Deadline Is Raining in the Status Window - Chapter 228

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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“Understood. Everyone should prepare to get some proper rest.”
Gerth didn’t ask questions or hesitate—he simply called for Hubert to greet our guest, then carried me dangling through the air toward my room.
“Evan. We’re at the bed now. You can let go.”
I see. The bed is fine, but I find this more stable. When I insisted on staying as I was and continued clinging to him, Gerth sighed in resignation and lay down on the bed with me.
“Evan. I’ll stay by your side until you find your peace.”
Yes, let’s do that. I nodded my agreement against Gerth’s chest, pressing my face into it. Being pressed so close to him, my face buried in his chest, felt incredibly refreshing and wonderful. When he began stroking my hair and lower back with his hand, drowsiness crept over me.
So I fell asleep.

When I woke after a brief rest, the person I was holding had switched from Gerth to Mother. Gerth is nice because he’s cool, but Mother is nice because she’s warm.
“….”
But that warmth seemed to exceed reasonable limits—wasn’t it getting a bit too hot? As I turned my head with that thought, I discovered Titi nestled in a nest behind my back, fast asleep.
You’re not needed. Get away from me.
“Squawk!”
I writhed like a cuckoo and knocked Titi off the bed. The little one, worried about me, came back and then hit me repeatedly with her wings, complaining that I was being too harsh. Go ahead and hit me for a hundred years—I won’t even feel an itch.
“Oh my dear lady, your face has become so gaunt.”
Mother had woken up too. She felt my face with her hands, saying there was nothing but bone left, then pulled me into a tight embrace. I’m nearly pure muscle at a hundred kilograms, you know.
“If the Academy coursework becomes too difficult, just quit and come home. Can I not feed one young lady?”
“Squawk! I even got promoted to deputy at the Territorial Management Office, sister!”
The Territorial Management Office where you work belongs to me, after all. But since I was grateful for her goodwill toward me, I thanked her sincerely. Then, remembering something, I brought up an idea to Mother and Titi.
“Mother. Titi. Would you like to come to the Capital with me?”
“Huh?”
“Wow! I want to go, chirp! The Capital! The Capital, chirp!”
I briefly considered whether it might be better to leave this bird behind. But it would be wasteful not to utilize someone who’d earned a deputy position at the Territorial Management Office in such a short time.
“I’ve relocated the Neftis Townhouse. Since the Duke and Duchess are tied up here, we’re short-handed.”
“But, as someone who was merely a servant, I’m not sure if I could be of any help.”
“You’ll remain as my adoptive mother.”
“…Pardon?”
“Real authority over House Neftis rests with me now. Appointing you as the new Duchess to manage the household is hardly a laughing matter.”
“No, wait, young lady.”
“Titi, you’ll work under Rael as my adoptive younger sister. Just do whatever he tells you to do.”
“I’m working there too, squawk?!”
“If you don’t like it, stay here.”
“I want to go! I want to go to the Capital, chirp!”
Of course—someone like you, who craves entertainment and pleasure, couldn’t possibly resist the temptations of the Capital. Now that it was decided, all that remained was action.
Fully recovered, I stepped out confidently and sought out my father, who had been sleeping rough beside the Serpent King’s Tower. He looked like a filial son observing three years of mourning, with a thick beard and tattered silk robes. When I appeared, he glanced at me briefly, said only “You came,” and then looked toward the Duchess.
“I need a chief administrator to oversee the household. I’d like you to write a certificate appointing Eleanor, my mother, as acting Duchess.”
“Handle it yourself.”
“You are the Duke. Your signature is required.”
“Sigh….”
As I handed over the paper, Duke Neftis signed it with a trembling hand. The man simply stared at me before finally mustering the courage to speak.
“Daughter, aren’t you worried about your mother at all?”
“Not in the slightest. My mother is Eleanor alone.”
“…I see.”
Don’t waste that handsome face—focus on shaving properly. If you keep looking like that, even if Procura wakes up, she won’t recognize you.
At my words, Father chuckled and said he understood. He shuddered, saying that even he would find it unpleasant to see an ugly man the moment he opened his eyes. From the way he was joking, it seemed his spirits were lifting a bit.
“Contact me immediately when the Duchess wakes up. Rael is handling all the household duties alone.”
“Understood. And tell the Serpent King I’m grateful for his continued kindness.”
“He will be my husband. Since he’s already family, I’m simply looking after him.”
Gerth has a strong sense of responsibility, after all. It’s not because I find you two particularly charming, I made sure to drive that point home before returning to the Tower and preparing to head to the Capital.
“Gerth. Where is the Machine King?”
“She went to the room looking for Evan earlier. She should be back soon.”
Gerth was busy preparing a lunch box for us to eat on the train, and I sought out Makina to entrust her with translating the materials I’d brought from the Mana Research Institute. If I teach the Machine King the alphabet and word meanings, she should be able to translate it herself.
「Master! The Underworld King called!」
So that was why she’d been looking for me. Makina approached me with a ringing sound, announcing that she’d received a transmission. When I opened the phone-like device that resembled a magical girl’s transformation tool, the Underworld King, still wearing a youthful face, greeted me cheerfully.
“Hey Evan! Are you busy right now?!”
“I am.”
“Oh, um, sorry.”
“I’ll contact you later when I have time. That’s all.”
“Wait, wait, it’s been so long!”
I snapped the phone shut and handed it back to the Machine King. Makina looked me up and down, then spouted remarkably human words in her mechanical voice.
「Master, you’re really cold-hearted!」
“I can’t help being cold-hearted. I’m busy right now.”
「If you live like that, you’ll get stabbed later!」
“I am invulnerable to blades.”
「What kind of person is this!」
That’s precisely what humans are capable of!
I delivered a lengthy lecture to Makina about how filthy, detestable, and grotesque human beings are, then entrusted her with the documents. When she asked what they were, I explained that I’d brought them from the Mana Research Institute.
“I brought them from the Mana Research Institute. They appear to be experimental records, and they might contain clues to turning all of humanity into mana users.”
「Huh, but what does this say?」
“Deciphering that is the Machine King’s job.”
「Why is this my job?」
“Punishment authority.”
「Oh, of course it’s my job!」
Makina laughed, saying that machines exist for precisely this kind of work. In all my years, I’ve never seen a machine more human than you.
「Still, this is basically code-breaking. Shouldn’t you at least give me some clues?」
“I’ve written down the alphabet and words I know. Search carefully in the Akashic Records.”
If records from the Mother Goddess remain in that place, you should be able to learn from documents written in English and decipher this record as well.
I believe in Makina’s potential. You’ve got this.
I made an encouraging gesture and turned away. But my scalp stung, so I glanced back to find Makina giving me the middle finger. I broke Makina’s middle finger. Makina wailed.

