The Status Effect Count - Chapter 18

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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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Status Abnormality Earl 018
Glancing up at the small creature fluttering its wings above his shoulder, he asked.
“There’s nothing I can help with?”
“You just stay close to the earl.”
Peter shook his head firmly.
“Belence gave strict orders that you were to focus only on assisting the earl.”
Why only me?
Before Ann could even ask, Peter had already pushed her shoulders in a different direction.
* * *
“Good morning, sir. It’s a beautiful day!”
“Mm…….”
From the darkened room came a sound that might or might not have been a reply.
He still hasn’t gotten up.
He used to move about more before, but lately he just lies there without stirring at all.
Ann crossed through the dark room with practiced ease and opened the heavy curtains halfway.
As warm sunlight flooded in, a groan issued from within the enormous quilts.
“-. –.”
“Then I’ll begin cleaning!”
Ann rolled up her sleeves first and set to work at once.
White dust motes danced through the beams of sunlight. No matter how often she wiped, the dust always came back.
Dust was forbidden around the sick!
While Ann focused on her cleaning, a dragging sound emerged from within the bed curtains.
“Yes? You mean me?”
“-wa.”
Ann quickly tossed aside her cloth and hurried over.
Nadan pointed with his finger from beneath the heavy quilts, his face pale as death.
He kept gesturing toward the window…….
“Ah! Should I open the curtains more?”
“-Close them.”
Nadan spoke barely above a whisper in his hoarse voice and began to cough.
Through the dry, hacking fits, viscous fluid stained his hand — a familiar sight.
Thick, greenish fluid!
Ann quickly pulled a handkerchief from her pocket.
Nadan waved her away.
“Leave it.”
“I can’t. My duty is to attend to you, and if you won’t let me, I’ll have to go downstairs and help the other servants with their tasks.”
Ann quickly helped Nadan to his feet — it was far too much for just wiping his hand.
While Nadan was in the bathroom washing, Ann hastily changed the sheets and opened the windows for air.
As stale air escaped and cool wind flowed in through the window, Ann closed her eyes, savoring the sensation.
Click.
A hand appeared from behind and shut the window.
“It’s cold.”
‘Death himself on a winter’s day.’
Ann muttered under her breath and spun around to find water dripping steadily from Nadan’s hair onto the floor.
‘No, the expensive carpet!’
Ann bit back a cry and quickly followed after him.
Once she had carefully dried the moisture from his hair, Nadan — who had been sprawled in his chair — opened his mouth.
“Do the servants give you much trouble?”
“No?”
Ann answered reflexively before realizing his question was directed at someone else.
“Not me, but the other servants, yes. They chase me around and harass me constantly.”
“Hm.”
“They scold me over trivial matters, and they keep asking me to redo things just to torment me.”
Nadan’s expression grew distant.
“Ignore them.”
“Sir?”
“They came here to pry into this mansion, so you don’t need to accommodate them the way you would normal guests. Didn’t Belence say as much?”
She had said something like that — to be precise, that though they were guests, they needn’t be held to the same standards as before.
“But they are guests…….”
It was the way of servants: when a guest — especially a noble one — raised their voice, the body instinctively shrank away and you found yourself complying with whatever they asked.
And if they got their hands on him, he’d no doubt be dragged about with that same vapid grin, from room to room.
Distant memories surfaced as Nadan’s brow furrowed deeply.
“I don’t call uninvited guests visitors.”
“But they’re staying in the Guest Room.”
“They’re refusing to leave, so I’ve merely offered them shelter out of basic humanity.”
“Then…….”
“Trespassers.”
The answer was coldly clinical. But it was precisely accurate.
“I’m allowing them to remain only because the Knight Order hasn’t arrived yet. They’ll leave of their own accord soon enough. Just pretend you don’t see anything.”
Then why let them in at all?
And wanted to ask exactly that, but held her tongue. A noble had reasons of his own, presumably.
Just as Nadan refused to leave his room to avoid showing his pain.
“Tell your friends the same. Ignore them as much as possible, and keep your distance.”
‘But how can a commoner do that…….’
The other party kept ringing bells and picking fights; how was she supposed to avoid them?
