Adopting the Male Protagonist Changed the Genre - Chapter 145
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 145
Chapter 15
The hot summer sun and cicada sounds that had been raging are passing by. This year the Royal Capital has been particularly sweltering with heat waves… (omitted)… Food spoils easily so please be careful of food poisoning… (omitted)… The temperature difference between day and night will increase now, so dress warmly… (omitted)… My day today was the same as yesterday… (omitted)… For dinner I had venison… (omitted)… That concludes today’s letter.
* * *
The season when summer’s heat has somewhat subsided.
I start each day by checking the letters and mail that arrived the previous day, and as soon as I opened the first letter, I pressed my forehead.
It seems Lord Cheri has thoroughly misunderstood my words that he doesn’t need to send letters every day, and that quality matters more than quantity.
The hawk that delivered the hefty letter filling six sheets of paper completely looked at me with an expression asking if this was really the best option, confused whether the welfare had improved or gotten worse.
And what about the content?
“Is this a letter or a report?”
When I told him not to just ask about my well-being but to tell me about his own day, I got back a letter like a report listing the day’s activities to submit to a superior.
After swallowing several sighs and writing a short reply to Lord Cheri, the next thing I checked was a small package Ophelia had sent.
On the postcard enclosed with the package, depicting an exotic eastern port, was written:
It’s not expensive, but I’m sending a small gift that I thought would suit you, Marquess. It’s Shanti lace, a specialty of the East.
I’ll return with a treasure trove of travel stories to tell you, so please treat me to tea in return for the gift.
Ophelia’s letter, as always neat and tasteful, feels like it’s clearing my blocked airways.
Thinking of Ophelia’s travel route, who would have headed to the North, her final destination, by now, I sent a reply telling her to freely use the Blanche Family’s villa in the North.
After spending the morning checking various letters and business reports, I rummaged through the pile of letters with an uneasy feeling.
But nowhere among them was there a letter from Chaser.
I had started habitually looking for Chaser’s letters since the day before, when I learned from Leo that Chaser’s letters arrive weekly.
While Chaser was away, Leo had no choice but to take magic classes at the Royal Academy, and surprisingly, his progress wasn’t as bad as expected.
The Royal Academy is famous for its swordsmanship department, but its magic education doesn’t match up to the Magic Tower.
The reason was revealed in Leo’s answer.
“Teacher sends me letters every week. He gives me homework each time, and um… actually, that’s more interesting than the Academy’s magic classes.”
“Chaser… sends letters?”
“Yes.”
This guy? He hasn’t sent me a single letter?
Of course, I’m grateful that he’s looking after Leo so attentively from so far away, but I guess I feel a bit left out.
I summoned the status window for the first time in a while to check Leo’s stats.
[Name: Leo Blanche]
[Age: 10]
[Intelligence: 110/299]
[Stamina: 125/299]
[Divine Power: 103(▲5)/299]
[Magic Power: 120/299]
[Stress: 3/100]
If this were a game, he would barely be reaching 50, but these were unbelievable stats.
However, what caught my attention was the increase indicator next to the divine power value.
Two weeks ago at dawn, rich bell sounds suddenly rang throughout the Royal Capital without any warning.
It was the sound of the massive golden bell kept in the Temple, a holy relic called the ‘Sacred Hymn’ that only rang during great celebrations at the Temple or religious festivals.
In the past, the clear sound of the ‘Sacred Hymn’ had occasionally covered the entire Royal Capital, but the bell that rang two weeks ago was very special.
Due to the influence of the holy relic ‘Sacred Hymn’, all people within the territory have temporarily gained +5 divine power.
The Hero’s Star’s divine power has temporarily increased by +5.
A single bell toll had increased the divine power of everyone in the Royal Capital.
When I encountered this world through 【Hirome】, I thought the effect of the ‘Sacred Hymn’ was natural.
But now I know. Even with the same holy relic, its effects vary drastically depending on who rings the bell.
I could intuitively realize it.
Giuseppe, the final patron of 【Hirome】, had arrived in this Royal Capital.
As expected, on the dawn when the ‘Sacred Hymn’ rang, a group of priests quietly set foot in the Royal Capital.
From the early dawn before sunrise, they began their arduous work, washing away the fatigue and illness of the Royal Capital’s commoners who start their hard labor with blessings as they headed to the Temple.
Therefore, only the diligent people doing hard work in the lowest places witnessed them.
Giuseppe’s parade that I had glimpsed in 【Hirome】 had proceeded so quietly.
Since then, the Temple has been locked up tight for two weeks, not allowing even a mouse to enter or exit.
When the Temple doors eventually open and I face Giuseppe, I couldn’t know what our relationship would be like.
