Chapter 41
The drizzle fell softly.
My heart was drizzling too.
Pastel was handed the horse’s reins in a half-asleep state. The white horse stared at her blankly.
Ugh.
Did you just wake up too? I just woke up. The warmth of the bed is still vivid. Where did the Warm and Cozy, soft and Fluffy go?
“She’s a Gentle one, so she’ll be easy to ride.”
Melissa said. She was the only one in a perfectly fine state. It was dawn; the sun hadn’t even properly risen, yet she had her usual elegant Appearance.
Ugh.
Didn’t we definitely go on a Night Walk together? We both barely slept for a few hours, so why is there such a difference? Is this what it means to be an Innate Noble?
Pastel combed her Disheveled Hair with her hand. She pressed down on her floating Pink Hair, but it Popped right back up with a boing.
Wow, a magpie’s Nest.
Someone built a magpie’s Nest in the Cherry Blossom Tree. The Landlord is definitely me, so which magpie friend is squatting like this?
It was so early that the Demon couldn’t even fix her hair.
Heeng.
The white horse approached. Then it opened its mouth and tried to Munch on the pink magpie’s Nest.
Uwaaah.
Pastel dodged in fright.
“I always talk about cherry blossoms, but I’m not a real cherry blossom. Just look at me for ornamental purposes.”
“Oh my, I’m sorry.”
Melissa rubbed the white horse.
“Elizabeth, I’ll give you fodder soon, so please Wait.”
Elizabeth?
Is the white horse’s name Elizabeth?
A more noble name than Pastel, who became disheveled just from waking up at dawn.
I’m losing my confidence.
Melissa brought dry fodder and a special apple meal, feeding Elizabeth and the other horse.
“Kraft, do you perhaps not usually wake up at this time?”
Nodding.
“Idling Pastel wakes up when the morning sunlight welcomes her.”
She let out a long yawn.
“You really look like it…”
Melissa hesitated.
“I’m sorry, Kraft. I thought Kraft, who schemes all sorts of machinations, would have a tradition of waking up in the quiet dawn. It turns out you’re a Family that schemes late at night, not at dawn. I learned something.”
Melissa, what did you Learn? Pastel doesn’t do misdeeds like the sinister Kraft, scheming late at night.
Pastel thought that she was in her half-asleep state, then Suddenly realized it and was startled.
Pastel ← The kid who looted someone else’s Apple Farm in the middle of the night.
Gasp.
Actually, am I Kraft itself?
That can’t be true.
Pastel grabbed both her cheeks and despaired.
Uwaaang.
It’s a Livelihood Crime.
I didn’t scheme machinations or betrayals.
I just did Smuggling and Looting Fair and Square.
Melissa fed Elizabeth the special apple meal.
『Waking up at dawn is a good lifestyle habit. You need to Learn it too. If you make a habit of waking up early and folding your blankets, your life will become easier.』
Ugh.
Sudden nagging time.
I feel my rebelliousness growing rapidly.
“That’s right, Melissa! I’m making a habit of sleeping late and waking up late. I’ll keep it for the rest of my life!”
『What?』
The Demon stopped nagging in shock.
Melissa looked back.
“I see. Late at night, there must be opportunities suited for it. As expected of Kraft.”
Ing.
This is a compliment, right?
As the kid who did Looting last night, my conscience is being pricked.
Pastel whistled awkwardly.
My conscience is hurting, but it must be an unavoidable sacrifice To Rescue my Slush Fund Friend from underground.
Melissa smiled softly.
“Thank you, Kraft. You woke up at dawn To Hang out with me, who kept pushing you away. If you’re tired, you can go back. Today isn’t the only day, after all.”
Melissa’s Consideration-Consideration Beam~!
Magpie’s Nest Pastel went uwaaah.
My conscience…!
Pastel flapped both her arms.
“No-No! Waking up at dawn is great because the air is clean and my mind is Clear!”
She took a deep breath.
“Wow! Dawn air! It’s so good!”
『That’s right, it’s very good.』
Lord Demon, don’t agree just because you Think this is your chance.
She raised her arm high.
“Let’s go for the Subjugation of the Red Boar together!”
Melissa smiled and agreed.
“Sounds good.”
Oh yeah.
We’ve totally become good friends!
#
Uwaaah.
I should have just gone back quietly.
