The Sword Genius of the Magic Empire - Chapter 79



Only Noblemtl

“Ughhhhh!!”

Dionil, with a very dissatisfied face.

He finished signing the document with trembling hands and then shouted loudly as if he couldn’t control his anger.

“… … Then I will step aside now! Your Majesty the Butler!!”

The man grumbled and turned around, then slammed the large door to the office and left.

“Phew.”

Grantal sighed softly and turned his head this way. Then he held up the signed report.

“The signature has been completed. As requested, this confirms the additional dispatch of Master Enoch to Master Dionil’s mission.”

“Thank you.”

“It may be that I am the one who received the help.”

Granthal added, slamming the papers shut on his desk.

“As the status of the Zhu family is high in the empire, breach of contract or non-performance by a direct lineage can bring considerable dishonor to the entire family.”

“I know.”

“Besides, the subject of this contract is the Imperial Academia. Since it is an institution directly supported by the Emperor of the Empire, it would be bad if there were any problems with the contract.”

He thanked Enoch politely.

“However, this time, thanks to your extra support for the mission, the worst was avoided. I appreciate your support, even though you must be tired after returning to the family.”

“I just got what I wanted to do.”

“Is that so?”

For a moment, a faint, curious smile appeared at the corner of Grantal’s mouth.

But soon he returned to his serious expression and added in a worried tone.

“However, there are some areas of concern.”

“Worried?”

“First of all, since the situation is urgent, I have given permission as the chief steward to temporarily fill in the position. However, I hope that there will be no problems with this operation.”

Enoch tilted his head and replied.

“I don’t really intend to cause any trouble.”

“No, this is a story about Lord Dionil.”

Granthal shook his head.

“Because of what Enoch did to Dionil four years ago. It won’t be easy for him to let go of the grudge he’s built up.”

For a moment, Enoch’s eyes narrowed slightly.

… … of the past, Enoch.

After hearing a few more precautions in the office and coming out into the hallway, it was already lunchtime.

The bright midday sunlight was streaming into the castle corridors.

As usual, Shiroko followed behind me barefoot, the hem of her short skirt fluttering.

The girl with her pointed wolf ears walks briskly, her red hair dancing and reflecting the sunlight dazzlingly.

Naturally, all eyes around the castle turned to the lively and pretty Suin girl.

However, Shiroko, who still didn’t care about such things, suddenly turned her head and looked up at me, sticking her face in.

“Hey, when is lunch coming? I’m hungry.”

“When you return to your room, Lien will bring it to you.”

“really?”

Shiroko said, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

“Haha, then don’t expect it! There seem to be a lot of things that are much tastier here than in our tribe’s village~?”

“The food is pretty good. I guarantee it.”

In fact, so far, there has never been a meal that Lien brought that I didn’t like or that tasted bad.

From my experience eating it so far. I don’t know who made it, but the taste and variety were all top-notch.

Shiroko turned her gaze this way for a moment and asked.

“So? Why did I end up in this office or something? I didn’t do anything, so I should have just rolled around and waited for lunch.”

“It’s just a greeting.”

“greeting?”

Shiroko stares at me with a puzzled expression.

Enoch answered simply.

“There are probably still many people here who don’t have a good impression of the Suin tribe. Rumors don’t disappear overnight.”

Actually, if I left Shiroko in the room, I might just kick the door open with a high kick, so I brought him out because I didn’t know what he would do…

There is another, more important reason.

“At least if you’re going to be active in the Juga clan, you should know that you’re not a very evil person who attacks people like rumors say.”

This is what is called awareness improvement.

Shiroko tilted her head innocently.

“Huh? Is that so?”

“Yes. Just like before, I don’t intend to let the imperial people hate you or the Suin people.”

“Huh~ What is it, you?”

Shiroko looked up at me with slightly sharp eyes, then chuckled and said.

“You’re surprisingly kind. When you first came to our village, you seemed really blunt.”

“What a surprise. That’s what I looked like?”

“Then! When I first saw you, you seemed like a really bad person, right? You don’t talk much, you’re cold, and you always speak briefly.”

