Chapter 66
Chapter 66
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: A Visit Home
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"...So that's roughly how things turned out."
That evening, Beonald shared the day's events with his companions over dinner.
Since it was an important matter requiring everyone's agreement, he explained in detail the proposal he had received from Sir Repart of the Imperial Knight Order and announced his plan to go to the imperial capital.
"To the capital... you say?"
"Yes. The work here is mostly finished anyway. Baron Zelkerd's influence has grown substantially, and maintaining it shouldn't be too difficult. Besides, staying here too long would just make the nobles under Baron Zelkerd jealous of me, and they'd start making noise about my origins again."
"Hmm, I can't deny that."
"So, I plan to enter the Commoner Faculty. That should be sufficient for my purposes anyway. I've received a generous sum for tuition, and I'll also be getting a reward for the profits from this war."
Since Beonald's goal wasn't to conduct research or study academics at the academy in the first place, simply getting in—even through the Commoner Faculty—was enough.
He then began to explain what would happen with the group he led.
"First, I intend to disguise myself as the child of a merchant company owner to enroll. Even as a commoner, it's better than having no background at all. And Sein, you'll accompany me as a hired employee. Heidi, similarly, you'll conceal your knighthood and pose as my bodyguard, but I'll arrange for you to focus on taking care of Alterio and your training."
"Understood."
"Yes, sir!"
"Alterio will be registered as my pet. I've already obtained a permit from Sir Repart. With the imperial seal on it, the Imperial Academy shouldn't raise any objections. And if they won't allow him in the academy dormitories, I'm thinking of buying a mansion within the imperial capital itself."
"Um, what about me then?"
Just as he was briefing the two, Selina quietly slipped into the conversation.
She gave him a pouting look, asking why she hadn't been mentioned. Beonald scratched his head as if he hadn't considered it at all and replied.
"Ah, Selina, strictly speaking, you're not... my subordinate, so I can't give you instructions. Rather, I should be listening to what you plan to do after hearing my plans, shouldn't I?"
"Ah, right. That's true. Hmm~ But going back to the Mage Tower would just mean boring research, and following Lord Beonald is fun and I learn a lot, so I'll keep~ tagging along."
"That's good news. Having a mage around will definitely help with alchemy. If you had decided to leave, I was planning to find another at the academy or devise some other method."
When creating the 'Benofis River' or working on various things in the blast furnace, he had definitely felt that having a mage, even one of modest skill, was incredibly convenient.
In his previous life, he was already a Count with a certain level of influence, so he hadn't needed to hire a mage separately—he could just create magical tools and use them himself, purchasing scrolls for any necessary spells. But now, his finances weren't that abundant, so her usefulness was beyond words.
"Excuse me, you're not treating me like some convenient magical tool, are you?"
"Ah... That's not it. Probably......"
"What's with that long silence? And 'probably'?"
"Well then! Let's start preparing to leave. It's best to arrive in the capital before winter comes."
Beonald pretended not to hear her and moved first, beginning the preparations to head to the capital in earnest.
With Baron Zelkerd's active support, preparations for the journey to the capital, including the carriage, steadily progressed.
"I truly wish I could escort you all the way to the capital myself, Lord Beonald."
"I appreciate the sentiment, at least. By the way, any news from the Callermain Earldom?"
"Ah, Lady Meyra has finally been sent to a temple, condemned to a life of hard labor and penance. And Young Master Ralt... I hear he committed suicide. It must have been too much for him. In the end, they've brought in Erasol, the son of Sir Maldrov, as a son-in-law to temporarily address the heir issue, and the acting head of the Lengel family is trying to produce a new successor."
"A textbook solution."
It was a clean measure, one he thought even he would have taken if he were the acting head of the Lengel family.
Not killing Lady Meyra outright was because some of the knights who once served the former Royen Viscountcy were still alive. Killing her could have sparked sympathy or become a catalyst for other incidents.
From another perspective, she was merely a mother who stopped at nothing for her son's safety, so sending her to a temple was the best course to prevent her from dying a martyr's death.
"Then, what about that knight, Sir Jed, who was always glued to Lady Meyra's side? Did he leave the territory? Or was he punished or executed differently?"
"Ah, him... he received no punishment. He didn't directly participate in the war, focusing only on his original duty of guarding Lady Meyra and refraining from any other actions. Trying to pin other charges on him... you can't fault a man for serving the wrong lord, and he was quite respected in the Callermain territory."
"Him?"
"Yes. He passed the intermediate knight certification in the capital and earned merits on numerous battlefields. Many nobles made overtures to him, but he ultimately went to the Royen Viscountcy and became Lady Meyra's knight, dedicating his life to her. They say he served her because she was a beautiful lady in his youth, but even after her political marriage and bearing children, his loyalty never wavered... It's no wonder he's highly regarded as a model knight."
"Hmm, so what happened to him in the end? Don't tell me he followed Lady Meyra to the temple...?"
"Correct. Upon hearing Lady Meyra's sentence, he immediately shaved his head, removed his sword and armor, and followed her into the temple. Truly... he can only be seen as the epitome of a noble knight."
Model knight my foot! The man's insane!
Beonald couldn't hide his expression as emotions surged, but he managed to keep his mouth shut.