Boarding the white horse, Pastel gripped the reins while getting hit by the drizzle.
Come to Think of it, I’ve never ridden a horse before.
Regret.
Intense regret.
It was a basic Skill and survival technique she naturally had to Learn as the Family Head, but no one taught Dangerous horseback riding to an Idiot Family Head. It was a very natural measure, though.
『Keep your Gaze forward, even if you have To Force it. If you lower your Gaze, your head goes down, and your back naturally hunches. Until you make a habit of straightening your back, you must pay attention to your Gaze.』
Learning horseback riding in real-time while riding a horse for the first time.
『Relax your shoulders and waist properly. You have to match the rhythm to the horse’s steps without Resistance so your muscles don’t get tired. That’s it. You’re definitely good at using your body. The horse is good too, so after Boarding for about an hour, you’ll quickly Learn the basics.』
“That’s not what’s important right now.”
Every time the horse kicked off the Ground, Pastel, whose body was light, bounced up and down. As her crotch hit the saddle, she let out a pained groan.
“Ughhh!”
She let out a Scream at the loudest volume possible without being heard by Melissa, who was riding peacefully beside her.
“Is horseback riding originally this painful?!”
『Hmm.』
The Demon Thought for a Moment. He seemed to be agonizing over words of comfort.
『It is originally. Put as much strength into both thighs as possible and try to offset the impact. Until you develop calluses, it’s bound to hurt.』
Calluses?
Pastel opened her hand. She saw a soft palm, unbefitting of a Swordsman.
Soft and squishy.
A body that has transcended Humanity doesn’t Form things like calluses.
Uwaaah.
My pain!
Pain that will last a lifetime!
“Don’t tell me I have to experience this every time there’s a long-distance travel where we can’t use a carriage?!”
『Hmm.』
The Demon was flustered.
『…It would be best to pray that your horseback riding skills reach a Master level, though it will still hurt.』
What?!
“Lord Demon, don’t give up on me! I’ll listen well from now on! I’ll be a good kid! Don’t abandon me!”
The Demon hesitated.
『I’m sorry.』
Uwaaah.
Heart-tearing despair…!
The fear of being abandoned by my Guardian…!
Melissa cast a Glance and struck up a conversation.
“Kraft? Does it hurt somewhere?”
My crotch hurts!
Pastel, whose conscience was pricked in many ways by Melissa, Shook Her Head Vigorously.
“No! I was just admiring how wonderful Elizabeth is!”
“That’s a relief.”
Melissa smiled softly, as if horseback riding weren’t painful at all.
“Elizabeth is a smart Lady, but because she’s so white, she stands out Easily and wasn’t preferred as a Partner. I thought she might suit you since you stand out anyway, and I’m glad you two are a good match.”
“That’s true!”
Even though I don’t really know.
“But I Think Elizabeth wants to be with you more! Wouldn’t that be happier!”
It felt like she was going to gift Elizabeth to her, so Pastel cut her off flatly.
A Popular person originally has times when they must be cold to a Friend.
“Ah, is that so.”
Melissa looked sullen. She looked like someone whose gift, prepared with a Dugeun Dugeun heart, had been rejected.
Sorry, Melissa.
I can’t handle this kind of pain.
Elizabeth would also prefer spending time with you rather than just staying in the Stable.
I’ll have to figure out some other means of long-distance travel besides horses later. Don’t tell me I only have to ride horses in a World with Magic?
Pastel endured the pain and drove the horse. Pastel passed the City gate guarding the Great Forest and continued on her way.
On some of the flatlands outside the City Wall, several private residences were formed.
Originally, it was a decent place to live since it didn’t overlap with the Habitat of the Great Forest’s beasts, but the situation had changed over the past few years. Occasionally, beasts roamed the entrance of the Village. This time, it was a Red Boar.
Heh.
Do they not pay taxes if they’re outside the City Wall?
Is the tax rate 0%?
I can sympathize with why they would go out of their way to live in a Dangerous place.
Nodding.
Nodding, she found the soup yum-yum.
Arriving at the small Village, Pastel sat at a table in the inn and ate potato soup. It had Magic Stone Powder added.
Yeah, not a bad taste.
Melissa, disguised as a mercenary, was eating soup in the seat opposite her before putting down her spoon. I guess it doesn’t suit a Noble Young Lady’s palate.
