Chapter 173

After that, Bedivior—no, Ares—quit his job as a doctor and became a butler at our house. Of course, he still occasionally visited the hospital to play with the kids.

“Playing with kids is really fun. Though it does get a bit tiring.”

“I don’t get why you like kids so much. I’m not really into them.”

Now that I’m the employer, I decided to drop formalities. It’s one of the perks of being the boss.

“Well, it’s a common story. A foolish man who ran a small hospital in a tiny kingdom at war with the empire had a beautiful wife and daughter, which was too good for him. But 300 years ago, Ricardo’s ancestor, who was also the current Knight Commander, pretended to return the soldiers’ corpses but planted a plague virus in them, causing the kingdom to collapse from the plague… The desperate doctor tried to develop a cure, but… the drugs mixed and exploded, granting him an immortal body… while his wife and daughter died from the plague. After that, he tried every method to kill himself, but nothing worked, so he eventually took someone’s hand.”

So the Carven family really is a bunch of scumbags. What kind of Silvanas-level nonsense is this?

“Wow… I’m speechless. So, do you hate Ricardo because he’s a descendant of the Carven family?”

“No. I’m not young enough to hold a grudge against someone who didn’t even do it himself. And besides that…”

Ares suddenly looked serious.

“The Spirit King of Wood story?”

“Yes, it’s clear they’re trying to lure us in by hinting at its location… but it’s not like we can just ignore it. Even if the Spirit King of Wood is the strongest, it can’t avoid Lancelot’s sword.”

“Sigh, this is a real headache.”

“Also, there’s been talk about a young man recently asking around about you in the back alleys. Be careful.”

“…… If you noticed that much, you’re the scary one.”

“At this age, gathering information is as easy as eating porridge.”

Ah, right, this guy is hundreds of years old. Anyway…

“Lord Werner.”

It was Glacia.

“What brings you here…”

“We haven’t had a chance to meet alone lately since you’ve been so busy.”

“Ah…”

Suddenly, Glacia crossed her arms.

“Airi is still hospitalized, Lady Lorcha has been busy lately, and Lady Camellia is preparing to go to another village after hearing rumors about her younger sister.”

Ah, so that’s what’s going on.

“Then I’ll take my leave so you two can enjoy your time together.”

Our perceptive butler, Ares, gave a knowing smile and left the room, leaving only me and Glacia inside.

Without a word, we kissed, our tongues intertwining. After about a minute, Glacia, with a flushed face, touched my pants.

“Ah, today’s a bit difficult. I’ll come find you later tonight.”

“If that’s the case…”

She suddenly unwrapped something resembling a bundle. What appeared was a lunchbox. What, is it empty? Is she trying to hint that she’s rejecting me with an empty box?

Glacia smiled slyly and said,

“I thought the hospital food wouldn’t suit your taste, so I tried my best. You do like goose, right?”

“Yes, I do like it.”

Except for pineapple pizza, mint chocolate, and mild Jin Ramen, I’m not particularly picky.

“Grilled goose breast, crab pilaf, salmon meunière with lemon juice, and chocolate cake for dessert.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

It’s a shame there’s no chopsticks, but I’ll have to make do with a fork and spoon…

“Lady Glacia, you need to give me a fork and spoon…”

“Since you’re injured, I’ll feed you. Open your mouth.”

I mean, my arm isn’t broken, and I can eat by myself just fine. But my fiancée wouldn’t allow it. She picked up a piece of goose breast with a fork and brought it to my mouth.

“Open up.”

If I resist any longer, something bad might happen, so I reluctantly opened my mouth.

The food… was incredibly delicious. The perfectly cooked pilaf, the juicy and tender goose breast, the crispy-skinned yet tender salmon, and the sweet yet slightly bitter cake.

If I were to rate the presentation, she might be the best cook among the people around me.

“… This is the most delicious lunchbox I’ve ever had.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“But what’s with the other lunchbox you brought?”

It seems she brought an extra one in case I got hungry.

“Ah, this is…”

Glacia seemed a bit hesitant. I was wondering why she was acting like that when she sighed and said,

“Well… Lady Lorcha gave this to me on the way here, saying to pass it to you.”

“Ah, Lorcha?”

She’s a bit clumsy with cooking, but I couldn’t ignore the effort she put into it. I can eat even rat meat, so this should be fine.

“But the maid behind her was secretly shaking her head…”

By the time Glacia warned me, it was a bit late. I only took one bite. But on the other side of the river, figures like Whitebeard, Lenin, Gaius, Leomon, Krillin, Felinoir, and even Confucius were waving at me.

Ah, I’m heading there.

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I almost died for real. If Tristan hadn’t punched me with a rock fist in the underworld, I would’ve crossed the River Styx. What kind of grudge does Lorcha have against me to give me such poison… no, this was beyond poison. Even my mom would drop dead from one bite of this.

“Are you okay? You don’t look well.”

“Ah, I’m fine.”

“There was no poison in the lunchbox… but the silver fork was rusted and rotten.”

Even a dragon would go down in one hit from that. Thanks to that, I was walking outside the hospital leaning on Glacia. I felt like I had a bit of a vampire’s curse, so I wanted to purify the poison with sunlight.

Anyway, even though I knew the Black Round Table was moving as a group, I couldn’t do anything. It’s obvious it’s a trap, but if I move, I’ll just be playing into their hands. But letting them kill the Spirit King of Wood is also problematic.

According to Ares, the Black Round Table has been investigating the locations of the Spirit Kings and taking their lives. Whether I dance to their tune or not, it’s a lose-lose situation.

I couldn’t reach the other older brothers or sisters, and Ricardo is busy.

“Damn it…”

They say it’s one mountain after another, but just as I solved one, Everest appeared before me. I guess I’m just lucky.

“Are you okay? Was it that lunchbox…”

“Well, that’s part of it, but… this is a different issue.”

Maybe I’ll just forget all these complicated thoughts and take a break today. There’s still some time before the execution Ares mentioned.

“Maybe I’ll have some sweets today. There’s an ice cream shop nearby run by the Ice Magic Tower…”

Just then, a black shadow blocked my path. Another third-rate villain trying to hit on a girl with cheesy lines? This is already the fifth one today… I’m getting tired of this cliché.

“You there, with the black hair.”

Damn, I’m the target? What a weirdo…

“Looks like you can walk, but you’ll need to stay hospitalized for a while longer. Don’t worry, I won’t kill you brutally. Just stay in bed for about a month.”

What a sadist. And that’s brutal enough.

“What the hell are you…”

The target was a young man—no, a high schooler—with the same sky-blue hair as Lorcha. He was wearing a goblin mask, but his voice and overall demeanor gave him away.

“Kid, I’m not in a good mood today, so just leave. Don’t mess around and get hurt.”

“Unfortunately, I have my reasons. Plus, I need permission to stop, so I can’t just back down.”

“Who gave you permission?”

“My grandmother.”

“What’s your grandma got to do with me?”

“I’m not obligated to answer that. You just need to fall quietly.”

First Lorcha, now this kid. Why are they all trying to take me down?

Is today some kind of “Kill Werner with Blue Hair” anniversary?

I have a duty to educate this rude brat celebrating such a barbaric event.

“Lightning, crawl like a snake.”

“Lightning, crawl like a snake.”

Our spells collided and canceled each other out. To cancel out my magic, what is this kid?

“… Let’s finish this before my pathetic younger sisters arrive.”

Today, my luck is really screwed up.