Leave a Comment / Reincarnation into a barrier master / By IX
Despite still being late autumn, the city of Agartha was already covered in snow, with winter arriving unusually early that year. Nevertheless, the city buzzed with the lively voices of people clearing the snow, showing no signs of being overwhelmed by the unseasonal chill. As the new year dawned, the city’s energy surged even more due to the annual grand event being held.
Traditionally, on the fifth day of the new year, the nobles of Agartha would come to give their New Year’s greetings, a custom dating back to the Juka era. Initially, under King Linos’ reign, some nobles who did not follow him boycotted these greetings. However, in recent years, this ceased, and the nobles outwardly showed submission to the king. Around the same time, they started hosting a sort of trade fair in the city during this period.
This began a few years ago, following an offhand remark by King Linos.
When the nobles visited Linos, they always brought special products from their territories as tributes. Initially, Linos had ordered that this was unnecessary, but the nobles, driven by pride, continued the practice. The array of specialty products gathered at Linos’ place each year included many items not commonly available in the city of Agartha.
“It would be profitable to hold something like a product fair and sell these,” Linos casually remarked upon seeing a fur coat submitted by Count Sarracenia, impressed by its craftsmanship. Inspired by this, the next year the Count brought a large quantity of fur, and with Linos’ permission, sold them in a corner of the guesthouse grounds to the city’s people. The fair’s reputation quickly spread throughout the city, leading to a surge in orders for the Count, who reaped substantial profits.
Seeing this, other Agarthan nobles eagerly sought Linos’ permission to participate. Linos agreed to open the plaza in front of the royal gate during the New Year period, specifically for this trade fair. Linos’ magical barrier ensured a constant temperature inside the plaza, regardless of the outside cold. This contributed to the fair’s overwhelming success among the city’s residents.
At this year’s fair, in one corner of the venue, a man was leisurely drawing portraits. This man was none other than King Maintia of Vladime. He sold his own paintings while also drawing portraits of visitors.
Originally fond of painting and possessing exceptional skill, Maintia could complete a portrait in mere minutes, attracting the visitors’ attention. His kind nature and meticulous customer service soon made his stall thriving. His portraits, flattering for beautiful people and suitably adjusted for others, were particularly popular among women, leading to long queues.
“Ah, beautiful! Wonderful!” Maintia would exclaim while drawing.
“But I have a slight overbite…” a customer might respond shyly.
“That’s what makes you beautiful! Your smile is perfect!” he would reassure them.
Next to Maintia, his attendants, including Patterson, sold his paintings, which bore the name “Echigoya”. Despite their high prices, Maintia’s paintings were selling steadily. On the final day, only a few remained, likely to sell out. Although generally unnoticed by the masses, his paintings were often bought on the spot by more eccentric customers.
“Excuse me,” a young man approached Patterson’s stall one day. He had a student-like appearance and a youthful face. Staring intently at the paintings, he inquired, “I’d like to buy this ‘Ayame’ painting…”
“That would be 8000 G…,” Patterson replied, somewhat puzzled.
The young man, Takeichi, working at the Agartha Medical Research Institute, explained he only had 1000 G on him and proposed paying the rest in monthly installments of 1000 G.
Patterson, unaccustomed to such payment plans, hesitated. But Maintia, overhearing, agreed without hesitation and handed the painting to Takeichi, saying he could pay when able.
King Maintia’s generosity was noted by all, including King Linos, who joined the bustling scene. Linos, who saw Maintia busy painting a woman, remarked that his hobby turned out more popular than expected, ensuring he could repay most of the money borrowed.
Linos observed that Maintia’s paintings were likely only popular among a niche group, given the lack of general sales. While pondering this, Linos noticed several paintings hung upside down in the back of the stall.
“Hey, what’s with that painting turned upside down?”
“Oh, that? Well, I think it’s fine to sell it, but Patterson says no.”
King Maintia replied with a shy smile. I, along with Mei, approached the upside-down painting curiously and were struck speechless upon seeing it.
“Is this… a painting?”
The painting depicted a beautiful nude woman with such realism, it resembled a photograph. Mei also gazed intently, as if to confirm whether it truly was a painting.
“Yes, it’s undoubtedly a painting by the king. However, it’s not for sale.”
“Why not? It’s beautifully done. It would sell immediately, wouldn’t it?”
“We cannot. The model for that painting is… Noreen.”
“What!? Noreen?”
We couldn’t hide our surprise. The woman in the painting looked so different from the usual Noreen we knew. King Maintia spoke to us in his usual, laid-back manner.
“Noreen is always with me, so it naturally turned out this way.”
“Is it really Noreen?”
“What do you mean? It’s obviously Noreen, isn’t it?”
The king spoke earnestly. It seemed in his eyes, Noreen truly appeared as a great beauty. I wondered if his eyesight was really that bad.
