Ch.336Side Story: A Simple Worry

Erika froze as she spotted Findenai and the Dark Spiritmaster tidying up the garden.

She instinctively realized that getting caught here would mean being roped into unnecessary work.

“Well, look who’s here.”

But her opponent was a woman said to possess truly animal-like senses.

Even in the past, Findenai’s senses had been exceptional, but after receiving the power of the mountain lord, they could no longer be considered human.

Erika immediately tried to flee once discovered.

She had come here to spend intimate time with Shinwoo Kim, not to pull weeds and sweat alongside Findenai.

“It’s the concubine.”

But that scratchy remark made Erika’s retreating steps turn forward instead.

“What?”

Concubine?

Even Findenai couldn’t be this inappropriate.

“I’m sorry, but who are you calling a concubine? Usually it’s the maid who becomes the concubine.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. We woke up in the same bed today—am I the concubine?”

“……”

Erika was momentarily speechless.

Jealousy surged within her, followed immediately by envy.

What would it be like to wake up with him sleeping beside her?

Her cheeks flushed red as Erika forcibly reined in her thoughts before they could drift into lewd fantasies.

“I’m the one who paid for the land and the building permits. This is essentially my property.”

Since a Grand Mage of the Griffin Kingdom purchasing territory in the Republic of Clark could be considered a form of political asylum, Erika had only provided the funds while the land was purchased under someone else’s name.

“Oh, you can have the land.”

Erika felt a surge of irritation at Findenai’s meaningful smile.

Just minutes ago, she had been the dignified professor, graciously greeting students, but her position had crumbled in less than five minutes.

[Sigh, such fools.]

Meanwhile, the Dark Spiritmaster, crouching and pulling weeds with mana-infused hands, let out a sigh. Despite being a soul with no need for physical gestures, she was adding unnecessary movements.

[What does it matter who’s the legal wife or the concubine? He wouldn’t care about such things anyway.]

“……”

“……”

Both women fell silent since they couldn’t deny the truth of those words.

But it still felt unpleasant. Even when the message is good, if the messenger is disagreeable, even good words can feel annoying.

When the usually vacant-looking Dark Spiritmaster made such a comment, both women felt a surge of defiance rising within them, yet they had no retort.

Sensing her advantage, the Dark Spiritmaster continued while clutching a weed, clicking her tongue.

[Besides, do you realize what you’re both saying is strange?]

“What is?”

“……”

[He’s currently in an artificial body. Strictly speaking, isn’t he an ‘object’?]

An unexpected statement.

Findenai and Erika stared at the Dark Spiritmaster with identical shocked expressions, but the Black Mage continued pouring out words as if she’d made some grand discovery or was proclaiming gospel.

[So in other words, it’s not that we belong to him, but that he belongs to us.]

The fact that she casually included herself aside, her outrageous idea left them speechless.

“So this is what a Black Mage is.”

“Those who don’t see humans as humans…”

Ignoring Findenai and Erika’s muttering, the Dark Spiritmaster waved her hands excitedly and continued babbling.

[Public property? Isn’t that how we should think of it? We all use it well together and put it back in its place when we’re done!]

The Dark Spiritmaster stretched both hands toward the sky with a “ta-da!” Scattering the weeds she was holding as if for dramatic effect.

“Now I understand why she died.”

“Just an evil spirit.”

When the two women’s harsh comments burst forth, the Dark Spiritmaster puffed her cheeks and turned away irritably.

[Fools. I tell them something good and they criticize me.]

Leaving the Dark Spiritmaster to her annoyed weed-pulling, Findenai and Erika looked at each other simultaneously.

“Whatever happens, that one’s not acceptable. I never liked that red hair from the start.”

“I agree.”

[Stop chatting and pull weeds! This is where my little sprouts will grow!]

Not missing that they were talking about her, the Dark Spiritmaster screeched, and Findenai finally sighed and headed toward the garden.

‘What are “little sprouts” anyway?’

Wondering this, Erika casually extended her hand. Golden mana spread gently from her palm, grasping the various stones in the garden and lifting them into the air to clear them away.

The garden looked much cleaner.

Not stopping there, Erika’s mana became golden embers that cleanly burned the weeds down to their roots.

“There, done, right?”

Findenai gaped at the Grand Mage candidate who had instantly completed the day’s work.

“I should have brought you earlier.”

“Don’t look at me like I’m just a convenient tool.”

As Erika folded her arms, not hiding her displeasure, the Dark Spiritmaster, who had been diligently pulling weeds, grabbed her head with both hands.

