Chapter 4: Patron Anais (3)
"What kind of hospitality is this? We made an appointment four days ago," Ella complained, tapping her foot impatiently.
We had been at the mansion for a whole three hours, and yet the owner of the mansion had not shown her face. When we inquired about the situation, all we received were repeated requests to wait.
"In my next life, I better be born as a noble. Seriously," Ella muttered, not caring that one of the maids was listening.
Her purpose was to show that she was angry from the start.
But no matter how much she frowned and grumbled, to others, it looked like nothing more than a cute tantrum from a young girl.
"Just a little more patience, miss. I believe they will arrive shortly," the maid replied calmly, causing Ella to have no more words to say, except to scratch her head awkwardly.
No wonder she seemed just like a petulant child to others.
The maid seemed to share the same thought and let out a small laugh.
***
Ella raised an eyebrow. "Uh, is there something funny?"
"Hehe, my apologies."
Ella checked her watch and said, "...At this rate, lunchtime will be over."
"Should I bring some snacks then?"
"Never mind. What about the master... no, never mind."
She seemed like she wanted to press further, but when she looked at me, she quickly dropped her head.
As the head of the group, it wouldn't be easy for her to say more in this situation.
Of course, I wasn't always easy-going either.
I was getting bored and irritated just sitting in this room. It wasn't as if I enjoyed being cooped up here.
But I couldn't get angry.
I couldn't even furrow my brows.
I was the smiling man.
A unique trait of Wonderstein.
Thanks to this absurd trait of always maintaining composure and only smiling, I could appear composed even when I wanted to scream inside.
"Anyway, can you tell us what the plan is?" Ella asked. "What's the scheme?"
"Scheme?" She made a displeased expression at my simple reply.
"What are you going to do now? You said we might find some money here when we came."
"The Vergsong heiress is quite wealthy."
Ella raised her head. Her short black hair swayed slightly.
"If she's wealthy, so what? Judging from the way we're being treated, it doesn't seem like there's much chance of getting anything."
"We won't know until we ask."
"If she were a proper noble, she wouldn't just give money to a wandering magician who asked for it."
At that moment, another voice interjected.
"That's right."
The reply came from the entrance of the parlour.
A woman with long hair that seemed to emit a green light entered. Her slender frame made her pale skin look almost fragile.
"I apologize for making you wait. We had an unexpected important guest."
A completely meaningless apology.
I felt my mood sour as soon as I heard it.
Gee, does that mean we're unimportant guests then?
"I am Anais Vergsong, the lady you mentioned. Are you the person who could cure my illness?"
"...Yes. I am Frank Wonderstein. Nice to meet you, Lady Vergsong."
I stood up and offered a friendly handshake, but Anais stared at me, completely ignored the gesture, and walked past me to take her seat.
"It seems you may not know etiquette, but Charlotia nobles do not engage in physical contact lightly."
At times like this, I was truly grateful for being the "smiling man."
If it had been my usual self, my face would have turned bright red from unexpected provocation, and my expression would have crumbled.
I would have felt self-conscious about reacting to the other person's provocation.
But now, I was not my usual self.
I am Wonderstein.
I am a smiling man.
"Haha, I didn't know that. I'm sorry."
I sat opposite her with a relaxed smile.
She looked at me with a surprised look.
I confidently raised my head and looked at her.
Her appearance reminded me of the one I saw in the game.
The upper body of a person protruding like a tentacle from the head of a giant frog-like monster.
The monster and the person were entangled, as if their skin, veins, and muscles were intertwined, making them seem like one organism.
The person attached to the monster was tearing at her hair, sobbing as if in agony.
I just wanted to be free... to wander the world.
The entire mansion trembled as her cries resonated throughout.
The entire mansion pulsed as if it were a living creature.
The knight drew their swords and prepared themselves, the thieve raised their bows and took a combat stance, and the mage bit down on his staff.
The battle turned the entire mansion into a stage.
"Your impatience is quite evident, huh? Well, I do have a way to cure Lady Vergsongs illness."
She stared at me intently.
There was a hint of surprise in her eyes.
Well, considering how she had been reacting so far, most people would have found her comments unpleasant.
But I didn't show any reaction.
My inherent trait, "The Smiling Man," ensured I never lost my smile regardless of the situation.
Did she find something interesting about my attitude?
After hesitating for a moment, she sat back down.
"Fine. Fool me."
She gave me a sidelong glance with a pout.
"What's this method then?"
"It's my magic."
"Magic?"
Anais let out a scoff.
"Quite a believable method, I must say. So, what kind of magic is it?"
I smiled at her and replied, "I will replace Lady Vergsongs lungs. With healthy ones."
I was quite confident.
In front of me, there was a status window.
The [Evolution Research Lab] showed me a quote for the conditions I had requested.
Trait: Healthy Respiration
Applied Area: Lungs
Effect: Replace with normal lungs.
Cost: [Debulroots x8]
"Replacing the lungs... Are you serious? There's no way something like that is possible!"
The looks they gave me were full of disbelief. Even I, having experienced modern medicine, found it hard to believe that you could simply swap out human organs like spare parts.
Ella, the only one who seemed nervous, nodded slightly.
She must have seen Wonderstein's power up close and knew what it was capable of.
Anais, after scrutinizing me for a while, finally spoke.
"So, what do you need? Can you use that magic right now?"
"Of course. I can do it right now."
Anais stood up and placed her hands on her hips.
She looked down at me with a haughty expression and said, "Alright. Go ahead and try it. If you can really cure my illness, I'll grant the conditions you requested from the butler."
That was surprisingly easy!
For my first quest, at least. It was practically a freebie.
I thought it would be over with just a few words exchanged.
I extended my hand. Activating the Biomancer skill was simple. I didn't even need to memorize any spells.
Just...
Just...
...Damn it.
I stopped my actions.
"What's the matter? Do you need to charge mana or something to use it, is that the pattern?"
I couldn't bring myself to respond to her teasing.
Wonderstein's ability.
To use it, there was a condition.
A very simple condition, but...
"Lady Wonderstein, my magic requires physical contact with the target... their... bare skin..."
My words made Anais furrow her brow slightly.
Weren't Charlotia's nobles cautious about physical contact?
Fortunately, she obediently extended her hand.
But I wasn't pleased at all.
It was just that much, not enough to make me flustered.
I nodded.
"You need to touch a location close to the affected area."
"Affected area? Where should you touch..."
Anais couldn't continue her sentence.
The expressions of everyone in the room stiffened.
It's a serious situation.
This is about treating an illness.
I tried to maintain my composure by putting myself under a trance.
But my efforts were in vain.
"May I touch you?"
The smiling man smiled.
