Chapter 55

The red eyes were as calm as a lake at night, silent and still.

"Um, Lady Eli."

At that moment, Ante approached me with a troubled look on her face.

"The duke already has so many decorations. But coincidentally, there's an empty spot where a waist ornament should be."

Ante pointed to her waist as she spoke.

"So instead of this mischievous duke, wouldn't you give it to me as a gift?"

Ante said this with a playful laugh.

Though she spoke ill of the duke, it was clear she was trying to defuse the situation.

'Giving the decoration to the duke was probably a bad idea after all.'

She must be trying to salvage the situation before the atmosphere gets worse.

'Still, it was a foolish thing to do.'

Even though I had anticipated this outcome, my heart sank.

Why? I'm used to being rejected.

'Even though I pretended it didn't matter to the viscountess.'

Deep down, I had harbored a vain hope that the duke might accept it.

"…I understand. I'll give this to you, Sir Knight."

I forced a bright smile and handed the knot to Ante.

But before Ante could take it, a large hand snatched it away.

"Why should you take it?"

It was the duke. He looked annoyed as he examined the decoration in his hand.

"But, my lord…"

"Be quiet."

The duke firmly silenced her and tied the decoration to his waist.

The leather belt and the knot I made looked mismatched at first glance.

Seeing him wear it made me feel even more embarrassed.

"I'll replace it with something else."

"Who said you could?"

The duke raised an eyebrow.

"I'll keep this ugly thing and play with it for the rest of my life."

"It's not ugly!"

I retorted indignantly, and the duke chuckled, patting my head.

"Right, it's a pretty knot."

His large hand was surprisingly warm.

I blinked in surprise.

"Be careful while I'm gone. Don't get hurt until then."

"…Yes."

It was my first time seeing someone off, so I answered with a slightly subdued voice.

I couldn't tell if the duke had taken my knot because he really liked it or out of pity.

One thing was certain.

"Thank you."

He had accepted my gift.

* * *

Several days had passed since the duke left for the inspection of the northern territories.

It would take quite a while to visit all the estates.

'I need to show some results during this time.'

With this resolve, I got into the creaking carriage with Demian.

My heart was pounding.

It was because of the precious and welcome news that the new sword I had developed had been completed.

"Lady Eli!"

As I was helping the maids get out of another carriage, a familiar voice called out from a distance.

It was Jerit, the promoter of this project, who had come running without even taking off his work apron.

"You came, my lord."

He then noticed Demian beside me and bowed respectfully.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice."

"Of course I had to come!"

It's a new product! I shouted, and Jerit, looking a bit moved, handed me the sword wrapped in a small cloth.

"This is the result of the monster ore we discovered, the technology of Vorbork, and the quick hands of Talroom."

I carefully examined the sword Jerit handed me.

I had put on gloves in preparation for this day.

'The hilt isn't made of ore, so I can touch it with bare hands, but I should be careful just in case.'

It would be great if the sword only attacked specific people, but that level of development was still difficult.

'Still, it's the first product. We can develop it step by step.'

Originally, this sword would have been developed before Demian went to war.

Just bringing it forward this much was a significant achievement.

"Do you want to see it, Demian?"

"Me, me?"

"Is it okay, Sir?"

I asked Jerit, who nodded as if it were obvious.

Demian hesitantly took the sword.

"Is it okay? Is it not too heavy?"

"Yeah. It's lighter than I thought."

Demian moved the sword around.

The skills he had learned from Viscount Amantha seemed to have paid off, as his movements were more proficient than before.

"Hey, who's this? A benefactor?"

At that moment, a familiar voice came from behind.

"Seeing you here makes me even happier! Did you come to see the completed sword?"

Talroom approached us with a friendly laugh.

His pronunciation was quite awkward, but it wasn't incomprehensible.

Talroom had a reason for using human language despite the inconvenience.

If he used his race's language in front of others, it would become known that he was the one who made the holy sword and that he was a different race.

