Chapter 122
Blink, blink.
Yuri-ah, who had been blinking with a blank expression, soon snapped out of it and spoke.
“M-moving? More importantly, what about the banquet? Did nothing happen?”
“Yeah, nothing much happened. There were no problems at home while I was gone, right?”
“The house was fine, but… Oh, look at me. Magic Tower master, would you like to come in first?”
At Yuri-ah’s words, Franz gave a nod for now. It certainly seemed better to wait inside the house rather than to stand blankly outside.
Thus, Franz entered the house with Yuna and met Yuna’s mother.
“Oh my, Magic Tower master, hello.”
“Ah, yes. Hello.”
“Did our Yuna perhaps cause any trouble at the banquet…? We haven’t really been able to educate her in that regard…”
“No, nothing happened to worry about. You can rest assured.”
Franz answered very naturally, but there was one contradiction in his reply.
'Honestly, I don’t really know either…'
There was no way someone who had gotten drunk and lost their memories would know such a thing. He just figured that since it was Yuna, she naturally wouldn’t have caused any trouble.
Of course, a fully grown woman sleeping in the same room as a man was an accident if you could call it that. No, it should be called a major accident capable of swaying her marriage prospects.
But since nothing actually happened, he figured it wouldn’t really be a problem. They hadn’t slept alone together, and there were four women in total, so that made it even less of a problem.
That aside.
'Do people usually have these kinds of conversations with a friend’s mother…?'
No matter how he thought about it, it didn’t seem right. It was like a conversation between the parents of a student going on a field trip and the chaperone teacher.
Well, they say children always look young to their parents. Thinking of it that way, he could somewhat understand.
Just then, Yuna spoke.
“Mom, you heard him, right? I told you I do well outside. And hurry up and pack. Don’t make things difficult for Franz.”
“Oh my? When did I ever make things difficult for the Magic Tower master…”
“Argh-! Hurry up and go-!”
Yuna put on a sullen expression and pushed her mother’s back.
Watching this, Franz could only feel awkward. It wasn’t like Yuna’s mother had ever made things difficult for him, but he didn’t particularly want to voice that fact right now.
Soon, Yuna returned to Franz’s side and said.
“Sorry, my mom just worries a lot.”
“It’s fine. More importantly, have you packed everything?”
“Yeah, I packed it all over there.”
Yuna pointed somewhere with her finger, and Franz’s gaze naturally followed.
There was a single bundle there, but no matter how he looked at it, it was too small to be one person’s share.
Moving luggage usually meant a large volume, so Franz, feeling puzzled, asked.
“Is that everything?”
“Yeah, I realized while packing, but there really wasn’t much to take.”
True, considering Yuna’s circumstances, it made sense. The Hero’s Party had disbanded and she had come into money, but she hadn’t had the time to spend it.
Thinking that this was all Duke Ishtar’s doing made a sudden surge of annoyance rise within him. As expected, he should have made that bastard suffer multiple times before killing him.
“Still, now that I have a big house, I’m going to try buying this and that. I’ll buy pretty furniture and clothes too.”
“And build a pond?”
“Ah-! Right! We decided to build a pond!”
Realizing she had forgotten, Yuna’s eyes went wide as she clapped her hands.
Just then, Yuri-ah came out of the room, as she set down a small bundle, she spoke.
“It’s not even our house and we’re just freeloading. What do you mean, a pond?”
“Franz said I could build one.”
“You must have misheard. Right? Magic Tower master?”
Yuri-ah sent a glance toward Franz. It was a look that conveyed the meaning, “Please stop my immature sister’s atrocities-'.
But Franz couldn’t bring himself to meet her gaze. He felt a sense of guilt, so to speak, because it was true that he had given permission.
“I think a pond is nice though…”
Doesn’t everyone dream of it at least once? - the dream of living in a house with a wide yard and a pond where fish live.
Besides, he had thought the yard might feel empty if they cleared out all the decorations, but with a pond, it might actually be quite alright.
While Yuna and Yuri-ah were bickering like that, Yuna’s mother finished getting ready. Her luggage was also just a single small bundle.
Franz spoke.
“Then we will head out now.”
Following that, as he snapped his fingers, a brilliantly glowing magic circle was drawn on the floor. And soon, the figures of the four vanished from the shabby house without a trace.
The place they appeared was, naturally, the Residence of duke Esteban.
“You arrived sooner than expected.”
“Indeed.”
“I’m glad we didn’t have to wait long.”
Arian, Hera, and Yusti-ah, who had been waiting at the mansion, spoke one after another.
Blink- blink-.
Yuri-ah, whose mind had briefly blanked out at the miracle of magic, soon snapped out of it and bowed deeply.
“N-nice to meet you-!”
It was a judgment made because there were three people who looked incredible even at a glance.
