Chapter 343: ???? Years Old (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 343: ???? Years Old (2)
Alexion’s opinion of Marquis Palatio had shifted many times over the course of their acquaintance, and to be perfectly honest, his first impression hadn't been great.
That was only natural.
Alexion hadn't met the Marquis under normal circumstances; he had been brought to him by force.
He had been kidnapped, after all.
Even after that initial encounter, he hadn't exactly held the Marquis in high regard.
In the first place, the reason Ladan had forcibly dragged him away from his comfortable life in Laxas to the Marquis’s estate was because of Marquis Palatio.
Similarly, while it was Ladan who had ensured he worked purely without any "underhanded schemes," the root cause of it all was still the Marquis.
When he sat down and thought about it, he didn't really have a reason to like the man.
And yet, Alexion didn't hate him.
For starters, the Marquis was far more sane than Ladan, the man who had dragged him here.
In fact, in a certain sense...
Alon was a man who bordered on being a saint, possessing qualities rarely seen in a noble.
He always maintained his manners, even toward Alexion, whom he could have treated as a mere tool to be ordered around.
The initial proposal the Marquis had made regarding the Auction House was a contract with terms so favorable that it was hard to believe a noble had suggested them first.
Even when Alexion, unable to withstand Ladan’s threats, had volunteered for worse terms, the Marquis had recognized Alexion’s hard work and revised the contract to be more beneficial.
And that wasn't all.
Whenever additional work was added, the Marquis satisfied Alexion with a salary that was appropriate—no, perhaps even overly generous—for the tasks performed.
In short, Alexion currently had absolutely no reason to dislike Alon.
If anything, Alexion actually worried about the Marquis.
He couldn't understand how such a saintly man ended up with a degenerate like Ladan attached to him.
But at this very moment...
Alexion wondered if he was perhaps being deceived.
After all...
"I am Deus Macallian."
"……Yes."
If Marquis Palatio were truly a normal person, it made no sense for people like this to be gathered around him.
"Does the interview start now?"
Deus Macallian asked boldly, his arms crossed.
Alexion looked up at him, struggling to keep his legs from buckling.
He had felt dizzy when Line Grof visited earlier, but now his head was spinning even more.
"Um, Lord Deus Macallian?"
"What is it?"
"……The position we are hiring for this time is a partner to accompany the Marquis to the banquet—"
"I am aware."
"?"
He was aware?
He knew, yet he didn't see what the problem was?
The incredulous retort flashed through Alexion’s mind.
However, since no one was brave enough to say such a thing to the First Sword of Calliban...
"……Lord Deus, the person we are looking for is not a man, but a Young Lady."
He simply informed Deus of the facts as politely as possible.
"……A Young Lady?"
"Yes."
"Hmm—"
The First Sword of Calliban frowned as if something had gone wrong.
Alexion felt a headache coming on, but he forced himself to continue.
"At any rate, because of that, I am concerned that Lord Deus might not quite fit the intended purpose."
"……That is a shame. I even set aside my work to come here for this."
"……."
He wanted to snap back that he had never sent him a letter in the first place, but Alexion barely managed to swallow the words.
"Then, are there any positions left for something like a guard?"
To Deus’s follow-up question, Alexion replied with a hollow expression.
"……I will look into it."
"I appreciate it."
Deus nodded nonchalantly and turned to leave.
The door creaked shut, and his figure vanished.
Once he was sure Deus was gone, Alexion let out a small sigh and shook his head.
The interviews were already proving to be incredibly taxing.
But he quickly pulled himself together. Deus was only the beginning; there were still many people left to interview.
Steeling himself once more, Alexion tried to calm his racing heart.
Right, surely there won't be another person like that.
Alexion forced a faint, artificial smile that didn't quite reach his heavy heart and nodded to himself.
No matter how many strange, dangerous, and abnormal people were associated with Marquis Palatio... there was no way another man would steal an invitation letter meant for a partner and show up—
"My name is Nangwon."
