WHTVT C10

Chapter 10

After parting with Chase he’d wrapped his head all day, but aside from learning the kid’s unfortunate past he hadn’t found any clue related to the quest.

A clear answer still didn’t come. No matter how he turned it over, he couldn’t grasp this bizarre system’s judgment standard.

Right before succeeding at the quest yesterday, the things Noel had done were largely two. The rough words he’d tossed at Chase, and offering a small sweet macaron.

That he’d met the harsh-condition by wounding him with harsh words was at least understandable. But why had the macaron been judged “meager food”? Simply because it was small, so it was meager?

No way. The weight was clearly more on the venom.

But was that really right?

“Ha, I don’t know. Should I test it once?”

Even while muttering to himself, Noel shuddered. Even so he didn’t want to cough blood again. Clearing the quest came first, but he declined going through terrible pain by charging in blindly.

Moreover Father and Adrian would be back before long. Once those two arrived, it would obviously be hard to wander the estate freely and touch Chase.

He felt he’d rest easier if he did something before then.

So this morning, after casually asking the butler and learning the location of Chase’s new room, he’d begun full-scale surveillance—no, observation.

“He’s really doing that all day.”

He’d sat in the garden with the best view of the room and watched a long time, but there was no particular new gain.

As if looking out the window really was his whole routine, the kid only cracked the curtain a little and stuck out a pale face.

“Huu.”

Concentrating in case he did anything else made Noel hungry. He told a passing servant to bring tea things, and for some reason the butler himself walked into the garden carrying the tea tray.

“What’s the butler doing here. You didn’t come because you missed me.”

“The day is hot and you’ve been out long, so I came out of concern.”

Concern, what. Probably came to watch in case I cause another incident.

Well. Convenient timing. Noel straightened the body that had been slouched in the chair and looked at him.

“Butler. By any chance.”

“Yes. Please speak, Young Master Noel.”

“What does that Chase usually eat?”

“Lord Chase, you mean? For what reason Lord Chase……”

At the sudden question the butler carefully echoed, looking puzzled.

As it was, he’d been anxious Noel might do some harm, staring so hard at Chase’s room. Hearing that question on top of it, the butler inwardly tensed.

It wasn’t something else—hadn’t he himself spat Noel’s sore point about magic with his own mouth. The butler felt his mouth go dry and watched Noel’s mood.

“Just. Curious. Father isn’t here, and a guest is shut up alone in a room looking lonely? His magical talent is outstanding too, so as the host it nags at me. That kid’s meals?”

He was clearly sneering, but the butler found it strange that Noel was showing gentle interest unlike usual.

Normally he’d have flipped a room by now. Was this another novel kind of bullying.

But the butler answered faithfully soon enough.

“He has not eaten yet.”

“Yet? The sun’s at the zenith.”

It was a question tossed on a hunch. Even after Noel had finished a satisfactory meal and even taken a long nap and gotten up, that kid had been at that window the whole time.

Mealtime was long past. The butler hesitated a moment as if the question was still odd, then carefully opened his mouth.

“I wasn’t told the details so I don’t know. Whether he has no appetite, or because he doesn’t come out of the room……”

He trailed off and dropped his gaze. Meaning he didn’t particularly know the reason.

Noel furrowed his brow without meaning to. Just not eating, or unable to eat. How does that stick-thin body even hold on without eating something?

Wait, why am I worrying about that little kid?

Noel quietly shook his head and flung the thought off.

That kid is only a black-curtain character appearing in a novel. Whether he starves or not is none of my business. And he holds an important role at the strongest-in-the-world-view level, so he’ll survive somehow on his own.

What mattered more than anything right now was Noel’s own life. This wasn’t the time to soak in useless sentiment.

“That kid, how do you usually take care of his meals that he won’t eat? Don’t tell me you’re treating him coldly. Bold, to the child Father brought.”

