Chapter Twenty
"Sorry. I should have done that earlier."
I stared down at Baron Vische. He was sprawled on the floor, his head lolling at an awkward angle from just a single slap. I wiped my hands on my coat with a grimace.
Ew... Touching that man felt like handling a wet sponge left in a gutter.
"Your Grace has completely changed," Hans remarked, his voice steady as he stared at the scene with uninterested eyes.
Daily Task Status Check.
[Ping!]
[Task Completion Bar : 3%]
Still mad, huh?
"Not completely, Hans. I still hate annoying people." I looked at him as a sigh left my lips. "How did you recognize me? Even my own butler was ready to call for an exorcist."
I need to sit later and analyse the situation. What did I do that the task bar went up by 3%.
Ugh so annoying... My Circle Formation is getting delayed. My half a million gold...
"Golden hair is a symbol of the Royal Family, Your Grace. You will not find a single strand of true gold in the entire continent outside of the bloodline. Your features may have... refined... but the lineage is unmistakable."
He has good observation, huh. Truly befitting of a SSS-Rank Merchant.
"I knew I was good at picking people. You've got a sharp eye." I shrugged as I closed my eyes, turning around. "What do you think, Kae—"
"Master, Butler Vizen has fainted!"
Kaelen was hovering over the old man, his hands shaking. The "Silver Reaper" looked like a panicked puppy.
"What are you doing standing there? Stop the bleeding with a cloth or something," I snapped.
What is wrong with him? Why he's just sitting with Vizen in his arms like he's going to die?
"M-Master... I'm scared. Butler Vizen looks so pale..."
I rolled my eyes. "Hans, take charge of the situation. Kaelen looks shaken. I'll go get some alcohol."
Kaelen's head whipped toward me, his expression heart-broken. "Master..."
Ugh... I don't even need the system to know what he's thinking. It's so irritating.
"What are you thinking? Have you learnt all this time staying with me? Alcohol has antiseptic properties. It cleans wounds. I'm not going to drink it."
Hans, who walking in Butler Vizen and Kaelen's direction, froze, blinking at my words as his eyebrows shooting up. "Your Grace is right, Kaelen. There have been new studies in the capital suggesting that high-proof spirits can prevent wound rot and infection. It's terrifying how fast Your Grace's information sources are."
Information sources? It's called middle school biology. These dumbahhs.
"Shouldn't I say the same about you, Hans?"
"Ah... I'm sorry for doubting you again, Master," Kaelen stammered, his face flushing red. He was on the brink of crying. "I truly don't deserve to be by your side."
Hans shook his head as he crouched checking on Vizen. His experience clearly showing he couldn't understand how Kaelen was a potential swordmaster.
To be honest, I couldn't help but agree.
"Stop acting like a pitiful dog. It's embarrassing. Hans, how's the situation?"
"He's fainted due to stress and blood loss, but he's stable," Hans said, lifting the butler from Kaelen's arms with surprising strength. "I'll take him to my room, Your Grace. I have some medicine in my bag for stress relief."
"Do that. Kaelen?"
"Yes, Master?"
"Where's the winery? Specifically, where do we keep the stuff that smells like paint thinner?"
"Down the west corridor, past the hall of portraits. It's the heavy iron door beneath the stairs."
I nodded at the information. "Got it. Throw these three idiots in the dungeon then come to the winery. Just in case I get lost. This castle is a damn maze."
"Yes, Your Grace!"
I quickly ran in the direction Kaelen told me. If Vizen got an infection in this era, he was as good as dead.
How troublesome... Never thought I would be worried about someone who's not gold.
I slammed open the winery door, the scent of fermenting grapes and dust hitting me like a physical wall. "Ugh... where's the high-proof stuff? Where's the whiskey?"
"Hnghhh! Die, stranger!"
The shout was high-pitched and frantic. I didn't even have time to turn before a shadow lunged at me from behind the wooden door.
I didn't think. My body, now honed by the ability of my mana circuitry, moved on instinct. I caught a pair of small, soft wrists with my left hand and pivoted, wrapping my right arm around the attacker's waist to pin them against me.
Why didn't I feel the presence?
My eyes landed on the creature in my arms in confusion. It was a girl. A very messy, very angry girl wielding a wine bottle like a club.
What type of animal is this now? I only thought there was Kaelen and Vizen in the castle.
"Let go of me! How dare you infiltrate the Duke's castle!" The woman shrieked, squirming in my grip as she rubbed her soft globes on my body, making my face twist in discomfort.
[Ping!]
[Let her go.]
So, you only talk now when other women get close to me, huh?
...
Ugh... So fucking irritating.
"Shut up," I growled at the woman as her eyes filled with water in an instant. "I'm in a hurry."
"Hic."
What a drama queen. I didn't even do anything.
The smell of fermented grapes wasn't just in the room. It was even coming off her in waves. She was wasted. I let her go in disgust as she promptly lost her balance, thumping onto the floor. I ignored her and went back to scouring the shelves.
"Hey! Don't steal that drunkard's stuff," the woman slurred, pointing a shaky finger at me. "He'll... he'll kill you. He's a big, scary, fat monster."
Haah... Calling me a monster in my castle. Ugh... Let it go, Yeun. We don't have time for this, right now.
I ignored her, moving a crate of expensive champagne.
Where is the fucking whiskey?
"Oi, handsome! Are you not listening!?"
"Why are all girls so yappy?" I muttered, reaching for a clear bottle on the top shelf.
There! Found it!
"Hey! What did you say!? I'm trying to save your as—"
She tried to scramble up, but her foot caught on the hem of her dress. She lunged forward, hands grasping for stability, and slammed right into my arm. The momentum sent us both reeling.
BAM!
I hit the floor with a groan, and she landed squarely on top of me, her face inches from mine.
It was a compromising position, to say the least.
"I... I..." she stammered, her eyes suddenly wide as she took in my face. The anger vanished, replaced by a dazed, drunken wonder.
"Get. Off. Me." I said, my voice vibrating with pure irritation.
"Your Grace?"
[Ping!]
[Host really can't change his lecherous ways.]
What did I even...