Deadline Is Raining in the Status Window - Chapter 53

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

“But the trip back will be scary. I don’t think I can go alone.”
“I’ll take you, or I’ll ask Gerth if he has room for guests.”
“That bastard’s still reliable as ever.”
Reliability is just one of my many strengths. I said it with pride, and the old man muttered wistfully that I hadn’t changed, then turned his attention elsewhere.
“Hey, I can already see the tower. Where exactly is your friend’s place?”
That tower piercing through the clouds is our destination—what did he think I meant when I said Serpent King Gerth earlier? I was about to say something when I heard a voice calling me from one side of the road.
“Evan! We’re over here!”
Had they come to greet us? I was about to ask if that white fox-man got bored waiting since he was always so fussy, but fortunately Hubert seemed to have brought along conversation partners and things to keep busy with, so I kept quiet and silently pulled the cart.
“Chirp chirp! Sister, we’re here, chirp!”
A wooden platform was set up along the roadside. On top of it, Hubert, Gerth, and Titi were sitting, trimming a mountain of bean sprouts. I’d planned to eat raw squid salad today. Where did these bean sprouts come from?
“Gerth. Why are you trimming bean sprouts?”
“If the heads and roots remain, they become fishy.”
“I know that.”
“Then why ask?”
I pondered how to make my meaning reach him, when Thomas suddenly let out a scream from behind the cart, gasping and wheezing.
“Aaaahhhhh!”
And he collapsed. Wondering what on earth had happened, I checked on him, and Hubert quickly approached, hoisting the old man onto his back, then spoke calmly.
“Don’t worry. Most people who see Father for the first time react like this.”
“I didn’t.”
“That’s because you and Eleanor are the strange ones.”
Now that I think about it, didn’t Titi faint with a chirp when she first saw Gerth? Was it not from surprise but from some kind of special skill? Like when you encounter a boss and get stunned for the first three turns?
“That’s a good analogy. When most humans meet Father for the first time, they faint from his overwhelming presence.”
“So it really was a boss skill?”
“There’s no particular skill like that, though.”
How fascinating. Just his existence makes people nervous? Suddenly Gerth seemed impressive, and I praised him, saying he was more remarkable than I’d thought. Gerth laughed shyly, picked up a bundle of trimmed bean sprouts, and stood up.
“Is that person also a guest? If so, I’ll include them in the return.”
“Thanks. Yeah, he’s a guest.”
The man who gave me all these squid for free today. At my explanation, Gerth nodded, understanding what a grateful guest the man was, and cheerfully used Return.
Back at the tower’s peak, I saw Mother and Tiger Man stuck to the cold floor, rolling their heads around. The smell of alcohol wafted strongly from both of them—despite fighting so fiercely yesterday, they’d apparently drunk together and spent the night.
So the bean sprouts were being trimmed for hangover soup. Gerth really was thoughtful.