He asked the butler in a pointless sneer. Glancing around empty air in case the system window threw a fit because he sounded concerned was extra.

Fortunately the tone passed; the system was quiet.

“…Yes? Ah, no! Lord Chase does skip meals often, but we have never treated him negligently.”

Was that true. They’d said they hadn’t even assigned a single servant. But whatever the truth was, it didn’t much matter to Noel.

Hm. Then shall I look at his state while bringing him a meal at least. What he’s really doing in the room.

There was a limit to only watching the window from outside. What could you learn from seeing a head the size of a bean.

“Then what does he usually eat.”

“…H-he eats the same things as Y-Young Master Noel.”

After hesitating a long time the butler spoke, watching Noel’s mood.

The same as me? Then that means he’s eating quite lavishly.

Simply starving him, or throwing a sour scrap of bread on the floor like other third-rate villains, stabbed the conscience of Noel, in whom modern morals still sat thick.

Just give it more meager than usual, right? The quest condition clearly said “provide meager food,” not “starve him.”

He carefully recalled the meal he’d eaten earlier. Pre-meal bread and soft soup, an appetite-whetting salad, then the main, then a sweet dessert—a lavish course that went on without end.

Right. If what he usually eats is that grand…… if I boldly drop just a few things, relatively it’ll look meager enough, won’t it?

Soup alone wouldn’t even reach the liver, so drop that. Bread…… is that a meal? Eating only dessert doesn’t make sense. After excluding this and that, only the meat is left.

Yes. One lump of the finest tenderloin steak, freshly grilled, juices dripping.

You take care of nutrition and get to taste meat, so it’s absolutely not starving him. But if that one lump of meat sits alone on a wide silver tray with not a single side? Compared to a lavish course it’s unmistakably meager.

Perfect logic. Noel cheered inwardly and instructed the butler.

“Butler, prepare a steak.”

“I’ll have it prepared in the dining room.”

“No. Have it brought. It’s not for me to eat. I’m taking it to Chase.”

For a moment the butler’s eyes widened. Normally Noel wouldn’t have had a speck of interest in Chase’s welfare.

For him to step up and say he’d take care of it himself, as a butler he couldn’t help being bewildered.

“If that’s the case, shall I have it taken to Lord Chase’s room?”

“Forget it. I’ll take it myself, so just tell the kitchen.”

“I can’t have Young Master Noel do menial work. I’ll go. There’s no need for you to go yourself—”

“I don’t want to say it twice.”

At the lengthening talk Noel finally cut the butler off.

In an atmosphere where he could raise no more objection, the butler swallowed his words and bowed to receive Noel’s order.

Before long, holding the prepared steak plate, Noel headed toward Chase’s room with imposing dignity.

And still, with every step, one corner of his heart kept shrinking.

This isn’t departing from the original route…… right?

If it were, the system would already have thrown a fit.

Is one plate too generous when there’s what he usually eats……? No, one plate of steak is fine, whatever. Better than an empty stomach.

Muttering endlessly inside as he walked, Noel’s heart was far from clean.

Even if it was for the quest, carrying a plate clearly shabby compared to what he usually ate wasn’t very pleasant.

Still this is a quest, a quest. It’s not starving him, and giving him a meal at least is something.

Flipping his stance as easily as a palm, Noel put force into his steps.

At last in front of Chase’s door, Noel knocked for form’s sake.

Knock knock- What came back was only silence. He knocked once more; inside was quiet as a dead mouse. He waited a moment; there wasn’t even a sign of life.

This time too Noel didn’t exercise anything like patience.

“Ugh, why is it so dark.”

The moment he yanked the door open and stepped in, Noel furrowed his brow hard.

It was midday, but the room was pitch-black. However tightly he’d shut the curtains, all there was was a thin thread of light leaking through the window gap.

At the gloomy atmosphere as if a ghost might jump from a corner any second, Noel swallowed dry without meaning to.

Does this genre actually have horror in it too?