Chapter 48: [V2] Chapter 5: The Elusive Yet Blunt Uncle…

The sun's rays shine through into the infirmary. As Noel’s being inspected by Chely for injuries, she comments on how he was reckless. 

“...How reckless can you be…?”

Chely asks as she frowns and turns him around. 

“Ahaha… you know… I always thought he’d do well no matter what, but still… that was some display of our differences….” Noel comments. 

She noticed it as well. 

Although the fight looked even outside. One has to consider how restrained Alum was. 

He wasn’t very much on the offence when he was fighting Noel, and it was as if he was scared to hurt him. 

Besides that, Alum specialises in destruction magic. And both of them knew this fact. 

It was simply more efficient for him since his mana is so condensed. In turn, making it very easy to quickly activate highly destructive spells. 

“Still… he melted his own blade… it was impressive in a sense.” 

“Ahahaha… well, he’s rather clumsy at times,” Noel replied. 

“...Anyways… you don’t seem injured at all….” 

“......” 

Noel stayed quiet as Chely coldly stared at him. Even though she was the one to forcefully bring him here. 

“It really seems like you weren’t lying.”

Chely pouts as she says that, which makes Noel’s chest tingle for a bit. 

“Were you worried?” he teasingly asks. 

“....So what if I was…?” 

Chely blushed and looked at the floor, avoiding his gaze.

“.....” 

| Hell Yeah! She’s adorable! | 

He’s being short-circuited for a little due to his rosy contact lenses…. 

“T-Thank you….”

He blurted that out as he felt rather shy… 

“W-Why are you thanking me!”

…It was slightly awkward, and Noel, who usually hits on her at every opportunity he gets, felt shy and speechless. 

“...But, don’t you feel the drawback of using Mystic magic?” Chely asked. 

Her eyes filled with concern as she leaned closer to him. 

“Well, this may be hard to believe, but… the spell Al used… restored my mana, and I don’t feel any drawback from using Mystic magic.” 

“....How can that be? There is no such thing as a spell restoring another person's mana….” 

“...I find it quite strange, too, honestly. When I felt mana surge inside my body, I thought I’d be poisoned by it.” 

Chely stares at him in bewilderment.

“...Are you sure you’re alright…? Like… really, really alright!?”

She had leaned on his back, and he could feel her forehead. 

The warmth from her touch relaxed him, and he felt happy and energetic. 

| Man! Chely is killing me in a good way! Al help! | 

“....Noel, you didn’t think of anything dumb, now did you…?” 

| …. | 

“...No.” 

— :::: — 

Back at the practice area… or not… since Alum was being taken away by Rigeld… 

He was supposed to have a little rest while he watched Amethely teach the others like he used to when he came to see her. 

Still… he’s being dragged away by Rigeld, and Amethely couldn’t say much but wryly smile as she gently waved. 

“Uncle Rig… why are we in your office?” 

“....Well, before you departed, you looked for land, right?” 

“...What? No… more like a house….” 

“....Oh, is that so?” 

Alum sceptically looked at him. 

“What are you up to?” he then asked. 

“You see, there is land outside of the barrier close to the snowy mountains, though there are some beasts and monsters… the view is gorgeous, and the land isn’t that expensive!” 

“...The catch?” 

“...It’s infested with highly-ranked monsters, and the town close by isn’t that well off, so they can’t really hire people to fully remove them…..” 

“....Why not ask them to move?” 

“Do you know how stubborn those old folks are!!?”

“...No?” 

“....Well, they’re high elve… although they’re competent fighters, their numbers are low. And… their economy is bad compared to the relatively prosperous towns close to Ilifel.” 

“...How do they make money then?” 

“They sell land….” 

Alum looked at Rigeld and softly slimed. 

“Okay, I’m out of here.” 

“Waaait! The pricing is fair, and the natural resources are tremendous, I think…. Besides that… isn’t it a perfect place to build your nest…? It’s away from people, and it's not too far from the capital. Plus, don’t you and Saint Amethely want to enjoy some much-needed alone time from the buzzing capital in the future?” 

