[Side Story] Two-Arm Scale (5)
“The head of the Elte Company personally came to the Ross Taylor residence. Should I be happy about this or should I be worried?”
It is often forgotten, but in any case, Tanya is the monarch who rules this huge territory.
If a completely unrelated person wants to meet Tanya, they must have an ‘audience’ rather than making an appointment or making an inquiry.
In short, there are times when you need to establish authority and save face.
The same thing happened when Slog Keldlux, who had no contact with the Rosstaylor mansion, visited.
The sight of him sitting on the living room sofa with his legs crossed and his chin resting is the very image of an arrogant nobleman.
Like Tanya, who does what she does, she looks flawless. The sight of him twisting his blonde hair with one hand emphasizes the feeling that he is not very interested in Slog.
In reality, Slog may be very curious as to why he came all the way here.
“It is an honor to meet the two people who rule the Duchy of Rosstaylor.”
Slog Keldlux bows his head and bows politely.
After that, many top employees knelt together and bowed their heads.
Tanya was about to say something as she looked at Slog, who was politely showing her respect, but…
“Kchut.”
…I sneezed once.
“…”
“…”
During the moment of silence, I quickly looked at Slog’s facial expressions.
I think I know why Lortel was always called the old fox. Just by looking at him, he is a veteran who has gone through many hardships.
Surviving for decades in the commercial city of Old Deck is a medal in itself. Over the years, All Deck has gone through many changes, but one major premise has not changed.
A place where you have to strike first before being stabbed in the back to survive.
This man is a poisonous species of poisonous species who can sell all of his family, friends, and lovers if necessary.
I was in the corner of the private audience room, leaning against the wall with my arms crossed.
For my part, I don’t need to be polite here. This is Tanya’s older brother, who has the highest authority in this space.
“The reason I came all the way to the Ross Taylor mansion was simply to say thank you.”
Old Deck merchants never waste time.
No one would think that they would come to the Ross Taylor mansion for just that reason.
“Oh my. You’re telling an interesting story. Slog Caldras.”
“This is Keldlux. master.”
“Slog Keldlux.”
Bell’s advice was as natural as water.
By the way, is it really possible to maintain authority until the end? Tanya…
“What do you have to thank me for?”
“I heard that Lortel Kecheln, who faithfully performed his role as a key member of Elte Trading Company and the company’s representative, owes a lot to the Rothtaylor family. “If you think about the people you introduced and the authority you lent, it is safe to say that you have made an astronomical amount of profit.”
“I’m glad that you Old Deck merchants also have the virtue of being grateful. “But you came all the way here to say something so obvious?”
Tanya, who was crossing her legs and tiptoing her toes arrogantly, showed a cold smile with cold eyes.
“You probably didn’t think that I would actually believe that, but to get to the point?”
“I heard there was a fox hiding in the mansion.”
Slog smiled kindly.
When Tanya responded with an exclamation and a big smile, Slog continued speaking casually.
“A fox that escapes from its cage must be returned to its cage. “Isn’t that right?”
“Well, to me you look like an old and sick fox.”
“People who make a living by making money always have a fox in their hearts. However, we must avoid running out of the cage.”
Slog straightened his lower back and spoke straight to Tanya, who was looking down arrogantly.
“If you can put a leash back on the fox that ran away from our store, we will repay you in a way that will make you feel that the kindness you have given us was really valuable.”
“You speak insolently, Slog Kel… Kel…”
“…”
“…”
“Slog Keldlux.”
It’s a bit of an unfamiliar name.
“Do you think that the Rosstaylor family is a sanctuary that collects and protects stray wild animals?”
“Because I heard something.”
“You heard wrong information.”
“I wish so too, but the chances of that happening are slim.”
As I listened to the conversation with my arms crossed, I furrowed my eyebrows.
Slog was already convinced that he had come directly to Ross Taylor’s mansion with so many escorts in tow.
Lortel’s whereabouts must have been kept a strict secret. The fact that Slog knows such information brings to mind a possibility that I probably don’t want to think about.
“I heard this directly from Lienna, our chief secretary, who is a wonderful and capable employee of our company.”
Is it torture or betrayal?
Either way, the aftertaste is not very good. It seems more likely the former than the latter.
Compared to the authoritative and influential Lortel, Rienna, who was just an employee, would have been easy to deal with even from Slog’s perspective. But what are you going to do to clean things up? Isn’t Secretary Rienna already one of the core personnel of the Chamber of Commerce?
I quietly looked at the slog and said something.
“You act as if after becoming the head of the company, everything else doesn’t matter.”
“You become the owner of a company. Master Ed Rosstaylor. “There is nonsense in those words.”
Can a good-natured smile look so vicious?
