Khan was in his room, He was doing one-handed push ups on the floor with his shirt off, but as soon as Alan and I walked in, he cleared his throat and jumped up from his spot. He was coughing awkwardly. He seemed... quite fit. Feeling a mix of envy and a strange feeling of embarrassment, I intentionally looked away. Khan quickly picked up his clothes and dressed.
"Why are you here?" Khan asked bluntly. It wasn't clear if he was unhappy about both of us coming or embarrassed about being caught exercising.
"Duke, this is for you," Alan said. He took Khan's belongings from his bag and placed them on the table. A purse of coins, a Bible, a pocket watch, and a fountain pen. Khan looked at them, picked up the fountain pen, and asked, "How did you find this? What about the rest?"
He seemed unaware that the other items were missing. Khan, stroking the worn-out and faded blue fountain pen, glanced between Alan and me, his eyes filled with suspicion.
"Why did both of you bring this, and where's the rest?" he demanded.
Alan looked at me. Okay, I'll confess.
I took a deep breath and stepped forward. "Actually, I..."
But Alan interrupted me abruptly. "Narcissus found it. Buried in the back of the garden."
"Del Narcissus?" Khan questioned, his eyes full of doubt.
"While taking a walk with me, he noticed something strange and asked me to retrieve it. When he saw it, he said it looked like the Duke's belongings, so we brought it here," Alan said with sincerity in his eyes. His words seemed genuine. After all, who would suspect a priest, especially one known as God's favorite lie like a snake?
As I glanced at Alan, Khan chuckled with a bitter smile. "Taking a walk together? Seems like you've become quite friendly."
Is that even the point?
My bewildered eyes met Khan's eyes. He shot me with a pleased look and put the fountain pen into his breast pocket of his shirt.
"Is your foot already healed?"
Khan pointed at my foot with his chin and asked, "Recovery seems faster than expected, but you should still get another day of healing."
Alan responded on my behalf. Khan glared at my foot as if it were his arch-enemy and nodded approvingly.
"Go out."
Alan and I greeted Khan and turned away.
"You stay for a moment"
We heard a threatening sound coming from behind. Alan, looking puzzled, exchanged glances with me and then smiled as he left the room. I wanted to grab him and tell him not to leave, but I turned around stiffly and faced Khan again.
"Sit here. It's not completely healed yet,"
Khan said, taking a seat on the sofa. I deliberately dragged my foot slowly, making my way to the sofa. Khan smirked as if saying, "You're just playing around," but I continued to act as if my foot was still in pain. Once I finally sat down on the sofa, Khan pushed the purse of coins toward me.
"If you go there without any money, you'll become a slave immediately."
Khan said with a sneer. Was he telling me to take this money now? I widened my eyes and looked at Khan. He raised an eyebrow.
"Why? Are you going to refuse even if I give you money?"
"No, it's not that... Why are you giving me this?" I asked.
"Even if I give you money, you're not satisfied?"
"It's not that I'm not satisfied."
I replied quickly and added, "If I'm a heinous prisoner being driven away to the trash village, why are you giving me money?"
"A heinous prisoner..."
Khan scanned me up and down. It was clear how I would appear in his eyes – with an aristocratic but delicate face and a body that lacked vitality. Perhaps this purse of coins was Khan's last act of pity towards me. If that was the case, I was okay with accepting it, as long as it wasn't out of genuine fondness.
"Quite heinous indeed."
Khan laughed, saying that I looked heinous. At the same time, an alert appeared above his head.
[Khan Alexis's favorability has increased by +1!]
Stop liking me so much, you idiot. I haven't done anything, and you're just laughing and increasing your favorability by yourself.
I was on the verge of tears. I bit my lip with a distressed expression, and he laughed again, finding something amusing.
[Khan Alexis's favorability has increased by +1!]
"As expected, it would be a bit regrettable to send you to the trash village."
However, even as he said that, he pushed the purse of coins towards me again.
"Heinous Del Narcissus, this is a reward for finding Mother's belongings. It's not out of sympathy."
"Ah..."
