Chapter 250: Eve and Trump |
The Pioneering Association was too small.
This problem proved to be a bigger challenge than I had anticipated.
When I briefly talked to our employees about the outsourcing proposal proposed by Ramon, they responded with all hands in favor. There was also strong support for increasing the base of activities to Nambonan City.
There are various inconveniences when working in Newnelly City. There have been many times in the past when I couldn’t proceed based on my will alone, and had to consult my father and the knights. As a result of these consultations, several plans had been abandoned.
Considering that point, it is easier for me to move around in Nambonan City. The vested interests that were rooted in the city have been destroyed by the war, and the chain of command for the officials seconded from Quordenze has become one with me as the Mayor at the top. There is a very wide range of things that I can do at my discretion.
Above all, the employees seemed to be very attracted to the energy, vitality, and enthusiasm that Nambonan City has. The number of Nambonan merchants visiting Newnelly City had increased rapidly recently, so they must be hearing rumors here and there. Some employees were struck by this enthusiasm and strongly desired to take on a challenge in a new field.
In that case, I decided to introduce Ramon. I wasn’t sure if the gears would mesh properly with a civil officer in between, and I didn’t have time to keep playing the message game.
In the end, he gave up when I said, [Be smart, and clean your own mess]. That was a few days ago.
[I’m putting out a pair of 6.]
[I pass.]
[I’ll pass too.]
[In that case, here’s 7.]
That’s why the employees seemed to be making good plans at the moment.
A project to establish a new Nambonan branch office has been launched, and work is progressing at a rapid pace, encompassing not only the headquarters but also the production department.
Of course, not all business will be brought to Nambonan City. Although there are disadvantages to working in Newnelly, there are also many advantages that are not found in other cities. Most of the employees are Newnelly residents, so unless the project is too adventurous, it’s generally easier to do it locally.
It will take a lot of time and effort to sort out what is better to continue in Newnelly City and what is better to move to Nambonan City. Thanks to this, the Pioneering Association is now in such turmoil that there isn’t even room for Eve to get involved.
[Uu~…..]
Eve was groaning as she looked at the cards in her hand.
Eve had been depressed for quite a while because she couldn’t find her mother in the capital, but recently she has been regaining her energy. The other day, I asked her to play cards and she came along pretty quickly. I think Eve probably got tired of feeling depressed, or rather, she got tired of being depressed.
[12 then…]
Since then, whenever I had free time, I invited Eve to play cards.
This morning I was just going to have a chat, but Eve was occasionally peeking at the box of playing cards and seemed like she wanted to play, so I decided to play with her for a little while.
This is also part of the strategy to increase goodwill.
Eve’s view of me has changed considerably since I promised to continue searching for her mother, and above all because I sacrificed myself to protect her from Orshian. Now is the time to actively engage with her and make her feel more familiar with me. That leads to the next thing.
Of all the games that involve playing cards, Eve says that she likes the millionaire the most. As expected, it’s boring with just me and Eve, so I invite three maids to play as players every time.
Eve, who had just placed two cards showing 12 on the table, was cautiously watching the other players’ movements. When she confirmed that everyone else passed without dropping any cards, her expression suddenly brightened.
[I did it! Next time it’s me.]
Eve brought out four cards at the same time as she moved the cards that had been placed into play to the corner.
[Revolution!]
Cards with the number 5 on them were lined up on the table.
[Are you guys going to pass? You’re passing, right?]
It’s so cute to see her having fun. Once we start playing, she seems to gradually forget her fear of me, and I often see her in her true form.
It is a man’s nature to want to mess with a girl who is acting up. I intentionally looked at Eve and grinned.
[What a shame.]
I dropped down four cards in my hand, showing 9s onto the field.
[Ahh!]
It may not matter, but Millionaire is a game with many local rules.
In my previous life, when I was in high school, I remember playing Millionaire with my friends, and the mysterious rules kept coming up one after another, and things got ridiculous. For the time being, as I am the inventor of the game “Millionaire” on the Eruo continent, so the rules that I used to play are now official.
