TOYLCG 23 🍒

Chapter — 23

Over the past few days, Daniel found his eyes drifting to Rosbell more and more often.
He didn’t know why.

What he did know was that she was the first person to show him that he could talk to someone so naturally.

At some point, he began to wonder whether what he felt was really just friendship.

Most of the relationships he had experienced until now were filled with betrayal, criticism, and mockery.
Simply put, Rosbell was the first person he had ever felt something positive toward.

On top of that, her closeness with Aren bothered him in a strange way.

Calling it a simple master–servant relationship didn’t feel right. There was no distance in the way they spoke or acted toward each other.

Even when Aren crossed the line slightly as a subordinate, Rosbell let it go easily.
She reacted as if to say, That happens sometimes.

It wasn’t wrong, and Daniel wasn’t in a position to say anything about it anyway.

He told himself that he was probably just jealous of how close they were.

“Sir Daniel.”

“Yes?”

For a moment, Daniel jumped, thinking foolishly that she had read his thoughts.

“Is there a training ground here in the count’s estate?”

“A training ground?”

“Yes. I usually meditate every morning, but since coming here, I haven’t been able to. My body feels really stiff.”

Daniel had never meditated even once while farming.
After work, he was exhausted, and once he lay down, he fell asleep as if he had passed out.

Yet Rosbell, a noble lady doing unfamiliar farm work, didn’t say it was hard. She simply said her body felt stiff.

“Did you do physical training even at the duke’s estate?”

“How else could I handle such demanding work? Don’t you do anything to manage your stamina, Sir Daniel?”

“Well… not really.”

“You must have naturally strong stamina. I need to train at least a little.”

“The training ground is behind the rooms you’re staying in. I don’t really use it, so I don’t know its exact condition, but it should be maintained.”

“Then can I start using it from tomorrow?”

“Of course.”

Rosbell raised both arms happily and cheered. Then, naturally, her gaze moved toward Aren.

He was smiling brightly as well.

Without realizing it, Daniel almost said that he would join the meditation too.

For some reason, he felt left out.

“I keep thinking this, but this place really makes me look forward to autumn.”

“Autumn?”

“Yes. The wheat will ripen and turn golden, won’t it?”

It was always like this.

With just one sentence from her, the strange emotions inside him settled down instantly.
He didn’t know whether that relief came from her words themselves, or from comforting himself by confirming his own place through them.

Unclear feelings confused people, and Daniel’s mind was complicated in many ways right now.

Soon, she would return to the Duchy of Eprien.
Why did it feel like this connection would end with this visit?

If it was just a passing encounter, that might be natural.
Still, he found himself wishing that this relationship would last for a long time.

“What should I do?”

All Daniel could think about was how to keep his connection with her, no matter what.

“Invite her during the festival…? But waiting until then feels too long…”

Thinking alone wouldn’t help. In times like this, it was best to act directly.

He didn’t even consider what would happen if it failed.
He just had a strange confidence that she would accept his suggestion.

At that same time, the two of them were meditating.

Aren stopped his own meditation and focused on Rosbell.

Her mana capacity has definitely increased.

He thought quietly so as not to disturb her concentration.
A sudden increase in mana could be influenced by the surrounding environment, but the biggest reason was likely her contracts with the two spirits.

Even without actively using power, maintaining contracts required a certain amount of mana.

Aren hadn’t changed, but Rosbell was clearly growing.

“I’m exhausted!”

“Whoa!”

Rosbell suddenly shouted while meditating. Before Aren could even ask what was wrong, her entire body was drenched in sweat.

It was understandable for her to say she was tired.

But was it normal to sweat this much just from meditation?
Aren felt inadequate, unable to offer any proper advice.

If he had a master, wouldn’t he have been able to ask about situations like this?

His thoughts were spiraling in a negative direction.
Sensing this, Rosbell grabbed his hand.

“Ah~ that feels so cool~”

“What are you doing?”

“Can’t you see the state I’m in? I’m burning up! But you’re cool!”

Just as she said, her body temperature was much higher than usual.
It was almost at the level where heatstroke wouldn’t be surprising.

“Could you not use people as tools to cool yourself down?”

Aren spoke bluntly, but he was smiling.

After checking his expression, Rosbell relaxed.

Once Aren fell into negative thoughts, he sank endlessly.
Because it eventually hurt him, she wanted to stop it as much as possible.

It was strange how well her words worked on him, but still—

She calmed him down, cooled herself off, and solved two problems at once. It wasn’t bad at all.

“The Demetra territory feels quiet. The wind blows from all directions, so it really feels like an open plain.”

“Quiet?”

Aren didn’t understand what she meant.

Compared to the duke’s estate, this place was noisy.
Managing such vast plains meant people were constantly moving around. Even the daily gathering to explain work plans was far from quiet.

Something felt off.

Aren felt like he was missing something, and Rosbell’s unusually calm demeanor lately felt strange.

Perhaps it was the proper appearance of a noble lady.
But knowing her usual self, Aren felt he had noticed too late.

“You’re not sick, are you?”

“What are you trying to say?”

“Isn’t this place not exactly quiet?”

“Is it? Small noises exist everywhere, don’t they?”

“There’s definitely something strange…”

At his words, Rosbell frowned.
Watching silently without clearly explaining what was strange annoyed her.

“Say it properly.”

“It is windy. But you’re… too calm.”

“What?”

What kind of nonsense was that?

She did act bright sometimes, but that was for everyone’s sake.
She believed she was naturally calm—at least in her own opinion.

“It feels like you’re forcing yourself to act lively.”

The more Aren spoke, the more Rosbell realized that something about her really was different.

She had thought her fatigue was just from work.
It was also true that she couldn’t manage her mana as well as she could at the duke’s estate.

Still, his words bothered her too much to ignore.
Since regaining her memories, she hadn’t pretended like this at all.

“I… I’m not pretending!”

“That’s why it’s strange. Don’t you feel anything?”

Aren wondered if the movement of the wind he had noticed wasn’t meaningless after all.

“I don’t… really know…”

Only then did Rosbell begin to seriously think about why she felt this way.
At some point, her ears felt muffled.

It wasn’t exactly ringing—more like being submerged underwater.
She brushed it off as fatigue.

But considering what Aren had pointed out, it seemed there really was something going on.

“Call Gnome.”

“Yeah. That’s probably best.”

Had things been too peaceful until now? Or was there another reason?

“Gnome, come out.”

—It’s been a while.

“Why can’t you use your strength?”

Seeing Gnome drooping instead of energetic as usual made Rosbell panic.
And there was something else strange—Aren’s reaction.

“What is that?”

“Huh?”

“Mud is dripping in midair!”

“You can see Gnome?”

That meant Aren could now see a spirit.
This shocked both of them.

—If possible, could you avoid calling me out in places filled with the goddess’s power?

“The goddess?”

Rosbell’s eyes widened at the words a place filled with the goddess’s power.
Did Count Demetra possess some special ability?

—This land is under the blessing of the Goddess of the Earth. When powers clash, a mere spirit like me can’t use my strength properly.

Even if he called himself “mere,” Gnome was one of the Spirit Kings.
That the goddess’s power could suppress a Spirit King was obvious from his condition alone.

“Then does that mean the count has special abilities too?”

—No. The goddess simply favored him and bestowed her blessing here. That’s all you wanted to know, right?

“Mm. Since I’m a contractor, am I being affected too?”

—That’s right. If possible, return to the duke’s estate as soon as you can. Staying here for long isn’t good for either of us.

“Okay.”

At Gnome’s unexpected words, Rosbell decided that she would make an excuse if she had to—and return home soon.