Capitulo 42
Episode 42
Raymond has been strangely quiet lately.
He had almost forgotten because he was living as if he wasn’t there.
Of course, he was under the watchful eye of the Knights.
Lily was waiting for me when I finished with Niveia and returned to the Duke’s house.
«Here you are, miss?»
«Has something good happened, why do you look so happy?»
«A reply has arrived from the Master of the Magic Tower!»
«From your mother?»
Lily handed me the letter and I quickly opened it.
The more I read the letter, the more absurd it became.
[I don’t know what you’re talking about. Sealing magic naturally undoes itself in a day or two. Especially if you’re a spellcaster like Raymond, it will resolve faster].
Unconsciously, I felt a force in the hand that held the letter. Lily asked cautiously, looking at the shattering letter.
«What is it, miss?»
«What is Raymond doing now?»
«Sir Raymond? I think the butler knows. Wait a moment.»
It was rather a good thing.
If you had a weakness, it was cognitive to use it to the fullest.
«You called for me, miss?»
The butler, who had been summoned, leaned toward me with a puzzled face.
«Where is Sir Raymond?»
«Perhaps he is in the guest room. That’s where I spend most of my time. Is something the matter?»
«I think I’ll have to pay for lodging and protection.»
I explained the contents of my mother’s letter. When I finished speaking, the butler’s expression changed strangely.
No aristocratic family the size of a duke received from the guest the cost of the stay.
But Raymond was a burden, not a guest.
«I will order all the expenses you used to protect Lord Raymond and bring them in.»
I was quite surprised at the attitude of the butler who came out stronger than expected.
It is the conventional wisdom of this world that aristocratic families endure injustice to stay on their feet.
It would be a shame to pay even a coin.
The butler smiled as if he knew what I was thinking.
«Until now, the only thing I had put up with for the sake of the family was the princess’s scandal. His Excellency the Duke has ordered us to prioritize the princess before the family from now on.»
«My father…».
A small revenge thanks to a father with a fiery personality.
A smile escaped me for no reason.
Soon after, the butler brought the organized file.
Looking at the documents, it wasn’t something that took minutes to do.
I think I was going to charge him even if he didn’t mention it.
«I’ll have Lord Raymond wait in the parlor.»
The butler, who had finished his work, came out.
I changed my clothes and made my way to the drawing room where Raymond was waiting for me.
When I entered, Raymond was waiting for me with a stern expression.
He still had a splint in one arm.
«Why did you call me?»
I reached out and grabbed the violin by the fireplace.
«What, what….»
Frustrated, he stepped back hesitantly.
As soon as he stepped forward and stood in front of it, he unhesitatingly brandished the butt ball in his hand.
With a thud, the minstrel flew out of my hand.
«Are you crazy?»
«As expected, the magic must have returned.»
Raymond’s face hardened at my sarcastic remarks.
But he was soon back to his original cheeky expression.
«Oh, you’re right. Thanks to you, I think I’ve got my magic back. Thank you.»
I shoved the bill I had brought in front of his face.
He still accepted accepted a bunch of bills with a cheeky face.
«What’s this?»
Raymond, who received a thick wad of papers, crumpled his face as he looked at the first page.
Then, he threw it on the floor and sarcastically mouthed it at the top of his lungs.
«Ha, were you even going to charge for lodging expenses?».
«Instead, I excluded food expenses. I don’t want to be stingy with the food.»
«I guess the Duke is in a bad situation these days «When I see you rushing to swindle the guest.»
«What do you mean by a guest? Our family said they would protect you until your magic returned. What I’ve kept since then is the money Lord Raymond spent while he was in our family.»
His face twisted at my words.
«E, I just found out that my Mana has returned.»
«I can’t believe that a person who is about to be a master candidate doesn’t even know when his magic came back. Maybe I should tell my mother about this to the tower myself…….»
«You can just give me the money!»
Raymond picked up the paper he had thrown back in a fit of anger.
