Chapter 387

Chapter 387

For Sale. Fallen Lady. Never Used.

Episode 387: Guest From The North (2)

“By the way, Senior Faye, you were aware that you didn’t have any friends?”

“YAH!!!”

Faye shouted with a choked expression.

It was a rare sight to see Faye so rough. As I chuckled without realizing it, she began to stomp her short legs.

“I’m serious right now! This isn’t the time for jokes, Junior!”

“Okay, okay. So, Senior Faye’s father sent someone to take Senior Faye away, right?”

“That’s right! Is it really okay for you to be separated from me like this? Can you live without me, Junior? I can’t live without you!”

Depending on my answer, Faye seemed ready to unleash another lion’s roar (not really), puffing out her already ample chest even more.

I poked Faye’s trembling side, and she deflated like a punctured balloon.

“Pooouuu…”

I giggled at Faye’s breath tickling my forehead and replied.

“Don’t be ridiculous. The reason I’m being so relaxed is simple. No matter who the opponent is, I’m confident I won’t lose Senior Faye, so whatever is happening right now isn’t a big deal.”

“…Really?”

“Of course. You seem to be unaware because you’re always cooped up in your workshop… but I’m a Godslayer. Even if it’s the Emperor’s order, if I think it’s unfair, I can just ignore it, so how could some noble family from way up north in Nidavellir possibly force me to do anything?”

“But I’m not like you…”

“Oh dear. Why are you being so frustrating?”

I sighed deeply and grabbed Faye’s chest.

“Hick!”

“I have no intention of letting you go. What does it matter what they say? Just trust me, Senior Faye.”

“Junior…!”

Faye nodded her head vigorously with a deeply moved expression. I also happily fondled Faye’s chest with a pleased feeling.

“Ah, by the way, when are the guests from Senior Faye’s family supposed to arrive?”

Faye’s family, one way or another, belongs to the great nobility. They’d go to great lengths to save face and move according to proper procedures.

They probably sent a letter in advance for this visit and would only visit in person much later. That’s the way of prestigious families.

…But Faye was always a woman who exceeded my expectations.

“Huh? Maybe in 5 minutes? No, wait, maybe in 1 minute now?”

“???”

Wondering what on earth she was talking about, I stared intently at her black eyes hidden behind her messy bangs. Faye awkwardly averted her gaze.

“Well… the thing is, I did receive a message quite a while ago that they would be visiting…”

“You did?”

“I forgot while I was experimenting with things using your blood, Junior!”

“……”

“When I came to my senses, the date they were supposed to arrive was today. I was so surprised when I received a call from the main gate security that the promised guests had arrived.”

Faye scratched the back of her head with an embarrassed smile.

Looking at her innocent, if you could call it that, expression, I made a decision.

“It seems Senior Faye needs a punishment after all.”

“Ahhh! J-Junior, why are you suddenly lifting me up like this…?”

“Secret Technique. Faye Blade…!”

I spun Faye, who was flailing in the air, around and around like a top.

“Kyaaaaaaak!”

“I told you to tell me important things like that right away so you don’t forget!”

“I-I was wrong, Junior! So please stop this… stop spinning me!”

“No. I can’t do that. It’s good to focus on research, but hasn’t it been a bit too much lately? When was the last time you went out?!”

“Well, when we went to the Great Forest last time….”

“Excluding that?”

“…When I last attended a class?”

So, she hasn’t stepped outside the house even once since she no longer needed to attend classes!

That’s what I made a deal with Rebecca for, but this is too much!

“Hiyah!”

“Hieeeeeeek! Why are you spinning me faster?!”

“Because I think it’ll bring you back to your senses.”

“I don’t want to hear that from the Junior who’s the least sane!”

I was in the middle of giving Faye a healthy punishment in that kind of atmosphere.

Thump.

“Brother. A guest has arrived outside looking for Miss Faye, so I’ve brought them in for now– eh?”

Helena, who had her hand on the doorknob, flinched.

It was a natural reaction. Anyone would be surprised to witness a Faye Blade as soon as they opened the door.

The problem was that Helena wasn’t the only one who was surprised.

“What in the…?”

“Ah.”

“Heok!”

“Aieeeeeee!”

It was the voices of an unknown dwarf uncle, me, Carla, who was watching from the side, and Faye, who was spinning around.

If this were a normal mansion, the guest would have been waiting in the reception room.

But this was a building built as a dormitory. No matter how much we rented the entire place, the structure wouldn’t change.

In other words, opening the door meant the internal structure was fully visible!

From that dwarf uncle’s perspective, he was just politely following the homeowner’s guidance, only to witness a shirtless monster spinning the young lady he was supposed to escort around like a top…!

I’m going crazy.

