I Don't Want To Work! - Chapter 78
CHAPTER 78
‘It feels like something terrible is going to happen.’
What’s going on with that guy, even in the human world?
“Yikes, Lady Lottie! This is so pretty, ugh, ugh, white gloves here!”
“I will graciously wear this. Miller’s clothes… “
<Contractor!>
Seeing what Betty and Liena, who seemed moved, couldn’t see, it seemed that he hadn’t manifested himself.
“I’m glad you both like it.”
Ignoring Elam’s banging on the window, I smiled at the two.
“Everyone in the mansion worked hard for me, but if we’re talking about effort, wouldn’t you two be the most deserving?”
“Your Highness…”
“So this is my small token of appreciation.”
“I will gratefully accept it, Your Highness.”
“Me too!!”
Betty, that’s understandable.
Even Liena, who seemed like she might refuse out of politeness, accepted it readily.
Both of them seemed to like the clothes.
Maybe I should give them more money on their next trip to Miller’s.
I smiled proudly and looked at the two before getting up.
“I’ll take a little walk in the garden.”
“I’ll accompany you.”
Liena got up immediately, but I shook my head.
“I have some thoughts to sort out, I’d prefer to walk alone.”
“But it’s dangerous to be alone.”
“I won’t go beyond the garden anyway, don’t worry.”
Liena eventually nodded at my reply.
Instead, she wrapped her shawl around me, saying that even in summer, I could catch a cold.
“I’ll be back.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Leaving the two nodding heads behind, I headed for the corridor.
It seemed silent in the long corridor, perhaps because it was time to go to sleep.
“Your Highness?”
I met soldiers patrolling the corridor.
“Where are you going, Your Highness?”
“I can’t sleep, so I’m going for a walk.”
“We’ll accompany you.”
I shook my head.
I didn’t want to walk with soldiers, especially when Liena’s company was refused.
“I’ll be in the garden anyway. Don’t worry too much, I won’t be going anywhere where the moonlight doesn’t reach.”
The soldiers nodded at my words.
“But just in case, we’ll stand at the entrance to the garden.”
That’s fine.
I nodded lightly.
Two soldiers followed me.
“By the way, is your name William?”
“Oh, yes!”
The young soldier nodded.
“But Your Highness, how do you know me…?”
“I heard from Mary. She said her brother was guarding my palace.”s
Mary was a maid in Arkin’s palace who worked in the kitchen.
She was also Betty’s friend and a partner in literacy lessons.
‘It’s a win-win.’
As I said before, the primary goal was to teach literacy.
Isn’t it easy to be deceived if you don’t know how to read?
But the additional purpose I was sneakily achieving was information.
‘Even the servants have ears and eyes, but they all seem to forget that.’
People seemed to be more open in front of others than I expected.
The waiter at the tea house was like that, and so was the street sweeper.
And the servants working at home received such treatment.
Because they had become so accustomed, they even forgot their existence.
Thanks to that, the servants knew quite a bit of information.
Such servants gathered in my palace to learn letters, and to eat delicious food.
“Right, did you hear about that?”
“Hey, do you know about this?”
“No, that’s a false rumor.”
“We’re telling you only. Absolutely! Don’t tell anyone else.”
Unintentionally, I also leaked information.
‘But I still want to get some quality information.’
I smacked my lips.
Although the servants’ information was good, compared to the amount pouring out, the substance was small.
‘It would be easy if I asked Lionel.’
He’s already got Duke Marcus under control.
‘But I can’t ask him every time I need something.’
So, it’s better to have a place where I can get information.
Moreover, there are still unidentified upper tiers in the capital.
“….”
I narrowed my eyes.
Yeah, it’s better to know and strike preemptively than to be unaware and get stabbed in the back.
The best defense is a preemptive attack.
And the best support is also a preemptive attack.
If I kill the one trying to attack me first, won’t I and my colleagues be safe?
Attack, attack was the best.
Alright, let’s find an informant.
There’s a suitable place for that.
The one running the upper tier could also help find the ghostly upper tier.
‘Is it still alive?’
There used to be an upper tier that periodically supplied necessities and herbs when I was holed up in Cranis Tower.
In one life, I had worked there briefly.
‘The owner of the upper tier is long-lived, so they might still be okay,’
They wouldn’t have died if nothing happened, so they should be okay, right?
And sometimes, they could be helpful.
Although we’re not on good terms.
Still, it’s rare for the guild master to be a long-liver.
Whether it’s a bond of loyalty or a dirty friendship forged through countless betrayals.
