Ch.131131. A Small House in the Forest

“Young master, why did you suddenly come to this inn?”

A dilapidated, shabby inn in Lake Territory with impressively creaky wooden floorboards.

This place sells both food and alcohol.

It was also a favorite spot of “Selden Alphonse,” who was exiled in the original novel.

In reality, it was Rio and Luna who stopped the monster wave, but Selden frequently visited this place, acting arrogantly as if he had been the one to stop it.

Why would “Selden Alphonse” stubbornly come here when he could drink at the mansion?

He was probably just bored and looking to pick fights.

Well, he eventually gets a light lesson from Serion Lycus, the protagonist of “The Youngest Son of the Brilliant Family.”

Of course, he gets beaten within an inch of his life, but not killed.

In the original story, the one who kills “Selden Alphonse” is “Luna Brillhart.”

I smiled faintly at Jawill Wilson’s question.

“Because it’s a place filled with memories.”

“…Pardon? Have you visited this inn before, young master?”

“No.”

“Ah… I see.”

Jawill Wilson stared at me blankly before shaking his head, seemingly giving up on asking further questions.

Smirking, I carefully examined the exterior of the inn.

‘It would have been disastrous if I hadn’t come.’

This inn is located in the south, toward the Forest of Death.

Being one of the most difficult places to defend, traces of monster attacks remain all over the exterior.

The inn’s situation is quite different from the original story due to the increase in monsters caused by my interference with the plot.

I sighed briefly and continued speaking.

“Besides setting up defense formations, we should prioritize restoring this place.”

“The inn first?”

“After the monster wave, many curious people will visit Lake Territory, and there might not be enough places for them to sleep.”

“Ah! As expected… you’re truly amazing, young master. I never dreamed you would even consider the tourism industry.”

While the reason for restoring the inn is indeed because of the protagonist Serion Lycus, apart from that, Lake Territory will soon be bustling with tourists.

Being the first place in history to successfully repel a monster wave is enough to draw significant attention, so I was confident about this.

I shifted my gaze from the inn’s exterior to Jawill Wilson.

“By the way, weren’t you surprised? You were with me at the southern defense line.”

“What do you mean by that…?”

“Lucien transformed into a dragon. I’m asking if you were surprised to see that.”

At my words, Jawill Wilson tensed up before letting out a sigh of relief.

“Th-that was our Lucien?”

“…Huh? What did you think it was? Did you think it was a large monster?”

“No, I thought it was a dragon coming to take our Lucien away. To think that dragon was actually Lucien… what a relief.”

I chuckled at Jawill Wilson’s imagination.

“Why would they call it a ‘legendary’ dragon if it could appear just anywhere?”

“Didn’t you say that Lucien, being equivalent to a child in human terms, couldn’t transform into a dragon? I naturally believed that.”

“That wasn’t a lie.”

“…Pardon? What do you mean?”

“Yes, it means Lucien has grown that much.”

Jawill Wilson tilted his head at my words.

“I don’t understand what you’re saying, young master. Doesn’t Lucien still have the appearance of a child?”

“Sigh… I thought so too until recently.”

“Th-then are you saying Lucien has become an adult?”

“I’d have to ask again for the exact details, but it’s certain that Lucien has grown enough to take on an adult form. I saw it myself.”

“Oh! I should ask to see it too. Our Lucien must have grown into someone of incredible beauty.”

Hearing Jawill Wilson’s words, memories of Lucien and our time in the Forest of Death flashed through my mind, causing me to raise my voice in alarm.

“Absolutely not!”

“…Yes!?”

“What I mean is, Lucien used an enormous amount of magical power for this dragon transformation. That’s why Lucien couldn’t return to human form for a whole day.”

“I-is that true?”

“Yes, it is. Anyway, don’t even breathe a word about dragons. It would be troublesome if someone overheard.”

“Ah… understood!”

While Jawill Wilson entered the inn to speak with the innkeeper as I had ordered, someone gently grabbed my shoulder.

“…Huh?”

“Follow me.”

A woman wearing a veil over her face beckoned with her finger.

Anyone could tell she was the Etherian Princess.

