Chapter 87
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: Paradise Illusion
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"Huh?"
"What is this?"
They say that when people get too flustered, their brains just freeze up.
A cool sea breeze that wasn't unpleasant. Sunlight beating down strong but not overwhelming.
The refreshing crash of waves against the ears. The soft, warm touch of sand underfoot.
"Um... S-Senior? What is th...?"
"Am I dreaming...?"
The dazed group soon shook their heads vigorously as they spotted the bizarre constellations hanging in the sky.
This couldn't be real!
As if confirming their thoughts, an interface that shouldn't be visible in normal circumstances appeared in the corner of their vision.
The knights began wandering the beach in a stupor, scouting their surroundings.
But it didn't take long before a scream shattered the building tension.
"Gaaah!! Let me go!"
"Heh heh heh heh. Senior Knight, you gotta enjoy the top waters before the bottom ones, right?"
"Gah!!"
The senior knight, grabbed by arms and legs and dragged like a giant blanket, was tossed back and forth between the others before being hurled straight into the sea.
"Glurk!!"
Splash!!!!
"Gaaah!! Blub blub! Salty! Why is the water this salty?!"
They said seawater tasted like salt, huh?
Someone whose curiosity was piqued poked at the interface floating in their vision like they were exploring it.
Suddenly, a parasol, sunbed, and what looked like juice made from exotic fruits appeared in fancy glass cups right beside him.
"Oh... Ooh."
All eyes turned to it, and the surveillance squad soldier who'd summoned them took a slow sip.
Then he let out a short gasp of admiration.
"Hey! Spill it quick. How is it?"
"Feels like real juice? It's a flavor I've never tasted before, but..."
"No way?! There's booze here too!"
"Holy crap, I gotta try this now!"
That sparked it. The surveillance squad's eyes lit up.
They had no idea what was going on, but these folks were starved for entertainment.
And now, right in front of them, a playground full of fun things had appeared.
They'd played in water plenty of times, but a sea stretching to the horizon? That was new.
In an instant, cheers erupted as they started poking around everywhere, excited like kids with new toys.
But some knights had to stay sharp.
It was great and all, but if they got too immersed, their surveillance duties would slack off.
That was when it happened.
Beep!!!
A sudden blare cut through the air, and the surveillance squad—who'd been frolicking wildly—saw their visions go black.
At the same time, they all jolted upright from their spots.
What the now-alert group saw was the artifact installation site.
"Hup?!"
"What the?!"
Snapped out of the illusion abruptly, complaints erupted from all sides.
"No fair, we didn't even get to see much!"
"But this is..."
Though flustered, Leon—the culprit behind it all—spoke calmly.
"If there's a problem, just hit this."
Only then did the knights and soldiers realize who'd tampered with the artifact, their glares turning fierce.
They wanted to say something, but he was the Young Master of the house, so they held back.
"If you forget your original purpose and get lost in fun, we can't provide support anymore..."
With that, Leon held up the alarm artifact.
It was the sound that usually blared when Demon Realm monsters acted strangely and the surveillance squad had to deploy—the noise they hated most.
Especially when they were just getting into the fun...
"Looks like you're slacking on duties, so I'll have to retrieve the artifact..."
"No, sir!"
"We're ready to deploy anytime!"
They clung desperately to Leon's shoulders.
"You're free to enjoy yourselves, but don't forget—the moment you get negligent, every citizen in the territory is at risk."
It was a way of saying there'd be no issues if the beasts didn't act up.
Their misdirected anger soon turned toward the true culprits.
"Damn it! Why now of all times?!"
"You damn beasts!!"
"How dare you ruin the vibe?!"
And so, their sudden burst of frustration had nowhere to go but straight at the magic beasts.
For the next two hours or so, the Demon Realm echoed with the screams of low-tier beasts fleeing enraged knights and soldiers.
"You should've gone easy."
Two weeks after the Demon Realm trip. That was Melissa's comment to me.
She looked exhausted as she spoke to me, with Luna half-asleep and dangling off my back.
"It's too popular now—people are even volunteering for Demon Realm shifts. You know what? I caught senior knights slipping gifts to juniors and swapping shifts, and they got busted."
Ah, guess it worked a little too well.
The team that returned had talked endlessly about the amenities they'd enjoyed, flipping the knights' eyes—they were desperate to try the artifacts firsthand.
"But why's Luna like that?"
