Volume 10, Chapter 3 “The Enthusiasts”
Volume 10, Chapter 3 “The Enthusiasts”
Part 1
The Redgrave family mansion in the royal capital.
For some reason, the person who greeted me was the Duke, Vince-san ―― Ange’s Papa.
“I’m so glad you came. When I heard you were coming, I rushed over here as fast as I could.”
“H-Haa”
I heard that Gilbert has returned to their territory in his turn, but did the Duke come all the way to the royal capital to see me?
I couldn’t believe it a little.
Ange’s Papa had brought one of his guests into the parlor.
I had been informed in advance, but that person was looking at me.
“Ano, who is that person?”
“He’s the guy I’ve been meaning to introduce you to.”
The person Ange’s Papa brought to me bowed respectfully in front of me.
“It is a pleasure to meet you for the first time, Duke Bartfalt. I am Count [Dominique Fou Mottley].”
If the middle name is Fou, he is a lord nobleman.
If he is a Count, the size of his territory must be quite large.
But Count Mottley appears to be in his thirties by all means.
His silky blond hair curls outward at the ends, and his beard is well groomed and filthless.
His body was toned and he looked like a good-looking, capable man.
Ange’s Papa tells the story of how he was brought here.
“I have a connection with Count Mottley. He’s the count who owns the floating islands in his territory, and he’s one of the ones who take care of our borders.”
“Border?”
When I looked at Count Mottley, he was laughing.
“It is not protected by the family alone, but jointly by the lords and nobles of the region, led by the count of the frontier. Thanks to this, it was regrettable that I was not able to join the Duke in the battles of the former Principality.”
“I-I see.”
He is quite a smooth talker. At the time, my reputation was very low ―― not to say below garbage.
No one would have been stupid enough to want to work for me.
However, Ange’s Papa says to me.
“Count Mottley is a fan of yours.”
“――Eh?”
When I was surprised and looked at Count Mottley, he grabs my hand with both hands and waves it up and down greatly.
“When I heard about Duke Bartfalt’s success, I felt saved. I have been paying attention to you since the time of the dueling commotion the year before last, but I never expected you to accomplish such a great achievement.”
“A-A great achievement ?!”
Count Mottley grins as I wonder what I’ve done.
“You have broken the sh*tty customs of the Kingdom.”
“Ah, yes”
Could this person possibly have suffered in some way from a girl at the school?
It seems my thoughts were right.
“My family was elevated to the rank of count by my father’s generation, but when I was attending school I was still a Viscount. My marriage partner was a terrible woman.”
“I-I don’t know what to say about that”
I am sure he is still struggling.
But I was wrong.
“She was really the worst kind of woman. She had several lovers before the child was born. Whose child was she going to give birth to? ―― However, Duke Bartfalt has destroyed the customs along with the Principality. Thank you! Thank you very much!”
“Eh? EH?!”
Puzzled, Ange’s Papa tells me the details of the story.
“Count Mottley is divorced from his wife on the grounds of unfaithfulness.”
“HAa?! Divorce ?!”
Marriage in noble society means a connection between families.
Divorce cannot be granted on the basis of personal feelings, but until now, the Kingdom has not even recognized divorce on the grounds of unfaithfulness.
It came to be recognized, and apparently Count Mottley soon divorced her.
“I also have to thank the Duke Redgrave. And I cannot thank you enough regarding my wife”
Wife?
When I tilt my head back, Count Mottley tells me about his current wife.
“I remarried. She was a woman who had been there for me for many years, but she was a servant, so her status became an issue. So I asked the Duke Redgrave for help.”
From there, Ange’s Papa tells the story.
“Adopt his wife into a family of knights connected to our family, then adopt her into the family of a viscount, and after a certain amount of education, marry her to Count Mottley.”
――Isn’t it career laundering?
In other words, did Count Mottley buy a noble status by asking Ange’s Papa to marry a woman who was not a noble?
No, even if he doesn’t buy it, what’s the deal?
As I think about this, Count Mottley changes the subject.