Somehow, as I listened, I felt like laughing a little. That’s how I look to other people.

I answered lightly without thinking much.

“Thank you, but that’s not really my style…”

But when I tried to continue speaking, a strange sense of incongruity suddenly came to my mind.

─My personality?

For a moment, the footsteps stopped abruptly.

Now that I think about it, what was ‘my’ personality like?

It was so natural that I couldn’t even think of it.

Swish.

Suddenly, for no reason, he lifts one of his hands and looks at it.

Perhaps the boundary between the original Enoch and the current ‘me’ is already becoming blurred.

or not…….

Is this what ice skating is like?

***

The scenery in the room I returned to was the same.

A large room that was practically empty, with nothing but a desk, chair, dining table, and bed.

But the atmosphere of this room, which would normally be filled with silence, was completely different from before. That’s understandable─

“Eww! Green peppers!!”

Sirocco’s high-pitched scream rang out.

And the next moment,

WHEEK!

The bell peppers flew across the sky in gentle curves.

“……pimento?”

Enoch, who was sitting at the table eating lunch, instinctively stretched out his arm and snatched a flying piece of bell pepper.

I caught something that flew in.

What, why the bell pepper?

I raise my head and reflexively look in the direction it came from.

“Eww! I can’t believe it!”

There, Shiroko was looking down at something in front of her with eyes that were very, very contemptuous.

Enoch asked, holding out the pepper he was holding in his hand.

“Is playing catch with food your hobby?”

“I did nothing wrong!”

She puffed out her chest proudly,

“There’s something wrong with putting bell peppers in the soup!”

” Enoch simply replied, holding out the pepper he was holding in his hand to her.

“Because it’s vegetable soup.”

“Wow! I hate vegetables! Especially bell peppers and eggplants, I really really hate them!!”

Shiroko jerked his head back as if running away from the pepper in front of him.

Enoch asked abruptly, his eyes looking slightly bewildered.

“You. Were you like this when you were living in the tribe?”

“Heh, of course! If something like bell peppers appeared on the table, I would never eat it!”

Sirocco spoke proudly with a proud expression for some reason. Enoch asked in a slightly bitter tone.

“Is that something to brag about? Then what do you eat?”

“meat!”

Shiroko said that, wagging her tail.

“And I don’t like vegetables, but I like them pretty well, except for bell peppers and a few other things. Eating is fun, right?”

In fact, Shiroko had already eaten almost all the other food on the table, such as meat and bread.

But if you take a quick look, you’ll notice that the way they eat is quite unusual.

Shiroko smacked his lips as if it were delicious, then poured some honey from the glass bottle and spread it all over his bread. He picked it up and put it in his mouth.

… … just with bare hands.

Of course, honey is dripping down her hands and her pale cheeks, but she doesn’t seem to care at all about that.

Enoch, who was watching that, asked a fairly sensible question.

“You don’t use a fork or knife?”

“Huh? Is that necessary?”

Sirocco responded with an expression of obviousness.

“I heard that when our tribe’s warriors go out to subdue demons, they hunt the animals around them and eat like me. They don’t need anything like utensils.”

“You didn’t even see it yourself, but you just heard that?”

She added, swallowing her bread.

“… … Ah, yes. Ever since I was little, I’ve always gone on demon subjugation missions alone. That was the most efficient. The same goes for hunting.”

Shiroko bowed her head slightly as she spoke, bringing the hand still dripping with honey to her mouth.

licking.

She lightly licked the honey on her finger with her tongue, then suddenly looked straight at me and asked.

“What about you?”

She extended her honey-covered hand this way.

In front of Enoch’s mouth, the slender fingers suddenly stopped.

─What do you think?

As I blankly stared at his finger at the question that had no meaning, Shiroko tilted her head slightly and asked.

“How about trying it? It’s so sweet and delicious.”

“… … .”

So, is this girl in front of me telling me to lick her finger right now?

Enoch glanced at her for a moment with a sour expression.

“─?”

When their eyes met, Shiroko tilted his head as if to ask if he was not going to eat it.

If you look at those innocent eyes, there’s probably no malice in them.

……maybe.

