The Showdown
Lately, Rebecca was so happy each and every day that a shiver would run through her very soul.
Everything she put in her mouth tasted like an exquisite delicacy, every scent she caught smelled like sweet perfume, and every sound reaching her ears seemed like heavenly melody. That alone said it all.
The reason for such boundless bliss was, of course, simple.
"Sister! Good morning!"
Her little sister had recovered from her terrible illness.
Leona came bounding over despite the early hour, throwing her arms around Rebecca's legs. Stroking the girl's hair, Rebecca was washed over by an indescribable contentment.
"Leona, how are you feeling? Does it hurt anywhere?"
"Nope! Not at all! It really doesn't hurt anywhere anymore! Hey, guess what? There’s no blood on the blankets or pillow anymore! I've got so much energy all over! Look, I can even jump!"
Watching her hop up and down in pure excitement, Rebecca hugged her with a laugh, checking the girl's condition with the touch of her hands. All she felt beneath her palms was the soft, supple firmness typical of a healthy child. It was neither yielding like a hollow sponge nor dry and crumbling like a withered apple. That tactile reality moved Rebecca so deeply that she stroked Leona over and over again.
"Ahahaha! Sister, that tickles!"
"...You really are getting better. You're healed."
A sickness where holes opened up throughout the body due to mana. Mana Perforation was an utterly monstrous disease—all the more so because those holes did not tear open all at once and then go dormant; they formed slowly, gradually gnawing away at the body from the inside. Naturally, the process was pure agony, and plugging those gouged holes was just as excruciating.
Worse still, it cost a fortune. Had Rebecca been a Silver Rank Adventurer instead of a Gold Rank Adventurer, she would have plunged into financial ruin in an instant. Even imagining it made her eyes squeeze shut in sheer vertigo.
"Sister, what's for breakfast today?"
"Hehe. What would you like?"
"Pancakes!"
"Ahahaha!"
Looking at her little sister's sparkling eyes, Rebecca couldn't help bursting into laughter. There was no need to dwell on dizzying what-ifs now. In fact, she could hardly even bring them to mind anymore. Simply facing this joyful present was an overwhelming, brimming happiness.
"No can do. You need to eat more meat."
"Ehh?! Whyyy? Pancakes! I want pancakes!"
"Goodness, you're impossible... How about dessert then?"
"Really?! Yay! Let's eat right now!"
"Hehe..."
Such a conversation would have looked completely different before. When Leona had Mana Perforation, she had to be careful with every single bite she took.
How can I ever repay this kindness...?
It was the tenth day—a full week and three days—since Leona had started taking the medicine. For all intents and purposes, her illness was completely cured. The sheer joy and gratitude were so overwhelming that Rebecca felt as though she could bow down in reverence not just to Aljen, but to every living thing under the heavens.
"Sister! Did you know a new theater opened in the city?"
"Leona, don't talk with your mouth full. You'll spit your food everywhere."
"Mmph! Sorry..."
"Would you like to see a play?"
"Yes!"
"Then let's go see one."
"Really?! Yay!"
Throwing her hands into the air, Leona wolfed down the meat-packed stew and then stared intently at Rebecca.
"What is it?"
"Sister, can I try making the pancakes?"
"Hmm? Do you think you can?"
"Uh-huh! I can do it!"
"Shall we make them together then?"
"Yay! I'm gonna make a super huge, thick pancake!"
With eyes sparkling, Leona hopped over to the kitchen counter. Rebecca smiled warmly and helped her cook—though in truth, Rebecca ended up doing almost everything herself. After repeated trial and error, they produced a truly colossal pancake. Leona drizzled honey and whipped cream generously over the top.
"Ahaha. Leona, aren't you pouring too much? It's going to be so sweet you won't be able to finish it..."
"Nope! This one's for you, Sister!"
"...Huh?"
Rebecca stared blankly down at her sister as the girl eagerly pushed the plate holding the giant pancake toward her.
"What's wrong? Did you lose your appetite all of a sudden? Is your stomach upset? Are you hurting somewhere?"
"No, no! You worry way too much, Sister! It's a present!"
"...A present?"
"Yeah..." Leona blushed, trailing off shyly. "I... I'm sorry for everything before, Sister. You know... when I threw tantrums and got angry all the time..."
Rebecca was momentarily stunned by the sudden apology, but quickly gathered herself. She had never imagined her sister harbored such thoughts; she needed to comfort her.
