Chapter 27

――The next morning.

The sound of a knock on the door woke me up.

"Master Joshua, are you awake?"

"Sort of."

This voice must be Ellie's.

I didn't expect to be woken up by a summons. I must have overslept...

I sat up with a stretch, and a big yawn escaped me.

"Ah..."

"Master Joshua... I, I apologize!"

The door creaked open, and Ellie, who saw me, blushed and bowed deeply.

Hmm, is there something wrong?

I checked, but there was nothing unusual about my body.

"It's fine, you can come in."

"S, such a thing. Is it really okay? I mean, I'm just... No, I'm more than welcome... "

Ellie took a deep breath and entered the bedroom.

Her ears and neck were as red as a boiled lobster, and she fidgeted, clasping her hands together.

I don't understand why she's so embarrassed!

"Hmm. Clothes?"

"Yes!"

"Rumburg handed them to me yesterday. The robe doesn't work. It comes undone easily."

I see, I see. So, you were wondering if you should point out that my clothes were disheveled.

The robe is just tied with a belt, so when I woke up, it had come off, leaving my upper body completely exposed.

I'm a guy, after all, and it's tough to be told by a girl, "You're half-naked."

Actually, if she saw my scrawny upper body, she'd probably say, "Oh..." I'm sorry, Ellie. I showed you something strange.

I apologized to her in my heart but tried to cover it up with a wry smile and a playful gesture.

"Ah, it's a bit... No, it's fine... Huh?"

"Here, the belt is still on. I'll change quickly. Can you wait a moment?"

"Yes..."

Ellie, who was looking down, seemed to be steaming from the top of her head.

I feel like there's some dark, untouchable thing about Ellie... Well, I'll open the closet while whistling—.

"Whoa!"

The closet is in the left corner of the room, next to a large, double-paned window. This mansion, built as a noble's residence, has proper window glass.

That's good. There's nothing particularly surprising or noteworthy about the room's layout.

But, but...

There was Alru hanging outside the window!

She was hanging upside down.

I regained my composure and opened the window.

"You scared me. You were hanging from the window."

"Ellie's loud voice. Master Joshua, you might have been attacked!"

"I didn't attack anyone!"

For some reason, Ellie shouted at Alru.

"Okay, okay. It's fine. Nothing happened."

"That's good. Master Joshua, your clothes are off. I'll fix it."

Alru reached for the robe hanging from my waist.

I shook my head and smiled wryly.

"I was going to change anyway, so I'll just take it off."

"Yes!"

"Also, Alru. Do you want to change your work uniform from a maid's dress to something like hot pants?"

"Master Joshua, do you dislike Alru's clothes? Are they not cute?"

"No, I think they're cute. But, you know, when you hang from the ceiling in a skirt—"

"But, Master Joshua, this dress is cute."

"Sure, do what you like. If you want a different design, feel free to tell me or another housekeeper."

"Yes!"

By the way, it was a light blue.

I won't say what, but...

"By the way. Ah, never mind."

"It's very... concerning..."

When Alru pouts, I get flustered.

No, it's really a trivial matter. I just blurted it out because I saw the light blue.

Ugh, whatever.

"Yesterday, Secoya's was white. I just wondered if you were concerned about it."

"Alru likes white too?"

"It's not my place to say!"

I really shouldn't have said anything.

I should have kept quiet.

Well, let's cut the chatter and get dressed.

When I tried to untie the belt, Ellie grabbed Alru by the collar and dragged her out of the room.

The door closed with a thud.

I'm already half-naked, so it doesn't really matter if they don't look at me now.

Oh well. I'll get dressed and have breakfast.

◇◇◇

When I got dressed and went to the dining room, Bartolo was standing solemnly.

His unusual demeanor made me straighten up, and I was about to ask what was wrong when—

"Master Joshua, I'm truly sorry! Even if I apologize, it won't change anything, but I'm sorry!"

Bartolo knelt and apologized.

Did he do something that deserved a scolding? I don't remember anything.

As I was confused, he continued.

"I heard about the thunder beast attack. If I had defeated it when we encountered it, this wouldn't have happened. I'm truly sorry, Master Joshua."

"What, that's what this is about?"

"By not considering the danger to you and letting the thunder beast go, I made a mistake."

"Bartolo, you're making a big misunderstanding."

Sit down, I said, and he sat while I took the seat opposite him.

"Listen. First, it's correct to report the discovery of an unknown monster that piques my interest. If you had immediately reported its defeat, my options would have been limited. So, Bartolo's judgment was correct."

"Master Joshua..."

"Second, I always have a bodyguard. We don't know where dangerous monsters might be. That's why I have a bodyguard to consider the possibility of a monster attack. So, being attacked was within the expected range, and we have measures in place. Therefore, there's no need to apologize or worry about me being attacked by a monster."

"But—"

"Lastly, it's a matter of hindsight. Bartolo is focusing on the fact that I was attacked by the thunder beast."

"Right."

"But the truth is the opposite. Even from a hindsight perspective, not killing and keeping the thunder beast alive was the right decision. Because the thunder beast is herbivorous and doesn't attack us. Moreover, if we can manage it well, we might be able to use its lightning for our benefit."

With that, I smiled broadly, got up from my chair, and patted his shoulder.

"Thanks. Master Joshua, you're the best."

"I just stated the facts. It's odd for someone without fault to apologize."

"I don't have the vocabulary like Mr. Rumburg, so I don't know how to say it, but your mind and the way you are. I'm glad I followed you. Thank you always, Master Joshua. Please let me continue to help you!"

"Me too. Bartolo, thank you always. Since you came here, I've entrusted you with jobs other than gardening. You've helped without a single complaint, and I'm very grateful."

I clapped my hands together, signaling the end of the conversation.

Bartolo understood and slapped his knee, standing up.

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