Chapter 9

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Chapter 9

“Well, …, anyway, is that guy, Radley, fine? Will he be okay?”

“He’s a sturdy guy. He won’t…. Well he won’t die.”

Earlier, it looked as if the toe of Matilda’s combat boot had smashed into Radley’s face, but now he was standing there with a nonchalant look on his face, saying, “Hey, I’m not going to die from something like that.”

His nose is bleeding again, but I guess it’s only a nosebleed, so it should be fine.

“I see. I’m glad to hear that. Well then… Matilda?”

“Yes, Noein-sama”

“For skilfully breaking free of your restraints so fast and rushing to my rescue.Thank you.”

“I picked up a sharp piece of wood with my foot and cut the rope. I’m sorry I was late to help you.”

While answering Noein, Matilda looked at Yuri and the others with icy eyes as if trying to stab them.

“… Matilda, like I said before, they’re not the enemy anymore.”

“Yes, Noein-sama”

“And it turns out they’re also victims of father’s cruelty.”

“Yes, Noein-sama”

“So, with nowhere else to go, I’m thinking of welcoming them to our Territory.”

“Yes, Noein-sama”

“… Matilda, are you mad at me?”

“It is impossible for me to be angry with Noein-sama. However, It’s just that…”

Matilda hugs Noein protectively. While holding her piercing gaze fixed on Yuri and the others.

“I fear for your safety. I still don’t trust them. Even though they didn’t know what was going on, they tried to kill Noein-sama earlier.”

When Yuri stepped forward to open his mouth, Matilda gives off a murderous intent. She seemed ready to jump at any moment …

“I know you don’t trust us. If you want me to prove my loyalty, I’ll give you one of my fingers or one of my ears, so you can cut it off. Or both, if you like.”

“Then, Let’s start with your fingers.”

“Okay, I got it.”

“Wait, no … No, no, no. Wait a minute.”

Noein stopped Yuri, who was about to slice off his finger without hesitation at Matilda’s words.

“If they were going to harm me, there was no reason for them to pretend to serve me. They could just attack me here and overwhelm us by force. If they don’t do that, then they really intend to become my subjects. Isn’t that right?”

“… Indeed, you are right.”

“Besides, I know Yuri’s loyalty by what he just did. And, so did Matilda, didn’t you? He was really trying to cut off his own finger right now, no matter how you look at it.”

“…… Yes”

Matilda replied with a reluctant look, a really reluctant look.

“Yuri, and the other four, you’re my subjects now. I don’t want you to hurt yourselves, both in the sense of protecting you and in the sense of getting you to do your utmost for the Arkvist territory. Do you understand?”

“… Oh. Thank you.”

Yuri bows his head to Noein as he says this. His men clumsily followed suit.

From Matilda’s point of view, she doesn’t feel like they’ll harm Noein anymore.

“If they behave even a little …… suspiciously, then please allow me to kill them at my own discretion, Noein-sama. For your protection, please.”

“All right, Matilda. And Yuri and the others, you don’t mind?”

Yes, of course. We’ll show you that you can trust us with our work.”

Yuri said as he sheathed his sword and proceeded to stand up.

“Oh, wait a minute, Kneel down again.”

Yuri followed Noein’s instructions, even though he found them strange.

“… When you kidnapped me, you insulted Matilda twice didn’t you? My precious Matilda.”

Noein’s eyes, smiling quietly, are mixed with the same evil color as before.

“……Oh”

So that’s what this is about.

It seems that this woman, Matilda, was not only a chore slave or escort slave, but also his favourite pet slave. It is unusual for a nobleman to be obsessed with a beastman slave.

“Brace yourself. That’s the only punishment you’re going to get.”

Noein look at Yuri’s face, while Yuri does as he was told and closed his mouth shut.

“Thud! Smack!” ” てえっ！ であっ！ ” [getting kicked sound- “Tee! Daa!”]

Noein kicked him twice, as well as he could in his awkward stance, with a somewhat awkwardly placed shout of “I’m sorry.”

I guess he’s not used to fighting. It’s not much of a kick.

Even if it’s not a big kick, it hurts a little bit if you’re not allowed to brace yourself for a hit on the face. Yuri’s lip was cut and blood seeped out.

“Huh … You can stand now. Matilda is a beastman and a slave, but don’t ever insult or disrespect her again.”

“I understand. I’ll do it. I’ll make sure all four of them abide by it as well.”

Noein’s face was no longer as evil as it had been earlier, as if it was never there.

Matilda, on the other hand, is looking at Noein with an icy expressionless face but a faint smile on her face, so faint that you have to look closely to notice it.

It seems that Noein, who easily forgave Yuri and his friends for kidnapping and even trying to kill him, was satisfied when he felt that his anger at Matilda’s insult had cooled down …

‘Strange master and slave’, Yuri thought as he watched them.

・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・

“… There really is nothing here.”

Yuri muttered, When Yuri saw the settlement in the Arkvist territory.

“Just like I told you. It’s only been a month since we started cultivating the forest, and it’s only been me, Matilda and the golems.”

Noein replied.

