Published at 1st of July 2023 9:56 am

Chapter 338: Gregor Dole

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Author note :

This time it’s from Viscount Dole’s point of view. I always write this kind of point-of-view-part in the novel, but somehow, I like Viscount Dole more than I thought I would so I wanted to write about him here.

My territory is a place that is active in cloths product since we cultivate cotton wool and also live together with Demon Beetle that spits durable and beautiful threads. Also, most of the related products are being made inside the territory and then gathered at my residence.

The young ladies that lived around me were envious since there are a variety of clothes gathered in my place, but as a boy who was not particularly interested in clothes, I did not think so at all.

If anything, since I was a kid, I felt an inferiority complex and always thought that ‘It would be nice if our territory can grow delicious produce that only grows here or have valuable, edible monsters that can only live here like other territories’.

My territory is all about spinning yarn to making cloths. Compared to the surrounding territories, there are no ingredients worth mentioning. Isn’t it a boring territory where you only gather clothes?

So I guess my mother must have wanted to do something for me - who does not like our own territory.

My mother take me out to the city and brought me to look at the process of actually making clothes.

However, they were all just simple work. Growing the cotton wool, harvesting, then carefully selecting the cotton. Take the treads from the Demon Beetle, then just move your fingers in small movements using those threads.

I watched people doing those kinds of works on and on while receiving explanations from my mother, but from my perspective who does not have any particular interest in them, they were also boring to me.

Seeing such a blatant attitude from me, my mother was disappointed but she did not give up.

She took me to one place after another several times, trying to tell me the good things about our territory.

But, for me - who has an inferiority complex and does not like the condition of our territory - I hated my mother who was persistent in trying to tell me about the wonderful aspect of our territory.

And then one day. I witnessed my mother making a shape with cloth and cotton.

I thought that she probably want to forcibly tell me about the greatness of our threads and cloth, and also the clothes we make by making me look at her making something out of them.

The me back then thought so, and I began to spend my days trying to avoid my mother.

And several days later. I saw an unfamiliar object on my bed.

Did my mother finally put some clothes in my room without asking because she wanted to make me like our territory?

So I was angry and about to throw that unfamiliar object placed there, but then, I realized something.

That ‘object’ has limbs.

「C, cute」

Round ears and face. Its eyes are small and round, it also gave me a strange air that heals those who saw it. Its limbs are short and really round. It also stimulates my desire to protect it, and an indescribable agitation starts to grow inside me.

When I realized it, I found out that I have lost control of myself and was already hugging the bear doll.

It’s fluffy and soft, and it feels nice to the touch. I remember this texture, and immediately I realized that they were the cloth and cotton made in our territory.

A, amazing. So my territory is a place where we can make something amazing like this.

Realizing the greatness of the doll and the quality of materials to make them, I quickly came running toward my mother downstairs to thank her and earnestly ask my mother to teach me the method to make dolls.

Looking at me with the sudden change in interest toward dolls, my mother was really surprised, but she still smiled happily and taught me how to make dolls.

I started to respect my mother for making adorable dolls using cloths, threads, and cotton in no time at all. At the same time, I felt that my territory is the best since I can make adorable things and make people happy. Right now other territories meant nothing to me. Before I knew it, - like a mist that had been cleared - the sense of inferiority in my heart disappears, and I began to love and be proud of our own territory.

As inherited the territory while continuing to make dolls, I met the present head of Slowlett house at a banquet and had been exchanging letters with me, and in the course of our correspondence, he told me about an unusual person.

『My son was delighted with the dolls Viscount Dole gave him that he is playing with the dolls by using magic and moving them happily』

Moving the dolls with magic? I have often dreamed of seeing the figures of dolls moving ever since I was little. However, a doll is a doll. No matter how many times I talked to them and poured out my love to them, they never actually move.

At most, they will move, talk, and believe them to be able to do so inside my mind. Right, it was just in my imagination.

But, there is a child who can show me that kind of movement from the dolls.

I can not imagine what kind of magic or to what extent the doll is moved with magic.

I heard that Nord-dono second son's age is still not in his tens. Nord-dono does not look like the kind of doting parent that will exaggerate his son, so in the end, it will just be a child’s game.

Although, I can sympathize with the idea of trying to move the dolls from the bottom of my heart, so we might be able to become good comrades.

The culture of dolls is not widespread in this country, only a small portion of girls have dolls and play with them. And maybe because of that way of thinking that there are few people I can talk with about dolls.

Even if the other person is a child and he’s passionate about dolls he’s trying to move them, then he should also love dolls. I don’t pay that much attention to the magic to move the dolls, I visited the Slowlett’s territory with the aim of forming a relationship with like-minded people.

