"My magic... it's running out... ugh."
"Van-sama...!?"
"Are you alright!?"
Seeing Van collapse forward from his kneeling position, Arte and Til rushed over to him. Kamshin, already moving with the speed of a ninja, arrived and supported Van's body.
"I... I might be done for... Arte, Til, Kamushin... I leave Ceat Village to you...”
Breathless, Van could only say this before letting his body go limp. Kamshin’s grip on his shoulder tightened. Arte knelt beside him, and Til suddenly tackled him around the waist.
"Van-sama...!"
"No...!"
"Van-sama...!"
All of them were raising their voices in panic, and Til, probably with tears and a runny nose, screamed. Van, the determined genius boy who had worked himself to the bone for Ceat Village, would forever be remembered for his saintly efforts. His deeds would become legendary, and eventually, a myth.
While thinking this, Van slumped. Then, he heard a cough from behind.
"...Are you satisfied now? Well, there are still five houses to build today. As there are also remaining duties as the lord, let’s finish up quickly."
Then came the whisper of a devil. How terrifying. Had God died?
Van, drenched in cold sweat, pretended to faint. Til, with tear-filled eyes, turned to Espada.
"Espada-sama... I think Van-sama really has reached his limit. He's been working nonstop..."
As Arte pleaded, Til held Van’s body and turned to Espada. With a sudden motion, Til twisted Van’s upper body toward Espada, causing all the air to leave his lungs.
“Hmph...”
Van truly thought he might die. This was painful.
As the delicate and beautiful Van-sama's life seemed to be fading, Til, with tears, spoke.
"Espada-sama is a demon! Van-sama is only ten years old! And for some reason, his height hasn’t increased much! This is all because of what Espada-sama and Dee-sama make him do every day..."
Though Van could tell Til was trying to defend him, he realized this conversation was going to take a while. Moreover, Espada was quietly listening to Til without a word. This was bad. And as for his height, Van didn’t think that was really relevant to the situation.
While pondering this, the limit arrived.
"...! Cough... Cough cough..."
Van struggled to breathe and finally managed to steady himself. That was close. If he’d waited any longer, he might have been seeing a beautiful field of flowers.
"Van-sama...!"
"His consciousness...!"
"...Thank goodness."
Arte and the others cheered. They were all so kind. Meanwhile, the demon king Espada was...
As Van looked up at Espada, he saw him looking down thoughtfully, his expression unchanged. Then, Espada lightly nodded and spoke.
"...Well, I suppose. There’s still been no word after three days. It’s likely we won’t hear anything until tomorrow at the earliest. Let’s take the rest of the day off and pick things up again tomorrow."
"Eh...?"
The word "day off" came from Espada’s mouth. Had there ever been such a thing before? The unexpected situation was so out of the blue that even the genius boy Van needed a moment to process it.
Then, Espada cleared his throat again without expression, and turned his back.
"Well then, I’ll reschedule the afternoon’s tasks to tomorrow or later. For the tasks I can handle, I’ll get them done. I’ll ensure you get a proper break."
With that, Espada began to leave. Seeing him walk away, Van couldn’t help but call out.
"If it’s my day off, then Espada should also have the day off, right?"
Van asked, and Espada paused, furrowing his brows as he turned only his face to look back.
"...That would be difficult. Currently, there’s much work left undone while we’ve been away. Additionally, I’m still handling requests from the fortress cities of Murcia and Cayyenne..."
Espada explained the situation calmly. Van could sense that Espada looked slightly fatigued, so he decided to exercise his authority as lord.
"Of course, I understand the situation. But there’s no urgent work I need to do today, right? So, Espada, you’ll also take half a day off! This is an order from me, Van Ne Fertio, the Viscount. You can’t refuse!"
Van said with a smug expression. Espada froze for a moment, his eyes widening. It lasted just a second or two, but it was rare for Espada to freeze like that. Then, he began moving again.
He let out a soft chuckle.
"...If it’s Van-sama’s command, then I suppose I have no choice."
Espada laughed and said this, while Til and Kamushin blinked in surprise.
"Eh, Espada-sama...?"
"He’s... smiling...!?"
Til and Kamushin’s reactions were a bit rude, and Van chuckled lightly as he raised his hand.
"Alright, let’s all take a proper break! So, let’s go have a meal together at the new restaurant in Ceat Village!"
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