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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“…Your shovel looks a bit fancier now, doesn’t it?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I mean, your shovel seems more elaborate than before.”
What did it mean to have a large allocated budget?
It meant I could splurge.
Splurging meant I could invest in the future with that money.
Legal splurging to save the world.
So I was confident.
“I just polished it with expensive oil. That’s all.”
“No, it wouldn’t sparkle like that just from that. No matter how I look at it, that seems to be mithril… It’s mithril, right? Isn’t it?”
Renny’s suspicious gaze turned towards the shovel on my workbench.
The blade of my shovel, which used to be white, was now gleaming silver with a blue sheen.
Even a neighborhood mutt could tell that this shovel blade wasn’t made of ordinary materials.
…Should I cover it with some dirt?
But its beautiful form, which was exciting just to look at, couldn’t be hidden so easily.
I casually blocked Renny’s line of sight with my bulky frame.
However, that alone wasn’t enough to divert Renny’s sharp gaze.
I deliberately approached Renny and put my hand on her shoulder.
“…I have a little left over.”
“What?”
“A little mithril left over. Didn’t you complain that the quality of your sword wasn’t very good? I can coat it with mithril.”
“No, isn’t this bought with the budget for making the tunnels? That’s embezzlement…”
Renny’s eyes wavered wildly as they met mine.
It was natural.
What knight wouldn’t be tempted by a sword made of mithril?
If there was a knight who could resist mithril, they were either a saint or a liar.
So, Renny must be interested in mithril too.
I thoroughly exploited this point.
“It’s fine. I made sure not to leave any traces. If it’s just coating, no one will notice.”
“But still…”
“It’s for Karina’s sake.”
At my words, Renny’s expression changed dramatically.
Although she quickly regained her composure, this was still a green light.
Mentioning Karina to someone devoted to her was quite effective.
I began to whisper sweet words like a viper to persuade Renny.
“Think about it. Our primary goal is to protect Karina. To protect Karina effectively, shouldn’t we use high-quality weapons? Do you plan to fight with your bare hands if your sword breaks during a fight? Against armed enemies? Remember the opponents we’ve faced to get here.”
Renny’s face hardened at my words.
It meant my words were sinking in.
Wyverns, fanatics, various monsters.
No matter how high-quality the iron, a weapon made of iron was still just iron.
When not in battle, you could repair it or buy a new sword, but that was not possible in the middle of combat.
But what about a mithril-coated sword?
It was common sense in this world that even just coating with mithril boasted incomparable durability to iron.
That was why wealthy knights were desperate to obtain even a fist-sized amount of mithril.
“Are you thinking about honor when facing enemies who will use any means necessary?”
At my final words, Renny made an expression of resignation.
She was from a mercenary background so she was not the type to talk about honor like a knight, so my persuasion was working well.
I was glad she was not a stubborn person.
Finally giving in to my persuasion, Renny shook her head as if she had no choice and asked one last question.
“…You’re sure we won’t get caught?”
“Not unless we confess.”
Who would pay attention to my shovel?
And as long as Renny didn’t draw her sword from its scabbard, it didn’t matter.
As long as we didn’t slip up, this embezzlement wouldn’t be discovered.
I had even taken care to make the emergency passages quite elaborate.
“…Next time you’re going to do something like this, tell me first.”
“Understood.”
Looks like we’ll have a lot to talk about in the future.
“So, what’s going on in the workshop?”
“The school closure order was lifted two days ago, wasn’t it?”
“Ah. Was it?”
I hadn’t realized so much time had passed while I was fiddling with the incredibly tricky mithril.
I had been cooped up in the workshop for nearly four days.
I yawned and listened to Renny’s words.
“Elisa came back from class today and seemed to be looking for you, fidgeting. But you know her personality. She gets so nervous that she can’t move at all. So I came to tell you directly.”
“You’re taking good care of her.”
“She’s practically my first subordinate.”
“Subordinate… is it.”
Although it wasn’t official yet, she was working as an administrative staff, so it wasn’t wrong.
Since Renny’s words weren’t exactly incorrect, I nodded in agreement.
It was not like I’d ever acted like Renny’s subordinate.
“That’s right. Unlike you who’s a subordinate in name only, she’s really my subordinate, so I have to look after her. She’s the type that needs a lot of attention… But she’s doing her work quite well. Thanks to her, my work has become easier.”
“That’s good to hear.”
If she had fainted from fear like she did with me, she would have been more of a nuisance than help.
Hearing that she was helping well with the work was reassuring.