"……."
—There was.
A man who looked incredibly dangerous was staring at Alexion with his characteristically threatening inverted eyes.
Naturally, Alexion had never sent a letter to a man like this.
And yet—
"By any chance, the letter—"
"It is here."
—Nangwon presented the letter with utter confidence.
Alexion stared at Nangwon for a moment before asking, just in case.
"Pardon me, but are you perhaps... a woman?"
"In what way do I look like a woman to you?"
Nangwon’s immediate response made Alexion close his eyes.
He had a feeling today was going to be a very long day.
* * *
Fortunately, no other men came in for an interview after Nangwon left.
However, just as Alexion had predicted, the interviews were far from easy.
"I'm Seolrang!"
"Ah, yes. The letter—"
"It's right here!"
Seolrang held out a half-crumpled letter.
Alexion took it without a word.
The letter hadn't even been opened.
"……."
It was truly a mystery.
The letter hadn't been read, so how did she know to come here to apply as the Marquis’s partner?
Of course, he knew well enough that asking wouldn't yield a straight answer.
Alexion gave up on questioning the logic long ago and proceeded with the interview.
Mercifully, no major incidents occurred during her session.
That was a relief, at least.
Just as her interview was ending on a relatively quiet note...
"Oh, there's something I should tell you!"
"What... is it?"
Seolrang suddenly put on a very solemn expression.
To an outsider, it looked as if she were about to reveal a dangerous secret.
Though puzzled, Alexion leaned in closer to her.
"Everyone except me is over six hundred years old."
"Pardon……?"
"Yutia is several times older than that."
"???"
"I'm saying I'm the only one close to Mentor's age."
Having shared this "secret truth," Seolrang flashed a triumphant smile.
"This means I win, right?"
With that, she turned and walked out.
"???"
Only Alexion remained, left alone in a situation he couldn't begin to comprehend.
However, he was a professional.
Though his mental state was fraying, he immediately called for the next interviewee.
"Historia."
"Ah, yes."
The next candidate was different from Seolrang; she was a woman with silver ears and a tail, possessing a vacant expression that made it impossible to tell what she was thinking.
No, perhaps she just seemed a bit calm.
"The letter—"
"It's here."
"……?"
That is, until she handed Alexion more than five letters.
"Um, excuse me."
"Yes?"
"……The letter I sent is not among these."
"……?"
None of the letters she handed over were the partner invitations Alexion had personally written and sent.
"……It's not?"
"No……. These are all…… different letters—"
"……Ah."
A low exclamation escaped her.
"Do I have to have the letter?"
"……Well, since we are primarily targeting those who received the invitation…… yes."
"And if I don't?"
"Then naturally, the interview—"
Alexion trailed off, gauging her reaction.
Historia remained silent for a moment before speaking.
"……I understand."
Without another word, she quietly stood up and left the room.
"I stole the wrong ones……."
Though her face remained expressionless, her perked ears and tail drooped as she muttered to herself.
She’s not even trying to hide the fact that she stole them anymore…….
Alexion brushed the thought aside and called the next person. He couldn't help but be startled when he saw who it was.
The candidate was an Elf.
"Oh……?"
"Hello. My name is Magrina."
"The letter—"
"It's right here."
Magrina handed over the letter with a smile.
Alexion took it, now resigned to the absurdity.
……At least she bothered to open the letter.
Even if it was stolen, unlike the other candidates, she had at least paid attention to the details.
Alexion felt a surge of self-loathing for even thinking that.
In an interview to find a partner for the Marquis, why on earth did it matter how much "detail" someone put into their theft?
"We will begin the interview."
"Yes, please do."
He proceeded with the interview as if nothing were wrong.
Surprisingly...
Everything went incredibly smoothly this time.
It was exactly the kind of interview Alexion had hoped for.
Because of that, Alexion felt more relaxed than he had with any of the previous candidates.
