Chapter 75
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: Argent's Special Interest Soldier
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When I returned to the annex, I wasn't the only one left dumbfounded.
The only maids working in my annex—Aira and Piel—stood there wearing the exact same expression as me.
"M-Master...."
Piel stammered, pointing toward the pantry.
"Over there... there's a mountain of meat and bread preserved with magic. It was always just a day's worth before...."
"The bath too!"
This time it was Aira.
True to her elven nature, her reaction was even more intense.
"It's not soap, but cleansing lotion made from moonlight distilled oil and silver leaf sap. That's... something even used only for ceremonies in the elven royal palace!!"
Only then did I draw in a sharp breath.
The head of the Argent family.
The 'special treatment' Agram had mentioned.
At first, I'd thought it meant assigning more surveillance.
Or maybe fitting thicker chains so I couldn't run.
But I never imagined it would be something like this.
"...This is a bit much."
In one corner of the bath sat ointments imported from the eastern deserts, creams blended with holy water said to regenerate skin.
Insanely expensive items even by this world's standards, not just medieval ones.
And that wasn't the end of it.
"F-Father!"
Second heir Seratina was the first to snap.
"That moonlight distilled oil was mine! I even took out loans from the eastern trading company to import it...!"
"And those ointments!"
Fourth heir Syl gnashed her teeth.
"We barely got one bottle this time through diplomatic channels with the elven kingdom! You're giving that to mere slaves?!"
She said "slaves," but her glare was locked squarely on Piel and Aira.
Jealousy.
Possessiveness.
And—
"...No way."
This time it was Wolfram.
His gaze fixed on the depths of the pantry.
"Red-horned dragon thigh meat...?"
"F-Father!"
Third heir Walter practically shrieked.
"That's the highest-grade material—not just for boosting virility, but for magic experiments too! Worth an entire castle per catty, and you're handing it out as food?!"
Dragon materials were treated as 'war resources' even in noble society.
Never enough for research, magic, or the military.
And now they were flowing straight into my annex.
But Family Head Agram's attitude didn't budge an inch.
"So what."
His voice echoed coldly.
"Are you voicing complaints against the decision of me, the family head?"
"Eek...!"
"N-No!"
"That's not—!"
"Or."
Agram cut them off.
"Hold your tongues."
One word.
That was all it took.
"That cleansing lotion refined from moonlight distilled water and silver leaf sap will restore luster to the hair in no time, and elasticity to the skin as well."
"Y-Yes...."
"And."
Agram shifted his gaze as if it were nothing.
"Dragon meat is famous for doing a man good. Especially the red-horned variety."
He added it casually, as if describing everyday ingredients.
"Dry it well into jerky, and you can carry it anywhere. Excellent for stamina recovery and building the body."
"I see...."
His four children wore faces brimming with resentment right up to the end, but they eventually filed out of my annex one by one without another word.
No one had the nerve to defy the family head's mood.
In the meantime, Agram lingered till the very end, explaining each item's purpose one by one—as if he harbored absolutely no ulterior motives.
On the surface, it looked like the picture of a warm father-son bond.
A father looking after his son.
It could pass for that.
But fat chance.
Everything sent my way was for tending to women's bodies, and anything directly tied to me was all for boosting virility.
The intent was blatantly obvious.
'He wants me sowing seeds at least a day sooner.'
It was special treatment, alright.
The problem was, it was the kind reserved for the goose that lays the golden eggs.
In slaughterhouse terms, I was livestock being fattened on premium feed to squeeze out maximum value nonstop.
Not a son, but an asset.
And if the family had a cash cow like that, snatching a few toys from the kids hardly stung.
They'd come back double with interest later anyway.
In the end, Agram Argent was unchanged to his core.
He valued profit over bloodline.
In plain terms, the man was a ruthlessly cold businessman through and through.
That was when.
"Finally, that room at the far end...."
The family head pointed to the deepest part of the annex.
"Well, no need to explain. You'll get it when you step inside."
"...That room?"
I dredged up my memory.
"Wasn't that the original guest room in my annex? I just had them dust it occasionally so it didn't pile up—"
"Right. A room with no real purpose."
Agram nodded nonchalantly.
"But with your future in mind, I brought in experts and had it renovated a bit."
"...Renovated?"
At my question, he jerked his chin as if to say, go ahead and open it.
Only three of us lived in this massive annex: me, Aira, and Piel.
Naturally, most rooms stood empty or forgotten.
He'd gone and remodeled one of them?
Honestly, I had zero clue at that point.
So I opened the door.
