The personal information of Judas, who has crossed over from another place.
Eliya noticed something unusual in the documents.
[Presumed to be a slave trained in special skills.]
[Displayed an exceptional appearance since being sold.]
[Skilled in using non-weapon items like glass shards, rocks, and pens as weapons. Has a low aversion to killing, among other things.]
[However, from the fact that he experiences sleepless nights after killing, it can be inferred that he is not completely immune.]
[Presumed to be a product trained for the purpose of sale.]
The Judeca, which kept this document.
It boasts a vast scale of a coliseum.
A well-fighting warrior quickly becomes famous in Judeca, and a famous warrior draws in popularity and money.
Warriors in Judeca appear through two channels.
Either by rescuing people in Judeca and training them, or by purchasing those trained externally.
“But this is… unnatural.”
Eliya asked after reading the entire document.
“Where in Judeca was Judas sold?”
“Gomorrah. However, they said it was a slave brought in from another market. But that market isn’t recorded in the documents.”
“They traded a trained slave without leaving a record?”
It feels unnatural and suspicious.
The better a slave is trained, the more fame they gain.
They would want to find and trade with the group that trained that slave, both in Judeca and in other arenas.
This leads to the group’s profit.
The records could prove that.
Yet, they left no records.
“Who was it that bet on this Judas and won?”
“Angra.”
The name sounds familiar.
Eliya drummed her fingers on the desk, rummaging through her memory.
Suddenly, she remembered that identity.
“…If it’s Angra, isn’t he one of the bishops of the Molsin Church?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
A religion that worships the moon, Molsin Church.
They stand in opposition to the Bevel family, which serves the Sun god.
Their relationship is not bad, but it’s not good either.
I heard it was quite bad in the distant past.
In ancient times, it was said they had split from the One at the beginning.
They allied to suppress the Evil God and, recently, forged a covenant for peace.
‘Speaking of which…’
Eliya recalled Judas.
The moment he used magic.
Being a wizard, she delicately and accurately read Judas’s magic.
A gently spreading silver magic.
The touch against her skin was cold.
Most magic is a light blue color, and it has no sensation.
‘It felt similar to the divine power sensed from a priest of the Molsin Church.’
Eliya couldn’t help but smile broadly.
She felt she had stumbled upon an intriguing and entertaining problem.
“The Molsin Church forbids slavery in its doctrines, but could Angra be secretly using slaves, or perhaps he had a slave market? Or maybe he brought them to free them as a slave?”
“I haven’t confirmed that yet.”
“Interesting. Find out more. It might be related to the Information Guild…”
Eliya twisted her lips and let out a sigh through her nose.
The Information Guild.
They are a group that’s hard to dig into, even for the Bevel family.
Due to their fragmented organization, using force or threats is useless.
If they get entangled, things don’t resolve easily.
“If I start caring about them, it’ll give me a headache, so let’s focus on the Molsin Church for now.”
“Understood.”
“And about that Galliot fellow.”
Eliya pulled out another document with Galliot’s information.
“He’s a direct descendant of the House of Baronet Bleset.”
Eliya pulled out another document.
A contract regarding the permission to install railway tracks.
As it turns out, they were planning to construct tracks passing through the Bleset territory.
“With this, I might be able to negotiate a lower price. Separated from any disposition about Galliot.”
“How do you plan to dispose of him?”
“Dispose of him. Follow the funeral practices of Bleset.”
“I will do so.”
“Sir Gawain…”
At that word, Gawain, who had been deathly silent until now, stepped forward.
His head was still bowed.
He didn’t dare to lift his gaze.
“I’ll think a bit more about how to handle this.”
Gawain is a knight directly attached to her household.
No matter how much Eliya is, he’s someone she cannot easily touch.
“I apologize, my lady.”
“If just regretting could improve the situation, how comfortable the world would be.”
The indifferent words prickled not just Gawain, but also pointed out a truth about the world.
Eliya caressed her cheek.
The spot where Narcissi had hit her still stung.
There were only a few days left until her birthday banquet.
She was sure the swelling wouldn’t go down by then.
Then her gaze fell on the anemone placed on one side of the desk.
She couldn’t help but giggle.
It was almost time to meet him.
Just then, the servant in charge of welcoming guests hurriedly approached her.
“Madam Narcissi is here.”
*
“You have truly gone insane.”
As soon as the Duchess entered the room, she grabbed Eliya’s hair and threw her down.
“You’re not just letting in one person, but what? Inviting those filthy creatures to your birthday banquet?!”
Narcissi shouted with a sharp voice.
