"Thank you for waiting!"
After receiving the word from Miya-san, I used Sebas-san's Space Magic to warp to the midpoint of the road. I ran down the path and soon spotted the backs of Jeff-san and his team. When I called out, they turned around, looks of relief washing over their faces.
Something felt off, however. They were staring at the intruder, a man who certainly looked like a nobleman. But despite Yudum-san being there—who I’d heard was handling the situation directly—there was no tension or sense of danger. Instead, the air was thick with pure bewilderment.
I peered through the gaps in the group to see what kind of person had arrived. As they moved aside to let me through, I finally caught sight of him.
Just as I had heard, the man was dressed in the opulent finery of a nobleman. Oddly, however, his head was completely shaven. He was leaning against the stone retaining wall I had built, breathing so heavily I could see his chest heaving from a distance. At first, I wondered if he was ill, but then he spoke.
"Heh... hehe. This is good. Marvelous! This texture, this weight... It’s just like the Priest Tower of the Vactesion Temple... No, the precise alignment is closer to the Zepharion Ruins. Ah, why is something like this in a place like this?"
His face was flushed with excitement as he literally rubbed his cheek against the stones. He didn't seem to care that his expensive clothes were getting covered in dust, nor did he even notice our presence. He was simply lost in ecstasy over the wall before him.
"An eccentric?" I whispered.
"Bingo!" Miya chirped. "A total weirdo-nya!"
"He’s been like that since the moment I found him," Yudum-san added. "I tried to strike up a conversation several times, but he doesn't even seem to realize we’re here. Since he didn't look like he was trying to sabotage anything, we decided it was better to just keep an eye on him until the owner arrived rather than forcing the issue. That brings us to now."
"Thank you for the concise explanation."
Yudum-san’s summary was helpful, but it certainly left me in a bind regarding how to proceed. When I heard "intruder," I had initially suspected someone with a grudge against the Ducal House or me—perhaps an assassin or a spy. But would such a person act like this? Even as an act to lower our guard, it made no sense. Based on what he was muttering, he seemed to be praising my handiwork, so he didn't seem hostile... but what on earth were we supposed to do with him?
"Oh? Could that be..." Sebas-san murmured.
"Sebas-san, do you know him?"
"His attire is different from when I met him before, but I believe that is Lord Perdor Beckentain."
I recognized that name. About a year ago, he was the famous architect commissioned to design the new Arena that was to be the symbol of the growing city. He was also the client who had originally requested the Trent lumber I’d secured. I recalled hearing that he was a man of particular tastes, but I hadn't expected... this.
"I shall try calling out to him," Sebas-san offered. "If I am correct, the chance of him being hostile is slim to none. Technically, he is an illegal intruder, and I am a butler of the Ducal House. Should anything go wrong, I am more than capable of handling it."
"I appreciate it. Please go ahead."
Sebas-san approached the man quietly and placed a hand on his shoulder while speaking to him. The man initially looked annoyed at the interruption, but as soon as Sebas-san introduced himself, the stranger stood up and regained a noble-like dignity.
That dignity lasted for all of a second. A moment later, he began looking around frantically like a lost child.
"Ethan? Are you there? Ethan!"
He shouted so loudly his voice echoed. He was clearly looking for a servant or a guard.
"By the way," I asked the group, "did any of you see anyone else?"
"We did a quick sweep of the area," Jeff-san said. "Didn't find a soul."
"If there were people nearby, I would have heard the rustle of clothes or footsteps," Welanna-san added. "But I heard nothing. I was actually hoping someone would show up to help handle him."
"Right... if Jeff-san and Welanna-san say so, there’s no mistake. In that case, the person he’s looking for is still outside the mountain. So how did this man manage to slip through my human-warding rope alone? How is that even...?"
Just as I began to ponder his route and the cause of the security breach, a loud bursting sound reached my ears from the foot of the mountain.
"Judging by the sound, I believe that came from the entrance to the road," Silia noted.
"Silia, is that the Ethan guy?"
"I can't say for sure, but I hear someone shouting at the top of their lungs. If that man is a noble, he wouldn't have just one guard. If there were other beastmen with sharp hearing like mine among them, they would have heard his shout earlier. It seems that sound was an attempt to force the speaker inside the rope. They're getting closer now. Judging by the footfalls, they're sprinting up the road."
"Maybe they think their master is in trouble-nya?" Miya suggested.