And for a moment, my brain flatlined.
"...This."
Brain stalled.
"What... is this...?"
"It has many uses."
Agram was utterly nonchalant.
"You could call it a discipline room, or a training chamber. If you need a name...."
He paused briefly, then added.
"Well, it depends on how you use it."
The room felt oddly spacious, laid out with eerie efficiency.
Dead center: a frame perfectly suited to restrain a single person.
To either side: slender leather whips and rod-shaped tools at just the right height to reach.
On the walls: blindfolds, leather cuffs for wrists.
On the floor: glossy wooden planks primed to soak up any spills instantly.
No explanation required to guess the purpose.
"You'll find a use for it down the line."
"...I'd rather not."
As I scanned one corner of the room, I picked up a small pebble.
About the size of a bean.
The instant I did—
Buzzzzz.
"...Why's this thing vibrating on its own?"
"Magic tool."
Agram didn't bat an eye.
"Trendy among noble ladies lately, I hear. Can't hurt to have one."
Such "kindness" was the last thing I needed.
I gave the room another once-over.
And drew my conclusion on the spot.
This room was permanently sealed from here on out.
Especially from those two—its existence would stay buried.
'Gotta tell Piel and Aira... I'll handle the cleaning myself.'
My position in the Argent family.
Honestly, it had never been more awkward.
I still wasn't part of the heir lineup. But they couldn't treat me carelessly anymore either.
Like a live wire—trouble if you touched it, trouble if you didn't.
To put it in terms, I felt like that special interest soldier in the army: marked from above, but weirdly no one dared lay a finger on him.
'Touch him and see. I'll tattle to Family Head Agram!'
Anywhere in Argent territory now, I could roam without needless side-eye.
Not just the family head's direct underlings—even the other four heirs' servants—
Whatever their masters felt, they knew the special directive from above. Overt gossiping as me, Piel, or Aira passed had dropped off sharply.
And that was probably why.
My reputation had sunk even lower than before.
Rumors of some young punk already cavorting between women.
With the "reason" for my special treatment being what it was, my image was... well, self-explanatory.
But whatever.
Rumors spread like wildfire anyway.
Since things had come to this, I made up my mind.
"There's a Korean proverb that goes like this."
If you can't dodge it, enjoy it.
My reputation was trashed anyway. Might as well turn it to my advantage.
Crash!
"Wh-What the hell are you doing, Lucas Argent!"
"What else."
I stepped over the shattered door and strode inside.
"Here to collect the debt you owe me."
"Wh-What?!"
The place I'd barged into was none other than Walter's laboratory.
That dank hole even the servants shunned cleaning, lest a wrong touch turn them into guinea pigs.
Club like a baseball bat in hand, I smashed desks and gear indiscriminately as I swept through the room.
"H-Hey! Stop!"
True to a lifelong shut-in, Walter gnashed his teeth and thrust out his palm.
Poised to unleash magic any second.
But that hand never swung my way.
"Hey."
I grinned.
"Attack me now, and that's not picking a fight with me—it's a direct challenge to the family head."
"Uh...?"
"Don't buy it?"
I fished a letter from my breast pocket.
"Read it yourself."
A document stamped bold with Agram's seal.
Walter's face drained of color as he scanned it.
Walter Argent.
In the past Aira princess incident, you nearly sparked a diplomatic disaster without realizing her identity.
Lucas Argent resolved it, leaving you clearly in his debt.
Thus, as compensation akin to proxy blood fate rewards, cede one of your possessions to Lucas.
"Th-This... what the hell?!"
"Exactly what it says."
I shrugged.
"The diplomatic mess you almost unleashed? I cleaned it up."
True story.
Aira's proxy blood fate fiasco could be traced back to this idiot's opening shot, in the end.
"St-Still...!"
Walter wailed like a child on the verge of tears.
"Why smash up my room on top of that?!"
"Huh?"
I thumped the floor once more with the club.
"To find the entrance to your secret underground lab—the one you hid even from the family head—don't I gotta tidy up the place first?"
"H-How did you... you bastard...?!"
I didn't bother answering.
And so, Lucas Argent—now Argent's one and only 'special interest soldier'—had the family head's blessing to demolish Walter's lab with total impunity.
"What the hell are you after that you're invading my secret underground research lab!"
Walter's voice hit near-scream pitch, but I just shrugged.
"Not so much an item as..."
I slung the club over my shoulder and spelled it out.
"...a person."
"...What?"
"Well, by your standards, demons don't even count as people—so probably gets filed under 'item,' huh?"