35
Estio Volume 2
- Episode 10
Estio, who was silently following the instructions, suddenly opened his mouth. There were no flashy rhetoric, but only sincere compliments. Noticing this, the knight glanced around and asked.
"In what way did you feel that way?"
"I just felt it."
"Yes?"
"The heart they have."
Even without trying hard to read, heat flowed into my head as if it were being conducted through a lump of iron. Their desire to protect the land they live in and each other is like a flame that burns a dry winter mountain.
'Because I never wanted to protect the land where I live.'
For him, his hometown of Selvia was a land he never wanted to return to, let alone protect it. Of course, not all the residents of Heiga were guarding the estate with the same heart, but their clear bond was somewhat envious of Estio.
And I thought that the Duke of Heiga, who brought all these people to the battlefield with one accord, was great.
Upon arriving at the castle, the knights guided Estio and his party to a room on the second floor. However, before opening the door, Neju and Tsuki were blocked from entering.
"I'm sorry, but only the guild leader can enter this place. Those who are not invited by the Duke himself cannot enter the office."
Estio read an embarrassment from the knight's voice asking for forgiveness and looked back at Parker, Neju, and Tsuki. Even so, the members of the same guild, the Joining tribe, were a great favor just to let the white-haired monkeys and cats known as ferocious beasts into the castle.
"However, bye."
Neju hesitated, unable to accept that she had been banned from entering the office. It was because Estio was afraid that Hei, who is known as a strong swordsman, might be harmed by the Duke. Tsuki also cried a little with her dissatisfied eyes.
Estio looked back at the two animals and bowed his head slightly.
"I'll just check the contents of the quest and come out. Please wait here."
"......Okay."
Neju, knowing that in human society, the power structure to be followed and the manners to be followed are intricately intertwined, shrugged his shoulders helplessly. She then flashed her red eyes and she sent her thoughts on Estio.
"If anything happens, please call me out loud."
Estio nodded once more as a sign of thanks and went into the office first. Behind him he made a gesture as Parker put his thumb up and told him to believe only in himself.
"Go, Leader! I'll take good care of you."
The door was firmly shut, leaving behind the untrustworthy rant.
'Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever had the three of us in one room like that...'
Estio paused for a moment, thinking of the three remaining outside the door. Neju, who has a gentle personality, wasn't too concerned, but the problem was that Tsuki and Parker weren't very good friends.
The arrogant and selfish black cat and the unnoticed, unnoticed, claustrophobic joiner, will these two people be waiting for me peacefully?
'Just get the quest confirmation and leave.'
Estio, who raised his head impatiently, saw a green object bouncing out of his sight.
"......?"
Come to think of it, there was one being I had forgotten. After feeding him blood in the cave, he calmed down like a full-fledged lion and was in Neju's arms, so he was a cactus, Ahur, who didn't really care.
Since it was a plant, it seemed to blend in naturally without being noticed by the knights.
As Estio looked at Ahur, who first jumped off the carpet, chubby eyes in bewilderment, he heard the voice of the duke, unaware of the situation, from inside the office.
"Uh, are you here?"
It was a friendly tone, as if calling a friend. Estio hesitated for a moment as he had to answer that question or call Ahur.
Hei, who interpreted the hesitation differently, stood up, covering the papers the Duke was examining with a grin.
"Isn't it our sphere?"
The dark-haired young man who took off the glasses he was wearing for efficient work and had it in his shirt pocket turned towards the door.
"The welcome is sweet, isn't it, Estio?"
「?」
However, it was not Estio who met him face-to-face, but a cactus with a reddish flower on his head.
"......Yes?"
Of course, the expression on Mubin Heiga, who spoke with the thought that Estio must have come in, hardened vaguely. Ahur, who received his gaze, offered a greeting that could not be heard shyly.
"My name is Ahur, cactus."
"Aww!"
"Ahh!"
When Moobin was startled, the cactus screamed in surprise as well.
Seeing a plant and a person playing with each other, Estio raised her forehead.
Click!
The knights waiting outside were startled by the sudden scream and opened the door. The knights rushing in alternately looked at Estio, who was still standing by the door, and Hei, who was clutching his surprised chest.
There was a cactus that had not been seen next to the table, but the knights who did not suspect that there were hurriedly asked the duke.
"Sir! What's going on?"
"Um? It's nothing."
It was a calm response, not like the person who had just screamed out before. Moobin Heiga sat across the head of his desk and tucked his arms around the knights who broke into the office.
"What are you doing? Do you think you can't see me talking to the customer right now?"
"dismissal."
"Let's all go out."
