Ch.168Somehow… #3

Although I had a magic item with detoxification effects, there was no real need for the Duke to check the food for poison himself.

There were plenty of others who could do that.

Yet, he personally inspected the food for poison anyway.

It was to give a warning—both to be careful about the meals and to clearly show his distrust.

“It seems fine. Let’s eat.”

“Hmm… I appreciate your concern, but is it necessary for a Duke to take such risks? Surely someone brought from the Empire could handle this task.”

“Of course, that would save me trouble and I’d be grateful… but there’s always the possibility they might take an antidote beforehand and pretend the poisoned food is safe.”

For a tent housing just one person, it was remarkably large, and with only the King and myself inside, it felt particularly empty.

The King seemed to have forgotten about him while talking with me, but since nothing bad had happened, I kept our conversation brief.

I didn’t want a lengthy discussion anyway.

“Well then… I’ll withdraw to have my own meal now. I’ll see you again tomorrow morning to pay my respects.”

“Thank you. The Duke has been working hard.”

“Not at all. I’m simply doing what a noble of the kingdom should. Besides, we can’t allow anything harmful to happen to Your Majesty’s precious body.”

I turned away after flattering the King with mention of his “precious body” while pretending to care for him.

Since my wish for nothing bad to happen to the King was genuine, the look in his eyes as he watched me was rather unusual.

Though he tried not to show it, he seemed quite moved.

Perhaps he thought I was a loyal subject. I couldn’t read the King’s inner thoughts, so I couldn’t tell if his reaction was an act or sincere, but knowing wouldn’t have been useful anyway.

Whatever his true feelings, I just needed to do my job and create a quiet peace.

“Are you on your way to dinner?”

Just as I was leaving the King’s tent to return to Zion, a familiar voice stopped me in my tracks.

It was Viscount Anderson, bowing solemnly beside me.

He had helped behind the scenes with internal arrangements and organizational charts for this war, so I couldn’t ignore him.

Even if it had been someone else, I couldn’t have ignored them, but the degree of courtesy would have been different.

“Yes. I’ve checked everything for poison, so I’m going to eat now. Someone is waiting for me.”

“The person waiting… would that be the Grand Duke?”

“Yes. So I’ll excuse myself first. He’s probably been waiting for quite some time already.”

There was no reason to prolong the conversation, and I was eager to hurry back to Zion’s side.

Still, I bowed my head slightly and maintained the necessary courtesies to avoid appearing too rude.

I didn’t want to deal with any gossip afterward.

However, Anderson, unaware of my feelings, had the audacity to ask if he could accompany me, despite his extremely polite manner and apologetic tone.

Even though he looked like someone who had something important to say.

“Together…?”

“Yes. Since I’ve had the chance to meet you by coincidence, I’d very much like to greet you and the Grand Duke in person. After all, today’s opportunity came because neither you nor the Grand Duke decided to turn your backs on us.”

He probably meant that we had turned our backs on the Empire because we thought there was a high chance we could use them, but he seemed grateful that we hadn’t exploited his weaknesses.

He must have expected to be bled dry until he could barely breathe, but far from exploiting him, we hadn’t even contacted him.

Tsk.

I clicked my tongue inwardly and resolved to vent this frustration tonight.

Since doing it in the tent would surely make it dirty with sweat and water splashing about and steam rising, somewhere outside away from prying eyes would be better.

“Welcome back. You’ve worked hard. But… the Viscount has come as well?”

“Yes. I’ve come here despite knowing it’s rude.”

As we approached the crackling campfire, Zion handed me two wooden bowls with a bitter smile.

They contained soup he often made when we were out in the field, and roasted pork with aromatic spices that smelled delicious.

Both Zion and I preferred quick and simple food when outdoors rather than elaborate meals, and I was happy that Zion had made it himself… but I wondered about Anderson.

As the lord of a prosperous port city, would he find this unsatisfactory?

However, I had no intention whatsoever of serving new food to suit his taste.

Even if he was dissatisfied, I planned to tell him to order his own servants to prepare something.

Despite his past help, today he was nothing more than an annoying obstacle.

“Rude? Not at all. Anyway, since you’re here, please have a seat. Have you eaten? Would you like a bowl?”

“Yes. I would gratefully accept.”

