“Trash…”
Julia bit her lip as she took off one of her neatly worn knee-high socks, while the other was a mess.
“Annoying.”
“Why? He taught you how to put them on properly.”
“No matter how you look at it, it’s weird to touch a lady’s leg like that. Not to mention grabbing my waist without a word.”
“A lady?”
Charlotte tilted her head in confusion.
Is that old guy treating Julia like a lady?
It didn’t really seem like it.
“He’s treating you like a child. Lifting you by the waist and all.”
“H-Huh!? No way. That b*stard. He is definitely looking at us with impure intentions.”
“Hmmm?”
Is he?
Really?
Charlotte tilted her head left and right, trying to recall if she had ever seen such a look in Aslan’s eyes.
Well, he’s just generally a dark person, I guess.
“Are you imagining things?”
“No! I’m certain!”
“What’s your proof?”
“The spirits told me. They said Aslan Vermont looks suspicious no matter how you look at him. They say he sometimes looks at us with sinister eyes.”
“Hmmm?”
Those sinister eyes…
Could it just be greed?
I think Mister sees us as talents to make money off.
“No way. There’s no way he likes small, puny kids like us.”
“According to the maids, he’s planning to raise us and then eat us up.”
“E-Eh, no way.”
“And the spirits also said something else. That guy mumbles to himself about some future plans involving us when we grow up.”
“Ugh!”
Charlotte’s eyes widened in surprise, and her smile disappeared.
Huh? Could it be true?
Charlotte quickly became convinced by Julia.
“What should we do!? If things go on like this, one of us will become a countess!”
“If we can’t escape by then, I’ll marry that guy. You ask Yuri for help and come save me later.”
“Julia…”
Julia smiled faintly with a distant look in her eyes, appearing somewhat resolute.
Charlotte gulped and said.
“No, if anyone should do it, I’ll marry him.”
“Charlotte…!”
A countess.
It sounds so cool.
It feels like a title not just anyone can have.
“I’ll do it! You run away, please!”
“I told you, I’m fine with it…!”
“Stop being stubborn!”
“Julia!”
Their voices gradually grew louder.
Just as their voices started to leak through the door, Sylvia, waiting outside for Julia to change, couldn’t believe her ears.
What on earth are they talking about?
***
“There’s really nothing here. Now I understand why they call it wasteland.”
“Yeah, Ariente territory looks vast, but much of it is like this.”
Sylvia touched the barren earth in the vast plain, overgrown only with dry weeds.
The soil was so poor that farming would be impossible.
It was too far from any water source to be habitable.
Why on earth did they accept this land? Sylvia wondered.
‘Ah! They shaved off the interest because it would be disgraceful to do it for free, so they accepted this useless land to show goodwill!’
Sylvia felt a sense of realization and admiration.
She had been too suspicious of this person.
Thinking he always had bad intentions made everything seem twisted.
Even a villain can sometimes act out of pure goodwill, right?
“We’ll build a training ground here. When Charlotte’s Super Super Strong Sword is fully operational, it will make a lot of noise. If we do that in Vermont territory, the villagers’ eardrums will burst. My villagers’ eardrums are more precious than the residents of Ariente.”
“Oh, as expected.”
Of course, that’s what it is.
Sylvia’s expression went blank.
As expected, you shouldn’t expect anything good from this man.
How is it that none of my predictions are ever right?
She should stop making assumptions altogether.
Sylvia decided that was for the best.
If you have expectations, you’ll be betrayed.
If you preemptively judge something as evil, you’ll end up regretting it.
Just accept things as they are.
You can judge later.
‘I’ve already declared I would follow him…’
How could she go back on her word as a knight?
No matter what happens, she would stay by this man’s side.
And she would see his end, no matter what.
By then, she could determine if this man was a villain or not.
Feeling somewhat relieved, Sylvia followed Aslan.
“It’s about time they came out…”
“It might take longer. They were arguing over who will marry the young master.”
“What?”
Aslan’s expression became one of disbelief.
After a moment, the shock began to fade.
