Chapter 394 - Episode Four: Matilda's First Errand
By the time a few weeks had passed, both Noein and Matilda had grown accustomed to living in this detached building.
Initially, this annex had only the bare minimum of supplies and furniture, and only for one person—Noein—but now there was a chair for Matilda, towels for Matilda, and a set of new clothes for Matilda.
Since they had also made it a point to keep tea leaves in stock, they were now able to drink flavorful tea whenever they liked, rather than just boiled well water.
All of these items had been brought over from the main building in exchange for a partial refund of the first month's allowance. In practical terms, it was as if Noein had purchased them from his father.
In this annex, which had become more comfortable than at the start, teaching Matilda reading, writing, and arithmetic had now become Noein's daily routine.
"Everything is correct. You're amazing, Matilda. You've already learned how to do single-digit addition and subtraction."
Having given her a set of practice problems, Noein looked at her answers and felt impressed.
"You've already memorized fifteen out of the thirty-one characters... Matilda, you're very smart. Good girl, Matilda. Good, good."
"...Thank you, Noein-sama."
When Noein patted Matilda's head, Matilda answered thus. Although her expression hardly changed, her voice contained a hint of joy, as if she didn't entirely dislike it.
Matilda, who still occasionally wore a look of bewilderment at how she was being treated, had at least stopped showing fear. She seemed to have understood and trusted that she would not receive rough treatment from Noein.
"At this rate, Matilda, you'll be able to read, write, and calculate before long. Then you'll be able to do the shopping, and you'll be able to read books like I do. I'm sure there will be more fun things to do."
"Yes, I will do my best so that I can be of use to Noein-sama."
Currently, for Noein to obtain new items, he had no choice but to have Matilda deliver a letter to his father and receive items from the main building by paying whatever price his father demanded. However, if Matilda learned to read, write, and calculate, he would be able to send her on errands outside the estate.
For that reason, Noein provided Matilda with knowledge every day.
And Matilda seriously absorbed the knowledge she was given.
If she were loved by Noein in this annex, she would no longer have to spend painful days being bullied by the servants and other slaves in the main building. Instead of being looked down upon and beaten, she was smiled at and had her head patted. Because she understood this, Matilda sought to be useful to Noein.
"Well then, let's stop the arithmetic study for today... You're a bit tired. And I'm thirsty."
"Shall I prepare some tea, then?"
"Yes, I think I'll ask you to do that."
"I will prepare it immediately. Please wait a moment."
While watching Matilda's back as she stood in the kitchen, Noein sat on the bed and opened a book. This book was one he had borrowed from the main building of the estate.
In the main building of the Count Kivileft estate, there was a truly magnificent study. Many large bookshelves were placed there, lined with hundreds of diverse books from all times and places—history books, academic guides, biographies of great figures, storybooks, poetry collections, travelogues of distant lands, and even the private diaries of nobles from the past.
However, since they had been collected by successive heads of the Earldom merely for the sake of vanity as a historic high-noble house, they were occasionally shown to guests by Maximilian, but were rarely ever picked up and read.
When Noein lived in the main building, he occasionally read these books. His father allowed it because he was quiet while reading.
Even after being moved to this annex, he requested the right to read those books from his father through letters. As a result, he was granted permission on the condition that he "return three thousand Rebro per month from his allowance," and he accepted that condition.
Since Noein could not leave the annex, he sent Matilda to the main building to bring back a few books at a time. Because Matilda could not yet read properly, which books she brought back was currently entirely a matter of luck.
Three thousand Rebro. He obtained the right to touch books in exchange for a high rental fee—enough for a commoner's family to live on for a month—not merely to kill time. It was so that he, who knew nothing of society, could learn about society, the human world, and how people interact, if only through the knowledge in books.
And so that when the day came that he was cast out and gained his freedom, he would possess the means to survive in an outside world he had never seen.
"Thank you for waiting, Noein-sama."
When Noein had read a few more pages of the storybook in his hand, Matilda spoke and placed a teacup on the table.
"Thank you, Matilda."
Noein directed a smile at her, placed the book on the bed, and picked up the tea. He blew on it to cool it down, then took a sip.
"...Yes, it's delicious. You've become good at brewing tea."
"I am happy to receive your praise, Noein-sama."
Initially, neither Noein nor Matilda knew how to brew tea, so the taste was often excessively astringent, too strong, or conversely, too weak.