There was something dark about Slog’s laughter that made me think so.
“Aren’t I already the owner of Elte Company?”
*“Brother, this feeling… I might become addicted…”
Slog really just said those words and left.
Is that all that this busy human being does by going around so grandly?
I felt something strange, but there was not enough evidence to judge anything right away.
“How about it? “It seems cold… as if you’re selling it, looking down at it more like this… does it seem a bit cold…?”
“master. “It’s actually counterproductive to take such an arrogant stance when you’re small.”
Even so, I secretly applauded Belle, who amazingly turned around the idea that it was nothing more than a fun party.
“…”
The audience room where Slog left.
Tanya sat down in the fancy chair, stretched out her feet, and relaxed. Tanya, who was stretching back and forth while making an audible sound, sighed and buried herself in the backrest.
“Are you here to provoke me? “Why did you go all this far and leave after saying what you could have said in writing…”
“Well… Anyway, I think Slog knows that we are hiding Lortel.”
“There is no way we would give up Senior Lortel. I probably knew about the slog, but why did I go this far…”
“…I guess I just came here to check.”
Bell, who was listening to our conversation, expressed an opinion.
As always, he is standing behind Tanya with his arms folded and a polite posture.
The way he spoke politely with his eyes closed seemed like he was worried that his remarks might be off topic.
“Considering Lady Lortel’s personality, there is no way she would just hide away when Slog Keldlux comes to the mansion like this. “He would have come forward and negotiated with Slog directly, negotiated with him, or used deception.”
Lortel does most of the work himself.
It is definitely not the type of person to send a representative to have a conversation with a person like Slog.
“However, seeing that he didn’t show up behind his master until the end… Slog must have had some confidence.”
“…Lortel is currently unable to handle work normally…?”
“yes. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be a good explanation for that giant merchant taking time out of his busy schedule to come all the way here.”
Bell’s opinion is certainly valid.
Whether he tortured or appeased Secretary Rienna… Slog heard information about Lortel.
However, it would have been difficult to act with confidence based solely on the information that came from Secretary Rienna’s mouth.
I wanted to see with my own eyes whether I
had been affected by a curse spell, how effective it was, how long I had been incapacitated…
Because I am a human being whose instincts are resolved only when I move with confidence.
In any case, seeing our reaction to hiding Lortel’s appearance until the end, he must have become convinced that Lortel was truly in a serious condition.
“If I go back to Old Deck, I will immediately make some move…”
“I guess so, brother. From the slog perspective… the last element of anxiety has just disappeared.”
“At this point, I won’t be able to sit still. “More than anything, I’m a bit worried about Secretary Rienna at Old Deck.”
It is unusual that she, Lortel’s closest associate, spoke out in person.
She is a close associate who stood by Lortel until the end, even in the extreme situation where Dune betrayed the company.
The means that made Rienna open her mouth seem unlikely to be ordinary.
“I think there is a need to go to Alldeck one more time.”
“I’m not the kind of person who’s going to get hurt, but still take care of yourself. Brother.”
“I’m not leaving right away… I have a few things to prepare.”
I rested my chin and thought for a moment, then spoke to Tanya.
“If I send a letter to Saint Carpea from now on, when do you think it will arrive?”
*After roughly concluding, I returned to the room.
At a time when it was unclear what Slog was planning, it was difficult to establish a concrete plan.
I thought about going to Alldeck to think about the details, but I thought it would be better to prepare everything I could, so I brought some magic engineering materials from the warehouse.
That was the moment when I thought about making something using the magic engineering tools I had in my private room. I felt a strange movement inside the closet in the corner of the room.
“…”
Tanya’s strange habit shows no signs of being corrected.
In fact, recently, things like being in a box in an attic or being locked in a wine cellar with extra curtains… As the weather is getting more and more extreme, I tend to think that a closet is a very acceptable thing.
It seems like I’ve already crossed the line at the point where I thought this was okay… but anyway, how easy is it to find it?
I sighed and opened the closet door.
“What was so busy this time that made you run away all the way…”
As soon as I was about to say that, I realized that the person in the closet was not Tanya.
– Hwi… phi…
Lortel is asleep, holding the notebook tightly while breathing heavily.
As his body size has definitely become smaller, he has become able to hide in a closet like this.
I know very well that from time to time, I run around the mansion playing hide and seek with Lucy.
It may seem like a difficult task for Lucy to play with, but since there is no one as talented as Lucy to monitor the progress of this kind of curse magic, I trust her and leave it to her.
Of course, caring for an energetic child is not easy. Has he been under the sway of Lortel every day without any magical powers and has now given up on looking for him?