But this was as far as her complaints would go. Whine any further and all she’d hear was ‘Is that so? Then forget it.’ Nothing more.
In situations like this, what the superior usually wanted to hear was…….
“I’ll do my best to stay out of trouble, sir!”
Something like that.
And shouted with her fists clenched, and the Count who’d been watching quietly let out a sigh before speaking.
“Just don’t get into any confrontations.”
Who would pick a fight with me, anyway?
At that point, And had taken his warning lightly.
* * *
Ping.
Ping.
Ping.
Ping.
“Ugh, seriously!”
And threw off her blanket and sat up, shouting.
“Let me sleep! How many hours has this been?!”
In the dead of night, And’s room was absolute chaos.
All because of that cursed Tray.
[Check the Quest.]
[Check the Quest.]
[Quest—]
Because And wouldn’t look at the Tray, it had started flinging itself around the room, bouncing off walls and floors in a tantrum.
Each time the Tray crashed into the wall, it made a ping, ping sound that made sleep impossible.
“Fine. Okay. I’ll look. I’ll look.”
And let out a deep sigh and summoned the Tray to her.
The Tray, which had refused to stop no matter how many times she’d told it to, finally settled obediently into her hands.
[Second Step
-Raise the Count’s Favorability (0/1)
-Clean the Count (0/1)
Duration: D-22]
“I’m not doing it.”
The Quest called ‘Second Step’ had appeared for the first time today.
But And had no idea how to raise her employer’s Favorability, and she had no interest in doing so.
Besides, the latter was already abandoned after a week of futility—no matter what she tried, it refused to fill.
“Do you know how hard I’ve tried?”
Several times she’d offered to clean him, but that usual Tray combo never appeared, and the Count’s gaze toward her only grew more strange.
She tried to push the Tray away and lie back down, but it refused to disappear.
This little pest.
“The reward isn’t even appealing, so…… wait?”
As if it had been waiting for those very words, the Tray suddenly flashed brightly.
The text shimmered, and something far more interesting appeared.
[Reward: Debt Forgiveness.]
What?
And’s eyes snapped open.
“That debt? You mean the one Emil took out on the Temple as collateral?”
The text changed again.
[Reward: Debt Forgiveness of 50 gold coins from Emil’s principal.]
“That’s impossible.”
As Anne’s jaw dropped open, the text shifted once more.
[Reward: Complete Debt Forgiveness of Emil’s principal and interest.]
The Tray seemed to be saying this to her.
‘You’re not going to refuse now, are you?’
Anne sprang to her feet and dropped to her knees before it.
“I’ll work hard!”
The Tray flickered with satisfaction.
* * *
The next day.
“Why does Baron Dern make so many demands? Even when the previous head chef was here, it was never this bad!”
“Ha ha.”
Anne, who’d come to help with kitchen duties, laughed awkwardly as she peeled potatoes.
Sonya had been suffering since yesterday.
The Count never complained no matter what meal was served.
But Baron Dern was nothing but criticism and grievances about every single dish.
More than once he’d overturned the entire table, demanding it be redone with different food; several times he’d sent plates back with orders to bring something else.
Sonya had reached the breaking point after just one day.
“The Count says you should treat him reasonably.”
“How am I supposed to treat this reasonably!”
Sonya whirled around, her eyes blazing red.
“He uses a girl like me as a head chef, and I’m supposed to just accept hearing that my level is now known? Never!”
“Ah, no—”
“I won’t forgive him. I’ll make that scrawny frame kneel before me.”
……So she hadn’t reached her breaking point—she’d ignited with resolve.
‘At least she’s not discouraged. That’s something.’
Anne summoned the Tray while peeling potatoes, wanting to confirm what she’d seen last night.
Complete Debt Forgiveness—interest included!
Her eyes had been dazzled by such a sweet reward, but now that she’d agreed, she was just as bewildered.
How on earth was she supposed to raise the Count’s Favorability?
Anne crossed her arms.
And then there was that thing that couldn’t be filled no matter what she did.
[Make the Count presentable (0/1)
Effect: Remove Status Abnormality]
The Count was already bathing and cleaning himself more than three times a day. Yet she still hadn’t succeeded…….
‘Should I really offer to attend him during his bath?’
Anne was seriously considering it.

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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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