Chapter 125
The Hero is staying at Duke Esteban’s mansion.
In other words, an adult woman was staying at an adult man’s house, so it wasn’t strange for there to be misunderstandings.
Given that nobles loved these kinds of stories - romance gossip - it was a situation bound to be misunderstood even more.
Fortunately, Franz had somewhat expected such a question to come up, so he was able to give an answer without getting too flustered.
“It’s nothing like that. She and I are just friends.”
Right, he and Yuna were friends. At the same time, they were comrades who had risked their lives to defeat the Demon Lord.
So offering her an empty house wasn’t all that strange.
“I see. The Hero must have her own circumstances as well.”
“Yes, everyone has their own circumstances, after all.”
“And it is easier to manage a mansion when someone is there rather than when it is left empty.”
The nobles each offered their own replies. It seemed they had decided to accept it and move on.
It was a topic that would naturally pique their interest, but the fact that they didn’t pry showed how truly noble they were. They knew exactly where to draw the line.
Arian, who had been listening to the conversation between Franz and the nobles, didn’t show it, but she was inwardly satisfied.
He could have just vaguely brushed it off, but he had firmly drawn the line by calling her a friend.
In contrast, she had received a promise of marriage, even if it was only verbal.
Of course, that was only if neither of them had a marriage partner a year from then.
Well, she just had to stay by his side and guard him closely.
‘It’s just that it isn’t easy, which is why things are like this…’
Feeling frustrated for no reason, Arian let out a soundless sigh.
Curious about her reaction, Franz transmitted his voice directly into her mind.
━ Arian, are you not feeling well?
Startled by his sudden voice, Arian jumped and gave a slight shudder.
Following that, a sharp glare was directed at him.
━ You startled me…!
━ I didn’t mean to. Sorry.
━ It’s fine. And there’s nothing wrong with my condition.
Then what was that reaction earlier?
Did she have some kind of worry?
Franz thought so, but he didn’t bother transmitting it to her. If it was a worry that required counseling, she would have definitely brought it up first. The fact that she didn’t say anything meant she didn’t want to make it known.
Just as he was about to let it go, Arian’s very quiet voice was transmitted to him.
━ Thanks for worrying.
Given how small her voice was, it seemed she had transmitted it right before the magic circuit disconnected.
Whether that was intentional or not, he decided to pretend he didn’t notice for now.
If it were something she hadn’t wanted to convey, it would only make things awkward for both of them.
Just then, Marquis Gerun spoke.
“Ah, come to think of it, what title do you prefer, Duke? You are the Magic Tower Lord, a Saint, and a Duke, after all.”
“Please call me whatever is comfortable for you. I don’t mind any of them.”
After that, Franz and the nobles continued their conversation.
Things like their families having good local products, or certain tourist spots, and so on. There was nothing particularly special; it was just simple small talk.
How much time had passed like that?
“I lost track of time while we were talking. I worry we might have taken up too much of a busy man’s time.”
It was true that he was busy, but that didn’t mean this was meaningless time.
At the very least, he had been able to build a bond with them. For now, he figured that was a sufficient gain.
“Taking up my time, you say? I enjoyed myself throughout our conversation.”
The conversation between Franz and the nobles ended there.
The nobles immediately stood up to return to their respective territories.
Franz also moved with them. Since he had invited them as guests, it was only polite to see them off.
Eventually, as he was about to board his carriage, Marquis Gerun suddenly stopped and said.
“Come to think of it, I heard there is a plague spreading in the Ducal House of Rudelia’s territory. It is quite a distance from the Magic Tower, but please be careful.”
“Yes, please be careful as well, Marquis.”
The Marquis gave a polite bow and finally boarded his carriage.
Franz watched the carriages gradually distance themselves and thought.
‘A plague…?’
Given the era, a plague spreading wasn’t all that strange.
It wasn’t like there were vaccines, nor was personal hygiene strictly observed.
But didn’t this world have a panacea called divine power?
Even if it couldn’t stop the spread of the plague, it could drastically reduce the number of deaths.
Well, the conclusion was that it never hurt to be careful, so he shouldn’t wander around for the time being.
