“Wow! Senpai! Hello!”
“Hello…”
The tired face of Avril was smeared with exhaustion as she offered a weak smile and waved at Millia’s cheerful greeting.
Did I push them too hard?
I had been pushing them like crazy under the guise of getting them to learn quickly, and the kids looked like a mess. Especially Jerico, who had been worked intensively, was struggling to cut his steak with a vacant expression as if his soul had left him.
“Johann, is that uncle a corpse…?”
“No, he’s just tired.”
Yeah. Just tired. Meow~. More accurately, it looked like an alcoholic going through withdrawal from not being able to drink, but isn’t it better this way?
They’ve got jobs, and they’re curing alcoholism.
They could have saved the country in their past lives; this job is practically perfect. Once the alcoholism is resolved over time, their appearances should also improve a bit.
Since I even cast a magical restraint on them, there’s no way they’ll even touch alcohol, so recovery is guaranteed.
“Millia, don’t get into drinking. If you drink a lot, you’ll end up like this.”
“Okay! I’ll never drink!”
“Good. Well done.”
“Um, me too…”
Right, right. I placed my hands on the heads of Millia and Elisa, who nodded in agreement.
“I’m using people as teaching materials…”
“If you still have the energy to talk, you should finish your meal. We need to get to work soon.”
“There’s still… work left…?”
This is completely messed up. I clicked my tongue and glanced at Karina, who was seated at the end of the table. Karina was busily cutting her steak into tiny pieces while wearing her veil.
The sight of those steak pieces going into her tiny mouth was elegant but, at the same time, somewhat sensual.
When she bent slightly to bring the steak to her mouth, the visible mound of fat pressing on the table was terrifying. It’s an unavoidable fate for a man to be drawn to that.
There’s no need to stare down like that.
I reluctantly shifted my gaze away from Renny’s fierce stare. The new members, the four slaves—no, employees—caught my eye.
The employees were so overworked that they couldn’t even glance at Karina and were shoving food into their mouths.
As evidence, despite being seminarians, they didn’t shed tears of admiration while looking at Karina, nor did they suddenly sit down to pray or clutch their hearts in dramatic fainting spells.
…Come to think of it, if those guys weren’t seminarians, they would’ve been dead a long time ago.
“Johann, are you listening to me?”
“Sorry. What did you say?”
“The festival is coming up soon, aren’t you going to guard without a break on festival day? Is there no time?”
“…I think it’ll be tough.”
“That’s such a shame…”
“I’m disappointed too…”
Why are the two of them sighing on either side of me? I thought about this while pretending to comfort the visibly disappointed pair.
Saint Sabrina’s Feast.
It’s the annual festival of the entire Kalon city, and at the same time, it’s when the saint performs her first public duties. That means Karina had to attend various events and responsibilities.
From giving speeches to celebrate the Saint Sabrina’s Feast in the square to reciting blessings at every event venue, awarding the winner of the martial arts tournament with a medallion—no, a winner’s medal, and so on.
Since we had to run around hard for the entire duration of the festival, Renny and I had to stick by Karina’s side while she performed her duties.
It was obvious that the Halphas Cult would try to sneak in and cause trouble. They attempted an assassination during the festival in the original story, so it was likely they would try again.
The security forces would participate in the escort, but I couldn’t fully trust them, and if it were up to me, I knew the security would definitely be breached. They were always getting through during the original story, and they were labeled as paycheck thieves.
My trust in the security was almost at zero.
“Don’t be too disappointed. We should be able to go together to the night market at least.”
We wouldn’t have any schedule at night.
“Really?”
“The schedule ends in the evening, so we can all go watch the night market or enjoy the fireworks.”
Karina’s voice sounded more excited than usual. It seemed she was looking forward to seeing the night market and the fireworks despite the busy and exhausting festival. So I had to work hard too.
“Then I’ll go to the workshop. I’m at the final stages of completing the item I’ve been developing.”
“Oh, that one?”
Renny reacted to my comment, having seen the item I was working on before. Maybe because I promised to make one for her, her face lit up with excitement.
“Once you make it, you’ll give it to me first, right?”
“Of course.”
“Wait, what about me? Johann, what about me?”
“I don’t think I can give you the combat gear; it would be too heavy for you to use properly.”
“Tch… Well, what can I do?”
Millia stepped back with a disappointed expression. It was only natural for her to feel that way since it was a combat-related item. Watching her, I couldn’t help but chuckle, feeling like she was a little child who hadn’t received a present.
