kscans

Chapter 219 - Usurpation?

After finishing my conversation with Lydia-chan, I pressed the call button and summoned Arc and Mia.

"...Hey, hey. What did you talk about? You didn't talk about me, did you?"

While Mia was refilling Lydia-chan's tea, Arc whispered to me.

"...It's fine. You don't need to worry about anything. You've found a good wife."

She's more than I can handle. Good luck to you.

"Why are you looking at me with such a benevolent expression?"

"It's just your imagination."

Yes, my imagination. I don't know anything.

"Arc, Master, instead of whispering secrets over there, would you like a refill of tea?"

Lydia-chan smiled sweetly and looked at us.

Why is it? She's cute, but scary.

"Master? I told you not to make her your disciple."

I didn't. She's just calling herself that.

"...I don't know. Sorry, but I'm going to go drink in my room. The two of you young lovebirds can spend some time together."

Time to run.

"Drinking again? Aren't you always drinking? You'll ruin your health."

Arc was worried about his master. This kid says one too many things, but he's honest and cute.

"I'm fine because I use the potion health method and drink a Level 3 Healing Potion every day."

"What are you doing..."

Arc was exasperated.

"Don't worry about it. Arc, please take me to my room."

"Alright."

"Lydia-chan, thank you for the kind invitation, but I'm going back. Well then, I'll leave that matter to you."

Help me out, okay?

"Yes. You can leave it to me, Lydia."

Lydia-chan placed her tea on the table and bowed her head.

"Arc."

"Yeah, yeah."

Arc held his hand out toward me. In an instant, my vision turned white, and I arrived in my room.

"Good work."

I patted Arc's head to reward him for his efforts.

"Hey, what did you really talk about with Lydia?"

"You don't need to worry about it. Trust Lydia-chan and let her support you."

That's for the best. You'll surely be happy.

"So why are you, a witch, giving me a benevolent smile?"

"You don't need to worry about it."

"There's definitely something going on."

"Ask Lydia-chan."

Ask her yourself. I don't know anything.

"I guess I will... Oh, what was 'that matter' you mentioned?"

"I'm just having her help me with something."

"Help? With what?"

"Ask Lydia-chan about that too."

"Hmm... By the way, what happened with that gummy incident?"

Ah, I forgot.

I took the shampoo and body soap out of the bag slung over my shoulder and handed them to Arc.

"Go apologize."

"So you didn't do anything..."

Sorry. I had more important things on my mind.

"Just praise her looks. Women are suckers for that."

"Really?"

"Kaede-chan gets really happy when I tell her she's cute."

"...Isn't that just a Kaede thing?"

That might be true.

"No one dislikes being complimented. Anyway, praise her until she forgets about it, then give her that. That should do the trick."

"...I'll keep that in mind."

Yes, yes. She'll probably see right through it, but do your best.

"Well then, good night. I'm going to drink and go to sleep."

"Yeah. Oh, I think we'll be able to pay you the gold bars tomorrow."

Oh! Finally, I get to meet the gold!

"Alright. See you tomorrow."

"Yeah. See ya."

Arc said, raised his hand, and vanished in an instant.

"...Arc, good luck with everything."

I'm sure this is what you wanted. I'll be praying for you two abnormal people from a distant land.

◆◇◆

The morning after my talk with Lydia-chan, Arc brought me to the dining hall. Kaede-chan and Yoshino-san were already seated there, both dressed neatly.

"Morning..."

Mia pulled out a chair for me, and I sat down next to Kaede-chan.

"Good morning."

Kaede-chan greeted me with her usual smiling face.

"Morning. You look like you just woke up. Your hair is a mess."

Yoshino-san, sitting next to Kaede-chan, greeted me with a wry smile.

"Taking a bath before bed was a mistake. Oh well, I'll take another one after breakfast... By the way, why are you here?"

I looked at the wavy, long-haired blonde girl sitting diagonally across from me, across from Kaede-chan. Of course, it was Lydia-chan.

"Good morning, Eleanor-sama. I was invited for breakfast today."

As Lydia-chan said that, Arc, sitting next to her, quietly averted his gaze. He probably didn't invite her. It was more likely that Lydia-chan said she wanted to have breakfast with them.

"I see... My apologies for being dressed like this."

I'm a twenty-six-year-old woman in a jersey with messy hair.

"Not at all, long hair can be quite a hassle, can't it? Oh, thank you for the shampoo and body soap."

It seemed Arc had given them to her.

"No, no, I should be the one apologizing. That gummy was awful, wasn't it? I gave it to Arc, who is studying Feire, to teach him that not all food from Feire is delicious. That there are all sorts of things in Feire."

As I said that, Arc nodded vigorously. But you shouldn't be nodding there.

"I see. That is certainly true. One's eyes can become clouded if one only looks at the good things. Arc, is she not a good master?"

"No, I'm properly looking at the bad parts of Feire too..."

Arc said and looked at me.

Why are you looking at me? Look at Yoshino-san. Stare...

"Eleanor, don't look at me. I'm different from you lot."

Yoshino-san made a displeased face.

"Senpai, Yoshino-san, and Nanaka-chan probably all think the same thing..."

We do, but?

"See? These people are no good. That's why you should stop trying to become the witch's disciple too, Lydia."

Arc looked at Lydia-chan with a slightly happy expression.

"They seem like wonderful people."

I'm not very happy to be told that by this girl...

"Huh? Where?"

"Arc... they are the people who have taken such good care of you. You should show a little gratitude."

"Y, yeah. You're right."

This is hopeless... Arc can't talk back to Lydia-chan at all. His prized Level 6 Provocation skill is completely useless.

I began to eat my breakfast, thinking that Lydia-chan would be the one holding the reins of the Frontier kingdom in the future.