“Is everyone leaving? It’ll feel so empty.”
When I told Gerth that Mother, Titi, and the Machine King Makina were all heading to the Capital, he looked quite dejected. But we’d see each other again during the break soon enough. When I suggested we’d have a grand wedding ceremony and reception then, Gerth managed a bright smile.
“Evan. By the way, White One has been hanging around outside the Dormitory lately.”
Damn it, has that mutt gone to Cecilia’s place again? They served premium meals and the Bachelor played with him so well that White One had practically made it his second home. Cecilia seemed delighted whenever he visited too.
I assured Gerth I’d keep White One in check, then boarded the train heading to the Capital. Mother Eleanor, dressed impeccably, was already worrying about what awaited us after arrival.
“W-w-w-will I be able to do this well? I won’t be a burden to Young Master Rael, will I?”
“The Duchess managed it. There’s nothing Mother can’t do.”
“That’s… that’s true!”
The Duchess rarely attended social gatherings and left all household management to Father. Her main occupation was gallivanting about and occasionally returning to beat me senseless.
If even that dragon of a woman managed it, there was nothing Mother couldn’t do. As I bolstered her spirits, my friends chimed in as well.
“Y-yes, Mother will do wonderfully!”
“The Duchess of House Neftis was not particularly active in social circles. You needn’t concern yourself with external affairs.”
“That woman even criticized our mother for being irresponsible! There’s nothing Evan’s mother can’t do!”
Even if Rael handled all the work, the real issue with House Neftis right now was the absence of an adult to serve as a figurehead while making the rounds. Mother would manage just fine as long as she laughed cheerfully while accompanying Rael or his younger sibling.
“Mother has nothing to worry about. The real problem is rather…”
The fallout from when I declared Eleanor Mother as my adoptive mother would be the issue. Regardless of her original status, if Evan Laef truly recognized her as Mother and she would officially become my adoptive mother in the records, then those dreaming of social advancement wouldn’t leave her alone.
Young fortune hunters would approach and tempt her in every way. Could Mother really resist? Well, if Mother was happy, I’d be happy too, but if things went too far, it would become my headache.
How could I convey this intention well? Perhaps I should have brought Thomas as part of the package. While I was lost in thought, the train arrived at Crownpolis, and I discovered that all my worries had been needless fretting.
“Oh! Beautiful Eleanor!”
Somehow having caught wind of it, Bruno had spread a million roses across the train station and was waiting. Flower petals drifted down from the sky in a hazy flutter—it didn’t seem like a natural phenomenon, so I looked around and spotted the Department Head Professor in the distance at the Clock Tower, releasing petals into the air.
“Please, grant me the opportunity to raise Evan!”
Bruno dropped to one knee before Mother Eleanor. When he popped open the ring case, a massive diamond sparkled brilliantly.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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