Room to Breathe (2)

With the deal finalized, Episode III came to a close.

I had already laid the groundwork for other sub-episodes in advance, so all that remained was to return to Rusmayer.

As I climbed into the carriage, Pollux's advice drifted back to me out of nowhere.

"...my world will be left to winter forever," he had said.

That was exactly the kind of advice Pollux had given me.

"Hm? What are you talking about?"

The moment the memory surfaced, Harnie tilted her head from the seat across from me.

Don't tell me she heard that.

"It's nothing. Just something Pollux said."

"...Something about your world being stuck in winter?"

Oh. Not a single word off. She caught every bit of it.

What good would denying it do at this point?

I decided to just come out with it.

"It probably doesn't mean much. Something along the lines of, don't push yourself too hard, I'd imagine."

Well, of course. If you had to pick the most grueling and unforgiving of the four seasons, winter would be the obvious choice for any human being.

Spring, with its gentle sun weaving through the air. Summer, where countless crops drink in the rain and sunlight and flourish. Autumn, arriving with the harvest and all its abundance.

Compared to those three, winter was a season set apart — a season where nothing ruled but the bitter wind and a cold that gnawed to the bone.

He had told me before to take time for leisure, after all.

Carrying that through to its logical conclusion, on the surface at least, it most likely meant I should pace myself and not drive the work forward at full tilt.

"...I suppose so. Is that all?"

"'I suppose so' — so you did hear something after all?"

"Wha— what?!"

Harnie nearly jumped out of her seat.

"H-heard what? I don't know what you mean..."

"You only said that because Pollux told you something, didn't you? You did have time alone with him when he took everyone but me."

"No, that's... that was nothing at all! I simply...!"

"Simply?"

"Well, it's..."

After that she fumbled about, stammering, until she finally managed to wave the whole thing away.

"Y-you don't need to know! It wasn't anything important...!"

"Hmm... well. Fair enough, I suppose."

Even if Pollux had turned the same conversation on her, what more could he have said?

He probably just went on about fiancés and the like, and in any case, she'd told me herself that she never revealed the truth of our contract engagement to him. Even if an unexpected question had come up, Harnie would have handled the deflection just fine on her own.

"Well, either way — if Pollux presses you about it, pass along my answer. I don't have time to rest right now."

With an answer like that, even Pollux would have nothing more to say.

But the moment I said it, Harnie — who had been fumbling in a fluster not three seconds ago — narrowed her eyes at me.

"Karsein. You will keep your promise to me, won't you?"

"I know, I know. We agreed I'd lie down and sleep at least three hours a day, didn't we?"

"Keep it, every single hour. I intend to check myself."

"Would I dare lie to you?"

I had, after all, just confirmed the hard limits of this body once and for all.

"More importantly, Karsein — what do you plan to do once we arrive in Rusmayer?"

"Pardon?"

"Ahem. I'm not returning to the Marquisate just yet either, but since I'll need to attend the Eastern Noble Conference, I do have to align our schedules at least somewhat."

"Ah, that."

I would have to deal with that first.

"I'll be staying in Rusmayer for a few days. We have to ship the building aggregate to the Yarik people, and the other clauses include provisions for strengthening the territory's defenses."

"So that's why Pollux kept harping on sparring... Mm-hm. And then?"

"I'll be receiving a guest. Since the ledger has reached the Ducal House."

"...Your family, I take it."

"That's right."

Since I'd completed this sub-episode, Claire would come instead of Arina. A handful of choices would present themselves through her, and all I needed to do was arrange things so that Arina would have no grounds to intervene on my end.

Then, when I returned to the Ducal House, I could dodge the Dead Flag waiting in the next episode — the one Pollux had labeled the "rest period."

"Okay. That much is fine. And after that?"

After that, hmm.

It seemed it was finally time to drop the big one.

"We're going to ───."

-Clatter.

In that instant, Harnie — mid-way through writing up the schedule — dropped her pen.

"A-are you insane?! Why would you go there of all places...!"

She shot to her feet, shouting at me as though she couldn't comprehend what she'd just heard.

Well, of course she couldn't.

By any reasonable standard, it was an incomprehensible decision. And now, with the Eastern Noble Conference bearing down on us, it would be doubly so.

But for me, it's something I absolutely have to do.

Chapter 2 created new episodes through its sub-episodes. Unless Karsein took the initiative and forged episodes himself, a bad ending was inevitable. That was why most sub-episodes tended to spring from actions that made no sense at all — the Rusmayer arc itself had begun with the absurd act of buying their territory.

And yet Harnie calmly steadied herself and sat back down.

"What exactly are you thinking...?"

If any of the other characters had heard this, they would have called me mad, ordered me to stop at once, or physically barred my way. She, however, was quietly asking my intentions. In a serious voice, asking whether I had some plan in mind.

That was the part I could never quite get used to.

"You needn't worry. Nothing that happens will bring you any harm."

For now, it was best to draw the line like this.

Ours was a relationship born of a contract, after all. If I let her dig too deep, untangling things later could become complicated.

The moment I said it, however, Harnie's entire demeanor shifted.

"Really. So that's how you're going to play it?"

What? Why wasn't this the reaction I'd expected?

She folded her arms and glared at me.

"'Nothing that will bring me harm,' is it? Well. That's for me to see and judge for myself, wouldn't you say?"

"Harnie?"

"I don't trust you. Think back to this morning, when the Dipeshan Syndrome laid you out. You claimed two hours of dozing would be enough — and that red lie of yours fell apart before the day was out, didn't it?"

"...That's true, but this time it's different."

