Episode 17
I broke the apple pie in front of me into small pieces and put them in my mouth.
Surprisingly, it was quite edible and worthy of being called a specialty.
The female employee looked at me with a strange expression and said.
“Well? I don’t think it’s true, seeing as how tall and handsome the third son of the Marquis is, contrary to rumors.”
I looked into the eyes of the female employee while chewing the pie.
Looking at those curious eyes, it doesn’t seem like he was overlooking anything.
It’s surprising, but the appearance of the female employee was definitely not ordinary.
The clothes he was wearing were no different from everyday leather clothes, but you could tell just by looking at the tendons on his arms that were twitching every time he carried a beer and a glass.
A scar on his cheek, lean muscles twitching all over his body, and an inn frequented mostly by mercenaries.
therefore.
“I guess he was the branch manager.”
The woman laughs heartily.
It was definitely a positive smile.
Of course, it wasn’t just something I passed over.
Each town is garrisoned with mercenaries who roam around looking for work.
Some people are hired as soldiers in the realm of the spirit world, others as errand boys, and still others as hunters who invade the forest of demons to catch monsters.
Naturally, the places where they are introduced to work are adventurer’s guilds built in villages or large estates.
These adventurer’s guilds are often located very close to a town’s inn or other lodging facility.
“You seem to have a lot of free time. The branch manager also manages the inn.”
“I know it’s one thing to have nothing to do, but do you see that door over there?”
She points to a corner inside the inn with her finger.
There was a fairly small door in the corner of the inn, and mercenaries were coming in and out repeatedly through that door.
I thought that was just the back door, but I guess not.
“The room right next door is the Adventurer’s Guild. In fact, that’s closer to my main job, but as you said, there’s not much work these days, and since the territory isn’t that big, I’m doing this side job. You have to eat to live, right?”
aha.
It seems that this inn was a lodging facility directly operated by the Adventurer’s Guild.
however.
“You’re acting quite brazenly.”
The branch manager’s forehead twitches slightly.
In fact, I, who am called retarded, certainly have my own kind of fame.
But my face is not well known in this remote territory.
Just a story that the hairy mercenaries and skinny mercenaries chew over while drinking. That’s the extent of my fame.
But does this branch manager recognize me like that?
Objectively speaking, this is not a normal situation.
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When the branch manager first saw me, he looked at me with a look of bewilderment.
I could say that it was just the right amount of attention from strangers to a kid like me who came to this inn alone, but in that brief moment when I went to make a pie, the way they looked at me changed.
From wonder to curiosity, from slight interest to intense interest.
The story goes that he found out about me in the short time he went to make a pie, but that’s nothing to think about.
“I heard from the guard guarding the entrance that no matter how important the information is, it’s quite dangerous to have a connection with the private soldiers without the lord knowing.”
“Are you worried?”
“For now.”
In other words, the branch manager’s appearance was not ordinary.
Skip everything else and just focus on the pretty thing.
If you’re pretty, it’s okay to worry.
“That may be true. Now that I think about it, the introduction is late.”
The branch manager smiles and extends his hand.
“My name is Jane Arbeloa, the head of the Arbeloa village branch of the Alaves Guild.”
* * *
The name of this territory is Arbeloa.
And the name of the branch manager in front of you is Arbeloa.
It wasn’t shocking or anything.
Also her gender is female.
I asked, taking a sip of milk.
“First or second?”
She shakes her head.
“I’m the third. Right now, Youngju is my eldest brother.”
He put the milk down on the table and quietly looked at the branch manager, or rather, Jane Arbeloa.
As I briefly mentioned earlier, he is definitely in his late 20s.
I’m in my late 20s and I’m a branch manager…
I don’t know the details, but I know one thing.
The bright atmosphere of the children I saw as I entered this village probably started from this woman.
A noble who does mercenary work, which is criticized as something only commoners do.
I don’t know what kind of person Lord Arbeloa is, but at least Jane Arbeloa in front of me has caught my interest.
The pie is delicious, the milk is delicious, and the woman in front of me is more than enough to talk to, so it really is something people have to live long to see.
“It must have been hard. Don’t people usually marry off to other people before they reach that age? They’re pretty too.”
“Are you complimenting me?”
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“uh.”
Jane smiles brightly.
“It was hard, but it’s all in the past. I don’t regret it now. It was my will, and no one in my family wanted to be sold off to someone for political reasons.”
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Nobles have their own way of talking.
Especially for children of noble families in a ‘situation’ like Jane’s, the topic of ‘marriage for political reasons’ is a topic that can be talked about at length just by slightly raising the subject.
In fact, it goes without saying that everyone wants power.
And in this world, power is determined by whether or not one has a title.
If mana users are a symbol of ‘individual power’, then nobles should be said to symbolize ‘group power’.
Of course, mana users can also obtain titles.
