Chapter 35
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: House Zahav: Always Cloudy After Clear Skies (2)
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“Haa... I’m going to lose my mind because of Yuria, sis.”
“Oh? Is that so?”
The regular tea time that happened every two or three days. More precisely, it was where Jevella briefly summarized the various matters she had handled during that time or the tasks ahead.
They chatted, enjoyed some tasty treats, and she lay in wait for any chance to tarnish my image while angling to foist the patriarch position onto Yuria instead of herself if possible.
But today, it was filled entirely with complaints that had nothing to do with the usual agenda.
The reason went without saying: Yuria Zahav.
“Yes. Listen to this. The moment her practical training ended today, Yuria barged into my room.”
“I told her to at least knock... but it seems she still hasn’t fixed that habit.”
“Ah-ha. So she doesn’t listen to you either, sis. Anyway, any guess what this Yuria who suddenly burst in did?”
“Let me think... It must be something important since you’re complaining this much. Not the training grounds, but in your room...”
Clink.
With that, Jevella lifted her teacup, took a sip, and set it down.
My senses, sharpened from aura training, caught the faint floral scent mixed in her breath.
Though I couldn’t tell if it was the tea’s aroma or Jevella’s own body scent. She always carried a fragrance like iris flowers.
Jevella licked her tea-wet lips clean with her tongue and smiled faintly.
“So, you were having a good time with Karen when she interrupted midway?”
“S-something like that? She brought the head of a poison worm, saying it was the strongest monster they caught in today’s practical.”
In truth, we’d been discussing how unicorns reproduce despite preferring pure maidens, but...
Anyway, it was fun, so it counted as a good time. A bit different from what Jevella imagined, though...
Well, bringing the poison worm’s head was no exaggeration at all.
The cross-section dripping green blood. Degenerated gray eyes. A tunnel-round mouth lined with densely packed teeth.
I wasn’t particularly averse to bugs, but the sight still sent chills crawling up my spine.
“Fine. Even granting that bringing a bleeding monster head indoors and bursting through my door unannounced could be excused as showing off...”
“Oh? A hundred concessions? Sis is touched by how understanding you are, Enoch.”
“...But I just can’t comprehend her tossing the severed head down and scampering off alone. Haa. You have no idea the hassle it was to clean up. And get this—it’s not even the first time. It’s been happening every day for days now.”
“Aw, but isn’t it cute? Like a cat bringing its owner a kill from the hunt.”
“...”
Seeing this, I wondered if Jevella was just the ultimate doting sister. She was sweet to me too, and soft on Yuria as well.
As I shook my head inwardly, Jevella, who had been propping her chin and gazing at me intently, curved her eyes into a smile.
“...Why are you looking at me like that, sis?”
“No matter how much you grumble, it’s a relief to see you two getting along. Or maybe it’s only natural? Yuria might be clueless about other things, but she has great instincts. She just knows a good person when she sees one.”
“Instincts... huh.”
“Yes, instincts. Talent is like that, isn’t it? It’s not something obvious or easy to put into words—it’s that ineffable something exceptional. And we call that hard-to-describe sense ‘instinct.’”
I nodded at Jevella’s words, which sounded oddly profound for some reason.
“Hearing you say it like that, it does seem that way.”
“In that sense, I think love at first sight falls under the realm of instinct too.”
“Pfft!”
I nearly spat out my tea. Or maybe spitting it here would’ve looked even more undignified. More importantly, did Jevella bringing this up mean she knew about Yuria clinging to me?
No. Why should I hide it? If anything, now’s the time to act bold...
As my thoughts grew tangled, Jevella chuckled and reached out to wipe the corner of my mouth.
A bit of pastry crumb and a couple drops of spilled tea—she swept them away with her index finger, then licked it off with a strange smile and a flick of her tongue.
...Why is this woman so damn seductive?
Even compared to the scantily clad whores visible a bit deeper into Calypso Territory, Jevella wrapped up tight was more alluring.
Was it the face? Or the tits?
I tilted my head in genuine contemplation for a moment, but Jevella seemed satisfied with cleaning my mouth and opened hers in her usual leisurely manner.
“Oh, right, I almost forgot. Remember the wall that collapsed when the orc warlord attacked last time?”
“Yeah? Of course I do.”
“The materials finally arrived, so we’re about to start repairs. I think I’ll need your help, Enoch.”
“My help? Wait, it’s been quite a while already—why are you only getting to repairs now?”
