Chapter 52

Morning.

After waking up, I was changed out of my nightclothes by Audrey and the maids.

First, Audrey took off my nightclothes.

The morning sun shone down on my well-trained, muscular body.

I was wiped down and perfumed.

As usual, I remained almost motionless, leaving my preparations to Audrey and the maids.

"Master Noah?"

"Hm? What is it?"

"Is something troubling you?"

"...How did you know?"

"Your face isn't as good as usual."

"You observe well."

"It is Master Noah's face, after all."

Audrey smiled, but her cheeks were slightly flushed.

Though I'm used to such words, it feels good to hear them from my wife.

"You're right. I'm worried about Apophis, the gift from His Majesty."

"The snake staff?"

"Yes."

I nodded clearly.

Since Audrey knows about Leviathan and the others, I skipped the preliminaries and talked about what was bothering me.

"He hasn't submitted to me yet. I plan to make him do so today."

"Is that so? Is it safe to watch?"

"Will you watch?"

"Yes."

Audrey nodded.

Her expression showed a strong admiration and a pleading look.

"I've heard about Master Noah's artifacts, but I've never seen them submit to you."

"Ah, that's true."

I recalled, thinking about it.

Leviathan.

Bahamut = Rutea.

Fuwawa.

Behemoth.

All of these were before I actually met Audrey.

Back when I was still in the capital.

"I see... Alright then."

"Thank you!"

Audrey looked extremely happy.

By the time we finished dressing, we moved to the grand dining hall, and I had breakfast served by the delighted Audrey.

After that, I went to the garden with Audrey and the maids.

In front of the garden pavilion, Apophis had already been brought out in a box.

I approached it and opened the box, taking out the staff shaped like a snake and holding it in front of me.

"Respond."

Then, a thought came back to me.

A thought that couldn't be put into words.

"Is it alright, Master Noah?"

"It's fine, he's just underestimating me a bit."

"Underestimating you?"

"He said I need to defeat him to make him submit. He thinks it's impossible for a child with my power."

"What insolence!"

Audrey frowned, angry as if it were her own matter.

I looked at the staff—Apophis.

Though I put it simply, what I received from Apophis was "just a child who was toyed with by SSS."

The Prime Minister had been dismissed, and my abilities had returned to their original state.

That's why he was looking down on me.

On the other hand, the conversation was straightforward.

"Do I need to defeat you?"

I spoke to Apophis again.

The response was mocking, but it was a clear "yes."

"Alright. Then I'll lend this to you."

I said that, put Apophis back in the box, and took off the armor ring, placing it in the box as well.

In the next moment, Apophis changed.

Linked with the armor ring, Apophis transformed into a giant snake.

The giant snake swallowed the staff whole and opened its mouth wide, capable of swallowing a human easily.

"Come here, snot-nosed brat."

Speaking in broken phrases, the snake opened its mouth threateningly, its tongue flickering.

"Alright."

I drew Leviathan and slashed at it.

The blue light of the magic sword's slash was deflected by Apophis' scales.

"Too hard!"

Apophis looked smug for a moment before lunging at me.

I kicked off the ground and jumped back.

Apophis attacked again.

The long body of the snake coiled around me, trying to constrict me.

I held Leviathan horizontally.

The constriction caught on Leviathan.

I released Leviathan, jumped up, and escaped the snake's constriction.

"Shrink."

After escaping, I made Leviathan shrink.

While stretching would have been a contest of strength, shrinking posed no problem.

Leviathan, now the size of a needle, fell to the ground.

The constriction missed, and the snake coiled for a moment before stretching out and coming at me again.

I dodged, retrieved Leviathan, and returned it to its original size.

"You're weak. I can't be cut."

The snake said, flicking its tongue and laughing.

"I'll finish you. I'll swallow you whole."

The snake lunged, mouth wide open, trying to bite me.

I held Leviathan and deflected the snake.

The deflected snake quickly turned and lunged again, but I easily dodged.

"Wow!!"

Audrey and the maids cheered.

So, they understood.

I was using only technique, not strength.

It was the sword technique I practiced every morning, not to cut the banyan tree.

Martial arts are generally divided into soft and hard styles.

The technique I practiced was the pinnacle of the soft style.

Using this, I deflected the snake multiple times.

"You're cheap. Men should be stronger."

"Hmph."

I didn't fall for the obvious provocation.

As I continued to deflect, I noticed a certain angle where the snake's body would catch.

I tried it a few times.

The catch became clearer.

I cut into that spot.

After deflecting the snake's lunge, it quickly turned and lunged again.

I lunged at the same time.

"---!"

The snake, which had been deflected until now, looked surprised.

With the momentum of the snake and my own strength, and the blade angled correctly, it cut through the snake's body as easily as slicing tofu.

