Young Master, Please Put Some Pants On! - Chapter 71

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

Chapter 71

“Damn it, that cursed swindler!”

Sandra gritted her teeth furiously as she slammed the shop door shut behind her. She had spent every last coin she had to buy that medicine, only to see no effect whatsoever! When she confronted the shop owner who had sold her the drug, all she got in return was a shameless attitude.

“There’s nothing wrong with the medicine, it’s one of two things. Either that woman is a mage and her magical power interfered, or she wasn’t human to begin with.”

Mellis being a mage? That was nonsense.

“Could she really not be human…?”

But Sandra immediately denied it, trembling with clenched fists. She glared at the tightly shut door with her eyes blazing white with fury. Weren’t they the ones who had swindled her in the first place? To trust those bastards again after being deceived by the Dark Guild like that!

“How on earth can I separate that woman from the Duke…?”

Sandra’s eyes were half-unfocused. If only she could get her away from the Duke’s side, she could somehow approach and find out her true identity.

On her way home, Sandra bought a daily newspaper and quickly skimmed through it. The daily newspaper was the only medium through which she, an ordinary human, could hear news about the Ducal Residence.

Unfortunately, today there was nothing particularly noteworthy either. She was about to put it down with a sigh when a phrase on the last page caught her eye.

“Accepting tips for various news stories…”

At that moment, a scene quietly surfaced in Sandra’s mind. It was the day not long ago when she had disguised herself as a street vendor and waited for her. That day, that woman had definitely been with another man, not the Duke. Since the man had been quite handsome, the memory was still vivid.

‘This is it.’

Why hadn’t she thought of this sooner! If rumors spread about that woman, supposedly the Duke’s lover, having an affair with another man? Surely the angry Duke would cast her out immediately.

Whether her affair was real or not didn’t matter. What mattered was having one plausible article that would upset the Duke. Having thought of this brilliant scheme, she lifted the corners of her mouth in a sinister smile.

* * *

A few days later, House Severus’s carriage ascended the mountain leading numerous knights. Mellis, riding in the carriage, pulled back the curtains to look at the scenery outside where trees grew densely.

“The mountain is incredibly lush. Garulus would have loved to see this.”

“We can’t bring a child on a mission to exterminate magical beasts.”

Kermanomon, who had been thinking about something with his arms firmly crossed, finally furrowed his brow as if displeased with the situation.

“Why exactly did you come along?”

“I told you already. I’ll read the magical flow for you!”

Mellis smiled brightly and confidently thumped her chest with one hand. Mellis had recently started lessons with Professor Hopnilman under the pretext of learning to read mana flow.

Before fully awakening her healing power, she needed to perfectly master the ability to detect mana flow. Therefore, she had been practicing it daily lately, and for her, the Western Mountains full of magical beasts were the perfect training ground.

“You’ve only been learning for barely ten days, where does this confidence come from?”

“You have to practice to improve your skills.”

However, Kermanomon still seemed reluctant, clicking his tongue briefly and loosely propping his chin with one hand. Of course, as Mellis said, the ability to detect magical flow was extremely useful in magical beast subjugation. Especially now, since this wasn’t a simple extermination, the need was even greater.

That’s why he had earlier requested personnel dispatch from Aizen Magic Tower, but as always, he had been refused with the excuse of being short-staffed.

‘Even if it’s a busy period, how can they ignore it when magical beasts are showing abnormal phenomena?’

Thinking there might be some other reason made him feel even more uneasy. With the thought that he should meet the Tower Master soon, he slowly closed his eyes.

“There probably won’t be any trouble, but just in case, don’t let your guard down either. Never stray from the knights’ side.”

“Yes. Don’t worry!”

Soon the carriage slowly came to a stop and a knight’s voice could be heard.

“Your Grace, it seems difficult for the carriage to proceed from here.”

“Right. Let’s get down.”

Kerman, who was casually about to get off the carriage, raised one eyebrow in puzzlement.

“Come to think of it, do you know how to ride a horse?”

“No, I don’t! But I’m confident in my stamina, so you don’t need to worry!”

At the sight of Mellis clenching both fists as if to show off, he let out a quiet sigh. He had seen her gasping for breath more than once or twice, so where did this confidence in her stamina come from?

“Forget it, just ride together on my horse.”

“What? No, I’m really fine. I came here planning to walk in the first place.”

“Do you know how rough the terrain is here? If you fall behind unnecessarily, you’ll just cause more trouble, so stop talking and follow me. Have you ever ridden a horse before?”

“I have, but…”

Kerman acted as if that was enough and got off the carriage, mounting his horse that a knight had prepared. Soon Mellis approached hesitantly and bowed her head.

“Excuse me.”

Kerman, who was watching her mount the horse, opened his mouth slightly. Mellis was gripping the saddle with both hands and flailing her legs in the air while struggling.

Her legs were flailing so pitifully. Kerman eventually burst into laughter.

“Pfft.”

“D-don’t laugh. I can get up in no time.”

“Wait, didn’t you just say you’ve ridden before?”

“I learned at the Academy, but it’s been too long!”

Mellis, her face red with embarrassment, hastily made excuses. At that sight, Kerman, who had been laughing out loud, got off his horse again and approached her.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

Lifting her up with one arm, he mounted the horse with fluid movements. He embraced Mellis and gently took hold of the reins.

“Let’s go.”

Unlike Kerman who was calmly riding the horse, Mellis sat stiffly upright.

‘Isn’t this too, too close?’

Mellis’s face heated up as she became conscious of the distance where their bodies were almost pressed together. It was because of the unnecessary tension she felt whenever she sensed his sturdy build that enveloped her body and the faint breath that brushed past her ear.

At that moment, Kerman, who had been silently riding the horse, noticed Mellis’s reddened nape. Sensing something was wrong, he asked in a worried voice.

“Your face seems quite red. Are you feeling uncomfortable somewhere?”

“No, I’m fine…”

Mellis answered in a crawling voice and lowered her head. Only then understanding the situation, a mischievous smile spread across Kerman’s lips.

Leaning forward slightly, he whispered in her ear.

“Why, don’t tell me you’re becoming conscious of me now?”

“Th-that can’t be! Stop teasing me!”

“Teasing? I was asking seriously.”

When Mellis jumped at his words that hit the mark, he laughed out loud as if he found her reaction amusing.

Meanwhile, the knights following behind the two were shocked at seeing their master’s unfamiliar appearance.

“…Did you just see that?”

“His Grace laughing so brightly like that. It’s unbelievable.”

“Unit Commander, what is going on!”

They pressed Noel for answers about what was happening, but Noel, already accustomed to this situation, just yawned with a carefree expression.

* * *

After pushing through the dense trees and reaching the deep forest, they joined up with the advance team that had arrived first.

“We’ll set up camp here. Since time has been delayed, start preparing for the night immediately, and the search team will come with me to survey the surrounding situation.”

“Yes.”

The knights moved in perfect coordination under Kermanomon’s command. Since magical beasts were mainly active during late hours, this subjugation was also scheduled to proceed for 1 night and 2 days.

Mellis also moved busily to help with the work, but Anna, who spotted her, playfully stopped her with teasing words.

“Oh my, Mellis, don’t bother moving around. We have plenty of hands anyway. You must be tired from the climb, so go inside and rest.”

“I’m fine! I can’t just rest when everyone else is working!”

“What are you talking about? Do you know how valuable a resource Mellis is? Don’t do that and just look over the magical beast information inside instead. Got it?”

“No…”

However, a weak fake sheep beastman couldn’t win against someone who had lived as a knight for a long time.

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