How to Survive at the Academy Chapter 264

[Abduction] Double arm scales (5)

“For the owner of Elte Firm to visit the Roth Taylor mansion himself, should I be happy about this, or should I be worried?”

I often forget it, but anyway, Tanya is the monarch who rules this huge estate.

If someone with no connections wants to meet Tanya, they should have an ‘audience’, not an appointment or inquiry.

In short, there are times when you need to establish authority and save face.

The same is true when a slog, Keldrux, who has no contact with the Ross Taylor mansion, visits.

Sitting on a sofa for reception, cross-legged and resting his chin on his face, it was the image of an arrogant nobleman himself.

When she does it, she looks flawless like Tanya. The way he twists his blonde hair with one hand emphasizes the feeling that he is not very interested in Slog.

In fact, he must be very curious as to why Slog came all the way here.

“It is an honor to meet the two who rule the Duchy of Roth-Taylor.”

Slog Keldrux politely bowed his head.

After that, numerous upper-level employees knelt together and bowed their heads.

Looking right at the slog that was politely expressing her courtesy, Tanya was about to say something…

“Cheong.”

…he sneezed once.

“…”

“…”

While there was a moment of silence, I quickly checked the slog’s appearance.

I think I know why Lortel always called me old fox. Just looking at his contemplation, he is a veteran who has gone through all kinds of battles.

Having survived decades in the commercial city of Oldeck, that alone is a medal. Over the past year, Oldeck has undergone many changes, but one major premise remains unchanged.

A place where you can only survive if you hit it first before being stabbed in the back.

This man, if need be, is a family, a friend, a lover, and he is a poison among poisonous species that can be sold out.

I was in the corner of the private audience room, with my back against the wall, arms crossed.

For the position, I don’t need to be polite here. He is the older brother of Tanya, who has the highest authority in this space.

“The reason I came all the way to this distant Rosteylor mansion was just to say thank you.”

An old deck merchant never wastes time.

No one would think that they would come all the way to the Roth Taylor mansion just for that reason.

“Oh my. You’re telling an interesting story. Slog Caldrath.”

“This is Keld Lux. master.”

“Slog Keldlux.”

Bell’s advice was as natural as flowing water.

By the way, is it really possible to take authority until the end… Tanya…

“What do you have to thank me for?”

“I heard that Lortel Kecheln, who is a key member of Elte Firm and faithfully fulfilled her role as a representative of the company, owes much to the Roth Taylor family. Considering the people he introduced and the authorities he lent, it is safe to say that he made an astronomical amount of profit.”

“It’s fortunate that you also have the virtue of knowing how to be grateful to the merchants of Old Deck. But, did you come all the way here to talk about such an obvious thing?”

Tanya, who arrogantly tiptoed with her legs crossed, showed a cold smile with cold eyes.

“I bet you didn’t think I would believe that right away, to get to the point?”

“I heard that a fox lurked in the mansion.”

Slog gave a good-natured smile.

When Tanya responded with a smile and exclamation, Slog continued talking casually.

“A fox that has escaped from a cage must be put back into the cage. Isn’t it?”

“Well, to me you look like an old, sick fox.”

“Originally, people who live by earning money have a fox in their hearts. However, we must refrain from running out of the cage.”

Slog straightened his bowed back and spoke directly to Tanya, who was arrogantly looking down.

“If you allow the fox that ran away from our company to be put on a leash again, we will repay you so much that you will think that the kindness you have given us so far is really worth it.”

“You’re talking arrogantly, Slog Kel… Kel…”

“…”

“…”

“Slog Keldlux.”

It’s a bit of an odd name.

“Does the Ross Taylor family look like a sanctuary that takes in and protects stray wild animals?”

“Because I have heard.”

“You heard the wrong information.”

“I wish I did, but the chances of that happening are slim.”

I wrinkled my brow as I listened to the conversation with my arms folded roughly.

From the fact that he brought so many escorts and personally came to the Ross Taylor mansion, Slog was already convinced.

Lortel’s whereabouts must have been kept strictly confidential. Slog’s knowledge of such information brings to mind a possibility… one you don’t want to think about.

“I heard it directly from our company’s wonderful and talented employee, Chief Secretary Rienna.”

Is it torture or betrayal?

Either way, the aftertaste isn’t very good. It’s probably more likely the former than the latter.

Compared to the authoritative and influential Lortel, Rienna, a mere employee, must have been easy to deal with even from the standpoint of Slog. She is, but what are you going to do with her back? Isn’t Lienna’s secretary already one of the key personnel in Sanghoe?

I stared at the slog quietly, then threw out a word.

“It’s like, once you become the ruler, you act as if the aftermath doesn’t matter.”

“Becoming a club owner. Ed Rosteyler, Mr. There is a twist in that word.”

