Chapter 214 Diana and Wen
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”――Neil, Master Neil!”
”Hah!?”
The voice calling my name brought back my consciousness, and as I lifted my face from the paperwork that hadn’t progressed at all, there stood Lucena-san with a disgruntled expression.
”Is it happening again?”
”Oh, hahaha… I’m sorry.”
In response to Lucena-san’s words, I scratched my head and apologized.
Lately, I’ve been unable to concentrate on work, as if my mind is elsewhere, and this is the fifth time I’ve been brought back to consciousness by Lucena-san’s call.
Each time, I’m encouraged to change my mood, but it just doesn’t seem to work, and I can’t even bring myself to try to change my mood in the first place.
The cause of this is that since failing to persuade Wen a few days ago, Wen has completely disappeared from the settlement.
I tried to talk to Wen again, but even after signaling, Wen did not appear, and although I tried to contact Lewya or other spirits, the result was as I can imagine.
Unable to contact Wen and having damaged our relationship, I was completely at a loss.
However, being the kind of person I am, I couldn’t simply ignore the situation and let it be, and I ended up dragging my thoughts along without making a decisive cut.
I became so concerned about Wen that I couldn’t focus on my work, even though I should be thinking about the imminent threat of monster attacks at any time. Despite the pressing situation, my work did not progress at all.
”I’m sorry, I know I can’t keep going like this, but I can’t help but worry about it…”
“You don’t seem to be changing your mood lately, and you don’t feel like changing your mood?”
“Oh, did you get it that clearly? Just in case, every time Lucena-san told me to change my mood, I tried to change my mood by taking a breath of fresh air or taking a nap in the bedroom, but… I can’t get it out of my head.”
”Well, it seems like you haven’t been to the dining hall lately.”
”Ah, well, the dining hall has really been… uh, ‘dining hall’?”
When I heard the word “dining hall” come out of Lucena-san’s mouth, I turned my head like a rusty tin toy and looked at her.
Lucena-san didn’t laugh or get angry, she just looked at me with no expression on her face, which was actually scary.
”W-when did you notice that I’ve been sneaking out of the mansion and going to the dining hall?”
”I think it was around the eighth week of Water Star.”
I think it was right after Toys of Preference (Shikou no Gigu) was granted a license to operate as a brothel that I started sneaking out of the mansion and going to the diner, so it must have been around the seventh week of Water Star, which means it was around the 7th week of Water Star. It was discovered within a week.
To be honest, it wouldn’t have been funny if I found out at any moment, and I was thinking that at any moment I would be found out and lectured about it, but there was no sign of that happening at all, so I let my guard down.
”If you knew, why didn’t you try to stop me?”
”I didn’t try to stop you because I thought it was better not to. Even if I tell Master Neil to take a break, if the work isn’t finished, Master Neil would push himself. Even if I forcefully take away the work, Master Neil wouldn’t be able to take a break because his mind would still be occupied. If sneaking out of the mansion and going to the dining hall helps Master Neil relax, then there’s no reason to stop it. Currently, there is no immediate danger to Master Neil, nor are there any rumors about Master Neil sneaking out of the mansion and going to the dining hall.”
”So, if such rumors start circulating, then you would stop me?”
”For the sake of the future of the Atmiras family, please take care of yourself.”
I understand what Lucena was thinking.
I don’t usually take a break even if I tell you to, so if I take a break of my own accord, I’m sure he’ll turn a blind eye to some things.
”Who else knows about this?”
“Lewya, who reported that Master Neil has escaped from the mansion, and Diana are also aware of it.”
Was it a report from Lewya?
So, I guess Wen got the message that I was showing up at the dining hall.
I thought that the reason why nothing was said was because Lewya had stopped the conversation, but it seems like Lewya couldn’t hide anything from Lucena.
Even so, the strangest thing about Diana is that if she knew that I was showing up at the diner every night pretending to be a commoner, she would be the first to say something, but I wonder if Lucena-san’s presence is the big one.
Ever since the envoy, Lucena-san, came, the position of supervising the servants at the mansion has been transferred from Diana to Lucena-san, and it has become Lucena-san’s job to report to me, and she receives reports from Diana. The number of times has decreased significantly.
The only time I receive reports from Diana is when Lucena-san is not available, and I also receive reports from Lewya about spirits, so unlike Diana, the number of times I receive reports has not decreased drastically.
