NOVEL NEXT Chapter 193
You should leave from here whether you plan to or not.
I hid my true thoughts and smiled.
“I was planning to go to the magical plant garden soon. I intend to spend most of the vacation there.”
“
Ah
, I heard you were planning to manage a garden. It seems you’re serious about running it.”
“Yes, well. That was the plan.”
Magical animals are influenced by magical plants. That’s why magical beasts also appear in places where there are magical plants.
I wanted to create a space where magical animals could rest comfortably and where commoners could work safely.
But my plans have been delayed due to Ozworld’s arrival.
I feigned concern and asked, “It seems like Marquis has been staying here since you arrived in the capital. Is it alright to leave your mansion unattended for so long?”
Go home, please.
Ozworld pondered for a moment with a thoughtful expression and then nodded slowly. “Without a mistress, I do need to look after the house myself. It seems I have left the mansion unattended for too long.”
Why is he agreeing with me? Was he planning to return to his mansion soon?
While I was brightening up at the thought, Raul chimed in. “After all, it’s just a house to stay in during the social season, isn’t it? There’s not much to manage, right?”
Raul seemed to hope that Ozworld would stay in the duchy for a longer period. Indeed, the atmosphere at the duchy had been warm and pleasant since Ozworld’s arrival. There had been no dull moments, even without hosting parties.
Raul dislikes hosting parties.
But delaying parties indefinitely wasn’t feasible. Hosting lavish parties was the most surefire and traditional way to display wealth. Moreover, the number of guests invited to a party indicated the host’s influence and power.
Just as grades determine rank at Valhalla, actions during the social season determine a family’s status. Raul, however, disliked such practices, considering them vulgar.
The original Theresa was a party animal who loved parties.
Hence, there was always friction between the two. Regardless, Raul needed to host several parties, whether he liked it or not, and attend the imperial ball as if it were his own home. Perhaps that’s why he wanted to keep a friend he liked by his side.
“How about staying here during the social season?”
I desperately hoped I would avoid that.
Then Roseanne came to the rescue. “Honey, you do realize we have two unmarried daughters in the house, right?”
If Ozworld stayed with the family throughout the social season, society would assume he would definitely marry one of them.
Raul clicked his tongue in disappointment, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Then, Ozworld, who had been silent, spoke up as if to settle the matter. “I have been too negligent of my household affairs; it seems best for me to return to my mansion now.”
Everyone tried to hide their disappointment. Especially the females, whose dismay was indescribable. Even if Roseanne opposed Ozworld staying with the family, she couldn’t hide her disappointment as she said, “If the Marquis returns to your mansion, the social circle will become noisily active. An unmarried, wealthy, and handsome noble is like a golden apple, isn’t it?”
That made me ponder the male leads.
Considering they’re all gathered around me, there’s a famine of handsome men if counted by number.
Clybe and Demisa were added out of necessity, but they would’ve probably appeared naturally anyway. There were only three handsome men at school, including Ilya.
Giuseppe is handsome too, but he’s still too young.
Given the scarcity of remarkably handsome, marriageable noblemen, it’s natural that everyone’s attention is drawn to them. While lost in these thoughts, Ozworld made an unexpected proposal.
“So, how about Miss Theresa visits my mansion this time?”
Ding!
[Quest: Invitation from Marquis Vallensia]
▸
Reward: Slight increase in affection
▸
Failure: Significant decrease in affection
Why is he suddenly trying to take me to his mansion?
As I hesitated to answer, Ozworld looked slightly disappointed and explained why he made the offer. “It seems that what I brought did not quite capture Miss Theresa’s interest, which concerned me.” Despite forcing the issue with a quest, his words were smooth.
What should I do?
The likeability of the male leads directly affects the gameplay. Especially with someone as dangerous as Ozworld, there could be penalties. That’s why I diligently completed all quests that came up so far.
But this is a different matter.
Watching us, Roseanne encouraged me with a slightly excited expression. “Go ahead, Theresa. It won’t be bad for you.”
“
Huh
?”