How can a good-natured smile look so vicious?

To the extent that I thought so, there was something dark and shady in Slog’s laugh.

“Aren’t I already the owner of Elte Firm?”

* “Brother, this feeling… I might get addicted…”

Slog really just said that and left.

Is that all there is to say that that busy human being is doing it in such a big way?

There was a sense of incongruity, but it was a situation where there was not enough grounds to judge anything right away.

“Oh, how are you? A little more like this, coldly looking down… The feeling of selling… Does it look a bit cold…?”

“master. Being so arrogant with such a small frame is rather counterproductive.”

I applauded Bell inwardly for saying that it seemed like nothing more than a playful party.

“…”

The audience room where Slog left.

Tanya sat down in an ornate chair, stretched out her feet, and warmed herself up. Tanya, who had been stretching back and forth with a groaning sound, sighed deeply and buried herself in his back.

“Did I come to provoke you? Why did you have to go this far, just say what you could have said in writing and leave…”

“Well… Anyway, Slog seems to know that we have Lortel hidden.”

“There’s no way we’d give up Lortel. You should have known about the slog, but why did you have to go this far…”

“…Maybe he just came to check.”

Bell, who had been listening to our conversation, commented.

As always, they are standing behind Tanya with their arms clasped in a respectful manner.

The way he spoke politely with his eyes closed seemed like he was worried that it might be an over-the-top remark.

“Considering Lady Lortel’s personality, there’s no way she could just stay silent when the slog Keldrux came to the mansion like this. He would have come forward and negotiated with the slog, or he would have negotiated, or cheated.”

Quite a bit of practical work is Lortel, which is directly involved.

He talks to people like slogs, but he’s definitely not the type to send an agent.

“However, seeing that he didn’t show up behind his master until the end… Slog must have had some confidence.”

“…Lortel is in a state where he can’t handle his work normally…?”

“yes. If that’s not the case, wouldn’t it be hard to explain why the colossus took time off from his busy schedule to come here?”

Certainly Bell’s opinion is valid.

Whether he tortured Lienna’s secretary or coaxed him… Slog heard the information about Lortel.

However, it would have been difficult for her to move with confidence based only on the information from Lienna’s secretary.

Whether he was subjected to the curse magic, how long the effect worked, and how long he was incapacitated…

I wanted to see those things with my own two eyes.

Because he is a human being whose intuition can be solved only when he moves with confidence in everything.

Anyway, watching our reaction to hiding Lortel until the end, she must have been convinced that Lortel was in serious condition.

“If I go back to the old deck, I’ll do something right away…”

“I guess so, brother. For Slog… the last element of anxiety has just disappeared.”

“At this point, I can’t sit still. More than anything, I’m a little worried about secretary Rienna at the Old Deck.”

It was unusual for Lortel’s closest aide to speak directly.

She is Lortel’s side, even in the extreme situation where Dune betrayed the company.

The means by which Rienna opened her mouth was not likely to be ordinary.

“I think I need to go one more time with an old deck.”

“I’m not someone who will get hurt anywhere, but take care of yourself. Brother.”

“I’m not leaving right away… I have a few things to prepare.”

I put my chin on my chin and thought about it for a while, then I told Tanya.

“If I send a letter to Saint Carpea from now on, when do you think it will arrive?”

*After making a rough conclusion, I returned to my room.

At a point where it was unknown what Slog was planning, it was unreasonable to establish something specific.

I wanted to go to Oldeck and think about the details, but I thought it would be right to prepare everything I could, so I brought some magical engineering materials from the warehouse.

It was the moment when I thought about making something using the magic engineering tools in the private room. Inside the closet in the corner of the room, I felt a strange presence.

“…”

Tanya’s bizarre habit doesn’t seem to be going away.

In fact, lately, things like being in a box in an attic, hiding in a wine cellar with extra curtains closed… It’s getting weirder and weirder, so when it comes to a closet, it’s pretty easy.

I think I’ve already crossed the line at the point where I thought this was okay… But anyway, where can I find it easily?

I sighed and opened the closet door.

“Why are you so busy this time, running away all the way here…”

The moment she tries to say that, she realizes that the person in the closet is not Tanya.

– Whii… Phi…

Lortel was asleep, breathing lightly and holding the notebook tightly.

Certainly, as her body became smaller, she became a body capable of hiding in a closet like this.

I know very well that I sometimes run around the mansion playing hide and seek with Lucy.

It seems like a hardship from the perspective of the playful Lucy, but first of all, there is no talented person like Lucy in looking at the progress of this curse magic, so I trusted her and left it to her.

Of course, taking care of an energetic child is not easy. After being swayed around by Lortel every day without any magical powers, he must have given up even looking for it.