"Hmm—?"
Toward the end of the interview, he noticed something strange while reviewing the information she had provided.
Twenty-two…… I see.
At the same time, Alexion recalled what Seolrang had said earlier.
'Everyone except me is over six hundred years old.'
That significant whisper.
So...
"Um—may I ask one more question?"
"By all means."
"You stated your age as twenty-two……. Is that the truth?"
He asked calmly.
Magrina nodded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Yes, in human years."
"……Human years?"
"Yes. As you know, we Elves live a long time. I assume you're aware of that."
"Ah, yes—I have heard."
"Therefore, I am twenty-two."
……?
What kind of logic was that?
Alexion was momentarily stunned. He cleared his throat to regain his composure and prepared to speak again.
However...
"……So, in your actual years, you are a bit over six hundred—"
"Twenty-two."
"……No."
"I am twenty-two."
It was as if she had no intention of continuing the conversation—
No.
"……"
A very dangerous amount of mana began to gather subtly in Magrina’s hand.
Alexion had no choice but to nod in agreement and conclude her interview.
And finally...
When the long-awaited final interviewee entered, Alexion—
"I'm Ryanga."
"Yes."
—was faced with a girl with white hair and purple eyes.
She gave off a somewhat dangerous aura.
"……May I have your letter?"
"Here."
Contrary to her intimidating appearance, she handed over the letter hesitantly and was the most well-behaved of all the candidates during the interview.
As the session drew to a close...
"……Um, excuse me—"
"Yes."
"I…… I want to be the Boss’s partner……."
"P-please look favorably upon me……!"
Her face turned slightly red as she added those words, and as soon as she finished, she bolted out of the room as if she were running away.
Alexion’s heart softened despite himself.
Compared to how dangerous she had looked, Ryanga’s behavior was quite modest. It felt as if his worn-out soul was being healed.
Until now, every single candidate had either threatened him or voiced complaints…….
Nodding with a look of inward satisfaction, Alexion let out a long sigh, realizing his grueling day was finally over.
Though the end had been a bit easier, it didn't change the fact that he was exhausted.
"……."
Alexion stared silently at the interview evaluation sheets.
Every single one of them was marked with an exceptionally high score.
Of course, with the exception of one sheet, those scores did not reflect Alexion’s actual opinion.
There had been too many situations where his life felt at risk.
Some of the sheets even contained information that wasn't true.
Especially the ages.
"Hmm—"
Alexion pondered what to do about this section.
Age was an important factor to consider when choosing a partner.
Tapping his finger on the paper where the scores were written, Alexion eventually decided to roughly adjust the points assigned to their ages.
As he was upwardly adjusting the ages of the candidates...
He paused when he reached Yutia’s evaluation sheet.
According to what Seolrang had whispered earlier...
Yutia’s age was over six hundred years.
Naturally, it was hard to believe.
But he couldn't just ignore it either.
'???? years old.'
After correcting Yutia’s age like that, Alexion left the office.
The next day.
"?"
He felt something strange.
The evaluation sheets he had corrected yesterday...
……Why is…… everything…… back to the way it was?
No, they hadn't just returned to their original state.
……How?
The scores were different from what he remembered from yesterday.
The sheets, which had at least partially reflected Alexion’s intent, had somehow all been changed to extremely high scores.
Alexion couldn't hide his bewilderment—BOOM!
The sound of a sudden explosion made him instinctively look out the window.
There, he saw it.
Seolrang was face-down on the ground, her body trembling.
And standing before her was Yutia.
"……."
Yutia was smiling, staring intently up at Alexion.
Then...
Watching Yutia grab Seolrang by the scruff of her neck and drag her into an alleyway...
Creak.
Alexion picked up his pen with a hand that was now shaking uncontrollably.
And on that day...
---
Name: Yutia Bloodia
Age: ???? years old > 18 years old
---
……Yutia Bloodia became eighteen years old.