I don’t know if this is a factor, but sometimes I feel like Diana’s behavior has changed a little.
She no longer says the nagging words she used to say every day, and I feel like she’s lost some of her willpower.
She may have simply handed over the role of admonishing me to Lucena-san, but I still couldn’t believe that Diana, who was so troubled, would be okay with leaving everything to Lucena.
”I’m sorry to bother you again, but what’s been troubling you lately?”
”Huh?”
”It seemed like you were concerned about the monster attacks not too long ago, but now it appears you have something else on your mind.”
”…Why do you think I have something else on my mind?”
”You used to inquire about the progress of the defense perimeter frequently, but lately that topic has completely disappeared, so I assumed you must be preoccupied with something else.”
”I see…”
”If it’s not too much trouble, would you consider confiding in me about your concerns, Master Neil? While I may not be of much help, I might be able to assist you in some way.”
Because of her position overseeing the entire estate, Lucena-san had also been informed about the spirits and Lewya being an elf.
Therefore, there was no need to deliberately conceal anything, and ultimately, I hadn’t been able to find a satisfactory solution on my own. Seeking Lucena-san’s advice might be a good idea, so I decided to consult with her.
”You know, I recently upset Wen with something. The reason is that Wen heard about the monster attack and said she wanted to help, but I tried to stop her. When I heard that Wen wanted to help, at first I thought it was a kind gesture. But then, Earth Spirit told me that if Wen gets more involved, she will have to go through a rebirth.”
”What do you mean by ‘rebirth’?”
”It’s like a human’s reincarnation, but not completely becoming a different person. From what I understand, their memories are preserved, but they lose all emotions.”
”…I see. So, Master Neil is worried that Wen will lose all the emotions she has cultivated so far, and that her current brightness will be lost.”
After a brief moment of contemplating the information she just heard, Lucena-san showed a thoughtful expression and then asked me a question.
”Master Neil, what did you say to Wen?”
”Well, I asked her to stop doing foolish things that would sacrifice herself.”
”Is that what Master Neil said?”
Although her expression remained unchanged, her words contained a faint tinge of exasperation, piercing my heart.
”…Do you have any self-awareness? Could you spare me?”
”That’s impossible. Even if it means opposing the master, it is the duty of a servant to admonish the master’s mistakes, to walk alongside and faithfully carry out the master’s orders. There is no need for a puppet who merely follows.”
The higher one’s position, the fewer individuals there are who can offer opinions.
This holds true for the ruling lord of a territory, where the ability to express dissent dwindles among fellow nobles, and within the territory, it is virtually nonexistent.
No one can oppose the lord’s words, and there is no one to hold the lord accountable for any mistakes.
Consequently, the lord fails to comprehend their own mistakes and continues to repeat them.
To prevent the lord’s errors, an objective perspective is needed to observe the lord’s actions and offer advice.
That is the role of a servant, as well as Lucena-san and Diana.
Their stern words are a part of their job, not only directed at me but also at my father.
However, it seems they avoid admonishing the lord in public, as I have never witnessed my father being admonished by Lucena-san. It is only natural that as the eldest son and a noble with unbecoming behavior, I would receive more admonishment.
”For the time being, I understand the situation. Therefore, the solution is simple.”
”Eh! Is that true?”
”Yes, just as Diana did in the past, if we handle it similarly to Diana, it should be resolved.”
”Similar to Diana…? Um, what does that mean?”
When I inquired, despite the lack of change in expression, Lucena-san hesitantly spoke.
”Wen’s current situation closely resembles Diana’s a year ago. It is my fault for causing inconvenience to Master Neil due to this. I sincerely apologize.”
”Just a moment! What do you mean? I can’t quite follow the conversation.”
”What do I mean? If you compare the time Wen left the mansion with Master Neil to now, it’s clear as day. Back then, Diana… with all due respect, was disappointed in Master Neil. However, the current Diana acknowledges Master Neil as her master and is striving to fulfill her role as a servant.”
”…Huh?”
”Huh?”
When I let out a dumbfounded voice, Lucena-san followed suit and let out a voice as well.
Lucena-san, who had never shown any signs of breaking, had her expression falter and looked at me with surprise.
”Could it be that you didn’t notice?”
”No, w-wait a moment! I’ll remember now!”
Seeing Lucena-san’s expression that seemed completely impossible, I desperately reflected on the past with Diana, realizing that I had made a grave oversight.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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