“I can’t stop thinking about you two. That said, I also heard about Duke Bartfalt’s activities in the royal capital. I heard that you took control of the royal capital in a single night. A hero who rose to the rank of duke in a single generation is different.”
“No, that’s”
It would be easier if I could say it was thanks to Luxion and not me.
I was going to say that it was only because of everyone’s cooperation, but I was interrupted by Count Mottley.
“However, it was a bit naive. If it were me, I would have let them cause a little more damage to the royal capital.”
“――What are you saying?”
To my surprise, Count Mottley looks puzzled.
Immediately Ange’s Papa put his hand on my shoulder.
“I’m sorry. He’s rising too fast, so he’s had to catch up on a lot of things.”
Hearing this, Count Mottley nodded a few times and smiled.
“It is a downside of rapid promotion. No, I would say it’s more of an enviable worry.”
Hearing the two of them smiling and conversing, I signal to Luxion to check.
Luxion deciphered what they were trying to say from their conversation.
[Dominique seemed to think that Master intended to join the Redgrave family and turn against the kingdom. He must have been suspicious that Master knew nothing about it.]
――That’s so.
Then Count Mottley looks straight at me.
“Duke Bartfalt, will you burn the royal capital together?”
“――That’s not a funny joke.”
“A joke? Don’t you understand that if you are a lord nobleman? For so many years, the kingdom has been hostile and oppressive to us. Shouldn’t they pay for that?”
Count Mottley’s eyes were like probing me ―― and yet, he was serious.
I can feel that he really wants to set the royal capital on fire.
Ange’s papa also waits for this.
“Count Mottley is in too haste. You should try to be more cautious.”
“I beg your pardon. It seems I was excited when I met the hero of my dreams.”
.
Part 2
When Count Mottley left, I was alone with Ange’s Papa.
Ange’s Papa is laughing.
“Count Mottley is a bit of a militant nobleman who fights on the border. I hope you will forgive him for this case because of my face.”
“――Are you really going to go to war with the Kingdom?”
When I asked him straightforwardly, Ange’s Papa didn’t break his smile.
“I heard you had a fight with Ange. What is that girl doing?”
Apparently, he has caught on to the fact that the relationship between Ange and I is not going well.
“Please answer me. If you’re serious, I’ll stop you.”
When I say this, Ange’s Papa ―― Vince-san’s voice becomes somewhat lower.
“Even if we force the kingdom to continue to exist as it is, eventually dissatisfaction will erupt. If so, is it arrogant of us to want to minimize the damage with our own hands?”
“Dissatisfaction?”
“You’ve seen Count Mottley, right? Oppressed lords and nobles like him are dissatisfied with the kingdom. Things are changing these days, but do you really think they will listen to you if you tell them to forgive?”
“That is――”
The dissatisfaction of the lord nobles, who have been oppressed by the kingdom, does not subside just because the situation has changed. Rather, it seems that many nobles are thinking of venting their resentment against the weakened kingdom.
I see――I suppose he brought Count Mottley to show me that the Lords and Nobles are serious.
“It is a necessary sacrifice. If we revolt in an uncontrolled manner, we will show an opening to other countries and the Kingdom of Horfalt will be divided. We must avoid that.”
Vince-san puts his hand on my shoulder.
“I have high hopes for you. With the power of your lost items, the bloodshed will be minimal. Then I will give Ange a firm reminder from me.”
――Has Ange been having this kind of exchange for a long time?
.
Part 3
After returning from the Redgrave family mansion to my room in the student dormitory, I was lying on my bed and looking up at the ceiling.
“If there’s going to be a rebellion, minimize the damage, huh”
Floating near me, Luxion talks about Vince-san’s talk.
“It would certainly be effective, but the Redgrave family is a branch of the royal family. There will be many nobles who will not like it. In fact, if the Redgrave family is not careful, it will be destroyed together with the royal family.”
From the perspective of the lord nobles, the Redgrave family is also a branch of the royal family and would be a hated enemy.
The only way for the Redgrave family to survive was to take the lead and start a new country.