No matter what, they’ll probably help if I ask.
‘Alright, I should contact them as soon as possible.’
But how do I contact them?
Their upper tier is as rare to cross the continent as they are.
“Your Highness?”
A soldier called out to me. Only then did I realize I was standing in the middle of the corridor?
“Oh, sorry. I was thinking about something else.”
“I see.”
The soldiers nodded. As we started walking again, the conversation that had been interrupted continued.
“They talk a lot about our palace in other palaces too. They say the workload isn’t high, but the pay is good.”
“Yes, whenever I hear such talk, I feel a little proud, to be honest.”
“It’s good that our reputation is good.”
I grinned at the story I had already heard from the chamberlain.
People’s favor is good to have, after all.
“Then Your Highness, we’ll be here.”
As we reached the entrance to the garden, the soldiers stopped and said.
Nodding, I slowed my pace.
Intentionally, I went behind some bushes where the soldiers’ gaze wouldn’t reach, and then I relaxed.
“What on earth is happening in the human world?”
Elam had been floating around like a ghost since earlier!
<What’s happening? >
With a sudden “Pong!” noise, a water sprite popped out.
<My successor!>
<Baaa.>
The current Water Spirit King and the next Water Spirit King flew across the night sky with a swish.
It could be considered a moving scene.
But I was just standing there, grimacing.
More accurately, I was looking at Elam.
<Oh, my pretty successor~!>
<What’s going on? Can’t the Contractor do this?>
<Ugh, if I knew the Contractor was this weak, I wouldn’t have made the contract! Humans would call this a scam, wouldn’t they?>
I remembered the insults I heard when I made a contract with that guy.
I even knew why Elam clung to that boyish appearance.
<Well, you have to inflict more pain by appearing as a young boy, don’t you?>
That was the reason.
That such a guy would look like that.
‘He’s got a split personality. No, he’s got a split rank.’
“Elam.”
Despite the reunion after a long time, I spoke freely after enjoying it for a while.
“Did you come to see Shu? Don’t you have any promises to keep?”
<Tsk.>
Elam stiffened his face again.
Look, look. Look at the nature coming out.
“We have to keep our promises. Don’t we?”
<Fine, fine.>
Elam brought Shu down to the ground again.
<Phew!>
Shu hopped into my hand.
<Will you put up a water defense around this palace and the garden?>
“Yeah, please.”
As soon as I finished speaking, Elam, who had flown into the sky, began to gesture.
At the same time, the water energy surged, enveloping the palace and the garden.
No matter how talented a magician was, they couldn’t completely cover the palace and the garden with a defense barrier.
No.
To be more precise, they could cast it, but they couldn’t maintain it.
Because it costs mana to cast and maintain a defense barrier!
So, who could do it? Maybe a dragon?
Ah, Lionel might be able to.
Anyway, for a regular magician, it was an impossible dream to have a huge defense barrier and maintain it.
‘But that guy is nature itself.’
In other words, it meant that mana was overflowing.
Alright, with this, I feel safer!
“Hehehe.”
I laughed wickedly.
<……??>
Elam frowned at me for behaving like that, but what could he do?
Wasn’t he supposed to focus on casting the barrier?
<It’s done.>
Elam, who had descended back to the ground, looked at me.
<It’s quite large overall, so if an attack comes, it won’t hold for long.>
“Still, even holding out for a moment counts for something.”
Usually, it would collapse with just one arrow, you know?
“And when the barrier collapses, you’ll come to help, won’t you?”
It’s like a signal that I, our adorable Shu, is in danger, there’s no way Elam wouldn’t come.
<….>
As if it was the right answer, Elam glared at me.
<Alright.>
Elam let out a deep sigh.
<I’m going.>
“No, wait a moment.”
I grabbed Elam.
“Can you find out where the person who contracted with the Water Spirit is?”
<I could find out, but I don’t want to bother.>
Chill out.
“I’m asking for a favor. I need to find someone I know.”
<Did that person contract with the Water Spirit?>
“Yeah.”
I nodded.
The fact that he listened meant he had at least a little willingness to help.
If he had no intention of helping at all, he would have already left without a second thought.
<Who is it, and which spirit did they contract with? It’s difficult if it’s Undine.>
Look at that.
“It won’t be hard to find. He’s called Ringo, who contracted with a mid-level spirit named Undine.”
<Ringo? That doesn’t sound like a human name.>
“That’s right.”
I chuckled.
“He’s one of the few elves who’ve come to the human world and are sucking up money left and right.”