Living as an Unemployed in Another World

19 – Interlude – 1

The room was quiet. There was light, but no sound. The sunlight filtering through the cracks in the curtains was shining on the old man wrapped in thick clothes.

It was an old man. However, considering that he is now only over 40, the term old-timer may not be right. In the eyes of others, he has just passed the halfway point of his life. Even more so, when it comes to dwarves and elves, there will often be cases where they treat him like a newborn baby.

However, he thought to himself that the days of his own life were short. Neither the doctor who was called the doctor nor the high-ranking priests who had been called by paying a lot of money could not find any problems with his health, but they believed him so firmly.

Perhaps it was because he actually believed that, and indeed, the man’s sunken eyes were deeply wrinkled. It is hard to believe that he is a middle-aged man at the age of 40.

Then, what is the price of aging, a shorter life than others? The man already knew the cause. He looked up.

However, he was by no means an immoral lord. He wasn’t even a vicious aristocrat. He didn’t conscript the people as needed, didn’t collect excessive taxes, and didn’t turn a blind eye to those dying from monsters. As a nobleman, a man with the earldom bestowed by the king, he never cheated.

“…… After.”

With his sigh, he looked at the papers lying on the desk in his office. Numerous reports whose wax has not yet hardened. All of them were filled with things related to the territory he ruled.

Monsters, floods, droughts, disasters, dungeons, adventurers……. The world was still in chaos, and the territory he ruled could not escape the chaos. After his child was born, he devoted sixteen years to this vast land, but stability never lasted long.

If, right now, you stop breathing tonight, who can solve these problems? Wise vassals? Butler? They have wisdom, but no authority. The only daughter has an impeccable character, but lacks the wisdom of life.

At times like this, if only you were there. The man who had grown old too quickly groaned. As he looked at the framed portrait hanging in the middle of his room, he heard a knock at the door.

“Come in.”

Are you the butler? As soon as the door opens, a skinny man crosses the office with an upright gait. He was obviously ten years older than he was, but he looked younger now. And…… Before the door closes, a beautiful girl with soft blue-green hair sticks her head out from behind him.

“Alicia.”

“hehehe, father.”

The eyebrows that were frowning when looking at the head butler and the report carried around his waist widen without wrinkles when he found his only daughter. Even inside the mansion, she wears an informal thin dress and shoes that seem to reveal her free spirit. Resembling her widowed wife, her sophisticated features and beauty that cannot be hidden will surely attract envy from both men and women. The man stood up from his seat and embraced his daughter as he approached.

“Sorry. When I informed him that I was on my way to the lord, he said he wanted to follow me…….”

“Okay. Let’s hear what you have in your hand later.”

He put Alicia, the grown-up young lady, on her lap like her ten-year-old, her little lady, and turned the chair round and round. Even though it was an act that could not be found in the slightest dignity as an aristocrat, the head butler did not care and placed the scroll he had brought on top of the numerous reports piled on the desk.

“Yes, Alicia. What are you doing today?”

“Yes? Did I just come here to see my father?”

“Gee, Alicia. This dad is tired in many ways because he has a lot of work to do. He thinks it would be better for you if he gets to the point quickly.”

The man laughed at his daughter who smiled brightly, bending her eyes like a crescent moon. Apart from having her grow up loving her, pampering her and seeing only the good in her, her own only child grew up to be her true cunning. Even though she knew better than anyone how much her own father loved her, he acted like this when she wanted something or asked for it. Of course, it goes without saying that he is also responsible in that he has no intention of rejecting the temptation.

“Artifact.”

“Hmm?”

“An artifact that my father brought from the dungeon this time! I want to take a look too!”

“Alicia, that is… ….”

“Earrings with beautiful jewels on them, right? I heard you defeated a giant snake and got your hands on it! I’ve never had my ears pierced, so it might be a little painful——At a tea party not too long ago, Becky said that earrings are a noble lady’s skill!”

Alicia pounded her foot on the floor with her blue eyes shining. Who else is Becky, one of her ladies-in-waiting, or is he another noblewoman? If it’s the latter, he’ll tell her to stay away from her, and if it’s the former, he’ll have to scold her. The Count said, pressing his wrinkled eyes with his fingers.

“Alicia, being interested in accessories that adorn the body, well, I don’t know if it’s a serious skill for a woman. Unfortunately, I cannot grant you that request.”

“Why?”

“That’s because the effect has not yet been fully elucidated. If it affects your body in the slightest, I, as a father, must forbid contact with it…… If you simply want earrings, I’ll tell the head maid later and give you the key to the jewelry box.”

“Phi.”

