"Then Lord Sterling might be under surveillance?"
"It seems likely."
"If you return in that condition, you might be eliminated without anyone knowing."
"I don't think that would happen."
Alastair replied reluctantly. But if they judged that Alastair knew sothing he shouldn't know, they would eliminate him even at the risk of assassinating Dunbarton's heir. A train or train station would be a much more suitable stage than Mabelwood mansion. Moreover, he currently had no attendants.
"You'll have to stay at our mansion until your leg heals."
Even during dinner, Alastair had strongly declined staying at the mansion. He knew he had no other choice. However, this cozy mansion was thorny on all sides only for Alastair Renfrew.
"Aren't you uncomfortable with ? I don't want to impose."
At his direct words, Cordelia clenched the hem of her dress. However, she soon smiled coldly and said.
"Our Mabelwood simply has broader generosity than Dunbarton. Enough to repay resentnt with kindness."
Alastair seed montarily heated, but realizing he had absolutely no right to argue back in front of the Mabelwood family, he obediently nodded.
"I will gratefully... stay."
"It would be good to send a letter to the mansion in Nine Holder explaining the whole situation. But please leave out that you're in Mabelwood. I really don't want to be involved."
When the conversation concluded, they left one by one. Eventually, only Cider and Esperanza remained in the reception room.
"What do you think?"
"Since it seems to be because of us, it would be good if he left quickly. And..."
"And?"
"From now on, I'll go to the forest alone."
An eyebrow rose crookedly. Cider crossed his arms discontentedly and tapped his forearm with his fingers.
"Don't you trust ?"
Caught. Esperanza muttered as if making excuses.
"If sothing happens, this side needs soone who can fight too..."
Elderly Mrs. Wellesley, delicate Cordelia, patient Alastair. Though there were several servants, the mansion's structure required Cider to remain at least.
"I'll trust you for now."
Thus the original stay plan was cut in half, and Mabelwood gained one more burden.
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A week flew by like an arrow. During that ti, Esperanza went to the abandoned village beyond Greenbelt Forest three more tis and obtained a handful of monster fur in total. Compared to the few scraps of fur from the first day, it was nearly miraculous results. Though those fur scraps were also Esperanza's achievent.
Thinking about it that way, going to the forest alone was right. Regardless of how dissatisfied Cider was.
Of course, Cider wasn't just idling either. The monster fur Esperanza scraped together was sucked into Cider's dungeon detector as soon as she brought it, leaving behind incomprehensible character strings before never returning again.
The room he was using as his laboratory grew thicker with the sll of oil day by day, and along with the sound of gears shing, typewriters moved on their own, pouring out character strings that reached roughly Cider's waist height. No matter how much Esperanza peered at it, she couldn't understand, but Cider understood it even with a casual side glance.
"There are enough samples. Since it takes ti for the machine to run, once we train it, it should be able to detect similar levels of magic generation. We'll need to test it a few tis though."
Using fur, which has little magic compared to monster organs or skin, unintentionally raised the dungeon detector's sensitivity considerably.
For test runs, they planned to use horse hair taken with permission from the stable as a control condition. Naturally, the experintal conditions would include monster fur saved for testing.
Cider expected to complete the dungeon detector within four days at the latest, and had no intention of delaying even an hour. Whether Esperanza, having finished her work, was lounging around bored in the reception room or not, he was holed up in his laboratory and wouldn't co out. The only ti people staying in this house could see Count Avondale's face was around dinner ti.
"He'll co out when it's ti."
Esperanza replied listlessly to Mrs. Wellesley's question about whether this was alright, then added one more thing.
"He's always like that."
Esperanza was rather surprised that other people were worrying so seriously. She recalled the employees of Avondale mansion who wouldn't bat an eye whether Cider skipped als, didn't co out of his room all day, or went to sleep after seeing the sunrise. And naturally, she reflected on herself who never worried at all. He's really trained people well.
But a completely unexpected person was stamping their feet over this matter.
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"Co in."
The hand that had knocked on the door flinched at the soft, gentle voice. However, it soon turned the doorknob.
"Do you need sothing? Want to look around?"
Even being turned away at the door wouldn't have been this bewildering. What was that lting tone? The bewildernt was brief before realizing belatedly.
That bastard with his head buried in machinery, not lifting his eyes even once, had mistaken who it was.