I sighed deeply and stopped Faye.

Thud.

“A top… Why a top…?”

The spinning had stopped, but Faye was still staggering as the dizziness hadn’t subsided. Only after I sat her on my lap did I open my mouth.

“…Would you like some beer?”

“W-water will suffice!”

Her voice was strangely full of vigor.

After I put on the clothes I had taken off for the massage and seated Faye, who was on the verge of dying from embarrassment, Carla brought tea.

It was tea made from moss that grows on the roots of the World Tree, a gift from Alfheim.

Of course, I was the only one who would drink it. He said water was fine, so there was no need to share. It’s definitely not because it’s precious tea, and I don’t want to waste it. I’m just subtly telling him to get lost.

Perhaps he noticed my thoughts. He was probably reading a fantasy novel, but the dwarf uncle had a bizarre expression, like someone who had just read a bunch of useless platypus TMI.

He alternated between looking at the tea I was drinking and his own cold water for a long time, then downed the plain water with a few ice cubes floating in it in one shot and stood up.

Thump thump!

He lightly tapped his left chest twice with a balled fist and bowed deeply enough for the top of his head to be visible.

It was the most polite gesture among the dwarven greetings.

“I apologize for the late greeting due to the commotion. I am Baru Rohan. A huscarl who received his name from Jarl Rohan Yareunshade. It is an honor to meet the renowned Godslayer like this.”

“Jarl…? Huscarl…?”

Helena, who had been fidgeting apologetically in the corner, tilted her head at the unfamiliar titles. Faye, who still had her face half-hidden by her hand, answered.

“J-Jarl is a lord’s rank in Nidavellir. Even among Jarls, there are slight differences depending on which territory they rule, but generally, they are high nobles corresponding to Dukes to Counts in the Empire. A huscarl is a Jarl’s personal guard.”

“Ah. I am still inexperienced and unfamiliar with it. Thank you for explaining, Sister Faye.”

“Uh-huh. It’s nothing much. Anyway, someone like Helena doesn’t really need to pay much attention to it.”

“Even if that is the case, the fact that Sister Faye kindly explained it to me remains unchanged.”

“I-is that so? Hehe…”

Helena, who had been feeling awkward for causing trouble, and Faye, who was about to die of shame, both looked much more relaxed.

Good, good.

I nodded inwardly and opened my mouth.

“To add a little to that, other countries also had their own systems in the past, but now they have mostly changed to the Empire’s Duke-Marquess-Count-Viscount-Baron system. That’s a kind of international standard. However, Alfheim, Nidavellir, and Crasius were exceptions.”

In Alfheim, aside from the Queen, there’s hardly any difference in status. Isn’t it practically a theocracy anyway? Everyone is considered the same child before the Circulating Life, with different talents and given roles.

The reason high elves are treated with nobility is precisely because they inherited the blood of the Circulating Life.

Crasius is acting like a weakling now, but their ancestors were absolute alpha males. A crazy military state that invested most of the nation’s resources in military power.

Status exists, but if you have the skill, you can break the head of anyone above you and take a better position for yourself. That’s the structure.

Therefore, there are only simple distinctions like warrior, great warrior, and king. There’s no need for complex titles when people change so frequently.

Of course, if all the people were warriors, the country wouldn’t function. Naturally, there are also non-combatant production classes. They are relatively looked down upon, though.

So, if you were to divide statuses, it would be roughly warrior and civilian.

Lastly, Nidavellir. Here, only the names were slightly different, and the class system wasn’t much different from other small and medium-sized countries.

Therefore, they should have normally changed to the Empire’s Duke-Marquess-Count-Viscount-Baron system according to international affairs.

It’s not a difficult task, as many other countries subdivided their classes and created titles corresponding to existing ones in the process of adopting the Empire’s system.

But who are the dwarves? They are the top traditionalists on the Eurelia Continent when it comes to stubbornness.

International affairs and whatnot, they still maintain the system of King-Jarl-Huscarl-common people, just because of tradition.

Ah, they bestow the title of Meister upon outstanding blacksmiths, and this holds authority equivalent to that of a Jarl.

Just like how a Jarl’s influence varies depending on the territory they hold, a Meister’s status also differs depending on their blacksmithing skills.

“Right?”

To put it nicely, they’re traditionalists. To put it badly, they’re outdated, stubborn fools.

The guys who kicked Faye out, citing the tradition that blacksmithing skills are the best, what nerve do they have to look for Faye again now?

Asking with that meaning, Baru nodded and replied.

“The Jarl is gravely ill. As the current times are turbulent, he wishes to see her face even just once before something happens, so I rushed here like this.”

“……”

No.

If you say it like that, what does that make my sarcastic remarks?