“I wish I could just keep on defending the royal family”
“It must be ambition. Both Vince and Gilbert want the throne. “
“I don’t get it”
[Their real intention may be to get the country for themselves, but it is also true that they can reduce the damage caused by the rebellion. Because Master is a hero for the lord nobles.]
“Because I freed them from an unpleasant marriage?”
[That may be so, but the Master’s reckless attitude toward the Kingdom is the kind of hero they have been waiting for.]
“I’m just a small hero.”
“Marrying Angelica means joining hands with Duke Redgrave. In this world, the individual and the house are not yet completely separated. “
I have heard that in the days when an individual could easily die, the family was important.
It was too common for people to die, and it was their house and bloodline that had to be left behind.
What a wonderful thing it is to live in a world where the individual is respected!
It is natural that I, who know such happiness, and Ange, who only knows this world, have different values.
“So, what are your thoughts?”
[Yes?]
“How can we unite the Kingdom without causing damage? Is there any way to do this with as little bloodshed as possible?”
What kind of answers will AI provide?
As for me, I wanted the outlandish answer to give me a way to save everything.
[If Master quickly takes control of the royal capital, the neighboring lords will turn over their hands and settle their disputes. The nobles who adore Master, like Dominique, will gather in royal capital, and if a new nation is born, the damage will be minimal.]
――It was stupid of me who had high hopes for Luxion.
“It means”
[Master should be king.]
“You idiot, I reject such methods.”
I’m a king? I don’t know about the others, but I’m not the kind of person who likes to be king.
I still wish I could retreat to the countryside and live a peaceful, slow life.
[We can minimize the damage, though?]
“If you mean using your power to rule, then you’re no different than the Redgrave family. A~a, it was my mistake to consult you.”
When I told him it was useless, Luxion came up to my face.
[But it was Master who couldn’t come up with the solution, so you asked me for the answer?]
“That’s why I admitted it was a mistake for me to consult you.”
In the first place, Luxion is not hurt or bothered by the destruction of the kingdom of Horfalt.
Instead, he would rather see any country founded by the new humans be destroyed.
Whenever this kind of troublesome issue comes up, he always says something like, “Why don’t we just destroy it?”.
“I should talk to someone about it. But Ange, who is good at this kind of talk, can’t be relied on this one time.”
[You usually rely on her too much, though.]
“Shut up”
Looking up at the ceiling, I ponder who I should talk to.
A number of faces came to mind, and then I thought of one.
There was one man who was in the same situation as me.
.
Part 4
Flower beds near the student dormitory.
Herring, who waters the flowers there, didn’t mock or laugh at hearing my question.
However, he has a difficult look on his face.
“The values issue is a tough one. I’ve also had trouble with it a lot since I reincarnated over here.”
“Did it trouble you too?”
“Cause I still have memories of my previous life”
Herring let out a small sigh with a dark expression on his face, then looked up at the sky.
“Since I became a knight, I’ve been forced to fight in wars.”
“I see”
From the way Herring looked, it was easy to imagine what he had done in the war.
Knights and nobles are not allowed to run away from the battle.
Do that, and your status and prestige will fall to the ground.
It is common knowledge that fighting is honorable.
And on the battlefield, if you kill a lot of people, you will be called a hero.
This is the reason why neither I nor Herring is happy to be called heroes.
It also proves that we have killed a lot of people.
Herring, perhaps sensing my feelings, scratches his head and comforts me.
“We both have a hard time. It might be better to have no memory of our previous life――No, if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have noticed Mia”
If I had no memories of my previous life, I wouldn’t have bothered, but the knowledge of my previous life is the only reason I’m still alive and safe today.
Even for Herring, he is able to meet Mia properly because of his knowledge of his previous life.
“If I didn’t have memories of my previous life, I’d be dead by now.”
Remembering that Zora almost sold me out, it would be a good thing that I was reincarnated with the memories of my previous life.
Herring is laughing like he’s in trouble.
“You’re having a hard time too.”
“I’m glad Hering was here. I can’t talk to five idiots about these kinds of problems.”
“There is Marie, right?”
