Jigglypuff's Diary

“Sorry to keep you waiting!” [Ryouma]

After receiving the report from Ms. Miya, we mobilized at once, and through Mr. Sebas’s spatial magic, arrived in no time at all, running down the path until we soon saw the backs of Jeff and the others.
When I called out, they turned around with relieved looks.

But while they felt relief, I only felt that something was wrong.
They had likely been looking at the so-called noble intruder.
However, even though Mr. Yurdum was present to deal with the intruder, there wasn’t much tension in the air, only confusion.

Just what kind of person could elicit such a strange air?
I found myself pondering as I tried to sneak a peak through the gap between Jeff and the others, but everyone parted as soon as we approached, and the person in question revealed himself.

Dressed in luxurious clothes one would expect from a noble, he was just as I’d heard beforehand.
For some reason, however, his head was shaved clean, and the man was leaning against the retaining wall we’d installed.
From a glance, it was evident that his breathing was rough.
Was the man sick?
Or so I thought, until he spoke.

“H-Haha, ha ha ha! Good, very good!
This texture, this profound sense of weight! It’s just like the Priest’s Tower of the Vactesion Temple… No, this orderly appearance, this precision! It’s actually much closer to the Zepharion ruins.
But why oh why would such a thing be in a place like this?” [???]

With a flushed red face, he rubbed his cheek against the retaining wall, not a hint of care that his luxurious clothes, that no doubt fetched a pretty coin, stained with dirt and filth.
He just happily caressed along, completely ignorant that we had arrived, as he extolled praises and gazed feverously upon the walls.
Indeed, there was only word that could accurately describe such a sight.

“A pervert.” [Ryouma]

“Exactly, nyaa! That’s a pervert! A pervert!” [Miya]

“He’s been like this ever since we found him.” [Syria]

“We tried speaking with him, but apparently, he doesn’t even realize we’re here.
Still, he didn’t show any signs of trying to pull a fast one on us, so we figured it’d be better to just keep an eye on him and wait you got here.” [Yurdum]

“Thank you for briefing us on the situation.” [Ryouma]

Mr. Yurdum explained what had happened, but to be honest, even I am kind of stuck.

When they said “intruder,” I thought it was someone harboring malice toward the Duke or me, for being put in charge of this place.
But I doubt even a mere thug of such a person would act this strange.
Is it an act then? An act to get us to lower our guard, but even then, it doesn’t make sense.
From the sound of it, it seems he’s praising the make of the retaining wall, so he at least doesn’t sound hostile.
But what to do?

“Oh? Could that gentleman be…” [Sebas]

“Mr. Sebas, do you know him?” [Ryouma]

“His attire is different from when we met previously, but that is likely Lord Perdour Beckenstein.” [Sebas]

Ah, yes, that’s name I’ve heard before.
It was from a year ago by now, I believe, but he was the famous architect commissioned to design the “Arena” that would become the symbol of the new town currently under construction.
He should be the very same client who issued the treant wood job that I accepted.
I’d heard he was a man with very strong particularities, so he’s our guy?

“I shall try calling out to him for now. If I am not mistaken, the possibility of him being hostile is incredibly low. Currently, he is a trespasser, and I also hold the position of a butler to the Duke’s family. Even if something were to happen, I can brush it aside.” [Sebas]

“Thank you, Mr. Sebas. We’re counting on you then.” [Ryouma]

SO, Mr. Sebas quietly approached the man and gently touched his shoulder as he called out to him.
The man looked annoyed at first, but when Mr. Sebas called his name and greeted him, he stood up as if having recovered his wits, and he immediately adopted a noble-like posture.
However, that only lasted for a brief moment.
The very next second, like a lost child, he began looking around restlessly.

“Ethan? Are you not here? Ethan!” [Perdour]

Suddenly, he raised his voice.
It seemed he was looking for his servant named Ethan.