However, among the books Matilda had brought from the study last week, there happened to be a book called "Etiquette of Hospitality," in which the method of brewing tea was described in detail.
Because Noein read it and taught the knowledge to Matilda verbally, Matilda's tea-brewing skills had improved visibly.
"...It's peaceful, isn't it, Matilda?"
"Yes, Noein-sama."
When Noein muttered while drinking tea from a ceramic cup, Matilda answered while drinking tea from a wooden cup.
Then, Noein spent the time until dinner reading. Matilda prepared the bath, cleaned the room, and brought in the laundry hanging in the backyard, and in between those tasks, she studied to memorize characters.
Such a scene was becoming familiar as the daily routine for the two of them.
The small annex and the backyard were the entirety of their world. In such a distorted environment, nevertheless, thanks to having a housemate like Matilda, Noein spent days that were at least filled with warmth.
.....
Several months passed since they began living together in the annex, and thanks to the education she received from Noein, Matilda became able to read a fair amount of vocabulary. Also, while calculations with many digits were still difficult, she acquired enough calculating ability to do shopping, provided it was in the form of counting currency.
Thus, Noein sent her on an errand outside the estate for the first time.
Noein was not permitted to go outside the annex, but Matilda was different. She was a slave given to Noein for the purpose of carrying out such tasks.
While three meals a day were provided by the main building, everything else—magic stones for using magic tools, consumables like soap, luxuries like tea and sweets, paper, ink, and basically everything other than food—had to be bought with his monthly allowance.
It was cheaper and faster to purchase items in town than to receive estate supplies at his father's asking price. That was why Noein sent Matilda to the urban district.
Is she shopping around about now? Is she able to calculate the change correctly? While he waited thinking about such things, there was a knock at the annex door.
"Matilda? You're back quite ear—...!"
Turning toward the door, Noein gasped when he saw that the returning Matilda was soaking wet.
Matilda's expression was dark. She wasn't injured, and since it was autumn, she likely wasn't freezing despite being drenched, but no matter how he looked at it, this was no ordinary matter.
"What happened?"
"...I am terribly sorry, Noein-sama."
Saying so, Matilda began to explain the circumstances.
When Noein lived in the main building, he had eavesdropped on the servants' idle chatter and memorized the names of several merchant guilds known as large stores in Laden, the capital of the Count Kivileft territory.
He had taught those guild names to Matilda and sent her on the errand, telling her that she would be able to make high-quality purchases if she went to any of those stores.
However, this was the southern part of the kingdom, where feelings of persecution toward beastfolk were intense. When Matilda went to the large merchant guilds, she was not even permitted to enter the stores on the grounds that she was a beastfolk slave.
If she had said, "I am a messenger from the House of Count Kivileft," she might have been allowed inside, but he didn't know what would happen later if his father found out he had arbitrarily let Matilda identify herself as such. In the first place, the House of Count Kivileft normally would not send a beastfolk slave as a shopping messenger, and Noein possessed nothing to prove he was a member of the Count's house.
Matilda said that in the end, she was splashed with water and driven away, and she had returned home at a loss.
"I was unable to be of use to Noein-sama. I am a useless slave. I am terribly sorry."
Noein stepped toward Matilda, who was kneeling and apologizing with a look of despair.
Then, he hugged her gently. Not minding that his own clothes would get wet, he hugged the soaking wet girl.
With Noein's small arms, he could not firmly wrap around Matilda, who was tall for a woman, but he still hugged her with all his might.
"It's okay, Matilda. I'm the one who's sorry. I sent you on an errand without thinking. Because of that, I put you through a painful experience. Matilda did nothing wrong. You don't have to worry about anything."
"...Yes, Noein-sama."
As Matilda answered, she timidly wrapped her own arms around Noein's back.
"I will go shopping once more. This time, I will fulfill the role given to me by Noein-sama. Therefore, please, do not throw me away."
As she spoke, Matilda's voice and body were trembling slightly.
"There's no way I would throw Matilda away. I've decided that I'll always cherish you. You'll continue to be my only caretaker."
Noein put even more strength into the arms holding Matilda.
"You don't have to go outside anymore today. I've put you through something pitiful. For the rest of today, let's just stay together. Warm yourself in the bath, and just stay by my side. We'll think about how to do the shopping again. It's okay."
Noein continued to hug her until Matilda calmed down, and after that, just as he said, the two of them spent the time together.
In the next update, I think I'll be able to announce the book illustration (cover design) for Volume 1...!