His pale, tired face was nothing at all, but he could not disobey the command of his master. The knights looked around the room like a knife again with dazed eyes, but neither of them were hurt, and there was nothing particularly damaged.
In the end, after all the subordinates had left, the peacock, whose expression was loose, wiped his face with the palm of his hand and opened his mouth.
"Whoa. I heard that the leader is an extraordinary person, but..."
The black eyes that had managed to regain their composure went towards the cactus flowerpot like a stab. Then she squatted down in front of Ahur and spoke to her.
"I guess I didn't know it was a cactus, dear. From what I've heard, it looks like a normal human being. How can you walk and talk like a human!"
「What? Where are you?"
"Heh, you're very direct in your tone of voice. I like it."
"No matter how you look at it, this idiot doesn't look like a peacock."
Even after eating a lot of swearing from the cactus, the peacock stole his nose to show that he could bear that much. Ahur slowly began to step back, and Estio, who could not see it, stepped forward.
"...but the guild leader is me."
"Well?"
"Didn't you say it was spherical, we?"
It was meant to be a fake portal manager at the entrance of the underground cave, and there would be a new confusion. Of course, the Duke, who was not really confused, straightened his squatted knees and stood up, looking straight at Estio.
"Ah, just in case. I was wondering if you had a hobby of disguising yourself as a cactus."
"I don't have that kind of hobby."
"You have such a power, right? Mind control."
Estio, who was speechless for a moment, firmly shut his mouth, and the duke saw it and smiled.
"Hey, right? You're lucky today. I thought that someone with the ability to read thoughts would have the ability to control the mind, so I took this picture."
"...how much do you know?"
"Well, did you take a picture? Let's not be sensitive, my friend."
That's a lie. Estio felt it. I didn't read the other person's thoughts, but the fact that there was a real intention behind those words was filtered out like a fish in a net.
Duke Heiga, who faced such Estio, touched his chin and admired himself.
'It's really no joke to feel intimidated.'
There was no emotion beyond the dark blue eyes. It is like a sea that has sunk deep in darkness. The moment I thought it was calm because I couldn't see inside, it was almost certain that a raging wave would crash over my head and be swept away.
"I greet you properly. I'm Mobin R. Hey, the client who asked the guild for a quest."
"This is Estio from the Ignis Guild."
When the introduction was finished, Mubin suddenly held out his hand. No matter how the leader ranks as a high-ranking guild executive, it is extremely unusual for a duke or duke to shake hands with a commoner.
Even when Mubin introduced himself, he did not mention his status, such as a duke or a master of a territory, and did not threaten Estio with his status as a weapon. Rather, he felt respected.
Estio looked down at his outstretched hand for a moment, then slowly grabbed it.
"I beg you."
"Yes. Then what kind of request."
"Wait, before that, I have a question for you."
As Duke Hei's gaze fell, Estio followed him and turned his head. He saw a cactus clinging to the side of his leg, guarding the peacock.
"If you're not in control, what is this talking cactus? Is it a monster?"
「! Did you just look at me and call me a monster?"
To the Duke's question, Ahur responded earlier than Estio.
"'Monster'… I like that word. because it's true But I don't know anything else."
"Yes?"
"I can't stand making fun of me as a monster!"
"What are you talking about!"
It was the moment when Moobin, who climbed up on the desk to avoid the cactus running by with sharp thorns, put his hand on the scabbard with a cold expression on his face.
"Come here, Ahur."
Ahur, who was beating like an angry bull, as soon as he heard the voice, turned around and hugged Estio in his arms. Then, Mubin, who almost drew his sword against the plant, jumped off the desk with a sullen expression on his face.
"Uhh. It's not because I'm really scared."
"Sir Duke."
Estio asked with a serious expression to Moobin, who was trying to make excuses for the embarrassment.
"Can you hear Ahur?"
"Uh. Are you talking about that cactus? You can hear it clearly."
He exaggeratedly stroked his forearm and shivered.
"Very frightening."
This time, Estio and Ahur had to feel a fight. It seemed like it had been before, but Duke Heiga was really listening to the voices of plants.
'Since when? No, how?'
Until now, Estio was the only one who could hear Ahur's voice. In the first place, it was the ability that only he could do to read the thought waves that plants and animals flow.
Estio clenched his fists.
'perhaps.'
Maybe you're not alone. Someone with this monstrous power.
My stomach churned at that strange anticipation.
"Why? I shouldn't have listened in the first place?"
The duke was surprised at first, but he asked calmly. Estio, who was silent for a moment, licked her lips with a trembling tone.
"Maybe, you have the ability to read the sounds of plants and the mind..."
"Look, what are you talking about?"
The duke adamantly broke his expectations.