It’s true that Marie is a reincarnated person like us.
However, there is a crucial difference.
“She didn’t kill people in the war.”
“――That’s right. Then I guess you can’t talk to her. But I’d like her to stay that way.”
Herring gives a distant look and I give a small nod.
Marie playing an active role in the war? It doesn’t suit her.
Herring put his hand on his chin and began to think.
“If we were in the empire, we could have consulted with the emperor.”
“To His Majesty the Emperor? You’re awfully friendly.”
When I am surprised at Herring’s willingness to casually consult with the emperor, he himself looks a little impatient.
“Did I not tell you? Our emperor ―― Mia’s father is a reincarnated person.”
“You’re lying, right?!”
Aren’t there too many reincarnated? When I was surprised alone, Herring put his right hand on his face.
“He may be a noisy old man, but he’s dependable in times like these. He’s not getting any older, you know. If there is a reincarnated person with more life experience, you could talk to them about it.”
Seeing the troubled Herring, I thought of one person I could think of.
” ―― It’s Erika”
.
Part 5
I immediately went to Erika.
Since it was a weekday, there were many followers around, but when I approached them, they were attentive and moved away.
I immediately invite Erika to the tea room to consult with her privately.
Erika listened to my concerns.
” ―― Uncle is troubled by the difference in values between you and Angelica-san.”
“That’s right”
I feel ashamed of myself for asking my niece for relationship advice, but I have to rely on her because there are only a few people I can talk to about it.
Luxion floating beside me, taking advantage of my indebtedness.
[Even though you are her uncle, Erika has more life experience than you.]
“Can’t you be a little more respectful to your master? If you were nicer to me, I’d be nicer to you, too?”
[No thanks]
Erika giggled when she saw Luxion, who assured me that he didn’t need my concern.
“Uncle and Luxion have always gotten along well.”
There is one person here who is misunderstanding.
“Erika doesn’t understand how bad this guy’s mouth is, does she?”
“A relationship in which you can say whatever you want to each other is precious, Uncle. But more than that, you care about Angelica-san.”
Smiling, Erika had a tolerance that one would not expect from someone so much younger.
I turn my face away from Erika.
“A lot has happened.”
“You should be honest there and say that you love her. Uncle, you’re not the type to say what you really feel very often.”
“Honest? I’m always honest. I say what I think right away, and people around me don’t like me.”
I smiled at her and Erika looked at me smiling.
I feel as if her eyes are looking into my mind, so I avert my gaze.
Erika doesn’t blame me for my childish attitude and starts talking about solutions.
“If uncle wants to be with Angelica-san, I think trying to be nice to her would be the opposite of what she wants.”
“Eh?”
When I raised my head and looked at Erika’s face, the person in question had a serious look on her face, her smile gone.
“Angelica-san wants to support uncle. No, I think she wants to stand next to you and accomplish something together.”
“Ange is?”
“Uncle, you are forgetting something, aren’t you? Angelica-san was originally a woman who would have been the queen of the kingdom of Horfalt.”
Ange was originally betrothed to Julius, a woman who would have eventually become queen if nothing had happened to her. I know that and have never forgotten it.
“I haven’t forgotten”
“If so, you don’t understand. Angelica-san is a talented young woman who was raised to be the queen of a country. She has a lot of pride. She just can’t stand being protected.”
She doesn’t like just being protected, huh.
Indeed, she said something like that before.
It was different from me, who immediately took the help of Luxion to make things easier, in the first place, by thinking about it.
“She wants to see, feel, rely on, being rely on, and support each other side by side. But uncle can do anything alone.”
“I’m not really alone”
I try to make excuses, but Erika smiles and tilts her head slightly.
“I will teach you the best way to make up.”
.
Part 6
After school, a few days after the date.
Ange walks down the hallway, being pulled along by Livia.
Livia is strongly pulling Ange, who is not very enthusiastic.
“Ange, it’s already started.”
“Calm down, Livia. I’ll be coming over after I finish my errands.”
“No. That is how you intend to distance yourself from Leon-san and not participate, is it not?”