If he had to be specific, he was a little worried about the people of his Territory, but…
Why did something like this have to break out right after he became a Lord?
He felt a sudden wave of annoyance. Honestly, it felt unfair.
But at times like this, rather than complaining, he needed to come up with countermeasures as quickly as possible.
That was the right thing to do for the safety of the Territory’s people as well.
Was this what they called the weight of the crown? His shoulders felt so heavy they might collapse.
As he was worrying about the plague, Arian spoke.
“Magic Tower Lord, shall we head back up now?”
“Yeah, we should.”
Franz was about to head back with Arian.
That is, if he hadn’t spotted something bizarre.
“Arian, hold on a second.”
At the end of Franz’s gaze was a Mage.
But his condition seemed strange; both his expression and his gait looked completely devoid of energy.
Franz hurriedly approached him.
“Hello, Magic Tower Lord…”
Spotting Franz, the Mage bowed his head in greeting.
However, even that lacked so much energy it was hard to watch.
“Hello. Could I ask you one thing?”
“Yes, anything…”
“Have you ever felt a stinging sensation on the back of your neck?”
On the back of the Mage’s neck - more precisely, beneath his skin - a bug much smaller than a fingernail was hiding.
Naturally, it couldn’t be seen with the naked eye. It was so small that it didn’t show on the surface.
Even so, the reason Franz could see it was that he could feel a very faint trace of magic coming from it.
And it was a rather unpleasant kind of magic at that.
“Ah, come to think of it…”
The Mage furrowed his brow. It seemed he had a guess.
Eventually, he nodded and said.
“I was dispatched to the Rudelia Dukedom for work. If I recall correctly, I think I felt a stinging sensation back then.”
The Rudelia Dukedom was definitely the place where the plague was spreading.
‘An unpleasant bug and a plague…’
It wasn’t a situation where he could be certain the bug was the cause of the plague.
Because nothing had been proven yet.
To put it bluntly, this man could have just been really unlucky and coincidentally offered his body to the bug.
But there was room for doubt.
And if this bug was the answer…
‘It’ll be useless even if the Goddess Church steps in.’
Just because it felt unpleasant didn’t mean it was demonic energy.
The patients' conditions might improve in the short term, but it wouldn’t provide a fundamental solution.
Ultimately, he would have to go to the site himself to know for sure, but he had a strong premonition that something unpleasant was going to happen.
Franz let out a short sigh and said.
“It’s going to sting for a second.”
“Pardon?”
The Mage asked in return, looking as if he didn’t understand.
And at the same time, Franz snapped his fingers.
Snap-.
“Ugh?!”
Along with the Mage’s short scream, a very tiny bug was placed on Franz’s palm. He had extracted the creature from beneath his skin using spatial movement.
He could have just killed it right away, but there was no telling what would happen afterward. He was also worried about secondary infection.
Furthermore, there was a need to investigate the creature, so it was a necessary action.
Franz placed the wriggling bug into a small glass bottle and said,
“For now, go back and get some good rest today. I will personally inform your department.”
“Ah, no. I will tell them myself.”
“Understood. Then please do so. But you must go home for the day.”
If he had his way, he would have sent him home immediately. Anyone could see his condition wasn’t good.
But wouldn’t such consideration actually be a burden?
Just as a junior mage would be flustered if the Magic Tower Lord suddenly told them to go home and that he’d inform their superior.
“Then I will be on my way…”
Bowing his head, he began to walk away with slow steps.
Arian, who had been watching the Mage’s retreating figure from Franz’s side, spoke.
“Magic Tower Lord, it looks like you’ll have to work overtime today.”
“It somehow ended up that way.”
“Is there anything you’d like to eat for dinner?”
“I’m fine, so you can go home when it’s time.”
Even if it was overtime, the only thing to do was to research the bug.
It wasn’t like he was short on hands, so there was no need to keep Arian around.
But it seemed her thoughts were a little different.
“If the Magic Tower Lord can’t leave work, neither can I.”
It was definitely a terrible and detestable thing to say. Any clerk would be devastated.
However, the corners of Arian’s mouth were subtly turned up, as if she was actually happy about this situation.