“Shouldn’t the Bevel family spread rumors that they have fallen?”
The news of the duel tournament was already heard.
She thought it was just a timid protest.
She never imagined she would actually invite them into her mansion.
If she cared about her face and reputation, it would be natural not to do so.
However, Eliya was serious.
Narcissi’s agitated reaction was all part of Eliya’s intentions and expectations.
So.
“Pfft…”
Eliya couldn’t hold back her laughter.
“Pfft, ha, ha-ha-!”
It was a pathetically obvious and childish reaction.
So boring and uninteresting.
Yet for some reason, it made her laugh repeatedly.
Seeing Eliya laugh heartily, Narcissi frowned as if she had seen a bug.
“You crazy girl…”
Her voice trembled.
The grotesque and bizarre reaction drained her of energy.
“You think just acting like this will solve anything? Immediately rescind that decision! That’s an order as the Duchess and representative of the Grand Duke!”
“If you say no…”
Eliya suddenly spoke in a cold and low voice.
“What will you do?”
She had a blank expression as if she hadn’t laughed at all.
“Will you kill me?”
“You…!”
“You can’t do that, can you? Then, are you going to cancel my birthday banquet with just a few days left? Surely not. You’ve already sent out all the invitations; you can’t go back on that either.”
Narcissi couldn’t refute.
She just clenched her fists tightly, trembling.
“All the Duchess can do is assault a fragile girl like me, alas. And more unfortunately, such an uncivilized act cannot reverse my decision or change reality.”
“….”
“Duchess, if you continue to act so carelessly, you will achieve nothing.”
At the end, Eliya smiled brightly.
It was a beautifully frightening smile.
It looked so much like a painting that it felt inhuman.
“I will remember this incident well! Mark my words!”
Eliya sneered as she watched Narcissi fleeing like someone who had seen a monster.
Today made her even more curious.
What would happen when Narcissi and Judas met?
Would Judas be arrogant toward Narcissi too?
She smoothly collected herself and stood up.
She erased the fresh smile from her face.
Ria soon approached to fix her clothes and applied a bright blush to her cheeks.
She had to struggle to maintain a blank expression.
Watching Eliya lose her mind made Ria’s complexion turn pale, and she had no choice but to lower her head.
Thankfully, Eliya wasn’t interested in Ria’s expression.
She merely glanced at the wall clock.
“Tell Judas I’m coming.”
“…Yes, my lady.”
*
“Hello.”
In the stable, Judas had already arrived.
The once uncomfortable stable had now become familiar to Eliya.
“I’m honored to meet Lady Eliya.”
Judas greeted her, his face covered in bandages.
“Aren’t you supposed to be resting?”
Judas questioned his ears.
As far as he knew, she wasn’t the type to worry about others.
“Thank you for your concern. I’m fine with this much.”
Eliya’s cheeks were red again today.
Judas thought nothing of it.
He simply assumed it was too much makeup for a child.
“Well then.”
The stablekeeper, Bradley, brought over a wooden platform.
Eliya stepped onto it.
It had become a natural routine by now.
Judas stroked the Moon Deer as he fed it yellow umbrella mushrooms one by one.
The Moon Deer remained calm, but Eliya was still stiff today.
Despite having done this repeatedly for several days, she still found it difficult and awkward to stroke the Moon Deer.
Judas caught a glimpse of this strange sight.
That Eliya was finding something awkward and difficult. Even after all this time.
Is she still just a child?
The adult Eliya he knew was not someone who interacted well with animals.
Although it was a relief if she didn’t just kill the animal right away.
“Um, excuse me.”
Bradley approached cautiously.
“What if, perhaps, you were to brush her yourself?”
“Brush?”
“Yes. Livestock also get brushed.”
“You want me to do such a thing?”
That was a valid point.
Brushing livestock was work usually done by servants managing that livestock.
“Ah, I’m so sorry! I merely hoped you would become better acquainted with the Moon Deer… Livestock enjoy being brushed by a familiar owner. I thought you had gotten close to it these past few days and wanted to help a bit more… I had no other intentions.”
“Hmmm.”
Eliya looked down at Bradley, who was bowing deeply.
Her pursed lips showed that she was contemplating that remark.
“Bring it to me.”
Bradley hurriedly fetched a grooming brush for animals.
Eliya took it, narrowing her eyes.
“This is a brush…? This knife-like thing?”
Eliya held the brush at a distance as if it were a dangerous object.
It looked like it would tear a person’s scalp if used on them.
“Animals have such thick fur and tough skin, so it’s fine.”
Eliya still frowned, struggling to believe it.
But she was curious.