“Then why don’t the government buy it? There has to be a reason… right? And I don’t think the high-level monsters are the issue.” 

“...The government don’t want it, and it would be expensive….” 

“...Didn’t you say it was fairly priced?” 

You are reading story The Saint Likes Me, But I’m Screwed… at novel35.com

“...What I meant was…. There is a highly condensed mana source that practically poisons and kills anyone walking into a certain forest area.” 

“....So that’s the string attached to it, huh?” 

“Yeah, that’s why it wouldn’t be that profitable if the government bought it. Besides that, it’s not a massive plot of land. 

“....How big?” 

“...It's 1 km square….” 

| Beautiful view… and a perfect place for us….. | 

“How much?” 

“10 million Lech.” 

“....I see. Well, I’ll be on my way then.” 

Alum was about to head out, but Rigeld stopped him. 

“Wait…! You can take a loan.” 

“......”

“......”

“Uncle Rig… why do you want me to buy it that bad?” 

“...To make the economy go around?” 

“.....” 

“Okay! It’s because you’re the cheapest alternative!” 

“...By how much?” 

“Well, as they estimate it, by about 70 million Lech.” 

“......”

“And the land isn’t even worth that much…. As it is, that is.” 

“I see. Why not just hire me then…?” 

“Only the military know about your abilities. Besides, my brother and his wife are fond of you and your friends.” 

“...Why is that?” 

“...Because when they met Luna not too long ago, they were in tears and were super happy.” 

“...I see,” Alum replied as he gently smiled. 

“.....” 

“Still, it doesn’t make sense since dealing with it and finding a buyer is their problem.” 

“.....”

“...Unless someone already bought it.” Alum comments as he stares at Rigeld.

“.......” 

And finally, breaking that silence, Rigeld admits.

“Fine, I admit it. I bought it already. Heck, I even prevented others from buying it!” 

“......”

“Why you may ask? I thought it would be easy! And 5 years later… no progress. ” 

“....I see?” 

“Well, I planned for the supposed rare resources to be extracted and then build myself a villa for retirement. But then you came along with an ability to absorb and convert mana. I almost wanted to immediately hand you over the rights if you had been engaged to Luna!” Rigeld blurts out….

Alum was just amazed at how he just blurted that out. 

“...So you did set us up at that time….” 

“....Oh… you didn’t hear the last part...” 

“...Clearly did.” 

An awkward silence befell them. 

“Well, I’ll do it if you insist.” 

“Wooohooo! This old timer wins again!” 

“.....You act more like a child. Wait, if you’re the owner, why not just hire me?” 

“...Crap….” 

Rigeld became slightly frustrated by Alum’s attention to detail, especially on the spot. 

“Why are you so sharp….” 

He signed.

“Fine, you wouldn’t accept it if you thought it was just for the good of my heart, right? Anyone would be suspicious, and while it’s true that the land is useless for most people, you would gain a lot from just being in that place.” 

“...That’s true.” 

“...Besides that, we need to raise more powerful individuals, such as yourself. And today, you’ve proven that.” 

“For what purpose, if I may ask?” 

“...We’re understaffed, and there are not as many powerful individuals as there used to be. You know this already, but the city is safe the outside, not so much.” 

“....Understood. Well, I know you’re doing this because it's good for me… however, I feel hurt that you’re doing it in a roundabout way.” Alum replied. 

Usually, he doesn’t care, but… Rigeld was like a grandparent he never had. That’s why Alum felt hurt that he wasn’t upfront about it. 

“....I’m sorry,” Rigeld apologised.

He later expressed some relief and a gentle smile.

“Still, who would have thought you’d be hurt by me misleading you, well… I’m glad you trust me enough to be able to feel betrayed.” 

“...Uncle Rig…that sounded a bit messed up….” 

“...Oh, shut it… you’re the one to talk!” 

Both of them stood there and laughed. Meanwhile, Alver scribbled on the documents, having a headache listening to these two.