"I don't care. Maybe it's because I've already been burned once, but I can't take your word at face value anymore. Since I have no idea what might happen to you there — I'm coming with you."

I'm sorry — coming with me?

To the place I had just said I would go?

Arms still firmly crossed, Harnie stared at me with a pout and asked,

"What, is there some reason I can't?"

"...It's not that, but is there really any need? You don't even have a proper pretext—"

"There it is."

-Tap.

Harnie's index finger pressed horizontally against my lips, cutting the words off clean.

"The right of a fiancée to follow her fiancé. I'd say that's pretext enough."

She added, with an air of one prepared to gamble the whole relationship on it, that she would follow me to the very end.

Why is she like this?

She of all people — a merchant — understood better than anyone that this was a losing proposition by every calculation.

-Hihihing!

"Oh — the carriage's here. Shall we leave this conversation here, then?"

Her hand never leaving mine, she slipped gracefully into an escort pose.

...Honestly. This woman. I will never get used to her.

With a sigh, I stepped down from the carriage.

It had already been three days since we sealed the deal with Pollux and returned to Rusmayer.

A great deal had changed.

First, we had started getting real visitors.

"G-great heavens... What is this? A colossal cave...?"

"Not a cave. A passage."

"And you two are...?"

"I am Melik, one of the guards posted to this passage."

"And I'm Tony."

"You say passage... you mean one may use it upon paying a toll?"

"That's correct!"

Mount Waglu stood high and treacherous, offering no route but the long, winding way around.

And yet — a passage?

Hearing word of such a strange passage, who wouldn't feel a stab of curiosity?

And this curiosity didn't stop at mere wonder, either.

"Here now, spread out the map!"

"Already spreading it, sir!"

"Y-yes. This is the route we've always used, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠is it...?"

"That's right. But with Mount Waglu so hard to cross, distribution has always been a struggle."

"But if this cuts clean through... it's unbelievable. So that rumor wasn't just talk after all?"

The tunnel bored straight through to their destinations. That mysterious passage they had once heard of only in whispers — the one they had scoffed at with a click of the tongue — existed, solid and real.

"You there, why are you dawdling! Step aside, we're in a hurry!"

"If you're not going through, then move along!"

"W-we're going! How much is the toll?"

"Ahem. Judging by your cargo and the size of your party, the toll per the regulations would be—"

In just these few days, the visitors already numbered in the dozens — no, in the hundreds. The moment word spread of how convenient the route was, people began flooding in without pause.

There was no threat of demonic beasts or bandits, and bright mana-stone lamps lit even the deepest dark every night, so the passage could be used at any hour.

Besides which, the interior was scattered with works crafted by the sculptors themselves.

Capturing even the eyes of jaded nobles, the tunnel had been reborn as a new hub of both transit and tourism.

And steadily, ever more so.

"My lord!"

"What — what in the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠world did you do to our territory, my lord?!!"

Melik and Tony came bursting in, beside themselves.

"How much did we take in today?"

"Look at this! There's too much to even count! At this rate, we'll cover the remaining construction costs in no time!"

"And the merchant guilds keep passing through, so we're getting all kinds of goods now. No need to travel to the expensive territories anymore!"

Well, they had every right to make a commotion.

In a matter of mere days, Rusmayer's finances had skyrocketed beyond recognition.

The status window said as much, too.

The results of clearing the episode were manifesting in full.

Which meant, all the more, that I had to proceed with caution.

"You two — get back to your training."

"Yes, my lord!"

Every gain of this kind carried a corresponding risk of loss. That was precisely why I had needed the Marquisate of Aepheros's help so badly.

"Hup!"

"Haap!"

Across Rusmayer, the battle cries of armed territory residents rang through the air.

These were the shouts of villagers training under the Yarik people — the warriors who had stayed behind to haul the building aggregate — determined to build the strength to hunt down demonic beasts with their own hands.

And of course, not only beasts.

"Uwaaah...!"

"Whew. That settles it."

"Kiyan! How many times must you fall to the same trick? Men are not beasts — we have intelligence!"

"I-I'm sorry!"

There was no guarantee that bandits wearing hoods — like the three knights of Count Modrich's house — would never come raiding this village again. Nor that, once the tunnel was complete, someone might not try to force their way in by sheer strength.

And so they trained in combat against men as well.

Rusmayer's true enemies were the nobles of the surrounding lands, after all.

Thus Rusmayer was steadily building the strength to repel invasion on its own.

And I was no different.

"At this rate, young master, I'd say we're the ones being taught more than teaching. Honestly."

"Don't worry about it. I need to keep my edge sharp with training too, you know."

I stole a glance at the stat window floating before my eyes.

My stats hadn't leaped dramatically compared to before, but my level was climbing steadily. Even if the progress looked unremarkable, it meant I was growing all the same.

At this rate, even after leaving the Ducal House, I judged I'd be able to protect this body of mine without issue, so long as I kept growing like this.

That said...

"Hm... Young master, might I ask for another bout with you sometime?"

"Sure."

The only thing on my mind was getting out of that Ducal House — even one second sooner.

After finishing my sparring, Barak ushered me along to a house I'd never seen before.

It was a house, not a room, because the village chief had put his foot down: with Rusmayer's surplus funds, housing had to come first. Apparently Barak had raised Cain about it and started construction the very moment I'd left.

Stepping inside the unfamiliar building, I found a surprisingly cozy room waiting.

And then—

In that instant, a searing agony crashed over me without warning.

"Kgh—?! What is... this...!"

-Ding!

...I'm sorry, what?