episode_0059
by fnovelpia
59. An Awkward Atmosphere
I was returning to Presea on horseback with Adel.
The situation was the same as when we left for the mines—riding side by side at full speed…
But there was one clear difference…
“……”
“……….”
Yeah…
Neither of us was saying a word.
Normally, Adel would have started a conversation by now, bored from riding all day long…
But she just kept her mouth tightly shut, heading straight for Presea.
‘I’m so screwed…’
Let me briefly summarize what happened yesterday.
After three sleepless days searching for clay ore suitable for cement, we finally found some.
Then, Adel and I returned to the Scarlet lodging to rest, only to realize there was only one room.
But that was apparently part of Adel’s plan… and in the end, we ended up sharing intimacy.
Yeah, it was similar to what happened with Vivian in that rain-soaked cabin.
Except for one key difference…
‘S-so… sowwy…♡’
Adel, who had a sadistic streak, had been treating me like a mere toy until then.
But I immediately took charge and showed her the difference between a toy and a real man.
Her lewd whispers kept provoking me, pushing the mood over the edge…
In the end, I crossed the line and made her pass out.
Even when she begged me to stop, I ignored her and kept going all night, tormenting her endlessly.
And, as expected, the moment she woke up in the morning, she threw my clothes at me with a frigid expression.
Then, in a cold voice, she spoke just one sentence to me…
‘Get dressed. We’re leaving.’
And so, here we are now.
Riding back to Presea without exchanging a single word.
‘She’s not actually going to hang me, right?’
Maybe I should start strengthening my neck muscles, just in case.
As I seriously contemplated this, I recalled a relationship story I’d seen online.
Vivian was always lively and easygoing, so it wasn’t a problem, but they say women are delicate, right?
In awkward situations like this, you’re supposed to lighten the mood with witty jokes or something.
And obviously, since I’m the one drowning in guilt, I should be the one to initiate…
I steeled myself to break the silence this time.
What should I say? Let me think of something carefully first…
‘Haha, you looked so cute when you passed out yesterday, like a little frog.’
…
Yeah, that’s not just asking to be hanged—that’s begging for a beheading.
Sex jokes are obviously off-limits in awkward situations.
Alright, then a witty tease…?
‘So, did the ‘therapy’ work? Heh.’
Now we’ve moved beyond execution to war crimes.
The moment those words leave my mouth, Adel would probably pull out a knife and stab me in the gut.
Honestly, there’s a reason only these godawful lines are coming to mind.
For a virgin NEET like me, post-sex small talk is just too damn hard.
Vivian was the only other person I’d been with, but she was so easygoing it felt more like a partnership—so that didn’t help.
Fuck, what the hell am I even supposed to say?
Popular guys seem to make girls laugh naturally and move on effortlessly.
Unless…? Even popular guys can’t navigate pillow talk with a noblewoman who could have them beheaded over a single word?
In the end, we rode the entire day in silence and barely made it back to Presea.
We arrived at the Grace Mansion, situated in the heart of Presea, still on horseback.
There, waiting anxiously and biting her nails, was Alice.
The moment she spotted me and Adel, she rushed over and asked in a desperate voice:
“D-Did you find it?!”
“Yeah, I got the ore we needed. Now we just have to make it.”
“Thank goodness… Really, thank goodness…”
Alice removed her glasses and wiped away the tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.
Seems like she’d been stressing hard over the population crisis while I was gone.
She was so overwhelmed she even hugged me tightly.
Burying her face in my chest, she spoke in a trembling voice.
“Do you have any idea how much I agonized over this? It was the first task you entrusted to me, and I didn’t want to disappoint you…
I’ve been working so hard, but every day people come to me with nothing but complaints.
With no way to solve it immediately… and then you left to find the crucial materials…”
“Hah… haha…”
“The other advisors were too busy with their own work… and I…”
I laughed awkwardly and patted Alice’s back as she clung to me.
But it seemed she had a lot bottled up—she just kept mumbling into my chest.
Then, Adel, who had been maintaining an icy expression, grabbed Alice by the scruff of her neck and pulled her away from me.
The atmosphere suddenly turned as cold as a winter gust.
Adel spoke to Alice in a frosty tone.
“Lady Alice Veracia.You and I have much to discuss. Let’s go inside.”
“Sniff… Y-yes, let’s go in.”
Unusually polite toward Alice, Adel ushered her inside while giving reassuring pats on the back.
Even offering quiet words of consolation.
“A noblewoman shouldn’t cling so carelessly to a man.”
“But Sir Cain is—”
“No exceptions.”
“…Right. It’s improper by principle…”
Look who’s talking…
I grumbled inwardly as I watched them walk off together.
Honestly, given Adel’s devilish personality, I thought she’d get over it fast, but…
Seeing how cold she’s being, she must’ve hated the whole experience.
