Chapter 348: What is Overwork?

“My magic, my magic is running out…… Ugh.”

“Lord Van……!?”

“Are you alright!?”

Seeing me fall forward from a kneeling position, Arte and Till rushed over. Khamsin, moving with ninja-like speed, had already reached me and was supporting my body.

“I-I think this might be the end for me…… Arte, Till, Khamsin…… I leave Seatoh Village in your hands……”

I gasped out those words and let my body go limp. Khamsin’s grip on my shoulder tightened. Arte knelt on the ground beside me, while Till launched a full-body tackle at my torso.

“Lord Van……!”

“No……!”

“Vaaan-samaaa……”

While everyone’s voices were trembling, Till was screaming, likely with snot running down her nose. My stomach hurts. The brave genius boy Van, who worked himself to the bone for Seatoh Village. His saint-like work ethic will be handed down forever, eventually becoming a myth.

As I lay there limp, thinking such thoughts, I heard a cough from behind.

“……Are you satisfied? Now then, we have five more buildings scheduled for today. There are still duties remaining for you as the lord, so let us finish this quickly.”

I can hear the devil whispering. How terrifying. Is God dead?

I broke out in a cold sweat and tried to feign fainting. Seeing this, Arte looked back at Esparda with teary eyes.

“L-Lord Esparda…… Um, I believe Lord Van is truly at his limit. He has been working for days on end……”

As Arte pleaded, Till turned to face Esparda while still hugging my body. She twisted my upper body violently to face Esparda, wringing every last bit of air from my lungs.

“Hyu……”

I might actually die. I can’t breathe.

As the beautiful yet fleeting life of Van was about to be extinguished, Till spoke through her tears.

“You are a demon, Lord Esparda! Lord Van is only ten years old! For some reason, he isn’t growing very tall, either! This is all because you and Lord Dee do things like that every day……”

I know Till is trying to defend me, but this looks like it will turn into a long lecture. Moreover, Esparda is standing there silently listening to her. This is bad. Also, I don’t think my height has anything to do with the current topic, does it?

While thinking that, I reached my limit.

“……! Goh! Cough, cough……!”

Choking, I managed to regulate my breathing. That was close. I surely would have seen a beautiful flower garden in another moment.

“Lord Van……!”

“His consciousness……!”

“……Thank goodness.”

Arte and the others cried out in joy. Everyone is so kind. In contrast, the Demon King Esparda is……

Thinking that, I looked up at Esparda. Despite his expressionless face, he showed a rare sign of contemplation. Then, he gave a slight nod and spoke.

“……Very well. There is still no contact even now on the third day. It will likely be tomorrow or later at the earliest. We shall treat today as a half-day holiday, so let us do our best again starting tomorrow.”

“Eh……?”

The word “holiday” was uttered from Esparda’s mouth. Has this ever happened before? The situation was so unexpected that even the rumored genius boy Van needed time to process it.

Then, Esparda cleared his throat once more, expressionless, and turned his back to us.

“I shall reschedule all afternoon plans for tomorrow or later. I will handle some of the duties that I can perform myself. I will make arrangements so that you have a proper holiday.”

Saying that, Esparda turned to leave. Seeing his back, I involuntarily called out.

“If I am on holiday, then you are on holiday too, right, Esparda?”

When I asked that, Esparda stopped, knitted his brows, and looked back at me over his shoulder.

“……That would be difficult. Currently, there is much work remaining from the time we were away. Furthermore, we are processing requests from Fortress City Murcia and Fortress City Cayenne……”

Esparda explained the current situation matter-of-factly. Somehow, I felt I could see fatigue in his expression. Therefore, I decided to invoke my authority as the lord.

“Of course, I believe I understand the situation. But there aren’t any duties that absolutely must be done today, right? Therefore, you are taking a half-day off too, Esparda! This is an order from Viscount Van Nei Fertio, so you cannot refuse!”

Saying that with a triumphant look, Esparda’s eyes went round, and he froze. It lasted perhaps one or two seconds. It was rare for Esparda to freeze, but he soon started moving.

And then, he let out a breath-like laugh.

“……If it is Lord Van’s order, then it cannot be helped.”

When Esparda smiled and said that, Till and Khamsin blinked in surprise.

“Eh, L-Lord Esparda……”

“Smiled……!?”

Giving a wry smile at their slightly rude reactions, I raised one hand.

“Alright then, we are all going to take a break with everything we’ve got! So, we are going to go eat together at the new cafeteria in Seatoh Village!”