"I can clearly see what you're thinking."
Leaning back behind the sofa, Khan said, "I don't sympathize with prisoners. Even if you end up in the trash village and face hardships... I won't regret it."
A fleeting shadow crossed Khan's face.
I knew what the trash village was like. I had experienced my in-game character being banished to the trash village. It was a place where arrogant aristocrats, with high noses, gathered, exploiting and using others. They refused to do any work themselves, choosing instead to exploit the weakest and turn them into slaves. When I played the game in the female body of Del Narcissus, I ended up in the trash village. I would undoubtedly be assigned the most arduous tasks. The trash village route involved working to exhaustion, avoiding nobles who harassed and molested you, and in the process you meet Alan Bate.
Even if they were nobles who had grown as beautifully as greenhouse flowers, they were all prisoners with crimes such as assault, rape, and murder. It was certain that I would face the end if I went there. Khan knew this fact and was trying to send me away.
However, I won't go there, I'll just make a run for it!
"You don't have to regret it."
I cheerfully said.
"No matter whats happens to me, I won't have anything to blame for his Excellency the Archduke"
"Because I won't really be going there!"
However, Khan's eyes shook severely upon hearing that.
"..."
[Khan Alexis's favorability has increased by +3!]
Damn it. I did it again. I captured his heart with just one word.
To salvage the situation, I lowered my shoulders and calmly said, "His Grace has nothing to do with me. So, it's natural not to blame him."
"It has nothing to do with me..."
Khan's hesitating expression subsided a bit. However, the favorability didn't decrease. He handed me a pocket watch.
"Take this too."
I took the very worn-out pocket watch, the strap entirely worn out, and the clock face itself corroded. When I accepted it reluctantly, he explained.
"As you can see, it's just an old, worn-out item. But the Duke's crest is engraved on it. If a situation arises where you need my help, use this once. I will help you at least once."
Khan laughed mischievously like a naughty child.
"So, now you're not an unrelated person, right?"
[Del Narcissus's favorability has increased by +1.]
For a moment, it felt like an alert had resounded in my mind. Giving money and connections as gifts.
I gently placed the pocket watch and the purse of coins on my lap. Then, I bent my waist as much as I could and expressed my gratitude.
"Yes, Your Grace. Thank you."
Then, Khan slapped the armrest of the sofa with his palm and burst into hearty laughter.
[Khan Alexis's favorability has increased by +1!]
With this, Khan's favorability reached 10. It belonged to the quite low tier number, and there wasn't much likelihood of an event occurring due to favorability, so I didn't have to worry about doing anything to decrease it.
For the first time, I sincerely smiled at Khan.
Thank you for everything. Let's not see each other again.
I got up briskly and left his room. I didn't notice Khan's stunned expression or the sudden increase in favorability floating above his head rising.
[Khan Alexis's favorability has increased by +10!]
***
Time passed quickly. As Alan used exactly one day's worth of sacred power on my foot, he unwrapped the bandages. There was smooth skin without a single scar on the top of the foot. It was an achievement that couldn't be achieved through medicine alone.
Pressing my foot firmly, not feeling any pain, as if nothing had changed, Alan smiled and put his hand on my shoulder as if finding me cute.
"Shall we go now?"
"Yes."
I put on the fur coat with the purse of coins and pocket watch, then awkwardly made my way through the corridor. I heard Alan's laughter from behind. He quickly followed me and put a fur hat of unknown origin on my head. Not only that, but he meticulously adjusted the shape of the hat with a gentle touch, and even tidied up the hair that protruded from under my forehead.
Strangely enough, his fingertips were subtly shining.
"Did you use sacred power on me again?"
"I got caught."
Alan laughed as he looked at the top of my head. Probably laughing as he looked at my character information. Thinking that way, I found Alan a bit strange.
"Narcissus is a living, moving miracle of the gods."
Alan said with an ecstatic expression. At the same time, an alert window appeared above his head.
[Alan Bate's favorability increases by +5!]
Hmm... I gently raised the corners of my mouth and thought.
This guy is totally nuts.