Chapter 631: Andy’s monarchy
In the garden of the 「Celesta Mansion」, there is a workshop that was built almost exclusively for me. It is fully equipped with blacksmithing tools, furnaces, and materials. If I wanted to, I could make swords, armor and anything else I wanted. As expected, there are no precious materials like the ones brought by the elves or old man Dan, but anyway, I can’t handle it now. It’s a great workshop for one person, but at the limit of my blacksmithing abilities, I can only repair weapons and make accessories at best. It’s a bit of a waste. When I told Tetes about it……she said, 「Considering Master’s achievements, no one will get this much as a reward」. But that’s not it. I’m embarrassed that I haven’t caught up with the fine facilities. It’s like getting the fastest horse in town when I’ve only just learned how to turn a horse left and right and make it stop. ……Yeah. That’s about all I can do when I ride a horse by myself. I can’t even make him run at full speed.
Well, that’s it.
“Master, isn’t this……a warehouse?”
“When I entered the grounds of the 「Celesta Mansion」, the way I was addressed changed from 「You」 to「My Lord」. I’m glad to see that you’ve got the right attitude out there”
“It may seem that way because no one comes near, but this is a workshop. Sir Buster prepared it for me”
“Buster……”
“Oh, I see……I guess Emma doesn’t know the relationships between the people here”
“I understand that he is the man who took Neia Grans earlier……”
“He is the de facto supreme military commander of this country. And this country is basically run by the military……or rather, by monster hunting, so I think he’s a powerful man on par with the queen”
“I see……”
Now that I think about it, Emma didn’t have much contact with Sir Buster during the operation to subjugate Kalwin, because she was injured at the Crystal Palace and couldn’t come out. That was pretty much her first time seeing him. The fact that she doesn’t ask about each person’s orientation or what they’re facing is probably because she’s not interested or is being shy.
“Thanks to his handiwork, we were able to rent this mansion to our unit and even if the dragons rode in, they wouldn’t cause a scene”
“So he’s someone we should respect in his own way”
“I said he’s a powerful person on par with the queen……”
“The head of a human city is not much of an opponent compared to the rider of a dragon. The actual Lord destroyed the queen of the valley of Krlwin, while using Rainer”
“Basically, I don’t go after such powerful people unless it’s really necessary!? The great ones are great because they do great things!?”
“But……aren’t there several elven leaders who are subordinate to you, Master? They’re equivalent to queens and princesses”
“That’s their hobby, so leave them alone. It’s not like I’ve made them realize that I’m more powerful than them. It’s not like I believe in making great people submit to me”
Emma still seemed to misunderstand my taste. Well, basically, I cooperated with her with the information that she is more moderate than Rainer and does the right thing in terms of dragon riders and then I heard about the subsequent drama through eavesdropping and after that we just had a lot of sex. ……I’m not sure I have a reason to know the detailed criteria yet.
“I don’t really hate being below others. In the human world, there’s a saying that the right person is in the right place and being above others means that you have more worries than others”
I dust off the forge and selects tools and metal materials. I don’t fire up the furnace yet. I haven’t finished with everyone’s dinner yet. I just wanted to make sure this place was usable before that.
“Great people have the knowledge and experience to stay in their position. I don’t have any of that and I don’t particularly want any of it. If you don’t like the world so much, maybe you want to do something about it, but I don’t want to have to go through all that trouble just to avoid being told what to do……”
“I guess that’s how it is……”
“Controlling other people means that you have to manage them instead of having freedom that they don’t have. I respect those who do it. From my point of view, the cost is not worth the return at all”
You have to deal with all kinds of grudges from all kinds of people, collect taxes, and deal with all kinds of problems that keep popping up here and there. Being a lord or a politician is a never-ending job. Even if you make a little fortune, you can’t just live off the money. It is not easy to do a little work, make a little money, and retire comfortably. Isn’t that too low a ratio of enjoyment in life? Looking at the Baron, I think it would be pretty easy to do, but I don’t think I could take responsibility for all the jobs he does around town. I can’t imagine how many things I would have to take care of to run a country, since I think so even for a single town. I am sure that no matter how much money I get paid under such conditions, I will never lead a happier life than a blacksmith. No, even blacksmiths have to work hard and I’m not saying that just being a blacksmith will make you happy, but it’s not true.
“But if there are people who are happy doing it, I’m sure there must be a way to find a balance that makes it enjoyable. I don’t want to stand on top of those who are doing the hard work and I don’t want to get in the way of them. I may be better than anyone else in the dragon world, but that doesn’t mean I’m proud to shake up human society”
“……You think about it a lot, don’t you?”
