Chapter 258 - Episode 251: Days Until Departure ②
"..."
The office of the workshop directly managed by the lord. Christy had stopped her clerical work and was lost in thought.
For the past few weeks, the thing that had repeatedly come to mind was her birthplace, the Marquisate of Galdwin.
After Lord Noein returned from the military council in the Duchy of Halsberg, the squires were given an explanation regarding the war situation in the southern part of the kingdom and the outline of the future counterattack. Among that information, it was mentioned that the capital of the Marquisate of Galdwin had fallen and had dropped into enemy hands.
She had no lingering attachments to her birthplace. She didn't care at all about the safety of the family who had readily sold their youngest daughter, Christy, as a slave to protect the family business's trading company. Even if they were dead, she wouldn't go so far as to say "serve them right," but she would likely think, "Oh, is that so."
However, the fact that her birthplace—and likely her family and their trading company as well—had collapsed caused a not-insignificant change in Christy's heart.
She was now a person of the Viscountcy of Arqvist. In a true sense, this was her only home. She would live here until the final day of her life. She felt that this resolve had been reaffirmed over the course of these past few weeks.
"...Right."
Christy stood up, gathered the documents, and put away her writing utensils. What she had been doing was the preparation for tomorrow's work. Today's duties were already finished.
It was evening. The workspace side should have already begun cleaning up.
When she moved over there, as expected, the craftsmen and slaves were busy with the cleanup. Amidst this, since Damian was nominally the highest-ranking master in this place, he left the chores to others and sat in a chair, resting his mind and body while spacing out.
"...Um, Damian-san."
"Hm? Oh, Christy! Man, today was amazing! We hit a new record for the daily production count of scatter-shot arrows! See, we can do it if we try!"
Unaware of Christy's expression, which was more serious than usual, Damian called out brightly.
"Is that so? Good work. So, um... I have something important to talk about."
"The mass production for the extra-territorial exports last year! That really helped the craftsmen hone their skills further! The increased production of Ballistas and Crossbows is also going smoother than planned!"
"It is. So, Damia—"
"But Lord Noein gives some pretty incredible orders, doesn't he! I mean, just how many tens of thousands of arrows, including regular ones, are we supposed to make by next month's departure!"
"Hmph! Honestly!"
Unable to bear it, Christy's face turned red. She grabbed the shoulders of Damian, who wouldn't stop talking, and forced him to stand—then, she squeezed Damian's face with both hands, pulled him close, and pressed her lips against his.
"Oh!?"
One of the craftsmen who happened to see the scene let out a bewildered shout, and because of that, the other craftsmen and slaves also turned their attention there. They clearly witnessed the shocking sight of the always earnest workshop manager stealing the lips of the talented but eccentric head blacksmith.
The workspace, which had been noisy with cleanup work until a moment ago, fell silent.
"...Damian-san!"
"Y-yes."
Damian, with a dazed face, answered Christy, who spoke with a bright red face after parting her lips.
"From now on, for the rest of our lives, I will listen to your chatting. So for now, please listen to my words... Damian-san. Let us live in this land and work in this land together for the rest of our lives. I will take care of your daily life. So... please marry me."
Facing Christy, who had declared this clearly, Damian remained silent for a while, then opened his mouth as if choosing his words, which was rare for him.
"...Uh, well, um. I'm happy about your feelings, Christy. But, how do I put this... is someone like me okay? I'm a strange man, you know? I'm this kind of weirdo who always talks only about work, and when it comes to smithing or development, I lose sight of my surroundings and run wild."
So he is properly aware of it, Christy thought inwardly while smiling.
"I also have a personality that loves work. We're similar, so isn't it just right? It's true that at first I thought you were a strange person, but now I love that pure, devoted-to-work side of you. I've come to love it... Is someone like me not okay, Damian-san? Are you dissatisfied?"
"No! No way! That's not it! Rather, I think I'm not good enough for you..."
"Then, I'm okay, right?"
"..................Yes."
Asked by Christy with an intensity that brooked no refusal, Damian's eyes wandered for a moment before he nodded as if resigning himself.
"Then, we are now husband and wife. I won't let anyone, nor the war, nor Betumia, interfere with our lives from here on. Let's both do our best to support the fight of Lord Noein and the others."
"Y-yes."
Damian could only nod at Christy's words. Watching this, the craftsmen and slaves showed various reactions, some smirking and some looking slightly exasperated. The cleanup work had come to a complete halt.
"...Finally, huh."
"See, I told you. I thought they'd get together soon."
"Even so, I didn't expect the workshop manager to go for it so aggressively right in the middle of the workspace."
Setting aside the master, it was obvious the workshop manager was conscious of him, so they should have just gotten together sooner. The men who had thought so until now watched over the satisfied-looking Christy and the unusually bashful Damian with warm eyes.
.....
"Master. There is something I would like to consult with you about; would you happen to have a little time?"
"I'm sorry to bother you after work, sir."
One evening. Noein, who had finished his work, was approached by the steward Kimberly and the stable squire Henrik, who had visited the lord's office.
Not only Kimberly, but Henrik as well was not in work clothes, but in neat and clean attire.
"...Of course. What's wrong?"
It's a rare combination. Thinking this, Noein nodded.
"Thank you. Actually..."
"We're thinkin' we want to get married."
"Really!?"
At the content which was completely out of left field, Noein let out a rather loud voice.
Both were well within the marriageable age, but the combination was too unexpected. Especially regarding Kimberly, he had no image of her harboring such feelings for the opposite sex.
Since Noein often asked Kimberly to pass messages to Henrik, the two must have had many opportunities to exchange words for work. However, he hadn't known they were close enough privately to become a man and woman in a relationship.
Beside Noein, Matilda also raised her eyebrows slightly, showing surprise.
"Heh~, so you two were like that. I'm surprised~"
"Hehehe, sorry for keepin' it quiet, sir."
"..."
Henrik laughed while scratching his head bashfully, and even Kimberly, who usually maintained an iron-clad expression more so than Matilda, had a red face. It was not the expression of a serious steward, but completely that of a single woman. He had been served by her for nearly eight years, but this was the first time Noein had seen her make such a face.
"I am sorry for making such a selfish request that further troubles Lord Noein with our personal circumstances during such a busy time. However..."
"...Because we don't know what will happen to the Arqvist territory in the war, you want to be together with the person you love. Is that how it is?"
Reports had been coming in that a marriage rush among the residents, centered on the soldiers scheduled for deployment, had been continuing recently. Behind that, there seemed to be a psychology of "wanting to become husband and wife with the one I love while I still have my life."
When Noein asked, predicting Kimberly and Henrik's thoughts based on that, the two nodded.
"...Yes."
"I wanted to settle things so I wouldn't have any regrets, sir."
Kimberly had a slightly nervous look, while Henrik had a face of determined resolve. Noein smiled gently at the two of them.
"Congratulations to you both. As your lord, I bless you from the bottom of my heart... I won't let anyone interfere with your future happiness. You are also my precious residents. For your sake as well, I will definitely be victorious over Betumia and protect the Arqvist territory."
"...Thank you, Master."
"I'll keep swearin' my unwavering loyalty, sir."
Having received words of blessing from Noein, the two bowed deeply.