While I sat close beside Zion chewing on meat, the Viscount sat across from us and accepted the bowl of food Zion offered.

He looked natural as he immediately took a bite.

“Oh… despite appearing simple, this food has such a deep flavor. The people working for the Duke must be quite skilled.”

“Is that so? I’m glad you’re satisfied.”

Anderson didn’t seem to realize Zion had made it himself, and kept praising nonexistent servants while heartily eating the soup and meat.

Whatever facade he might put on with his words and expressions, his genuine appreciation was evident in how he ate.

If it hadn’t tasted good, he wouldn’t have eaten so enthusiastically.

“Mmm… I truly enjoyed that. It warms the body from within.”

“I should be the one thanking you for enjoying it so much. Here, have some water as well.”

“Oh! You’re being so attentive, I don’t know how to respond. Thank you very much.”

Anderson accepted the cup of warm water as if it were precious wine and sipped it very carefully.

It was probably just because it was hot, but some might have mistaken his manner for someone cautious about poison.

“Well, now that we’ve finished eating, may I ask why you’ve come to see us in person?”

“…Yes, of course. The reason is simple—I wanted to meet you in person and express my gratitude. You might think it’s nothing significant, but…”

Gratitude, huh?

As I listened to Anderson’s lengthy explanation, I thought he did indeed have reason to be grateful.

Although preventing war was the main reason, in the end, Richard Helios, the former Crown Prince, had ascended to the throne after ousting the current Emperor.

And that Emperor had stripped power from the war-mongering factions, strengthened his supporters, and as a bonus, dealt with his brother.

Not by killing him, but by essentially neutering him politically so he couldn’t hold power.

In such a situation, he had reason to be moved that we, who held evidence of their secret agreement, had suspiciously done nothing.

He might have expected us to gleefully exploit the weakness, secretly establishing connections as soon as Richard took power to gain all sorts of benefits.

Additionally, he expressed his desire to repay us if possible. In other words, he was bowing his head and indicating he wanted to do something for us, so it seemed best to accept. Zion appeared to think the same.

“I understand your intentions, Viscount. I need to discuss this briefly with Helena. Could you wait here for a moment?”

“Yes, of course.”

I intended to follow Zion’s wishes regardless, but Zion naturally pulled my hand and moved us to a quiet corner.

How considerate…

“I never intended to use his weakness against him… but looking at the results, it’s not much different.”

“Yes. It seems like we’ve inadvertently pressured him. Still, since he’s come to us willingly, I think anything should be fine as long as the conditions aren’t too harsh.”

Zion seemed to believe that even when exploiting someone, certain boundaries should be respected, and I agreed.

If Zion wanted to bleed the other party dry, I might try to dissuade him once, but if his resolve was firm, I wouldn’t stop him.

Because I also believed that was the right thing to do.

“So, I was thinking… how about selling wine in Viscount Anderson’s territory?”

“Wine?”

I hadn’t thought of wine at all, so I felt my eyes widen in surprise.

Anyone looking at my face would probably see an expression of astonishment with wide-open eyes.

“Yes, wine. We do sell some to outside regions occasionally, but the quantity is small.”

“It’s almost the same as not selling at all. Within our territory, prejudice against dark elves has almost disappeared, and many people buy it because it tastes good, but…”

“People still avoid it because of the lingering impression that it’s unclean.”

Despite our victory in the war, impressions had only improved slightly, not enough for people to approach comfortably.

Considering that the ratio of people who spoke to Eve or Ellen at the palace or battlefield was roughly 2:8, it was clear we still had a long way to go.

“That’s right. We didn’t want to force sales as that could cause backlash, but now that it’s come to this, I want to ask him to try it. What do you think, Helena?”

“I think… it’s a good idea. But if things go well, it will mean more work, so we should plan for that in advance.”

With my agreement, Zion seemed to lose any hesitation and walked back to Anderson with sparkling eyes.

I quietly followed, and soon I could see the two men talking enthusiastically.

Although I didn’t like Anderson’s hesitant attitude after he had said he would do anything, things eventually worked out as we wanted.

He might think internally that he was being half-threatened, but since he had given us an opening, he had to accept this much.

I kept these thoughts to myself and simply waited eagerly for nightfall when everyone would be asleep.