Just thinking about Sir Jed's actions—something he could never do himself—made him feel an unpleasant sensation crawling all over his body.
A fanatic-like human who goes mad with conviction and abandons everything. The type Beonald, who loved calculation, theory, and rationality, despised the most.
"...I see. Whew~"
"Ah, also, the blacksmith of our territory asked me to relay a request for you to share the secret technique you mentioned before."
"Ah~! That too. A single message scroll should suffice for that, so don't worry. And additionally... I should send a message to my parents too."
"Since it's come to this, why not visit them in person? They'd be pleased."
"Hmm, that sounds good."
Since he didn't know when he'd return after leaving the Callermain territory, Beonald decided to bid farewell to his birth parents before departing and headed for the Dustycloak Barony.
It was quite a distance from the former Royen Viscountcy, but by alternating between three horses and Alterio, he arrived faster than the usual pace.
Hmm, it's still the same. Well, it hasn't been that many years... nothing would have changed.
Still, perhaps because it was where he was born and raised, seeing the small, rustic mansion in the countryside made a hint of nostalgia well up inside him.
Beonald entered and immediately bypassed the servants, calling out loudly for his parents.
"I'm home! Mother!"
"Oh, my! Who is this? Beonald? Good heavens! What brings you here all of a sudden?"
"I came to see your faces. By the way, where are Father and my siblings?"
"The usual territory patrol. And your siblings are playing with the other children from the territory right now. Anyway, you've really~ really grown so splendidly."
About three years had passed since he entered the Callermain Earldom, and Beonald, in the midst of his growth spurt, had undergone a tremendous change in appearance.
After settling the horses and Alterio, Beonald exchanged greetings with his mother and talked about what had happened during his time away.
In the evening, his father and siblings returned, and they all had dinner together, continuing the stories of his time at the Callermain Earldom.
The most astonished was his father, Baron Dustycloak. He had heard sporadic rumors about him, but learning they were true shocked him even more.
"I'd heard bits and pieces about your exploits, but to think... you even participated in the war. As I thought, you were... a child who shouldn't have stayed here."
"Please don't say that. But it's true that this is where I was born and raised."
His previous life, born to Felix von Neumel, had been no different from hell.
Countless brothers and sisters killing each other, stealing positions, competing, assassinating, poisoning, forming factions... Compared to that hellish process of survival, his current life, where he grew up receiving his family's unconditional love, was heaven.
...Now I think I understand a bit of the goddess's intention.
Beonald felt he was beginning to understand why the Goddess had deliberately made him be born in such a place.
Had he been born into another noble family, he surely would have navigated it like his previous life, but he would never have experienced this warm, harmonious family.
Guh, guh-hack! Uweeeeh! B-Beonald, you bastard! P-poison in my food! Guh-hack!
Gurgle! Gurgle! B-Beonald, big brother, suddenly... why?
"Wow... It's so pretty. I've never seen anything like this before, big brother. Thank you!"
"What about me? Me? Wow! A cool helmet. Thank you, brother."
In his past life, to survive, he had stabbed his sister and brothers and gifted them poison. In this life, he could give them presents with pure goodwill, free from such worries, and receive their sincere thanks. It was a much better life.
"Beonald? Are you alright?"
"Ah, yes. I'm happy because my siblings are happy... Haha."
"By the way, you mentioned earlier you're going to the imperial capital? So next time you'll..."
"It's likely... I might not be able to return. That's why I came this time."
"I see... Well, you are... far too exceptional a child to play in this small pond..."
His mother wore a sorrowful expression. Beonald's heart grew a little heavier too.
But his rebirth now had a reason, a destiny.
Still, for the sake of the mother who had gifted him this warm home and upbringing, he hugged and comforted her.
"I... misspoke. While it's likely I won't be able to return, still... I will definitely come back at least once more while you're still alive."
"Alright, do that. I'm grateful even for just those words."
"Please don't cry, Mother."
The dinner table had suddenly become a sea of tears, and his father, Baron Dustycloak, unsure of what to do in such a situation, chose to take the twin siblings and slip away for the moment.
After finishing the meal, Beonald spent time harmoniously talking with his family in this life and, just as he had with the twins, presented gifts to his parents as well.
"Ta-da~ It wouldn't be fair if only the children got something, right?"
"No, we should be the ones giving you... How could..."
Opening the box containing the gifts revealed it was filled with gold, silver, and jewels. Opening a separate compartment revealed several elegantly packaged potion bottles.
Beonald's parents looked at them with startled eyes, then at Beonald. He smiled and explained.
"I received rewards for my contributions in the recent war. I brought some gold coins, platinum coins, and jewels to supplement the territory's finances. And a few potions to take care of your health. Please hire more laborers and do some construction on the dike. I was always worried it would get washed away in heavy rain. For the potions, each of you should take only one per day. Don't get carried away and take two because you feel energetic—split them and take one each per day. Understood?"
"Y-yes, I understand. Good heavens... How could..."
"You've truly... become amazing... our son."
He was already an exceptional person from birth due to his past life, but Beonald simply smiled to avoid spoiling his parents' joy.
Having now experienced this heartwarming filial piety he never had in his past life, Beonald thought there would be no more regrets. After spending the night, he left the Dustycloak Barony early the next morning, slipping away to avoid seeing his parents' sad faces.