As a result of my visit, it exceeded my expectation a lot, as Nord-dono’s son - Alfried-dono - showed me how the dolls moved with his wonderful magic.

They move with the movements a human is unable to imitate while at the same time also human-like. They are movements that fully utilize the adorable charm of dolls.

Furthermore, they also consider things like each doll’s personality, finding perfect gestures, and strict rules that dolls should not move like this or this.

It was beyond my imagination.

The sight of the dolls moving with Alfried-dono’s magic was something I had dreamed of since I was a child.

The dolls are moving like living things in front of my eyes. It made me very happy.

I immediately asked Alfried-dono to teach me the technique of how to move the dolls.

I’m fine giving away more than half of my assets to him as long as I can move the dolls by myself.

Even when I asked him with that kind of determination, Alfried-dono said that he can teach me for free.

Such a revolutionary technique, I can not believe that he will teach me when we just met for free.

However, Alfried-dono did not ask for any money at all.

By some chance, is this the rumored ‘friendship’ I heard about? For me - who only built superficial relationships with my fellow nobles around me since I was a child -, I am not familiar with this kind of feeling.

Or is this because of our strong friendship born from our love of dolls as fellow comrades that were different from the previous, stiff relationships I have built until now?

Thus Alfried-dono taught me the method to move the dolls without compensation while I was feeling somewhat embarrassed.

I will be able to move dolls with my own hands. Just thinking of that made me so happy.

However, even that thought was mercilessly smashed to pieces.

Yes, the magic Alfried-dono uses, they are the non-attribute magic called Psychic.

It looks like Alfried-dono is skillfully controlling the doll’s limbs while supporting the doll’s balance with that magic.

But, my magic aptitudes are Water and Earth. So since I don’t have the aptitude for non-attribute magic, I can not use Psychic magic.

I faced the despairing wall called aptitude for magic and fell to the depths of despair.

Even though the method to move dolls is right in front of me, I can not use that because of my lacking talent......

That time, I resented my mother - who gave birth to me - since I don’t have the aptitude for non-attribute magic, but if my mother was not there, then I would not have come to like dolls, so it was unreasonable of me.

Be that as it may, not being able to move the dolls with my own hands is still painful. When I saw Alfried-dono’s figure casually moving them around in front of me, it made me unable to accept it and I felt a heartrending feeling inside.

And it was that moment. Alfried-dono pulled me up from the depths of despair.

『If you can’t move them by yourself, then why not leave them to someone who can?』

The moment I heard that. I - who was in the darkness of despair - felt a light shining down on me, and the future called possibilities opened up.

That’s right. If I can not use them myself, then I can just leave them to someone who can.

And since he was in front of me, I immediately scout-ed Alfried-dono, but I was shortly rejected.

Muumuu. I promised a lot of good treatment in order to attract him, but it seems like he has something he wanted to do. Fortunately, he promised me that he will properly teach me the method to move the dolls so I thought it was fine like that.

I actually want Alfried-dono to come with me, but it can not be helped. For a puppeteer like him, probably have a lot of things to do, like further improving his skills in doll’s movements.

As people who share the same hobby, there is no way I will take away such times of supreme bliss.

I heard that he is still seven years old. Since the eldest son - Sylvio-dono is the one who will inherit the territory -, then there is the possibility of him coming to my territory in the future.

If I have a wife and then a daughter, then I will immediately raise the idea of marriage to them and be sure to have a secure connection with them, but what a shame.

However, Alfried-dono and I have strong bonds for our love of dolls.

As long as we have that, our relationship will continue from now on.

In any case, once the course of action is decided, there’s nothing more to do but to do it immediately. To be frank, I was planning to search for people who have the aptitude for non-attribute magic in my territory as soon as I return, but it would be too rude for the Slowlett to return immediately after I visit and finish my business here.

Alfried-dono - who is my comrade is also here - so it will be a shame just to go home and not to talk to him more.

So as a test, I asked Bastian - my butler - if there are people who have the aptitude for non-attribute magic among the servants I brought here.

Then, luckily there is someone among the servant I brought here who has the non-attribute magic aptitude, Tickle.

That reminds me, it was true. Despite being a commoner and young, Tickle has a lot of magic power, she can also use the non-attribute magic Light, so I employed her. Thanks to that ability, I felt like I saw her patrolling at night using Light despite being young and caught glimpses of her serving me.

Since my maid Tickle has the aptitude for non-attribute magic, then the conversation will be quick. Alfried-dono also said that he will teach us the method to move the dolls, so I ask him to fully train Tickle while we are here.

