Re:Zero - Jobless Reincarnation: Succubus Sword God? I don't recognize it!

Chapter 379: Troubled Times in the Capital

Ars, October 21st.

There was a light mist in the morning at Boreas House.

In the lobby on the first floor of the mansion, the smooth wooden floor was covered with thick animal fur blankets when the weather got a little cooler.

The beast maids stood in two rows beside the dining table.

In front of them, at the end of the long table, the bloody head of the master of the house that had been in front of the main seat more than five months ago was no longer there.

The tablecloth is clean, having been changed this morning.

Jingle bell, jingle bell.

Exquisite utensil, the spoon makes a pleasant sound when it hits the edge of the bowl.

Four figures were dining.

The main seat at the end of the long table was occupied by Saulos, whose gray and white hair was still neatly combed on his head.

He put down the spoon and wiped his mouth with the napkin.

His hands were steady, carrying the dignified aura of an old-line noble of Asura.

Perhaps it was because he had regained power over the capital, but his movements were less impatient than they were a year ago, and instead more graceful and calm.

It seems like he is a few years younger.

On the right side of the table is Hilda, who is wearing only plain home clothes.

As the legitimate wife of Boreas's heir, she came to the capital, the 'fashion' capital of the Central Continent where noble ladies compete with each other to be the most beautiful and change clothes eight times a day. However, contrary to her usual behavior, she did not wear the dresses that used to highlight her graceful and confident demeanor.

Her hair was not tied up, but draped over her shoulders. Her face was unmade up. She opened her grey-black pupils and looked down at the vegetable soup in front of her quietly.

The vegetable leaves floating on the soup were swirling around in the hot steam.

It seems that I can't calm down until I cool down completely.

Puff, puff.

Pieces of bread were torn into small pieces and soaked in the soup bowl, and a pair of hands were stirring slowly with a spoon.

The hands were small, not Hilda's.

The red-eyed, white-haired girl who was sitting next to Hilda and tilting her chair closer to her was helping Hilda tear the bread. She looked serene, and her shoulder-length hair was tied up with a headband and combed behind her head, forming a very ladylike, aristocratic hairstyle.

Opposite the two of them, Philip, whose hair had grown a little longer and was tied into a small braid at the back of his head, with curls on his forehead hanging down in front of his eyes, was quietly stirring the bowl of soup in front of him.

Breakfast time has come to an end.

Except for the light vegetable soup in each bowl, the other exquisite dishes for breakfast showed no signs of having been touched.

Sauros threw the napkin at Lil behind him.

Finally, at the end of today's breakfast, the first words spoken between the few of them today were greetings from the master to his son and daughter-in-law.

The voice was as loud as ever.

"Good morning, Philip. Hilda, how did you sleep last night?"

Philip put the spoon down. "It's okay, father."

Hilda seemed not to have heard this, but Sylphy quietly took over the conversation, performed table etiquette to Sauros, and said with a smile.

"Good morning, sir, how is the lady?"

Sauros waved his hand and looked at Philip.

"How's Paul's search and rescue team doing?"

Philip replied, "Father, everything is going well. We have already set out to the Red Dragon's Jaw in the south, and the three magic kingdoms in the north have also sent people. But recently, the Lilfi family complained to the king that the Notos family should not be so obsessed with such a small matter at this critical juncture. The senior minister Lild also complained, and..."

"List."

Philip took out a letter from his arms, put it on the table and pushed it over.

Sauros took it, opened it, squinted his eyes, glanced at it, then crumpled the envelope into a ball and threw it to Li'er behind him.

"I'll take care of it, don't worry about it."

Philip nodded. "Yes."

"What about money?"

"We still need some more, and Notos is not doing well either."

"Paul is not very smart. You are good at wielding power. Help him. Do it covertly. The king doesn't like to see Greylats getting too close."

"clear."

Sauros nodded, but suddenly leaned forward and looked straight at Philip, then waved his hand, signaling the maids beside him to retreat.

At Lil's signal, the beast girls left one by one. Among them was the bunny girl Alifa, who was looking listless with her head down. She blinked her watery eyes and glanced at her future 'mistress' Sylphy. Seeing that she looked very confident, she couldn't help feeling ashamed and drooped her two bunny ears.

Only then did he move away from the room on the first floor which had been converted from a reception room into a private dining room.

