Entering the Manor, What's Wrong with the Sister?!

I turned toward the sound of hoofbeats. The Lord of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Weverpool came galloping up coated in dust, looking like he'd thrown on whatever was closest and ridden hard.

No, wait. That's not light attire — that's just sloppy as hell.

He said he'd been out hunting, but half his shirt was hanging out and his pants were sagging loose. Anyone would think he'd just come from having sex. Was that slang? Like "hunting" meaning "getting laid" or something?

The Lord of Weverpool dismounted with his men behind him and looked us over, trying to make sense of the scene.

"What in the world is going on here?!"

The question ended up directed at the captain of the guard. Only then did the soldiers come rushing over, straining to pull Kalsas and me apart.

Both of us hobbled as we walked. You bastard. You're gonna hurt worse than I do.

Kalsas ground his teeth.

"You piece-of-trash Hero... I will report every last thing you've done!"

He's pissed as hell, huh?

"You don't even have any pride, do you? This is why I can't stand you pointy-ears."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You got your ankle wrecked by a guy smaller than you with way worse skills, and you're gonna report it? What, you some kind of humiliation fetishist?!"

Kalsas's face went even redder as I mocked him. The people around us burst out laughing without even trying to hide it. He swept a murderous glare across the crowd.

"Fine. I'll handle your punishment myself."

"Wow, for a government employee you sure have a lot of authority."

I needled him right to the end. Go ahead, try it. An Expert Mid getting his ankle wrecked by a Runner Late.

The Lord of Weverpool stepped between us, his face stern.

"Inspector Kalsas Comstrider. That will be quite enough."

"Are you giving me orders? You, a mere hereditary noble of no consequence?!"

"Weren't you the one who gave offense first? If this continues any further, I will have no choice but to file a formal objection with the Imperial Inspectorate."

The lord's words were firm. He might have been a villain, but he wasn't wrong.

Kalsas stared him down in earnest. Then something seemed to amuse him, and he smirked.

"I'll withdraw for now. But that mask of yours will come off someday too."

"Is that so?"

"Just you wait, fake Hero!"

Kalsas left with that lame-ass line. He'd put on all that swagger, and now he looked pathetic.

"Woooooooo!"

The crowd erupted in cheers. The sudden roar nearly blew out my eardrums.

Damn, this intense? Most of them were men, so the volume was no joke. How the hell do concert singers survive this?

I couldn't just plug my ears in front of everyone, so I forced a smile. The frequency on this thing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was no joke.

People started praising me. I just checked my quest rewards.

The hidden condition was a draw? Weird. I thought I won.

Well, as long as I didn't lose.

Goddess, you really think I'd lose with you watching over me?

Then the soldiers all rushed me at once and hoisted me up for a victory toss.

"Whoa—!"

I never expected a victory toss. The soldiers, captain included, shouted with joy.

"Nobody even thought of standing up to him. You're incredible!"

"Thank you for fighting in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠our place."

"Waaah, Hero! Take me!"

"The Guardian of Gale Wars? No — the Guardian of Humanity!"

He didn't rattle that off that fast on purpose, did he?

Anyway, it felt good. Once I got down from the victory toss, Aki came over.

"Thank you, Hero. I can't believe you stood up for us."

"Not at all. It's what a Hero should do. Are you all right?"

"Yes, I'll just need some ice. Thank you — my heart's still pounding."

She finished with a gentle smile. Up close, she was ridiculously pretty. I thought I caught a faint floral scent on her. How much richer, how much more sinful would that get in bed?

Clap, clap, clap!

The lord approached, applauding.

"How about we head to my manor and throw a party?"

"It wasn't that big a deal. Anyone here could have done it. Though... I could use some rest."

The wounds would heal thanks to my regeneration, but I was just tired. That's why fighting someone of a higher rank is so exhausting. You have to react to their movements, calculate, keep pace. There's a million things ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to keep track of, and that kind of focus doesn't just switch on whenever you want, which made it even harder.

"Very well. To the manor!"

At last, we entered the Lord of Weverpool's manor. We passed through iron gates as solid as a fortress wall, crossed a meticulously kept garden, and finally stepped inside.

Following the head maid's lead, the interior opened up before me. It was plastered with chandeliers and decorations even more dazzling than the manor in Gale Wars.

A bit unexpected.

Pretty luxurious for a lord with a modest image.

Of course, the fief's residents would rarely have reason to set foot in the lord's manor. Maybe he figured he could keep this up without it clashing with the image he'd built.

I was standing in the lobby, looking around, when the lord spoke.

"Why don't you rest in your room for now. The head maid will show you the way."

"Yes, I'd like to get treated first."

"Ah, just have the servants take care of it."

I shook my head. No need for that.

I can't take so much as a sip of water from this guy. No telling what he'd do, and I don't want to owe him anything.

I might have to kill him someday. I didn't want to get tangled up with someone like that. At the very least, I needed to leave myself no regrets.

