Episode 131 – Inheritance
by Afuhfuihgs
*
As I returned to the mansion, everyone was bustling about.
I had asked Ellie to find some slaves, but she had been too busy with various incidents and hadn’t been able to find any help yet. The banquet was supposed to be held in two weeks, so we were desperate for extra hands.
While everyone was flustered, Mena was the only one who seemed to have her head on straight.
Lara, who had just finished guarding Mella, was told to rest, while Banata and Lily were moving around under Mena’s direction.
I approached Mena and said,
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
Mena, who was cleaning every corner of the banquet hall with a duster, turned to me and nodded.
“Yes, Ed-nim.”
Mena raised her chin and pointed to the door leading to the storage room in the corner next to the banquet hall.
“The chandeliers and various sculptures and decorations that we bought during the last shopping trip are all stuck in that storage room, and they need to be installed.”
“Alright, I’ll take care of that. And don’t worry about preparing the food, I’ll hire the cooking staff from the White Glass Tower Hotel.”
“Ah, that’s really great.”
Mena sighed with relief and smiled weakly, looking like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
In fact, not only for this banquet but ever since we came to this mansion, Mena’s daily schedule had been absolutely packed.
No matter how experienced and skilled she was as a maid, it was obviously not easy for her to manage this large mansion alone.
Thanks to that, Banata and Lily were also working with Mena, practically living as members of the household and maids in this mansion.
I didn’t want to act like some kind of master in front of them, so I didn’t really give them any orders.
If I wanted to drink tea, I would brew it myself rather than calling the busy Mena. Considering that, this mansion was practically a place where everyone was both a master and a servant.
I scratched my head and said in an awkward tone.
“Sorry, I haven’t been able to pay attention.”
“It’s alright. You have things you need to do.”
“It’s almost over now.”
“…”
Mena suddenly stopped her busy hands, as if lost in thought.
When the swaying duster stopped, a sudden silence filled the spacious banquet hall.
“…What are you planning to do after that?”
“…Well, first, I’ll restore Banata’s condition…”
“Not that,”
“Huh?”
“I’ve never thought that you, Ed-nim, would just leave my daughter like that. But what I want to know is what happens after that. What are you going to do when it’s all over?”
I felt a deep trust in Mena’s gaze as she looked at me, and I was slightly touched.
I was worried that I might have disappointed her after losing Banata again, whom she had just regained, but Mena still seemed to believe in me.
Mena had been a great help to me in many ways.
It might not have been a noticeable role, but everyone who had watched me from the side would have known how much the wonderful cup of tea she made for me calmed me down and kept me going.
In fact, the tea that Mena brewed for me was like alcohol and cigarettes to me.
If Mena hadn’t been there, wouldn’t I have collapsed mentally much faster than I did now?
I was sure that would have been the case, at least that’s what I thought.
I revealed some of my long-thought-out plans to her.
“First of all, this mansion and most of Baron Salvie’s property will be inherited by you.”
“Inherited… you say?”
Mena was so surprised that she dropped the duster.
I caught the duster before it fell and said,
“If I reveal my identity, it will also be revealed that most of my wealth came from the Demon King’s castle, and then there might be talk about reclaiming this wealth. They might make excuses like saying that the Demon King’s wealth should be given to the people who were harmed by the monsters. So,”
“No, not that… Inheritance?”
“Huh?”
“…”
I stared blankly at Mena, feeling like the conversation wasn’t clicking.
I thought I should give that much compensation to this mother and daughter who had been suffering both physically and mentally because of me, even though they had no direct relationship with me, but Mena didn’t seem very happy.
Instead, Mena looked at me with a ‘what the hell is this guy talking about’ expression, then slowly took the duster from my hand and said,
“Ed-nim, are you perhaps planning to die together with the Count, or rather… Robin?”
“…Ah,”
It seemed that Mena was paying more attention to the word “inheritance” than to the idea of receiving wealth.
I smiled and shook my head, saying,
“Ah… I guess that could be misunderstood. Don’t worry.”
“…I was surprised.”
“I have no intention of dying with Robin.”
Mena tilted her head and said,
“…Then, what about after everything is over?”
“…”
I tilted my head along with Mena, raised both hands, and said,
“Maybe, I’ll die?”
“…”
“Since it’s an inheritance, at least the identity of Baron Salvie will die.”
Mena narrowed her eyes and glared at me, as if she realized that I was teasing her.
“…Ed-nim,”
“Don’t worry. I’ll come visit you often in the future and drink the tea you brew for me.”
“…Hoo, it wouldn’t be a good thing for someone like me to suddenly have such a large fortune.”
“…Hmm, maybe not. But you’re the smartest person around me, so I think you’ll be able to handle anything that comes your way.”