“Did you notice anyone else here besides him?” [Ryouma]

“We checked the nearby surroundings after spotting him, but we didn’t find anyone.” [Jeff]

“We would have been able to tell anyone from the rustling of the leaves or their footsteps, but there’s nothing at all.
I was even thinking it’d be easier if someone else were here with him.” [Wereanna]

“Right… If that’s what Jeff and Wereanna are saying, then there’s probably no mistaking it.
Which would mean the person he’s looking for is still outside the mountain, and only he managed to slip through my cursed ropes? But how?” [Ryouma]

Just as I began to wonder how he managed to slip through, a loud popping sound suddenly reached my ears from the direction of the mountain’s base.

“From the sound of it, I believe the source is right around the entrance to the road.” [Syria]

“Is it that the ‘Ethan’ guy he was calling for earlier?” [Wereanna]

“I can’t tell that much, but someone seems to be yelling.
If that man truly is a noble, I doubt he only has one guard, and if they had a beastman among those guards with excellent hearing like me, they should have been able to pick up his voice just now.
…Ah, it seems that yelling was to get the owner of the voice inside the ropes.
The voice is getting closer now.
Considering it briefly moved further away, they must be running along the road.” [Syria]

“Could it be that they heard him calling out earlier and thought their master was in an emergency, nyaa?” [Miya]

“That might be it… Well, it shouldn’t be a problem. As long as we keep our distance, I doubt there’ll be any misunderstandings.” [Wereanna]

All I heard was a popping sound at best, but Ms. Syria, being a rabbit beastman, was able to hear so much more. She was even able to swiftly analyze the situation based on that information.

The racial trait of sharp hearing combined with her technique that has been built over years of experience wasn’t something that could be replicated simply by using a spell to gather ambient sounds. Seeing her in action like this, I can’t help but be in awe.

While I was busy being impressed on my own, a figure appeared down the road.
At the same time, he must have realized we were here too.
The figure, which initially looked about the size of a pea, rapidly drew closer, revealing an armored man with an exceedingly desperate and terrifying expression on him.

“Ethan! Over here!” [Perdour]

“Lord Perdour!! Are you safe?!” [Ethan]

“Yes, I’m unharmed. Sorry as always—Hmm?” [Perdour]

Right after I braced myself from a bad premonition, the man, who had accelerated using enhancement magic, maintained his momentum and secured his master. Then, while hiding his master behind his back, he glared at us and raised his voice.

“And who the hell are you people supposed to be?!” [Ethan]

“Ethan, these people are from the Duke Jamil household…” [Perdour]

“Please step back! It’s dangerous!” [Ethan]

“E-Ethan? Whatever is the matter? Why are you so angry?” [Perdour]

It was as if the man named Ethan couldn’t even hear his master’s words, as his face twisted in anger, as though he were moments away from drawing the sword off his waist.
Inevitably, we too readied ourselves and prepared to enter combat at a moment’s notice.
Thus, a tense atmosphere settled over us, and Ethan’s gaze intersected with mine.

…Wait, he’s not looking at us, he’s looking at me. Ah!

“Everyone, please refrain from any rash actions. This might be due to the curse placed on me.” [Ryouma]

“Ah, right, there was something like that, wasn’t there.” [Wereanna]

“I’d completely forgot about that already since nothing seemed to be happening. So, what now?” [Jeff]

“I’m going to head back to the dining hall for now.
If it’s because of the curse, I think you’ll have an easier time talking without my presence.” [Ryouma]

“Understood, nyaa. Leave things here to us, nyaa.” [Miya]

“Sir Takebayashi, if we succeed in establishing dialogue, we will most likely lead them to the dining hall, so it might wise to prepare some beverages ahead of time.” [Eleonora]

“Understood.” [Ryouma]

Amidst the glaring, I swiftly left the scene with spatial magic.

His master was at least trying to reprimand his subordinate, so Lord Perdour already seemed more reasonable than my first impression of him.
The subordinate also seemed to have enough reason left to understand he was heavily outnumbered.
The moment I leave, there’s a chance he might calm down.
In the worst-case scenario where a fight does break out, Jeff and the others should be able to subdue him without trouble.

…Still, I feel like this is the first time I’ve properly experienced the effects of the curse. Up until now, there hadn’t been any clear effects, and I might have let my guard down especially since there was no one here but acquaintances.

For the time being, while I prepare to handle these unexpected guests, I should also try to think of a way to suppress the curse.

---

About 30 minutes after I left, Lord Rosenberg came to the dining hall.

