Chapter 76

As I was walking towards the castle gate, a voice called out from behind.

"Lord Rain!!"

Reacting to the voice, I turned around to see Prim running towards me!

"Miss Prim!!"

I also ran towards her, and as she came at me with the same momentum, I welcomed her.

With a thud, she tackled, or rather hugged, me. If my level wasn't 55, it would have been dangerous. I caught her with my stable STR.

"Lord Rain! I missed you!"

"I missed you too!" And we hugged again.

After some time, we finally let go of each other. I won't forget the embarrassed smile on Prim's face at that moment.

We walked through the town holding hands.

"Wow!! It's such a big city, Lord Rain!"

She was excited.

"Yes, after all, we are the richest noble family in the country. Though not as big as the capital."

"Still, it's big!"

"Thank you."

This is a child taking advantage of their parent's authority.

I was feeling quite proud.

We headed straight for the castle.

When we arrived at the bottom of the castle, the gatekeeper looked surprised.

"Lord, Lord Rain!? Why are you outside?"

He was surprised to see me walking around outside.

"I was coming to pick up Miss Prim."

That's the only reason.

"No, then why is she the only one accompanying you?"

"Ah!!"

"Well, I'm the one who's surprised..."

Putting the joke aside.

"It's because I snuck out of the castle alone and found her on the way."

"Ah, I see... It's really dangerous, so please don't do it again."

"I'll keep that in mind."

The guard seemed to think that his words were in vain and gave up.

He opened the gate.

Prim was surprised by the sound of the gate opening and the sight of the gate, which was over 4 meters tall, opening.

"Wow!!"

She opened her mouth wide and watched the gate open.

So cute.

"Miss Prim, let's go inside."

I tried to sound cool.

When we entered the castle, my mother was there, smiling gently. At least, that's what a third party would think.

But I could tell.

She was angry.

"Miss Prim, welcome to our home. You must be tired from your long journey. I've prepared a bath for you, so please go in first."

"Yes!"

My mother's tone was casual, but she had the air of a duchess. Prim started to feel nervous.

A maid came out from behind my mother and led Prim to the bath.

"Then I'll go to my room..."

I tried to return to my room.

"Wait."

A spine-chilling voice called out from behind.

"Rain, you come this way."

My mother, whose eyes were burning with anger, glared at me.

I was flanked by two strong knights and led away.

"Oh my God!!"

"Today we're going to have a serious talk, Rain!! Are you listening?!"

After the lecture, I returned to my room. When I got there, Kou and Mei were sitting in the middle of the room, surrounded by Lisa, Sukuna, and Aina.

"I'm back."

I tried to sound calm as I greeted them. I had expected this.

Then, Lisa looked at me and said sternly.

"Lord Rain, I told you to keep Kou and Mei by your side. What's going on here?"

"I gave them permission."

"I know that."

She answered immediately.

"What I'm asking is, why did you separate from them?"

"I thought it would be bad to keep them with me since they looked free."

"That's their job."

Well, that's true.

"I wanted to give them some free time."

"They already have it."

They have it!!??

"What!? They have free time!?"

I had no idea.

"Yes. During the time they are not guarding you or studying and training, they mostly have free time. On average, they have about 3 hours a day, depending on the day."

I didn't know that...

The ongoing confiscation of Sukuna and the others by my mother means we don't see each other much outside of guard duty. Since I reconciled with my parents, I've entrusted their training to Sukuna and the others and trust them, so I don't even use my divine eye to check on them. Besides, I've been busy with sword practice and learning noble etiquette.

"You guys... are quite relaxed slaves."

Three hours a day...

You have more free time than employees in a black company in my previous life. And you get three meals a day, which are better than what commoners eat, and even a fluffy futon. Plus, you get pocket money.

Well, I give them the pocket money.

"Please, let them work seriously during their shifts."

"Understood."

It's a bit unfair to say this after bringing them, but please work more seriously.

"Well, let it go for today. I was just thoroughly scolded by my mother, and they must be reflecting on their actions."

"Lord Rain"

The two, who had been slumped, suddenly had their eyes light up.

"Understood. Please don't spoil them, Lord Rain."

"Understood."

"Yay!!"

Kou and Mei shouted.

"......"

They clearly hadn't learned their lesson.

I left Kou and Mei's treatment to Lisa and went to see Prim with Sukuna and Aina.

"Miss Prim, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

I called out as I approached.

"Lord Rain! The bath was huge!"

"Haha, thank you."

The Orion family has a dedicated water mage, so the size of the bathtub is not a problem.

But it is a problem!

I can't use it.

Once, I filled the bathtub with water and dove in, but the moment the water touched my body, it was absorbed, and I hit the ground, which was a painful experience.

So, not that it matters, but I had a rush job to bring water from a nearby river.

Thank you for your hard work.

I approached Prim and said, "Miss Prim, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."