However, rather than worrying about future matters, I stood up immediately to deal with the task at hand first.
“Ker, Rube, Bero.”
The Cerberus dogs that had been lazily sprawled around my study desk immediately raised their heads.
As befitting demons, they had all grown intimidatingly large, but somehow their uniformly gentle expressions didn’t please me.
I clapped my hands and shouted.
“Pretend to be angry.”
The training had paid off, as the Cerberus dogs immediately bared their teeth and made threatening, fierce expressions.
“Good. Let’s all go.”
I headed to the annex with the Cerberus dogs trailing behind me, swaggering like neighborhood thugs with their shoulders puffed up.
Today was none other than the day Leo’s first friend was coming to visit.
* * *
While guarding the annex gate to coincide with Leo’s return from the Academy.
Seeing my fierce expression and the Cerberus dogs guarding behind me, Terry casually spoke up.
“You’re going to make the kid cry.”
“If he cries from this much, I can’t acknowledge him as Leo’s friend.”
“Calm down. You’re not sending Jui-bam-tol off to get married, he’s just inviting a friend.”
I know too. That I might be making a fuss over nothing.
But… but!
‘What if Leo is being bullied!’
Or what if they’re pretending to be friends while planning to use our kid!
I felt I needed to check the guy’s condition with my own eyes to feel at ease.
Then the long-awaited gate opened and someone immediately stuck their head in.
Just as Ker was about to bark loudly as I had instructed.
I gestured to stop Ker’s mouth and asked the person who had come to the manor alone.
“Ian? What about Leo and the guest? Why did you come alone?”
Ian, who seemed to have run here urgently, was panting as he quickly spoke.
“I came urgently because I have something to tell you. Marquess, Asillia is a monkey who thinks with his muscles too. He absolutely, absolutely doesn’t speak with any malice. He’s a guy with no thoughts at all. If he really had malice toward someone, he could only say ‘I have malice toward you,’ that’s how stupid he is.”
…Kid, it seems like the malice isn’t with this Asillia kid, but with you.
“So…”
Just as Ian was about to continue.
The manor gate opened wide and a tall boy with blue hair loudly raised his voice.
“I’m in second place!”
“Ian! Asillia! What’s the idea of running in first!”
Leo came running in hurriedly right after them.
I immediately realized that the blue-haired boy was the friend Leo had mentioned.
His features looked strangely familiar somehow…
Though I had that thought, I immediately gave the Blue Monkey a threatening smile.
“So, you’re the one who’s Leo’s friend.”
“I’m not his friend.”
What? As I thought, this brat is trying to bully Leo…!
“I’m his rival.”
“…?”
The Blue Monkey, who spoke matter-of-factly, immediately started pestering Leo.
“Hey, hurry up and show me the training hall first.”
“Wait, when you come back from going out, you have to wash your hands first.”
Leo scolded the Blue Monkey quite maturely.
“Where’s the washroom?”
“Over there at the end of the right corridor…”
Before Leo could even finish speaking, the Blue Monkey started running toward the right corridor with a whoosh, his hair fluttering so fast it made wind sounds.
“The first person to reach the washroom wins!”
Leo ran after the Blue Monkey a beat late, shouting indignantly.
“Th-that’s cheating! You didn’t even say ready, set!”
“Then ready, set! Hahaha! Obviously I’m going to win this time… Ack! Using familiars is cheating!”
“You cheated first!”
The two children’s quarrel continued even after they entered the washroom.
“Don’t splash water!”
“You splashed first!”
“I splashed water while saying ready, set!”
“Then I’m saying ready, set too!”
“Ack!”
While Leo and the Blue Monkey’s shouts echoed loudly through the corridor, Ian washed his hands with water from a silver bowl the butler had brought.
A moment later, Leo and the Blue Monkey stood before me dripping water, looking like they’d been caught in a sudden downpour.
“We washed our hands, so now show us the training hall.”
“Lady Belinda, may we go play in the training hall?”
For having just fought, neither seemed to hold any particular grudge against the other.
Ian, as if accustomed to this, handed them the towel he had used.
“First, both of you dry off the water.”
“Then I’ll go first…!”
“This is Blanche Manor, so the host goes first.”
“Says who!”
“Next time when I visit your house, you can go first.”
“Hmph, just wait and see. Next time you come to my house, I’ll definitely let you go first!”
He grumbled, but… well, he will invite him to his house.
I watched this strange relationship carefully and had the Cerberus step back.
It seems like it’s not the relationship I thought it was.
I asked with a bright smile on my face.
“Are you two close friends?”
“Yes!”
“No.”
“Haah.”
Leo’s affirmation, the Blue Monkey’s denial, Ian’s deep sigh.
They seemed to be friends who were surprisingly incompatible.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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