“The king says he would sell the painting, but Noreen is now his concubine. We can’t expose the skin of a royal consort to the public. That’s why I firmly opposed selling it,” Patterson explained with a troubled look.
“Well, that makes sense. By the way, I haven’t seen Noreen around.”
“Oh, Noreen is, well,” the king said shyly, stroking his belly.
“What? Really!? Hasn’t it only been about three months since we came to Agartha?”
I was shocked, and Patterson opened his mouth apologetically.
“Well… the king has been quite passionate with Noreen every night…”
“What, Patterson? You knew about that?”
“Well… we can hear it every night…”
“Ahahaha! You heard it? That’s a problem!”
While listening to this silly conversation between master and servant, I looked back and forth between the painting and King Maintia, sighing.
“But it’s a waste. With this quality, it could sell for a lot. It’s a good painting.”
“No! Absolutely not! This must never be sold!”
Suddenly, Mei burst into laughter. We all turned to her in surprise.
“Mei, what’s wrong?”
“Is this a painting? Yes… and, is it a good painting? No… Hahaha! It’s hilarious.”
Mei laughed heartily, her innocent smile somehow soothing my heart.
——-
That night, I fell asleep with Sidy.
Her way of sleeping was a bit unusual. She always rested her face in the palm of my hand. Maybe because of her small body, regular pillows seemed uncomfortable for her, and she stubbornly refused to use my arm as a pillow, which seemed reserved for Rico. After trying various positions, we found that my palm suited her best.
That night, as usual, I cradled Sidy’s face with my left hand and hugged her from behind with my right as we drifted off to sleep.
It was a quiet night, but the silence was suddenly broken, and it was Sidy who disturbed it.
She abruptly sat up in bed. Sensing an unusual presence, I woke up as well.
“What’s wrong, Sidy?”
“…”
“Sidy?”
She stared into the darkness, motionless. As I sat up, she whispered in a low voice.
“The mansion is shaking. Soon… very soon… 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.”
The ground trembled, and the mansion began to sway slowly but significantly.
“It’s okay. It will settle soon. 3, 2, 1.”
…And just like that, the shaking ceased, as if it had never happened.
“Sidy…”
“…Tomorrow morning at 5:40:21, it will shake again. But it will be minor. And then… And then… Ah! My head… Linos-sama… What’s happening to me? I feel… scared…”
She buried her face in my chest slowly. Instinctively, I hugged Sidy tighter. She was drenched in sweat.
Leave a Comment / Reincarnation into a barrier master / By IX
Despite still being late autumn, the city of Agartha was already covered in snow, with winter arriving unusually early that year. Nevertheless, the city buzzed with the lively voices of people clearing the snow, showing no signs of being overwhelmed by the unseasonal chill. As the new year dawned, the city’s energy surged even more due to the annual grand event being held.
Traditionally, on the fifth day of the new year, the nobles of Agartha would come to give their New Year’s greetings, a custom dating back to the Juka era. Initially, under King Linos’ reign, some nobles who did not follow him boycotted these greetings. However, in recent years, this ceased, and the nobles outwardly showed submission to the king. Around the same time, they started hosting a sort of trade fair in the city during this period.
This began a few years ago, following an offhand remark by King Linos.
When the nobles visited Linos, they always brought special products from their territories as tributes. Initially, Linos had ordered that this was unnecessary, but the nobles, driven by pride, continued the practice. The array of specialty products gathered at Linos’ place each year included many items not commonly available in the city of Agartha.
“It would be profitable to hold something like a product fair and sell these,” Linos casually remarked upon seeing a fur coat submitted by Count Sarracenia, impressed by its craftsmanship. Inspired by this, the next year the Count brought a large quantity of fur, and with Linos’ permission, sold them in a corner of the guesthouse grounds to the city’s people. The fair’s reputation quickly spread throughout the city, leading to a surge in orders for the Count, who reaped substantial profits.
Seeing this, other Agarthan nobles eagerly sought Linos’ permission to participate. Linos agreed to open the plaza in front of the royal gate during the New Year period, specifically for this trade fair. Linos’ magical barrier ensured a constant temperature inside the plaza, regardless of the outside cold. This contributed to the fair’s overwhelming success among the city’s residents.
At this year’s fair, in one corner of the venue, a man was leisurely drawing portraits. This man was none other than King Maintia of Vladime. He sold his own paintings while also drawing portraits of visitors.
Originally fond of painting and possessing exceptional skill, Maintia could complete a portrait in mere minutes, attracting the visitors’ attention. His kind nature and meticulous customer service soon made his stall thriving. His portraits, flattering for beautiful people and suitably adjusted for others, were particularly popular among women, leading to long queues.
“Ah, beautiful! Wonderful!” Maintia would exclaim while drawing.
“But I have a slight overbite…” a customer might respond shyly.
“That’s what makes you beautiful! Your smile is perfect!” he would reassure them.
