thoughts.
Moreover, wasn’t there one more woman here?
“Wake up! You lazybones!”
Before I could even gather my thoughts, the door flew open and Piole entered. It was still early morning, yet she was already in full gear.
“It’s not even time for breakfast yet.”
“Don’t you know it’s more effective to train before a meal? It makes the food taste better, too.”
“Be that as it may, if you’re a guest, act like one, Piole.”
“What’s the big deal? You said it’s just the two of us in the house, right?”
As soon as Piole learned there was no one to be wary of in the mansion, she began to wander around as if it were her own home.
“There are still the servants. I’m afraid of unnecessary rumors starting.”
“Rumors?”
“Wandering in and out of the master bedroom without knocking is something only family or a wife would do, no? Ah, don’t tell me you’re trying to honor our bet about you taking the Tobalts name? I mean, I wouldn’t mind.”
I grinned slyly and patted the empty space beside me. Piole’s face turned beet red as she pointed a finger at me.
“H-How long are you going to keep milking that! You idiot!”
“Forever?”
She reacted so sensitively every time I teased her. Why would I stop? Only after thoroughly enjoying myself at her expense did I finally get out of bed.
The truth was, I was stalling because of the part of me that proved its health every morning.
I obediently followed Piole. It had already been a week since Zaenbold left. It was about time the man sent by the Baron showed up. This was the only time I had to spare for training.
“Luck won’t strike twice!”
Piole glared at me from a half-swording stance. She was still holding a grudge about the tackle from last time.
Swordsmanship could be broadly classified into three types: unarmored, armored, and mounted combat.
What I was focusing on learning was armored combat and its inseparable counterpart, wrestling.
“That was a legitimate technique.”
“Technique, my ass! You just got lucky!”
Piole, having been teased since morning, was burning with fighting spirit. I decided to play along. Without warning, I kicked off the ground and went for a tackle. But Piole wasn’t foolish enough to fall for the same trick twice.
She lowered her stance, extending one leg back as a brace. Upon impact, she used her weight, amplified by her armor, to press down on me, sliding over my body to the side. Her sword was suddenly behind my knee, pulling at me like a hook.
“…!”
Losing my balance in an instant, I found myself staring up at a sky that was clearer than usual. A sharp, jarring pain shot up my spine.
Having thrown me to the ground, Piole swiftly mounted me. The cold, sharp edge of her sword hovered just above my Adam’s apple. She grinned and tapped my cheek with the flat of the blade.
“Hehe. You think you can beat me? You’re ten years too early!”
However, her triumphant mood didn’t last long. My pride wounded, I gave a slight thrust of my hips.
Even through the layers of cloth armor and chainmail, the bulge in my lower regions pressed insistently against the full curve of her buttocks.
Because of the position Piole was in, straddling me, the chainmail that usually came down to her thighs had ridden up to her waist. In other words, unlike me, Piole’s rear was only covered by a single layer of cloth.
“E-Eek!”
Letting out a shriek unbefitting of a tomboy, Piole scrambled away to the stone wall of the training grounds. Her face was as red as a carrot. She pointed an accusing finger at my crotch.
“D-Do something about that! I can’t focus on training!”
“I was just born this way.”
“L-Liar! Y-You’re… you’re excited! I know you are!”
Piole looked at me as if I were a pervert. I brushed the dust off my body and stood up.
“It does get bigger when I’m aroused, but this is its state before that.”
“L-Liar! You’re just trying to tease me again, aren’t you?”
“Shall we test who’s right?”
I approached Piole with a sly grin. Forgetting she even had a sword in her hand, Piole just fidgeted nervously.
I’d felt it before, but she seemed to have no resistance to these kinds of situations. She was incredibly weak to direct pressure.
We were instantly close enough to feel each other’s breath. I guided Piole’s ceaselessly fidgeting hand downward. Her hand touched the bulge over the cloth beneath my chainmail.
Squeeze.
Piole’s hand reflexively clenched.
Gulp.
Her eyes, looking down at her own hand, trembled as if an earthquake had struck. In that moment, I deftly lifted Piole’s chainmail and slipped my hand inside her tunic.
The sensation I’d felt before was no illusion. Hidden beneath the layers of armor, Piole’s breasts were larger than I could handle with one hand.
Was it because she was a knight’s daughter and had been well-nourished? They felt like the largest breasts I had ever touched. Of course, I’d have to see them to be sure.
“Hah, you, you…!”
Finally snapping back to her senses, Piole stumbled backward. She had dropped her sword at some point and was now covering her chest with both hands.
I spoke with a nonchalant expression.
“Now that you’ve felt it for yourself, you see I was right, don’t you?”
Piole’s response was unexpected.
“I-It’s unfair!”
“What is?”
Piole averted her gaze slightly and mumbled. Her voice was so quiet, but its content was so shocking that it registered clearly in my ears.
“I… I only touched you over your clothes…!”
The corners of my mouth twitched uncontrollably. She couldn’t lift her head, seemingly having realized the implication of her own words too late.
I didn’t give her a chance to recover. As I approached again, Piole swallowed hard. A moment later, she ducked her head, apparently too embarrassed to meet my eyes.
I grabbed Piole’s waist and pulled her in. The distance between us narrowed to a finger’s breadth. Sensing what was to come, Piole’s body trembled.
“Then, let’s touch each other again. To be fair.”
Gulp.
Just as Piole swallowed hard again, a voice called out.
“Lord Allen!”
A servant rounded the corner of the mansion and ran into the training grounds. Startled, Piole pushed against my chest, creating distance between us. Then she picked up her sword and began swinging it at the empty air.
She was trying to act as if she had been training all along, but her flushed face was far too radiant to be from exertion alone.
“Hmph. We’ll continue this later.”
At the word ‘later,’ Piole, her back still to me, flinched. The interesting part was that she didn’t refuse.
Heh.
Did this boldness come from the fact that we were all alone? They say people become more open when they’re abroad where no one knows them.
“What is it?”
The panting servant presented me with a letter. Inside the sealed letter was a single sentence.
‘Jude Horn is on his way.’
It was a name I had seen on the list of the Baron’s vassals that Zaenbold had given me before he left. The letter was from Zaenbold. The single line suggested it had been written in a hurry.
In other words, a man named Jude Horn would be arriving soon.
For someone who had so firmly declared he could no longer help me, Zaenbold was diligently passing on information.
Men who play hard to get aren’t really my style.
I thought about Jude Horn. According to Zaenbold, he was a knight who served as the Baron’s left hand. He handled all the dirty work, or so I’d heard. He was said to be as skilled as my father, but with a much crueler personality.
He was too high-ranking to be sent as a mere messenger. The Baron must have sent him with the intention of forcibly seizing the manor if I didn’t comply.
What better opponent to kick things off?
“I suppose we should prepare to greet him. We’ll need a grand banquet.”