I declined politely.

"No, I was thinking of visiting the cathedral. Figure I should get a feel for the area."

The lord tilted his head. Then he looked impressed.

"The cathedral? Ah! That's where the capable priests are. Very well."

First I was shown to my room by the head maid. Past the lobby, it was a room in the farthest corner of the first floor. I didn't know what the other rooms in the manor were like, but this one was bright and spotless.

"Hmm."

While getting settled, I took a closer look at the head maid. Long dark-brown hair in a two-block cut, the back pulled into a ponytail. Softly gleaming yellow-green eyes, and a maid uniform that hugged her body perfectly. Add to that the armband marking her as head maid, and a C-cup glamour figure that gave off her scent every time she moved.

Overall she's got a strong ice-queen vibe. Once you get close, maybe she'd give off more of a kuudere feel? Great body too. She's not a MILF, but I still want to get close to her.

She was well worth it. She'd be one of the lord's inner circle, after all.

I decided to ask a few questions.

"Are you close with the lord?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"No, you just look young to have made head maid. I figured you must be either very capable or very close with him."

It could have thrown her off, but I kept my tone easy. The head maid answered without a change in expression.

"We're fairly close, yes."

"Hmm, the lord seems like a really good man. So you follow him loyally?"

"A good man... If there's anything you need, please let me know. Rest well."

The moment I asked about the lord directly, the head maid dodged. When she left the room, the fragrance that had been lingering seemed to vanish with her.

"Damn, cool beauties are great too."

One thing I'd learned from this: the head maid might not actually be close with the lord. Which meant she wasn't his innermost circle, and maybe she wasn't getting treated badly by him on a regular basis either.

In other words — I might not get much information out of her, but I could still bring her over to my side!

Shhhk!

The Goddess appeared out of nowhere.

"Huh? Goddess?"

"This is where you'll be resting? Isn't it rather shabby?"

"I'll have to make do for now. Anyway, are you staying here?"

"No. Did you not see the statue we passed earlier?"

A statue?

I tilted my head, trying to remember. Oh, right. The statue in the square, before we reached the manor grounds?

"Yeah, probably that lord's ugly mug."

"There's something in that statue. Try using the Powder of Truth."

Shhhhkk!

The Goddess vanished again. But why there of all places?

A hidden piece? Thank you, Goddess. Heeung~!

I headed straight outside with just my sword at my hip. My thigh had already healed.

I figured I'd look around a bit while I was out. It was definitely bigger and livelier than Gale Wars. Every so often I spotted craftsmen setting out their own creations for sale.

"Anyone with a bad back who can't afford treatment! With this support device, you'll move easy!"

"Silencers! A must-have for guns or bows!"

"Glasses that let you see right through clothes! Cheap, cheap, cheap!"

Tsk tsk. No sense of aesthetics. If you can see a woman's body that easily, you'll get bored of it fast.

A woman's body is something you enjoy imagining while she's still dressed. Stripping her down after you've gotten close is never too late. Heh.

They were craftsmen precisely because they had no sense of aesthetics. Obviously.

It looked clean, the way you'd expect from a city of craftsmen. But it was still lacking.

Still can't compare to my hometown. That place has a flavor all its own.

Home is the best, and my hometown is the best. That's just how it is.

I headed to the statue first. On the surface, it looked like nothing special — just an old-looking statue with nothing remarkable about it.

"Impressive, isn't it?"

"Uh — what?"

A passerby suddenly approached me. The man smirked and looked up at the statue.

"That's our lord's statue. He's like a guardian angel who saved our fief when it was falling apart and still watches over us."

"He certainly is... an impressive man."

I said it, but I was laughing on the inside.

If that guy's a guardian angel, then Abeiru's a well-adjusted human being.

Alone again, I examined the statue slowly. Then, after checking my surroundings, I sprinkled the Powder of Truth.

Ssshhh, shhhhrrk!

The powder made contact with the statue and triggered a change. Something like energy oozed thickly from the statue, then transformed into a potion. I snatched it up, wondering what it was — and then I was stunned.

Holy shit, this is Enhancement Fluid? Random enhancement, sure, but still.

You just rub it on your body. The moment you do, a random item gets boosted by one rank. This is the kind of thing you'd normally have to go to the capital for, or hunt magic and alchemy-type mobs to get.

Hidden pieces really are hidden pieces!

Let's try it.

I swallowed dryly and rubbed the Enhancement Fluid onto my body. A pale gold oil-like substance flowed over my skin and vaporized in an instant.

Oh, the coat got enhanced. I checked the specs right away.

The performance went up along with the enhancement.

Damn, this is sick. I'll never lose to anyone who uses electricity now!

Grinning, I headed for the cathedral. Given the hour, there weren't many people around. The moment I opened the door—

A sound I should not have been hearing. My eardrums throbbed right along with my chest.