“Really? Maybe I’m just keeping my hands up because I don’t want to think about anything else”
“I don’t think that’s okay. Same for Rainer”
I don’t think that’s the case. For example, even though Yufa-san is a dragon rider, I’ve never seen her being proud of it or acting tough.
“I have heard that there are many dragon riders hiding out in the world. I wonder if those people have the same kind of moderate thinking”
“Most riders in the world just accept their relationship with the dragon as a personal one and focus on not disturbing those around them. If they stand out too much, they’ll be called evil dragon riders”
“Maybe I’m similar”
“I don’t think the Lord is in that place already”
“……I guess”
“There are already many situations that we could have gotten through if we had just pretended not to see them. Even if that meant giving up on saving someone. ……It’s a lot of riders who pretend not to know in those situations”
“……Eh. Isn’t that something to complain about on the dragon’s side?”
“No. When the rider is holding back, the dragon is not forced to use force to solve the problem. The dragon has a heart that can give up if it is not the rider”
“…………”
Now that she mentions it, I’ve often recklessly and greedily challenged strong opponents. Is it normal for a rider to say 「I’ll stop」 in situations like that?
“Lord has the courage not to take a step back against someone he should be fighting, yet he is willing to be under someone else’s thumb who can control him if he wants to. I think that is a rational decision”
“……I’m just familiar with the ease of being under someone else’s thumb originally”
I still can’t get used to the praise and I turn my back on it. I’ve left it alone for a few months, so there’s a thin layer of dust everywhere. Dusting it off is just the right way to hide my embarrassment. But, well. Is that how the hidden dragon riders in the world live? Looking at Laila and the others who are so eager to be helpful, I can’t help but think that they might be disappointed with such an attitude, but then again, even dragon riders have a personal relationship with their partners, so it’s not as if they just want to be with their partners quietly. If you just want to be with your partner quietly, is it an option to avoid heroic actions altogether? It was a bit of a blind spot. After dusting off the dust with such emotion, I was about to say, let’s get down to business, I’ll make you an accessory here……when I was surprised to see Emma suddenly taking off her clothes.
“Eh, Emma?”
“……Eh?”
Emma, who had folded the clothes she was wearing and was arranging them on the workbench, was surprised to see my surprised face. By the way, she was already wearing only panties. After a short pause, I saw Emma blush and I quickly remembered what I had said and done. Umm. I said, 「I’m going to thank you」 and brought her here. I don’t do any particular work, just some light cleaning. Emma just joined the group the other day, so she doesn’t know much about me making accessories or anything. ……Maybe she thought I said 「Thank you」 and she thought I was going to do something erotic with her……?
“Ah, e, emm, that……w, wasn’t……what I meant, was it?”
And I instantly judge.
“No, it wasn’t like that……emm, I wanted to undress myself”
I’m accepting the female slaves on the basis that 「Doing erotic things is what I’m supposed to do」. Emma was willing to do that and she was aggressive in places where people didn’t see or come in. That should be something to be praised, not condemned. Then don’t let that aggressiveness develop into something to be ashamed of. It’s pathetic, isn’t it?
“Eh, amm……so, taking off clothes is……your hobby, Master?”
“Usually I just take off their panties, not everyone does it all the time, but girls like Emma……who are still naive, I want to slowly strip them with my own hands”
I insist with a straight face. Emma looked obviously relieved (though mistakenly) when she realized that she wasn’t trying to be an airhead and get erotic, but now she seemed concerned that she hadn’t lived up to my expectations and rushed to put on her clothes. I felt uncomfortable restraining her, as if I was disrespecting her and I watched in silence. Within 20 seconds, Emma had put her original clothes back on. Then she stood erect with a slightly nervous look on her face. The first time I saw her, I thought it was a bit ridiculous, but since I had started the conversation, I couldn’t let her go.
“…………”
“……Emma. I know it’s a little late now, but……is it okay if I do something nasty to thank you for saving me?”
“……O, Of course……I wouldn’t mind it!”
The fact that Emma keeps changing her mind makes me feel like I’m being extremely unreasonable……but at least I’m doing it out of courtesy. I’m not going to be able to do this without looking like I’m doing it out of obligation.
“Then I’ll take it off”
“……Y, Yes……”
I remove the clothes she just put on and strip Emma naked in the middle of the workshop. ……Come to think of it, Emma is still a virgin. I don’t know what to do.