According to the regular rules of Eruo continent version of the millionaire, the revolution is still considered incomplete when four cards with the same number are put into play. In other words, the power in relation to numbers has not yet been reversed. That’s why I can return the revolution set submitted in 5 with a set of 9. And because the appropriate measures were taken, Eve’s revolution did not take place.
I don’t have many cards left. Even if the Eve’s revolution were to take place, the current status of the wealthy people would not be shaken. However, if the great poor player has gambled on a glimmer of hope and launched a desperate revolution with weak cards, the rich player should crush it with stronger cards and force reality into the situation. It’s like role-playing to make the millionaire game even more enjoyable.
[The revolution will be suppressed. We will purge it.]
[Aaaaaaaaah! No way…]
Poor Eve seemed to have lost her chance of winning, and was unable to escape from the Great Poverty. Even so, I was unable to become a millionaire because my plan for dealing with the other was severely disrupted due to my pointless counter-argument to pander to Eve.
After that, we continued to play several times, and as I became a poor man, the maid became a millionaire, and Eve returned to being a millionaire, it was time for lunch.
==========
[Would it be alright if we inspected the castle grounds in the afternoon?]
As I was waiting for my after-dinner tea, a civilian official asked me this question.
[That’s what I’m planning on doing. It looks like there will be a social gathering this year as well.]
According to rumors, another social gathering will be held in the Royal Capital Levios this year. It wasn’t the large gathering that was held in May, where all the Kingdom’s Nobles gathered, but a regular social gathering that was held every year, with voluntary participation. By getting through the social gathering season as usual, the Levios Kingdom is probably trying to show everyone around them that nothing has changed due to the incident.
My father predicted that the event would be held in August, as usual. If they move their schedule forward, people may think they don’t have time or that they’re in a hurry. The Levios family is also in trouble.
Rather than resuming the interrupted May social gathering, my father also said that there would be no particularly big event, as the main focus would be reporting and sharing information after the incident. That’s why I plan not to participate. The same will probably happen to the next Heads of the Adellahan family, the Zeldomitra family, and the Millendorva family.
Although it has been decided that I will be house-sitting at Quordenze, I have no intention of being absent-minded. I’m well aware that the Pioneering Association is busy, but I think it would be great if I could prepare a new piece of white pottery and give it to my father. If you used the same equipment as the social gathering in May, people would think we are lacking in talent.
[…That’s why I wanted to remind you once again about the production of vessels, but would it be better to stay in the castle? Father has just been away.]
The day before yesterday, my father left Newnelly.
The purpose is to have a meeting with the Zeldomitra family. Apparently, they had been approached to have a meeting between the top executives once again before the social season began in the Royal Capital. It seemed that my father had something on his mind, and he responded accordingly.
The meeting will take place not in Quordenze territory or Zeldomitra territory, but in the territory of a weak Noble family between them. My father said that because they both had respect for each other, they were afraid of either party calling the other to their territory.
[No, Young Master, there is no problem in spending your time as usual. Master should have finished his meeting by now and is heading to Hartinos City. He will probably be back here within a few days.]
[Is that so?]
When asked why he checked the schedule every time, the civil officer glanced at Eve for a moment. Since we ate lunch together, she was also waiting for her tea to arrive. I asked him not to worry about it and to continue.
[Yes. Lupetta-dono has sent a message.]
[Lupetta has? What is it about?]
[I haven’t heard the details. She only said that she would talk to Young Master directly…]
According to the story, Lupetta came to the military base in Newnelly City this morning to look for me. Apparently, the military officer who responded knew Lupetta’s face, but as expected, he only said, [Yes, I’ll inform him right away]. A Noble isn’t someone who you can meet at your beck and call after all.
[Then, I’ll see her in the afternoon.]
But of course I’m different. When a cute woman calls me, I come.
[Are you sure, Young Master?]
[I also want to meet Lupetta for the first time in a while. Please call her to the villa.]
It’s already been a week since I first held Cynthia, and so far she has been going to work without missing a day. Perfect attendance award. There were days when I called her during the day and days when I called her at night, but I was hooked on the tolerant power produced by that overwhelming amount of milk. A very strong big breasts boom had arrived.
