Chapter 445: A Notice in Advance
This is more than just harassment.
Didn’t I say there wouldn’t be any explosions? It would just turn black. Wait, the Lord’s mansion? It’s not the Guild—oh no, the Lord’s daughter! The contract exploded!!!
Ah, but there’s a chance that something else might have exploded!
“When a promise is broken, you’re free! When an unpleasant promise is broken, it makes me all huffy!”
“We don’t like unpleasant promises either!”
“So we play tricks on the annoying paper!”
“Boom! Or we make it flare up!”
“Hey!”
“Hey!”
The Spirits are chirping happily. So even the Spirits dislike promises… no, contracts that neither party agrees to. It makes sense; if you want to force someone who doesn’t want to keep the contract to comply, it would consume a lot of Spirit’s Power, so they’d definitely dislike that.
Well, it’s confirmed—the contract has exploded. I’m in trouble!
Ahhhhh.
I messed up. When I teleported to the Fortress City’s Temple, I was so angry that I was completely defenseless. I was even actively relying on the Spirits. They knew my heart and moved accordingly!
Usually, they only lend a hand when I ask, but this time, my emotions must have been too strong. It wasn’t a fleeting surprise or momentary anger; it was something persistent.
But there’s no way I can avoid being angry about this. I need to walk around with a strong Spirit and have them control things from the outside…
Once this is resolved and everyone returns, I’ll seriously go looking for the Dragon Form.
“Thank you. I don’t need any more, so don’t bind me to my desires—let me be free.”
It feels less like they’re accommodating me and more like the Spirits are getting caught up in my emotions. Especially the smaller Spirits; their changes are quite noticeable, and I’m a bit scared they might change too much, even if they don’t turn black.
The dark emotions I’m feeling are too intense for even the usual level of Liberation. There’s no way this will have a good influence.
Contrary to my initial plan, I ask the Spirits to disperse and return to my House. I can’t just confess and admit I messed up with the Lord’s daughter around.
So, while I wait for Haulon’s Spirit to contact me, I’ll take care of what needs to be done. I’ve got a plan to head to the continent with Dragons, so I might as well tidy things up now.
The down comforter I used in the Forest House is currently being washed in the stream at the House in the mountains. I’ve removed the parts that were stained with blood, but just to be safe. Once it dries, I’ll stuff it into new fabric. I plan to sell the old fabric at the second-hand shop. It’s a large, white cloth, so I should be able to sell it for a decent price.
I take a walk with Rishu to inspect the mountains. I trim the overgrown branches and pull off the tangled vines. This is the kind of work I want to do during this winter season. I’ll weave the vines into baskets later.
I’m making sure sunlight reaches the ground, so in spring, soft green grass and wild garlic will sprout. I think the mountain forest will look beautiful!
I wipe Rishu’s nose, which is covered in dirt from poking it into a hole. Since he’s interacting well with the physical world, I don’t think his existence is in danger anymore.
Rishu snorts and shakes his nose; my little one is so cute.
We stroll along the stream that flows into the House. This is where I diligently planted daffodils, so it smells lovely now that they’re blooming. In summer, I’ll walk along the path where I planted hydrangeas, and in spring, I’ll take the route where dandelions and common bluebell grow wild.
Maybe I should plant something for autumn? But autumn is busy with collecting chestnuts and searching for mushrooms while walking.
Yeah. This is definitely escapism.
“I came to confess before I get caught.”
“Confess about what? Well, let’s hear what Karn has to say first.”
When I went to confess at Dinoss’s House, I was immediately stopped. It’s a natural flow to involve Karn; he’s Gold Rank after all.
Following Dinoss, we move to the Rented House.
“What’s up?”
Karn usually spends his winters in front of the Fireplace. He’s even wearing the cloak I made. Today, Baylis is perched on his back.
“It’s a confession about my blunder.”
I’m going with the straightforward approach.
“…I can’t stop this, you know?”
Karn squints, his brows furrowing deeply, and reluctantly turns to Dinoss.
Baylis peeks out from Karn’s shoulder, giggling. It seems Dinoss can’t see him, so he must be invisible—though he’s probably weakened since he’s away from the desert.
In the desert, visibility is the norm, while in Kanum, it’s the opposite. He can appear before people in Kanum, but it requires effort.
“I don’t have the courage to hear it alone!”
Dinoss winks and grins, raising one hand in a playful gesture.
“I’ll prepare some drinks and snacks.”
“You think I’ll be distracted by alcohol?”
“That’s just your imagination.”
As I respond to Dinoss, I slam a small barrel of red wine onto the table! If there’s any left over, Karn will drink it.
First, I lay out the vegetables: ratatouille, carrot salad, pickles, and prosciutto salad, along with potato salad. For the meat, there’s roast beef, duck, and bone-in roast pork. The seafood includes taramosalata, fried and pickled whiting, and smoked oysters in olive oil. Plus, cheese and other goodies.
“Come on, eat up.”
“…”
Dinoss stares at me, slowly reaching for the roast pork. Please stop looking at me like that!
I take a slice of baguette and dip it in the taramosalata. The potatoes are mashed and mixed with mayonnaise and butter. It’s creamy, but since it uses mentaiko, there’s a slight kick.
“Ah, damn. This is delicious.”
Dinoss says. I think it’s a good thing when something tastes good.
“The wine is good too.”
Karn chimes in.
Baylis is nibbling on the escabeche. It’s fried whiting pickled in vinegar, served with lemon and sliced onions, similar to nanban-zuke.
“Alright, I’m starting to gather my resolve.”
Dinoss says, placing his empty wine glass back on the table.
Is it about time to confess?