If Erika didn’t favor me, she probably would’ve pulled a dagger by now.
And Vivian seems to see me more as a late-night buddy than an actual lover…
I scratched my head and let out a sigh.
“Sigh… Is my personality the problem? Or am I just bad in bed?”
You know how they say a satisfied wife cooks better the next day?
At this point, I’m starting to think I have zero talent in that department.
I mean, I trained hard (?) with Vivian and gained some confidence, but…
Swallowing my regret, I headed into the workshop inside Grace Mansion.
“…You’re back?”
“…Yes, I’m back.”
And there, sprawled across a sofa, were two engineer girls looking utterly wrecked.
Despite their small frames, they were slumped like melted cats, exhaustion dripping off them.
Their beautiful faces were marred by fatigue and heavy dark circles.
“You alright?”
“Do we look alright?”
“No.”
I know that look all too well.
It’s the same face of grad students who fell for a professor’s sweet talk and got locked in academia.
Brook, seeing me after who knows how long, chewed on a piece of jerky like it was a cigarette and spoke.
“Finished everything you asked for.”
“The concrete mixer and crusher?”
“The mobile rotating drum’s done. The mages are helping with the crusher.”
Nice work, my little slaves!
Ah—whoops, my inner professor slipped out.
Grad students who deliver results just by being told what to do…
They must’ve been in hell, but being on the opposite side feels strangely satisfying.
Is this why professors are so ruthless?
As I pondered this, Brook stomped over and pressed a finger into my nose.
“The mixer and crusher were nothing! That furnace you wanted—the one that cools to 200 degrees instantly—was the real nightmare!”
Oh, right… I forgot about that.
I awkwardly laughed and hugged Brook.
I remembered Alice whining and clinging to me for comfort earlier, so…
Since girls seem to like this kind of thing, I went for it.
Even Vivian and Adel instinctively clung to me during… strenuous moments.
Like when they were clawing at my back while riding out the aftershocks.
So, I hugged Brook and gave her some reassuring pats.
“You… you jerk!”
“Ow!”
Then she punched me.
Despite her tiny frame, she wriggled out of my hold, leaped up, and slammed a fist into my skull.
Her face burning red, she started yelling at me.
“What kind of… of womanizer are you?! Don’t just hug people like that!”
“What’s wrong with a hug? Alice practically jumped into my arms earlier.”
“That’s because she’s always pulling weird stunts like some kitsune!”
Girls are just incomprehensible.
And now Brook’s calling me a kitsune too… Is it just my fox-like looks?
Half-listening to her rant, I turned to Aethel.
“Aethel, the special clay ore I picked should be arriving soon. Let’s work on the blueprints until then.”
“Huh? Oh—yes!”
At that, Aethel snapped to attention, answering eagerly after a moment of staring at me like she envied something.
Does Aethel actually like being hugged like a puppy?
But Brook, who keeps yelling beside me, hates it?
Girls are a mystery.
Anyway, right now, apartments matter more than women.
Based on my designs and calculations, hundreds could die… or a colossal building could collapse catastrophically.
Got to focus now…
“Let’s make this apartment.”
There was still much to do.
First, the 300kg of clay ore I’d requested to be sent ahead—expected to arrive by carriage in six hours.
We needed the blueprints ready before then.
“Brook, rest for now. Aethel, you’re with me on the designs.”
“Leave it to me!”
“Damn… Finally, some rest…”
I sketched out the overall design concept, leaving the finer details to Aethel.
Like concept art in a game.
While she worked on that, I needed to crunch numbers for a realistic structural plan.
Aesthetics aside, we had to calculate load-bearing columns, optimal dimensions, and all that.
“Come to think of it, aren’t there a lot of artists around here?”
“Ah, now that you mention it…”
Right, the geniuses who’d been waiting with that eccentric old man, Lukarion.
They’d mobbed me with endless questions, but they *were* real prodigies—far beyond my level.
Getting their help with the design wouldn’t hurt.
Or maybe consulting that architectural genius among them.
“And when the ore arrives at dawn, Aethel rests, and Brook takes over.”
After that, Brook and I would start cement production.
From what I checked, the composition’s perfect, but unknowns remain—better test it ourselves.
We’d also demo the furnace, mixer, and crushing magic Brook and Aethel built.
As I finalized the plan, Aethel gave me a worried look.
“…Aren’t you going to rest, Cain?”
“People’s lives are at stake here. I’ll do my best.”
I reassured her with a pat on the head, then cracked my knuckles.
“Besides, if this works, they won’t *dare* refuse my resignation.”
Seriously, after pioneering reinforced concrete, they’d have no right to stop me.
Just imagining the architectural possibilities is mind-blowing.
Blocking my retirement after this would be downright evil.
And so, with lives and my resignation on the line, I threw myself into the work.
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