Burgers And Boys (2)

As I hugged her from behind, Rurin suddenly started to stutter.

“A human dares to hug me from behind!”

“Didn’t you come into my room yesterday and hug me while you slept?”

“It was cold. That’s why. You are just a heater.”

“A dragon felt cold? A dragon? Why not say the sun rises in the west?”

“Aaang!”

“Why do you always end with ‘Aaang’ when things don’t go your way?”

“Hehe. But you can hug me tighter. I prefer from the front!”

“Didn’t you just talk about how a human dares to hug you? Now you say you prefer the front?”

“Fine! Then, shall I try teleporting?”

Rurin ignored my words and started to use magic. A black hole of space-time engulfed me. The dizziness that occurs is quite annoying.

With convenience comes a bit of discomfort.

Anyway, we arrived in front of the Lord’s castle in an instant. Right there, Rurin sniffed and then used teleportation again while hugging me.

The result of the second teleportation made my head spin even more.

And the place we arrived at was a tidy room. With a bed, a wardrobe, and a fancy carpet.

It was tidy but had everything necessary, especially the luxurious sofa in the center. There was no one in the room.

“What do you think? I believe this is the place.”

“If you say so, then it must be.”

Seeing that no one was here, it meant they hadn’t returned. Considering the distance, that was understandable.

“Let’s wait for a moment.”

“I don’t know what you’re planning, but okay.”

Rurin nodded and began to look around. Then she patted the sofa. But at that moment, the only door started to creak open.

I hugged Rurin and quickly hid behind the sofa. Then I checked the identity of the person who entered.

Rurin’s teleportation was accurate.

The one who entered was that boy. When I stood up and appeared, the boy was startled and pointed at us.

“Oh? The ones I saw at the restaurant earlier!”

He tilted his head in surprise but quickly closed the door. He looked anxious, worried that someone outside might have seen us.

It’s surprising that the son of a Lord would be this cautious.

I’ve never seen a noble’s son act this wary around subordinates. It only made my curiosity grow.

“Did you come to see me? But how did you get to my room?”

“Didn’t you leave money at the restaurant earlier?”

“Money? Right. I couldn’t eat, but since the food was served, I couldn’t leave without paying. So, I left some money.”

“That’s exactly it. Since I received the money, I’d feel better if you take at least one bite of the food. It’s my principle.”

“R-really? Then did you bring that food? I really wanted to eat it!”

“Of course.”

“That’s amazing! Wonderful! But, I asked earlier, and you didn’t answer…. How did you get here? I’m curious about that too.”

I wasn’t interrogating him. The boy’s eyes were simply filled with curiosity. Maybe he wanted to learn how I got here so he could sneak around the town. He had run to my restaurant earlier too.

But I couldn’t teach him, and it’s a method humans can’t use anyway.

I shrugged and unwrapped a hamburger, handing it to him.

“The method is simple. I’m a magician.”

“A magician? Why is a magician running a restaurant?”

“I retired. Is that so important? Living a life doing what you want is happiness. If you want to eat this delicious hamburger, can you keep the fact that I’m a magician a secret?”

“R-really? I see. I too have things I want to do. Got it!”

The boy ran up to me.

“By the way, if I came to harm you, isn’t it too careless to be so defenseless?”

The boy, who was about to take the hamburger from my hand, tilted his head and then boldly spoke.

“If you intended to kill me, you wouldn’t ask for cooperation on a secret.”

“Haha, maybe it’s just bothersome to explain?”

“But your face looks kind. It’s not scary at all.”

Kind? That’s the first time I’ve heard that. He speaks well to me but not to his servants.

“Do I look kind? Well, yes. I just came to deliver food.”

“I can’t accept it! You, kind? You always make me work! If you were kind, you should hug me more often!”

What a grumpy monster. Of course, I ignored her.

“Come on, come on. It’s getting cold. Please eat.”

“Shall I? It looks delicious just by looking at it. The smell, the smell is fantastic! You really are a good person.”

The boy bit into the hamburger with a face full of anticipation. The sauce dripped down.

“It’s delicious! This is really tasty!”

The boy ate little by little while looking at me. Unlike Rurin, no one eats it in one bite. Of course.

“What did you say this dish was called?”

“It’s called a hamburger.”

“I’ve never heard of it, but it’s unique. Delicious. Really delicious.”

Just because he’s young doesn’t mean he isn’t a customer. Compliments are always appreciated. It means it can capture everyone’s taste.

“Yes, it’s delicious. I just ate one too. Hehe.”

Then the dragon chimed in. I wondered what was up, but her gaze was fixed only on the hamburger. Normally, she doesn’t interfere when I talk to humans or do business. But today, she had a lot to say. It must be because of the hamburger. So I grabbed her arm.

“Why are you yelling?”

“Why are you shouting?”

“Because you grabbed me painfully.”

“Oh my, does this hurt?”

“Yes.”

“What do you mean ‘yes’? You’re planning to snatch that away, aren’t you?”

“Th-that’s not true!”

Rurin turned her head with a guilty look. That action already gave me the answer.

