Chapter 32
Could it be because of my changed appearance?
Surprise flickered in the Count’s eyes.
“Ho ho. This is something. The difference between before and after dressing up is indeed like heaven and earth. Come this way.”
The spot the Count pointed to was right next to him. To have a guest sit right beside him meant he would treat me quite well.
Did I really impress him that much? Well, the scale of the transaction was quite significant, after all.
Although I negotiated a bit on the price, it’s likely that the Count made a considerable profit as well. He probably felt lighter having cleared out the stock.
That’s what he must be thinking now.
As I moved to sit beside him, the Count introduced me.
“This is Kyle Seltarion, the fourth son of the Seltarion family. My lady.”
Hearing this, the Countess smiled brightly.
“I’ve heard that you’ve changed a lot, but seeing you today, it seems to be true.”
Following the Countess’s lead, I greeted her two sons. Their reactions were not bad.
Until now, they had only heard rumors and had not suffered direct harm from this brat.
As I smiled and bowed my head, they too treated me with courtesy.
I didn’t know what the Count had told them before I arrived, but it probably wasn’t anything bad.
After the greetings, I subtly inclined my head towards Iris.
“I saw you rush in earlier. Are you feeling better now?”
As I said this with a slight smile, her face turned bright red.
It truly felt like I was seeing her face a lot.
The young girl was already getting flustered.
“…Ah, yes. Well…”
Seeing this, the Count smiled and asked,
“Ho ho. Why are you suddenly like this? You can’t even answer properly.”
“No, it’s just…”
Her two brothers, who were sitting near her, looked intrigued.
“Why is our youngest not able to act normally today?”
“Indeed.”
“Is it because she’s looking at a handsome guy? She always notices the face first.”
They began to tease her, which was an added bonus.
“…That’s not it!”
“Then say so. Why are you getting angry?”
“Indeed. You’re reacting too sensitively.”
Seeing them tease her, it seemed she was still recognized as the cute youngest daughter within the family.
Well.
Since traits like disdain for the weak or arrogance usually activate against those similar to or above oneself, it’s likely these brothers hadn’t felt such pain.
At best, they might have only experienced her throwing a tantrum occasionally.
Logically speaking, the eldest son and the second son couldn’t be positioned lower than the youngest daughter.
Myers Neiron.
Lehman Neiron.
The ages of the two brothers were clearly higher than mine.
The result of my keen observation confirmed this.
The eldest, Myers, was 18 years old, and the second son, Lehman, was 15 years old.
Considering Iris was 8, they would naturally view her as the cute little sister.
‘By the way, their favorability isn’t low.’
Initially, Iris had shown a favorability of -40 towards me, while the two brothers had a favorability of 0.
Thinking it over, I found the answer.
Iris.
That little girl was quite sharp.
So when the Count mentioned meeting me, she must have realized the purpose right away.
A blind date.
But given that the man at such a blind date had a reputation as a notorious brat, it wasn’t surprising she didn’t have a good impression.
Although she might have heard that I had changed, how much could I have really changed, right?
Moreover, considering she probably heard I was a 1st circle mage, it’s likely the disdain for the weak had activated strongly.
In contrast, the two brothers probably lived without paying any attention to me.
Originally, their favorability might have been slightly negative, but perhaps the Count’s good words lifted it to 0.
‘0 isn’t bad at all.’
The two brothers were individuals I was somewhat familiar with. I had visited often to sell livestock, so we had talked quite a bit.
The eldest son was a knight who could handle himself, while the second son was talented in commerce.
In terms of gain, the only valuable one in the Count’s family was the little girl.
However, it wouldn’t hurt to get along with them.
Soon, dishes began to be placed on the table one by one.
Luxurious foods displayed beautifully on plates. Seeing this, the Count smiled warmly and said,
“Go ahead and eat. I told you earlier, right? The chef’s skills are quite good.”
“I’m looking forward to it. Thank you, Count.”
“Right. Eat comfortably.”
Perhaps due to the comfortable atmosphere combined with a delicious meal?
The meal time flowed more smoothly than expected.
The two brothers asked so many questions that I hardly had a moment of boredom.
After we finished the meal, I bowed my head and stepped outside.
While walking back to my room, I heard a voice from behind.
“Can we talk for a moment?”
Oh.
She had been as quiet as a mouse during dinner, but now she was crossing her arms and casually throwing out her request, clearly indicating she was reluctant to speak.
How in the world did she receive etiquette training?
At eight years old, one should be charming, not reserved.
Indeed.
It seemed that I couldn’t just pamper this little brat if I wanted to reform her.
I had to take a strong stance to make her come to her senses.
“Iris. Do you think I would accept your request if you approach me with such a rude attitude?”
“…What did you say?”
“If you want to request a meeting, you need to speak politely.”
Upon hearing my words, the little brat’s face flushed with embarrassment.
It was probably the first time someone had responded to her in such a way.
I could tell she wanted to ask something.
It was obvious what that would be.
Most likely, it was about the magic I had shown earlier.
If she’s curious, she needs to approach me politely, little one.
First, I would start with etiquette training.
“If you have nothing more to say, I will be taking my leave.”
As I turned away without hesitation, I heard her call out.
“…Wait….”
“‘Wait’ is informal speech.”
“…Huh. I’d like to have a word with you. Is that okay?”
“Uncross your arms. That’s a very rude posture. From now on, I won’t ask you twice.”
“…….”
What would she do if she glared at me?