“This is outside the City Wall, so our Family doesn’t have an Obligation to protect it, but we often visit like this to secretly catch beasts for them.”
“Secretly?”
So that’s why the mercenary Disguise?
“Yes. It’s a Gray Zone, so whether we bring Troops or Camelot visits officially, either way would cause a huge disturbance.”
“Is that so?”
Pastel tilted her head and looked at her Surroundings.
The Village’s only inn and restaurant had many tables. People Kept Glancing at this table while eating. They had nervous eyes.
Isn’t the mercenary Disguise completely useless? No matter how you look at it, the atmosphere suggests that everyone knows it’s Melissa Camelot.
Then again, whenever a beast makes an Appearance, if a Strange phenomenon where some Mage Girl comes for Subjugation occurs, it’s bound to Draw Suspicious looks. Since it’s the Lord's Family, Melissa’s Appearance and Magic skills must be famous too.
As they finished their simple meal, a peer girl who seemed to be the inn daughter approached the table. She collected the dishes with an incredibly nervous attitude.
“Wait a moment.”
Melissa Rummaged through her clothes. Then she took out a gold coin and handed it to the girl as if it were a tip.
The gold coin went Banjjakbanjjak.
Gasp.
A gold coin was given as a tip by a self-proclaimed mercenary.
Anyone could see she was a noble.
The inn girl expressed her gratitude intensely, then collected the dishes and left.
Pastel Burst Out Laughing by herself.
“Ahaha!”
Melissa is a total eccentric person.
It’s hard for an ordinary person like me To Understand..
“What’s wrong, Kraft?”
“Nothing!”
Melissa looked at her curiously before standing up from her seat.
“Then please rest at the inn for a moment. I’ll head out of the Village to briefly check for traces of the Red Boar.”
“I’ll go too!”
“No. Please rest. It’s because I’m sorry for waking you up at dawn.”
Ing.
Melissa left the inn.
Pastel was left alone.
Sitting on the chair, she swung both her feet back and forth before raising one arm high. With a bright face, she shouted toward the inn’s kitchen.
“More potato soup, please!”
I’m going to eat it all by myself~.
Oh yeah.
The inn girl handed her the soup. Then, instead of leaving, she hesitated while subtly reading the room.
“What’s wrong?”
Pastel tilted her head with the spoon in her mouth.
Perhaps gaining courage from her Un-noble-like easygoing attitude and Pink-Pink Appearance, the inn girl opened her mouth.
“You came to catch the Red Boar, right?”
Heua.
I knew we were totally busted.
“That’s right!”
The inn girl’s eyes sparkled. With great sociability, she subtly sat in the seat across from her.
“How? They say the Red Boar is as big as a house. How can you catch it?”
Pastel boasted.
“That’s obviously…!”
Obviously…
She remembered the boar she saw while flying in on the airship, the Whole BBQ friend who crashed toughly into the City Wall even after taking a direct hit from a cannon.
Ing.
How do I catch it?
Silence flowed.
“M-Mercury Friend, maybe…?”
Pastel gave her Answer and then was startled by herself.
Ah, right!
Mercury Friend is currently dead from a Lack of gravity!
The Inn Girl’s eyes trembled.
“You can’t catch it?”
“No way!”
Pastel’s eyes spun. She took out the Magic Stone Knife from her clothes. As she waved her finger, the knife took Flight.
“With this, yap-yap-yap!”
The equipment is different from that of the Baeksa time!
I’m Demon King Pastel!
The Inn Girl marveled. Then she tilted her head.
“They said its Hide is thick. Is a knife enough?”
Oing.
Pastel Flinched.
She looked at the floating knife.
Eu-i-ing.
Is that so?
Hormone Friend, give me an Idea.
Something was heard.
Whispering.
Hormone Friend: Try throwing away your Sense of ethics.
Gasp.
What kind of wicked talk is that?
What are you Demanding from Pink-Pink Pastel?
Pastel groaned.
I have no Idea.
Hehe.
Just then, the Inn door burst open.
A person who seemed to be from the Vigilante Group rushed in.
“The fence has been breached! Everyone, Escape!”
Chaos erupted.
Uwaaah.
Hormone Friend!
You can do it, right?!
You can do it, can’t you?!
I’ll just trust you…!