Chapter 24

Chapter 24. We Are Going to the Marquess's House (2)

"That is everyone. The overall leader will be Senior Knight Ugo. We depart tomorrow, so make sure all of you finish your preparations."

"Understood!"

At the Knight Commander's words, the members of the knight order answered loudly.

Once the Knight Commander left first, the knights who had been standing in formation began to disperse.

"This is unexpected. To think Senior Ugo would be the one going."

Sir Miguel, who was walking in the same direction, spoke to Sir Ugo.

"Well, there must be some reason for it."

Sir Ugo looked puzzled as well. An escort assignment. It was not that he could not do it, but personal protection was not his specialty.

"Did you not hear? If you are the one going, Senior, then it probably will not be an ordinary escort mission...."

Ugo shook his head. If there was a reason, they would have told him. For now, it was enough to carry out the duty he had been assigned.

"More importantly, Miguel, are you all right? The other knights seem to be keeping a little distance from you...."

"Well, it cannot be helped. If they are thinking about promotion, then they also have to think about their future lord. Still, there are seniors like you who treat me the same as before."

"...It has been quite a while. Is it not about time for a replacement? I could mention it for you, perhaps."

"If I quit, you might be the one who has to do it, Senior."

"If such an order came down, I would simply follow it."

At that answer, Miguel looked awkward.

"Ha ha, no, it is fine. I was the one who brought it up. Though honestly, it does feel like it is getting too much for me, so I probably should be replaced. But my trainee refuses to let me go."

"He is an illegitimate son, is he not? Does he not listen because he is a noble?"

"Goodness, it is not that he does not listen."

Miguel glanced around cautiously. There was no one near the two of them.

"He is just too much for me to teach. If mana is not involved, he is skilled enough to stand as my equal."

"What are you talking about.... He is only nine years old."

"Yes. Only nine."

"Could it be a growth-enhancement ability?"

"Yes. It is on the bodily enhancement side. If it were not, it would make no sense for a nine-year-old to be that strong."

"Even so, that is still too strong to understand...."

Miguel was already among the upper ranks of the younger knights. Yet to be on equal footing with a knight like him....

"Even if I attribute his physical growth to an inherited ability, I still cannot understand his skill with the sword. His understanding of swordsmanship is excellent, but his level of mastery also looks as if he had done nothing but swing a sword for twenty-four hours a day...."

"I heard he was a genius since childhood. Was it the same with swordsmanship too?"

"I do not know. Perhaps it is because he is a noble, or perhaps he is such a genius that ordinary people like me simply cannot understand him...."

At Miguel's words, Ugo shook his head.

"I had heard he was doing rather well, but to that extent.... But then why have I not heard anything like this until now?"

"It is not just you who had not heard it. I was the one keeping my mouth shut. The others were quiet about it too."

"Why?"

"Because we were afraid it would stir up unnecessary trouble."

Someone else answered Ugo's question.

"Ah!"

Miguel instantly stiffened, and even Ugo looked troubled.

The one who had answered was the Knight Commander. He had approached the two of them without their noticing.

"Was it wrong of me to ask?"

"It was not that Senior asked. I was the one who told him."

At the two men's words, the Knight Commander sighed.

"Your temperaments could not be more different, and yet in the end, the two of you act very much alike."

Kind and loyal. They were both good knights. Even so, when he thought of the future, he could not help wishing that each of them had a little more worldly calculation in them.

"Well, if it is Ugo, there should be no problem. It is not some great secret, so as long as you do not deliberately spread it around, that is enough."

"Understood."

If an illegitimate son became too outstanding, turmoil within the house was inevitable. Similar events had happened in the marquess's house they were now going to visit.

Still, since the Duke himself was at the head of House Gresia, perhaps that worry was unnecessary....

"No, perhaps it is better that Ugo knows. The reason you, Ugo, were chosen to join this time is because of Alex... my lord's recommendation."

"What? Lord Alex?"

Miguel cried out in surprise at the Knight Commander's words, but Ugo only looked puzzled.

"He does not know me. We have passed each other a few times, but we have never actually spoken."

Ugo looked at Miguel.

"I never specifically told him about you either. Ah, though he was curious about the knight order, so I did explain it to him once."

At that answer, the Knight Commander also looked at Miguel.

"No. Even then, I did not particularly praise Senior Ugo. I merely listed names."

"Well, you can hear the reason later."

"More importantly, the reason I came looking for the two of you is because of that youngest... young master."

The Knight Commander first gave an order to Miguel.

"Since he will be joining the party going to Marquess of Hierro’s House, Miguel, you are to return to your original post until he comes back."

"Ah, yes, sir!"

Then he turned to Ugo.

"Ugo, remember that he has been assigned to serve as Young Master Simon's secret guard. It must remain a secret from Young Master Simon."

If Young Master Simon found out that he was being guarded by his younger brother—an illegitimate son at that—there was no way he would be pleased.

Though it was the Duke's order, the Knight Commander and Ugo both understood perfectly well.

The Knight Commander glanced briefly at Miguel.

"And lastly, I assume there is no need to explain Lord Alex's ability separately."

"Yes, sir!"

After sending the two men away, the Knight Commander looked toward the manor.

It was the ducal house he had served for half his life.

"The kingdom's atmosphere is not good at all these days. Even so, I hope this trip can pass quietly...."

He had been allowed to follow under the pretext of secret protection, but it would be better if there were no need for him to reveal his skill.

If an outstanding illegitimate son were to appear, then leaving aside Young Master Simon's pride, House Gresia itself might become as noisy as the kingdom, which was growing more turbulent by the day.

---

Persuading Mother was extremely difficult.

The adolescent-sounding excuse I had given the Duke did not work on her at all.

Without my realizing it, Mother had feared for my safety far more deeply than I had known.