35
Estio Volume 2
- Episode 10
Estio, who was silently following the instructions, suddenly opened his mouth. There were no flashy rhetoric, but only sincere compliments. Noticing this, the knight glanced around and asked.
"In what way did you feel that way?"
"I just felt it."
"Yes?"
"The heart they have."
Even without trying hard to read, heat flowed into my head as if it were being conducted through a lump of iron. Their desire to protect the land they live in and each other is like a flame that burns a dry winter mountain.
'Because I never wanted to protect the land where I live.'
For him, his hometown of Selvia was a land he never wanted to return to, let alone protect it. Of course, not all the residents of Heiga were guarding the estate with the same heart, but their clear bond was somewhat envious of Estio.
And I thought that the Duke of Heiga, who brought all these people to the battlefield with one accord, was great.
Upon arriving at the castle, the knights guided Estio and his party to a room on the second floor. However, before opening the door, Neju and Tsuki were blocked from entering.
"I'm sorry, but only the guild leader can enter this place. Those who are not invited by the Duke himself cannot enter the office."
Estio read an embarrassment from the knight's voice asking for forgiveness and looked back at Parker, Neju, and Tsuki. Even so, the members of the same guild, the Joining tribe, were a great favor just to let the white-haired monkeys and cats known as ferocious beasts into the castle.
"However, bye."
Neju hesitated, unable to accept that she had been banned from entering the office. It was because Estio was afraid that Hei, who is known as a strong swordsman, might be harmed by the Duke. Tsuki also cried a little with her dissatisfied eyes.
Estio looked back at the two animals and bowed his head slightly.
"I'll just check the contents of the quest and come out. Please wait here."
"......Okay."
Neju, knowing that in human society, the power structure to be followed and the manners to be followed are intricately intertwined, shrugged his shoulders helplessly. She then flashed her red eyes and she sent her thoughts on Estio.
"If anything happens, please call me out loud."
Estio nodded once more as a sign of thanks and went into the office first. Behind him he made a gesture as Parker put his thumb up and told him to believe only in himself.
"Go, Leader! I'll take good care of you."
The door was firmly shut, leaving behind the untrustworthy rant.
'Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever had the three of us in one room like that...'
Estio paused for a moment, thinking of the three remaining outside the door. Neju, who has a gentle personality, wasn't too concerned, but the problem was that Tsuki and Parker weren't very good friends.
The arrogant and selfish black cat and the unnoticed, unnoticed, claustrophobic joiner, will these two people be waiting for me peacefully?
'Just get the quest confirmation and leave.'
Estio, who raised his head impatiently, saw a green object bouncing out of his sight.
"......?"
Come to think of it, there was one being I had forgotten. After feeding him blood in the cave, he calmed down like a full-fledged lion and was in Neju's arms, so he was a cactus, Ahur, who didn't really care.
Since it was a plant, it seemed to blend in naturally without being noticed by the knights.
As Estio looked at Ahur, who first jumped off the carpet, chubby eyes in bewilderment, he heard the voice of the duke, unaware of the situation, from inside the office.
"Uh, are you here?"
It was a friendly tone, as if calling a friend. Estio hesitated for a moment as he had to answer that question or call Ahur.
Hei, who interpreted the hesitation differently, stood up, covering the papers the Duke was examining with a grin.
"Isn't it our sphere?"
The dark-haired young man who took off the glasses he was wearing for efficient work and had it in his shirt pocket turned towards the door.
"The welcome is sweet, isn't it, Estio?"
「?」
However, it was not Estio who met him face-to-face, but a cactus with a reddish flower on his head.
"......Yes?"
Of course, the expression on Mubin Heiga, who spoke with the thought that Estio must have come in, hardened vaguely. Ahur, who received his gaze, offered a greeting that could not be heard shyly.
"My name is Ahur, cactus."
"Aww!"
"Ahh!"
When Moobin was startled, the cactus screamed in surprise as well.
Seeing a plant and a person playing with each other, Estio raised her forehead.
Click!
The knights waiting outside were startled by the sudden scream and opened the door. The knights rushing in alternately looked at Estio, who was still standing by the door, and Hei, who was clutching his surprised chest.
There was a cactus that had not been seen next to the table, but the knights who did not suspect that there were hurriedly asked the duke.
"Sir! What's going on?"
"Um? It's nothing."
It was a calm response, not like the person who had just screamed out before. Moobin Heiga sat across the head of his desk and tucked his arms around the knights who broke into the office.
"What are you doing? Do you think you can't see me talking to the customer right now?"
"dismissal."
"Let's all go out."