However, it seems like moving the dolls with the magic is quite difficult as Tickle could not even manage to make the doll stand.

For me, I wish she can move the dolls like Alfried-dono even for a moment, so I became frustrated and unintentionally yelled at her.

I knew that this is just my jealousy speaking.

I was happy there is someone near me that can use non-attribute magic, but as expected, from the perspective of my untalented self, I would feel jealous about it.

I thought that I will be able to move on after hearing Alfried-dono’s words, but it looks like the feeling accumulating over the years inside me will not be able to disappear so easily.

Just when I was feeling hate toward myself for venting my anger at my maid, Tickle, Alfried-dono asked me to make a doll, so I accepted it.

At times like these, it’s best to make my favorite dolls as usual. I wonder if Alfried-dono took my feelings into consideration when he asked me that?

No, his eyes were the pure eyes of someone who wonder how dolls are made. For such a rare genius who can control dolls skillfully with magic to ask me that, such an innocent side of him is so child-like.

When someone I respect like Alfried-dono asked me to show him how to make dolls, it makes me excited.

And when I asked about the design for the doll, Alfried-dono suggested that I make a frog doll with a strange shape.

The frog is round, and its limbs are quite short. However, such a roundish frog design was so adorable and my intuition told me that it will really be a good thing if it were to be made into a doll.

I feel my creative urge also rapidly well up inside me. If I made the doll with its mouth open and also its tongue, then it will also become an adorable and also realistic-looking frog doll.

But, Alfried-dono’s idea did not stop there.

『If you put copper and silver coins inside, it will also become a cute purse. It may also be interesting to make it round and fat if you deliberately stuff the inside empty without cotton and put your money inside』

Making it without cotton and making the frog round and fat with money!? From my perspective as someone who had the understanding of a doll = an object made and filled with cotton or cloth to make them soft, this is a shocking idea.

Certainly, it will become a purse and at the same time a doll.

In terms of cushioning, it will be not as good as dolls that have a lot of cotton or cloth, but the idea of stuffing it with coins and making it round and fat was unbelievably fun.

My creative urge welled up more and more after hearing Alfried-dono’s suggestion, and just like that, the frog purse and doll were completed.

And then, I felt like I almost cried the moment Alfried-dono immediately breathed life into the completed frog with his Psychic magic.

Then I suddenly remember after making the doll.

I had not given Alfried-dono dolls as presents.

When I told him I brought dolls as presents, I decided to order the maid to bring the dolls here and give them to him so that Alfried-dono will be really happy.

I brought one carriage worth of dolls this time, but if it’s Slowlett’s family mansion then they would be able to store them without any problem. And it was Alfried-dono who really loves dolls. He probably will not treat them carelessly.

Alfried-dono was surprised and laughed when the dolls were brought in by the maids. I dare say that he must be overcome with emotion in front of such a large quantity of dolls.

I’m also pleased with that reaction, I regretted a little that I did not bring three carriages worth of dolls. Let’s bring three times as many dolls when I come here in the future.

After Alfried-dono takes out the dolls from the bag, he uses Psychic magic on them to make them walk and continue to put them away.

The sight of dozens of dolls walking all at the same time looked like a big parade of dolls.

It’s as if I wandered and lost in a world of dolls.

And when I shouted in excitement due to seeing such a spectacle I saw only in my dreams, Alfried-dono came out with something unthinkable with a calm expression on his face.

『There are a lot of dolls that can be moved, if you were to use Wind magic from a distance to carry your voice to the dolls, then it’s going to be an impressive puppet show』

Moving a lot of dolls all at once with Psychic, then using the Wind magic to carry your voice like the royal capital’s play......we can do this! I can show people the world of my dreams where dolls move around without any trace of humans on stage!

Tickle is being taught how to use Psychic by Alfried-dono. I can make the dolls, I can also contact a troupe. There is also no problem with the material.

If so, what’s left is the scenario to convey the charm of dolls to the people.

The next thing I knew, the enthusiasm swells up inside of me and I could not stop it.

It was the world of dolls I only imagined inside my head when I was a kid. I wanted to complete the story and make it happen as soon as possible.

I’m becoming to be a little rude toward Alfried-dono, but I ask him for paper and pen and wanted to start writing the story immediately on the spot. However, Alfried-dono’s table does not fit my body, so I decided to reluctantly return to the lounge and shut myself inside to write the scenario.

I wanted to show the script as soon as possible to Alfried-dono for giving me the idea. Thinking like that, I immersed myself in the world of my imagination and started to turn that imagination into writing on paper.

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