Chapter 12: Rather Good, Actually (2)

That shocking sentence plunged the room into silence.

A long while later, the first to speak was neither Simon nor Kenard. It was Ranieri, the only one there who did not seem shocked at all.

“Aldebaran, you say. For what purpose? As you know as well, Sir Hans, that place is enemy territory. It is dangerous.”

“It is an order to prove that they are innocent.”

“I see. That is only right. The burden of proof lies with the one making the claim. It would be nice if you managed to conclude a peace treaty while you are there as well. A truly wise decision.”

Ranieri pushed his glasses up with a smooth motion. At the same time, he cast Simon a bold sidelong glance.

His intelligent eyes seemed to be saying this:

I was right.

And yet, unexpectedly, Simon looked wholly unbothered.

It was very clearly the expression he wore whenever he had already worked out a plan.

“What are you plotting this time?”

“Plotting? You say something hurtful so casually. Have you never heard that if you want to catch a lion, you must enter the lion’s den? Father’s order is only natural.”

“It feels to me as though you are scheming something again.”

“I am not.”

With a short laugh, Simon patted Commander Hans on the shoulder. He spared no effort in cheering him on.

“Sir Hans! Tell Father not to worry, because I will carry out this mission without fail. Chin up.”

“Young Master, are you truly all right with this?”

“You saw my skill, did you not?”

It was true that Simon’s swordsmanship was exceptional. Sweeping aside those who blocked his path would not be difficult for him.

But that did not mean he could stand against hundreds or thousands. Even an Aura user could not wield it without limit.

“We leave first thing tomorrow, so tell them to prepare a generous amount for travel expenses. Who is in charge of the escort?”

“I am.”

“Oh! Excellent. If it is Sir Hans, then I can rely on you. There is no need for any other escort, so let the three of us go.”

“I shall make the preparations at once, Brother.”

“No, not you, Kenard.”

“Pardon?”

Kenard had naturally assumed that he too would be going. After all, he was the very man who had stood on the platform and delivered that splendid speech before the knights.

But Simon had not the slightest intention of suffering alone.

His finger soon moved and pointed straight at Ranieri.

“Ranieri. I choose you.”

“......Why me?”

“We are going as diplomatic envoys in name, are we not? Should there not be a strategist at my side? There is no telling what sort of scheme those people might bring out. Were you planning to stay here and enjoy the honey while the rest of us worked?”

“I shall obey.”

“Do you feel wronged?”

“Not in the least.”

“Ahem, then I shall go and report this to His Lordship.”

After Sir Hans left, Kenard said, still clearly worried,“Brother, I will come with you as well. It is far too dangerous to send you alone!”

“No.”

“Brother!”

“Dangerous tasks are meant to be undertaken by the eldest son. And the second son remains behind to guard the main house. That is the tradition of the honorable Arcturus Family.”

Ranieri let out a sigh where no one noticed. He almost felt pity. Kenard still had not realized that Simon was deliberately trying to hand over the position of head of the Family.

“If something goes wrong, take good care of the Family.”

“Please do not say such ominous things. You absolutely must return safely!”

“I only say it just in case. While I am gone, take good care of Ioline and spend time with her.”

“Yes.”

“All right, all of you, off you go. I moved around too much today, and now I am tired.”

Simon waved his hand dismissively and climbed into bed. Since he would be setting out on a long journey the very next day, he wanted to remain in bed as long as possible.

Kenard left first, and Ranieri personally extinguished the lights in the room.

He had no wish to see the wayward young master ring the Emergency Bell again.

“Thank you, Ranieri.”

“It was nothing.”

Left alone, Simon imagined the journey to Aldebaran.

It would not be an easy road.

‘And yet, strangely enough, I do not dislike it.’

That was because he had no intention of heading straight to the Aldebaran capital.

‘Since I am leaving anyway, would it not be even better to take a roundabout path? I can also get a sense of the people’s mood throughout the territory. Especially in the countryside. I wonder what the mood is like in a place with fine mountains, fine waters, and delicious bread.’