"Lord Avondale, I ca because I have sothing to say."
Only then did Cider raise his head. It was that familiar gaze where everything in the world seed boring. To beco the usual gaze, it would need to be coated with a bit of courtesy, but since that was sothing that had always been there or not, there wasn't much difference.
"Lady Cordelia. What brings you here?"
His voice also beca indifferent as if his soul had departed. Cordelia rather put her hand to her chest and sighed in relief. Just now had almost been truly creepy.
After catching her breath briefly, Cordelia put her hand on her waist and asked.
"Just how long do you plan to not co out of your room? You return to your room promptly after dinner ends—this isn't proper etiquette. Is this an inn?"
"As you can see, I'm a bit busy, so I'd appreciate it if you could just state your business briefly."
After confirming Cordelia's face, Cider turned his gaze to the text being printed on the typewriter.
"Go out and do so shooting, horseback riding—though riding might be difficult—at least play so chess. Like other gentlen do."
Why would riding be difficult? Cider wondered in one corner of his mind while checking the test results pouring out in succession.
"So what's your business?"
"...There are exactly two male guests in this house, so how is it possible that their spheres of activity don't overlap at all? Whether you play card gas or have refined discussions, please socialize together."
"I'm not interested in any of that. If you're worried about inadequate hospitality, you don't need to be. I'm very satisfied."
"I'm not satisfied. How long do I have to keep a gentleman seated beside ? I want to play with Esperanza, just the two of us. Please, couldn't Lord Avondale take Lord Sterling and play with him? Isn't there so kind of activity n do together?"
Only then could she understand why Cordelia had made the journey to the laboratory she never approached. She wanted to play with her friend, so she was telling him to take Alastair and go do whatever 'n's activities' were.
Hunting, horseback riding, cigar smoking... Most were things Alastair couldn't do. At most, he could manage chess or billiards. Actually, Cider didn't particularly enjoy them either. And.
Cider raised his head and asked crookedly.
"Logically, if I were to play with soone, would it be Lord Sterling or Esperanza?"
Cordelia, at a loss for words, gritted her teeth and retorted.
"Lord Avondale, you're not soone who operates by common sense."
Even when insulted to his face, Cider didn't get angry but only smiled crookedly. It was a smile that made the back of one's neck feel cold. Cider expelled Cordelia just like that.
"If you've said everything you ca to say, go back now. You're in the way."
The door closed. Cordelia, who had been given an eviction order in her own house, laughed scornfully, but that didn't make the closed door open.
For two days, Cider showed no response. It was a roundabout refusal. And on the third day, Cider called Esperanza to his laboratory.
Esperanza, who had no idea what conversation had passed between Cordelia and Cider, entered the laboratory still hugging the cushion she had been embracing in the reception room.
"Wow... Is all this that data?"
"Half is garbage, but yes."
Esperanza burst into admiration while looking up at the papers stacked to Cider's height. She couldn't understand any of the content, but she could tell it was an enormous amount.
"Performance testing is all finished. The magic reaction shows as insufficient, but since it's a dungeon detector, it should sohow compensate when we encounter a real dungeon."
"...Shouldn't we hope not to encounter a dungeon?"
"Why?"
Cider asked, blinking.
"There are lots of materials, and the magic reaction is unique. Why should we give this up?"
"Ah, yes."
That attitude of 'never mind what happens to humanity as long as I can collect what I need'—it had been a while since she'd seen it, so it was almost welco.
"Anyway, I've solved another one like this. I'd like to rest for a while."
"You take breaks from research too?"
"I'm human too, so of course I need rest. No matter how enjoyable a hobby is, you can't enjoy it long without recharging."
One way or another, magical engineering was just a hobby for him. Esperanza clicked her tongue while looking at the dungeon detector operating complexly behind Cider, spewing steam. To think that's a hobby.
"I want to rest, but Mrs. Wellesley asked
to repair the mansion's machinery. She must think I'm a repairman."
Cider grumbled lightly while gathering his tools.
"Household stuff is obvious, so it'll be finished quickly. Want to co along?"
Esperanza hesitated briefly. It was botherso. But anyway, all she had to do was watch over two children who seed very uncomfortable with each other. Sotis coaxing them to play gas together. Was she a guest or a nanny?
She had given the little ones a chess set before coming to the laboratory, so they'd be absorbed in that for a while.
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