Episode 047: They're All Useless Anyway
Rattle, rattle. A late-departing carriage bounced along the rough dirt road.
Evelyn stared out the window, letting the shaking carriage rock her body. Originally, her name had been marked as absent from the Region Tour roster. The reason was simple. A few days earlier, the humiliation she'd suffered in Professor Iris's lab. To wash away that shame, she'd holed up in her room, obsessively devouring magical mathematics like a madwoman.
'Don't touch me unless it's important. The moment you break my focus, I won't forgive you—no matter who you are.'
Her exclusive maid, Yelena, terrified by that chilling command, had half out of loyalty and half out of fear classified the Region Tour as "non-essential" and arbitrarily marked her absent.
Now, Evelyn was rushing to catch up after learning the truth too late.
"Lift your head."
Evelyn said coldly. The maid, who had been cowering in the opposite seat and sneaking glances, flinched with a shudder.
"I've already scolded you, so stop sniveling. That attitude is an insult to my forgiveness."
"I-I'm sorry, Your Highness! I swear, never again…"
"Enough. You're annoying me."
Evelyn flicked her hand irritably. It wasn't the maid's fault. She'd been the one overreacting.
She turned her gaze back to the window. Watching the dense forest whip by made her stomach churn.
'I just... can't grasp it.'
She was a genius. Even setting aside her imperial bloodline, her talent was unmatched. But she'd never once been arrogant about it. While others slept, she read. While others played, she calculated mana flows. She prided herself on working harder and more relentlessly than anyone, her whole life.
That was her duty as a princess—and her pride as a genius.
But.
'Kasian del Parne.'
After encountering that man, Evelyn had realized it bone-deep. No matter how fast she ran, she was earthbound. He had been soaring through the skies since birth.
It wasn't a gap effort could bridge.
Intuition that pierced to the essence. He knew without learning, answered without pondering.
'Unfair, but...'
She couldn't dare voice such words. The world was unfair—that was its unchangeable nature, her very philosophy.
Evelyn bit her lip. The metallic tang of blood filled her mouth. Behind her perfectly composed poker face, she swallowed the black rot of inferiority and frustration.
Laughing off someone else's envy-tinged jealousy, rage, and despair was effortless.
But when she was the source? It hurt like hell.
Screeech.
The carriage halted. They'd arrived.
The door opened, and a nauseating stench poured in.
"...Hah."
Evelyn wrinkled her nose and unfurled her fan. What was there to learn in a dump like this?
But running away? Not a chance.
He was there.
She had to see what he saw, feel what he felt. Only then could she wash away even a sliver of this defeat.
* * *
The village square was pure chaos. Noble ladies pinched their noses and screamed, while the young lords stood dumbfounded, useless.
In the midst of that pandemonium, one woman worked silently.
Lily.
"Ugh... Hngh!"
She staggered trying to lift a pot as big as herself but refused to give up. Her face was smeared with sweat and dirt, but her clear eyes stayed fixed on the task.
"..."
I stared at her flatly, then turned away.
Lucius, standing beside me, asked curiously.
"Shouldn't we help? She looks like she's struggling quite a bit."
"Nah."
I cut him off firmly.
"She's handling it fine. Why butt in and mess up her flow just to play hero?"
"But..."
"That girl's got it on her own."
I trusted Lily's independence. She'd pulled it off in the original story too. Even without that, this was the girl who skipped meals all weekend, then dragged her exhausted ass to school and cleaned like a pro.
Anyone else, maybe. But a sane Lily? No worries.
"Let's do our own thing. Go round up some laborers."
"Laborers? Here?"
"They're everywhere. All these idle extras standing around like lost puppies."
I nodded toward the corner of the square. One male student, soul-crushed after whining "That's too harsh, waaah!" at Professor Wilhelm and getting rekt, was huddled there. The same idiot who'd spouted nonsense in Military Studies.
I strode over and loomed in front of him. My shadow fell, and he looked up.
"Hey. You from Military Studies."
"...Me?"