At first, I was reluctant to share intimacy, but lately I’ve found some quite nice aspects to it.

Of course, with the premise that I should be the priority, and fortunately, that premise has been well kept.

There are many advantages, but broadly speaking, there are three main ones.

I liked that he gets more excited than when embracing just me, and that excitement brings a more intense love.

I don’t know since when, but I almost never fail to faint when our bodies join.

Also, it was excellent that the troublesome aftercare and cleaning of sweat-soaked bodies could be done simply.

Lastly, and most significantly, because I accepted Eve, I could continue to be loved in my youthful appearance.

It was the moment I most keenly felt the need to accept outstanding talent, and the joy was indescribable.

It overcame my fear of being ignored when I grew old.

“I’ve returned.”

Not long after Anderson left for his tent, Ellen, whom I had sent on reconnaissance, approached carefully.

Perhaps she was trying to avoid raising dust.

“Good work. Was everything alright?”

“Yes. As you instructed, Duke, I scouted a wide area, and fortunately, there were no notable incidents.”

“Good work. Sit down here and warm yourself up. Were you cold?”

After reporting to me, Ellen exchanged a few pleasant words with Zion and took the seat where Anderson had been sitting.

At home, she would naturally sit next to Zion, but that wasn’t possible outdoors.

Unlike the Duke’s mansion where everyone was on our side, we had to be mindful of appearances here.

“What are your plans for tonight?”

After having a slightly late dinner with food Zion had prepared, Ellen asked in a lowered voice.

It was natural to ask Zion first since he was both the person involved and the master, but it was our daily routine to agree and decide the order in advance.

“Considering the situation, I think a tree would be good… what do you think?”

“That’s a good idea. I’ve spotted a few trees with thick, sturdy branches, so we could go there.”

“It’s not too far from His Majesty, is it? It would be inconvenient when changing shifts.”

From the perspective of someone on guard duty, this might seem too distracted, but from my standpoint, intimacy was more important than the King.

It might be an inappropriate mindset for a Duke or noble, but what could I do?

Still, it was fine since one of us would be guarding the King’s tent.

And a few hours later… Although we couldn’t move much since we were in a tree, hidden from people’s eyes, it was quite satisfying.

“Haah…”

I ran my fingers over my lower abdomen, which felt sticky and hot like lava, as I entered the tent where the King would be sleeping.

I was there to switch shifts with Ellen, who was slumped over the table while sitting in a chair inside the tent.

“Oh, before you go, splash some water on me.”

“My goodness… it’s such a shame to wash away this precious thing. I’ll experience the same regret, but…”

Before Ellen left for a secluded place, she murmured as if truly regretful while creating a large water droplet.

I felt the same way, but I couldn’t stand guard looking like this, so there was no choice.

I had to call Ellen behind the King’s tent to wash my body.

While I immersed myself in the water droplet Ellen created to clean my body, my clothes, which I had removed beforehand, were washed in another water droplet.

Since it was water created by a spirit, this was sufficient to clean away the dirt.

Moreover, it was very convenient because the water that soaked the clothes could be absorbed, eliminating the need to dry them separately.

“Well then… I’ll be going now.”

“Okay. Don’t come back too late.”

After sending Ellen off, I kept watch for several hours until the King woke up, rubbing his sleepy eyes, and thus we safely spent the night.

If I had sensed anything disturbing, I would have snapped awake even while dozing, but fortunately, nothing happened, so I could rest my eyes for longer periods.

“Hmm… The Duke has truly worked hard. When I return to the palace, I shall reward you generously.”

“I am honored.”

Instead of saying “Thank you for your words alone” or “That’s not necessary,” I simply responded briefly and bowed my head.

Since this had been a request with many dissatisfactions, I intended to extract what I could. The King probably understood that well.

Anyway, after overcoming the awkward situation of making eye contact and conversing with the King from early morning,

I felt the corners of my mouth turning up slightly at the thought of having breakfast with Zion.

It felt good, like receiving a reward after hard work.

However.

At that moment, as Zion was making the final seasoning adjustments to the food he had prepared,

I felt my mood plummet to rock bottom when I saw a bright yellow light flashing from around his nape.

My head turned ice cold.

Light coming from around his nape, from his necklace, meant… it had detected poison.