Toward her, Yusti-ah spoke.
“You must be Miss Yuri-ah, right? I’m glad you look healthy.”
“Thank you so much for that day.”
“There’s no need for thanks. I only did what I must do as a saintess.”
Yusti-ah offered a gentle smile.
Franz flinched at her business smile. Even though he had seen it several times at the cathedral, it was still hard to get used to.
It would be really nice if she treated him with even half of that.
Thinking that, he spoke to Yuna.
“Yuna, you introduce the house to your family. You roughly know your way around since we looked around together earlier, right?”
“Yeah, I’ll do it.”
“And take this.”
Franz took something out from the small bag he wore at his waist.
It was a necklace adorned with a processed mana stone. It was the same one he had handed to the clerk when he went on a business trip to the North with Arian.
“Why a necklace all of a sudden?”
Receiving the necklace, Yuna put it around her neck for now without knowing the reason.
Franz immediately spoke to her. To be exact, he transmitted his voice into her head.
─ If you put the necklace around your neck…
“E-eek?!”
Yuna let out a dumbfounded sound and shuddered. It seemed she was flustered since it was her first time experiencing it.
Everyone’s gaze focused on her reaction: not only Yusti-ah and Yuri-ah, who had been talking, but also Yuna’s mother, Arian, and Hera.
In the awkward silence, Yuna smiled sheepishly and spoke.
“Sorry, it’s okay to speak now.”
─ If you put the necklace around your neck and think of what you want to say, it will be transmitted naturally. Want to give it a try?
Of course, not everyone could use this necklace. It required a certain level of understanding of magic.
But if it were Yuna, she would be able to use it without much difficulty.
Because that was the kind of existence a hero was.
Franz’s prediction was spot on. Yuna closed her eyes and seemed to concentrate for a moment, and soon a voice was transmitted straight into his head.
─ Franz, I li… no, no, no, no, wait, can you hear this? You can’t, right?
At the voice ringing wildly in his head, Franz almost lost his mind for a moment.
It felt like watching a puppy running through a grassy field. If there was a problem, it was that the grassy field was inside his head.
“Well, the transmission was definitely successful, so…”
It’s good that it worked, and it was definitely better than not being able to do it.
…Probably?
Franz organized his thoughts like that and spoke.
“I can hear you well.”
“I-is that so? Yeah, yeah, that’s a relief… But why are you giving me this necklace?”
“If any problems arise at the mansion, or if someone comes looking for me, let me know.”
“Aha, got it. But you know? Um…”
Yuna trailed off and rolled her eyes around. She looked like she wanted to say something but was hesitating.
Then, she soon swallowed hard and spoke.
“Can I use it for personal reasons…? O-of course I won’t do it often. Just really occasionally, like if there’s something delicious… It’d be nice to eat together, right…?”
She had agonized over it for so long that he wondered what she was going to say, only to realize she was just asking if she could contact him personally…
Franz, who had been tense, let out a soft chuckle of disbelief, a smile breaking out.
“You can.”
He had never considered the case of using the necklace for personal purposes. Naturally so, because it was originally made to handle work smoothly even during business trips.
But he figured there wouldn’t really be a problem using it personally. It wasn’t causing harm to anyone else, and she could only contact him anyway.
Of course, that was just Franz’s own thought.
Arian, Yusti-ah, and Hera were looking at Yuna with gazes full of envy.
They had tried to let it go, thinking, “I should hold back for today…”, but an item that allowed personal contact was something they simply couldn’t endure.
Yuna, who had no way of knowing such a situation, carefully cupped the necklace’s ornament with both hands and spoke.
“Yeah, thank you. I’ll use it well.”
“Alright, then I’ll be going now. Take care.”
With that, the conversation ended, Franz took his group and left the mansion.
“Yes, thank you. But about that necklace… Ah, never mind. You may go now.”
He dropped Hera off at the Great Forest.
“You, I have a lot to say, you know? Especially about that… No, forget it. Be prepared for later. I’m going to make you study incredibly hard.”
He even received a threat while dropping Yusti-ah off at the cathedral.
Only after that was Franz able to return to the comfortable Magic Tower Lord’s Office.
Why did this place where he only ever worked feel so comfortable? It seemed you really do see everything if you live long enough.
Just then, Arian, who hadn’t returned and remained in the Magic Tower Lord’s Office, spoke.
“Come to think of it, won’t the nearby nobles come visiting the mansion? Usually, whether you call it custom or etiquette, those of lower standing come to visit first.”
Was there such a thing…
Becoming a duke was fine and all, but why did it feel like his workload had only increased?
Franz let out a sigh and took out some stationery from the drawer.
If the nobles went to the mansion, it would be a wasted trip anyway, so he figured it would be better to strike first instead.