'We can't let our talent be stolen.'

So we introduced Talroom as a person from a small kingdom near the World Tree. His poor language skills would be understandable.

"Who's this? A boy I haven't seen before."

"Oh, this is Demian. Demian, this is Talroom. Say hello. He helped a lot in making this sword."

Demian clung to my clothes with a wary look.

"It's okay. He's a good friend."

I gently reassured him, and he finally bowed his head.

Talroom chuckled.

"A cautious kid. That's a good attitude."

He gestured to the sword in Demian's hand.

"So, how is it?"

I looked at Demian, who, after a moment, nodded without a word.

It meant he thought it was very good.

"It's very good."

"Of course I knew it would be!"

Talroom, who had been laughing heartily, suddenly leaned forward.

"Hmm? But benefactor, your face seems a bit rounder than before."

"…!"

"Looks like you've been eating some delicious food."

Talroom chuckled, and I couldn't deny it.

'It was just too delicious.'

Feeling embarrassed that I couldn't control myself, I tightly closed my mouth. Talroom, with a playful look, poked my cheeks.

"I've noticed before. Your cheeks look so soft."

Talroom's face, poking my cheeks, reminded me of Ace, who looked at me with a wistful expression.

I shouldn't say this, but people here really like touching cheeks.

Demian is much softer than me.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, Talroom's hand stopped. I looked up at him, wondering why.

"Hmm."

His gaze was still on Demian, who hadn't lowered his guard.

[Benefactor, how old is this kid?]

Talroom suddenly spoke to me in his race's language.

"Um… he'll be twelve soon."

[Is that so?]

Talroom raised an eyebrow in surprise. [That's fast. Already that age.]

"Lady Eli, if you don't mind, would you like to go to the square with us today?"

At Jerit's question, I perked up.

"Are you already selling the sword?"

"No, we won't sell it to anyone else. This sword will only be sold in the Schuets estate."

"Is that so?"

I knew that Jerit was in charge of this monster ore project, but it wasn't entirely his own operation since he was working with Viscount Amantha.

"In fact… Viscount said we should try making other products as well."

At Jerit's words, my eyes widened.

Other products.

The implications were significant.

Jerit, who was part of a merchant guild, hadn't yet planned any notable products.

Giving him this authority meant…

He was showing trust in Jerit, like a father in his son.

"Congratulations, Sir Jerit!"

"Thank you."

Jerit, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment, then spoke with a serious face.

"As you know, Viscount doesn't think much of me. I was the one who hurt his wife."

Jerit's voice was a bit gloomy.

"But thanks to Lady Eli, I was able to make such a significant discovery. This is a big opportunity. No matter what, I will create a product that will help the guild."

Jerit clenched his fist with determination.

"Because Viscount trusted me for the first time."

Jerit's eyes were filled with tension and excitement, the look of someone with hope. A look I once had.

"Of course, if Lady Eli doesn't want to, there's nothing I can do…"

"I'll go!"

"Really?"

I nodded.

Jerit's eyes sparkled.

"Thank you! I'll get ready right away!"

"Before that, take off your work apron."

"…Oh."

Embarrassed, Jerit took off his apron and started moving busily.

"Will Talroom come with us?"

The square had various weapons. Going with Talroom might provide useful clues for the business.

"Thank you for the invitation, but I'll pass."

Talroom shook his head.

"I have a new idea I want to work on."

Talroom looked down at us with excitement.

Demian, who met his gaze, moved a bit closer to me.

Talroom smiled, finding Demian's reaction cute.

* * *

Felingu was as bustling as ever when we visited again.

"Be careful not to get lost."

At Jerit's words, I showed him the hand I was holding Demian's.

This was an unexpected second market survey.

On my first outing, I was so focused on buying my first gift that I didn't properly look around.

'Besides, I even ran into a pickpocket gang.'

Thanks to that, I was able to give the