Chapter 59
Chapter 59
Bright golden hair that almost dazzled the eyes, pale skin, and a slender face. Though he looked thin and lean, his body carried subtle, well-defined muscles.
“M-Mr. Miron?”
Why was this elf jumping down from the roof of the orphanage?
Startled, I blinked repeatedly as I stared at him.
Miron, on the other hand, calmly brushed the dust from his clothes and spoke.
“You’re quite clever.”
“Pardon? About what?”
“The multi-family housing and this place, the orphanage. You discovered problems no one else noticed and even solved them.”
Oh, that.
For a moment I thought he was talking about something else.
“You saw all of that? Wait… does that mean you were following me?”
“I wouldn’t say following. I simply happened to see you on the way and became curious, so I kept watching.”
“That still counts as following.”
“If that’s how you interpret it, then we’ll call it that.”
So he had no intention of admitting it until the end.
Maybe it was because he was an elf. As a human, it wasn’t easy for me to follow his logic.
“But.”
While I clicked my tongue inwardly, Miron tilted his head and asked,
“Do you enjoy helping humans in trouble?”
“I don’t dislike it, but I wouldn’t say I particularly enjoy it either.”
“Then why did you help the humans living in that multi-family house? They pointed fingers at you and called you a strange person.”
Exactly.
If the surprise quest hadn’t forced me to solve it, I would have ignored the multi-family house entirely.
“I just felt uncomfortable ignoring a problem when I already knew what it was.”
Of course, I couldn’t say the real reason outright, so I phrased it vaguely.
Miron rubbed his chin and studied me carefully before asking another question.
“Then could you help other races as well?”
“Other races? Do you perhaps need my help?”
I asked because it sounded like that might be the case.
But Miron fell silent.
He looked as if he were debating whether or not to speak.
When I had seen the elves in the conference room before, they clearly didn’t like humans very much.
If anything, it was closer to dislike.
Miron seemed somewhat better than the others, but he still wasn’t particularly friendly toward humans.
For him to ask a human like me for help meant the situation must be serious.
I didn’t even know if I could help, and I didn’t feel like agreeing blindly.
Still, I was curious about what the problem was, so I waited quietly.
How long had I waited like that?
When the long shadows on the ground shortened slightly, Miron finally spoke again.
“I cannot tell you yet.”
A breeze blew just then, scattering his long golden hair as if it were dancing.
“If I come to trust you a little more, then I will tell you.”
The officials assigned to the relocation project ran around day and night, but in the end they failed to complete it within the deadline.
Since Marquis Howell Smith already knew the schedule had been impossible from the beginning, he merely sighed deeply and could not bring himself to reprimand the officials.
Now Aileen had to return to Belheim.
And the elves would certainly seize on that fact.
He would either have to convince Calix Krauvel to extend Aileen’s stay or persuade the elves.
“…Could you not reconsider?”
Judging that persuading the elves would be easier than persuading Calix, Marquis Howell Smith visited Eirenos Miron and pleaded in a tone close to lament.
“You’ve been watching as well, so you know we’ve been doing everything we can to carry out the relocation work. So why not trust us now and send Miss Aileen back to Belheim?”
Despite the Marquis’s earnest request, Eirenos Miron said nothing and simply drank his tea in silence.
“Look here.”
Growing increasingly anxious, Marquis Smith even presented documents.
He explained in detail how far the relocation work had progressed, how many people were working day and night, and when it would likely be completed.
“So? Surely you can trust us now?”
Clack—
Eirenos Miron set down his teacup for the first time with an audible sound.
It was a silent signal of dissatisfaction or objection.
“…So it still isn’t acceptable?”
Marquis Smith cautiously asked again, watching the elf’s reaction.
Miron still did not answer.
So that means no.
Then should he try persuading Calix Krauvel instead?
While the Marquis agonized over what to do if neither side could be persuaded, the elf who had remained silent finally spoke.
“Then I will go to Belheim as well.”
“…What?”
Caught completely off guard, Marquis Smith blinked repeatedly.