On the way here, he had been told,

“There are no buildings in the residential area yet, so don’t get your hopes up, okay?……” but when he actually saw it, he couldn’t help but bitch under his breath.

Tents and fields, a reasonably large flat area, and a pile of wood surrounding it, that was all. It couldn’t really be called the territory of lord.

The area of the flat land cut through the forest was large, but that only emphasized how empty it was.

The tents are of a good quality, like those used by military commanders, and there is enough food to keep us well fed and useful magical tools such as ‘boiler’ and ‘fire starter’, and there is also a clear river nearby, so there should be no trouble living here.

But even so, trying to build a territory in a place like this with only two people is a tremendous task. Yuri wondered how a young man in his position had not given up yet.

“I’d really like to prepare a tent for you guys. But it’s already evening. Tomorrow we’ll go back to Retvik and buy more things for you to live in, so you’ll have to sleep outside for today.”

“Oh, of course it doesn’t matter. Rather, we could sleep outside for a while? It will only be a burden if you have to buy a tent for us too.”

As he confirmed when he tried to rob him earlier, Noein’s fortune may be a reasonable amount for an individual, but it’s not enough to develop a territory like this from the ground up.

Tents are expensive tools in their own right. It would not be a cheap purchase for him right now.

“Don’t worry about it. You wouldn’t let your dear companions sleep outdoors all the time, would you?”

Noein laughed and said this with a look indifferent expression on his face.

・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・

That evening we weren’t able to throw an extravagant party for Yuri and the others …… but we ate together around the bonfire and got to know each other better.

Noein opened the bottle of wine he had bought for the occasional indulgence, and served the newcomers the bread he had just bought today, as well as some dried meat from the settlement, even if it was a few days worth of food.

According to Yuri’s introduction, Pence was the slender, dark-eyed man who had pointed his sword at Noein during the attack, Bart was the younger and more handsome of the two who had joined them on the way, and Mai was the woman. It was too late to introduce the sturdy Radley.

Noein smiled and said, “I’m looking forward to working with you,” to the four people who once again greeted and thanked the Lord of the Territory for accepting them.

When Yuri saw this, he secretly wondered how he could even smile in such a gentle way, even though he laughs so wickedly.

“Oh, by the way, Bart and Mai met up with us on the way, why were they not together with you guys?”

“We heard a rumour about the “Lord of the Forest” in that town, and we planned to steal his money and cargo. I had these two watch the road from the city to the Great Forest of Bezel and report back to me when you would return from the city to the entrance of the Great Forest.”

“Even if you let me report, there is no way to report at such a long distance … Is there?”

Yuri grinned and nodded at Noein, who seemed to have noticed it.

“Yes, I’ve been given the gift of telepathy magic. With it, I can talk to people far away in my head, like this.”

Yuri’s last words, “Like this,” echoed doubly in Noein’s ears and head.

“Well, you were a mercenary, that talent would have come in handy … But with abilities like that, wouldn’t there have been a way for you to serve some noble family somewhere?”

The unfortunate thing is, my talent is not very strong. The downside is that I can barely reach 10 kilometers using it, and I can only talk to one person that I’ve gotten close to beforehand and associated the magic with.

It seems that Yuri’s telepathy magic can only be established with a person who he has met face to face and thought, ‘I’m going to make this person the target of telepathy.’

In order to switch to another person, you have to contact that person directly and re-target the magic.

It’s certainly a greatly inferior ability compared to the average wizard who uses telepathy, who can target anyone he knows at any time and has an area of effect of several dozen kilometers.

“Still, at least you can stay in contact with me, the lord, and operate within a few kilometers around my residence. That’s a big help for my territory. Thank you for your help.”

“… Oh”

Yuri thought for a moment that he was being put off, but when he looked at Noein’s face, he saw that he was seriously welcoming his half-baked talent.

This guys character is harder and harder to read, he thought.

・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・

Noein enters the tent with Matilda, deciding to have Yuri and the others sleep beside the fields for tonight.

As soon as the two of them were alone, Matilda hugged Noein. Her arms are so strong that Noein struggled to breath.

“Noein-sama …”

“Matilda? Are you crying?”

Noein says, noticing a warm drop of water hitting his cheek.

“When Noein-sama was kidnapped, I thought I would never get to see you again … I thought I would lose you too … I’m sorry for being so helpless.. so helpless…. I’m so sorry.”

Sniffling as she said. Hearing her trembling voice, Noein hugged her, and rubbed her back gently.

“I’m sorry too. It’s not Matilda’s fault. I was too defenseless. A helpless lord who allowed myself to get kidnapped. But, I’m really glad Matilda was not injured. I’m glad you’re ok, dear Matilda.”

Matilda cried as she struggled for air in between sobs when she heard Noeins words spoken in the gentlest tone he could muster. A loving tone similar to when he called on to yuri and his group to become his subjects, but gentler. Matilda’s sobs became quieter as she dug her head into her master’s chest.

“I don’t want to make Matilda uncomfortable, and I won’t let myself be kidnapped again. The people who were against me have turned into shields to protect me. So, it’s okay now.”

“……Yes.”

Noein continued to stroke her back, all the while talking to her until Matilda calmed down.

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This translation is presented by Nocturne Translations.

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