With a satisfied smile, he pulled the blanket up to his chest.

His heart was already heading toward Minor Village.

***

The next day, Simon did not rise from bed until he was informed that all preparations for departure had been completed.

Ranieri appeared in simple traveling clothes and drew back the curtains.

“The vassals and the knights are gathered outside in great numbers. They say they have come to see you off, Young Master.”

“Yaaawn...... Mmm, why has everyone gathered as though I were off to do something grand?”

“It seems some of the vassals opposed the dispatch of this envoy delegation. Of course, they could not overturn His Lordship’s will.”

Simon nodded with satisfaction and smiled.

“Loyal men among the loyal, then. Remember their names well and tell Kenard later. Haaam, I would rather have slept a little longer.”

“Hurry yourself. It is a very long road to Minor Village.”

“So you knew?”

“I did not realize it immediately, to be honest, but your thoughts are hardly difficult to guess, Young Master.”

“Hahahaha!”

Laughing cheerfully, Simon washed up quickly and changed his clothes. Then, instead of armor, he began putting on splendid garments.

“I do not know whether this is wise. Did you not say that the Imperial Princess would set a tail on you?”

“Not yet, I think. When it comes to placing someone under surveillance, do you think she would send just anyone after me? She will have to go back to the Imperial Capital and choose her people first. And do not worry. I have a plan.”

Ranieri, who had been quietly watching Simon, finally spoke.

“Young Master, I believe you ought to wear armor.”

“It is cumbersome. I am not going there to fight.”

“We must pass through the borderlands. That place is little better than a lawless zone.”

“Sir Hans will handle it well enough. Do not underestimate the Commander of the Arcturus Knight Order.”

“No.”

Ranieri picked up a suit of light armor that had been set to one side. He glared at Simon with resolute eyes that plainly said he would not be allowed to leave unless he put it on.

“Please wear it.”

“I said I am fine.”

“Please wear it.”

“Hey.”

“If you do not wear it, I will not accompany you.”

“Haa.”

And yet Simon was not annoyed in the slightest. It felt as though old memories were returning to life one after another.

“It seems you are acting like this only because you know nothing about martial skill, but I do not need armor. Do you even know what armor is for?”

“It is worn to reduce damage from attacks. It also serves to protect vital points.”

“You just have to avoid getting hit in the first place. Armor is for those who lack confidence in a fight.”

“If the knights heard you say that, their eyes would roll back in outrage.”

“Am I the same as they are?”

The one Simon was more concerned about was Ranieri. The long journey itself was one thing, but if they came under sudden attack or ran into some unexpected situation, Ranieri would have difficulty responding.

‘I suppose raiding the vault really is the best option.’

Having thought of an excellent solution, Simon straightened his collar and stood before the mirror.

“Handsome.”

“......”

After admiring his reflection to his heart’s content, Simon turned to look at Ranieri.

“You are the one who really needs defensive gear. With not a scrap of muscle on you, how are you supposed to fight? You look as though one good punch would knock you over. Wait here a moment.”

“Where are you going?”

“To the vault.”

What Simon meant was the Treasure Vault. Yet even intelligent Ranieri did not realize that he was referring to the place where the Family’s treasures were stored.

‘If I want to enter the vault, I first need Father’s permission. If I go in without it, I may genuinely end up inheriting the Family.’

The Treasure Vault was only its abbreviated name. In truth, it was the place where the Arcturus Family stored the artifacts passed down through the generations. It was filled with rare and precious objects that successive heads of the Family had gathered with painstaking care.

Items imbued with magic—artifacts.

And once one began to speak of them, one could not avoid speaking of the history of the continent.

Now that the age of sword and magic had faded, and the age of knights had arrived,in ages long past, knights and mages had been bitter rivals, competing fiercely with one another. But now, mages were no longer a match for knights.

That was because the methods of wielding Aura had developed further than the methods of wielding Mana.