“It appears that Your Excellency is quite mindful of Archduke Krauvel.”
Miron continued, looking at the stunned Marquis.
“So rather than monitoring things here, provoking Archduke Krauvel’s temper in Belheim would likely be more effective in speeding up the relocation work.”
The Marquis found the reasoning absurd, yet he couldn’t find any argument against it.
He could only open and close his mouth like a fish.
“I will travel to Belheim with Miss Aileen.”
“T-That would be difficult.”
When Miron repeated his statement firmly, Marquis Smith finally managed to speak.
“To stay in Belheim, you would need Archduke Krauvel’s permission. And the Archduke will never allow it.”
If lightning didn’t strike him for suggesting such a thing, he would already be fortunate.
“Besides, the treatment there would not be as comfortable as here, so perhaps it would be better for you to remain in Nubiar—”
“I have already made my decision.”
Eirenos Miron rose as he spoke firmly.
“I will handle obtaining Archduke Krauvel’s permission myself. Your Excellency need only make the preparations.”
Even the Emperor of the Empire could not bend Calix Krauvel’s stubborn will.
So how could he possibly obtain that permission?
Marquis Smith was curious, but Miron seemed to have no intention of explaining and simply left the reception room.
While traveling around Nubiar diligently completing sub quests, a week had passed before I knew it.
Since I had to return to Belheim that afternoon, I packed my bags and left my room.
Once again, the Marchioness had prepared various items for me, so both my hands were heavy.
“Allow me.”
Noah Roheim, who had been waiting in the hallway, held out his hand.
“It’s fine.”
The bags were a bit heavy, but not so heavy that I couldn’t carry them.
“But the relocation work isn’t finished yet. Is it really okay for me to leave like this?”
“Well, since His Excellency Marquis Smith hasn’t said anything, it should be fine.”
“I suppose so.”
Still, just in case, I decided I should confirm it directly when I saw him.
Marquis Smith and several officials were waiting at the castle tower where the magic portal gate was located.
“You’re late.”
Calix Krauvel was there as well.
Since I couldn’t use the magic portal alone, he had probably come to retrieve me.
“I didn’t expect Your Grace to come again.”
Marquis Smith and the officials looked quite flustered since they hadn’t known he would appear.
But Calix Krauvel paid them no attention and walked straight toward me.
“Did you enjoy your vacation?”
He asked while casually taking the luggage from my hands.
Caught off guard, I simply nodded.
“Good. Then working without weekends for a while shouldn’t be a problem.”
“…Pardon? What kind of terrifying statement is that?”
“You’ve rested well for a whole week. Work must have piled up like a mountain. So working without weekends for about a month shouldn’t be an issue, right?”
What kind of absurd miracle logic was that?
“Then at least let me work overtime instead and rest on weekends.”
“Of course you’ll work overtime and weekends.”
“…You’re serious?”
When I asked in disbelief, Calix Krauvel let out a low laugh.
“I’m joking. If you collapse, it would cause greater losses for me. I wouldn’t do something that foolish.”
Honestly, you seemed perfectly capable of doing exactly that.
“Well then, until next time, Marquis Smith. It’s truly unfortunate that the relocation work wasn’t completed within the deadline I gave.”
Despite his words, Calix’s expression looked refreshed.
Anyone could tell he was clearly mocking him.
Marquis Smith could only respond with an awkward smile.
Since Calix Krauvel had already arrived earlier, the magic portal was already active.
“Then we’ll be going.”
As before, Noah Roheim stepped through first.
I was about to enter the portal with Calix Krauvel when Miron appeared, carrying a travel bag.
“I was worried I might be late, but fortunately I arrived in time.”
The luggage and his meaningful words made me look at Miron with suspicion.
“Don’t tell me that elf is going to Belheim too?”
Calix Krauvel seemed to think the same thing and asked Marquis Smith.
“Yes.”
But the one who answered was not the Marquis.
It was Miron.
With his usual gentle smile, he said,
“I will also be going to Belheim.”