“Pfft.”

Suddenly, the boy burst out laughing, with sauce dripping down.

“You two seem so free. I wish I could command my subordinates freely like you two.”

“That should be easy for you, shouldn’t it? You are the son of the Lord, Baron Greek?”

“Oh? How did you know who I am? Y-yes! I am Baron Greek, the future Lord.”

The boy nodded. But his expression wasn’t good.

“A noble who can’t command his subordinates as he wishes?”

Come to think of it, he couldn’t say anything to his subordinates when he was dragged away at the restaurant. It was a behavior full of incongruity, and he seemed to recognize it himself.

“Young Master! I heard a noise, are you okay?”

Just then, there was a knock from outside, probably because of Rurin’s loud shout.

“Uh, uh?”

From that moment, the boy started to panic. He spoke comfortably in front of me, but why couldn’t he command his servants?

“Hmmm, earlier it seemed like your subordinates looked down on you a lot. Baron, you are a noble and the future Lord who will lead this city. Shouldn’t you act in a way that prevents subordinates from behaving rudely?”

The current Lord of Greek City has been bedridden for a long time. The day this boy becomes the Lord isn’t far off. At this rate, the future of Greek City is obvious. It will be a mess.

“But they are overbearing. They do nothing but follow my stepmother’s orders. Whatever I do, it’s always ‘stepmother’s orders’. They don’t listen to me at all.”

“That’s that.”

“Huh?”

“Your stepmother has no children, right?”

“Yes! I-I am! I am my Father’s only son.”

“She’s been pressuring you since you were young, making you unable to make any decisions so she can control the Lord from behind. Do you want to become a puppet Lord?”

“No way? My stepmother wouldn’t do that. It’s just that I’m timid…. But I! I want to be a good Lord. The kind that people praise.”

“That’s absolutely impossible as things are.”

“But they don’t listen to me.”

The boy dropped his shoulders.

“Have you ever spoken strongly?”

“Strongly?”

“Not just muttering powerlessly.”

“I don’t think so. They always make scary faces, so I’m scared.”

“Baron. You are a noble. Even if you die, you shouldn’t cower before your subordinates. You were confident when I suddenly appeared earlier, so why now?”

“You looked like a good person, so I wasn’t worried. Your smiling face looked kind.”

“A smiling face can hide something scarier behind it. Those who openly try to threaten are amateurs. Anyway, the important thing is that you’ll get devoured like this. If you don’t want to become a Lord who can’t do anything, shout. Strongly. Start by making those guys outside go away.”

I pointed outside the door.

“Young Master! I’m coming in.”

A rude voice was still heard from outside. The stepmother is the Lord’s second wife. I know the first wife died early, leaving this boy behind.

Everything pressuring the future Lord must stem from the second wife’s greed.

“If you want to be a good Lord, act confidently. They can’t do anything but glare at you. If you come out strong, they will back off.”

The boy muttered repeatedly about being a good Lord.

There was the sound of someone trying to force the door open. Then Rurin, who was lounging on the sofa, spoke.

“What a frustrating human.”

Then she imitated the boy’s voice and spoke loudly.

“It’s fine! Nothing is wrong, so go away! If you don’t listen to me, I’ll eat you all! Worthless humans.”

“Uh, uh?”

The boy was flustered by the voice that sounded exactly like his own.

“Young Master?”

A confused voice was heard from outside. Rurin’s follow-up lines were a bit messy, but the cat was already out of the bag, so I urged the boy.

“That’s how you do it. Try it. Can you hear their confused voices?”

“Is that so…. Going out strong is the way.”

The boy walked to the door. Then, as if he had made a decision, he shouted Rurin’s words exactly.

“It’s fine! Nothing is wrong, so go away!”

“What…?”

Even the people outside seemed quite surprised. I heard a dumbfounded voice. I urged him to shout once more with my finger.

“Hurry up and go away!”

Then the boy, with a flushed face, spoke again.

“Yes, sir.”

Eventually, the people retreated. They had no choice. No matter how arrogant they are, they can’t just enter the master’s room without permission.

From the second wife’s perspective, if she has no children, it doesn’t make sense to kill this boy. If that happens, the Lord will change. It will be handed over to another noble from the central government since there’s no heir.

Then, both the stepmother and the ones she colluded with will end up on the streets. They’re not foolish enough not to know that.

The boy just needs to step up confidently and reclaim his rightful place.

“See? They went away.”

“That’s amazing! It’s the first time they’ve listened to me.”

“Until now, you’ve just been muttering timidly. If you want to be a good Lord, you need to gradually regain your dignity from now on. Whatever it is, do it with your own will. If someone around you asks for something, you need to cut them off. Even if you become a tyrant, be a tyrant with your own will.”

“A tyrant? No, I will be a good Lord!”

“Clenching your fist like that and speaking while looking them straight in the eyes, that’s good.”

“Huh?”

“I’m saying to do to them what you’re doing to me.”

“Is that so? But you’re different. Even though I haven’t known you long, I can speak easily.”

“That strange person will give you a gift.”