Chapter 50 - Episode 49: The Result of Education
"...Where am I?"
Waking up, Christy spoke those words as she realized she was lying down somewhere.
The pain was severe and her body would not move as she wished, but moving only her head to look around, she understood that she was lying in a bed in her own room within the manor.
Her hair and body had been cleaned, and bandages were wrapped around her wounds or cloths applied; she had been cared for with great devotion.
Shortly after Christy woke, someone entered the room. It was a maid employed by the manor.
"Oh? You've woken up? You were carried in during the middle of the night and slept for over half a day. How do you feel? Do you think you can drink or eat something?"
"...I think I can. I am hungry."
Though surprised by the polite tone—something that would have been impossible for the previously violent Christy—the maid said, "I'll bring some food right away," and left the room.
Afterward, she ate the barley porridge and soup the maid brought her, and while she was resting again, she heard a small knock.
"...Please come in."
Entering after waiting for Christy's reply were Anna and Matilda.
"You look well. I'm glad."
"..."
In contrast to Anna, who smiled as she looked at Christy, Matilda remained as expressionless as always. Looking at her, Christy felt a slight tremor of fear.
"It's alright. We just came to talk for a bit. Noein-sama asked us to."
"Talk...?"
At Christy's use of polite speech, Anna, like the maid before her, raised an eyebrow in slight surprise.
"Yes. Though, the one who will be doing most of the talking is Matilda-san."
As Anna deferred to her, Matilda began to speak.
"...Yesterday, you called me a low-born. And you insulted Noein-sama as a 'clueless piece of shit noble,' didn't you?"
"I-I am sorr—"
"It is fine. No, it is not fine, but I am not seeking an apology right now... First, I will tell you my story."
Perhaps because she was not accustomed to speaking like this, Matilda's manner of speaking was somewhat awkward.
"As you said, I was born as a 'lowly beastman.' I was born into a poor farming family with neither education nor money, sold as a slave when I was young, and by a twist of fate, came to serve Noein-sama. Becoming the caretaker for the great Noein-sama was the best event of my life."
While occasionally veering off-topic to insert passages praising Noein excessively, Matilda spoke of her past and everything up until now.
The way she spoke, matter-of-factly listing only the facts, made Christy vividly imagine Matilda's harsh first half of life, and the days filled with hope since meeting Noein.
"Next, I will tell you about Noein-sama."
Then, Matilda spoke of Noein's detailed past. Hearing of those circumstances, Christy was shocked.
She had assumed that Noein was the scion of some great noble family and had perhaps received this village from his parents to become independent.
A life of no hardship, attended by a beastman female slave and served by attendants, servants, and villagers. He seemed to do the work required of a lord for the most part, but she had thought he obtained that position and everything else without effort, simply because he was "born a noble."
However, that was all Christy's own arbitrary assumption.
Noein had lived with all fifteen years of his freedom stolen until he reached adulthood.
Even in such an environment, he had accumulated knowledge to prepare for the future and polished his skill in magic.
Eventually, he was forced upon a forest that was a territory in name only, and even when he was thrown out of his home without proper development funds, he did not give up, and it was said that he built this village in just over a year.
If she had been placed in such a position from a young age, could she have done the same?
No, she surely would have wasted time sulking and screaming "This is wrong," and would have been at a loss one day after being kicked out of the house.
"Christy, there is no doubt that you are capable in terms of ability. However, there is something decisive that Noein-sama possesses, which you lacked. That is the 'resolve to accept the current situation.'"
"...Yes. I understand."
As she answered, Christy quietly shed tears.
"I have been by his side since Noein-sama was nine years old. Noein-sama always looked steadily at the current situation, and from within that situation, he looked toward the future. He looked forward. He was different from you."
Even as she listened to Matilda's words, Christy's tears would not stop.
How shameful her behavior had been until now.
From Noein's perspective, she—who did nothing but spout complaints about the current situation and lash out at those around her—must have looked like an incredibly spoiled child.
"That is why, seeing you flee from the capital city Noeina, be attacked by goblins, and in the end turn your coat to beg for help, Noein-sama dared to push you away once. In order to make you understand your current situation."