It is not difficult to imagine Lucy running through the corridors of the mansion, led by Lortel’s arm, and falling out of exhaustion. You always have a lot of trouble… Lucy…

Suddenly, the gaze turns to the large notebook Lortel is holding tightly.

That was the notebook that Lortel had been carrying for business before she lost her memory.

Of course, it is a job with a lot of notes. Still, quite a few schedules can be managed through the assistants, but are there other things that I have to memorize myself?

Since he must know a lot of top-secret matters inside the company, it is possible.

Come to think of it, the cursed Lortel always wore that notebook.

As if it were a precious treasure, he hid it from others and was always reading the contents in a corner alone.

Maybe it’s still awkward to read difficult letters, but the speed itself is slow… but I was impressed by the way he gazed intently as if he would one day read the entire contents.

It is possible to take the notebook and forcibly open the contents, but it felt like tearing a child’s innocence apart, so I left it alone for now.

However, at the point where you don’t know what’s written inside… it’s impossible to postpone it any longer.

There might be some important clues, so let’s take a quick look while Lortel is sleeping…

That was the moment I reached out for the notebook.

“Eunghiha haha?!”

“…?”

Well, as if his sixth sense was working, the moment he was about to take the notebook away, Lortel sprang to his feet.

Wiping the needle marks on her mouth, she hugged the notebook tightly with the other hand and crawled into the corner of the closet.

Lortel’s blushing face was revealed between the shirts and coats hanging on the hangers.

“No, no! No way!”

The way he gurgles while holding his notebook tightly like that is like a wildcat with sharp edges. Lortel growled like that, then suddenly realized that it was me, and swallowed her breath.

“Yeah! I’m sorry! Come on, sleep!”

“Yes, are you awake?”

“Uh, uh… I must… I was playing hide-and-seek with Lucy…”

“Yes, I understand roughly what the situation is, so get out of the closet first…”

Tanya alone is daunting, but it’s difficult when Lortel becomes a regular customer of the closet.

I stretched out my hand to Lortel, who hesitated once more, lowered her gaze, then slowly placed her hand in my palm.

Just pull it out and escape. I took Lortel by the hand, sat her down at a table in the corner of the room, and began magically heating the teapot in the corner of the room, thinking that it would be better to make a cup of tea.

Lortel pressed her fists on her knees and continued with difficulty.

“I’m sorry… I told you not to enter the room on your own… but… I somehow managed to escape… so I made a mistake…”

“I’m not scolding you, so there’s no need to be nervous. Have a cup of tea or go I will keep it a secret from the maids.”

“Really?! thank you!”

I simply brewed a cup of warm black tea and served it in front of me, brought a cup of tea for me to drink, and sat on the other side.

“Are there any inconveniences living in the mansion?”

“yes! So good! Bell, Jenika, and Lucy! Duchess Tanya is a bit… scary, but…”

this is another surprise

“Anyway, the servants and maids play with us every day, making us very busy every day! Nice to see you at Ross Taylor Manor, hehe.”

Anyway, over the past time, Lortel has the feeling that she has become something of a mascot walking around the mansion.

Whether it’s exploring alone in the dirt, playing hide-and-seek with Lucy, or taking a nap on Jenika’s lap…

As the cutie of the mansion, she had already completely blended into this place.

I’ve already come too far to say what to do after I really wake up.

I just wish you well.

“Wow, wow… Master Ed makes tea well… Ma, it’s delicious.. As I’ve heard, he’s good at everything…”

“As you heard?”

“yes? Ahaha, servants… they say that often…!”

Lortel lifted the teacup with both tiny hands and took a sip.

“Hot tea calms the mind and makes the body comfortable. I’m giving it to you because you seem so embarrassed. Have a drink and relax.”

“Yes, yes… thank you…”

By the time that comfortable feeling penetrated my heart, I gently closed my eyes and gathered my mana.

Lortel, in her current state, unable to feel any magical power, would not even be able to resist. That would also be the case, because it was a special form of magic, beyond normal magic… Aspect magic.

“Um… Maybe it’s because I feel more at ease… I’m tired…”

As if possessed by something, Lortel slid down on her desk and fell asleep.

Next to it lay the notebook he had cherished so dearly.

“…”

Looking back at Lortel’s fast asleep face, I slowly reached out and took the notebook.

A notebook that I cherished so much. Opening this is a matter of necessity before curiosity.

Checking out the last note Lortel left before she lost her memory was a necessary step, of course, wasn’t it?

Honestly, it’s not self-justification, it’s really natural and reasonable, but…

“…”

Looking at the worn-out notebook that I had cherished for a long time… A strange feeling came up.

It feels like I’m doing something very, very bad… that kind of feeling.

Still, what can’t be helped is unavoidable.