His pale, tired face was nothing at all, but he could not disobey the command of his master. The knights looked around the room like a knife again with dazed eyes, but neither of them were hurt, and there was nothing particularly damaged.
In the end, after all the subordinates had left, the peacock, whose expression was loose, wiped his face with the palm of his hand and opened his mouth.
"Whoa. I heard that the leader is an extraordinary person, but..."
The black eyes that had managed to regain their composure went towards the cactus flowerpot like a stab. Then she squatted down in front of Ahur and spoke to her.
"I guess I didn't know it was a cactus, dear. From what I've heard, it looks like a normal human being. How can you walk and talk like a human!"
「What? Where are you?"
"Heh, you're very direct in your tone of voice. I like it."
"No matter how you look at it, this idiot doesn't look like a peacock."
Even after eating a lot of swearing from the cactus, the peacock stole his nose to show that he could bear that much. Ahur slowly began to step back, and Estio, who could not see it, stepped forward.
"...but the guild leader is me."
"Well?"
"Didn't you say it was spherical, we?"
It was meant to be a fake portal manager at the entrance of the underground cave, and there would be a new confusion. Of course, the Duke, who was not really confused, straightened his squatted knees and stood up, looking straight at Estio.
"Ah, just in case. I was wondering if you had a hobby of disguising yourself as a cactus."
"I don't have that kind of hobby."
"You have such a power, right? Mind control."
Estio, who was speechless for a moment, firmly shut his mouth, and the duke saw it and smiled.
"Hey, right? You're lucky today. I thought that someone with the ability to read thoughts would have the ability to control the mind, so I took this picture."
"...how much do you know?"
"Well, did you take a picture? Let's not be sensitive, my friend."
That's a lie. Estio felt it. I didn't read the other person's thoughts, but the fact that there was a real intention behind those words was filtered out like a fish in a net.
Duke Heiga, who faced such Estio, touched his chin and admired himself.
'It's really no joke to feel intimidated.'
There was no emotion beyond the dark blue eyes. It is like a sea that has sunk deep in darkness. The moment I thought it was calm because I couldn't see inside, it was almost certain that a raging wave would crash over my head and be swept away.
"I greet you properly. I'm Mobin R. Hey, the client who asked the guild for a quest."
"This is Estio from the Ignis Guild."
When the introduction was finished, Mubin suddenly held out his hand. No matter how the leader ranks as a high-ranking guild executive, it is extremely unusual for a duke or duke to shake hands with a commoner.
Even when Mubin introduced himself, he did not mention his status, such as a duke or a master of a territory, and did not threaten Estio with his status as a weapon. Rather, he felt respected.
Estio looked down at his outstretched hand for a moment, then slowly grabbed it.
"I beg you."
"Yes. Then what kind of request."
"Wait, before that, I have a question for you."
As Duke Hei's gaze fell, Estio followed him and turned his head. He saw a cactus clinging to the side of his leg, guarding the peacock.
"If you're not in control, what is this talking cactus? Is it a monster?"
「! Did you just look at me and call me a monster?"
To the Duke's question, Ahur responded earlier than Estio.
"'Monster'… I like that word. because it's true But I don't know anything else."
"Yes?"
"I can't stand making fun of me as a monster!"
"What are you talking about!"
It was the moment when Moobin, who climbed up on the desk to avoid the cactus running by with sharp thorns, put his hand on the scabbard with a cold expression on his face.
"Come here, Ahur."
Ahur, who was beating like an angry bull, as soon as he heard the voice, turned around and hugged Estio in his arms. Then, Mubin, who almost drew his sword against the plant, jumped off the desk with a sullen expression on his face.
"Uhh. It's not because I'm really scared."
"Sir Duke."
Estio asked with a serious expression to Moobin, who was trying to make excuses for the embarrassment.
"Can you hear Ahur?"
"Uh. Are you talking about that cactus? You can hear it clearly."
He exaggeratedly stroked his forearm and shivered.
"Very frightening."
This time, Estio and Ahur had to feel a fight. It seemed like it had been before, but Duke Heiga was really listening to the voices of plants.
'Since when? No, how?'
Until now, Estio was the only one who could hear Ahur's voice. In the first place, it was the ability that only he could do to read the thought waves that plants and animals flow.
Estio clenched his fists.
'perhaps.'
Maybe you're not alone. Someone with this monstrous power.
My stomach churned at that strange anticipation.
"Why? I shouldn't have listened in the first place?"
The duke was surprised at first, but he asked calmly. Estio, who was silent for a moment, licked her lips with a trembling tone.
"Maybe, you have the ability to read the sounds of plants and the mind..."
"Look, what are you talking about?"
The duke adamantly broke his expectations.