Alicia hops on the man’s lap while puffing up her cheeks cutely. He felt regret at the moment, but he was in no position to grant her daughter’s wishes unconditionally. Perhaps she was going to leave her office in a pout, but as she walked forward with unstoppable steps, she turned her heels around like a dancer and looked back at her father.

“Well then, I have another request.”

“What is it?”

“Let me meet people! The adventurer who cut off a huge snake in the dungeon where the earring was! He handed over the artifact to his father, right? What kind of person you are, I want to meet you too!”

The Count exchanged glances with the butler standing in front of Alicia for a moment. He seemed to think for a moment, then nodded his head with an ambiguous expression on his face. He let out a small sigh so her daughter couldn’t hear, and nodded his head a couple of times.

“…… Yes, I’ll talk to the guild when I get a chance.”

“Wow! Thanks father!”

As soon as Alicia heard her answer, she bowed her head without hesitation and left her office with her swift steps. The Count lowered her head only after she left her room and listened to the sound of her footsteps moving away from her hallway.

“You are getting more and more clever, even though you are my daughter, who do you look like?”

“Isn’t that the lord? For reference, none of our maids have a child named Becky.”

“Then it must be a nickname. Where did you hear about adventurers?”

“It must be one of the servants. Lady Alicia, does she like sagas in the first place?”

The Count sighed again. Alicia, a daughter who doesn’t hurt even if you put it in her eyes. She was sickly from birth, and until she was five years old, she was so severely handicapped that she couldn’t even walk on her own. At that time, she mobilized all her family’s strength, invited famous doctors from the royal capital, and poured countless goods into the church, but she said that no consecration or treatment could ever improve her condition. There was no In nearly ten years, the only thing she’d found out was that there was a curse attached to her body.

One day when he gave up everything and lived in despair day by day, the last ray of hope he put on was the . A new religion that secretly spread among the court aristocrats of the royal capital. A suspicious place that serves something from another dimension, not the most powerful and benevolent goddess! Of course, according to the royal capital’s law, religions that do not serve the goddess are treated as heretical, and simply joining a religious order becomes a burden against the royal family. However, that place was the only salvation for the Count. Alicia’s handicap was cured by the church’s priest who visited on the condition that she promise absolute service to the church.

But there is a price to pay for any magic. The count himself became the candle that extended her daughter’s life, and the more she grew up, the more she became obliged to give her own life. There were no regrets. But…… Unlike herself who had already enjoyed her youthful days, her one and only daughter, the moment she fulfills her mission, she will again be entangled in her curse and become prodigious again.

One day, the priest of the church came to him again and proposed to him, who was suffering from such worries and the years that other people’s stomachs came quickly. He promised to prolong the count’s life if he retrieved the artifacts from the dungeons that occurred in the west mine and handed them over free of charge. Of course, he had no choice. From the day she tied the curse to her daughter’s body through her own lifespan, ‘absolute service’ had been decided.

Yes, it’s all because of that artifact. What is that bastard’s earring! He was prepared to do anything for his daughter, who wouldn’t hurt even if he put it in his eyes, but he had no intention of robbing the treasure to the extent of violating the rules of adventurers. That’s why I was about to block their entry for a while and use all the remaining funds to arrange a party in the royal capital where Is located to attack the dungeon…….

“What is the name of the adventurer Alicia talked about?”

“Gerald is an adventurer. He said he’s a good swordsman who uses a bastard sword.”

“What did the guild say? In terms of the fact that we resumed the dungeon raid ahead of schedule.”

“There was no explanation for that part. Before the guild’s work increased any more than this, he said he only sent an investigation team once again…….”

“Even if they carried an item as a countermeasure against mental interference magic, what could be the reason why they succeeded when other adventurers had failed so far? …… Thanks to you, things went wrong. The Party is not someone you can call at any time. Because of this, I’m going to have a complete break with the guild of the royal capital.”

As adventurers other than them succeeded in clearing the dungeon, the requested party was left in vain, the down payment went out as planned, and a huge amount of gold was handed over to the guild to bring the artifact. I never thought that the goods were a waste now, but there was no guarantee that this would not happen in the future. If you are a talented person who can cause a variable, you need to keep an eye on him.

“When Alicia and her friends meet, you will be with them. Don’t forget to take a look if you think you can maintain a good relationship.”

“Yes.”

“And…… On the last day of the last month, who volunteered as a Shinto?”

“This is the lady-in-waiting who served on the lady until last month. She says her old grandmother and brother live alone in Cornfield.”

“…… Alicia will miss you. When her carriage comes, take her quietly.”

“Okay.”

With a thump, the office door closed, and silence fell over the room again.

The Count never made fun of his mouth when he was alone. Everything was karma. He had to chew his silence so that he would not run away from his sins.

He had long since abandoned his duty as a human being.