That’s why I was thinking of calling her today, but my mood changed the moment I heard Lupetta’s name. After enjoying Cynthia’s soft, voluptuous, and plump body, I felt like I would deeply appreciate the goodness of Lupetta, who in a sense was the complete opposite. I’m sure there’s nothing wrong with this intuition.
[What is it?]
As I was thinking about how to best taste Lupetta, I noticed Eve’s eyes staring at me.
[…I also want to go to the villa.]
[Do you want to meet Mimon and Minith?]
Eve silently nodded.
Apparently she intended to inform Mimon the bad news that she went to the capital but couldn’t find her mother. Her expression was gloomy when she told me that.
Perhaps this was the biggest reason why she had been holed up in the castle until now. It’s natural to feel bad when you’re suffering from misfortune, but some people may feel intense pain if someone close to them finds out about it. You might say that you’re sorry for worrying them, but saying it out loud may only bring back the bad feelings… Eve in particular seems like a girl who is easy to sympathize with, and if Mimon feels sad, I’m sure Eve herself will be depressed too. From the outside, this is a truly fruitless cycle of misfortune.
[I’m continuing to search for you mother… Trust me, I’ll definitely find her.]
I moved to Eve’s side, put my hand on her shoulder, and whispered softly. Actually, I won’t find anything, but I don’t miss the chance to show myself as a dependable man.
[Master…]
Eve stared at me. As I waited for a while, I felt a strange sensation that slowly warmed my heart.
It is the magic power release of goodwill. Although the amount of magic power was extremely small, it could be felt from this distance. It’s a simple, fleeting, pure emotion. Although she hadn’t completely relaxed her guard against me yet, I can feel her trust in me growing day by day.
I retaliated by concentrating strongly and releasing the magic power mixed with goodwill.
[Nn.]
Eve narrowed her eyes and accepted my favor. I wondered how many times this has happened since she returned to Newnelly City, and I feel like she’s gotten used to this exchange.
[Fuuhh.]
On the contrary, I have become more dangerous. Stimulated by her goodwill, my magic power was about to burst out along with my emotions. After all, what I’m doing is nothing more than releasing magic power, so compared to the emotional transmission magic used by Eve and Raeve, the accuracy is incomparably worse.
Moreover, when I was communicating with my heart like this, my passion for Eve was stimulated just the right way. But if I attack her here, all the work that I have done up until now will be wasted. I absolutely had to control myself, but I was so horny that I couldn’t help it.
[Let’s have some tea and then go to the castle town together.]
[Yes.]
No matter what, I want to meet Raeve as soon as possible. By comparing Eve’s and Raeve’s emotional transmission magic in terms of magic power sense, I may be able to gain the knowledge to master it.
The quickest way would be to bring Raeve to Newnelly City, but that would be dangerous. Eve is currently in a state where no magic seal has been placed on her. At worst, there was a possibility that Rave would be caught by the detection magic that Eve casually activated. Since the conditions are the same, the reverse pattern in which Raeve discovers Eve is also quite possible. Either way, I want to avoid any unintended encounters.
[Forgive me for the waiting.]
I took a sip of the hot tea the maid had brewed and thought about it again.
As expected, it is necessary for mother and child to be reunited. As early as possible.
The current Raeve is lying to me about her past, and in this state I can’t get her past story out properly. In order to conduct in-depth interviews about life in the Mist Land and the attack on Orshian, it is necessary to remove the setting of “Raeve, an unmarried woman” and reveal the truth which is “Raeve, Eve’s biological mother”.
[Fuh…]
I was the one who forced Raeve to lie about her past, so I was the one who sowed the seeds myself. Well, sowing seeds in Raeve was very pleasant and fun, so I don’t regret it now.
[…?]
Eve had a strange look on her face when she saw me suddenly laughing. I didn’t see any signs of caution there.
At this rate, the day when we can make oyakodon a reality may not be far away. In preparation for the reunion of mother and child, I should at least send a letter to Raeve.
