Chapter 65
Three hundred attendants, my foot.
He’d never liked having anyone hovering around him since long ago. Naturally, he always entered the meeting room alone.
“So, are you saying you’re confronting me about that now?”
“I’m not accusing you! I’m saying that’s just the reality!”
“What did you say? Thieving bastard mindset? Are you serious right now?”
“Am I wrong though?”
The meeting hall was already a mess. Seated on opposite sides, people were pointing fingers and yelling at each other.
Even after all these years, nothing had changed about this scene. In its own way… nostalgic?
“Our region suffered damage because your side didn’t defend properly!”
“How was I supposed to know it’d turn out like that?! What’s next, blaming me for the rain?!”
“Now you’re finally starting to understand.”
“You son of a—!”
Step—
“Ah, th-that’s…!”
“Oh…”
“Ahem.”
The once-raucous meeting hall quieted in an instant.
All it took was Kainel’s entrance.
Some things never change.
It was always like this. Whenever that guy showed up, everyone would suddenly clam up like they’d swallowed a bee.
He’s always had that kind of presence.
A few of the nobles who had been standing and shouting awkwardly sat down, flustered.
“……”
But Kainel didn’t even glance at the people watching him.
He passed them without a second thought, sat down, and immediately closed his eyes.
Apparently, he had no intention of speaking until the Emperor or the Crown Prince arrived.
“So what do you suggest we do now?”
“You still don’t get it, do you? With comprehension skills like that… no wonder you can’t manage your region and mess up someone else’s.”
“You bastard! You done running your mouth?!”
“Am I done? Far from it. How many times do I have to say it? You should be sending soldiers to our side instead of yours!”
Since Kainel wasn’t speaking, the nobles grew bold again and raised their voices.
After initially watching their tone, they quickly returned to screaming at each other.
Even without listening closely, it was obvious what they were arguing about.
A bunch of selfish shouting over protecting their own interests. At that, Ceres, quietly standing behind Kainel, couldn’t help but smirk.
“If there’s no proper defense plan this time either, I won’t stay silent!”
Yeah, right.
“What are you gonna do then? You should be protecting your territory instead of whining to us every time!”
Sure, buddy.
“You guys get more imperial support than us anyway! It’s only fair that you contribute more!”
What a joke.
Those bastards sure have big rice bowls. Always throwing a fit about not getting enough food, despite how much they already get.
What are they, beggars?
Why are they always screeching for more?
Hm?
Suddenly, the nobles’ gazes began to drift toward Ceres.
Did I… accidentally mutter that out loud?
Even if she had, it couldn’t have been that loud.
Feeling awkward, Ceres flashed a faint, embarrassed smile—only to realize they weren’t looking at her.
They were all staring at Kainel.
Huh?
Wasn’t he asleep?
From her position behind him, there didn’t seem to be anything different. He still had his chin rested on his hand, as before.
But the nobles seated across from him, who could see him from the front, were struck speechless.
Is he…
…smiling?
There it was—on his face with closed eyes—a soft smile.
Ding.
“……? We’re closed.”
It was already nearing midnight.
Ceres, who had stopped by the shop after a long while, lit a single dim lamp and was waiting for Ben from the Sky organization.
Because she had been stuck at Kainel’s side for a while, she hadn’t been able to properly oversee Antonion and the other children’s training.
So she had sent Ben there instead, and tonight, she was scheduled to receive a report from him on their training status.
“Ah… the shop is… cough.”
Someone stepped inside the closed shop.
He wore a gray robe pulled deep over his head, so his face was hard to see, but his voice sounded fairly young.
“Cough, cough!”
“…?”
“Cough, cough… coughcoughcoughcoughcough——!”
…If you’re planning to die, could you do it outside?
Ceres stared at the man who kept coughing nonstop, unable to hide her disbelief.
What the hell?
Don’t leave a corpse for me to clean up in my shop.