Brushing. Brushing, it seems.
It was something she had always received from her maids.
Eliya slowly began to brush.
Her movements were so delicate that the brushing didn’t seem to be effective.
“You can do it a bit harder.”
When Bradley said this, Eliya tilted her head.
‘It seems like it would hurt…’
She cautiously put more strength in her hands.
Swoosh, swoosh.
A refreshing sound spread as if she were sweeping the floor with a broom.
Finally, she brushed properly.
“…Fur is coming off.”
Eliya muttered, but she didn’t stop brushing.
Judas watched that sight in bewilderment.
Completely unaware that he was gazing at her in a way that would be too much for a mere servant.
‘What am I looking at?’
Although several days had passed, he still found Eliya’s care for the Moon Deer awkward.
It was hard to even imagine.
But, standing there, it somehow looked right.
It just seemed like a clumsy girl.
With her doll-like blush, she seemed to be in a painting.
‘She looks just like a kid who came to the farm to experience brushing.’
Her wrists bore scars that had emerged recently.
Judas glanced at them before turning away.
He was conscious of Ria’s gaze.
‘Unlike before, she’s not staring intensely.’
What had happened to cause more scars?
Does Ria know about this?
I guess she does; nobles receive bathing services, after all.
The duel tournament.
That was suspicious as well.
Eliya would never be the type to invite mere candidate knights to her birthday banquet.
To be honest, she didn’t want to.
Even though the prize and food were tempting.
Adult Eliya was particularly more excited and reckless on her birthday.
The scope of the carnage was different.
That worried him.
What if the same thing were to happen again this time?
But…
Judas looked at young Eliya.
In her focused state while brushing, he couldn’t find even a hint of the madness and malice he had known.
So, maybe it would be fine.
She might not be as strong a wizard as when she was an adult.
Eliya had completely immersed herself in brushing.
Unbeknownst to her, this had become her favorite time spent in this place.
In the stable, taking care of the Moon Deer alongside Judas.
It was the only time during the day when she didn’t have to think about anything.
She merely had to follow the footrests that Ria moved for her.
The only task was to tenderly brush the Moon Deer.
At some point, she found it strange that she welcomed this situation.
It seemed so meaningless.
She could have read a book or handled another document during this time, which would have been more beneficial.
But Eliya didn’t want to give up this time.
She didn’t know why.
Perhaps it was because it was her first time experiencing this.
Judas felt similarly.
He could have just left.
Feeding mushrooms could be done by someone else.
But…
Eliya brushed less aggressively and looked at Judas.
An unusual creature.
He stood out especially in this mansion.
Eliya’s Mansion.
Everyone but herself existed solely for her.
Maid, handmaiden, butler, cook.
Soldiers and knights.
Grave diggers, stablekeepers, seamstresses, physicians, and so forth.
All selected professionals chosen for Eliya, the direct child of the Bevel family.
And among them, the only one he had brought in by his own whim was Judas.
A person not selected by someone else to serve her.
He might be a candidate knight who would, like others, pledge loyalty, but still.
Eliya found Judas’s loyalty strange.
It was hard to articulate in specific words, but.
She thoughtfully contemplated while busily continuing her actions.
It appeared to be a happy scene.
A doll-like girl struggling to brush a deer that was several times larger than herself.
But no one thought that way.
Not Bradley, not Ria.
No one dared to look at Eliya as just a cute girl.
Only one person, Judas.
He felt a strange sense of satisfaction, but then chastised himself for being crazy.
A constant internal struggle took place.
Eliya’s own inner world was also getting busier for different reasons.
Once she finished brushing, she would have a mountain of work to deal with.
Tasks for today.
Tasks for the future.
And things she must achieve for even more distant purposes.
Her future was tangled in her mind, day by day, hour by hour.
‘I need to finish that philosophical theory I was studying last time… Then read a work of conceptual fiction and a play… Tomorrow, I have to finalize the railway construction and passage rights for Bleset territory. I need to understand the rights for mining at Eltrite. Ah, my birthday. I need to double-check the guest list as well. I really don’t want to see my siblings. It’s clear they dislike me… It’s all annoying. I’m tired…’
“…My lady!”
Someone called her urgently.
The voice sounded distant and faint.
Eliya slowly opened her eyes.
Her eyelids fluttered lightly.
For some unknown reason, the ceiling of the stable came into view.
And also, Judas, who was looking down at her.
Her body hurt where his hands touched. Bruises.
Was he holding her now?
She grimaced from the pain.
“How dare you touch the lady’s body!”
Ria shouted like thunder.