“Rumors are rife that Professor Bernstein is interested in you. Adding a distinguished competitor like Marquis Vallensia would greatly enhance your position in society. Just make sure to return before dinner.”
Roseanne’s advice was to use whatever rumors were already circulating to our advantage. It was a decision befitting the lady of a duchy.
Influence in society directly translates to power. Although it’s not what I wanted, it wasn’t unnecessary either.
A higher reputation in society makes the gameplay much smoother.
Ding!
[The Constellation ‘If It’s Boring, I’ll Change the Channel’ has sponsored 1,000,000 coins.]
[Ozworld’s house?! It’s never revealed even in Pantheon, I’m curious ><.]
Ding!
[The Constellation ‘I Only Wander Around Top 10 Channels’ has sponsored 1,000,000 coins.]
[Sounds fun~]
Certainly, since Ozworld started interfering with the broadcast, the number of constellations I hadn’t seen before had increased significantly. What they were curious about was one thing: Ozworld.
[Sponsorship: 335,843,000 coins]
Even with Ozworld merely staying in the duchy for a week without any special events, nearly 40 million coins had accumulated. And the sponsorships were still pouring in real-time.
At this rate, I might be able to buy the wish ticket.
With a wish ticket, it would be possible to resurrect Clyde. Thinking this, my heart, which had been parched, pulsed vigorously with energy. Even if it weren’t for the wish ticket, I would have accepted the offer to kick Ozworld out of the mansion.
I genuinely eagerly replied, “Sure. Let’s go together.”
Ozworld nodded with a smug smile as if he knew I would agree. “Let’s depart immediately.”
* * *
The journey to Marquis Vallensia’s mansion was much shorter than I expected. When the carriage suddenly stopped, I thought there was a problem, but upon opening the window and discovering the mansion, my eyes widened.
“Is this Marquis’s mansion?”
Ozworld approached the window, leading the horse, and replied, “Do you like it?”
“… It’s wonderful.”
As the carriage door opened, I stepped out, mesmerized, and looked around. Across the bridge, the white walls and blue roofs of the magical school Valhalla were visible. This location, not developed in the game, meant Ozworld deliberately built a mansion in a secluded spot.
How is this even possible?
Well. If creating a world from nothing is possible, conjuring a mansion out of thin air would be trivial. I stepped into the sturdily built mansion.
Ding!
[Quest: Marquis Vallensia’s Invitation completed]
▸
Reward: Slight increase in affection
Though smaller than the duchy, the mansion was large enough to require dozens of servants to maintain. Yet, there was almost no sign of life.
Just like the castle where Ozworld stayed in Pantheon.
Then, someone swiftly descended from above, landing softly in front of me. Surprised for a moment, I exclaimed, “
Huh?
”
Handsome twins with green hair and yellow eyes looked at me.
“Are you Kike and Benito?”
The twins I knew were supposed to look like middle school boys?
Both responded simultaneously, “It’s been a while, Miss.”
Ding!
[The Constellation ‘Exploring Ozworld’s World’ has sponsored 1,000,000 coins.]
[Wow, the famous twins make an appearance.]
I couldn’t hide my astonishment. “When did you grow so much? Do dragons grow quickly? But how is this possible when not much time has passed?”
Kike, with a single teardrop mark, said with a slightly pale face, “Miss is as noisy as ever.” Meanwhile, Benito, with two teardrop marks, had already covered his ears.
Despite their grown size, the charming features of the cute boys I knew were still evident, and I felt a surge of joy. I had hoped to see them again but never expected it would actually happen, and I embraced them both with a wide smile. “I missed you.”
The twins responded indifferently with a “Yeah,” but I could sense they were strangely happy to see me.
Whoosh!
I was embracing the twins when suddenly I was lifted into the air. Baffled, I looked at the person who casually held me by the waist. Needless to say, the person who committed this rudeness was Ozworld. He looked at me with disdain.
“Do you not realize that hugging another man in front of your target might cause a problem with likeability?”
“I was just happy to see them.”
Ozworld brought his face close, warning me in a threatening tone. “I don’t like that.”