Another major reason was the phenomenon known as the Twilight of Mana, which had occurred long ago and claimed the lives of countless mages. More than a few spells had vanished from the world entirely.

Because of that, mages went into seclusion or concealed their identities.

If they were seized by someone harboring wicked intentions, they could be forced to labor like slaves for the rest of their lives.

Magic had become the domain of only a handful of recluses or other races.

And so, enchanting equipment with magic had become exceedingly difficult.

As a result, magically imbued artifacts were traded at extremely high prices, and in some cases, they could not be bought even with money.

‘I should ask for only one moderately useful item, not something too precious.’

When Simon stopped before the door, an attendant opened it for him.

Marquis Deneuve was drinking wine alone.

“So, are you setting out now?”

“Not yet.”

For the first time, Marquis Deneuve felt his age. He ought to have remained cold, and yet his expressions only kept softening.

“I was told to form an envoy delegation, yet I hear you are taking only Sir Hans.”

Would it not be dangerous? He could not ask that. After all, he was the one who had given the order in the first place.

“It will be fine. If there are too many people, they will only get in the way.”

“No matter how great your skill, a moment’s carelessness can still bring defeat. Do not forget that you have only one life. Ah, though I suppose that does not matter to you, since you die and return to the past.”

His father still treated all talk of regression as a joke. Simon let out a soft laugh.

“That is right. So if I die this time as well, I will simply regress again. Do not worry.”

“......”

The marquis felt as though he had somehow lost out after making a joke for no reason.

“There is something I would ask of you. I would like to take a single artifact from the Treasure Vault.”

“You speak as though it were something I had left in your care. Do you know what sort of place that is?”

“I am concerned about Ranieri. I will only borrow it and return it, so there is no need for you to worry too much.”

“Hmm.”

The marquis knew well enough how dearly Simon valued Ranieri. More than anything, if his eldest son did inherit the Family, there was no one but Ranieri who could properly support him.

“Very well. I will open it for you. If you are borrowing something anyway, then take one thing suitable for your own use as well. Your life is on the line.”

“I am grateful for your grace, Father.”

Marquis Deneuve handed Simon the magic key that could open the door to the Treasure Vault.

“Then I shall gather what I need and depart at once. I think the trip may take longer than expected. Since I am going out anyway, I mean to make a tour of the territory as well.”

“What has gotten into you? You are the boy who even ate his meals in bed.”

“It is the duty of the eldest son.”

Once he humored him just enough, the marquis did not grow overly suspicious.

Leaving the study, Simon immediately opened the door to the Treasure Vault.

‘No matter how many times I see it, this place is remarkable.’

After inheriting the Family in his previous life, he had often had the chance to examine everything inside this room. Since the objects were rarely moved from where they had been placed, almost everything remained just as it had been.

Simon searched through his memory and took a brooch no larger than his little finger from a box.

‘The White Dragon Brooch.’

It was an exquisite brooch said to have been made from the scales of a white dragon.

‘It carries a spell that will block one fatal attack, and only once.’

It could not stop an overwhelmingly powerful blow, but it was more than sufficient to give Ranieri the chance to escape danger. Above all, it was good because it did not stand out.

After tucking it away, Simon looked around once more.

Weapons, armor, and accessories of every sort lay all around him.

‘What among these would suit me?’

Simon suddenly remembered that the sword in his room was badly worn.

‘For now, my Aura is lacking compared to my swordsmanship, so perhaps I should take something that can help me in that regard.’

His steps moved without hesitation, and soon he stopped before a quietly resting sword.

A longsword slumbering within a black scabbard.

Its appearance was utterly ordinary.

But Simon recognized the true worth hidden within it. He even recognized its name.

‘The Phantom Sword. There is no blade better suited to helping draw out Aura.’

It was a sword he had never once used in his previous life. After becoming the head of the Family, there had seldom been any lack in his Aura.

If anything, it was a sword far better suited to him now, after his return to the past.

‘I will use it only until I create more Aura Circles. In any case, I never actually said when I would return it.’

With a grin, Simon fastened the sword at his waist.