Letting out a short sigh, Ceres got up and headed to the kitchen. She immediately opened a subspace and pulled out some herbs effective for coughs and began boiling a tea.
“Cough, cough!”
“Drink.”
“Huh? Ah, thank y—krrff! Cough.”
As the man received the warm herbal tea, Ceres watched him silently.
She couldn’t clearly see his complexion, but the coughing sounded deep—evidence not of a simple cold but something festering long-term.
Sigh.
After drinking, the man let out a long breath. Even his breathing seemed much calmer than before.
Once he set the teacup down, he slowly removed the robe from his head.
…Pretty, huh.
So that’s what people meant by “delicately beautiful.”
What kind of guy looked this pretty?
His pale lavender hair, flowing down to his shoulders, and his almost translucent fair skin suited him strikingly well.
“What kind of tea is this? It’s really nice.”
“If you’re done, leave. We’re closed.”
“Ah, sorry. I didn’t realize the shop closed so early.”
“Do you not know how to read a clock?”
“Huh?”
Ceres pointed toward a clock on the wall.
The man, seeing the hour hand pointing to twelve, let out a sheepish chuckle.
“I guess I did come pretty late.”
Ceres, throwing him a look that said “then get going,” turned her attention back to the store ledger she’d been reviewing.
Ever since Kainel stopped showing up at the shop, business had been going steadily as usual.
Apparently, the Black Mercenary Corps had recently held a group dinner here too.
She vaguely remembered hearing that some of their members were grumbling about why every party had to be here.
Not my problem.
Their commander’s a loyal regular, and I love that for us.
Please stay in that position for a long, long time.
“Thanks for the tea.”
When she looked up at his voice, he was already smiling and heading toward the door.
But then Ceres noticed something left on the table.
A single shining gold coin.
It seemed he left it as payment for the tea.
“If you’re gonna pay, pay properly.”
Do you know how much those herbs cost? Just the ingredients alone are worth more than two gold coins.
I, okay? Only gave it to you out of kindness because I didn’t want to deal with a corpse. Be grateful.
“…What’s with the gold coin?”
A familiar voice came from behind as she picked it up.
It was Ben, the Sky member she’d been waiting for.
“The kids?”
“All got home safe.”
“Any injuries?”
“Let me ask seriously—what is that place?”
Ben finally voiced the question he’d always wondered about.
From the moment he’d first stepped foot there, he’d felt it—there was something weird about that training ground.
No, very weird.
Wounds heal instantly!
A kid had tripped and scraped himself, and the blood had barely appeared before it healed right before his eyes!
The children were already used to it, but Ben had stood there dumbfounded, jaw dropped, for quite a while.
“That’s just a normal training ground, right?”
“Yep. Nothing you need to know.”
“It’s not a normal training ground, is it?! Right?!”
He should’ve realized the moment he saw that snow-covered mountain.
Even as Ben kept pressing the same question, Ceres ignored him and turned her head toward the direction the coughing man had left.
Maybe I should’ve told him to check in at the Ellsia Count’s Estate?
Would that have been meddling?
Surely he’s not going to collapse and die somewhere, right?
That’d be troublesome.
If he died nearby, it’d be a pain. Especially since the last place he stopped was her shop, and she’d given him herbal tea. She’d be the first suspect.
“Are you even listening to me?”
“Nope.”
He looked pretty—strangely like someone familiar.
“That training ground is seriously suspicious!”
“You’re too noisy.”
***
“So that’s the woman the young master has taken an interest in recently?”
Far from the shop, the man in the gray robe murmured quietly.
“Yes. They’ve been sticking together quite a bit lately.”
Right on cue, another figure silently stepped out from the shadows—a man who looked to be in his mid-to-late twenties.
“Sir Chaian even hired her as his temporary secretary, and he apparently visits this shop almost every day.”
“Hmmm…”
Alex’s eyes narrowed slightly as he gazed at the shop from a distance, its dim light still glowing faintly in the night.
A faint smile spread across his lips.
—
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