Are You Going to Break off the Engagement and Expel Me at the Same Time? ~I’m an Alchemist Who’s End

Chapter 4: The Lord of the house!?

Clatter, clatter, clatter…

With the sound of the wheels running on the uneven ground, I look out the window of the carriage, which occasionally wobbles.

A wilderness covered with trees, everything green.

I have come with Brother Thomas to a distant land, far from the Capital and Sybel.

“I’m sorry it took us so long to get there. It’s a long way from here, even by carriage.”

“No. I’m rather surprised. I didn’t know you were a lord.”

“Haha, I was surprised myself. You never know what life will throw at you.”

He smiles broadly.

House Flanrod, that’s the name of the noble family on the border that took him in.

Just as I had become a member of the nobility, he had become one without knowing it.

The reason he was taken in is almost the same.

They needed an heir and were looking for an adopted son.

We had lost contact with each other because the family that had taken him in was a nobleman in a remote area.

He told me that he had given up because he was too far away to send letters and he was too busy with his daily life.

“I had intended to visit you soon. But when I learned that you had been selected for the court, I knew I couldn’t lose. The next time I see you, I want to meet you with an open mind so I can brag about it.”

“Fufu, you’re still as stubborn as ever.”

“But I’ve grown up now, haven’t I? As you can see, I’ve grown up.”

“Yes. You feel like a man now.”

Five years have passed since we last met.

How can a person grow so much in just five years?

“I’ve grown up too, haven’t I?”

“Yes. You are beautiful.”

“Uh, yeah… Thank you.”

“Why are you so shy?”

Because you so brazenly tell me how beautiful I am…

He’s always been the type to say what he feels, and that hasn’t changed.

In a way, I’m relieved.

He may have changed, but he’s still the same.

“But are you sure? If I suddenly appeared, wouldn’t the people in your house be upset?”

“Don’t worry about it. I am the Lord now. Last year, the man who took me in, my father… passed away, “

“Oh…I’m sorry to hear that.”

“You don’t have to be sorry.He was sick, but I was able to see him pass. He said he would leave the rest to me, right then. So I’m taking the territory into my own hands. I’m still working on it.”

That’s what he told me on the way here.

The area he had taken over was, in a word, inconvenient.

It is far from the big towns, isolated by mountains and forests.

The environment changes faster than the seasons, so it is difficult to use the land even if it were available.

The people in this area have to face various difficulties.

The former Lord had tried to create a better environment, but even as a nobleman, he had no say because he was from a remote area, and his request for support from the Capital was denied.

“So, Big Brother was in this town to get help?”

“Well, yes. We need people to help us, food and so on. We don’t have a doctor, so we had to get medicine. Also, we’re running out of medicine. That’s when I met Amelia again. I know it sounds crazy to say this, but… I think it’s fate.

“Fate…”

“I know Amelia’s talent, I know how hard she works. From your story, I can tell you’ve worked very hard.”

That’s what Big Brother said.

He doesn’t doubt that I worked hard just because I told him so.

I look away because I’m embarrassed that he can look at me so directly.

“Did I upset you?”

“No, not at all! I wouldn’t be doing this right now if I didn’t want to.”

“Good, I know it’s a shame, but I can’t fulfill my father’s dream alone. So please. I need your help.”

“…Yes. If it’s okay with you.”

I was wandering around with nowhere to go, and you reached out to me.

I feel the warmth of his hand, I know his smile is genuine.

I can trust him.

And because I can trust him, I can finally take the first step.

“I will do my best! Big brother Thomas.”

“Well, do you think it’s time? Stop calling me ‘Big Brother.’ Calling me that when we’re both adults is… It’s kind of embarrassing.

“Yes? I don’t have a problem with it. …. What about Lord Thomas?”

“No more Lord!”

“Hmm, that’s not quite right either…. Ah! Thomas it is, then!”

That’s better.

Even now that I know he’s a lord, I want to talk to him as naturally as I used to.

I don’t think he wants to be intimidated, so just be as casual as possible, like a friend.

“That’s good. We’re almost there, but I’ll give you a brief overview of what needs to be done before we arrive, okay?”.

“Yes. Please do.”

“It’s probably similar to what you did in the capital. Making and inventing potions. I think I’m going to ask you to do something that can be solved with alchemy.”

“I’ll take care of it! I’m a fast worker.”

I’ve been doing this for five years now, and I’ve done a lot of crazy stuff.

No one can beat me for speed and efficiency.

“I’m counting on you. But take it easy, okay? I don’t want you to get sick. Take at least one day off every three days. And don’t work more than eight hours a day. If you need more, just ask.”

“Uh… I can take a day off?”

“Of course you can. How can you work without a break?”

“How else am I supposed to finish my work?”

“It’s impossible to work that much. Don’t think I’m like your colleagues at the Court, okay? If I get the impression that you’re overworking yourself, I’ll make sure you take a day off, okay?”

Really…

Can I have a day off?

Isn’t it a miracle that you can have a normal day off between jobs?

And that I only have to work eight hours a day?

“…This is heaven.”

“That’s a blissful look on your face. You know what? I think you should get used to a normal environment for a while.”

“Oh my goodness,” Thomas thought.

The conditions he’s offering are a dream come true for me.

Work is my top priority, and I’m ready to throw everything else overboard.

I am about to realize the abnormality of what I have repeated as a matter of course.

Can I expect that?

That maybe I can enjoy the days ahead.

Maybe that’s a good thing.

Because that’s what normal is.