NOVEL NEXT Chapter 88
“…Did you fancy up your shovel a bit?”
“What do you mean?”
“It looks fancier than before, that’s what I’m saying.”
Having a large budget assigned to me, what does that mean?
It means I can splurge!
Splurging means I can invest that money in the future.
A legal splurge to save the world.
So, I stand proud.
“I polished it with expensive oil. That’s it.”
“No way, that wouldn’t make it shine like that! No matter how I look at it, it seems like mithril… right? It’s mithril, isn’t it?”
Renny’s suspicious gaze landed on the shovel resting on my workbench. My once white shovel blade sparkled with a silver hue, scattering blue light. Even the village mutt could tell it wasn’t made of ordinary material.
…Should I get some dirt on it?
But still, it seemed like it would be hard to hide the beautiful sight that was sure to excite anyone. I subtly blocked Renny’s view with my bulky frame. Yet, that alone wouldn’t deter her sharp gaze. I approached Renny purposely and placed my hand on her shoulder.
“…There’s a little left.”
“What?”
“A little mithril left. Didn’t you complain that the quality of the sword you were using was lacking? I could coat it with mithril.”
“Wait, didn’t you buy that with the budget for making a passage? That’s embezzlement…”
Renny’s eyes, meeting mine, were shaking like crazy. It was only natural. What kind of inspector wouldn’t want a sword made of mithril? If there’s an inspector who can resist mithril, they’re either an adult or just lying.
So, it’s only natural that Renny would be interested in mithril.
I thoroughly capitalized on that point.
“It’s alright. I made sure there won’t be any traces left. If it’s just a coating, no one will notice.”
“But still…”
“It’s for Karina.”
At that, Renny’s expression changed dramatically. She regained her composure quickly, but it was a green light. Mentioning Karina when talking to a Karina fan was pretty effective. I began to whisper sweet words to persuade Renny like a snake.
“Think about it. Our primary goal is to protect Karina. To protect her effectively, we need to use quality weapons, don’t we? If my sword breaks during combat, do I plan to fight with my bare hands? Against armed enemies? Recall the foes we’ve faced to get here.”
At my words, Renny’s face hardened. That meant my argument was landing.
Wyverns, zealots, various monsters. No matter how good the weapons made of iron are, they are still just iron. Outside of battle, I could repair or buy a new sword, but that’s impossible during combat.
But what if it’s a sword coated in mithril? Just coating it with mithril provides strength beyond comparison, that’s common sense in this world. That’s why wealthy inspectors are always desperate to get any amount of mithril, no matter how small.
“Are you thinking of discussing honor against an enemy that uses any means necessary?”
At my last statement, Renny finally looked like she had no choice. Since she’s also from the mercenary side, she couldn’t be a stickler for honor, so my persuasion was effective. I was glad she wasn’t the type to be inflexible.
Eventually, Renny, unable to resist my persuasion, shook her head in resignation and asked her last question.
“…You won’t get caught, right?”
“If we just don’t slip up.”
What kind of person would pay attention to my shovel? As long as Renny doesn’t pull out the sword from the sheath, it would be fine. As long as we don’t mess up, this embezzlement would go unnoticed. I intentionally made the emergency passage quite elaborate.
“…Next time you do something like this, let me know first.”
“Understood.”
Looks like I’ll have a lot to talk about in the future.
“So, what’s going on in the workshop?”
“Didn’t the school ban get lifted two days ago?”
“Oh. Was that so?”
I lost track of time playing with this material called mithril, having spent almost four days holed up in the workshop. I yawned and listened to Renny.
“Elisa came back from class today looking around for you. But you know her personality. She’s probably too scared to move a muscle. So, I came to tell you myself.”
“You’re so thoughtful.”
“She’s practically my first subordinate.”
“Subordinate… huh.”
While not officially, she’s working as an administrative staff member, so it’s not entirely wrong. I easily nodded since Renny’s statement wasn’t inaccurate. I should have done something subordinate-like at least.
“Yeah. Unlike you, who’s nominally an underling, I really have to take care of her. She’s the type that needs a lot of attention… but she’s been doing a pretty good job. Thanks to her, things have gotten easier.”
“That’s a relief.”
If she fainted out of fear like when she deals with me, it would be more trouble than help. Hearing that she was doing well put my mind at ease.
