Chapter 58 – Kielune
#058.
Kiik-
“Please go in.”
When Albert opened the door and headed inside, the banquet hall came into view.
The first thing that caught my eye was the long table. A middle-aged man was sitting in the chair. The gentleman with an impressive well-groomed mustache was Viscount Gartin Kielun, the ruler of the Kielun estate.
Aris was waving to Gaon and Chorin who had just entered from the side.
Gaon greeted with a wink and bowed to the viscount.
“Meet Viscount Kielune. It is an honor to invite you to dinner.”
“It is an honour!”
As Gaon and Chorin greeted each other with courtesy, the Viscount raised his hand and pointed to an empty seat.
“Nice to meet you. Sit down once Let’s have a slow meal and talk.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
“Thank you!”
Chorin didn’t know the example in the Pentra Empire, so he just repeated Gaon’s last words like a parrot. However, he didn’t point out anything about such clumsy manners, as if the viscount understood it.
They walked slowly, without making a sound, and put their buttocks on their seats.
As soon as they were seated, the maids who were waiting in advance brought food.
The first thing that came out was a warm soup with button mushrooms. The savory smell that came up solsol made me hungry.
When everyone’s eyes gathered, the viscount announced the start of the meal.
“Then take it.”
As he said that, he lifted his spoon and scooped up the soup, and everyone followed suit.
The meal continued without a word for a while, and after about 3 minutes, when the soup was moderately warm, the viscount broke the uncomfortable silence.
“A month ago, I heard that Aris took care of her at the Devil’s Palace in Lesti Manor. Thank you.”
“It is overrated. You would have been safe if we hadn’t been there. Rather, thanks to sharing the shelter, we are comfortable.”
Gaon’s words are not wrong.
In fact, even if they hadn’t intervened, nothing would have happened to Aris.
But the viscount didn’t seem to think so, so he just nodded calmly.
“Thank you for saying that. … Rather, let’s get to the point. If you take on a personal request, the artifact must be returned to the homeowner. If you don’t, you’ll get a wanted letter and you’ll be chased by the chasers. Will you still do it?”
“Of course. What we need right now is not an artifact.”
“… Okay. Did you say Earthlings? I heard you are from the Third District.”
‘Is he also the head of an aristocratic family?’
The fact that they came from Earth is information that cannot be grasped without going through the mercenary guild. It seems that as soon as I heard about him from my daughter-in-law, she started investigating.
It was like secretly doing a background investigation, but I didn’t feel particularly bad. If he hadn’t thought of it at all, he might have already expected it to some degree.
‘By the way, it’s the 3rd district…’
3rd District.
It refers to the dimension from which they came.
A month had passed since they came to Union.
During that time, the word “Incompetent district” Was widely spread, but such a derogatory term cannot be used in front of the person concerned. The Viscount was a very considerate type.
“Yes. It’s from there. I was surprised when I first heard it. It means that there are as many as three different Earths.”
“I understand. They said there was no such case in Union. It must have been a lot of hardship for them to bear the blame they made.”
“It’s okay. So far, I haven’t had any major penalties for it.”
“… Okay. Then, after the meal, let’s sign the contract. I’ll keep going for now.”
After that, there was no further conversation.
Since the viscount and Gaon were nothing more than a relationship formed by mutual benefit, they did not bother to take care of themselves.
However, perhaps this was not the case with Aris, he would often ask about Gaon’s personal information during meals. It was a bonus that Chorin’s lips protruded every time that happened.
Has it been about an hour since you started eating?
It was time to drink tea to help with digestion after all the supper.
The Viscount, who had been silent until then, opened his mouth.
“I’ll have all the items needed for the artifact search ready by tomorrow morning. Until then, get some rest. Then I just wake up. It’s because the work isn’t finished yet.”
“Yes. I’ll see you next time then.”
As he answered without hesitation, the Viscount’s voice echoed in Gaon’s mind.
– I have something to talk about for a while, so let’s see.
As I noticed from the first time I saw him, Viscount Kielun was a very good wizard unlike Aris. Hearing the Message Magic, Gaon moved Mana and sent a doctor. It is a technique often called electric sound in martial arts.
-All right. Then where can I go?
-There is an office on the third floor. Leave the servants on standby.
After sharing a rough opinion, Gaon gave a slight nod of his head in agreement. At that, the Viscount got up from his chair and left the banquet hall.
After the viscount left, the moment when silence seemed to be maintained for a moment, Aris came running and grabbed Gaon’s arm.
“Brother Gaon. It’s a break until tomorrow anyway, so why don’t you look around the territory? Let me guide you!”
“A guide?”
“Yes! You said you’d be here for a while. Finding artifacts will take quite a while anyway. You have to learn the geography of the surroundings so that you don’t feel uncomfortable living in the meantime!”
There is absolutely nothing wrong with Aris’ words.
The problem is that right now I have to meet the Viscount first.
“I see. But right now I’m in trouble. I’ll ask you in 30 minutes.”
“All right! Then see you in 30 minutes. I will send the maid.”
As if it didn’t matter that much, Aris let go of her arm and walked out of her banquet hall with light steps.
So, the only ones left were Gaon, Chorin, and the maids who cleaned the tableware.
She separated Aris, but her chorin remained.
“Lee Cho-rin. Would you like to go back to your room first? I’m going to go to the bathroom.”
“… The bathroom is in the room too.”
Her refutation flew as soon as she could spit out an excuse. How come her eyes are fierce
Gaon tilted his head, wondering what else was going on, and hurriedly walked towards his entrance, thinking that the tail would only be caught when the horse was longer.
“It is because it is urgent. I will go first.”
“Oh! Now, hold on!”