Livia sees that she had planned not to attend the gathering because of an errand.
Ange, who is not happy about the situation, tells her why she doesn’t want to participate.
“What kind of face should I show to Leon? I don’t want him to hate me more than this.”
“If so then it’s unnecessary, please meet Leon-san! Everyone should be here by now.”
Then Livia pulls her into the destination classroom.
As the students had left the school, the classrooms that are usually used were quiet ―― not.
Leon’s yelling comes from inside the classroom.
“I said no!”
Several other voices could be heard from the classroom to the hallway, and Ange and Livia looked at each other and nodded their heads.
“What kind of gathering is this? Livia knows about this, right?”
“No, I am told only by Leon-san that it was so he could make up with Ange.”
“C-Could make up?”
The fact that Leon wants to make up is great information for Ange.
However, from inside the classroom, Leon’s shouts can be heard.
“Go home! Go away! Please!”
He keeps yelling desperately begging for someone to leave, but voices of refusal can be heard from inside the classroom.
Standing in front of the door, Ange reaches out with all the courage she can muster.
She opened the door a little and peeked inside, and there they were, the usual members of the group.
(Noel’s here. Hmm? Is that His Highness Jake and the others over there? And the foreign exchange students from the empire. And Princess Erika?!)
Standing at the podium teaching in the stairwell classroom, Leon repeatedly tapped the desk with the palm of his hand.
In front of Leon’s eyes is a group of five people, led by Marie.
Unusually, Leon is pleading with Marie and the others.
“You guys are not invited! Please leave! I’ll give you the money!”
Even though Leon would pay them and ask them to leave, Marie and her friends didn’t even try to leave. Normally, they would have received the money and left as soon as possible.
Marie protests against Leon.
“That’s how you plan to make yourselves feel good! I won’t allow it. I will never forgive you for that!”
Behind Marie, clinging to the podium, was Julius, his eyes bloodshot.
“Leon, we’re friends, right? So take me with you!”
“When did I become your friend?”
“Now!”
“Be obedient and go away!”
It is not only Julius.
Even also Jilk.
“Leon-kun, we are your subordinates. Don’t be so distant that you don’t want to depend on us?”
“Don’t you ever think that I don’t want to depend on you, so I won’t take you with me? Go away.”
Brad pushes Jilk away and begins to appeal to him to take him.
“Then it is my turn, isn’t it? A magician like me must be indispensable. Now, promise me you’ll take me!”
“No ne~ed! Go away and look in the mirror.”
When Brad was also rejected, Greg now pushed him away forcefully.
“This is where I come in, right, Leon! Unlike the rest of them, you need a man with experience and dependability. You can count on me!”
“Go away, muscle”
“Fufu, if you praise me, that means you’ll take me with you, right?”
“――Sorry, go away”
Gradually, Leon is losing his energy.
Chris kicks Greg out of posing and asks Leon to let him join.
“Leon, I can be useful. You had your adventures with me in the Republic, didn’t you? You and I are now a bonded party. In other words, we are friends who entrust our lives to each other. Please let me join you on this adventure――”
Before Chris could finish, Ange was running.
She pushes Chris away.
“An adventure trip?!”
“――Guhe”
Chris, who had been pushed away, was groaning but couldn’t afford to worry about it now.
Leon, looking at the excited Ange, was a little taken back.
“Y-Yes. Actually, I was thinking of doing a treasure hunt and trying to make a plan today.”
Looking closely, one could see an elaborate map on the blackboard.
He was probably planning to make a plan from now on, but Marie and her friends came and annoyed him when they heard the story.
Ange pushes Julius and Marie away and approaches Leon.
“If you invited me, does that mean you want me to join?”
The distance between each other’s noses is almost touching.
Leon was blushing from embarrassment, but Ange was blushing with excitement when she heard about the adventure.
When Leon backs away and creates distance, he clears his throat and then talks about his plan.
“Obviously, I’m going to get Ange to help me. This time I’ll take Einhorn out and we’ll head for the floating island where the treasure is.”
