IDEFYEM - Chapter 56
Black Man, I'll Do Everything For You Except Marriage!
"A portrait of the Grand Duke?"
There was no sense of embarrassment or doubt in the voice asking the question. I felt like I was relieved by Kael's reaction.
"Now that I think about it, I've never seen his face before."
"I see, since you want it, I will do my best to get it."
"They say he's blonde, is that correct?"
"Yes, probably."
I carefully looked at Kael's expression while talking to him. He was relaxed and friendly as usual, and I couldn't find anything unusual about him.
"Where were you last night? I heard something important happened."
"Ah, I really wanted to see you in person at the winners' banquet."
Kael clicked his tongue and spoke as if he was truly disappointed.
"I had no choice because of urgent matters."
"So what's going on?"
Without realizing it, my voice came out slightly nervous. I, the person involved, was the first to be shocked and quickly apologized to Kael.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I've been sleeping less lately, so I seem to be strangely more sensitive."
"It's okay, Enri. Yesterday, I helped train the knights."
"..."
"There was an important expedition coming up, so I, as the team leader, could not miss training. If you want, you can ask Bacchus..."
"No, it's okay. I'm so sorry."
Everything was fine until just now. I almost ruined everything because of a strange idea that came to me out of nowhere.
'Now forget about that.'
If you don't usually have a good sense of humor, don't be stubborn.
I suggested, smiling awkwardly.
"Shall we go to your office and finish talking about the newspaper?"
"That's a good idea."
I was busy moving quickly to escape from this atmosphere.
So I didn't notice that Kael's expression hardened as he followed me.
***
Fortunately, recruiting the newspaper seemed to be going smoothly. Coincidentally, Kael's old friend works at Quest, one of the largest and most influential newspaper companies.
The immediate problem to be solved disappeared, but somehow the complicated feelings remained.
I wandered around and walked toward the library where Vermont was staying. Is it because of the special relationship between a familiar and a wizard?
Like yesterday, when we saw each other, we started grumbling. When my mind was complicated like this, he was the first thing that came to mind.
"Vermont...."
I gently called his name and looked for the cat.
"Lord Vermont?"
I tried changing the name to see if he was deliberately hiding from view, but the large library was still silent. I searched every nook and cranny until I got a little tired and finally found him.
"..."
Wow, he is still human today.
Vermont was asleep, leaning against the wall in an uncomfortable position. Extend one leg straight and keep the other knee bent rather than extended. His arms were crossed, feeling stiff just by looking at them.
There was a mountain of all kinds of magic books and theory books piled up on the floor.
'You're always having a hard time because of me.'
After looking at him a little pitifully, he whined and straightened his bent legs. At that time, something slightly strange came into view.
I caught a glimpse of what looked like a blue bruise on the inside of the loose sleeve of his left arm.
'What is that?'
For a moment, my heart seemed to sink, but I stopped because I thought he wouldn't like me to dig deeper.
Instead, I tried to get up again, shaking my pounding heart...
"Ooh, wow!"
When I raised my head, he was staring at me with bright yellow eyes. Even though I had no clue at all, I was shocked and cried out like a person who had committed a crime even though I had done nothing wrong.
"If you woke up in the middle of the night, it would be nice if you could at least give me a tip! What were you doing?"
"I felt like you were sleeping uncomfortably, so I was stretching your legs... Why are you questioning me..."
I wonder if Kael, who got angry for no reason earlier, must have felt the way I did right now.
I was saddened by the situation as if I had been misunderstood, so I pouted and spoke.
Then something strange happened.
I heard the sound of wind falling and my ears pierced. Surprised by the unexpected reaction, I opened my eyes and looked at Vermont.
'Oh, he laughed...'
A smile appeared on the prickly man's lips. It was so awkward that I couldn't imagine it in my head.
What I actually saw was not strange, but rather soft and tickling. The mouth that was always frowning lifted up. The devil, whose every line on his face looks sharp and sensitive, only smiles in front of me.
It had enough impact to erase from my mind all the many things I had experienced that day. But soon, as if to erase that thought, I felt a stinging pain on my forehead.
"Ouch!"
"What are you looking at so intently?"
Vermont, who had hit me with a single blow, quickly got up from his seat. Yeah, he used to be like that. I was hit on the forehead for no reason and I was left speechless.
"You, someday I will...."
"Let's call that day today."
"What?"
Vermont, fearing that he was not necessarily the devil, tidied up his noticeably messy clothes and long hair and spoke.
"We're going to practice like the real thing now, so grab your cane and follow me."
"Suddenly like this?"
"You said you would punish the duke and even mess with the royal family. Even if you meet an enemy in the middle, will you still ask that question?"
In the end, he has a knack for making people hate the things they say while thinking of me.
I took the first step and hurriedly followed Vermont as he walked forward.
"Let's go together!"
How far are you going?
Vermont instructed both him and me to cast a cloaking spell, and we left the Count's mansion and started heading towards the hill.
"If I keep going like this, I'll be exhausted before I even fight!"
"You need to build up some stamina."
What I felt most resentful and unfair was that I couldn't refute what was said because it was true.
The tailor told me to gain weight, but if I keep this up, I'll lose it again.
When I was almost out of breath, Vermont, who was ahead, stopped walking. It was in a deserted forest.
As soon as I tried to take a breath, something whooshed passed my ear.
It was a wind arrow he made with magic.
"No, this is crazy...!"
If I hadn't managed to turn my head, I would have been hit.
"How can you do this without even saying you're going to start?"
"Would you ever kindly let me know that I would start in real life?"
"Ugh, I'm so angry because that's true!"
I hastily cast a defensive spell and created a strong barrier in front of me. The arrow that flew next hit the barrier and bounced off.
'Great!'
I clenched my fists and cheered internally. Although I memorized the formula every time, it was the first time I actually saw the barrier I created blocking an attack.
As I witnessed success before my eyes, I became more confident in casting magic. I immediately cast a binding spell that could bind Vermont's limbs.
He flicked it away, but he probably didn't know that a fairly high-level magic had been cast as a trick.
While Vermont was defending against the binding magic, the earth magic I had cast silently moved on the ground like a mole. The dirt that spun at high speed quickly wrapped around the man's ankles.
"...!"
Vermont's reaction speed was so fast that he missed one leg, but his right foot was still tied up. I took advantage of that opportunity and continued to cast earth magic. The floor undulated and rose, creating an earthen whirlpool.
At that time, Vermont silently moved his lips and cast a silent spell. He drew the wind with his fingertips and created a large spear that cut down the whirlwind.
However, it seemed like he still couldn't shake off his restricted right foot.
When I used magic by borrowing the power of open nature, it felt as if the spirit of nature was dancing wildly and joyfully within me. Perhaps because it wasn't a real battle, surprisingly, I was in a very happy mood right now.
I cast a flame spell that matched my current mood, creating flames in all directions. In the process, several strands of Vermont's long hair were singed.
The man frowned sincerely made a spear out of water and threw it away. Although I somehow dismantled the sharp spear in the air, I couldn't avoid the water thunderbolt that followed.
Soon, water fell on my face and I looked like a soaked rat.
After exchanging words for a long time, the heat of the battle gradually died down.
First, I, exhausted, lay down on the grass.
'It would have been great if we could fight like this at the hunting banquet.'
But rather than regretting the past, we should prepare for the future. I felt like it could be a little better.
I analyzed the fight, going over today's mistakes and successes in my head.
At that time, Vermont walked over and looked down at me from above and asked.
"Are you feeling a little better now?"
"Huh?"
"You came to me because something bad happened, like yesterday."
"That's not necessarily true... How did you know?"
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