บท 9: After the Commotion
"Um... first of all, is that guy, Radley, was it? ...Is he alright?"
"This guy's selling point is his tough body. He won't die."
Radley, whose face seemed to have been caved in by Matilda's combat boot just moments ago, was now standing there with a nonchalant expression, saying, "Yeah, I'm not dead."
His nose was bleeding again, but the fact that it was just a nosebleed probably meant he was fine.
"I see. That's good... So, Matilda?"
"Yes, Master Noein."
"You did well to untie yourself and come to my rescue. Thank you."
"I picked up a sharp piece of wood with my foot and cut the rope. I apologize for being late to your rescue."
Matilda replied to Noein, but her eyes were fixed on Yuri and the others with an icy glare.
"...Matilda, as I said before, they're not our enemies anymore."
"Yes, Master Noein."
"And I found out that they were also victims of that shitty father of mine, whose lives were ruined by him."
"Yes, Master Noein."
"So I'm thinking of taking them in as my people, since they have nowhere else to go."
"Yes, Master Noein."
"...Matilda, are you angry?"
"It's impossible for me to be angry with you, Master Noein. It's just..."
Matilda hugged Noein protectively. Her gaze was still fixed on Yuri and the others.
"I'm worried about your safety. I still can't trust them. Even though they didn't know the circumstances, they once tried to kill you, Master Noein."
As Yuri stepped forward and tried to speak, Matilda released a murderous aura that seemed ready to pounce.
"...I understand you don't trust us. If you want us to prove our loyalty, I'll offer you one of my fingers or one of my ears. You can cut it off. Or even both."
"Then let's start with a finger."
"Alright."
"N-no. No, wait a minute."
Noein hurriedly stopped Yuri, who was about to swing his knife at his own finger without hesitation at Matilda's words.
"If they intended to harm me, there would be no reason for them to pretend to serve me. They could just overpower me right here and now. The fact that they're not doing that means they really intend to become my people. Right?"
"...Indeed, you are right."
"Besides, I understand Yuri's loyalty from his actions just now. Don't you agree, Matilda? He was definitely serious about cutting off his own finger just now, wasn't he?"
"...Yes."
Matilda replied reluctantly, with a truly reluctant expression.
"Yuri, and the other four as well, you are now my people. For your own protection, and to ensure that you can contribute your utmost to the Arkwright territory, I don't want you to hurt yourselves. Understood?"
"...Yes. I'm grateful."
Yuri bowed his head to Noein, and his subordinates followed suit.
Even Matilda could no longer sense any malice towards Noein in his eyes.
"If they do anything suspicious, even the slightest bit... please allow me to kill them at my discretion, Master Noein. For your protection, please."
"Alright, Matilda. Is that okay with you, Yuri and the others?"
"Yeah, I don't mind. We'll prove ourselves through our work so that you can trust us."
Yuri said this, sheathed his knife, and stood up.
"Ah, wait a minute, kneel down again."
Yuri obeyed, though he found Noein's instruction strange.
"...You insulted Matilda twice, calling her a 'female rabbit' when you kidnapped me, didn't you? My precious Matilda."
A wicked glint appeared in Noein's eyes as he smiled calmly.
"...Yes."
So that's what it was.
It seemed that this woman, Matilda, was not only a domestic and guard slave, but also a beloved pet slave. It was unusual for a nobleman to be so attached to a beastman slave.
"You'll have to accept punishment for that. Two hits. Grit your teeth."
As he was told, Yuri clenched his jaw, and Noein kicked him twice in the side of the face, with a somewhat awkward stance and a slightly awkward shout of "Take this! And this!"
He was probably inexperienced in fighting. It wasn't a very strong kick.
But even if it wasn't a strong kick, it still hurt to be hit in the face without any defense. Yuri's lip split and blood trickled out.
"...Alright. You can stand up now. Matilda is a beastman and a slave, but never insult or belittle her again."
"Understood. I'll obey. I'll make sure these four do the same."
Noein's face had lost its wicked glint, as if he was satisfied.
Matilda, on the other hand, was looking at Noein with a faint, almost imperceptible smile hidden behind her icy expression.
She seemed to be pleased that Noein, who had easily forgiven Yuri and the others for kidnapping and trying to kill him, had become angry when she was insulted.
What a strange master and servant, Yuri thought as he looked at them.
...
"...There's really nothing here, huh?"
"I told you, didn't I? It's only been a month since we started developing the forest, and there was only me, Matilda, and the golems."
Yuri muttered this as soon as he saw the settlement in the Arkwright territory, and Noein replied.
On the way here, Noein had repeatedly told him, "Don't expect much, there are no buildings in the settlement yet," but he couldn't help but mutter when he actually saw it.