Christy had become Noein's slave. Christy had to understand that from the core of her heart.
What happened last night had been a rite of passage. Because Christy truly understood her current situation and told Noein "I swear my loyalty," Noein saved Christy in the end.
"...Until I served Noein-sama, I was as good as dead. But since meeting Noein-sama, I have learned reading, writing, and calculation, repeated training in combat arts, and I believe I have made efforts to be useful to Noein-sama. I believe the fact that Noein-sama employs me heavily as an adjutant is proof of that."
Matilda, who she had looked down upon as a low-class beastman slave until then, suddenly seemed dazzling.
"Christy. Noein-sama wishes to give you an opportunity as well. He wishes for you to walk through life with a positive attitude."
"My... life?"
"Yes. You unfortunately fell into slavery from a wealthy family, but under Noein-sama, even as a slave, it is possible to make a great contribution to this territory and be valued by Noein-sama, the lord."
Told this by Matilda, strength returned to Christy's eyes.
"Noein-sama did not buy you as a mere hobby, so you will likely not be released from slavery easily. However, if you continue to work devotedly, you may one day become a formal attendant rather than a slave. If this territory develops greatly and Noein-sama is promoted in rank, it is even possible that you could be granted honorary nobility as one of his high officials."
Matilda matter-of-factly listed the possibilities for Christy's future.
"Noein-sama wishes to give you the opportunity to strive to grasp those futures. He wishes for you not to run away from the current situation, but to challenge it and face it. As the lord, and as your master, Noein-sama is thinking of your future and happiness."
"Ah, aaahhh..."
Even though she had continued such rude behavior, how merciful Noein-sama was.
Noein-sama is such a strong and kind person, yet what a weak and tiny human being she was.
Thinking this, Christy began to cry aloud.
After crying for a while, Christy eventually calmed down and raised her head. Her expression was bright, as if she had finally let something go.
"Matilda-sama. Anna-sama. Please forgive my numerous discourtesies until now. From now on, I will reform my heart and work hard for this territory and for Noein-sama under your guidance."
"Yes. That is what Noein-sama desires as well."
"Welcome to the Arqvist Baronetcy, Christy."
.....
"I see, so Christy understood too. Matilda's storytelling was the deciding factor; thank you for the unfamiliar work."
"No, I am happy to have been of use to Noein-sama... Given that state, I believe she will work obediently from here on."
"She said that after she tidies up her appearance, she wants to offer her thanks and apologies to Noein-sama once more."
While receiving the report from Matilda and Anna in the office, Noein let out a sigh.
"Thank goodness... Sigh, finally her problem is solved too. I've caused trouble for everyone."
To be honest, Christy's problem-child nature had been a seed of worry for Noein in a way he had never experienced before.
No matter how he explained it with words or gave her high treatment, she would not soften her attitude and would not understand her position. That said, the fact that she was an important slave did not change, so he did not want to irresponsibly remove her from the territory. From Noein's perspective, she had been a powerful enemy, different from any hardship he had faced until now.
"The greatest contributor to this 're-education' is Radley, who set up the goblins. I'll have to give him a special allowance."
Having captured goblins alive in the forest a few days prior, on the day Christy fled, he had him dig a large number of pits as booby traps along the highway in advance to injure her legs, and then set the captured goblins upon her.
With Radley's skill and technique, it likely wasn't very difficult, but there was no doubt it was a tedious job.
"Christy doesn't seem to have noticed that the goblins were planted... but intentionally setting goblins on someone is quite an intense educational method, isn't it?"
"Well, I suppose so... Did Anna get put off by it?"
"Well, a little bit? But I already understand well that Noein-sama... takes those kinds of unique methods."
Anna said, smiling.
Setting goblins on a slave to make them taste the fear of death, and ultimately guiding their psychology to make them voluntarily swear loyalty—it is a method that would normally be off-putting. The fact that she dismissed it with a smile, saying she was "a little bit put off," suggests that Anna has also become quite dyed in Noein's twisted temperament.
"Anyway, with this, the matter is resolved. Good work, you two."
Thus, the problem regarding Christy reached a resolution.