[Aaaaargh!]

A scream-like exclamation burst forth.

Wondering if there was a problem, they saw the Dark Spiritmaster explode in anger.

[What have you done?! Farming is supposed to be done with care and dedication, stitch by stitch, and you just carelessly handle it like that?!]

“…But isn’t it good that it’s finished easily?”

[Do you think I couldn’t do that? But there’s pleasure in carefully tending to it like this!]

The Dark Spiritmaster confronted Erika.

But beside her, Findenai, who had been about to light a cigarette in satisfaction at the easy completion of the work, froze.

She turned her head sharply to glare at the Dark Spiritmaster, her eyes terrifyingly fierce.

“What do you mean ‘couldn’t do that’?”

That statement right now.

“Are you saying you could have done it but chose not to?”

Findenai glared at the Dark Spiritmaster, having slaved away since morning, only to learn that the work could have been finished in five seconds like Erika did.

[…Weren’t you doing it for fun?]

Unable to contain the stress rising from the Dark Spiritmaster’s stupid question, Findenai lit her cigarette.

She exhaled a long stream of smoke.

“I promised him I wouldn’t kill anymore.”

Looking down at her hands twitching with murderous intent, Findenai moved without hesitation.

“Where’s the axe?”

It seemed the time had come to retrieve the axe stored in the shed.

* * *

[Hehe.]

As we entered a village called Iceburn in the Republic of Clark, Stella beside me let out a small laugh.

The Dark Spiritmaster had said she would come along, but somehow she had been replaced by Stella at some point.

Judging by how easily she had backed down, they must have made some kind of deal.

Stella, looking pleased, gently took my hand.

[I’ve always longed for something like this.]

“Like what?”

[Going on a date, strolling through a peaceful village.]

“Ah…”

Stella occasionally showed this side of herself, taking joy in such simple things.

It made sense, given her life as a Saintess, but still.

[Hehe.]

Seeing her so happy over something so simple made me feel proud.

“Is there anything you want to buy?”

[There are things the senior asked us to get, but will you be able to carry them all by yourself?]

We needed to buy farming tools, so there would likely be quite a lot to carry. Since we lived quite far from here, delivery wasn’t an option.

If there was a real problem, we could fly back using magic like we came, but…

I didn’t want to burden my artificial body by unnecessarily using mana.

“I’m thinking of buying a cart too. That should be enough to transport everything.”

I was planning to buy transportation as well.

A horse for the cart or even a donkey would be sufficient.

[You won’t let Ppopsil eat it when it grows bigger, will you?]

“…Let’s worry about that when the time comes.”

I was momentarily concerned, but we needed to buy one anyway. All that remained for a retired high-ranking official was a purse that seemed to overflow with abundance.

Of course, I was more fired than retired, but I had accumulated enough money that I could spend large sums without relying on the Verdi family’s support.

If Deia saw this, she might criticize me for spending money so haphazardly.

[But will this village have decent carts and horses? It looks rather small.]

“Even if they’re not great, we need something urgently, so we’ll have to make do with what’s available.”

[Such a modest life. I like it.]

The people of Iceburn village glanced at me, an outsider, and whispered among themselves.

It seemed they weren’t very accustomed to receiving outsiders.

‘Of course, that’s not the only reason.’

The political situation in the Republic of Clark hadn’t yet stabilized. It hadn’t even been a year since Magan’s death.

It would be strange if everything had been resolved already.

From the Griffin Kingdom to the Kingdom of Zerman, the Han Empire, and the Duchy of Valestan.

They were all still stirring things up, bringing up Magan’s old banquet as an excuse to somehow take a bite out of the Republic of Clark.

Currently, the Republic of Clark was the place where you could see the most diverse races on the continent.

[We’re not exactly welcome, it seems.]

“Can’t be helped. We’ll be coming here often, so we’ll just have to invest time in becoming familiar faces.”

Stella, who had been staring at me, let out a chuckle at my words.

“What’s so funny?”

I wondered what amused her, but Stella linked her arm with mine. She had been showing this boldness since before, knowing that those around couldn’t see her.

[How to kill an archdemon, how to stop the saturation of souls, how to twist fate.]

“……”

[Seeing you, who used to deal with such heavy subjects, now thinking about how to win over villagers’ favor—it makes me happy.]

“I suppose so.”

At Stella’s words, I hesitated briefly before a faint smile formed on my lips.

Having concerns without the weight of responsibility.

These modest worries felt surprisingly pleasant.