When I Was Reincarnated, All the Heroines Were Stolen by the Fake Hero ~ The Guy Who Dominated With Original Story Knowledge, and Me Who Dominated With Talent. It Seems the World After the Ending Is My One-Man Stage ~ - Episode 53

Episode 53

I want to somehow cut through the awkward air caused by the topic of Nergo.

So, I made a conscious decision to change the subject.

“Come to think of it, what are you doing in the royal capital now, Raiza? You seemed to be reading some documents earlier too… Are you busy?”

Honestly, any topic was fine—as long as it wasn’t about Nergo.

Raiza slightly relaxed her expression in response to my question.

“I have been appointed to the position of Royal Treasurer… although, I hardly receive any actual work.”

“Royal Treasurer, huh. Then those documents you were reading earlier, were they finance-related?”

I asked, and Raiza lowered her gaze toward the stack of papers on the table.

“Yes. These are documents related to an expense request submitted by Princess Osa. I’m always checking to make sure Nergo-sama isn’t using Her Highness’ favor to unjustly draw royal funds…”

The moment Nergo’s name came up again, I felt the atmosphere in the guest room grow oppressively heavy.

Why does the conversation always circle back to him?!

Anyway, I have to break this flow…

As I was panicking inside, surprisingly, Raiza was the one to bring up a different topic.

“By the way, Yutaka-sama. This mansion… is it properly cleaned on a daily basis?”

Raiza looked around the room.

Oh, thank goodness. I was relieved inside that Raiza had changed the subject. I nodded.

“Ah, well, the maid Kotama is doing her best to handle it all on her own… but the mansion is big. And it’s probably too much for her alone. I wouldn’t be surprised if some areas get overlooked.”

“She’s doing it all by herself? As a lord, wouldn’t it be better to hire more servants?”

Her simple question was quite reasonable.

But the reality isn’t that simple.

“I’d love to, honestly. But according to Sebas, the butler who manages the estate’s finances, we don’t have enough left to afford such luxuries anymore.”

I didn’t say that the previous lord, Hyurandel, apparently ran off with the estate’s assets.

When I shrugged, Raiza furrowed her brows.

“What about taxes from the people? There should be some decent revenue, shouldn’t there?”

“Well, the thing is… due to the heavy taxes under the previous lord, most of the people with wealth have already left this land. The ones who remain are said to be nearly penniless.”

Raiza widened her eyes in silence at my words.

“…I had heard bad rumors about the former lord of Vixel. But I never imagined the local economy was on the verge of collapse… It’s worse than I thought.”

“Yeah. I want to do something about it too. But calling back people or merchants who’ve left… I honestly don’t know where to begin. It’s really troubling.”

When I said that with a sigh, Raiza folded her arms and thought for a moment. She then raised her head.

“I’d also like to see Ulrika… If you don’t mind, may I take a short trip into town now?”

“Hm? Ah, I don’t mind, but… what’s up? That’s kind of sudden.”

I asked. I was a bit surprised by her unexpected request.

“No, I just thought I might look around myself to see if there’s anything in this region that could serve as a specialty product…”

Just as Raiza said that—

She suddenly looked past me. She cut her words short.

Her gaze seemed to have caught something. But there was also a look of hesitation in her eyes.

Following her line of sight, I turned around and saw that the door to the guest room was slightly ajar.

Through the crack, a shadow was peeking in at us.

A pair of distinct beastkin ears popped out. That’s…

“What’s wrong, Kotama?”

I called out, and the shadow flinched noticeably.

“Wa! I-I’m so sorry!”

Startled, the door slowly swung inward.

Sure enough, there stood Kotama. She was holding a tray to her chest. Her face was bright red.

Her eyes shimmered with nervousness.

“Um, well… uh…”

She mumbled, as if trying to say something. But the words wouldn’t come.

It had been a while since I’d seen Kotama this flustered.

Come to think of it, earlier she had been unusually concerned about the taste of the herbal tea—something seemed off.

That’s when a certain possibility occurred to me.

“Could it be… you have something to say to Raiza?”

When I asked, Kotama quietly responded,

“Eh!? Um… well… yes.”

She nodded. Her head was lowered.

So that was it.

Her fluffy tail twitched restlessly from side to side.

Then, as if steeling herself, Kotama raised her head and looked straight at Raiza.

With a trembling voice, she declared clearly,

“I-I… want to become a healer!”

Her words took me by surprise.

A healer, huh.

Considering her gentle nature, maybe it really would suit her… but still—

“What made you suddenly want to become a healer?”

I asked. And Kotama clutched the tray tightly as she spoke.

“I can’t fight strongly like Yutaka-sama, Lin-sama, or Freyja-sama… But I want to be able to help injured people, like Forleen-sama and Rururii-sama do!”

I knew she’d always been worried about not being able to do anything besides chores around the mansion.

But I hadn’t realized she’d been struggling with it this much.

I felt a warmth in my chest at her earnest feelings.

Raiza had been listening quietly to our exchange. She smiled gently and said to Kotama,

“If that’s how you feel, then I’ll gladly teach you anything I can, Kotama-sama.”

Those words must have been unexpected for Kotama.

She blinked in surprise and looked at Raiza with a disbelieving expression.

“R-really…!?”

“Yes, of course.”

When Raiza gave a firm nod, Kotama’s face lit up brightly.

“P-please take care of me!”

She bowed deeply, with great enthusiasm.

Her voice was filled with joy and determination.