“Yes? What is it?”
But she didn’t let go easily.
She hurriedly approached her and turned around to ask her hand grasping her collar, opening her mouth and closing her again.
As she stared at her, wondering what she was doing, Chorin let out a long sigh and shook her head.
“That… It’s nothing.”
“Then I will go.”
“Yes…”
Chorin’s expression darkened strangely.
She wanted to know what was going on, but she met the viscount and thought it wouldn’t be too late to ask, so she headed straight for the third floor.
As she climbed the stairs, she saw a maid waiting by the window in front of her with her hands clasped together. She had a neat charm for a woman wearing a black and white summer maid outfit.
As I got closer to her, she lowered her waist and said.
“The head of the household told me to bring Hyuugaon. Please follow me.”
“Please guide me.”
The maid, who met her eyes and lowered her head again, soon turned to her side and she took the lead.
As I watched from behind her, my eyes focused on the white nape of her neck. It seemed that the maid’s clothes, which were not stained, emphasized that skin even more.
As she was looking at the interior of her hallway, trying to take her eyes off her, she soon arrived in front of the office.
From the door, it was clear that this was the office, as it had a distinctly luxurious appearance compared to the others.
The maid soon knocked on her door and she announced Gaon’s visit.
─Let it go.
“Yes. All right. … Then go on vacation.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Saying that, Gaon stepped aside and bowed her head to the maid. It didn’t mean much, but after briefly tidying up her outfit, he went inside.
As soon as I opened the door, I saw the viscount in front of me.
She was sitting in front of her desk with her back to the window, her hands clasped and her chin resting on them, her expression hardened with a serious look.
I didn’t do anything wrong, but I feel like I should apologize. The viscount frowned as if thinking about something, then met Gaon’s eyes before getting up and heading to the sofa next to him.
“Sit down. I have something to talk about.”
“Is it important?”
“That’s right. In a way, it’s even more serious than the Demonic Realm.”
“… Excuse me.”
Was there an inside story he didn’t know existed in the Kielun estate? He didn’t know much about it, because he was elsewhere to take up an important opportunity at this time.
However, we only know the approximate location of the artifact due to rumors that spread later. Other than that, it’s safe to say that Kielune is a blank slate.
The viscount asked as Gaon hardened his face equally seriously and sat down on the sofa across from him.
“Hey, what’s your relationship with my daughter?”
“… Yes?”
“I asked what your relationship was with my daughter. Could it be that you’re already dating or something like that?”
“…”
The tension in my body leaked out like air from a balloon. Feeling despondent to the point that his hair turned white in an instant, he let out a long sigh and buried his back deeply into the sofa.
However, the Viscount groaned, as if interpreting such a reaction in a negative way, and took a heavy pouch from his bosom and placed it on the table.
“Aris is only 15 years old now. She is a child After losing her mother as a child, she often feels lonely. The expert said it was also called a lack of affection.”
“… I know what you want to say. But I’m not particularly related to her young lady.”
Gaon was offended by the misunderstanding between him and Aris, but he felt even more annoyed at the way she tried to convince him with her money.
To convince him, he had to bring some dragon hearts, not money. He returned his purse, repeating that it was his father’s delusion about his daughter.
“It’s okay not to make excuses. I know you and your daughter share good feelings. It’s just an advance payment for the request.”
But the Viscount did not believe it at all.
On the contrary, wouldn’t it be to offer it again under the pretext of advance payment?
While thinking about how to persuade Gaon, he thought of Chorin and opened his mouth.
“I’m sorry, but it’s really a misunderstanding. I like mature women.”
“If you are a mature woman…”
“My colleague Cho-rin Lee is two years older than me.”
“… Right. Excuse me.”
Aris Ki Elune is the same age as her, but she doesn’t look mature at all. He has weird eyeballs if there’s a guy who says he’s mature even after looking at his meager breasts, or maybe he’s a pedophile if that’s not the case.
When she had no choice but to mention Chorin, the viscount raised her eyes wide, nodded her head in agreement, and then bowed her head in apology.
It was unacceptable for the head of a viscount’s family to bow down to a mere mercenary. However, now he is just a father of a daughter, not the head of a household.
Gaon also knew that, so he dared to say it around the corner. If it wasn’t for that, he might have said he was an aristocrat and openly hated his wife’s daughter’s breasts because they were too small.
“Keep your head up. As a father, I understand your concern for your children.”
“… Thank you so much for saying that. Take this.”
When Gaon said he understood, the viscount raised his head and smiled, pushing his money bag.
When Gaon frowned at him, he shook his head excitedly and continued.
“It’s not like I’m telling you to shut up or break up. I don’t like using money instead, but I’d like to give it as a token of apology. If anything, you can think of it as an advance payment for a request. Will you accept my apology?”
“… If you say so, I will accept it.”
To refuse even this is to deny his favor. He doesn’t know how much it cost, but it probably wasn’t particularly burdensome for him. It would be prudent here to build his ego like this.
“Then I’ll just go.”
“Okay, let’s go. Then let’s see next time You must be looking forward to the search for the artifact.”
“Of course.”
Having said goodbye to the viscount for the last time, Gaon tried to leave the room.
Right. He was trying to get out. If the Viscount hadn’t caught it again before escaping.
“Wait a minute!”
“What else do you have to say?”
“Are you serious about what you said? Is it true that you said you weren’t interested in Aris?”
“… Seriously. It’s kind of hard to say that Lady Aris, but isn’t she a child? I am not a pedophile.”
“Right. I feel relieved. Good going.”
“Yes. Then sincerely, really, let’s go for the last time.”
Gaon was exhausted and left the room saying that with an expression full of annoyance.