A tent, fields, a fairly large flat area, a mountain of lumber surrounding it, that was all. It couldn't be called a noble's territory yet.
The only thing that was large was the area of the flat land that had been cleared from the forest, but that only served to emphasize the "nothingness" of the place.
The tent was a good quality one, like the kind used by commanders in the army, and Noein said he had enough money to live on and convenient magic tools like "Boil" and "Tinder," and there was a clear river nearby, so they wouldn't have any trouble living here.
But even so, it was a daunting task to try to build a territory in such a place, with only two people. Yuri wondered how this young man had managed to not give up.
"I'd like to prepare tents for you guys too, but it's already evening. I'll go to Letovic again tomorrow to buy things for your daily life, so please bear with sleeping outside tonight."
"Yeah, of course, we don't mind. In fact, we're prepared to sleep outside for a while. It would only be a burden on you to buy tents for us too."
He had checked when they tried to rob him earlier, but Noein's assets, while decent for an individual, were far from sufficient as development funds.
Tents were fairly expensive items. It must have been a significant purchase for him in his current situation.
"Don't be silly. I wouldn't make my precious people sleep outside all the time, would I?"
Noein said this with a smile, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
...
That night, they had a welcome party for Yuri and the others—well, it wasn't much of a party, but they shared a meal around a bonfire to get to know each other better.
Noein opened a bottle of sake he had bought for a rare treat and served his new people bread he had just bought today, intending it to last for several days, and dried meat made in this settlement.
According to Yuri's introduction, the slender, sharp-eyed man who had held a sword to Noein's stomach during the attack was Pence, the younger, handsome man of the two who had joined them on the way was Bart, the other beautiful woman was Mai. There was no need to introduce the sturdy Radley again.
Noein smiled and said, "I'm looking forward to your work from now on," to the four of them, who had once again greeted him and thanked him for accepting them into his territory.
Seeing this, Yuri secretly thought, "This guy, with his wicked smile, can also smile so kindly."
"By the way, Bart and Mai joined us on the way, but why were you acting separately?"
"We heard rumors about the 'Forest Baron' in that town and planned to rob him of his money and belongings. We had these two keep an eye on the road from the town to the Bezel Great Forest and report back when you guys were returning from the town to the entrance of the Great Forest."
"Report back? But there's no way to report from such a long distance... Oh, 'Communication Magic,' right?"
Noein seemed to have realized something, and Yuri grinned and nodded.
"That's right, I was granted the 'Talent for Communication Magic.' With 'Communication Magic: Long-Distance Talk,' I can converse with someone far away in my mind."
Yuri's last words, "Like this," echoed in Noein's ears and mind, both audibly and telepathically.
"I see. That talent must have been useful when you were a mercenary... But if you had such an ability, couldn't you have served some nobleman?"
"Sadly, my talent isn't that strong. 'Long-Distance Talk' doesn't reach even 10km, and I can only talk to one person at a time, someone I've previously linked to as a target for 'Long-Distance Talk.'"
It seemed that Yuri's "Long-Distance Talk" could only be established with someone he had met face-to-face and specifically designated as the target.
To change the target to someone else, he had to meet that person face-to-face and designate them again.
Compared to a typical communication mage who could target anyone they knew at any time and whose effective range extended for tens of kilometers, it was certainly a much inferior ability.
"Even so, at least you can communicate with me, the lord, while operating within a few kilometers of the settlement. That's a great asset to our territory. Thank you."
"...Yeah."
Yuri thought for a moment that he was just being given empty words of comfort, but when he looked at Noein's face, he seemed to be genuinely welcoming his mediocre talent.
He couldn't tell if this guy was a good person or a bad person, he thought.
...
Noein had Yuri and the others sleep next to the fields in the settlement for the night, and he entered the tent with Matilda.
As soon as they were alone, Matilda hugged Noein. Her arms were so tight that Noein felt a little pain.
"Master Noein..."
"Matilda? Are you crying?"
Noein said, noticing warm drops hitting his cheek.
"When you were kidnapped, Master Noein, I thought I would never see you again... I thought I would lose you... I'm so powerless, I'm so sorry... I'm sorry."
Hearing her trembling voice, Noein hugged her back, stroking her back.
"I'm the one who should apologize. It's not your fault, Matilda. I was too careless and powerless as a lord to allow myself to be kidnapped. I'm glad you're not hurt, Matilda. I love you, Matilda."
Hearing these words, spoken in the gentlest tone Noein could muster, even gentler than the voice he used when addressing Yuri and the others who had become his people, Matilda let out a quiet sob, as if holding her breath.
"To keep you from worrying, Matilda, I'll never let myself be kidnapped again. Even those who pointed their blades at me have now become shields to protect me. So it's okay."
"...Yes."
Noein continued to talk to Matilda and stroke her back until she calmed down.
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