——Boreas’s mansion in the royal capital was not big, so the largest room in the entire mansion was the reception room on the first floor. Sauros directly converted it into a dining room.

Hospitality?

No wait!

Sauros comes from the military, and his style of doing things is completely that of the older generation: As one of the Four Lords of Boreas, I can go wherever I want!

His style of doing things is very reckless. After arriving, he has no intention of discussing things at home. Basically, if he has something to do, he will just go to other people's doorsteps and call for help.

It's only been four months and the nobles in the capital are already frightened.

Sylphy picked up the napkin and wiped Hilda's lips, who looked dazed, and stood up to leave.

Sauros stretched out his hand and pressed it, "Sylphy, stay here. Don't let me remind you next time."

Sylphy blinked once, then put her little butt back on the seat and glanced at Philip with a hint of worry.

The latter remained silent.

With a creak, the door of the restaurant was closed.

Sauros stared at Philip with a blank expression.

"I heard that you are very close to the second princess?"

Philip paused holding the spoon, put down the spoon, raised his drooping eyelids over his heavy dark circles and spoke seriously.

"Her Royal Highness has generously funded the search and rescue team and is inclined to side with Notos."

Sauros narrowed his eyes and responded in a deep voice, "She has gained popularity."

Philip nodded, "We also benefited from it."

"Boreas supports His Royal Highness the First Prince."

"Darius deserves death. He has nothing to do with James or the assassination at that time."

Sauros picked up the bowl in his hand and smashed it on Philip's chest with a bang.

The soup smudged the latter's white shirt, leaving dirty streaks.

"Philip! You were the one who caused the assassination. How many times do I need me to tell you?!"

".It is precisely because of this that we were able to pull out the nail in Thomas, father."

"How stupid! Can you come back alive without Alan?"

Philip opened his mouth to say something, but when he saw Hilda suddenly began to eat breakfast quickly, he kept his lips apart for a while and lowered his head.

No more words were spoken.

And Sauros, who seemed to be about to fly into a rage, suddenly stopped.

He picked up the napkin and wiped his hands silently.

The two were silent for a moment, then Sauros spoke.

"Stay away from her and don't try anything evil, Darius. I will defeat him head-on.

Asura has been peaceful for too long, and these years have been particularly chaotic. When the young nobles encounter a possible war, they can only shirk responsibility and play tricks.
Except for Alan, none of the younger generations can hold their own!

In today's turbulent times, the king needs Boreas's fine tradition of hard work."

After he finished speaking, he stood up and walked vigorously. "I'm going to the palace." He stood up, holding his cane, and walked to the door in a few steps, but paused slightly at the door.

He tilted his head to look at Sylphy.

Sylphy's smile was a little unnatural.

Saulos paused for a moment, then continued, "So, soon, I may have to go to the south to look at the entrance to the Red Dragon's Jaw. Before that, pick a time." He seemed to think for a while, biting the words and said, "Roz, Noda, your parents, if you have time, you can come to your house for dinner."

Sylphy, who had been acting like a lady until now, wearing a 'mask' in full accordance with Hilda's teachings, froze when she heard that, her eyelashes trembling, and after a while she nodded respectfully.

".Okay. Lord. Mom and Dad can come anytime."

"The day after tomorrow."

"Um"

Sauros nodded and walked out without looking back.

After he left, Li'er, who was standing by his side, followed him. When she passed by Sylphy, she touched her head to comfort her.

——Ever since Alan's 'disappearance', the atmosphere at the dinner table has been extremely depressing almost every day in the past few months. Although there was silence at the Roya table before, there was never such a tense scene as the recent one.

Sylphy forced a smile.

Lil smiled: "Ms. Sylphy has a beautiful smile. I'll leave Madam Hilda to you."

"Okay, I'm sorry to bother Li'er by bothering her every day."

“That’s what I should say.”

Li'er moved lightly, bowed to Philip and Hilda, and left the restaurant.

Philip shook his head helplessly, stood up, and walked over, wiping his shirt with a napkin.

He reached out and patted Hilda's back gently, "Eat slowly."

Hilda stopped trying to cover up the sound coming from her ears with the bone conduction sound of chewing. She reached out and held Philip's hand, and spoke in a trance for a long time.

"Dear, you said Alan."

Philip helped his wife calm down. "Alan is fine. Yesterday the search and rescue team sent a message that someone who looked like Alan appeared near the jaws of the red dragon."

