The Real and Fake Talulah

Russell pondered for a moment before saying this.

He was genuinely afraid that these people would struggle and struggle, only to suddenly collapse at their posts. Seeing something like that would be far too depressing.

So he might as well listen to the Prompt Device and spend a little food to keep them fed for a few days.

In any case, Russell was not the one paying for it.

—Megumin's father had always wanted to chat with Russell a little longer. Well, Russell had no idea what he wanted to discuss, but whatever it was, Lord Russell could still charge an exorbitant consultation fee.

Lord Raiden would reimburse everything.jpg.

"Ah?"

After Russell expressed his thoughts, both Yelena and Talulah beside him revealed astonished expressions.

"Is there anything wrong with giving the commoners a little food for the sake of my own mood, then enjoying their applause and adoration?"

"Besides, this is not a losing business. Well-rested workers are far more productive than slaves in the midst of famine. You cannot really treat them like serfs, can you?"

Russell briefly explained his thinking.

Then, perhaps it was just an illusion, but he felt that the looks Talulah and Yelena gave him had grown even stranger.

"...Are you really an Ursus noble?"

After a long while, the girl named Yelena looked at the young man beside her as though she were looking at some alien creature.

?!

"...Lord Russell, perhaps you have always lived in St. John's Fort. The land beneath the Tsar's feet places greater emphasis on the rule of law and humanism."

Talulah spoke quietly.

"In truth, many nobles, especially border nobles, like to find excuses to turn commoners into serfs, then force them into their factories to work without end until they die..."

Russell fell silent.

He had thought the Prompt Device was already inhumane enough.

So the Surplus Value Prompt Device counted as the light of civilization in Ursus, huh?

Good grief. Even with the backing of Bloodline theory, these people would sooner or later be hanged!

Russell instantly found his noble status far less appealing.

He needed to find a way to make a Sacred Cut from those vermin.

"This land is thoroughly sick."

Russell succinctly stated his position.

"Perhaps this world truly needs a raging inferno to judge the beasts that have lost their compassion."

It was an exceedingly violent statement, one wholly unbecoming of a noble.

As his words fell, the Prompt Device popped up as well.

Yelena's favorability toward you has risen significantly. It is currently about equivalent to seeing a convenience store clerk?

Talulah's favorability toward you has risen enormously... She seems to have seen her own reflection in you? Damn it, aside from your noble origins, how are you two alike?

She may seek you out to discuss philosophy. You can try talking with her about The Wealth of Nations, Das Kapital, and The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money.

The Prompt Device's message made Russell's mouth twitch slightly.

So after two consecutive surges in favorability, it was only at the level of seeing a convenience store clerk?

Did Yelena start at negative one hundred favorability?!!

And who has the reflection of you, you dimwitted dragon girl! Who are you insulting?

"...Lord Russell, I think we may reach even more common ground in the future."

Talulah looked earnestly at the man who seemed to be lingering at some crossroads.

She had a premonition.

Russell was not walking the same path as the other nobles.

Russell did not reply. He merely tossed the warehouse key to Talulah, gestured for her to get the hell out of there, then returned to his bedroom to harass Huihui as usual.

"Huihui, how is my magical tool coming along?"

"...Boss, stop rushing me. Even if you kill me, the forging period for a magical tool is still seven days."

The girl on the other end sounded utterly listless.

Russell really did urge her three times a day, more punctually than he ate his meals.

Tsk—

A little handcraft workshop really would not do.

"No progress at all?"

Russell scorned the Crimson Demon Tribe's efficiency, paying no heed to the difficulty of making magical tools, just like some bastard client of yours.

Huihui did not like hearing that.

The Crimson Demon Tribe's magical technology was the best in the world, okay!

"No, there has been progress."

Huihui quickly typed out a line, trying to defend the Crimson Demon Tribe's honor.

Ah.

There had been progress?

Russell was delighted.

"What kind of progress?"

He hurriedly asked.

"Your Spirit-Confining Kunai is finished."

Chapter 32: The Real and Fake Talulah

Spirit-Confining Kunai

Type: Spirit-Type Weapon

Attack Range: 1

Maximum Capture: 1 person

Additional Combat Skill: Spirit Confinement

Restrains a spirit that has lost its vessel, turning it into a Weapon Spirit.