How she managed to slip away from the watchful eyes of so many imperial knights…

It was particularly puzzling given her cautious character.

“Princess, did you come alone?”

Even after reaching a secluded area, the Etherian Princess continued to survey the surroundings before nodding at my question.

“Yes, I did.”

“No, how could you come out without a single guard? What if you were exposed to danger…”

“Now that I’ve found you, it doesn’t matter, does it?”

“Even so…”

“Enough. Now I want to visit that place.”

“Which place are you referring to?”

“A small house in the forest, the place you dream of.”

I had previously discussed “the life I dream of” with the Etherian Princess at the imperial palace.

A single house standing alone in a vast green forest.

A space smaller than a mansion but spacious enough for a family of four to live comfortably.

Since I had only vaguely imagined it in my mind, I couldn’t hide my surprise.

“That’s just my imagination for now. I haven’t actually chosen a location.”

“Doesn’t Lake Territory have forests?”

“Well… it does, but you might not be satisfied with them, Princess, having grown up seeing the forests of Lumestia.”

“It doesn’t matter. Lead the way.”

“Monsters might appear. Are you sure you’ll be alright?”

“With you here, who stopped the monster wave, what is there to worry about?”

Isn’t she putting too much faith in me just because I stopped the monster wave?

True, it was a historical first, but forests require vigilance in all directions, which is certainly burdensome.

Besides.

If the Etherian Princess gets even slightly injured?

Emperor Malius would probably try to kill me.

Just imagining such a scenario was terrifying, so I guided her to a relatively safe forest where monsters wouldn’t appear.

“This is Eden Forest in Lake Territory.”

“Eden Forest… it’s beautiful. I can only hear birds chirping; it’s so peaceful.”

“This environment is inhospitable to monsters, making it even safer.”

The Etherian Princess seemed to have found something, as she pointed to a spot with a faint smile.

“That place would be good.”

“…Pardon?”

“Let’s go over there first.”

Making statements I couldn’t comprehend, the Etherian Princess hurried her steps.

I followed her with a puzzled expression.

Finally, we reached our destination.

“Are there fish living in that water below?”

“Ah… yes, there probably are.”

“Is that so? Then food and water shouldn’t be a concern.”

Still unable to understand her meaning, I peeked over at the Etherian Princess.

“Princess, you don’t need to worry about food and water, do you?”

“I do. If one were to build a house here, water and food would be necessary.”

“Ah! Could it be that you’re scouting a house site for me?”

“…Something like that.”

The Etherian Princess has an unexpectedly cute side.

She always gives off a cold and haughty impression, so seeing her seriously selecting a house site was quite endearing.

Has she changed the most from her original character?

Come to think of it, the relationship between Serion Lycus and the Etherian Princess will also be quite different from the original story.

I realized I needed to prepare some damage control for the distortions caused by my interference.

It’s my mess, and I need to clean it up.

Having already developed some affection for the Etherian Princess, I no longer want her to die at Serion’s hands.

Of course, I don’t intend to create friction with the protagonist either.

From now on, I need to gradually devise a way to save the Etherian Princess naturally, without disrupting the story.

That way, Serion Lycus can contribute to world peace with his companions.

I grinned at the Etherian Princess, who still wore a serious expression.

“When I eventually live in Lake Territory, I’ll make sure to build a house on the site you’ve chosen, Princess.”

“…Very good.”

As the Etherian Princess and I were admiring the scenery side by side and conversing, an unfamiliar voice called out.

“Young master!!”

The source of the unfamiliar voice was one of the mercenaries.

I remembered his face clearly as he had defended the southern line with me during the monster wave.

“W-what? How did you find me here?”

The mercenary took a deep breath, bowed respectfully to the Etherian Princess, and then continued.

“Everyone is looking for you, young master.”

“Huh? Why are they looking for me?”

“Baron Byron has visited the mansion. It seems he’s here because of the recent monster wave incident.”

I wonder what expression that tiger-like gentleman will make when he meets the Etherian Princess?

Will he fall over in shock?

I looked at the Etherian Princess with half-lidded eyes and spoke.

“Princess, shall we go?”