The Greatest Man in the World Hides His Power

31 – Palpitation – 1

I took off my white cotton glove and threw it at him, wondering if it was embarrassing.

“Then I challenge you to a duel!!”

“Oh, no, no, no duel…”

It seems that he knows what happened yesterday. The fact that I won the Master.

That’s probably why Shane hesitates to fight me.

“Your lady has insulted our lord vicar! I cannot resign without an apology for that!”

Shane’s expression twisted. Then she glanced at her freckled woman. But she didn’t care about that gaze.

“Please fight for me…”

At that earnest line, Shane closed her eyes tightly. Then she came up to me and spoke in a low voice so that the people around her could not hear it.

“Let’s take care of that. I know you fooled Lord Carden yesterday… I’ll make a separate apology to Lady Lucy.”

Trying to have a conversation with such a voice overflowing with true feelings.

Then you should understand and move on.

This man named Shane did not commit any crime.

She’d be guilty if it was just that she chose a stern man to be her lady.

I nodded her head, and Shane, relieved, slowly drew her sword.

And then get her stance.

Her posture is neat and stable, which means she has quite a bit of skill.

“A graduate of the 113th class of the Academy of Engineering. Shane Cloud. I look forward to her teaching.”

“Cheonyoung, a vassal of the Stein Territory. Thank you very much.”

For a moment, our gazes collided, and at that moment I swung my sword.

– Chaeng! Visor! Visor!

Swords collide dozens of times. It was not a swordsmanship to play with like yesterday, but a swordsmanship to moderately subdue the opponent. The more the swords collided, the more Shane’s expression hardened.

And the final blow.

I grabbed his sword, which soared into the air with a sharp sound, and I pointed it straight at Shane.

“Are you going to admit her defeat?”

“…Kuh. I lost. I apologize for my lady’s rudeness. Deputy Baron Lucy. I’m sorry. I’ll take good care of my lady and make a separate apology next time. Then… “

Eventually, Shane raised her hands, surrendered, and left her party.

Now that the guarding knight has disappeared, all that remains is…

“Hee, hee.”

Her freckled woman’s complexion turns blue. As she shuddered and shivered, she got up from her seat and quickly ran away from her, so I offered her empty seat to Lucy.

“You have a seat.”

“Yes. Go, thank you.”

Lucy greeted me with an awkward smile and sat down.

Her women, who had just laughed at her or insulted her, shut her mouth.

“Ha ha ha! The mood has gone bad! Isn’t music the best at times like this?!”

I played the music I had recorded on the sword. A sweet chant begins to resound.

Such a peaceful atmosphere. I really like it.

Why do people avoid such good enchantments?

“…Lu, I didn’t expect to have tea like this with Miss Lucy. Ho ho ho…”

“Ah. Yes. Thank you.”

Tea time continues despite the awkward atmosphere. Still, it was a much better atmosphere than before. At least I didn’t insult Lucy.

Yes. It should be like this. If you’re going to swear in someone’s face, shouldn’t you do it when you can handle it?

With such good music and a peaceful atmosphere, the tea party continued, and after some time the women smiled and greeted each other.

“Today’s tea party was really fun.”

“Ho-ho-ho. Lu, Lady Lucy is more than I thought, no. You’re a really nice person.”

“You know a lot! How could you! I thought you were so beautiful and so well-educated! I wonder if you have the intellect of your older sister, Baron Cecil!”

A strong compliment to Lucy. She was embarrassed that this situation was quite awkward, so she only smiled.

It was then.

“Chief Lucy Stein, Cheonyoung. The Count is looking for you two.”

A servant who came into the party said politely. Um… I wanted to enjoy this place a little more.

I stopped regenerating the sword and approached Lucy.

“Go soon.”

“Yes. Okay, everyone. Today was a little awkward… But next time, I’d like to have a tea time in a more pleasant atmosphere.”

“No, of course!”

“For sure next time!”

“If invited, I will definitely go!”

Bright smiles appeared on the faces of the women. Okay. It’s good to see you smiling The next time we meet, I hope we meet with a smile.

“Let’s go. Chunyoung.”

“Yes.”

I came out of the party with Lucy. As she walked along with her servant, Lucy lowered her head.

“…Cook.”

Huh?

“Pu-huh… Uh-huh-huh! Cheonyoung! Did you see them? Their expressions? Ahahahaha!”