"Really?!" The dinner plate fell to the ground and was picked up by Sylphy using the blowing technique.

"It's true."

"When will Alan come back?"

Philip smiled and said, "It takes three to one month for the carriage to reach the Red Dragon's Jaw from here. Winter is coming soon. He will definitely be back next spring."

He turned to look at Sylphy. "Right? Sylphy?"

Sylphy nodded.

"Yes, yes, Madam."

Hilda looked at Sylphy's expression, paused for a moment, and then laughed.

"Is that so? That's great."

Philip looked at Hilda, his eyes curved just like when they first met.

"Well, go back to the bedroom and get some sleep. I've been having trouble sleeping lately."

Hilda nodded and suddenly asked again.

"Where's Alice? Is she still at the Mizukami-ryu Dojo?"

Sylphy responded softly. "Yes, recently Izuruti has been saying that Alice has been beating up the senior swordsmen of the Water God School like a wild beast, and some of them have started skipping classes. This 'little chief' now has a nickname, the Red Lion.

I went to see her today and wanted to ask her to come back for dinner, but she refused. She should be practicing her swing now."

Hilda was silent for a moment, whispering softly.

"This child is really silly and cute, but...
This is good, it saves a lot of trouble.”

Philip followed Sylphy and helped Hilda back to the bedroom.

Recently, because Philip had been working day and night, he moved from the bedroom to the study across the street.

Half an hour later, when Sylphy tiptoed out, he leaned against the door frame, squinted his eyes and smiled at Sylphy.

"Thank you for your hard work, Lufei. I've really troubled you recently."

Sylphy looked at Philip and Alan's similar narrowed eyes, and looked away. Until now, she had remained calm and polite, and finally withdrew her gaze. She nodded silently, and then spoke again.

"Mayor, it seems that the mistress has realized that it was a lie."

"It's okay, Hilda just needed a reason to go to sleep."

"That's it"

Philip looked at his future daughter-in-law who had been absolutely confirmed, raised his eyebrows slightly, and said with a smile.

"But, Lufei, aren't you anxious?"

Sylphy was silent for a moment, took a deep breath, and then laughed, "I am imitating Allen's behavior. He would do this in this situation, just like the lord to Boreas. He does not need to be weak, but must be as sharp as a knife to become a solid pillar for everyone.

I can't do that, but I can pretend to be tough, which is what I have been doing, because the four of us, Alice, Rudy and Isa Luti, need such a role. I thought Isa Luti could play it, but she was deeply hit.

Perhaps, it is because she, like the lady, has ‘lost and found’ again, so she is particularly worried about gains and losses.”

"What about you?"

"I don't worry about gains or losses."

"Oh?"

Sylphy raised her head and stared at Philip, "Mayor, because I firmly believe that Alan can come back."

"Oh?"

"If he can't come back, me, Rudy, Alice, and even Izuruti in our current state, even if we go out to look for him, it will only be a burden to him." Sylphy lowered her eyes and spoke in a stiff voice. "Take care of the 'home' and wait for him to come back, which will make him feel more at ease than having no strength, not being able to take care of yourself, and running around like a headless fly."

Philip looked at Sylphy for a long time before continuing.

"Luffy is very mature, and Alan is very lucky."

Sylphy was silent for a moment and spoke silently.

“I just copied him.”

"Not everyone can learn from him. This in itself proves that Sylphy is very tenacious, doesn't it?"

"."

Unlike Sylphy's tenacious tone, there was a look of confusion on her face until Philip kept encouraging her with words, and then she started to feel better.

When people are faced with huge changes, no matter how tough they pretend to be, they always need a channel to vent.

Philip led the child to vent her emotions to him, so that she could continue to be strong and flawless when she turned around.

As the door creaked shut, Philip looked out the window at Sylphy's back as she walked out of Boreas's mansion, and the indifferent smile in his eyes that had been there since breakfast disappeared.

He was silent for a moment, then turned around and sat down at the chess table.

on the desktop.

It was the final game between Allen and James.

Philip watched it every day.

But not a single piece was moved.

On the table behind him, the information collected by the search and rescue team and the reports of difficulties encountered were piled up so much that there was no place to put anything.

The 'son' left a chess game.

'Father' looked at the chessboard.

There was no expression on his face with dark circles under his eyes.

After a while, he fell asleep while sitting.

He hasn't slept for three days.

(End of this chapter)