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Chapter 24

At the king's gentle quasi-threat, Adrian answered without hesitation.

Haley was in Nest, along with mercenaries and mages. If he had to do this anyway, he might as well accept it with something in hand.

"I intended to accept it anyway, Your Majesty."

"Good."

I'm a generous king, aren't I? He rose as soon as he heard the straightforward reply. Choosing his words for a somewhat informal farewell, he added:

"Then I'll be going, Sir. I look forward to your hard work. Your commission as subjugation commander will be sent shortly through my chamberlain."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"What's next on the schedule, Chamberlain?"

The king's chamberlain, Karl, bowed beside him.

"There's a meeting with the Minister of Finance to review the budget for disaster recovery from the sudden monster appearances and to prepare for future damages."

"Hmm. And then?"

"Following that, a meeting with the Magic Ministry. The main agenda is a debate on the permanent mobilization of noble mages."

"And after that?"

"After that, an emergency meeting with the Osier delegation that arrived a week ago. Due to the sudden monster outbreak, they are likely to demand a reduction in diplomatic and trade scope, or even a temporary severance of relations. After that…"

"Ugh, meetings, meetings! Damn monsters, monsters!"

He tore at his hair again. Schvein let out a groaning cry of agony and turned his hollowed face toward Adrian.

"I don't understand why everyone wants to be king. I'm worked to death all day… Isn't there anyone who wants the job?"

Then he fixed his gaze on Adrian beside him. After blinking a few times as if thinking, he opened his mouth.

"Want to give it a try?"

"…Please don't say such things. If the ministers were to hear—"

"Go ahead and tell them. I'd quit."

Mmph. A low groan came from the chamberlain beside him.

Karl was the chamberlain personally appointed by the late king to his son, the current king. As a member of a family that had served the monarchy for generations, he was trustworthy and highly capable.

Having shared the late king's final years, Karl knew that the current king had inherited his predecessor's abilities in full. But this unprecedented, bizarre way of speaking—he still couldn't get used to it.

"I'm off. Good work. Anyway, the commission will arrive shortly."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Before King Schvein Balzer stepped out, he straightened his shoulders. With a solemn expression and gait, as if he were a completely different person from moments ago, he left the reception room.

"Hoo."

Adrian raised his bowed head.

"Subjugation commander, huh."

Commanding would likely be harder than slaying monsters. He'd soon have to deal with noble mages trying to look down on him—he could already feel the fatigue setting in.

'Not that I can't handle it.'

He'd rolled around in the western mudflats for years—how could he lose a battle of wills? First, he considered what needed to be done as subjugation commander.

The first task was to go to Count Carlton's territory, which had been devastated by the Scylla's fall. It was a three-day ride from the capital—but Adrian had no intention of taking that route.

After all, he now had unlimited portal access.

---

The sun had set, and darkness had fallen.

Like anyone else, the walk home from work was pleasant—especially with a generous day's pay and an evening meal to stave off hunger.

In Alexa's arms was a loaf of brown bread—not the soft, fluffy white kind, but chewy, nutty, and relatively cheap.

Even though it was her first day, her steps were light. She'd made no mistakes, and everyone had been kind.

'Is it okay to be this comfortable?'

Alexa felt a little uneasy that the work wasn't as taxing as the pay suggested. In terms of labor intensity, it was only half what she'd done at the viscount's household—no tending to an elderly lady, and enough maids that she wouldn't be buried in laundry all day.

Her sole responsibility was cleaning the master's room and study, which were already quite tidy.

"You're skilled. You can do as well tomorrow, right?"

The head maid must have been watching her—she patted Alexa's shoulder with satisfaction. How long had it been since she'd received such praise? Just that made her cheeks flush with pride.

'I'll work here until I die!'

She couldn't believe she'd been hired under such good conditions—but it was already decided!

Her subconscious humming stopped as she neared home.

"…What?"

Two familiar men were standing at the gate.

With a questioning look, Alexa quickly approached them.

"Creditor? What brings you here again? Weren't you supposed to be back in Nest?"

"Well…"

Adrian awkwardly touched his neck.

"It looks like I need to impose on you for one more day."

"Excuse me? Why?"

"Someone told me not to go home."

"……"

"……"

Alexa asked again, as if she had no idea what he meant.

"Are you doing this because you don't trust me to repay the debt?"

"No, it's not that. I don't want to do this either, but…"

Adrian ran a hand through his hair.

"How is it that with so many places, there's not a single room available?"

"……"

That can't be. There are plenty of hotels in the capital. When Alexa looked unconvinced, Sasha chimed in.

"It's true. You know about the Merchants' Guild Festival through tomorrow, right?"

Alexa vaguely recalled hearing that even her employer had been too busy to be seen because of it.

"This festival is centered around goods from the eastern continent, and it's said to be quite splendid."

"Ah, yes. I've heard a bit."

"Tomorrow is the last day."

"Yes."

"So until tomorrow, not a single room is to be found—dead or alive. And at this hour, the only place we can go is…"

He gazed at Alexa with wistful eyes. She found no way to refuse.

"…Come in."

"Thank you, Lady Alexa McDonner."

Alexa, who had been opening the gate, paused and looked back.

"You don't need to address me so formally. It's not something I'm used to… I'd prefer you just call me by my name."

"Then we shall."

Accepting it without comment, Sasha made Alexa nod with a faint smile. Whatever family he was from, his refined manners clearly marked him as a well-bred scion of a wealthy house. And yet, he called her "Lady."

'It feels so burdensome.'

As if wearing someone else's clothes, she felt embarrassed and quickly turned away.

Once inside, the two men stood awkwardly in the lobby.

Alexa looked at them with an apologetic expression.

"I just got home from work, so the rooms aren't ready. I didn't expect you to come again today, and I'm usually quite neat and tidy, really?"

"I know."

"Ah, yes. Well…"

Since he knew, there was nothing more to say—though it felt strange. Alexa bowed briefly.

"Then rest well."

"Alexa… Miss McDonner."

Adrian, who had been silent until now, called her in an awkward tone.

"Yes?"

"Is the first-floor room available now?"

"Oh, no."

"I mean—is anyone staying there?"

"No. It's empty."

"Good."

What's good about that? Alexa waited for his next words.

"I need to stay in the capital for a while. It's tiring to keep looking for places and moving around."

"Yes."

"So here's the thing—could I stay in this mansion for the time being?"

"Stay… permanently?"

"For quite a long time—I'd like to lodge here while I'm in the capital."

"Ah, that's what you meant."

Alexa nodded as if she understood.

"I don't think that'll be possible."

"Not… possible?"

"Yes."

"Why…?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"……"

Honestly, he hadn't expected to be refused. Adrian paused to choose his words.

"Of course, I'll pay for lodging. Ah, we can just deduct it from the debt."

"No, that's fine."

Alexa answered firmly, as if there was nothing more to discuss. He asked, genuinely puzzled.

"Why?"

"Why would you insist on staying here?"

"Because the other hotels won't take me?"

"Tomorrow's the last day of the festival, isn't it? Then there'll be plenty of empty rooms."

"Well, yes, but there are reasons…"

Adrian stopped mid-sentence.

He couldn't exactly list out all the reasons—that she seemed to have some special connection to the monsters, that it was suspicious, that he wanted to keep an eye on her, or that hotels would no longer be a viable option for him.

"What's the point of leaving all these rooms empty? It's reasonable to set a fair price and reduce the debt."

"We agreed I'd repay it within two months, didn't we?"

At his words, Alexa began to get annoyed. Just because she owed him money didn't mean her home was some inn he could stay at whenever he pleased. It was her house!

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