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Karem had been living in quite an excellent place throughout Europa since fleeing from Moston.

Perhaps that’s why the suddenly heightened standards made Armsport look rather quaint.

Of course, Karem was aware that this castle was not small by any means.

‘No, it’s just that my standards have risen.’

The solid main fortress towering five stories high.

A garden spacious enough to contain a small forest.

Several buildings for different purposes, all surrounded by a castle wall.

By baronial standards, this was quite expansive.

Anyway, Karem had made it to Armsport, but he had nothing to do. So today, he thought about being a tourist for once.

To prepare for this, he had covertly cooked dragon meat dishes as a housewarming gift for Gordon and Flora late last night, obtaining their permissions as he did so.

As Karem stepped out of the fortress, he reflexively looked up. The castle walls gleamed, drawing attention.

The source of this spectacle was the housewarming gift Gordon prepared, with Catherine’s assistance.

To be precise, the gift was still in the making.

According to the explanation, it was intended to enhance the symbolic meaning of the castle walls, which protect those who enter by clearly demarcating the boundaries between civilization and barbarism, thus increasing both physical and magical defenses.

Of course, Karem was just a reincarnated being labeled by the Dragon Lord as “I’ve never seen a creature with such a lack of magical talent” and only saw it as a shimmering light.

Still, it was enough of a spectacle to relieve his boredom, so he munched on Seophon fries. The fries were freshly fried just before serving, still hot and crispy.

“Should I take a stroll in the forest?”

As he blankly gazed at Bolton Forest, he heard the sound of the fortress door opening, accompanied by staggering footsteps.

“Haah, I’ve triumphed again today! Huh? Karem, what are you doing there?”

Turning his head while chewing on a fry, Karem saw a pale Gordon slightly swaying as he emerged.

“I was watching Sister prepare the gifts.”

“Oh, I see. But wait, what? Sister?”

“Yes? What about it?”

“Oh, nothing at all.”

Gordon gave Karem a strange look before turning back toward the castle walls.

“Anyway, it’s magnificent.”

“I’m merely sparkling, that’s all.”

Yet, to Gordon, who could wield magic, it appeared quite different.

Every time the light flashed, it shimmered like waves of starlight on a moonless night, slowly enveloping Armsport as if ink were spreading over damp parchment.

“So, did the newlywed have a good night?”

“Good, yes. But that nourishing meal! What was that supposed to be? I almost choked on it in this condition.”

Gordon, placing his hands on his hips and stretching, turned to Karem with a perplexed expression.

“An aphrodisiac? No, but it wasn’t long-lasting nor did it have any body-enhancing effects—”

“Um, no one is around, right?”

“What? Yesterday, everyone was busy butchering the game we hunted, so the servants and workers are likely all in the warehouse. So why the fuss?”

Still, Karem glanced around cautiously. After shutting the door Gordon came through, he surveyed the area for a while before whispering in a voice quieter than a bee’s wingbeat.

“It’s Dragon Lord meat.”

“Um…what?”

“More precisely, the tail.”

Just then, as he distanced himself again and returned to chewing on his Seophon fries, Gordon froze, blinking silently.

“What did you just say?”

Gordon wondered if he misheard and asked again.

“I’m not repeating it.”

…Alright, that wasn’t a lie after all.

Facial expressions, eyes, the corners of his mouth. He carefully considered and found no sign of deceit. He was the type to just say it outright if asked in the first place.

“If so—”

Gordon was clearly taken aback, his face wide-eyed and rapidly blinking.

Yesterday evening, Karem had brought a pot full of meat stew, claiming it was a housewarming gift.

The meat, boiled, steamed, fried, and then drenched in barbecue sauce, had a powerful taste. Along with bread and butter-fried vegetables, Flora and he had devoured the entire pot.

Then, it turns out that it was all Dragon Lord meat. No wonder Flora had been on the verge of squeezing Gordon dry!

“What the hell—”

“Whoa, do you plan to announce it everywhere?”

As Karem munched on his Seophon fries, the moment he heard that, he immediately sealed his mouth. Gordon snapped back to attention, his eyes bulging from the strain of keeping his mouth shut.

“What in the world has happened until now!?”

“Do you remember what happened at Afterglow Fortress?”

“How could I forget something like that, um. No way?”

“I’ll tell you about what happened in Kingsland later.”

Gordon stroked his temples, slowly getting back to his senses after Karem’s deadpan revelation.

“So, you mean, utter chaos erupted right in the middle of the kingdom’s capital city?”

“Correction, it was about to erupt.”

“Then that meat is related to… um, alright. Let’s not think too hard about this for now, Karem. You don’t have to tell me. It’s probably better that way.”

Gordon’s voice grew louder as he softly whispered.

“Just know that a lot has happened.”

Even Catherine couldn’t handle the weight of the truth, capturing a demon tribe traitor and manipulating the power dynamics with him, so it was no wonder Gordon reacted this way.

“Sister had also been troubled by it.”

“Oh, right. Speaking of which, that title.”

Gordon shifted the topic as if he had hit upon a perfect segue. He reached for the Seophon fries with an expression of utmost dissatisfaction. After tasting it, whether or not he liked it, he swallowed it whole.

“This is quite good. Anyway, Sister?”

“Yes. Mary said to narrow the proximity a bit.”

Gordon laid a hand on Karem’s shoulder, frowning.