“So, does that mean I should go and ask her directly?”
“Yep. Ask her directly. At this rate, she’ll be moping around for days and not be able to say a word.”
“Understood.”
“Then I’m off? It hasn’t been long since lunch ended, so come back around dinner time and we’ll talk. You can naturally create a moment to chat when you come up to eat. Karina has been worried since you haven’t been coming up much.”
“Dinner… huh.”
“Are you coming up today?”
Whoa. When did she arrive? I turned to see Millia standing in front of the door, on her kickboard, shining with excitement.
“Are we having dinner together today?”
“Sure.”
“Hehe, we can all gather for a meal today!”
Unable to contain her joy, Millia zoomed off on her kickboard. We exchanged glances and shrugged, bewildered by her sudden appearance and disappearance.
“Doesn’t she get tired of playing all day? Are all Dullahans like that?”
“I don’t think that’s the case.”
I can’t picture a pack of Beagle-like Dullahans hanging around everywhere.
We laughed, looking at each other.
——————-
“Elisa.”
As soon as dinner ended, I approached Elisa, who occasionally glanced at me shyly. When I came closer, she shrank back like a frightened hamster, but I disregarded that and knelt down to match her eye level.
“Elisa.”
“Y-Yes?!”
Don’t panic. The servants are whispering while looking at me. I didn’t do anything. I’m innocent. I tried to ignore the uncomfortable stares and continued.
“I heard you were looking for me.”
“O-Oh, um… y-yes…”
“What’s the reason for looking for me? If it’s something hard to discuss here, we can talk somewhere else.”
At my words, Elisa scanned the surroundings and nodded.
“I… w-want to talk… somewhere else…”
“Got it.”
I stood up and dusted myself off. The servants always clean rigorously, so I didn’t expect to be dirty, but it was a habit from rolling around in the dirt.
“Lead the way. I’ll follow you to where you feel comfortable.”
“Y-Yes…”
I followed the girl with the dim purple hair out of the cafeteria. Elisa headed towards her room. It’s not large, but it’s not a bad room for a staff accommodation. Elisa hesitated for a moment before asking me in a small voice.
“D-Do you drink black tea…?”
“If you make it, I’ll drink it.”
“P-Please wait a moment…”
Elisa opened the teapot on a drawer in the corner of the room and reached out her hand toward the spout, casting a spell.
“…Water.”
As soon as her spell finished, a ball of water the size of a baseball appeared right above the teapot’s opening. It was my first time seeing magic so closely. I watched Elisa’s little magic show with keen interest.
Elisa placed the magically made sphere into the pot, pulled out some tea leaves from the drawer, and put them inside the teapot. She then fiddled with a flat board that looked like a magic tool.
There’s no gas stove here, but there’s an electric one? Curiosity bubbled inside me about how it works, but I decided to set that aside for now. I quietly sat on a chair and waited for the water to boil.
Awkward silence.
We sat without a word, staring blankly at the teapot waiting for the water to boil.
With me being at a loss for words and Elisa being the epitome of shyness—it was a stifling atmosphere that just wouldn’t break. Eventually, we were able to speak again only when both teacups were filled with tea.
“You brew tea well.”
“Thank you…”
The start of smooth communication begins with a compliment. I took a sip of the fragrant black tea and continued.
“So, what did you want to talk about?”
“Um… it’s just that…”
Elisa’s gaze fixated on her teacup. I patiently savored the flavor of the black tea as I waited for her to speak. It wouldn’t take more than a few minutes, so I didn’t feel the need to rush her.
Elisa finally found her voice after I almost emptied my teacup.
“C-Can you help me with my assignment?!”
“Understood.”
“Y-Yes?!”
“Helping with an assignment isn’t difficult, you know.”
Let’s build some affection with her while we’re at it and tackle some missions together. I’m getting curious about the next mission.
“Thank you so much!”
It was the first time I saw her smiling so brightly. I felt relieved as I moved on to the most important question.
“So, what’s the assignment? You need to tell me the specifics for me to help you.”
What kind of assignment requires my help?
I looked at her with curiosity. Elisa seemed burdened by my gaze as she squeezed her eyes shut and finally spilled the details.
“C-Can you come with me to the dungeon?!”