“…Should I go on a trip somewhere with Banata?”
“That would be nice too.”
“Come to think of it, Ed-nim,”
“Huh?”
“I heard you’re dating my daughter?”
I coughed at Mena’s sudden words.
Mena smiled at me and started working again with the duster in her hand.
*
Mena finished cleaning and left the banquet hall to find other work.
I was using black chains to install a huge chandelier hanging from the ceiling.
I had already hung five of them, and this one I was working on now was the last one left.
Since the chandelier held as many as 30 candles, it was very heavy and cumbersome, so I took out dozens of chains to cover my wrists and arms, which were all covered in chains, to make up for my lack of hands.
After fixing the last chandelier to the ceiling, I slowly grabbed the chain and came down to land on the floor, and spoke to Ulgaros.
‘Rather, this power would be more useful without the cumbersome magical energy. It’s so convenient that I even wish I could keep it forever.’
[…I have never used my power like that, and I have never imagined that someone who gained my power would use it for such things.]
‘You lack imagination.’
[Don’t you think you’re the weird one?]
‘How did you hang the chandeliers in the Demon King’s castle?’
[I ordered a subordinate with wings to do it.]
‘Aha-‘
[You’re both idiots.]
[Shut up, crybaby.]
[Eek!]
I was enjoying the silly banter that was only happening in my head when.
I heard someone entering the banquet hall, so I turned my head towards the sound.
“Hello, Ed.”
“Oh, Lara.”
Lara slowly approached me with a smile that seemed to be stuck on her face like a fixed painting.
Slightly puzzled by the strange feeling, but remembering that she must have had a hard time getting proper rest, I asked in a worried tone.
“Are you sure you don’t need to rest? You look tired.”
“Do I look tired?”
“…Well, to be exact, you look a little strange?”
“Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why do I look strange?”
“…Lara?”
“…”
Lara smiled brightly without saying anything.
The sight of her even looked grotesque, so I asked her again.
“Are you really okay? Tell me if something’s wrong with you. The mansion will be busy for a while, but if it’s too hard, you can rest for a few days. You must have been very tired all this time,”
“…Ed,”
Lara cut off my words like a knife.
I felt a strange sense of déjà vu from Lara’s appearance.
It was the first time she had ever reacted like this.
And yet, I felt a familiar feeling that seemed to prickle my skin.
It was goosebumps.
“…Uh, yeah?”
“…”
Lara slowly approached me, one step at a time, with a smiling expression that didn’t move even a little.
With each step Lara took, I unknowingly took small steps backward.
In contrast, her steps were large and wide, and I ended up being caught by her as she walked quickly.
Lara grabbed my sleeve and began to speak.
“Why did you go to Mella today?”
“So you were watching. I thought you’d be monitoring, but I couldn’t see you around, so I wasn’t sure where you were watching from,”
“Why did you go, Ed?”
“…To invite her to the banquet.”
Lara gripped my sleeve even tighter.
She started to speak with a smile on her face, but with her teeth clenched tightly.
“You did it through Robin, didn’t you?”
“I was worried that if Mella’s condition wasn’t good, Robin might cancel the appointment or come alone. Robin’s downfall is a show that I don’t want to watch alone.”
“…Hmm,”
Lara lowered her head as if lost in thought for a moment, then nodded and slowly released my sleeve, saying,
“If it’s to show Robin’s downfall, then there’s no plan among the plans you’ve made, Ed, that requires Mella, right?”
“…Not really,”
“Is that so? That’s good.”
“Hmm?”
Lara moved away from me and headed towards the door to leave the banquet hall again.
I didn’t understand why she was acting like this all of a sudden, so I blankly watched Lara’s steps as she left.
At the entrance of the banquet hall, Lara said without looking back,
“…Ed, I’m okay. I’m not very tired either, but I have something to do today, so I’m going to help you with work from tomorrow, is that okay?”
“That’s fine, but… are you really sure you don’t need to rest?”
“…Yeah, I have something I need to do.”
“Something you need to do?”
“…Yeah,”
“I don’t know what it is, but should I help you?”
“…Ha,”
Lara chuckled and shook her head.
She left the banquet hall without answering.
I was puzzled by Lara’s incomprehensible behavior, but I hurriedly moved to move the many decorations placed in the storage room.
A little later, as I returned to the banquet hall, grunting and carrying a huge marble statue, Lily slowly entered the banquet hall this time.
“Oh, Lily.”
“Ed, you’re working hard.”
“Wow, that’s… I’ll have to do that with Lara later.”
“Mom? Come to think of it, Ed, did something happen to Mom?”
“…I don’t know? Why?”
Lily hugged herself and said with a slightly frightened expression.
“I’ve never seen her with such an angry face before.”
“…What?”
.
0 Comments