“Good job out there. How did it go?” [Ryouma]

“Rest assured. Sir Foster regained his composure after you left, Ryouma, and we were safely able to avoid a conflict.” [Rosenberg]

“That’s a relief!” [Ryouma]

“They said they want to apologize and explain the situation. Will you meet with them?” [Rosenberg]

“Will my curse be okay? I did try adapting a protection spell into a ‘curse-suppression spell,’ just in case.” [Ryouma]

“…The curse seems slightly stronger than before, but this spell should be sufficient. After hearing them out briefly, it seems there was also a great deal of bad timing involved this time. I don’t think a repeat of earlier will happen for now.” [Rosenberg]

Well, if the expert himself says so, it’s probably fine.
So, I stepped outside to welcome our guests, but—

“Oh my! This exterior that is as if it were hollowed out of solid rock, this simple construction that prioritizes efficiency to the utmost!
As expected, it truly shares similarities with the Priest’s Tower of the Vactesion Temple or the Zepharion ruins. Truly magnificent!” [Perdour]

“Lord Perdour! Please, enough is enough! We are already trespassing on land under the Jamil House as is!” [Ethan]

—The architect was trying to cling to the wall of the lodgings built next to the dining hall, while Sir Foster had him in a full nelson.
Furthermore, four men wearing the same armor as Sir Foster—likely his brothers in arms—stood there with an apologetic and awkward expression on their faces.

They have it rough, don’t they? Or so I thought to myself as I invited everyone in.

On our side, Mr. Yurdum, Ms. Eleonora, and I took our seats, while Mr. Sebas stood by in the corner of the room.
Lord Beckenstein and Sir Foster sat across us, with the other guards lined up behind them.
Then, Lord Rosenberg sat at the head of the table to provide supplementary explanations regarding curses.

“I imagine you are aware, but I am Perdour Beckenstein. A genius architect.” [Perdour]

“My name is Ethan Foster, and I serve as his guard.” [Ethan]

“Thank you for the polite introductions. I am Ryouma Takebayashi. I am not well-versed in etiquette, so please forgive me for any impoliteness.” [Ryouma]

“No, we were the ones who breached etiquette first. I understand that the fault lies with us the moment we trespassed into another family’s specialist’s testing ground without permission.” [Ethan]

“First, allow me to apologize. We are terribly sorry for trespassing on the grounds you manage without permission, and for my rude behavior when we first met.” [Perdour]

The discussion started with a simple self-introduction, but for some reason, Lord Beckenstein puffed out his chest.
Smoothly calling himself a “genius architect” was one thing, but it seemed he was quite full of himself too.
Also, his hairstyle had changed from the shaved head he had earlier to a hairstyle like the portraits hung in a music room.
Apparently, he normally wore a wig.

Next to such a master, Sir Foster made a sour face and rubbed his stomach over his armor.
I felt like I had a general grasp of their relationship and how things unfolded.
Lord Beckenstein probably saw the wall of the road I built, dashed off, and trespassed onto the grounds, and then Sir Foster chased after him.
Once they began explaining the sequence of events, this assumption was confirmed to be correct.

“I undertook the job of designing and building the new arena and was heading to the town of Gaunago, where the Duke Jamil estate is located, to discuss the details.
But then, I happened to pass by the road at the foot of this mountain.
Whereupon a brand-new, carved-out road and a fascinating wall caught my eye.
Naturally, one would want to see it up close.
Before I knew it, I had stopped the carriage and run over.” [Perdour]

“It might be hard to understand, but this lord is truly like this. If his interest is piqued by anything related to architecture, he will drop anything to leap at it.
This time as well, he initially said he would only look from in front of the ropes, but he couldn’t hold himself back and rushed onto the grounds.
Normally, I would hold him back before he can trespass on his own… but I hesitated, and he ran off in that brief moment.” [Ethan]

According to Lord Rosenberg, Sir Foster had likely been caught by the effect of my ropes.
My people-repelling ward uses the emotions I felt back when I shut myself away in the forest.
It doesn’t physically block entry.
It works on the mind to induce psychological resistance—a “wall of the heart,” so to speak.