It’s not hard to imagine Lucy running through the hallways of the mansion while being led by Lortel’s arm, then falling out of exhaustion. You always have a lot of trouble… Lucy…
Suddenly, your eyes turn to the large notebook that Lortel is holding tightly.
That is the notebook Lortel carried for work before he lost his memory.
Of course, it is a job that requires a lot of note-taking. Still, most schedules can be managed through secretaries, but are there some things that you have to personally write down?
This is likely because he knows a lot of top secrets within the company.
Come to think of it, Lortel, who was cursed, always carried that notebook with him.
He hides it from others as if it were a precious treasure, and always reads it alone in a corner.
The reading speed itself was slow, perhaps because reading difficult letters was still awkward, but the sight of him staring intently as if he would one day read the entire content was impressive.
It was possible to take the notebook and forcefully open the contents, but it felt like tearing out a child’s innocence, so I left it alone for now.
However, at the point where we don’t know what’s written inside… we can’t postpone it any longer.
There might be an important clue, so let’s take a quick look while Lortel is sleeping…
That was the moment I reached for the notebook.
“Nghhhhhhh?!”
“…?”
As if his sixth sense had activated, Lortel suddenly stood up just as he was about to snatch the notebook.
Wiping the spittle from the corner of my mouth, I hugged the notebook tightly with my other hand and crawled to the corner of the closet.
Lortel’s bright red face was revealed among the shirts and coats hanging on hangers.
“No, no! “No!”
The sight of him crooning while holding his notebook tightly is like a wildcat with sharp teeth. Lortel growled like that and suddenly realized that the person he was talking about was me, and he took a deep breath.
“Yes! I’m sorry! Now, in your sleep!”
“So, are you awake?”
“Uh oh… I must have been playing hide and seek with Lucy…”
“Okay, I know what’s going on, so come out of the closet first…”
Tanya alone is too much, but even Lortel is a regular in the closet. Being a guest is difficult.
When I extended my hand to Lortel, Lortel hesitated once more, lowered his gaze, and then slowly placed his hand on my palm.
Just pull it out and escape outside. I took Lortel by the hand and sat him down at the table in one corner of the room. I thought it would be a good idea to make him a cup of tea, so I started using magic to heat the teapot in the corner of the room.
Lortel placed his fists on his knees and pressed them together as he continued speaking with difficulty.
“I’m sorry… I told you not to go into the room without permission, but… I tried to escape somehow… so I was wrong…” “I’m not
scolding you, so you don’t need to be nervous. Have a cup of tea and go. “I’ll keep it a secret from the maids.”
“Really me?! thank you!”
I simply brewed a cup of warm black tea, served it to me, brought a cup of tea for myself, and sat down on the other side.
“Are there any inconveniences in living in a mansion?”
“yes! So good! Mr. Bell, Yenika, and Lucy! Duke Tanya is a bit… scary…”
This is also surprising.
“Anyway, the employees and maids play every day, so it’s so busy every day! “It’s a good thing you came to the Ross Taylor mansion, hehe.”
Anyway, for the past time, it feels like Lortel has become a strange mascot wandering around the mansion.
Go exploring alone with a lot of dirt on your body, play hide and seek with Lucy, or take a nap lying on Yenika’s lap…
As the cutie of the mansion, you have already completely blended in here.
I’ve already come too far to say, “What am I going to do when I come to my senses?”
I just pray for peace.
“Wow… Master Ed is good at making tea… It’s delicious… He’s really good at everything just like I heard…”
“Just like I heard?”
“yes? Ahaha, users… say things like that often…!”
Lortel lifted the teacup with both small hands and took a sip.
“Warm tea calms the mind and makes the body comfortable. I’m giving it to you because you seem so embarrassed. First, have a drink and make yourself comfortable.”
“Yes, yes… thank you…”
When that comfortable feeling penetrated my heart, I quietly closed my eyes and gathered my magic power.
Lortel in his current state, unable to feel magical power at all, would not even be able to resist. That’s because it went beyond ordinary magic power… and was a special type of magic power, Aspect Magic Power.
“Ugh… I guess it’s because I feel at ease… I’m tired…”
As if possessed by something, Lortel slowly fell onto the desk and fell asleep.
Lying next to it was the notebook he carried so dearly.
“…”
I looked at Lortel’s sleeping face again and slowly stretched out my hand and took the notebook.
The notebook I carried so dearly. Opening this is a matter of necessity rather than curiosity.
Isn’t it a natural step to check what note Lortel left before losing his memory?
To be honest, it’s not self-justification, it’s really natural and reasonable, but…
“…”
Looking at the notebook that was so worn that I had kept it carefully for a long time… I got a strange feeling.
It feels like I’m doing something very bad… that kind of feeling.
Still, what can’t be helped is what can’t be helped.