"Leona, you couldn't help it. Anyone gets like that when they're in pain."
Rebecca was an experienced adventurer and mercenary. She knew all too well what unbearable agony did to a human being, how it warped them. Throwing tantrums, crying, losing one's mind—that was standard. She had even seen hardened adults regress to toddlers. If even battle-tested mercenaries broke under such torment, how could a little girl too young to have learned endurance possibly bear it?
"You don't need to apologize. Did you think I'd ever resent you for that? Never. Your big sister cherishes and loves you always."
"...B-But... you spent so much money because of me..."
"I don't regret a single coin. It was spent for my little sister."
"Ugh... Waaahhh!"
Tears welled in Leona's eyes, and she finally burst into sobs.
It was the first time Rebecca had seen her cry like this since contracting Mana Perforation. No matter how agonizing, grueling, or terrible it had been, her sister had somehow held back her tears. Seeing her weep at the top of her lungs sent ripples through Rebecca's heart.
"...Ugh."
Only now did Rebecca understand what had been inside Leona's heart. Weeping upon seeing hope was something to rejoice over together, because it radiated light to everyone around. But weeping in despair was the absolute worst, clinging like foul tar that could never be shared. Leona, too, must have endured and held back over and over so as not to worry her sister, until it had all burst out at last.
"Sniff... Leona, thank you. Thank you for holding on..."
"Waaah! Waaahaaah!"
That was why seeing Leona weep with hope brought Rebecca more joy than anything else in the world. And her gratitude toward Stanashila Aljen swelled even further. No matter what anyone said, he was the one who had created this hope.
...Without fail.
She feared whether she could ever repay such a monumental debt in full, but her resolve was set regardless. Even if it took her entire life, even if it cost her life, she would repay him.
"Seriously, what do these people think this place is? A private detective agency?!"
I buried my exhausted body into the sofa and blew out a long plume of cigar smoke.
"The proportion of commoners has spiked rather suddenly."
"Haaah... Tell me about it. What the hell is he thinking...?"
Ever since I happened to guess Albers's livestock issue correctly that day, commoner visits had exploded for some godforsaken reason. To be honest, that in itself wouldn't have been a big deal. The real problem was that practically everything the commoners brought to me dealt with petty everyday life.
'My health suddenly took a turn, could I be cursed?' 'My farming tools keep breaking so quickly, I don't know why.' 'I think my husband is cheating on me.' 'My child picked up a bad habit, how do I fix it?' 'I hear weird noises in my house...' Et cetera, et cetera.
Why the hell were they asking me that stuff? And was the Duke's Castle some cheap roadside inn that anyone could just stroll into over nonsense like that?
Knock, knock!
Right on cue, yet another visitor stepped inside.
"U-Um... Hello! I have come to see Lord Stanashila Aljen!"
"...Right. What brings you here?"
"Our house has been swarming with bugs lately... C-Could this be the curse of a dark mage?!"
"......"
It had been like this non-stop lately. Did Urtega really handpick these visitors himself?
"Haaah..."
After scraping together whatever random trivia I had to offer a solution and sending the visitor packing, I slumped limply across the sofa.
"Muriel. Was that the last visitor for today?"
"Yes. That was the final one."
"Phew..."
Gulp, gulp!
I chugged down my liquor and let out a heavy sigh.
"What on earth is that old man plotting...?"
Not understanding what was happening behind the scenes only piled on the frustration. But that frustration was resolved before long.
"...What the hell is this now?"
A massive stack of paperwork was delivered right in front of me.
"......"
Glancing over it, I saw it was titled 'Inquiries Regarding the Current State of Terabaon.' Most of it addressed minor issues related to daily life and local industry throughout the territory. In other words, countless problems cut from the same cloth as the questions brought by the commoners had been compiled like a mountain of riddles.
"Hey. Quino. What's all this?"
When I glared at Quino, who had delivered the documents, he flinched and averted his eyes.
"...I-I was merely ordered to deliver them... If you'll excuse me, I must take my leave."
Watching his back as he scrambled away, my lips curled into a crooked smirk.
"...Aha, I see. So this is how you wanna play it?"