“Hmm. Truth is, I kept it from you, but House Zahav’s budget isn’t all that generous.”
“...What?”
“Ah, no issues with our finances or taxes, of course. It’s just that dungeon surges hit back-to-back, piling up massive expenses.”
Still, cash was tight right now. And since they had to fend off monsters, they couldn’t skimp on wall materials either.
That’s why funding was delayed, and repairs were only starting now.
“Luckily, you’re popular with the territory folk. It’s hard to hire proper laborers, so we’ll pick some supervisors and have the rest do corvée labor...”
“Got it. Perfectly understood.”
Corvée labor. Specifically, the lord’s authority to conscript territory residents for forced labor.
Corvée has a notorious reputation even in modern times as a form of punishment.
They drop their livelihoods, get dragged away to do unrelated grunt work that’s grueling and risky to boot. Who’d look favorably on that?
Of course, there are exceptions like pyramid construction.
Records say they paid generously, treated injuries, and even gave leave for illness or personal matters.
But that’s exceptional. Corvée basically means providing minimal food and shelter while working people to the bone.
And apparently, House Zahav had it too. Well, medieval feudal society and all.
Jevella must have agonized over it and concluded corvée was the only way to rebuild the wall quickly.
She wanted to trot me out—to soothe unhappy residents—since my reputation was riding high from clearing up misunderstandings.
A rational call. ...Assuming things went smoothly.
“Heh.”
It had been a while. A real golden opportunity at last. A chance to shatter one of the biggest obstacles tying me to the patriarch seat: the territory folk’s support.
Things had twisted weirdly into favorable(?) outcomes so far... but corvée was corvée.
No matter how it twisted, who’d cheer for an order to eat and work?
Especially if the one issuing it came off as brazen, arrogant, and obnoxious?
That said it all.
I nodded with a confident expression.
“Don’t worry, leave it to me, Jevella sis.”
“You sure?”
“Who else but me? The lord has to step up for this. Yep. Absolutely.”
A parade of greedy lord archetypes flashed through my mind.
This’ll do it...!
“You said funds are short, right? Just trust me, sis. I’ll squeeze maximum results with minimal meals and bare-bones medical support.”
“Huh? Corvée is usually unpaid...”
“Pardon? What was that?”
“...Nothing. Minimal meals and medical support? Sure. Do it your way if you want, Enoch. This sis always cheers you on.”
For some reason, Jevella nodded with a resolute expression. I didn’t quite get it, but it seemed settled.
I gathered the territory’s strapping young men at the crumbled wall to announce the corvée...
But I ran into Yuria, who unlike usual was glancing around like a fidgety pup needing to poop.
“What’re you doing here, Yuria?”
“Oh, bro? Just felt weird, so I was taking a walk.”
“Later. I’ve got business from Jevella sis.”
“Huh? In that case...”
Still wearing an uneasy look, Yuria stepped away from the wall to my side.
She hadn’t calmed down fully—gripping and regripping her greatsword’s hilt, sniffing the air like a dog—but whatever.
Not important. She’s always been a weirdo anyway.
I brushed Yuria off and addressed the residents already eyeing me glumly.
“Great turnout! You probably guessed, but I called you here for corvée labor to repair the wall...”
Boom!
A massive roar cut me off before I finished. The ground shook, and part of the already ruined wall cracked further from the impact and collapsed in a heap.
Dust billowed up. Amid it, a feral glint flashed.
-Raaagh!
Then a voice like scraping the depths of hell echoed out. So immense in volume it scattered the fresh dust everywhere.
From the fully crumbled wall and settling dust emerged something humanoid—twisted and bloated, shrouded in ominous black magic.
Much changed, but its familiar features jogged my memory.
“Instructor Brent?!”
Yuria’s shocked cry beside me confirmed it. The academy instructor who’d taken bribes to discriminate against her covertly—and got chased out after eating a rock I chucked.
Yes. Instructor no longer.
What might’ve been Brent was now an unrecognizable, twisted thing, shedding crimson tears of blood.
-Zahav!!! I’ll kill you! Die! Die!!!
The curse laced with eerie malice spilled from it. In its tentacle-mutated hand gleamed a jet-black sword that seemed to swallow all light.
.
.
.
.
.
“R-run! It’s a monster!”
“So that’s why... the lord insisted on fixing the wall with corvée no matter what!”
“W-what?! And we didn’t realize...”
No, damn it.