"Likely so," Welanna-san agreed. "Well, it shouldn't be an issue. If we keep our distance, there won't be any misunderstandings."
I had only heard a muffled bang, but Silia, a rabbit-kin, had gathered far more information and was already analyzing the tactical situation. The combination of her racial traits and her professional experience was something that couldn't be replicated by simple sound-gathering magic. Seeing her at work made me realize once again how impressive she was.
While I was admiring her skills, a figure appeared further up the road. They spotted us immediately. What had started as a tiny speck grew rapidly as the figure approached—a man in armor with a look of pure, frantic desperation on his face.
"Ethan! Over here!" Perdor shouted.
"Lord Perdor! Are you safe!?"
"Yes, I’m fine. Sorry about this, as always—wait."
I felt a surge of unease and braced myself. The man, Ethan, used Strengthening Magic to accelerate, rushing past us to secure his master. He hid Perdor behind his back, glared at us, and roared, "Who are you people!?"
"Ethan, these people are with the Jamil Ducal House—"
"Stay back, my Lord! It’s dangerous!"
"E-Ethan? What is it? Why are you so furious?"
Ethan didn't seem to hear his master's words; he looked ready to draw the sword at his hip at any second. We instinctively braced ourselves for combat. A volatile silence fell as our eyes met.
Wait... he wasn't looking at all of us. He was glaring straight at me.
"Everyone, try to stay calm," I whispered. "I think this might be the effect of my curse."
"Oh, right. That was a thing," Welanna-san murmured.
"I totally forgot since I don't feel anything," Jeff-san said. "What’s the plan?"
"I’m going to head back to the dining hall. If it’s the curse, things will go smoother if I’m not here."
"Got it-nya. Leave this to us."
"Takebayashi-sama," Sebas-san added, "if we can get them to listen, I’ll bring them to the dining hall. Please have drinks ready."
"Will do."
Amidst the standoff, I used Space Magic to vanish from the spot.
The master seemed like he was trying to reason with his subordinate, so they appeared more approachable than my first impression suggested. The guard also seemed to have enough common sense to realize they were outnumbered. Once I was out of the picture, he would likely regain his composure. Even if it did come to blows, Jeff-san and the others could easily restrain him.
Still, that was the first time I’d really felt the weight of the curse in a social situation. Since I hadn't seen many clear effects lately—especially with people I knew—I had grown careless. While I prepared for the sudden guests, I decided I should start looking into ways to suppress the curse’s aura.
About thirty minutes after I retreated, Lord Rosenberg arrived at the dining hall.
"Good work. How is the situation?" I asked.
"Do not worry. Lord Foster regained his composure immediately after you left, Ryoma-kun. Conflict was avoided, and no one was harmed."
"That’s a relief."
"They wish to apologize and explain their presence. Will you meet them?"
"Is my curse under control? I’ve tried adapting some protection magic to act as a suppression field."
"The curse has grown slightly stronger than before, but this technique should be enough. Based on what I’ve heard, this was largely a case of poor timing. I don't believe we'll have a repeat of earlier."
If the expert said it was fine, I was willing to trust him. When I went outside to welcome our guests, however...
"Incredible! This exterior looks like it was carved directly from the mountain, with all waste stripped away to the absolute limit... Yes, it definitely shares the soul of the Vactesion Priest Tower! Simply magnificent!"
"Lord Perdor! For the love of... stop that! We have intruded upon land managed by the Jamil Ducal House without permission!"
The architect was currently trying to plaster himself against the wall of the barracks I had built next to the dining hall, while Lord Foster was desperately trying to pull him away. Beside them stood four other men in the same armor as Foster, all looking profoundly embarrassed.
That man is definitely a handful, I thought as I invited the Jamil retinue and the Beckentain party inside.
Yudum-san, Eleonora, and I took our seats, while Sebas-san stood at the edge of the room. Perdor and Ethan sat opposite us, with the other guards lined up behind them. Rosenberg took the head of the table to act as a mediator and curse specialist.
"As you may know, I am Perdor Beckentain. Genius architect."
"And I am Ethan Foster, his head of security."
"Thank you for coming," I replied. "I am Ryoma Takebayashi. I am afraid my knowledge of noble etiquette is lacking, so I apologize for any unintentional rudeness."
"No, the discourtesy was ours," Perdor said, puffing out his chest. "We understand that the fault lies entirely with us for entering a fellow technician's experiment ground without leave."