Next to Maintia, his attendants, including Patterson, sold his paintings, which bore the name “Echigoya”. Despite their high prices, Maintia’s paintings were selling steadily. On the final day, only a few remained, likely to sell out. Although generally unnoticed by the masses, his paintings were often bought on the spot by more eccentric customers.
“Excuse me,” a young man approached Patterson’s stall one day. He had a student-like appearance and a youthful face. Staring intently at the paintings, he inquired, “I’d like to buy this ‘Ayame’ painting…”
“That would be 8000 G…,” Patterson replied, somewhat puzzled.
The young man, Takeichi, working at the Agartha Medical Research Institute, explained he only had 1000 G on him and proposed paying the rest in monthly installments of 1000 G.
Patterson, unaccustomed to such payment plans, hesitated. But Maintia, overhearing, agreed without hesitation and handed the painting to Takeichi, saying he could pay when able.
King Maintia’s generosity was noted by all, including King Linos, who joined the bustling scene. Linos, who saw Maintia busy painting a woman, remarked that his hobby turned out more popular than expected, ensuring he could repay most of the money borrowed.
Linos observed that Maintia’s paintings were likely only popular among a niche group, given the lack of general sales. While pondering this, Linos noticed several paintings hung upside down in the back of the stall.
“Hey, what’s with that painting turned upside down?”
“Oh, that? Well, I think it’s fine to sell it, but Patterson says no.”
King Maintia replied with a shy smile. I, along with Mei, approached the upside-down painting curiously and were struck speechless upon seeing it.
“Is this… a painting?”
The painting depicted a beautiful nude woman with such realism, it resembled a photograph. Mei also gazed intently, as if to confirm whether it truly was a painting.
“Yes, it’s undoubtedly a painting by the king. However, it’s not for sale.”
“Why not? It’s beautifully done. It would sell immediately, wouldn’t it?”
“We cannot. The model for that painting is… Noreen.”
“What!? Noreen?”
We couldn’t hide our surprise. The woman in the painting looked so different from the usual Noreen we knew. King Maintia spoke to us in his usual, laid-back manner.
“Noreen is always with me, so it naturally turned out this way.”
“Is it really Noreen?”
“What do you mean? It’s obviously Noreen, isn’t it?”
The king spoke earnestly. It seemed in his eyes, Noreen truly appeared as a great beauty. I wondered if his eyesight was really that bad.
“The king says he would sell the painting, but Noreen is now his concubine. We can’t expose the skin of a royal consort to the public. That’s why I firmly opposed selling it,” Patterson explained with a troubled look.
“Well, that makes sense. By the way, I haven’t seen Noreen around.”
“Oh, Noreen is, well,” the king said shyly, stroking his belly.
“What? Really!? Hasn’t it only been about three months since we came to Agartha?”
I was shocked, and Patterson opened his mouth apologetically.
“Well… the king has been quite passionate with Noreen every night…”
“What, Patterson? You knew about that?”
“Well… we can hear it every night…”
“Ahahaha! You heard it? That’s a problem!”
While listening to this silly conversation between master and servant, I looked back and forth between the painting and King Maintia, sighing.
“But it’s a waste. With this quality, it could sell for a lot. It’s a good painting.”
“No! Absolutely not! This must never be sold!”
Suddenly, Mei burst into laughter. We all turned to her in surprise.
“Mei, what’s wrong?”
“Is this a painting? Yes… and, is it a good painting? No… Hahaha! It’s hilarious.”
Mei laughed heartily, her innocent smile somehow soothing my heart.
——-
That night, I fell asleep with Sidy.
Her way of sleeping was a bit unusual. She always rested her face in the palm of my hand. Maybe because of her small body, regular pillows seemed uncomfortable for her, and she stubbornly refused to use my arm as a pillow, which seemed reserved for Rico. After trying various positions, we found that my palm suited her best.
That night, as usual, I cradled Sidy’s face with my left hand and hugged her from behind with my right as we drifted off to sleep.
It was a quiet night, but the silence was suddenly broken, and it was Sidy who disturbed it.
She abruptly sat up in bed. Sensing an unusual presence, I woke up as well.
“What’s wrong, Sidy?”
“…”
“Sidy?”
She stared into the darkness, motionless. As I sat up, she whispered in a low voice.
“The mansion is shaking. Soon… very soon… 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.”
The ground trembled, and the mansion began to sway slowly but significantly.
“It’s okay. It will settle soon. 3, 2, 1.”
…And just like that, the shaking ceased, as if it had never happened.
“Sidy…”
“…Tomorrow morning at 5:40:21, it will shake again. But it will be minor. And then… And then… Ah! My head… Linos-sama… What’s happening to me? I feel… scared…”
She buried her face in my chest slowly. Instinctively, I hugged Sidy tighter. She was drenched in sweat.