“Alright, I’m heading out.”
“Okay! See you later!”
“I’ll be back soon.”
“Is there… no surveillance…?”
“If you get caught slacking off, I’m warning you, you won’t end up in a good spot.”
“This place is hell…”
I shot a glance at Jerico, who looked utterly exhausted, and got up from my seat. It was time to sneak away.
I had to wrap things up quickly.
———————-
The weight was just right.
This should hold up unless it’s a weapon made of aura or mithril.
Finally, I checked around the newly completed equipment, turning it over. While it was largely finished, it wasn’t perfect, so I needed to ensure there were no flaws in the design or any mistakes.
It didn’t seem like I made any mistakes during the making… I guess I’ll know for sure once I try it out.
I donned the newly designed equipment.
The arm guard protecting my hand and wrist fit perfectly. It made sense since it was made with my size in mind from the start.
“The fit isn’t bad.”
After trying different leathers, I based the material on shadow leopard hide, and the soft feel from the first touch remained, making the wearing experience comfortable. The leather was flexible, and I didn’t feel uncomfortable bending my wrist.
Now, shall I test its function?
I opened the workshop door and positioned myself about 15 meters from the scarecrow I had set up in the front yard. That was the maximum range I anticipated during the equipment’s design.
“I hope it works properly.”
I extended my arm forward.
Then I flipped my hand over, palm facing up, and pressed the switch on the bottom of my palm. Then…
“…Missed.”
I pressed the button on my wrist to retrieve the flying harpoon. The spear connected by wire recoiled as if a tape measure was winding up and quickly settled back in the launch port beneath my wrist.
Once more.
I missed again. Is it that I’m still getting used to it?
Once more.
Even though I shot with it level, it barely missed.
Is it a lack of power? Or tension? Or… weight distribution?
One last time. This time, I intentionally reduced the distance. I shot from 10 meters away, and the hook hit right in the scarecrow’s heart.
It seems I can hit it at this distance.
But to ensure accurate data, I should gradually increase the distance while testing.
In conclusion, the effective range of the device attached to the armguard was about 12 meters.
A distance that’s long enough and yet ambiguously unsure.
Now it was time to dismantle it and analyze what the problems were.
“Yo~han!”
“What is it, Millia?”
“I had nothing to do, so I came to watch!”
So she just came to hang out out of boredom. I couldn’t help but chuckle as I saw Millia rushing into the workshop while I opened the door.
As expected, she settled in her designated spot and started reading the book she had tucked under her arm. I pushed the shredded scarecrow aside and entered the workshop.
As I expected, Millia was half slouched against the cozy sofa I made for her, reading her book.
“Millia, your skirt is all wrinkled.”
“Wow~ Johann, you’re so naughty~”
With a lifeless tone, Millia straightened her clothes. It wasn’t embarrassment as much as it was her not wanting to hear my nagging. Millia marked her page and looked at me.
“Johann, did you feel anything?”
“Nothing.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.”
“Really, really?”
Why is she being so persistent? Millia turned her head with puffed cheeks, clearly sulking. Anyone could see her upset expression.
“You don’t understand my feelings…”
“Is that so?”
“You’re answering so half-heartedly…”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“Are you, like, not able to…?”
What?
I looked at Millia in shock, and she was staring at me with a face that said “no way.” Don’t look down there. I’m really not like that.
I’m fine with that.
Sigh.
“…How did you come to that conclusion?”
How did I even get labeled as that? I slumped my shoulders in disbelief from the unexpected ambush. No matter what, being called that is a bit much.
“But there are so many women around you, and you’re not reacting at all…”
“I’m just maintaining boundaries.”
If I ended up dating anyone here, my life would become unbearably stressful until the end. If I’m unlucky, it might become a huge obstacle for seeing the ending.
That thought horrified me.
I was terrified of being unable to see the true ending due to unforeseen complications.
Anyway, since I have to live close to Karina for three years, even if I were to date someone, I wouldn’t have the time.
Even if I did, it wouldn’t seem like there would be many people who would understand that I had to be close to Karina.
“You don’t have to maintain that distance with me though…”
“Stop saying weird things and read your book. I’d better get this reassembled.”
“Tch. But you don’t dislike me, right?”
“Yeah.”
Why is she talking like this? I looked down at Millia, who sat on my lap reading a book. She naturally leaned closer into my embrace as she opened the book.
…Oh, I don’t know anymore.
I put on the work gloves I had left in the corner of the workbench.
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