I continued to thrust forward with Leviathan.

After we completely passed each other, the snake's body split open like a fish fillet.

"The match is over, right?"

Since it was a materialization from the armor ring, there should be no pain, but the snake was stunned and stopped moving.

After a while,

"You're strong. I'll submit."

The snake, completely different from its previous attitude, became very meek.

I wondered if it was a trap, but...

---

Name: Noah Ararat

Minister of Justice

Gender: Male

Level: 10/∞

HP D+E Fire E+A

MP E+E Water D+S

Strength D+A Wind E+F

Stamina E+E Earth E+D

Intelligence E+D Light E+C

Spirit E+D Dark E+C

Speed F+E

Dexterity E+D

Luck E+D

---

The "Dark" attribute in my status, visible in the corner of my vision, rose to C, indicating genuine submission.

"Looking forward to working with you."

The snake nodded its head up and down, then dematerialized.

In the place where the giant snake had been, the armor ring and the snake staff—Apophis—lay on the ground.

I picked them up.

"Truly impressive, Master Noah!"

Audrey, who had been keeping her distance, approached with a moved expression, correctly sensing that it was over.

☆

A few days later, in the study of the outer garden.

Although the Prime Minister had been dismissed, I kept the study, which I had modified for convenience, thinking it would still be useful.

In the study, I was receiving a report from Don.

"What is this?"

After receiving the report, I looked at the list and asked Don.

"These are gifts sent by the magistrates of Ararat Province. They are all local products of Ararat."

"Ararat, huh."

"Gifts for the new ruler, Your Highness."

"Ah, the usual thing."

I said that, but in reality, this was my first experience.

When I was granted Almeria as a fief, I was just born, so all such matters were handled by the adults around me.

So, this was the first time I actually received gifts sent directly to me.

"No, no, it's not the usual thing."

"Hm?"

"This list is about twice as luxurious as usual. I've never seen such an impressive list."

"Is that so?"

"Among the items, there are some that seem to be from the people. They must have heard about the Prime Minister's governance and the flood control in Almeria, and sent them voluntarily."

"I see."

"When Gilbert was in charge, it was about a third of this."

Don, who had worked under the First Prince, said with a wry smile.

"Indeed, it's quite impressive."

"Still, it's not useful to receive so much. Is there anyone around?"

"Shall I call someone?"

The door opened, and a young boy entered.

In the outer garden, where this study was located, the ban on men was not as strict as in the inner garden, and there were male servants.

The boy was a new face, so he must have recently joined the household.

"Have these distributed to my household. Evelyn likes alcohol, so give her one barrel of brewed and one barrel of distilled. Shirley, who is in the capital, should get two cold iron swords. Foster and Howard should get one each. Dylan has a daughter, so send her a whole bolt of silk. Byron should get the brewed alcohol, and Cindy should get one bottle of each of the four types of honey."

I distributed the gifts according to the interests and positions of my household.

I focused on those who were working outside the house.

After finishing, I thought about whether anyone was missed.

"Understood. Evelyn gets one barrel of brewed and one barrel of distilled. Shirley gets two cold iron swords, Foster and Howard get one each. Dylan gets the silk. Byron gets the brewed alcohol, and Cindy gets one bottle of each of the four types of honey. Is that correct?"

"..."

I was a bit surprised and looked at the boy.

Caught by my gaze, the boy flinched a little.

"Did I make a mistake?"

"No, quite the opposite. You remembered everything from just one hearing, that's impressive."

Realizing he wasn't being scolded, the boy was relieved.

"What's your name?"

"My name is Gran."

"How long have you been in the household?"

"About a month."

"Why did you come here?"

Don, who had seemed about to say something when I first spoke to the boy, closed his mouth when he saw me quickly asking Gran personal questions.

Gran, a bit bewildered, answered my questions.

"My parents were sick, and my brother's income was low, so I thought I'd try to earn some money. Then I heard about the eunuch recruitment."

"I see."

Eunuchs receive a lump sum in addition to their monthly salary.

This is a compensation or favor for the castration—removal of the male organs.

"What about your parents' illness?"

"It's a bit better, but still..."

Gran looked down a bit, his face shadowed.

"Hmm. What is your current salary?"

"5 Reen per month."

"I'll raise it to 50."

"......What?"

Gran looked confused, not sure what was happening.

"Then, you'll work under Don. Understand?"

I directed the last words at Don, who nodded quietly.

He understood that I was taking Gran seriously for his memory.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

Gran bowed repeatedly before leaving the study to distribute the gifts.

Don, who remained, approached me.

"Truly impressive. With that, Gran will feel indebted and serve you with his life."

"He doesn't need to risk his life."

"Really?"

"People are treasures. It's good to serve, but I want them to serve while living."

"Truly impressive."

Don bowed deeply, completely convinced.