Just like the young chick who was the apprentice knight of the Marquis, the… … I really don’t remember his name, was called Baron Jun, mana users also receive their own titles.
The titles that are given to high circle users are ‘Honorary Marquis’ and ‘Honorary Count’.
But actually, since I’m saying this now, what’s the use of an honorary title without a fief?
The power of the nobility comes from the land called the fief.
It may seem strange, but the nobles of this world consider ‘roots’ to be very important.
In particular, the Kingdom of Teslan is almost pathologically obsessed with its roots compared to other nations.
This is the reason why commoners cannot become successful, and even if a commoner has the talent of a ‘Master’, a 10th circle mana user, he will never be able to receive a title higher than that of a Count with a territory.
Because there is no ‘history’ in their blood.
‘So, the Gocircle users immigrate to other countries.’
As the mercenaries were saying earlier, the king is very incompetent.
Now that I look at it, it had all the conditions for a ruined country.
In any case, the simplest and most efficient way for nobles to strengthen their power is to ally with families with higher power.
In that collusion, women like our sister are bound to become tools of political marriage.
But no one in your family wanted it?
Honestly, I was even a little jealous inside.
I looked at Jane with strange eyes.
“It’s an interesting family. In many ways.”
Jane smiles brightly again.
Then he asks with curious eyes.
“By the way, how could the third son of the Marquis of Valanti come to a place like this alone? Without even an escort?”
Ps …
“What good is an escort force for an idiot?”
Jane rests her chin on her arm and stares at me blankly.
It’s a gaze that’s almost like looking at a strange creature.
“That’s funny. Sometimes rumors are actually credible, but this is really surprising. You’re so different from the rumors.”
The only credible rumors are probably about my situation.
In fact, even though they say it’s my karma, my past behaviors gave flesh to those rumors, so to be honest, those rumors weren’t completely wrong.
“Your Highness the Third Prince, do you have any requests you would like to entrust to me?”
Is there a reason he’s called a branch manager?
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Or maybe he just smelled money.
Nothing mattered.
The destination I’m trying to go to is quite far from here.
To be honest, it’s lonely to go alone, so I should take a few people with me to talk to.
“I would like to ask you to escort me from this village to Mt. Bawi.”
Jane’s expression instantly became serious.
“How many people?”
“Up to 5 people, preferably mercenaries with a lot of camping experience and excellent cooking skills.”
“What about the maintenance?”
“2 gold per person as a deposit, 3 gold upon arrival.”
Jane’s eyes sparkle.
It goes without saying that there are cases where mercenaries take on escort duties.
They are usually hired by merchants, and in such cases the wages end up being at most 30 shillings per person.
The kingdom’s monetary unit is simple.
100 pennies equal 1 shilling, and 100 shillings equal 1 gold.
A night’s stay and three meals a day at an inn would cost at most 50 pence, let alone 1 gold.
With just 80 gold, you can live a leisurely life in a remote village like this, building a small hut and running a chicken farm.
“Your barrel is very large. Then, how long will it take to prepare?”
Until when?
“Of course, by tomorrow morning.”
Jane smiles brightly.
“Of course, preparing meals and supplies is separate, right?”
He quietly took three gold coins out of his bosom and placed them on the table.
“Please prepare it yourself. It would be good to have a carriage. It would also be good if you could prepare the horses that are lacking.”
“It’s been a while since you’ve had a chance to visit, and you’re a truly generous guest. We’ll prepare it for you with our veterans.”
With those words I went up to the third floor.
The branch manager is a woman named Jane who has lived a pretty interesting life, so at least she won’t get swarmed by flies.
The furry thing underneath is a little annoying, but let’s just ignore it.
I’m not a psycho or anything, and I’m already tired, so there’s no need to create unnecessary work for me.
So I went into the room assigned to me by Jane and lay down on the bed without even washing up.
My eyes closed naturally, and I fell asleep in an instant.
Chapter 6
My first thought was, “This is a dream.”
A dark space and a being wrapped in chains made of dragon bones.
That black silhouette and the crying little me.
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This is clearly a memory from the past.
That was happening right before my eyes.
The chained being asks.
‘Why are you so sad?’
Dark silhouette.
Even just from a quick glance, I could tell who that silhouette was.
Master.
It’s definitely the teacher.
‘What a pitiful child.’
I was a man who couldn’t be described as pitiful.
You idiot, you dumbass.
Because that word clearly referred to me and not to anyone else.
‘Are you planning to live like that for the rest of your life?’
The younger me from the past shakes my head.
‘It is not a sin to be good, but it is a great sin to be incompetent. But it is a greater sin to be sad with such talent.’
My past self, who had experienced such an extraordinary event, just shed tears on the spot.
‘Don’t you want to change?’
Those words rippled through my heart like huge waves.
I, no, my past self nodded.
I want to change.
I don’t want to live like this.
She said that she was as beautiful as my sister in the world.
‘Then, from today on, call me master.’