As I showed signs of turning back once more, the little brat slowly uncrossed her arms.
“…Is that good enough?”
“I’ve heard about your behavior.”
“…….”
“I had my own bad rumors, and it seems you have some as well.”
“…Why are you suddenly bringing that up?”
“I truly despise such people. That’s why I’m trying to change. So if you want to talk to me, you should start working on changing your attitude from today.”
At my words, Iris looked at me as if she found it absurd.
“Why should I?”
“If you don’t want to, this conversation ends here. I won’t be visiting you again. Our connection will end here. Do you refuse to follow my words? Then you can say so right now.”
If she didn’t want to, then we could end it.
It would be a shame to waste her talent, but I hadn’t intended to recruit her as a subordinate from the start.
Was it because of my firm attitude?
“…….”
She hung her head low, as if deep in thought, unable to respond.
She must have been very curious about the magic I used.
Considering the favorability rating I saw when we had lunch earlier, it was clear that this little brat had fallen head over heels for Kyle.
She couldn’t easily refuse because of reasons like that. Well, that was the intention behind my strong approach.
After a moment.
Iris glanced at me and quietly replied.
“…Fine. I’ll try. Is that enough?”
Worship of appearance.
I suspected that her trait had come into play quite strongly.
Soon, our eyes met.
It seemed she had simply thrown out a response, but given how difficult it was to truly reform her from the start, this level was acceptable for now.
“Good.”
“Then, follow me. This place isn’t suitable for talking.”
The place Iris led me to appeared to be a garden.
“What do you want to discuss?”
“…About that magic. How did you activate it? There’s no method for casting magic that quickly and powerfully in any magic book.”
I wondered what she had been thinking while locked up in her room, but now it seemed she had been contemplating my magic all along.
For her, it must have been a completely new and fascinating technique.
She had taken the bait.
“I created it.”
“…You created it?”
“Yes.”
“How do you activate it?”
Soon, I could see her light brown pupils filled with a mix of curiosity and expectation. Despite being a little delinquent, it seemed she genuinely had an interest in magic.
But could this little brat possibly think that if she asked, she would receive an answer right away?
“Why should I tell you? This is a skill that’s essentially my lifeline. Asking about someone else’s vision is quite rude, my lady.”
As I replied with a firm tone, a look of indignation appeared in her eyes.
“But you promised earlier. Doesn’t that mean you should tell me something too?”
“What kind of miraculous logic is that? The promise we made was about whether to have a conversation or not. Besides, I don’t even know if you will actually change your attitude.”
“…So, does that mean if I keep my promise… you’ll tell me?”
“That’s a possibility.”
If she faithfully keeps the promise we made earlier, the wretched traits would gradually dilute.
If that happens, there would be no problem with recruiting her.
It also meant there would be no issue in strengthening her abilities.
Of course, a few preliminary steps would be necessary to pass on the mixed operating method.
At my words, her eyes sparkled with anticipation.
“I’ll keep it.”
“Don’t lie.”
“It’s not a lie.”
“Look into my eyes; it’s obvious. Aren’t you just throwing out words? You don’t seem to have any willpower.”
At that, the girl’s expression changed, reflecting a slight pang of guilt.
After rolling her eyes for a moment, she said, “…No, I’m not.”
She shot back with a haughty expression.
Yep, that approach doesn’t work.
After meeting her gaze, I warned her, “Lies don’t work on me.”
Though she has traits related to acting, she’s still just a girl who hasn’t fully matured.
She’s no match for someone like me, who has seen rotten waters.
“…So, you can’t tell me?”
“There is a way.”
“…A way?”
“We can write a magical contract.”
Even if I can’t trust this girl’s words, I can trust the contract. The more expensive the contract, the more it can restrict the range of obligations and adjust the penalties for failing to uphold them.
So, placing restrictions through a contract would be the best strategy against this cunning girl.
Her eyes widened in surprise at my words.
“…What did you say? A magical contract?”
“If you don’t want to, you don’t have to.”
“I heard from my father. Didn’t he say you would teach me magic? So, I’ve heard he also gave a gift, so this isn’t right.”
“Oh, that.”
I smiled at her.
“I never discussed with the Count about what I would teach you.”
“Y-you…”
“If you have a complaint, go tell the Count. But… I doubt the Count would try to steal my core for just a trinket like this.”
“…”
“Make your decision now. If you sign the contract with me, I can tell you about my magic operating method. Otherwise, well, we’ll just end up having a tedious conversation.”
“What do I believe to sign a contract with you?”
“Before you sign the contract, we can have it notarized in front of the Count.”
I already had conditions thought out.
Including penalties for not adhering to the terms.
With my conditions, it was obvious that the Count would nod in agreement.
After all, I would be offering to make his daughter a proper person while sharing my magic formula.
Any sane individual would agree.
“…Do you have a contract?”
“Isn’t it with the Count? If I tell him that we need to draft a contract regarding you, I’m sure he will provide the finest one.”
“What did you say?”
“My magic formula is priceless. I could buy hundreds of those contracts.”
“…It’s only first circle magic, isn’t it?”
“True, for now.”
“…”
“So, will you make a deal?”
“What are the terms?”
“I’ll discuss those with the Count. Let’s hear them together then.”
Soon, Iris nodded her head.
It seems my magic formula was indeed enticing enough for her.
Now that she’s taken the bait, it’s time to reel her in.
If I can just get her to sign the magical contract, my rehabilitation would be a matter of time.
With that, Iris and I started heading toward the Count’s office.
—
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