However, the color in his face disappeared each time he turned a page.
«Wow, what a scam!».
«What do you mean, a scam?» «It’s the cost of staying at the Duke of Pioneer, not other families, but did you think it would be about the cost of a hotel?
In fact, I think it was an excessive cost.
Since I set the cost of one night in a luxury hotel for a month.
Also, there were many assassins who tried to attack him, how many enemies he made.
«This is cheap considering the strength of the Imperial Guard to escort you and the conclusion of the current tower owner.»
«…….»
It wasn’t hard to catch an assassin because it was enough to catch even Raymond.
Thanks to him, his neck is still attached.
Of course it was all because of me, not Raymond.
«I guess it’s hard to be a master!»
Raymond sarcastically retorted the part.
«It’s not that hard. I don’t want to be nice to you. So I think Sir Raymond, who is not in a difficult situation, will put up with it all.»
Indeed, it was too much for one individual to bear.
I crossed my legs as I watched Raymond’s face change by the minute.
«Is it hard?»
She bit the edges next to her fingernails and smiled slightly as she looked at him nervously.
«Or you can give me something else.»
«What else are you going to make me do?»
«Well, it’s no big deal.
Now Raymond looked worried about what else I was going to say.
I guess it was a bit of a shock that I could sacrifice my prey to myself, not Tatiana, after she invaded through my house last time.
I didn’t expect to see Raymond so eager.
«I can’t let you hurt Tatiana.»
«I’m not interested in her. Unless it’s you.»
I handed over the organized documents as I spoke to Niveia earlier.
«What else are you going to charge me this time…»….»
Raymond’s face became more and more serious each time he turned each sheet of paper.
«What is this?»
«It’s a proposal I’m sending you. We will pay all expenses related to the research.»
«You’re asking me to develop cosmetics now?»
«Yes.»
This world has not developed much in science.
Most of them went back to magic and magical powers, so those with a lot of money did not feel the need to develop science..
«Why don’t you ask the Alchemy Association?» I’m a magician, not an alchemist.»
«It’s been a long time since I told you properly, but Lord Raymond has no choice.»
Raymond looked at the papers with his mouth closed. Raymond’s house, the Cassell family, was a family that produced prominent alchemists.
Although rarely mentioned in the original, he was also a decent alchemist.
Alchemy and magic are the differences in the way a magic power is used, so it can be natural.
‘But we hate each other so much’.
Alchemist and magician had a bad relationship even though they had something in common that they used the same power.
The reason was unknown.
I vaguely thought it might be the kinship.
«What do you want to do? I know you are a decent alchemist. At least I trust your skills, so I’ll settle the debt with this request.»
I tapped my finger on the bill and reminded Raymond of the amount.
«Okay.»
He finally agreed to my request.
There was no way, so I had to look bad because I forced myself to accept it.
«Here is the contract, please look at it and sign it.»
Later on, he even confirmed it and then he blew it off so I couldn’t say anything else.
It made me feel better to get a slave named ‘Eul’ like Raymond.
I smiled at Raymond on purpose.
«Work will start after the weekend. Be ready.»
He didn’t answer.
It was a case of leaving the room with a sad expression on his face, if he thought he had lost.
Lily, who was waiting at the door, ran in and checked on my safety.
«Didn’t that rascal do anything to you?».
«What are you doing? I expect you to help me with my work for the time being.»
«Help me with my work? That person? Can you believe it?»
I laughed and waved my contract with Lily in response.
It was a fairly long-term contract, not the same one-off contract as last time.
«I’m the best now.»
«Wow, that’s awesome!»
Lily was more excited than I was, and suggested several ways to bully him in the future.
I even freaked out a little when I heard Lily’s plan to dry his blood very embarrassingly.
«He really is the one I like the least.»
«Lily, the person you like the least changes every time.
«That’s true, but…….»
When I was teased, I laughed out loud at Lily, who blushed and didn’t know what to do.
Looking ahead, I didn’t think I could fall asleep easily tonight.