This guy's broken. Wilhelm's tongue-lashing had shattered his spirit for sure.
I clicked my tongue.
"Still hung up on the embarrassment? Even looking like that?"
"...!"
"You yapped about noble dignity and all that crap, but you plop down over a little stink? Is that your noblesse oblige?"
His eyes wavered. Mr. Noble Dignity suddenly perked up at the buzzword.
He glanced around. Suffering villagers. Sweating saintess. And me, the barbarian looking down on him pityingly.
"...I've shown my disgrace."
He staggered to his feet, wiped the dirt from his face, and met my eyes with newfound resolve.
"State your business. I'll do anything."
Oh. Quick on the uptake.
I grinned and appointed him water shuttle team lead.
"Round up every slacker and haul a ton of water. River, well—clean stuff only."
"Water? For boiling soup, right."
"That too, but we need heaps for our stuff. A lot."
Time for technical talk. I turned to Lucius, who'd been trailing me like a puppy.
"Assuming we secure the water. Plain or boiled?"
"Hm."
Lucius stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Boiling's basically mandatory, but... conditions suck. Can't boil this much."
He pulled another reagent vial from his bag.
"I'll mix in an exothermic catalyst. Costs a bit extra, but you said fancy dinner's on you."
As expected. Alchemy's an elite hobby—even pricier than sorcery for rich kids only.
But no need to bleed me more. One big meal, then done.
"Skip the expense. I got boiling covered."
"...You do? Out here?"
"Yeah. Does the process require boiling water first? Order matter?"
"Hm..."
Lucius eyed me sharply, piecing it together.
"Dunno why you're asking, but principles aside... mix first, heat later? Fine."
"Nice."
I was impressed. Dude's intuition's off the charts. Gets it without me spelling it out. Not like me—this guy's got real genius vibes.
Next issue.
"No decent pots for boiling."
I crossed my arms, scanning around. Lily's got the best one, but can't yoink her soup pot.
Scrounge from this shithole? No way. And for volume? Drum-sized.
Oak barrels? Useless for heat.
'Just fleece Lucius?'
Then Lucius's eyes lit up.
"If no fire needed..."
"Huh?"
"Dig a wide pit, line it with my hardener—fake well. Just for mixing."
"...!"
Holy shit. Confirmed: total genius.
"Adopted. Mud here's soft—easy dig."
Deeper hits rock, but wide and shallow? Cakewalk.
'Do it myself? Got the muscle.'
Tempting, but nah.
If I solo everything, headaches galore. Better group it—less backlash.
Monopolize glory? Sure. But envy, jealousy, and "you do it next time" monopoly follow.
Hence water bucket brigade. The harder they work, the more these noble twerps remember "we did it—with me at the center."
That's politics. Social life 101.
"Cool. Lucius, you handle digging and pot-making."
"Got it. Piece of cake."
The Military Studies doofus had been blankly following our ping-pong convo, too slow to keep up.
I turned to leave. Lucius grabbed me urgently.
"Wait, Kasian."
"Yeah?"
"No manpower?"
He nodded at the dazed guys. They'd jump if I snapped fingers.
Who asked?
"I don't need 'em."
"But drainage's tougher?"
"Just obstacles."
Finish fast. Hate camping here. Tent in this stink? Bite tongue and die first.
Forest's comfy—get there quick, fuck this.
"Use 'em all, Lucius."
I eyed the doofus.
"Name?"
"...Kals von Zairek."
Zairek? Count house? Eastern powerhouse.
'Jackpot.'
Perfect clout for bossing, lineage snaps discipline.
I smiled, satisfied, assigning him.
"Alright, Kals von Zairek."
"...Yes."
"You're water haul lead, like I said. Ask Lucius where to allocate—cooking or us."
All to cooking during digging, but no overcomplicating decisions. Smart guy's handling it fine.
"Understood."
"Good. Start now."
"But..."
Kals glanced around.
"Don't know the water sources."
"..."
Tsk. Leader scouts that shit.
They're all useless anyway.