The poisoning incident and the assassination attempt when I was little had sunk deep into her heart and had ultimately become trauma.

As it turned out, even the reason she had accepted my receiving training from a knight was for the sake of my safety.

She kept opposing it, but I had no choice except to be stubborn as well.

Only after a long struggle, and only after dragging Miguel into it and showing her my skill, did I finally receive permission.

"If anything happens, you must abandon everything and run away."

Even then, Mother pressed a slip of paper with the address of her merchant family and some money into my hands, making me promise once more.

"Yes."

In my previous life, those would have been words I would have obeyed without question. No, I probably would not even have left the house in the first place.

Unfortunately, in this life, it looked as if it would be difficult to follow Mother's wishes.

'Wait. In the last life, nothing happened when Brother Simon returned from visiting the marquess's house, did it?'

As long as I did not stir anything up, we would surely be able to go and return safely without anything special happening.

The problem was that I was going there precisely to stir things up. All I could do was hope it would not become too noisy.

This trip was on an entirely different scale from the outing to the front of the fortress.

There were more than two carriages, and the forces accompanying us were several times greater than before.

The Knight Commander, Sir Ugo, and ten sworn knights. There were also dozens of soldiers.

There were hired drivers for the carriages, and maids and servants to handle meals and miscellaneous tasks as well.

It seemed there had even been talk that the Duchess should go with us, but just as in the previous life, Brother Simon's opposition had apparently kept that from happening.

It was thanks to the obstinacy of an adolescent boy trying to get out from under his mother's protection.

Instead, the Head Steward would go. He was an old man whom neither the Duke nor the Duchess could treat carelessly.

I had heard that he was a noble from a cadet branch of the ducal house, though it seemed no one knew the exact details.

In any case, he was apparently more than sufficient to take the Duchess's place.

The departure of our party was a spectacle in itself.

Knights in gleaming armor mounted their horses and stood at the front, while soldiers followed behind with their spears raised.

The carriages moved after the soldiers, and the remaining soldiers and servants brought up the rear.

Nearly everyone in the manor came out to see us off.

The Duke, the Duchess, and Mother too.

Even after we left the manor, we continued to receive greetings from the territory's subjects who had come out to watch, all the way until we passed out of Metena City.

The sight of people lining both sides of the road and bowing their heads was magnificent, but perhaps because some sense from my previous life still remained, it also left me feeling slightly uncomfortable.

Was it because those greetings were not for me, but for House Gresia and for the Duke?

If they had been greetings directed at me, perhaps I would have felt a little differently.

Brother Simon, seated in the front, was presenting an impressively noble figure.

Sitting upright, gazing out the window without the slightest disorder, and occasionally raising a hand in greeting, he looked like the very image of nobility.

It would have been perfect if his expression had not twitched from time to time, but even as it was, it was praiseworthy enough for someone his age.

After a somewhat tedious stretch of time, the party finally left the city.

Once we had passed through the gate of the outer wall, Brother Simon let out a sigh and leaned back against the seat.

"You have worked hard."

The Head Steward, seated beside me, held out a glass to Brother Simon.

It was a glass of ice water.

I had no idea where he had taken it from, or how he had kept it cold.

The Head Steward truly was an unfathomable man.

Brother Simon gulped down the ice water, and while he was doing so, the Head Steward spoke to me.

"Lord Alex is much calmer than I expected. Is this not your first journey by carriage? You look as though you have ridden in one many times."

Once before.... Ah, that no longer happened, did it?

In any case, I had ridden in one once in the last life, so it was not particularly new to me. And as for grand processions, I had seen ones even more extravagant than this so often in my previous life that I was sick of them.

"I am actually very surprised on the inside. I am probably only hiding it because I do not want to show how nervous I am."

Outwardly, I was merely a thoughtless little boy tagging along behind my elder brother. The younger brother whom broad-minded Brother Simon had allowed to come.

My speech and behavior had to match that image as well.

"I do not know why Father permitted it, but if you act recklessly, I will not let it pass, so be as careful as possible."

"Yes. I understand."

At my answer, Simon looked as though he had just seen something impossible.

Brother Simon's own words were not exactly pleasant to hear either, so in the end, it was much the same on both sides.

"But do I really have to get engaged to Marquess of Hierro’s House?"

Brother Simon did not seem to like this trip very much.

"I understand that as a noble, one must choose a partner for the sake of the family, but...."

Huh? The Simon I had seen in the previous life had not been like this.

"Lady Adria's reputation does not seem particularly good either...."

Ah, I see. This was before he had seen Adria in person. So there had been other rumors going around besides the ones about her beauty?

"Do you mean the rumors that she is learning swordsmanship? Even the Duke will not force the matter through if Young Master Simon opposes it. You need not worry too much."

"You think Father would listen to me and call it off? As if."

As expected, our Duke was not only like that with me. I could not help admiring his consistency.

Still, this time Brother Simon had no need to worry. There was no way he would oppose it.

I let Brother Simon's grumbling pass over me and looked out the window.

Just then, the abandoned fortress came into view atop a hill.

Had it already been three years? No, did that mean there was one year left?

In any case, it looked no different from the last time I had seen it.

I leaned my head out the window and looked ahead. Sir Ugo, riding at the front, was gazing at the fortress.

'I'm glad the recommendation worked. Once I get a little closer to him along the way, I should ask him about the fortress.'

The trip to the marquess's territory would take at least half a month. Considering the round trip, there was plenty of time.

In my previous life, it would have taken no more than half a day, but this world was unbelievably vast.

There was even something called magical communication, a network that was almost real-time communication, and yet travel still looked like this.

That was all because of the monsters scattered across the world after the Great War.

Before we had even fully left the territory, I saw a monster for the first time.