A kunai imbued with spirituality can deal a certain degree of damage to Malevolent Spirits. Activating its combat skill can restrain one soul.

The weaker the spirit and the more scattered its consciousness, the higher the chance of successful restraint.

Wouldn't an item that restrains souls look cooler as an eyepatch, mask, or earring? Why make it into a kunai? Rich people really have terrible taste. —An unnamed Crimson Demon Tribe leader

Has the boss started custom-ordering kunai already? This time, the requested additional attribute is Spirit Confinement. Next time, will it be a diarrhea curse, frostbite, or bleeding? The more I think about it, the scarier it gets. The boss might be even more frightening than the Demon King. —An unnamed Huihui

Russell looked at the description that had appeared on the Prompt Device and silently pulled a small notebook from his pocket.

The more I think about it, the scarier it gets, huh.

Once the magical tool is finished, I'll send you to Sargon—a mishmash of nations with both primeval jungles and the Sahara Desert—to open up a new market!!

Russell viciously marked down a strike against Huihui.

Then he left his annex and headed toward the defensive line by the granary.

As expected, he found Talulah there, leading people in moving canned food and winter clothes.

"Lord Russell."

The Red Dragon took the initiative to greet Russell.

After thinking for a moment, Yelena beside her also offered Russell a spicy candy.

"It is a little spicy, mm, but not overly so."

Russell tore open the wrapper, ate it, and gave that assessment.

"A moderate level of spiciness is enough to create a warming sensation. There is no need to pursue an excessively spicy flavor."

Yelena said this.

Her constitution had already been completely altered, and she could no longer come into contact with anything warm.

Over time, she naturally came to long for warmth.

Spicy candy had been created under such circumstances.

"Do you like the feeling of warmth? Ah, if you undergo treatment properly, you should see improvement in around three months."

Russell smiled as he spoke. In truth, the best treatment was not the Originium inhibitor, but the Talisman: Horse. Still, even without the Divine Speed of the Horse Talisman, the Originium inhibitor could stir Yelena's longing for warmth.

Those words filled Yelena's eyes with a trace of yearning.

She truly wanted to experience the world of ordinary people.

"By the way, Lord Russell, did you come looking for us because there was something you forgot to tell us?"

Feeling the new light in her companion's eyes, Talulah could not help smiling.

Then she looked at Russell. This noble with such human warmth did not seem to have merely passed by on a stroll. After all, no one out for a walk would help the Reunion Movement unload supplies.

"Mm, it is nothing much. I just suddenly remembered that the big fellow in your organization seems to be a Wendigo."

After thinking for a moment, Russell brought up Patriot.

The Black Snake, one of the Undying.

Its own combat capability had never been specifically shown, but after controlling Talulah, it had possessed the strength to steadily suppress two Imperial Guards.

That was a terrifying figure, because Empress Dowager Kai, who spent all day speaking in riddles, only had the strength of one Imperial Guard.

Russell played with a talisman bearing both a yin and yang tiger.

The Tiger Talisman was enough to separate the Black Snake from Talulah.

As long as he defeated the Black Snake here and forced it out of her body, he could restrain it.

But—

Russell did not like fighting.

"Patriot?"

Talulah clearly knew who Russell meant.

"What do you need him for?"

"Mm, I suppose I want to find someone to spar with."

Russell spoke ambiguously.

Of course it was sparring, except he wanted the Black Snake to spar with Patriot.

Getting skewered into the air by a spear was something he would rather avoid.

"You want to fight Patriot?"

Talulah instantly regarded him with solemn respect.

Her talent had been judged no weaker than Patriot's, but having talent no weaker than his and having strength no weaker than his were two different things.

She had also sought Patriot out for practice. Yet every time they finished exchanging blows, she felt that the fact her head was still attached to her neck was a miracle.

"Lord Russell, your strength and courage are admirable."

"Yeah, so could I trouble you, Ata, to lead the way?"

Ata?

Talulah froze.

Was that not a little too intimate a form of address?