Chapter 113:……………………………………………………………………….
Encounter (11)
Rio also briefly bowed his head to the Duke of Etval in greeting before speaking to Temia.
“Isn’t it only natural to worry? I was wondering if you might have been hurt. Of course, as the assistant mentioned, there was also the Duke…’s instructions, but more than that, I couldn’t just sit back and do nothing, so I rushed here. It’s frustrating.”
“Ah! I’m sorry. I was being rude…! I wasn’t hurt anywhere. Luckily.”
“It’s enough that you understand my frustration. You might think it’s nonsense, but even when I couldn’t see you, I thought about you a lot. I even sent a few more letters to the wizard’s workshop, but at some point, the replies stopped coming, and I was worried.”
Because it had been an impulsive decision, she hadn’t told anyone. She had thought it was simply a matter between Lowell and herself.
‘I didn’t expect it to become such a big deal!’
Temia regretted her decision internally and quickly replied.
“I completely forgot because I was out of my mind. It wasn’t exactly a situation suitable for sending letters anyway.”
“That’s understandable. Though from my perspective, I was quite surprised to hear that you had returned to the Duke’s residence.”
“I said I’m sorry…”
Rio’s voice carried an exaggerated playful tone, which quickly eased Temia’s tension caused by guilt. That said, she couldn’t entirely hide her subtle irritation at his apparent delight in seizing the opportunity to tease her.
“It seems you were dissatisfied as the wizard’s assistant. If you ever want to return to work after a break, I can have you as my assistant anytime. I’ll pay you double compared to that wizard, and you can do everything you want. I’ll make sure there’s no condescending attitude to upset you.”
“Eh?”
“I’ll also ensure you’re treated properly as a noble lady. From what I’ve seen, your stamina isn’t that high. Unlike some, I plan to consider the condition of my employees when assigning work. I won’t make you do physically exhausting tasks. How about it?”
“Uh…? Th-That’s…”
Temia bit her tongue, wishing she could faint on the spot. How could she explain that she had left precisely to sort out her feelings regarding her involvement with him? She had left because she was dissatisfied with Lowell—but not in the way an employee might be.
And Rio seemed to know exactly what was in her heart, deliberately framing the conversation only around the kind of dissatisfaction one could have as an assistant. His perception was razor-sharp.
Since they had attended the ball together, he could not have been unaware, yet he refrained from directly mentioning it out of politeness, which she deeply appreciated. He was indeed a very subtle person, as expected of someone whose work required interaction with many people. Thanks to that, Temia could let the awkward topic slide without comment.
‘But to propose it like this…?’
Standing before the man who had rushed here out of concern for her and being asked to become his assistant—refusing outright would have been awkwardly funny. Unsurprisingly, Temia, not being particularly skilled in diplomacy, revealed her flustered expression.
“What are you talking about? I just… went out to greet the Duke of Etval here and get some fresh air, that’s all.”
At that moment, Lowell, who had felt awkward seeing Temia express such emotions openly, interjected. He was annoyed at the thought of Rio whisking Temia away despite his efforts to hold her back. Not only did he refuse to yield her, but the sight of her laughing and chatting with Rio irritated him greatly.
‘I didn’t want to resort to such petty tricks.’
Yet pretending to be composed and letting her go would have been far more foolish. So, openly displeased, he glared at Rio.
Rio met the cold, hostile gaze and finally seemed to notice Lowell. He briefly scanned him up and down before replying succinctly:
“What I meant was regarding a ‘return.’ When Miss Etval here wants to come back to work after her rest, there’s no need for her to return to you.”
“I didn’t quit in the first place, so there’s no reason to go back to you. So, it makes sense that she returns to me.”
“You don’t have the right to block a recruitment offer, though.”
“At least, she’s not going back to you. Temia has already faithfully performed her role as my assistant. Isn’t that right?”
Lowell glanced at Temia, seeking her agreement. As soon as he finished speaking, both men’s eyes turned toward her simultaneously.
The tension between them felt like sparks flying in the air. Feeling herself being caught in their underground battle, she hurriedly pulled out a vial and showed it to Rio.
“Ah, um…! I was planning to explain this in more detail when we returned, but since it’s come up now, I’ll show you.”
“…?”
“This is a solution I was using inside… It seems that place was a laboratory used by a criminal group conducting human-based magical experiments.”
Rio immediately focused on the vial, examining it carefully and nodding.
“Once the analysis of this liquid is complete, will you share it with me? Judging by its use in experiments, it seems they produced it in large quantities. Such a solution probably doesn’t use ordinary ingredients. If we know the ingredients, it might be easier to trace its source.”
“I hadn’t thought of it that way…! I thought that if we could make an antidote for this solution, we might be able to recruit people like Viscount Lycanthrope. I also secretly wondered if some of them were still loyal simply because there was no antidote.”
“That’s not wrong, but finding the main perpetrators and eradicating them is also important. And it’s thanks to you that we even had the idea in the first place.”
“Thanks to me?”
“The core of the cave slime. Don’t you remember? I still vividly recall you probing the origin of its use. Of course, if someone like me, a merchant dealing with other merchant groups, was involved, or if no records were left during trade, tracing its origin might be more difficult.”
“Then would it be hard to find?”
Rio shook his head at her worried expression.
“It’ll be difficult, but not impossible. If a rare ingredient was regularly traded in large quantities somewhere, it would inevitably stand out. It would also be good to investigate my guild immediately.”
Thankfully, Lowell stayed silent this time, merely listening to their conversation. The discussion had practical value, so he likely saw no reason to interrupt. Despite their constant bickering, they seemed to mutually respect each other’s abilities.
“So, why not start your assistant duties by joining my guild and investigating internally?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Temia will assist me in analyzing evidence, remember?”
If not for this sudden proposition, the conversation might have ended well. But that one remark reignited the men’s conflict, leaving Temia frantically shuttling between them, sweating nervously. The place quickly descended into chaos of a different kind.
Meanwhile, there was another person present whom the three had forgotten.
The Duke of Etval.
He had observed Rio finishing his conversation and then talking with Lowell and Temia. Watching how things were unfolding, he could only be stunned inwardly.
‘These guys… don’t even realize Temia’s father is right in front of them?’
After all, he was not only Temia’s father but also a duke of the country. Yet Rio and Lowell seemed completely unconcerned, chatting quietly as if unaware. This sort of disrespect… he swore he had never experienced it. And yet, these two men seemed to have an intense interest in his daughter and were even fighting for her attention right in front of him!
The Duke narrowed his eyes.
‘My daughter… is receiving affectionate looks from not one, but two men at the same time.’
He had raised his youngest daughter with the utmost care, tenderly and carefully. He had given her everything she liked. Despite that, she had grown into a pure child, free of vanity, and he had been happy.
He had worried that if this precious child stepped outside the safety of the Duke’s estate, someone might take advantage of her. But clearly, good people recognize good qualities. The moment she left, even men famous for winning the hearts of noble ladies were drawn to her. His daughter had been asserting herself without needing his status.
That alone made him extremely proud. His doting side exulted:
‘Look at my remarkable daughter—!!!’
He wanted the whole country to know.
Yet, for now, his daughter had just returned safely into his care, and he had no intention of yielding. So the Duke stepped into the three of them, speaking with a solemn voice.
“No, my daughter will not go anywhere.”
“…?!”
“She will remain at the Duke’s residence, not by anyone’s side. As you know, the situation is very unfavorable. Therefore, this time, I intend to keep her firmly within the family. I hope both of you will give up.”