When Leon lightly hits the overhanging map with his fist a few times, Ange also moves closer to the blackboard to take a closer look at the map.
“It’s a very elaborate map. The paper is new. Is it real?”
“No doubt about it. The map was prepared by Luxion.”
When Leon looks at Luxion, Ange’s gaze turns to him as well.
Luxion moved the red lens up and down in a small motion as if nodding.
[Yes. I made the old map look better.]
“You can really do anything”
While impressed, Ange quickly returns her gaze to the map.
“A building? Is it an old castle?”
As she mumbled, for some reason Marie interrupted the conversation.
“It’s a dungeon in a collapsed old castle! There are lots of magic stones and treasures. If all goes well, I’ll get rich, get rid of my poverty, and I won’t have to flatter Ani——Leon for money anymore!”
Julius and his friends are even more motivated after hearing Marie’s excitement.
“That means that Marie will spend less time with Leon. We will find the treasure and have time to spend with Marie. I can’t stand the thought of not being a part of such an amazing adventure!”
Marie and her friends are talking as if they already have the treasure.
Ange is strangely annoyed by this, but ignores it and talks to Leon.
“I’m in. When? When do we leave?”
Forgetting that her relationship with Leon was a bit awkward, Ange was clinging to him.
She grabs Leon’s arm and hugs him.
Leon, who was grabbed, is flabbergasted.
“That’s why I gathered everyone together today to make those plans, and now all these unnecessary people get involved.”
Leon’s gaze went to Jake and the others who seemed to have gathered in addition to Marie and the others.
The short Jake crosses his arms and smiles fearlessly.
“Anyone who hears of such an exciting adventure and does not join in is not a nobleman. Aare, you’re coming with me, aren’t you?”
As a nobleman, of course! he announced firmly and crisply, then turned back to Aare, who was standing behind him.
(Aa~, you want to show off your skills to women? His Highness Jake is too insincere about the adventures, so no.)
Ange’s opinion of Jake has been dropped two steps, if not one step, in her mind.
Aare stared at Jake, but this one was holding his hands together.
“I would be happy if I could participate.”
“Fufu, leave it to me. Duke Bartfalt, we are also joining in.”
Jake tells him as if it were a decision, but Leon gives him a cold look.
When Leon says, the five idiots, led by Julius, are booing Jake.
“Right, you guys go away!”
“What ?! You’re just a bastard who’s been disinherited!”
A sibling quarrel that starts suddenly.
Leon let out a big sigh.
“Julius, you guys can leave too.”
“Leon, don’t be cold about it! We’re friends, right?!”
“Stop! Don’t cling to my legs!”
The classroom was noisy, but when a man opened his mouth, it became quiet all at once.
The man’s name is Oskar.
“I would like to earn money for my future with Jenna-san. So, brother-in-law, would you be willing to let me participate?”
Oskar speaks up naturally, but those around him who know what is going on look at Leon.
This involved family problems in the Bartfalt family, and the only one who could make a decision was Leon.
Oskar, not understanding the change in the atmosphere of the place, asks Leon.
“At this time, it doesn’t matter if it’s a chore. Please help me to become a man worthy of Jenna-san!”
Oskar’s sincerity made Leon’s cheeks tighten.
“I think you are worthy enough, and I’d rather feel sorry for you instead. Please, don’t bow down. I understand. I’ll take you with me.”
“Is that true! I did it, His Highness Jake! It looks like I’m going to be allowed to participate.”
Jake’s face turns red at Oskar’s report of his joy.
“That’s where you should ask him to let your master join!”
“Eh, me, do it?”
Why should I be the one to beg? Oskar tilted his head, a look of not really understanding on his face.
Then, in the classroom, which was getting noisy again, it was Livia who approached Ange.
“Ange, that”
Ange hugs Livia, who is worried.
“Livia, it’s an adventure. Adventure! This time, unlike any before, it’s a real adventure. Maybe it’s a dungeon no one has ever set foot in. You’re in, right? Right ?!”
As Ange’s eyes sparkled, Livia nodded with a complicated expression on her face.