◇ ◆ ◇

Lunch arrived as expected: a bowl of bean sprout soup prepared for Mother and Tiger Man. Uncle Thomas trembled like a vibrating bell while watching Gerth’s expression, but by evening he’d adapted quickly, raising his glass and shouting long live the Serpent King.
“What? The Serpent King’s Tower is such a wonderful place! Back in the day, I was too frightened and put off by the stench to go near it! If I’d known the Serpent King was a friend of Evan’s, I would’ve visited long ago!”
“The tower’s cleanliness owes much to Evan’s efforts. I’m pleased to have made the acquaintance of a human ship captain as well.”
Gerth contentedly ate the fresh squid he’d sliced himself. Since the Serpent King’s Tower lay deep in the forest, obtaining seafood proved difficult, and he lamented that he couldn’t even purchase it with coin—whenever he appeared in human villages, everyone fled in terror.
“My son and subordinates keep the tower running. Only I have leisure time.”
“Don’t worry now! Despite appearances, I command the largest ship in all of Ilam! Even when Evan attends the Academy, just send me your orders and I’ll have fresh catches delivered to you promptly!”
“You are my benefactor.”
Could he really just create benefactors on the spot like that?
I mixed squid and rice with the cold noodle sauce Mother had prepared on the spot and ate it down eagerly. Delicious. Summer truly demanded cold noodles. Better yet, Gerth’s household had a dedicated freezer, so we could procure clean ice quickly, and floating ice in the bowl made it feel like paradise itself.
I adored Mother so much. I adored Gerth so much. So this was what happiness felt like. If every day could be like today, even transmigrating into a book would’ve been worthwhile.
“By the way, Mother. When will you teach me the formula for that spicy red combination?”
“Why would I teach you that? And I’m not your mother, I told you.”
“If you’re Evan’s mother, then you’re my mother.”
“That’s exactly why that conclusion makes no sense!”
Usually you’d call a friend’s mother “Mother,” but here was my mom getting upset over such a thing.
When I told Mother to calm down, she told me to stop provoking her and keep my mouth shut, then tapped her chest rhythmically. It had been a while since Mother acted this dramatically.
Deciding I should keep my mouth firmly closed before she grew angrier, I quietly continued eating, when Hubert spoke to me with a laugh.
“Lady Evan, you certainly can’t assert yourself before your mother.”
“Well, her temperament is what it is.”
“Then why do you only treat me this way, young lady?!”
As Mother grew indignant, Uncle Thomas whispered to me, cursing that this woman had always possessed such a ferocious temperament. Though his voice was barely audible, Mother apparently anticipated what he’d said, and without hearing his excuses, she grabbed Uncle Thomas by the collar and shook him.
“It’s pleasant to have the house filled with noise.”
“Yes. Food tastes better when many people eat together.”
“Evan. I wish you would reach adulthood quickly.”
“I must wait two more years.”
“Normally that would pass in an instant, but now it feels unusually long.”
“They say time flows faster as you age. That’s strange.”
“Indeed. Strange.”
Right, it was strange. When I agreed it was strange, Hubert suddenly laughed heartily and said he no longer understood it himself, then ate more cold noodles. Gerth said he wouldn’t eat it because it was too spicy, but Hubert ate it well. Perhaps it was a difference in species? Come to think of it, White One wouldn’t even touch the food I ate.
“Uncle Thomas.”
“Hmm? What?”
“Who owns Ilam?”
“You mean the lord? Ilam is an autonomous territory.”
“Really?”
When I asked if that meant there was a market, he said what kind of market would exist in this rural backwater, and that important decisions were made by the Women’s Association leader and the Village Chief.
“I know the Women’s Association leader, but does our village even have a Village Chief?”
“Huh? You see him all the time. The Blacksmith.”
“Ah.”
So that man was the Village Chief. I hadn’t known.
In any case, Ilam was an autonomous territory, and important decisions were made by the Women’s Association leader and the Village Chief, so my objective was clear. Since I was currently unmarried, there was only one title I could claim.
“I need to become Village Chief.”
“Why are you suddenly saying something so ridiculous?”
“Oh Miss, being Village Chief is thankless work with no pay. What good would it do?”
“I need to lay down railroad tracks.”
“If you run for office, Evan, you’ve got my vote!”
Thomas would naturally be thrilled—the railroad would increase his income. Titi was already bouncing at the thought of a train station bringing the Capital within easy reach, while Mother kept insisting we should stay as we were, warning that trains and all such ventures would only bring hardship. Gerth had been silent for a while before tilting his head and finally speaking.
“Evan.”
“Yes?”
“What is a railroad?”
“Are you serious?”
When I turned my head toward Hubert, the man nodded gravely and confirmed, to my surprise, that he was indeed serious.
“Even with state-of-the-art mechanical arms?”
“You might know about roller coasters, but perhaps not trains?”
“How did such a situation come about?”
“In our society, most problems stem from either the Dragon King or the Machine King.”
So it’s the Machine King’s doing, then. More importantly, this village has a roller coaster? If there are no safety concerns, I’d like to ride it.
“A ro-ller-coaster—I’ve ridden one before. What’s the point of going in circles around the same place?”
“…The concept of samsara?”
“Such profound meaning.”
“Evan. Father actually believes this, so please don’t joke.”
“I apologize.”
“Was it a joke?”
“Yes. I apologize.”
“I see. There’s no need to apologize.”
But it does sound quite plausible, Gerth said, and next time he meets the Machine King, he’ll ask whether the roller coaster carries such philosophical meaning. I hope the Machine King isn’t the same temperament as Gerth. If they’re alike, they’d probably spend a full week discussing this without sleep.
“On that note, Gerth. I have a proposal.”
“What is it?”
“I’d like you to secure a safe zone where we can mine mana stones.”
“That’s not possible.”
“Why not?”
“There are too many territorial animals.”
“I see…”
This was certainly a problem I couldn’t push past. There were survival concerns, and the animals needed their territories to be spacious enough to avoid stress.
As I groaned and fell into thought, Hubert started poking Gerth’s ribs frantically, but Gerth didn’t budge. Despite his son’s antics, he wasn’t paying attention—yet I found myself grateful that he was taking my proposal seriously.
“If you expand the mining zone, I’ll work to reduce unwanted visitors to the Tower.”
“I see…”
Gerth stared at Hubert. Since Hubert was struggling with the task of dealing with intruders—work that should have been Gerth’s responsibility—it seemed to weigh on his mind.
“Do you have a concrete plan?”
“Once I become Village Chief and bring a train station to Ilam, then I can propose it to the Third Princess.”
“The Third Princess?”
“The club president at the Academy is the Third Princess of the Crowell Empire.”
“Can she exercise considerable influence over the human race?”
“Within the Empire, she holds the third-highest authority after the Emperor and the Crown Princess.”
“I still lack certainty about you. I can offer only a modest amount on a trial basis.”
“That will suffice.”

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