"She was fiddling with artifacts all last night."
More precisely, for three straight days without sleep, just tinkering away.
I'd only given her a simple rundown on encoding her memories into code.
But she started piecing it together like a massive supercomputer.
I had no idea what she was building—she wouldn't say.
"Still, I'm a bit worried this might make surveillance duties lax."
I was more concerned their thrill threshold had shot up too high.
"Good work."
Melissa buried her head back in her paperwork stack.
"Anyway, since no one knows, could you make some artifacts for the house?"
I shook my head at her request.
"No materials."
"Just buy some."
"Nah, these are big-ticket items. I looked into it, but securing enough means requesting from a major trading company."
Cascadia was on the frontier, after all.
Military supplies came regularly, but these materials were unrelated.
She pondered my answer, then nodded and pulled something from her pocket, handing it over.
"The seal?"
"Yeah. I have to leave the territory for a bit."
I kept my expression neutral at her words.
"Where to?"
"An academy friend is getting married soon. Can you handle territory management?"
"Oh, sure. No problem."
Doubting my answer, she narrowed her eyes and glared.
"I'll trust you. Just in case, I've already requested the trading company—they'll arrive half a day after I leave."
With that, she packed up, took the Death Knight as escort, and left with a few knights.
Of course, without her knowing, I'd layered dozens more defensive and counter spells on her.
She was beyond irreconcilable with the heretics now.
After seeing her off, Luna at my side asked,
"Can't hide the glee on your face."
I twisted my blank expression into a grin.
"Hey. Know what's the best thing in the world?"
"What?"
"Pleasure without responsibility."
This territory was mine now. I could do whatever I wanted.
Gazing at the Count's seal in my hand, I declared boldly,
"Shopping first."
We had money, but it was public funds—couldn't spend recklessly.
Melissa was meticulous, pinching every penny whether we had cash or not.
But with the seal in my hand? Nothing to fear.
"Luna, tell me everything you want! I'll buy it all!"
"Oh, excellent."
A plan formed in my head fast. I intended to install tons of stuff all over Cascadia territory.
But first, indulge a tiny selfish whim.
"Selfish whim?"
"Let's set up a teleport device here."
Pricey investment, but doable. Approval needed? I'm the regent now—what's the issue?
Leaving the territory, Melissa couldn't hide her unease. Her destination was imperial soil—a journey of at least a few weeks.
"Family Head, are you alright?"
"Oh. Yeah."
Her stiff face somehow sensed Leon might cause a ruckus.
"Well, we have plenty of money... a little overspending should be fine."
Even if Leon went wild, he wasn't the type to ruin lives. No, he'd actually try to improve them—so no tormenting the citizens.
"What're you waiting for? Let's get started! Paycheck plus fat bonuses!"
"Ugh, Young Master. If the Count finds out..."
"You see this seal in my hand? I'm the king of this territory right now! Melissa takes all the blame anyway!!"
"Wooooh!!!"
She had no clue what was unfolding in Cascadia at that very moment.
Anyway, thanks to the teleport device, Melissa reached her destination swiftly.
She headed to Bernier territory—one of the empire's count houses—with its ancient teleport array fueling booming commerce.
Territories with teleports usually thrived commercially.
Arriving in the bustling streets via teleport, then taking a carriage, Melissa reached the opulent mansion.
"My goodness, Lady Melissa. It's been ages."
"Butler, long time no see. First time since the academy?"
"Yes. You left with such a sour face that day... but you look like things worked out now."
"It's been months already."
"Right, not Lady anymore—you're Count now."
The elderly butler chuckled warmly in greeting.
"Is Count Bernier in?"
"The Family Head is at the imperial palace. This won't do. Lady Lilia's been waiting desperately for you. She misses her husband-to-be terribly."
"Haven't seen Lilia in ages either. Please show me."
Guided inside, the count's residence outshone Cascadia's buildings in splendor.
Cascadia was a minor kingdom's frontier, after all.
Bernier, by contrast, was an imperial count house tied to the palace.
It made sense.
Of course, she wasn't one to flaunt such things.
Deep inside, a cute girl in the reception room widened her eyes.
"Melissa!"
She rushed over and threw herself into Melissa's arms.
Melissa silently hugged and soothed her.
"Long time no see, Lilia."
"Heavens, what have you been through? Your face is half gone... Oh, wait—no, you're Count now."
"It's fine. It's just us here."