“Are you having fun?”

“Ahahahaha… Yes. It was fun to be honest.”

Lucy shook her head, even her tears stinging. Then, with a smile on her lips, she gently grabbed my arm.

“…Thank you.”

“I just did what I had to do.”

“…It was always like this. When people insulted me in front of me, I couldn’t say anything and just laughed.”

At first, even smiling was difficult. Because she couldn’t control her facial expression, she was even more insulted, so she learned her own way of dealing with herself.

But today, she says, for the first time she didn’t have to force herself to smile.

“…It seems like I get help from Chunyoung every time.”

“This is fine. And I know that you are always working hard for the territory. Thanks to you, the territory is also peaceful.”

There are not just one or two things Lucy does for Yeongji.

Administrative and judicial, and policies related to agriculture. Relations with merchants coming in from outside, and numerous other paperwork and administrative work.

She was in charge of the overall management of the estate.

Lucy said she had nothing to do with herself, but we knew.

She said that without her, her estate would be ruined within a month.

She is always working hard and struggling.

It was not only me, but also Elan, Atram, and Cecil that wanted Lucy to feel at ease in a place like this.

“…Thank you for thinking that way.”

“Say something…”

“But why is the Count looking for us?”

“If you look at it, you’ll know.”

“Cheonyoung? Do you know something?”

I know. After meeting alone with the count yesterday, I gave him some instructions. The reason I call it this now is probably because I have achieved it.

– Smart.

When I arrived at the wide door I saw yesterday, the servant knocked on the door. When I was told to come inside, I opened the door.

“Welcome. Miss Lucy and Sir Cheonyeong.”

“Meet the Count.”

“I heard that they were having a tea party… I don’t think they sang this for nothing.”

“I had to wake up right away. But why did you call me…”

In lieu of answering Lucy’s question, Count Esthal placed a crystal ball on it. To her puzzled woman, Earl Estahl said calmly.

“I’ll be honest. The Black Alchemists are trying to get their hands on Miss Lucy… No, Miss Lucy and Miss Cecil.”

“Yes?!”

“Then they asked me for my cooperation. I agreed to give them quite a bit. So… I guess I’ll look after Valonde.”

“That…”

She looked at me, unable to hide her surprise, and I just nodded her head.

Actually, I was not surprised because I heard about it yesterday.

“…Why are they targeting us?”

“I don’t even know that far. We were just collaborating.”

“…I see…”

“I offer my sincere apologies. Of course, not only words, but also proper reparation. So could you please forgive me?”

His voice was earnest. And his actions were also desperate. He got up and knelt down in front of Lucy, lowering his head to his knees.

When the count, who was said to have half the power of her kingdom, fell completely flat in front of her, she panicked and began to panic.

“…I forgive you. So please get up.”

“Thank you so much! Really! How should I repay this kindness of mine…”

The Count barely got up from his seat and glanced at me, and I nodded.

“Although I will cut ties with the Black Alchemists, they will still target you. That’s why, if you believe me, why don’t you take the soldiers with you? Of course, there is a reason. It’s because I want to kill the monsters in the forest of monsters… If I had my soldiers, you wouldn’t be able to recklessly target the Stein estate in other territories. And there’s also a reward for the present…”

“Give me something in return… Even the soldiers for something…”

“Gold coins, and food.”

After leaving the Count’s room, Lucy and I didn’t say anything until we returned to the room. And only after entering the room, Lucy struggled to open her mouth.

“…Is this what Chunyoung did?”

“Yes.”

There was no reason to hide it, so I nodded, and Lucy stared at me before letting out a small sigh.

“I feel like I’m being given too much. There’s nothing I can do for Cheonyoung…”

“As I said before, we just have to do it like this.”

For Lucy, who manages such a place well, this level of reward is not a big deal at all.

“I heard that it was always difficult. Not only Lady Lucy, but also the predecessors. Even so, it should be praised for growing up correctly without breaking.”

I lightly patted Lucy on the shoulder as she stared at me.

“So. I want you to let me do this much. And…”

It’s not a big deal to me, but it could be a big deal to Lucy.

Please accept it without burden.

“And what?”

“Please make the territory peaceful. That is enough for me.”

My words brightened Lucy’s expression after staring blankly at me for a while. To an extent I’ve never seen before.

“Yes! Definitely!”