When I was looking at Sirocco’s fingers dripping with translucent yellow honey with a trembling expression.

Swish.

Someone next to her grabbed her wrist and wiped the honey off with a napkin.

Shiroko turned her head there and pricked up her ears.

“Siroko.”

A voice as clear as ice rang out in the room.

It was Lien who was serving the meal. The dazzling midday sunlight illuminated her silver hair that flowed down to her waist.

Lien, dressed in her usual maid outfit, spoke calmly to Shiroko.

“Accommodations provided by the stock family have been prepared.”

“Huh? Lodging?”

“Yes. Usually, the wizards who come here stay in the family for a long period of time for business, research, and exchanges.”

A wide view of Elseid’s citadel outside the window.

Lien glanced at the scenery and said.

“There are also luxurious accommodations available within the castle for long-term residence. The same applies to the descendants of the direct line.”

Shiroko perked up his ears slightly at those words.

“So does that mean I can go there alone?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Ugh, this is annoying~”

But surprisingly, Sirocco didn’t seem to like it, so he turned his head to the side.

“Besides, even after coming all this way, I don’t want to be alone.”

As she said this, Shiroko fell onto the bed with her arms spread wide. Then she raised one hand towards the sky.

“Okay, I’ve decided. I’ll just sleep here!”

At those words, Lien’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“Of course, since your accommodations have been assigned, it doesn’t matter where you actually live according to the regulations. However, your accommodations will be in a much better room than this one, right?”

……I know.

Enoch also nodded.

As Lien said, if you are a direct descendant of Elseid, you will be provided with very luxurious accommodations.

I’m sure they said that the interior and service were on par with any five-star hotel.

So, it’s not even comparable in comfort to an empty room that’s simply spacious like this.

But Sirocco remained steadfast.

“Huh, well. Wherever I am, it’s my choice, right?”

She sat up, then sat on the bed, slapping her tail against the mattress.

“I like it here. So why don’t I just stay here? And, most importantly… … .”

Shiroko glanced this way and added with a sharp look in his eyes.

“There’s someone here who wants to win.”

Enoch tilted his head expressionlessly. He still hasn’t gotten tired of it, so he must have said that he would definitely win. He must have been quite serious.

Was the training surprisingly stimulating?

“Your Majesty, what will you do?”

Lien’s cold blue eyes looked at me for a moment. Was she leaving the final decision up to me?

Enoch took a deep breath for a moment and said.

“Okay, then.”

“Okay! Is it decided?”

Shiroko yawned, hugging her pillow tightly with a satisfied smile on her face. It seemed like she was going to take a nap in bed.

Suddenly, I could hear the sound of someone breathing heavily.

I really have a good fortune.

He looked at Sirocco with a slightly bewildered look, then slowly got up from his seat.

Lien, who was standing quietly with her back straight as usual, glanced in this direction.

“… … Training ground?”

“Oh. There’s nothing to do until the next mission.”

Enoch slung a black cloth bag over his back.

Then he turned his head and asked.

“By the way, I didn’t know you would allow me to stay here, even though you said I had to be wary of Shiroko.”

Lien nodded with an emotionless expression.

“It would be safer to keep it where your eyes can see it.”

Well, it wasn’t a wrong statement.

If we send Shiroko alone to a dormitory building where other people live together, we don’t know what he might do there.

Knock knock knock!

Then, suddenly, a loud noise was heard outside.

And then, almost at the same time, the door swung open.

“Master Enoch!”

The butler I saw in Grantal’s office came into the room in a hurry and shouted.

“Master Enoch! This is an urgent matter!”

A look of bewilderment was evident on his face.

It seemed like he had come running in quite a hurry.

Enoch tilted his head.

“Emergency?”

“Yes! This is a message from the office!”

Something ominous crossed my mind as I listened to his words.

Shiroko also perked up the wolf ears on his head while lying down, then slowly opened one eye and turned his gaze this way.

In such a tense atmosphere indoors.

Granthal’s butler shouted loudly.

“An emergency rescue request has been received from the Academia Exploration Team conducting preliminary exploration in Rhodes!!”