Having figured out Urtega's scheme, I ground my teeth. It seemed that old man was hell-bent on putting me to work no matter what. If I answered all the riddles in these documents, he'd probably send over paperwork more directly related to administration next. Then he'd send documents dealing with deeper state affairs... and by the time I came to my senses, there was a damn good chance I'd be sitting in an office as an administrative official of the Duke's Castle.
I shuddered at how effortlessly that future painted itself in my mind.
"Not on my watch... Time for drastic measures."
I'd endured all I could endure, and I'd played along as much as I was willing. But staying quiet had made him take me for a pushover.
"Think I'll just roll over and take it?"
My mind was made up. It was time to remind him exactly who and what I was.
"Good thing my ammo's fully loaded. Peak condition."
Feeling the heavy pressure in my bladder, I sprang up from the sofa. Instantly, Muriel wrapped her arms tightly around mine and shoved me firmly back down. Helpless as I was, I sank right back into the cushions without being able to resist.
"Hey...! You've gotten awfully cheeky lately, haven't you? Let go!"
"Lord Aljen. Just in case, I must ask—you aren't planning to commit another unspeakable act in His Grace's office, are you?"
"...That depends on how Father plays it. When duty calls, I do what must be done."
"You must not. It has barely been any time since you recovered. Please, endure it."
"Let go."
"I apologize, but I cannot."
"Haaah... Then you go bring the old man here."
"...My apologies."
"For fuck's sake..."
I flared up for a second, but Muriel's pleading gaze melted my resolve just a bit.
"Tsk. Fine, I won't do it. Let go."
"Do you swear?"
"Yeah. I won't. I won't do it. You think I piss all over someone's office for fun?"
"...I shall trust you."
Watching her slowly release my arms, I got to my feet again and marched toward Urtega's office.
"O great Duke! Your proud and splendid son has arrived! Show your face, will ya? Come on, chop-chop!"
"...What is it now?"
Buried under piles of paperwork today as well, Urtega glared at me with a deep scowl.
"I reckon I've done plenty by now. So I'm heading out on a journey. Don't try to stop me."
"That nonsense again. A journey... Why are you so obsessed with that? Do you have some hidden objective?"
"Yeah, well, gonna go pick up a few relics. Plus, I don't feel like doing paperwork... Ah, for the record, this is my final warning. If you try pulling sneaky little tricks behind my back again, I'm pissing all over your office, so consider yourself warned."
"...Piss if you must. If enduring such trivial indignity secures a talent as capable as you, then as the head of House Stanasila, I can bear—"
"I'll take a shit."
"......"
His brow furrowed deeply, and he let out a long sigh.
"Fine. But on the condition that you attend the upcoming balls and banquets..."
Zzzip.
The second the word 'ball' left Urtega's mouth, I pulled down my fly.
If he thought a single beating was going to make me meekly participate in that tedious, tiresome snake pit steeped in aristocratic politics, he had another thing coming. Of course, it wasn't as if there were zero benefits to attending. A gathering of numerous nobles was synonymous with key figures coming together. The characters from the game, the ones in the lore book... Personally, I was intrigued.
However, that curiosity wasn't worth dealing with the swarm of parasites and opportunists who would latch onto 'Stanashila Aljen.'
The one who needed to build relationships with them wasn't me—it was the protagonist. The one who had to do that annoying, exhausting crap was that damn Hero, not me.
"......"
"......"
A suffocating silence descended over the room.
In the end, Urtega was the one to surrender.
"Haaah... Very well. Go, you wretched curse of a son."
"Hahaha! Wise decision, Father! Well then, I'm off! Ah, I can take Vivian along, right?!"
"...If Vivian agrees."
"Naturally! See ya!"
Laughing in triumph, I swaggered out of the office.
"Haaah... Lord Aljen. You break my trust so easily."
Muriel materialized out of the shadows, shooting me a slightly resentful glare.
"Hey, I didn't break our promise, did I? All I did was unzip my pants."
"...I hardly consider that appropriate conduct before His Grace either."
Closing the distance until she was right in front of me, she looked up with upturned eyes and whispered softly. In that moment, I felt a soft hand gently touch my crotch.
"Please do not keep me on pins and needles. I was prepared to step in front of His Grace myself this time, you know...?"
Zzzip.
Her deft fingers pulled my zipper back up, sending an involuntary shiver through me.
"...Ahem."
Left with nothing to say, I gave a small cough and brushed past her.
With a foxy, quiet giggle, she slipped into step one pace behind me once more.