“So you want me to go and ask her directly?”
“Yeah. Go and talk to her yourself. At this rate, she’ll probably agonize for days without being able to say anything.”
“Alright.”
“Then I’m off. It’s not long past lunchtime, so come up around dinner time and talk to her. When you come up to eat, you’ll naturally have time to talk, and talk to Lady Karina too. She’s worried because you haven’t been coming up.”
“Dinner… is it.”
“You’re coming up today, right?”
Goodness.
When did she get here?
I looked at Millia, who was somehow standing at the door riding her kick scooter.
Millia’s eyes sparkled with a strangely expectant face.
“We’re eating dinner together today, right?”
“Yes.”
“Hehe, we can all gather and have a meal together today!”
Unable to contain her joy, Millia rode off on her kick scooter again.
We shrugged at each other, looking at Millia’s actions as she appeared and disappeared like the wind.
“She doesn’t seem to get tired even though she rides it all day. Are all dullahans like this?”
“I don’t think so.”
I don’t think there are multiple beagle-like dullahans out there.
We looked at each other and chuckled.
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“Elisa.”
As soon as dinner was over, I approached Elisa, who was occasionally glancing at me nervously.
Elisa shrunk back like a frightened hamster when I approached, but I paid no mind and knelt down to match her eye level.
“Elisa.”
“Y-yes?!”
Don’t have a fit.
The servants are looking at me and whispering.
I didn’t do anything.
I didn’t do anything, really.
I tried to ignore the uncomfortable gazes and spoke again.
“I heard you were looking for me.”
“Y-y-y-yes… that’s right…”
“What did you want to see me for? If it’s something difficult to discuss here, we can talk somewhere else.”
At my words, Elisa looked around, rolling her eyes, and then nodded and answered.
“Um, that… somewhere else…”
“Alright.”
I stood up and dusted off my knees.
It didn’t seem likely that dust would have gotten on them since the servants always cleaned thoroughly, but it was a habit I’d developed from rolling around in the dirt so much.
“Lead the way. We’ll talk wherever you’re comfortable.”
“Y-yes…”
I followed the gloomy purple-haired girl out of the dining room.
The place Elisa headed to was her room.
It wasn’t very large, but it wasn’t a bad room for an employee’s quarters.
Elisa hesitated for a moment, then asked me in a small voice.
“W-would you like some black tea…?”
“If you’re making some.”
“P-please wait a moment…”
Elisa opened the lid of a teapot placed on a drawer in the corner of the room, then stretched her hand towards the opening and chanted a spell.
“…W-water.”
As her spell finished, a sphere of water about the size of a baseball appeared just above the teapot’s spout.
It was my first time seeing magic this close.
I watched Elisa’s magic show with interested eyes.
Elisa put the magically created sphere into the pot, then took out tea leaves from the drawer and put them into the teapot’s pouch.
Then she fiddled with what looked like a magic tool, a flat panel.
Was there an electric stove where there was no gas stove?
I was curious about how it worked, but I had to put that aside for now.
I quietly sat in a chair and waited for the tea to boil.
An uncomfortable silence settled between us.
The two of us waited blankly for the water in the teapot to boil without exchanging any words.
With just the two of us – me with my lack of conversational skills and Elisa, the epitome of shyness – the stifling atmosphere couldn’t be broken.
Finally, we were able to speak again only when the tea was poured into two cups.
“You brew tea well.”
“Th-thank you…”
The start of smooth communication begins with a compliment.
I took a sip of the fragrant black tea and continued speaking.
“What did you want to see me about?”
“Um… well…”
Elisa’s gaze fixed on her teacup.
I leisurely savored the taste of the black tea while waiting for Elisa to speak, her head bowed.
It would only be a matter of minutes, so I didn’t feel the need to rush her.
Elisa’s answer came after I had almost finished my cup of tea.
“P-please help me with my assignment!”
“Alright.”
“Wh-what?”
“Helping with an assignment isn’t difficult.”
This was a chance to steadily build up some rapport and complete the mission.
I was getting curious about the next mission.
“Th-thank you!”
It was the first time I’d seen her with such a bright expression.
I asked the most important question to Elisa, who looked relieved.
“So what’s the assignment? I need to know what it is to help you.”
What kind of assignment could it be that she needed my help?
I stared at her curiously.
Elisa, perhaps uncomfortable with my gaze, squeezed her eyes shut, and finally told me the content of the assignment.
“P-please go to a dungeon with me!”
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[Les go we gonna get some quality bonding time]