“Honestly, sure. Respectful terms like Sir/Madam Mage are one thing, but saying ‘Sister’ feels a lot more intimate and nice than always sticking with honorifics.”

“Sister seems to enjoy it too. She was quite surprised at first because she liked it so much.”

Gordon put his hand that had been patting his waist over his eyes. He sighed deeply as if something was bothering him. Whatever his distress was, Karem was uncertain.

“Karem, Karem, Karem. Are you just going to settle for that?”

“Huh? Settle for what?”

Huh? Settle for what? What is this nonsense?

“There must be a more appropriate term for a significant other?”

“…Honey?”

“…I doubt that would sit well with Sir/Madam Mage.”

After chewing on Gordon’s words, Karem closed his eyes to contemplate, arriving at agreement. Such mushy titles didn’t seem like something she would like at all.

“No, I mean, her name. Her name.”

“Oh, her name?”

“Yeah. For crying out loud! Ah. I guess it’s natural to be confused.”

Karem had not disclosed the fact he was a reincarnated individual. So Gordon was promptly misinterpreting the situation in his own way.

‘Ah, I see. Maybe due to his young age, he doesn’t seem to know much about this kind of thing!’

And this self-declared conclusion surprisingly edged close to the truth.

Karem was initially tempted but quickly countered that a culture where he was always respectful, even with just a one-year age difference, stood in stark opposition.

“That feels a bit too rude.”

“Sure, it might be so if a clear subordinate were to say that, but you are Sir/Madam Mage’s significant other, aren’t you? So, it’d still be okay to act a bit more unpaid.”

“Um, ah?”

“Most of all, you’re not the least bit obliged to speak formally.”

“That’s true.”

Karem’s use of respectful language had nothing to do with being a serf reincarnate. He simply found it comfortable to speak that way. In fact, it could be seen as merely a remnant of his former life.

Although to Gordon, even his polite way of speech wasn’t seen as satisfactory.

He decided to let that slide for the time being and provoke him later.

“Now, tell me. Which sounds better, Catherine, or Sister Catherine?”

“Um…definitely the first—”

“Oh, just in time; she’s walking this way.”

Before long, Catherine, accompanied by Mary, was walking toward them. In response, Gordon opened the fortress door again.

“Shall I let you in?”

“If you’re not next to me when I wake up, my wife will throw a tantrum. Also, remember my words clearly.”

Gordon then slipped inside. Though he harbored some worry about how she was doing, it seemed they got along just splendidly and were enjoying their newlywed life.

If they were unsatisfied, signs would have surely appeared from the moment they visited. Anyway, Karem felt a bit uneasy.

Is this what it feels like for a father who sends off his daughter?

“Thanks for your hard work!”

“You look a bit strange. That mercenary must have said something odd again.”

“Oh, nothing serious, Catherine.”

“Um, cough! Ahem? What’s that now?”

Oh, déjà vu.

However, Catherine, having experienced something similar once, didn’t react as intensely as before.

After a flurry of coughs, the real Catherine locked eyes with him silently.

“Gordon asked me why the hell I called him ‘Sister!’ He told me to stop rambling and call Catherine by her name to please her instead.”

“That mercenary…”

Catherine momentarily gritted her teeth at the unintended help she received from Gordon.

“Um, is it not pleasant?”

“Rest assured. She’s simply feeling bashful.”

“Who is?!”

If that weren’t the case, a silent Mary shot Catherine a blank glare, and that led to Catherine’s retaliatory actions.

“Ugh! C-Contractor! Are you seriously hiding the truth with violence!? My head! My head!”

The sound of a towel being wrung out in water, accompanied by Mary kneeling on the ground, crumbling under the pressure of Catherine’s grip.

Catherine, her face flushed, couldn’t meet anyone’s eyes.

“I see you seem to enjoy it, so I’ll keep going.”

“What?! Who?!”

“Then, back to how it was?”

“Oh, no. I’d rather you call me by my name.”

This was sincere. When she first heard it, she had brushed it off in excitement, but now that she thought it over, it was utterly ridiculous.

Thanks to achieving physical stability, her youthful body was fixed at a specific age. Even so, it felt awkward and uncomfortable to be called ‘Sister’ with that age difference.

“Right, it’s better to stick to the name than ‘Sister.’”

After all, she was around 300 years old. If someone who knew her past heard, they would surely burst out laughing.

Catherine was very grateful that Olivier had holed himself up somewhere.

And that Shen, who was lost in thoughts of Flora, hadn’t overheard either.

“Then Catherine, shall I prepare something for breakfast, although it’s a bit late?”

“Speaking of which, I can’t believe the time is this late.”

Looking at Mary’s head, Catherine gazed up into the gloomy sky where the sun was visible through the clouds.

“So, you may let them go for now.”

“Oh.”

Catherine momentarily forgot about it, then released her grip. Mary, freed and standing up as if it was all just a dream.

“So, try to refrain from saying things that don’t need saying.”

“That’s a difficult task.”

“Well, you manage it however you like.”

In the end, it was always the talker who got into trouble for uttering unnecessary things. Instead, Karem decided to raise a more nourishing question.

“What should I prepare for breakfast?”

“Hmm, surprise me with an Earth Apple.”

“That’s easy enough! Oh, shall I grab this one?”

“Ah—”

The Earth Apple, both rare and versatile, was something typically not consumed as it bore little resemblance to potatoes.

And the number of dishes that could be made from potatoes was infinite.

Conversely, the sheer number of possibilities made it a daunting task.

 

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