"I must offer my sincerest apologies," Ethan added, bowing. "For intruding on your territory and for my aggressive behavior when we met."
The meeting started with these introductions. Perdor seemed incredibly self-assured—not many people call themselves a "genius architect" in their opening sentence. Interestingly, his hair was no longer shaven; he now wore a wig that made him look exactly like one of those historical portraits you'd see in a music room.
Beside him, Ethan looked weary, rubbing his stomach as if he had a nervous ulcer. I began to piece together what had happened: Perdor had spotted my wall, bolted into the restricted area, and Ethan had been forced to give chase.
As they explained the details, my theory was confirmed.
"I have been commissioned to design the new Arena," Perdor explained. "I was on my way to Gaunago to discuss the blueprints with the Jamil family when I happened to pass the foot of this mountain. Then, I saw it—a brand-new road and those exquisite retaining walls. Naturally, any man would want a closer look! I stopped the carriage and ran before I even realized what I was doing."
"It may be hard to believe," Ethan sighed, "but he is truly like this. If something architectural catches his eye, he abandons all reason. This time, he promised he would only look from outside the rope, but he couldn't help himself. Usually, I stop him by force before he can trespass, but this time, I hesitated for just a second—and he was gone."
Rosenberg added that Ethan had likely been caught by the psychological effect of the security rope. My "human-warding" was fueled by the feelings I’d had while living in isolation; it wasn't a physical barrier, but a mental one that created intense psychological resistance.
Ethan had tried to catch his master but was paralyzed by the rope's effect. Perdor, however... his obsession with the wall was apparently stronger than the magical suggestion to stay away. He had broken through the barrier like a horse chasing a carrot.
"Lord Rosenberg, was it really that easy to break?" I asked. "I thought the reports said it was quite potent."
"It is indeed potent. It is simply that Lord Beckentain's fixation is... extraordinary."
Since there was no physical obstacle, someone with enough mental fortitude—or in this case, sheer obsession—could cross it. Perdor had done so unconsciously.
"And how did you manage to get across, Lord Foster?"
"I couldn't overcome the resistance on my own," Ethan admitted. "I had to have my subordinates use magic to literally blast me through the barrier."
"That’s certainly one way to do it. But it makes sense now. That explains why you were so high-strung when you arrived."
"Yes. Knowing Lord Perdor, I was certain he had followed the road. When I finally found him with a group of strangers, I lost my head, thinking only of protecting him at all costs. I truly am sorry."
"The fault remains mine for trespassing," Perdor added.
Both men bowed their heads deeply to me. I looked at Yudum-san and Eleonora; they both nodded in agreement.
"Please, raise your heads," I said. "As for your behavior earlier, I believe the curse I carry played a large part in that. I also understand that you were in an emergency situation, having lost sight of your charge."
The Curse of Isolation amplified negative emotions. In this case, it had reacted to Ethan's frantic anxiety. The more stressed a person was, the more susceptible they were to the curse's influence. For a first meeting with someone he didn't know, it was an understandable reaction. I was satisfied with the explanation, though I made sure they understood I still had to report the incident to the Duke.
They both looked relieved. "Your magnanimity is appreciated."
With the apologies accepted, we arranged for them to leave as quickly as possible. Since Sebas-san was already planning to teleport back to the mansion to deliver a report, it was decided that they would accompany him. The finer details of the trespassing would be handled by the higher-ups.
"Phew... I'm just glad that ended peacefully," I said after they left.
"It was lucky they only saw the road and the exterior of the buildings," Yudum noted. "If they had seen your research or how you're using the slimes, it would have been much harder to smooth over."
"And it helped that they weren't the arrogant type of noble," Eleonora added. "Lord Beckentain clearly knew he was in the wrong, even if his self-control is... lacking."
As Yudum-san said, the man’s eccentricities were startling, but he didn't have the malicious air of a corrupt noble. He had even spent the whole time praising the construction. And as for getting too absorbed in one's interests... well, I wasn't really one to talk. Though I like to think I'm not that bad.
He was a "starving artist" in every sense of the word. I’d heard that geniuses often had a few screws loose.
Then a thought occurred to me.
If he was designing the Arena, he would likely be in Gimul quite often in the future. He had been obsessing over everything I’d built, and he looked almost heartbroken to leave the barracks behind when he teleported away.
I had a feeling this wouldn't be the last time I’d have to deal with Perdor Beckentain.