Reflecting on what he just heard, Aslan swallowed a bitter taste.
“Do they really hate the idea of marrying me that much…”
Not that he ever thought about marriage in the first place.
It was a separate matter entirely.
Hearing that the two, who were normally so close, fought because they didn’t want to marry him left Aslan feeling somewhat disturbed.
‘In reality, they fought over who would marry you, but I won’t tell them. Serves you right.’
She thought he’d get all smug if she told him the truth.
It wasn’t like they were fighting to marry him because they liked him.
Sylvia turned her head calmly, leaving the depressed Aslan behind her.
“So, you finally came out. Was fixing one of your knee-high socks that difficult?”
“Whatever. Just stick your head out. …Mister.”
“What are you doing now?”
“Inspecting your eyes, Mister!”
“…?”
Grumble.
Julia and Charlotte ran up to Aslan, closely inspecting his eyes.
They whispered to each other and concluded with, “Hiss. Doesn’t seem like it.”
“Stop messing around and follow me. We need to deal with the Great Spirit of Earth, don’t we?”
“But what am I supposed to do? The Great Spirit isn’t a ghost, so I can’t exorcise it…”
“Try talking to it first. If persuasion fails, you’ll have to use a binding spell.”
“Ugh. I don’t like that.”
Julia’s face contorted in displeasure.
A binding spell was a technique that allowed a Spirit Master to bind a spirit to their control.
The more powerful the spell, the higher the rank of the spirit that could be bound.
But Julia didn’t like using binding spells.
It felt like she was tormenting the spirit.
Even low-ranking spirits, which were more like bugs, weren’t so bad.
But mid-ranking spirits had intelligence and emotions.
Forcing their will and controlling them was repugnant to her.
Ugh.
No way.
She’d rather marry Aslan than use a binding spell.
Julia shuddered.
“If you don’t want to, then persuade it well.”
“Phew. Okay. I’ll give it a try.”
In the end, it wouldn’t be too different from dealing with the vengeful spirit grandpa.
Just as the grandpa couldn’t move on due to his grudge, the Great Spirit of Earth must have a reason for obstructing the construction.
Finding out the reason and reaching a compromise was the key.
Julia gained confidence, stepping forward boldly.
Feeling the eyes of the crowd that had gathered to watch, her confidence grew even more.
“Hah! The best Spirit Master in the Empire gave up, but what can that little girl do?”
Ignoring the mocking laughter of Count Ariente, Julia continued. It was strange.
The more people told her it was impossible, the more determined and motivated she became.
She felt like she could do it!
‘And Aslan, that guy’s words somehow have credibility…’
Why is that?
When others say things will go well, she feels anxious.
But when he says it, she feels reassured.
Maybe there’s something about that guy…
“Whew. Let’s do this. I can do it.”
Sssss.
Julia and the group arrived at the corridor.
An eerie wind blew through the low-hanging mist.
Julia’s lips trembled as she walked forward in silence.
‘Something is ahead! And it’s huge!’
The mist slowly cleared.
What should have been a straight path began to reveal a brown wall through the fog.
Julia’s body froze as she looked up.
This is bigger than I imagined!
It looks taller than a mansion!
Julia’s head tilted back, and soon the full form of the Great Spirit came into view.
[You can see me.]
Julia’s mouth fell open.
This is… this is…
“It’s kind of cute?”
[…!?]
With its stubby proportions and round body, it looked cute despite its size.
Julia’s tension suddenly eased.
[How dare you call me cute! I am the Great Spirit of Earth who has absorbed the spiritual energy of this mountain for a thousand years! Do you take me lightly!]
“But it is cute…”
“Really? Is it really cute, Julia? What does it look like?”
“Wait a moment. I’ll draw it for you. Here!”
Swish swish.
Julia quickly sketched a drawing on a wooden board with a pencil and showed it.
The Great Spirit’s expression stiffened as it saw the drawing.
“It really is! It’s super cute…”
[No, my true form!!!]
The true face of the Great Spirit of Earth was revealed to the world.
It was a moment when its dignity completely collapsed.