Judas flinched and stepped back.
Only then did Eliya realize she had fainted on the wooden platform.
That Judas caught her as she was about to fall.
“…I’m sorry.”
Judas, taking a step back, bowed deeply.
“Lady Eliya…!”
“Shut up.”
Eliya pressed her forehead with a hand and waved it away.
Ria, who was supporting her, froze.
“Keep quiet. My head hurts.”
Blood dripped from Eliya’s nose.
“I’m sorry, my lady…”
Ria, who seemed to have raised her voice unknowingly, calmed down and wiped Eliya’s dripping blood.
Eliya accepted the touch and, in a nasal voice, said, “Judas.”
“Yes, my lady.”
“Look up.”
Judas lifted his head.
His scruffy black hair.
Golden eyes.
A fierce look, akin to a wild animal.
A boy who didn’t bother hiding his hostility even in front of her.
That boy was wearing a completely new expression.
Slightly furrowed brows.
Lips tightly pressed together, looking uncomfortable.
His eyes met hers directly, neither arrogant nor aggressive.
It was a face she had never seen before in her life.
Eliya became momentarily speechless, trying to interpret it.
Wait, it felt familiar.
At one time, her mother had looked at her with a face similar to this.
In the end, she could not decipher the emotions written on his face.
The thing that was ‘concern’ was something Judas himself wasn’t even aware of.
“Thank you.”
Eliya smiled brightly.
Only then did Judas realize he had been worried about Eliya.
“…I only did what I had to.”
What he had to do.
An unavoidable instinct.
It was also a justification for himself.
He couldn’t just stand by as a child collapsed in front of him.
She hadn’t just tripped and fallen, either.
She had nearly fallen unconscious off that platform.
If she had hit her head hard on the floor, she might have died.
So, he simply stopped her.
“Ria.”
“Yes, my lady.”
“Apologize.”
Ria bowed her head to show her forehead to Judas without any hesitation.
“I apologize for yelling at the benefactor who helped the lady. I’m sorry. I lost myself a moment and failed to remain rational. I was reckless. I truly apologize.”
Her overly righteous apology surprised Judas.
It wasn’t just a mere verbal apology.
Ria’s voice trembled slightly.
Judas sensed her genuine guilt.
More than anything, this was how the mindset of this place functioned.
It was a grave sin for a commoner like him to touch a noble like Eliya.
Judas was gradually accepting such differences.
“No, um… It’s fine.”
Even after saying that, Ria still did not raise her head.
Judas, too awkwardly gazing at her for a moment, noticed something odd.
Ria’s hair was red.
But the roots of her hair, which he was looking at now, were black.
‘…Is she dyed?’
Just then, someone entered the stable.
It was the physician.
Her eyes widened when she saw Eliya.
“Lady?! What brings you here?!”
Seeing her rush over, Eliya waved her hand.
“I just felt a bit dizzy. What’s more important, though, what’s the matter?”
“But my lady first…”
“Get to the point.”
The physician had no choice but to nod.
“The yellow umbrella mushrooms pose no risk of poisoning upon contact. You can handle them without fear for your health.”
“Hmmm. I see…”
Eliya lowered her gaze.
A bag containing yellow umbrella mushrooms lay below.
Judas internally cheered.
‘Perhaps I can escape from here earlier than planned.’
He held back on expressing it outwardly.
He quietly waited for Eliya to tell him to leave.
For him, it was an uncomfortable and burdensome place.
Eliya, he thought, wouldn’t be very pleased either.
Eliya’s gaze shifted to Judas as she looked at the bag.
Thinking she would tell him to leave, Judas responded quickly in affirmation.
“Don’t go.”
“Understood.”
That should not have happened.
“…Huh?”
He questioned her, but it was already too late.
Eliya gazed at Judas with a blank expression and asked, “Did you like it here that much?”
“Ah, no. That’s not it…”
“Didn’t you dislike it?”
“It’s just, it’s overly good… a place…”
Judas stumbled over his words, shocked at himself.
Neither should he have said not to go nor should he have agreed mindlessly.
It was beyond ridiculous.
The surrounding Miguel, Ria, Bradley, and even the physician all looked at him with bizarre expressions.
As if they were looking at a base commoner who wanted to take advantage of a noble’s mansion.
He couldn’t think of a proper response, so he could only stammer stupidly.
“Why…?”
It was a brazen question.
It is a world where nobles do what they ask.
In this relationship between Eliya and Judas, they were half master and servant.
Eliya appeared unfazed as she calmly explained her reasons.
Upon hearing those words, Judas had to doubt his ears multiple times today.
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