「According to Arg’s report, Noie just collapsed from plain old hunger.」
「Is that true? Not some scheme from another country?」
「Did you forget, Father? The investigators who looked into Noie all said the same thing, if you want to kill her, you have to pierce her chest or take her head. Even poison didn’t work when she drank it.」
「…Ah, that’s right.」
At his son’s words, the king recalled the fact and nodded several times.
「So… Arg, who questioned her, says the cause was that she barely ate anything during her break. Using blessings tends to make you hungry, but in Noie’s case, she doesn’t complain much… so no one noticed until she was already heading home like that.」
Halfren had checked again as well, and the one expense that stood out by far in Noie’s personal spending was food. In fact, it was practically the only thing she spent money on.
He couldn’t help wondering where all that food went in her slender body, but according to her husband, 『She eats about six normal portions on a regular day.』.
「There’s that girl named Lutte in Noie’s squad too, right? Does she eat a lot as well?」
「Yeah. Not quite as much as Noie, but she eats plenty. Though she prefers sweets over proper meals, that’s just personal taste.」
「…….」
「Blessing holders are generally big eaters, but when it comes to Noie, she’s overwhelmingly the biggest.」
「Which means she’s constantly using her blessing that much?」
「That’s about the only conclusion we can reach right now.」
Blessings are, as the name suggests, special powers granted by some kind of existence. Every one of them is incredibly strong, and those who bear them are heavily protected by the kingdom. Because they remain so mysterious, information like this is valuable. Especially when it concerns her, the most important person in the kingdom, it could easily become a state secret.
「How is Noie now?」
「We gave her the day off today, just in case. Places all over the kingdom are screaming about the sudden absence, though.」
「This is a good opportunity. From now on, let’s make Noie’s days off irregular and give them to her without warning.」
「You can be pretty nasty yourself, Father.」
「I don’t want to hear that from you, Halfren.」
During the ongoing retraining of the royal army and guards, raising a fuss over something this minor would never have been tolerated in the past.
That’s how deeply both the soldiers and the generals commanding them have come to depend on Noie.
「Drill them thoroughly. Understood?」
「Yeah. Honestly, this whole incident shocked me too.」
The nobles and generals dislike that lone dragon slayer, but at this point it just looks like petty jealousy.
Are they really that afraid of her, the one who has earned the complete trust of the common people?
「The fact that Noie comes from common… citizen stock probably doesn’t help either.」
「Those nobles are obsessed with protecting their own status, so they go around deciding enemies and allies all on their own～」
「Well, I’ll leave that stuff to aniki… Hey, Father?」
「What?」
「Aniki’s pushing the Furstler and Milnhitza families, but what about you?」
Halfren simply watches his father, who folds his arms in thought.
「Milnhitza, huh. True, that house would certainly be the safer choice. The Furstlers are a bit… you know.」
「I see. But the salt field rights the Furstlers hold are pretty huge, aren’t they?」
「I’m aware. It’s just that long ago… back then, I had some trouble with their family head at the time. I don’t know what the current one thinks.」
「Got it. Then Milnhitza is the frontrunner.」
The king suddenly wonders as he watches his son sitting on the sofa, confidently slapping his own thigh.
「Halfren? You’re always thinking about the royal family, but if there’s someone you truly want to marry, you have my blessing to do so, you know?」
「Don’t worry about it. If there was a woman like that, I’d have snatched her up as a concubine already. Well, I do plan to at least meet the candidates during this inspection tour and decide… but if she turns out to be totally hopeless, I’ll look elsewhere.」
「That’s fine. She’ll be your wife. Choose whoever you like.」
「Right? If it were aniki, he’d definitely nag me about it.」
Halfren shrugs with a weary sigh and stands up.
「Just one thing, no flat-chested women.」
「…Son.」
「What?」
「That’s perfectly fine. Preferences matter. You’re not wrong at all.」
The maid standing outside the room like a stone statue… collapsed to her knees at those utterly devastating words.
-0-
「Yes, Noie. Ah～n」
「Ah～n」
This is somehow really fun.
She takes the carrot-like vegetable speared on the fork into her mouth and chews it with soft little mogu-mogu sounds.
Last night, I just fed her some fruit for the time being and let her sleep.
Then today, after a quick debriefing… the food battle between Noie and the head chef began.
The kitchen staff had finished all their prep last night, so they were perfectly ready.
But Noie’s appetite, drained dry from overusing her blessing, is absolutely bottomless.
The endless battle is probably still going strongly in Noie’s favor.
「Arg-sama」
「What? Want some bread?」
「No. I can eat by myself now.」
「Yeah, I know. But just for today… let me do this? Please?」
「…If Arg-sama wants to.」
Noie obediently goes back to letting me feed her.
I know, I know. You actually hate this carrot thing, don’t you? No way. I’m not allowing picky eating.
Besides, nursing a patient like this… it’s something you want to do, right? Unlike with Mom back then, I know she’s healthy deep down, so I can enjoy this little game without any guilt at all.
「Noie? What do you want next?」
「…Chicken.」
「Coming right up. Ah～n」
「Ah～n」
I keep feeding her steadily, just like taming a little animal.
It’s a rare day off, and more than anything, I’m thrilled to spend such a long stretch of time alone with her.
Ahh, this is bad. My mood is getting way too high for no reason.
「Is it good?」
「Yes.」
「Then next is vegetables, okay?」
「…Meat.」
「Vegetables, right?」
「…Yes.」
Hmm. Her resistance is starting to feel a little more obvious, isn’t it?
But balance is important in everything, you know.
「Once you finish these, we’ll do a chicken streak, how’s that?」
「…Ah～n」
「Here you go.」
I beam at Noie as she glares at me with half-lidded eyes.
She swallows with a little gulp and tilts her head slightly.
「Arg-sama… happy?」
「Yeah. Really happy.」
「Why?」
「Because it’s just the two of us for so long.」
「…Yes.」
Her ahoge is wagging like crazy.
Ahaha. So Noie’s happy too.
「Let’s take it nice and slow together today, okay?」
「Yes.」
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