As a result of trying to catch his master at the road’s entrance, Sir Foster triggered the rope’s effect and became unable to move.
On the other hand, as for Lord Beckenstein… his interest in the wall completely overpowered the hesitation inflicted by my ropes, and he supposedly broke through like a starving horse led along a path with a carrot.

“Lord Rosenberg, was it really something that could be broken through so easily? I believe the reports evaluated it as being quite powerful.” [Sebas]

“Indeed, it is not something that can be broken through so simply. In this regard, it just means that Lord Beckenstein’s obsession was extraordinary.” [Rosenberg]

There are practically no physical obstacles, so as long as one overcomes the psychological resistance, it can be crossed… The hurdle to actually do so is high, however, but Lord Beckenstein managed to succeed through sheer obsession.

“By the way, Sir Foster, how did you manage to cross the ropes?” [Sebas]

“I couldn’t cross the ropes under my own power, so I managed it by having my subordinates blow me away with magic.” [Ethan]

“That’s quite an ingenious yet brutish method… but it makes sense. So, that’s how we ended up in that situation earlier.” [Ryouma]

“Yes. Knowing Lord Perdour, I figured he would definitely be along the road, so I just followed it, and as soon as I saw you, I lost my cool, and the thought that ‘I must protect Lord Perdour’ completely overtook me. It was the height of disrespect.” [Ethan]

“The root cause of all this was my unauthorized trespassing on the grounds. My apologies.” [Perdour]

They must truly feel sorry for what they did. The two of them bowed deeply to me despite my childish appearance.

When I silently asked Mr. Yurdum and Ms. Eleonora with my eyes, they both nodded.

“Please, raise your heads. As for your attitude earlier, I believe it was influenced by the curse placed upon me. I also understand that from your perspective, it was an emergency situation where you were separated from the person you were meant to protect.” [Ryouma]

The Curse of Isolation dwelling within me amplifies others’ negative emotions and gives them a bad impression.
This time, it probably reacted to Sir Foster’s panic and desperation at being separated from his master, and the stronger that panic, the easier it is to be affected by the curse.

If someone without any prior relationship with me, unlike Jeff and the others, ended up in that sort of situation upon our very first meeting, I think it’s only natural for things to turn out the way they did.

In any case, I am more than satisfied with this explanation, including the effects of the curse; however, given my position, I still have to report this to His Excellency the Duke, so I asked for their understanding on that front.

When I conveyed that to them, the two slowly raised their heads.

“We are deeply grateful for your generous words.” [Ethan]

“I thank you for your understanding.” [Perdour]

With this, we had confirmed the sequence of events and received their verbal apologies for now, so we had them leave peacefully and promptly.
They had planned to head to the Duke’s estate by carriage, but apparently, on the way to the dining hall, it was decided that they would “accompany Mr. Sebas, who is teleporting back to make his report on this incident.”
They’ll probably handle the more complicated discussions over there.

“Phew… Well, I’m glad we managed to settle things without any issues.” [Ryouma]

“It is fortunate that the only things they saw were the road, the lodgings, and the exterior of the buildings. Had they seen the results of your research, Sir Takebayashi, or the stage where you were utilizing the slimes, matters would have surely become a bit more complicated.” [Eleanor]

“The fact that those two weren’t the troublesome type of nobles is also a big deal. The guy from the Beckenstein family seemed aware that he’d done something wrong, too. Well, it’s still a problem that he loses his self-control despite knowing that, though.” [Yurdum]

Just as Mr. Yurdum said, I was taken aback by his initial perverted behavior, but I didn’t sense any malice or the typical attitude of a corrupt noble.
If anything, he was praising the buildings.
And honestly, I’m not really in a position to judge someone for getting too absorbed in the things they love.
Though I’d like to say that I’m not quite as extreme.
Something on that level is a lot closer to ‘true artists.’
It might be a prejudice, but apparently, there are a lot of eccentrics among those lot.

As I was thinking that, I suddenly realized something.

The fact that he’s designing the arena means there’s a high chance he’ll be coming to Gimel in the near future.
He was muttering this and that about the buildings I made, and right before he teleported away, he did look out the window looking a bit disappointed.
Don’t tell me I just raised a flag.